Talon (Rise of the Pride, Book 1)

by Theresa Hissong

  “Ask me something,” he urged.

  She looked around the dining area and noticed that no one was staring and that they were pretty much alone. Other patrons were far enough away, so whatever she had to say wouldn’t be overheard.

  “Is the urge to claim me incredibly strong?” She scrunched her nose, remembering the words in the book. The male character’s overwhelming need to claim his mate was so well described that Liberty’s chest hurt from reading about his need to mark her.

  “Yes,” he breathed out.

  “Does your animal compete with your human side?” she asked.

  “More than you could ever understand,” he sighed, but smiled warmly. “Since I was born a panther, it’s easier to live with the constant battle. The ones who have been turned have a harder time adjusting.”

  “Are they dangerous?” she asked, her questions continuing. This was the most he’d ever really spoken about himself and his people. She liked that he trusted her enough to share the secrets of his kind.

  “Newly turned shifters do have to be watched until they are able to control their animal,” he whispered, casting his eyes around the restaurant to make sure no one was eavesdropping. “If they don’t, they will go rogue. Rogues have to be put down.”

  “Oh,” she gasped.

  “I wouldn’t let anything happen to you,” he promised, but seemed to catch himself. “That is, if you decide…”

  “Does it hurt?” she interrupted. “When you shift?”

  “The first time…yes,” he answered. “After that, you learn to embrace the change. It’s part of who I am…who my people are, Liberty. Shifting is as normal as breathing for us.”

  “Will I have to become…you know?” she swallowed, feeling her hands starting to tremble.

  “Only if we want to have children,” he told her, looking a little uncomfortable. “But that is not something we need to talk about now.”

  “Okay,” she said, releasing his hand as soon as the waiter returned with the wine.

  “What is it like? Having another being inside you?” She frowned. “Am I asking that right?”

  “Yes,” he smiled. “For those that are changed, it takes some time to find a balance. Your panther is always fighting to be let free. Most newly turned panthers have to be watched until they can control their tempers. It can be quite frustrating at times.”

  “Do you know who I am when you are in your panther form?” she asked, the questions seemed to be spilling from her mouth. It wasn’t very often that Talon spoke about his kind to her. So, if she was being honest, she wanted to get all the answers she could while he was in the mood to talk.

  “Yes, we recognize and understand you,” he said.

  Liberty bit her lip and let those answers soak in. She watched him as he took a drink from his glass. He looked human, but there was an undertone of something wild there…something special. Maybe it was his eyes? The icy blue color gave his kind away. She had never seen anyone else with the kind of blue eyes the panthers had. It was indescribable in its intensity.

  “What can I get for you?” the waiter asked, turning toward Liberty.

  She ordered a steak and a salad. The waiter turned toward Talon and asked the same question.

  “I’ll have three porterhouses, medium rare, three baked potatoes, and can I have three orders of grilled shrimp on the side?” The waiter jotted down the request and took their menus, not commenting on his order. Liberty had already seen his appetite before, so it wasn’t a shock anymore.

  “How are things at City Hall?” she asked, wanting to talk about anything. She hated awkward silence when on a date.

  “They have all the information they need,” he grunted. “There were doctors there yesterday. I refuse to let my pride become a science experiment.”

  “That’s awful,” she complained. “Please be careful.”

  “I don’t know who I can trust anymore,” he admitted. “I think I will just take it slow. Only answering what I want them to know. We are not freaks, and we don’t want to take over the world. We are happier being left alone.”

  “Are you worried about the safety of your people?” she asked, reaching over to take his hand. It was such an automatic response and it felt…right.

  “We are stronger than humans,” he acknowledged, keeping his voice low. “We would never hurt anyone, but we are also very protective of our families. I would have a hard time controlling the males if one of their mates were harmed.”

  “I understand.” She smiled at him.

  “Tell me about your family,” he said, taking a sip of his wine.

