Wild Panther (Full Moon Protectors Book 4)

by Sammie Joyce

  As if reading my thoughts, Veronica’s voice piped through the phone and into my ear, her message clear and obnoxiously loud.

  “Hey, babe, it’s me,” she called in a singsong tone. “I was just checking to see if you’re around. I know you had a dinner with your cousin tonight so I didn’t want to call you on your cell to interrupt, but if you’re home, call me. Maybe I can come by.”

  The message beeped and there were no more after Vero’s, leaving me to stare at the phone for a long moment.

  Do I want Vero to come over tonight?

  The answer was a resounding no, even before I could think about it. The fact was, Veronica was a woman whom I dated on occasion. I wouldn’t call her my girlfriend and our relationship wasn’t exclusive, even if she hinted that she wanted it to be. Veronica was beautiful and smart enough but she just didn’t do it for me the way I had envisioned a life partner would. After Elle, I had learned not to settle. I liked Vero but I didn’t have the urge to be around her all the time. I idly considered that she and Dan had more in common than she and I.

  I’ll call her tomorrow and tell her I got in late.

  I didn’t like to lie but I genuinely wasn’t in the mood to talk to her that night.

  Dan really did put me in a bad mood, I realized, sitting up on the leather sofa and planting my feet on the ground. I took another long sip of my beer and tossed the phone aside.

  Maybe it would be a good thing to have Vero come, I considered. She could help take my mind off things for a bit at least.

  The notion gave me a spark of guilt. It wasn’t Veronica’s job to be a distraction but lately, that was all she seemed to be. She made me feel less lonely on nights when I was lost in my own head. Nights like this one. Still, it was no reason to feel shame. We had an understanding.

  I sighed and rose, the classical music suddenly weighing on me heavily. It wasn’t calming my spirits—it was depressing me.

  And the day had started out so promising.

  I opted to get online, check my emails, and catch up with some social media. I instantly realized my mistake.

  Vero was online too.

  You avoiding me? she messaged.

  I cringed to myself and debated ignoring her DM but I knew that wasn’t an option.

  I’m a forty-year-old man, not a teenager. And if I’m avoiding talking to Vero, maybe it’s time to move on.

  I shoved aside my sensible thoughts and typed back a response.

  Of course not. I just got home from dinner with Dan.

  How did that go? I left you a voicemail.

  I paused as I considered telling her the truth, that it had gone terribly, but something stopped me. Vero wasn’t always the most sympathetic listener and I didn’t feel like being brushed off again.

  Fine, I lied.

  I watched the message bubbles until the inevitable question was posed.

  Want some company?

  I didn’t give myself time to create an excuse. The cons of being alone outweighed the cons of hanging out with Veronica that night. My overworked mind won out.

  I’m just going for a jog. Message you when I get in?

  I’ll just come by around nine.

  I shrugged to myself. I would be home by then, hopefully in a clearer state. It would be late and we could just head off to bed. There wasn’t really a downside to having her over. Plus, it would fill my quota for having to see her for a week or two.

  Okay, that was a shitty thought. You really do need to end things with Vero.

  And I would—just not that night.

  I typed back a message.

  Sounds good.

  I signed off before I could get bombarded with any more messages from Vero or anyone else and rose from the library desk where I had been sitting. I still had yet to turn on any lights but I rather enjoyed the calm of the moonlight, the music still playing in the background. A small part of me thought about opting out of my nightly jog but I knew it would do me good. It was so easy to fall out of healthy habits and into unhealthy ones, particularly when it came to diet and exercise. The porterhouse steak resting in my gut was demanding a quid pro quo. Gauging by the way I was feeling, I could tell that I wouldn’t sleep well without a run, even with Vero there.

  I rolled my shoulders and turned to look out the window, into the freshly fallen night. I’d make it a short run that evening, to Zumwalt Park and along the shores of Fern Ridge Lake before heading home. It was an easy enough trail and I wasn’t apt to run into anyone after dark.

