Talon (Rise of the Pride, Book 1)

by Theresa Hissong

  A strange sound pulled Liberty out of her thoughts. It sounded like…mewling? She quickly hurried to the window in the downstairs spare bedroom, drawing the blinds so she could look out into the yard.

  A large panther was growling and walking backwards while two more were standing off to the side. The panther that was retreating leaned forward and nudged Mittens with his nose, his big teeth flashing right near the cat’s neck.

  “Oh no you don’t!” she yelled, storming out the front door. When she rounded the corner, all three cats froze. “Mittens!”

  The little calico ignored her and continued to walk toward the larger cat. The panther’s eyes had never left Liberty’s, and she chuckled when she looked down and saw her little cat rubbing herself on the panther’s front legs.

  “She likes you,” Liberty announced, walking slowly toward the black cats. The two not involved backed away slowly, sinking just inside the tree line. She had a moment of panic, wondering how much of their human persona was inside them. Would they recognize her as a friend? She sure as hell hoped they didn’t see her as a meal, because that would suck.

  The cat huffed impatiently, his eyes going from Liberty to Mittens and back again. She called Mittens again, but the damn cat wouldn’t leave the panther alone.

  “Really, cat?” she whined, looking toward the panther with a cheesy smile. “I think Mittens is smitten with you. Can you mate with other animals?”

  That question caused the black panther to roar his unhappiness at her, sending Liberty back several steps. She froze up, holding her chest in fear. “That wasn’t nice!”

  She quickly scooped up the cat and hurried inside, locking the deadbolt on the front door as soon as she could. Dropping the cat on the couch, she went to the kitchen to get a glass of water and then hurried up to her room.

  When she climbed in the bed and closed her eyes, Talon was there in her mind’s eye, smiling at her and kissing her. She felt the stirrings of something foreign in her belly. If she breathed deep enough, she could still smell him. The scent that drove her wild swirled around inside of her head. What had he kept calling it? His mating scent?

  Flicking the bedside lamp on, she quickly grabbed Nova’s paperback off of the nightstand, looking around her room to make sure she was alone. God, she felt like an idiot, getting her shifter knowledge from a damn fiction book!

  Flipping to a passage she’d read earlier in the day, Liberty went over it again, savoring the words written by the author. She blushed at the mention of mating. If this book was anything to go by, Liberty was way more than interested. The thought of having Talon’s strong arms around her, him pushing deep inside and bringing her pleasure, sent more odd sensations to her lower belly. Also knowing that when they mated it was for life, had Liberty filing that away as one of the pros to being with a shifter. There would be no chance of infidelity. They went after what they wanted and they stayed loyal. What girl wouldn’t want that?

  A loud knock on the front door sent Liberty scrambling from her bed. The book tumbled out of her hand as she shook from the fright. She quickly pushed her dirty little reading under the mattress and grabbed a robe. As she hurried down the stairs, she felt the wetness between her legs and blushed again from the ideas her mind had conjured up since meeting Talon Shaw.

  “Who is it?” she asked through the door, remembering her lesson about opening doors when she didn’t know who was on the other side.

  “It’s Talon,” his deep voice announced. “Let me in.”

  As soon as she opened the door, Talon’s nostrils flared and his eyes flashed a glowing amber. He took one step inside the door, pushing it closed with his left hand. He used the other to wrap around her waist, pulling her flush against his hard chest.

  “I hope to hell you are alone,” he growled, his eyes never leaving hers.

  “What?” she breathed out. That scent rolled around their combined bodies and she wanted nothing more than to throw Talon onto the floor and wallow all over him so that she could have it on her skin.

  “I can scent your arousal and I don’t want to have to kill one of my Guardians,” he informed her, gritting his teeth.

  Heat rushed up her neck, painting her cheeks a bright red. Liberty tried to push away from him, but Talon wouldn’t let go of his hold. His eyes searched the rooms that were visible from the small foyer, but he still didn’t move. Liberty didn’t even know how to answer his question. Or was all of that alpha posturing a statement?

  “No one is here, Talon,” she admitted, unable to move.

  “Good,” he nodded, just as he claimed her lips with his own in a demanding kiss.

  Her tongue traced his bottom lip a moment before his tongue snaked out, touching hers in a soft dance. He tasted of wildness and fire and something unfamiliar, but definitely desired.

  As her fingers danced slowly up his arms, Liberty moaned when his large hands came up to cup her face. The action was very human-like, and she had to admit that having a man hold her like that made what they were doing okay in her book. If you’d asked her weeks before if she’d have sex with Talon Shaw, Liberty would’ve laughed in your face.

  But right now? If he ripped her clothes from her body, there would be no denying this man. She would give him everything.

  Liberty let out a gasp when her tongue moved over the sharp canines in his mouth. The coppery taste of blood hit her senses the moment he pulled away, his eyes now completely amber.

  “Talon?” she whispered, unsure if he was in control or his panther. She knew he heard her by the way his head tilted to the side, those eyes raking over her body as if he was preparing himself for a feast.

  “I’m sorry,” he growled, his voice deep and gravely. Talon stepped back, his fists were now at his sides in a tight ball. His eyes dropped to the floor and it took a few minutes, but his breathing started to even out. If she didn’t know any better, Liberty was sure he was calming his beast.