  “My dad died a few years ago,” she began, trying to keep from crying at the thought of her dad. “I took over the bar from him.”

  “I remember your father,” he told her. “He was an honest and fair man.”

  “Thank you,” she sighed, looking down at her lap. “I miss him terribly.”

  “I’m sorry,” he said softly, stroking the back of her hand. He frequently did that and Liberty liked it, a lot. She wanted to moan from the warmth of his fingertips, but she just clenched her thighs together and kept talking.

  “My mom died in a car accident with her parents. My father’s parents died when I was a baby. It’s just Nova and myself now.” Liberty was proud of herself for reciting all of the tragedies that had happened in her life without breaking down. There were days where she would be angry at the loss of so many loved ones, wondering why it happened all so fast. There were other days when she sucked it up and kept moving forward. She wasn’t one to dwell on the past or what could have been.

  “You have the pride,” he whispered, pulling her hand to his lips. The moment they made contact with her skin, Liberty closed her eyes and just absorbed the feel of it. She was really starting to like this guy. “Don’t think I forgot about our debt to you for stopping Terry that night in the bar.”

  “Oh, that,” she chuckled. “I’ve had to kick out some scary people in the past couple years. Terry is no danger.”

  “It goes against everything I’ve ever been taught to see a woman have to defend herself,” he admitted.

  “You’re very protective,” she observed, looking up into his icy blue gaze.

  “Very,” he winked.

  The waiter arrived with their meal. Another waiter followed behind with three more plates for Talon. They sat his food down without a second glance, and Liberty thought it was odd. Even at the bar, everyone still watched the pride eat almost in awe at how much food they could consume in one sitting.

  “Ouch,” Liberty jumped, feeling pain in the tips of her fingers. The second waiter had grazed her hand as he was setting her plate down. Talon immediately reached out and took her hand into his, pulling her fingers against his chest.

  “It’s okay. I’ve got you,” he cooed.

  “I’m so sorry, ma’am, Alpha,” the young man said, his face red from embarrassment.

  “No worries,” Talon told him, never taking his eyes off of Liberty.

  Liberty looked up at the young man, and then she saw it. The waiter had icy blue eyes just like the alpha in front of her. “He’s one of yours?”

  “Yes,” Talon replied, continuing to stroke her hand. She worried for a moment that he would punish the young man, but Talon didn’t even growl in the younger man’s direction. He was more preoccupied with touching her.

  In fact, his touch consumed her. The pain had been like several needles piercing her skin, but as soon as Talon had made contact with her skin, the feeling subsided, leaving warmth behind.

  “All better?” he asked, raising the tips of her fingers to his lips. He placed a soft kiss on them before placing her hand back on the tabletop.

  “Thank you,” she mumbled as she blushed. The moment was short lived, but the connection between them only seemed to grow. She could see herself falling for this man…and falling hard.

  Talon took Liberty’s hand as they left the steakhouse. Her tiny fingers were engulfed by his and that
alone made him feel strong and virile, knowing that he could protect his mate. And she was his mate. He just needed to convince her.

  As soon as they reached the truck, Talon pinned her back to the door, reaching up to cup her face with his hands. His lips pressed to hers almost in desperation. His body warmed, his panther purred in his mind, and his soul felt alive. His tongue traced her bottom lip, gently pleading with Liberty to open up for him. The moment she did, he purred low in his throat and deepened the kiss.

  “You are mine, Liberty Raines,” he growled, nipping at her lip once more before releasing her. The softness of her body called him back, and he didn’t give her a chance to reply before he kissed her yet again. “Mine!”

  A vibration between their bodies made them separate. Liberty groaned when she fished her phone out of her purse. She quickly answered it with an exaggerated sigh.

  “Hello?”

  Talon watched her face fall as she listened to her sister’s panicked voice. Talon didn’t need to ask what was being said because with his enhanced hearing, he already knew that something bad was going down at the bar.