  Stop procrastinating, I growled to myself, realizing that I hadn’t moved in a full minute. Vero will be here soon.

  3

  Amity

  A cold snap had overtaken the air near the lake but I hardly noticed it as I raced along the shoreline, my snout raised toward the sky. Anton and Tybalt had disappeared half an hour earlier, losing themselves in the thick of trees inside the park. They were smart, keeping themselves well hidden in the cloak of darkness, but I was older and more experienced. I wasn’t as worried about being seen as they were. Even so, I knew I needed to be mindful of other presences. I hadn’t been caught in years but cockiness didn’t suit me.

  It wasn’t a usual night for me to be out with the Protectors but since the growing threat of Anticlaw, we’d been making our rounds more frequently, casing out places that weren’t as common. The Protectors had been complaining that their numbers were lacking and rather than endanger them, the Council had opted to step in and help them with their workload.

  This is something else that Council would have never done fifty years ago, I mused. I reminded myself that we didn’t have a rogue vigilante group of humans openly hunting us half a century ago either.

  “Anticlaw meeting somewhere,” Jackal said. “They must have a headquarters hidden and if we haven’t found their base of operations yet, we have to keep looking. We won’t rest until we’ve shut them down.”

  Neither of the Protectors said what I knew they were thinking: “To what end?”

  If we found their meeting spots, there was only one thing we could do—stand down and wait for the backup of the other Protectors and the Council. We had no idea what kind of weapons they were holding or what backup of their own they possessed. It seemed impossible that once, we had had the upper hand on the humans, but now their numbers were growing and the injuries were leading to the deaths of our shifters. Things were getting dire and nothing short of an ambush would stop them. I really hoped it wouldn’t come to that.

  “Amity!”

  My ebony tail flickered and I half-flipped through the air, my eyes gleaming silver against the moonlight as I turned to stare into the brambles. There were so few bodies in those parts, human or otherwise. In fact, Zumwalt was one of my favorite parks to visit for that reason alone. If there was something I appreciated, it was peace and quiet.

  I stared at the figure in the thick, waiting for Jackal to say whatever it was on his mind. I was unable to speak myself, given my panther state.

  “We’re leaving soon,” Jackal told me. “Are you about done with your check?”

  I bowed my head slowly to show him I had found nothing and Jackal morphed back into his animal form, bounding off to find the other panthers. This sweep had turned up little but there were still two more parks on our roster to check that night.

  Two more parks for them. I’ll probably keep going if I’m still as wired as I am.

  There were so many places Anticlaw could be set up. For all we knew, they were moving around. I intended to find them and end this madness before everything went to hell.

  It was ill-advised for the shifters to travel or search alone, for obvious reasons. Anticlaw had hit us unexpectedly and horribly, maiming and killing a few of us over the past while. I wasn’t concerned for myself as much as I was for the younger group, their naivety leading them into avoidable situations. I was not so foolish and if I were to be seen, I knew I could outrun any human, regardless of his strength. He would need to catch me off guard,
something I found highly unlikely.

  This was why I didn’t mind doing a grid search alone.

  Maybe I’m cockier than I give myself credit for, I mused.

  I sank back to sit on my hind legs, tail flicking lazily as I stared out into the lake. It was such a gorgeous night, the shimmer of the moon across the water romantic and hazy.

  This would be a perfect night for a date, the thought came unbidden to my mind. I was aghast by the notion, wondering from where it had come. I was never a cynic but I also had never been one for lovey-dovey ideas. Over the past couple years, however, I had found myself wondering more and more about that mate I was supposed to have. According to legend, every shifter had a mate, someone whom she would know on sight and feel an instant bond with.

  Everyone but me, apparently. I was thirty-eight years old and without prospects. In fact, I’d never had the inkling of a prospect. Sure, there had been dates and listless relationships but certainly nothing to write home about.

  I’m an old cat lady, I mused mirthlessly. Except instead of owning cats, I am a cat.

  The thought didn’t amuse me as much as it should have. In fact, it was outright depressing.

  I heard the rustle of movement behind me and instantly, I was on my feet, hissing as I backed away from the shore, my padded feet touching the water, much to my chagrin. The feel of the cold on my padded feet was nothing compared to the sense of danger surging through me.

  I got one!

  The man paused in shock, his amber eyes glowing in the darkness as he rested his gaze on me.

  Again I hissed, baring my teeth, discombobulated by the realization that I hadn’t sensed him coming. Moreover, I knew he wasn’t a member of Anticlaw, just an unsuspecting jogger who had stumbled onto me, unawares.

  Why didn’t I feel him there?

  “Easy there,” he murmured, holding his hands up in surrender. “I’m not coming any closer.”

  Shit! I cursed, understanding the repercussions of him seeing me. I was a black panther in North America. That was hardly a commonplace sighting, considering we weren’t supposed to exist in those parts. I backed up further, the water of the lake touching my high anklebones now as I kept my gaze fixed on him. There was nothing threatening about him. He didn’t appear to be armed in his gray tracksuit, ear pods resting in his ears. His jaw was chiseled, square, and even from the distance between us, I could make out the lines of his cheekbones.

  He’s gorgeous.

  It was yet another unexpected thought, one that embarrassed and intrigued me. I wasn’t scared of this man in the least but I was very attracted to him. Shame and confusion shot through me. I needed to get my head on straight before matters got out of hand.

  And before the others see him.

  “You don’t need to be afraid of me,” he went on, his voice like low gravel. It sent chills through my body as I locked eyes with him. I knew I should sprint out of his view and find the others but something wouldn’t allow me to move. “You’re a shifter, aren’t you?”

  The question stunned me. I hadn’t been expecting it, although I’m not sure why. The fact that he hadn’t been terrified out of his mind to see a wildcat should have been my first clue. Our species was becoming more widely known but I had never been directly asked such a thing and I didn’t know how to process it.

  “Honestly, I mean you no harm,” the man went on. “I like shifters.”

  I couldn’t read a single note of guile in his tone and instinctively, I trusted him.

  How can I trust him? I don’t know him.

  Before I could stop myself, I felt my body morphing into my mortal form, my black hair falling like a cascade over my shoulders. More shock shuddered through me. It was as if I wasn’t in control of my own body.

  Does he have some kind of magic in him?

  “Wow,” he breathed, his face registering pure awe. “I-I’ve never seen anyone do that. I mean, I know you can do that, it’s just…”

  He trailed off and exhaled in a low whistle.

  “Wow,” he muttered again. I tried to hide just how enthralled I was with his face, my heart racing as I stepped out of the lake and onto the shore again.

  “What are you doing out here?” I demanded. He shrugged and gestured at his clothes.

  “Jogging. I come here a lot.”

  “In the middle of the night?”

  He laughed and the sound was musical to my ears. It was lighthearted, friendly. He wasn’t mocking me. I was delighting him.

  I should have been enraged but I wasn’t, not in the least.

  “It’s not even eight o’clock,” he told me. “It’s not even late by my standards.”

  A hot flush touched my cheeks and I was grateful for the space between us.

  “Where’s your flashlight?” I insisted, determined to find something wrong with this man, anything to make me stop flushing and wanting to close the gap between us.

  “Honestly, ma’am, I’m just jogging. I’m not part of Anticlaw or anything.”

  I balked, more because he called me “ma’am” than anything else.

  “You know about Anticlaw?” I hissed.

  It was his turn to pale and he shook his head.

  “No—I mean yes, I know about them but I don’t know about them,” he muttered, the words coming out in a rush. “I-I mean, I’ve heard of them but I’m not part of them. I think what they’re doing is disgusting.”

  Relief shot through me.

  “You shouldn’t be here,” I growled, trying to sound more threatening than I felt. “Get out of here before you get caught by the others.”

  To my utter amazement, excitement colored his face.