  “Terry is back and he’s causing trouble,” Nova yelled into the phone. “He’s refusing to leave until he talks to you.”

  “Call the sheriff,” Liberty ordered. “I’ll be there in fifteen.”

  Talon had already pulled her around the truck, opening the door as soon as she hung up the phone. “Get in.”

  “Did you hear that?” she asked.

  “Yes,” he growled. That human male had a problem with alcohol and he was cutting into Talon’s time with Liberty. If he wasn’t under such a microscope, he’d take the human out back of the bar and beat him senseless.

  By the time they reached the bar, Sheriff Lynch was already there, along with two other officers. Terry was being led out of the bar in handcuffs. As soon as he saw Liberty, he started yelling at her.

  “Where the hell have you been?” Terry slurred. “I’ve been looking for you everywhere!”

  “What the hell is going on, Terry?” she asked, irritation strong in her voice. When Terry lunged toward her, Talon pulled her body behind his for protection. The officer who had Terry by the arm jerked him back, giving a shout of warning at the man.

  “Rumors are going around about him,” Terry sneered, jerking his head in Talon’s direction. “They rape and destroy their women, force them into marriage and make them have their kittens.”

  “Watch yourself, human,” Talon warned, feeling his panther rising to the surface. “You know nothing.”

  “Terry,” Liberty roared. The sound shocked Talon for a moment. Then his chest swelled with pride. His mate had a temper, and he like it. “Get out of here and don’t be coming around here anymore, spreading your bullshit.”

  “Liberty?” Sheriff Lynch called out as he approached. “Are you okay?”

  A rumble of sound bubbled up from Talon’s throat the moment the man reached out for Liberty. She quickly saw that he was about to touch her, so she stepped closer to Talon’s side. That was exactly what she was supposed to do. As a female mate, it was instinctual to huddle close to their male when approached by an unmated male. It warned the other male that the female was mated and to touch her would be to cause her pain. No shifter male would ever want harm done to a female, human or shifter.

  “I’m fine,” she said, smiling. Talon didn’t like the fact that she was smiling for another male, but he knew why she was doing it. She didn’t want to do anything that would cause trouble for his kind.

  “I’ll make sure Terry sleeps this off,” he explained. “We will get the judge to order him not to step foot on the property.”

  “That would be nice. Thank you,” she said. “Just have the papers sent over, please.”

  “Sure thing,” he replied, glancing once at Talon, but not saying anything else.

  After the officers left, Liberty sighed again and turned to face Talon. “I’m so sorry for ruining our night.”

  “You didn’t ruin it.” He smiled at her, reaching up to tuck a stray lock of hair behind her ear.

  “Let me go check on the bar, then we can get out of here,” she said, stepping away.

  Once inside, Liberty found her sister drying glasses behind the bar. She spoke quietly to Nova, ignoring the looks of worry on the other patron’s faces.

  Talon took a seat at the bar, accepting a beer from one of the bartenders. “It’s on the house,” Cole said, waving off the money Talon had in his hand. Instead of arguing, he stuck it in the tip jar to his left.

  He sensed a few of his Guardians as soon as they entered the building. Dane appeared surprised to see Talon, but didn’t say anything as he took a seat next to him at the bar.

  “Boss.” Dane nodded towards Liberty. “I thought you were on a date?” His Guardian scanned the bar with his keen eyes. No one would ever believe that Dane had lost most of the hearing in his left ear from the time he’d been held in captivity.

  When Talon had rescued him, along with a few other panthers, Dane had been starved, his ear half eaten off from months of being forced to fight for a sick alpha who was money hungry. His panther had been mangled, and his human body still had scars from the ordeal. No amount of shifting could heal some of the deeper wounds he’d received as a young panther. It still bothered Talon that Dane refused to talk about those days.

  He’d gotten better at living with the deafness, and had even bulked up to look like a true Guardian, but there was always a bit of uncertainty in his eyes whenever he entered a crowded room. He kept his dark blonde hair a bit longer so it covered the ear. He’d been through hell, but had bounced back and had become one of Talon’s strongest Guardians to date. The man still suffered, but Talon would do it all over again if it meant saving the man’s life.