  “There are more of you here?” he demanded, inadvertently stepping closer to me. I didn’t move nor did I warn him back. I just wanted to get one whiff of him, one strand of his scent in my nostrils so that I might store it away for later. I needed him to go and stay simultaneously.

  Schrodinger’s jogger, I thought, dizzy by his nearness.

  “Trust me, that’s not a good thing for you,” I muttered. “Not all of us are so forgiving.”

  His eyes clouded and his smile faded slightly.

  “Your friends would hurt me?” he asked, his brow furrowing in confusion. “Just for jogging? I didn’t do anything.”

  I stifled a sigh.

  Of course not! I almost snapped but I wanted him to be afraid, to run off before Jackal and the others saw me there, chatting with this human like everything was fine. This was not fine and he needed to go—for more reasons than one.

  “Tensions are running high,” I told him firmly. “There are threats everywhere. Keep your jogging to well-lit paths and out of the woods…”

  I trailed off before adding, “For your own safety.”

  Our gazes locked and I felt the dull thud of my pulse in my own ears. My mouth suddenly felt like cotton as he nodded slowly.

  “Noted,” he agreed but he made no move to take off. I wondered what he was waiting for.

  “Well?” I demanded. “Go now. What are you waiting for?”

  He shook his sandy blond head of hair, cut professionally around his ears. In my mind’s eye, I could see myself whispering sweet nothings into that ear and I was instantly humiliated by the thought. I needed to get these thoughts out of my mind but they kept coming, fast and furiously.

  “Aren’t you going to tell me your name?” he asked. My mouth parted in disbelief and I shook my head almost violently.

  “No!” I shot back even though I was oddly pleased he wanted to know it. “You need to go. Now! Don’t make me tell you again.”

  He stared at me a moment longer and for a second, I thought he might argue and remain in place, but he read the worry in my face. I might let him off the hook but Jackal and the Protectors might not take so kindly to him being out there like that.

  “Please?” I offered as an afterthought. “It really isn’t a good idea for you to be out here.”

  My voice was much softer
now and he nodded.

  “I’m going,” he assured me, slowly turning away but not without giving me a last glance over his shoulder.

  “Are you sure you won’t tell me your name?”

  Instead of answering, I fell forward, morphing back into my animal form and bounded toward the brambles where I had last seen Jackal. I didn’t need to look to feel the stranger’s eyes boring into me as I ran. He was staring at me as intensely as I had been staring at him.

  As I vanished from his view, I felt a deep sense of loss shoot through me and before I could go too deeply into the trees, I also paused to look back, hoping to catch one last glimpse of the man who had stolen my breath so unexpectedly. Of course, he was no longer where I’d left him, his form long since vanishing in the direction from which he’d come.

  I was furious at myself for not getting his name or giving him mine.

  Are you crazy? I growled to myself. He’s a human. Get your mind out of there.

  But that was much easier said than done.

  “Find anything?”

  Jackal’s voice made me jump, my thick claws curling into the foliage.

  Now’s the time to come clean and tell him you found a man out there, my sensible voice reminded me. I shifted back into my human form and faced him, willing my heart to slow down as I did. I knew I couldn’t get much past Jackal, even if I had been a good actress.

  “No,” I lied. “Nothing.”

  There’s no point in ratting out that hapless jogger, I tried to justify. He’s clearly no threat to us.

  If that was the case, I should have said as much to Jackal but I held back, wanting to keep him a secret for myself.

  The rustling sound of nearing feet saved me from closer scrutiny and suddenly, Ty and Anton appeared.

  “Anything?” Jackal asked in a tone which dictated he already knew the answer.

  “Not even a rabbit,” Ty sighed, seeming disappointed that he hadn’t found a snack. “Let’s go check out Perkin’s Peninsula.”

  I could tell by his voice that he was getting discouraged but I was suddenly pumped to be anywhere but there.

  “Yes!” I said with far too much eagerness. “Let’s do that.”