  “There was some trouble here,” he said, taking a sip of his beer. He kept one eye on Liberty as she moved around the bar, helping her sister. If he didn’t get her out of here soon, she’d end up working on her night off.

  “Human? Or one of ours?” Dane asked.

  “Human,” Talon replied, not elaborating on the situation.

  “Oh, okay,” Dane replied.

  “I’m going to take Liberty home,” Talon announced, chugging the rest of his beer. “Contact me if needed.”

  Talon walked away, scanning the crowd for any trouble. Since the excitement from Terry’s outburst, the bar seemed to have returned to its normal atmosphere. Humans were laughing and enjoying themselves. A few were playing pool in the back and the waitresses were smiling as they worked.

  He found Liberty sitting at her desk, her face hidden in her hands. “Why don’t you let me take you home? It’s getting late.”

  “Okay,” she yawned. “I’m sorry.”

  “Don’t apologize,” he said. “I totally understand.”

  Taking her hand, Talon escorted Liberty out to the truck. He opened the door and helped her inside before closing her door and rounding the truck so he could take her home.

  There was no time for conversation as they approached her home. It only took them a few minutes to arrive, and when Talon looked over, he realized why she’d been so quiet. Liberty had fallen asleep with her head against the window.

  He sat there for a moment and watched her sleep. Her long, brown hair fell delicately around her face. Her lips were pushed out in an adorable pout. He wanted to wake her up with his own lips pressed to hers, but he wouldn’t do that…not tonight. Tonight was for their date, and even though he wanted to take her to her room and worship her body, he would leave her at the door like a gentleman.

  “Liberty,” he whispered, reaching out to take her hand. He smiled when she moaned and blinked her eyes, clearing out the sleep she’d fallen into on the short ride home.

  “I didn’t mean to fall asleep,” she yawned.

  “Let’s get you inside,” he said, exiting the truck. She waited until he opened the door for her before getting out. He picked her up again and refused to set her do
wn until he had reached the door.

  “Thank you for tonight,” she said, smiling up at him. “I had a wonderful time.”

  “So did I,” he replied, taking her face with one hand. He pressed his lips to hers and stepped back. “Good night.”

  “Good night,” she echoed, unlocking the door.

  “I’ll see you tomorrow,” he promised, watching her enter her home. “Lock the door.”

  “Yes, sir,” she giggled, closing the door. He didn’t leave until he heard the click of the lock.

  Chapter Seven

  When she pulled into the driveway, her car lights swung across the property, just as they had every night for the past week. The only difference was the fact that three pairs of glowing amber eyes stared out from the edge of the wooded area beside her house. It’d been Talon’s idea that the panthers keep an eye on her place. Well…it wasn’t so much an idea, more like an order. She really thought all of the security was overkill, but she didn’t argue with him when he puffed out his chest and pushed that power of his.

  She’d always loved this house, because it was surrounded by trees on all sides except the front. She could sit out on the back porch for days and watch the wildlife move around while she sipped coffee in the early morning hours.

  The house was quiet as she climbed the steps to the front door. A small antique lamp cast a yellow glow down the small hallway by the door. Liberty had never been afraid of being out there alone. She knew her neighbors well and they all had a standing agreement to watch out for each other, only calling or stopping by when necessary.

  Mittens meowed insistently to be let outside, so she cracked the door open and watched as the cat stretched lazily in the threshold. “Don’t stay out long.”

  Liberty thumbed through the bills that Nova had tossed on the small kitchen table, stacking them neatly, then sorting them by which ones needed to be paid first. Thankfully, the bar was thriving since she’d taken over. There was a time when she didn’t think she’d be able to run the place and keep herself afloat. She wasn’t making a killing on the business, but she wasn’t hurting, either.