  “Talon,” she started, taking a hesitant step forward, but froze when he growled. “What did I do?”

  “Nothing,” he sighed, his voice back to normal, but he still didn’t lift his eyes. “You did nothing wrong.”

  “Obviously, I did,” she huffed, folding her arms across her chest. She did it more to cover up her hardened nipples than she did to show her displeasure in him stopping and backing away. Then it hit her…she was aroused and he could…Oh God!

  “Yeah,” he smirked, just the corner of his lip kicked up into a wicked grin, and a knowing one at that.

  “Shit,” she swore, turning away to walk into her kitchen. She had to get his mind off of her arousal and back on what the hell he was doing at her home. “What did you come over for?”

  “To visit,” he said, taking the seat she offered. “I haven’t seen you much this week.”

  “The bar has been busy,” she explained. “That new warehouse opened up two weeks ago and we’ve had a lot of new faces.”

  “Any problems?” he asked, taking a seat at her kitchen table. He looked at home there and Liberty had to shake those thoughts from her mind. That damn book was interfering with what was reality and what was made up to make a woman swoon.

  “No,” she said, opening the refrigerator. “Water?”

  “Please,” he said from right behind her. Liberty jerked and then spun around, coming in contact with his muscular chest.

  “You are beautiful,” he cooed, pressing his lips to hers just once. The water bottle slipped from her hand as his scent washed over her. Talon caught it and smirked knowingly as he walked back over to the table.

  She watched him. His jeans fit his ass perfectly, his legs were long and thick. As he took his seat, she turned her head to find somewhere to put her eyes that wasn’t on his luscious ass. Holy hell! She really needed to stop the dirty thoughts about this man.

  Just as she settled down in the seat next to him, a strange look crossed Talon’s face. Liberty sat forward, her hand automatically going to his arm. The muscles there were tense�
��hard. His body tightened before he leaned his head back and let out a mighty roar.

  “Talon!” she screamed. “What’s wrong?”

  “Evie!” he cried out, his chest expanding as he released another mighty roar.

  “Talon?” Liberty questioned, afraid of what was happening. A jolt to his body sent his chest forward, his back arched in his seat. Liberty froze when his canines shot forward. His eyes opened and they glowed amber.

  “My pride,” he cried, lunging for her.

  His arms caged her body, spinning her until her back pressed against the kitchen wall. His large body was shielding her from an unknown enemy. Liberty swayed slightly as the rush of the sudden movement washed over her.

  The front door burst open and three very naked men ran inside, their hands holding clothes. She didn’t have time to say anything before they were dressing rapidly, their eyes trained on their leader as if he held all of the answers they were seeking.

  “Alpha,” Savage began, rushing forward to place a steady hand on his leader’s shoulder. It was then that Liberty felt Talon’s body shaking, nearly vibrating uncontrollably. “Step away from your mate. You’re scaring her.”

  “Talon?” Liberty murmured, unsure if she really wanted to see his face. Had it changed? “What’s going on? Tell me.”

  When he turned toward Liberty, she wished she’d never asked him, because the look on his face was pure anguish and something else…guilt. His eyes were still amber, but the skin circling his mouth had transformed. The muscles around his lips had thickened, and Liberty realized that he’d partially shifted.

  “One of my pride is gone,” he snarled. “One of the young girls has been taken.”

  “Who?” Savage growled, taking a protective stance beside his alpha.

  “Evie,” he answered, the skin around his lips returning to normal. Talon’s eyes still remained the color of his panther. “I felt a burst of fear from the child. She called out to me, but then she was gone. The pride called out to me as one only seconds later.”

  “Easy,” Winter said, touching Talon’s shoulder as the alpha swayed, the palm of his other hand pressed firmly to the center of his chest.

  “What can I do?” Liberty asked, placing a hand on Talon’s arm.

  “We need to go,” he stated, taking Liberty’s hand and pulling her toward the front door. She grabbed her bag, but didn’t protest as he made his way down the porch steps, shouting orders for Winter to lock up and get to the bar to watch over Liberty’s sister, Nova.

  “Whoever hurt my pride will pay with their life,” he promised, opening the door to his truck and setting Liberty in the passenger seat. “Buckle up.”

  “W…Where are we going?” she stammered.

  “To my home,” he said, rushing around the vehicle. Liberty buckled her seatbelt and didn’t say anything as Talon’s tires threw gravel as he rushed from her driveway to head right into the heart of the pride of panthers…with his human mate. This could be a disaster.

  Talon had never wanted to feel his people call out to him as one, begging for him. The pain that had speared his mind and body was that of his pride. They were scared, hurting, and ready to deal out the wrath of a family who’d lost one of their own. His first instinct was to protect his mate, to have her skin under his touch…just to make sure she was unharmed.

  The guilt that thought caused, he’d put a human above his pride, ate at him as he hurried to his home. He had to calm them. The last thing they needed was to have a pride of panthers running amuck through town, hunting down whoever had come on his land and taken the female.

  He’d hoped to bring Liberty here under happier circumstances, but this was going to have to do. She was his mate, regardless if they hadn’t even had a ceremony. Hell, he hadn’t even marked her yet. That thought had him freezing up, refusing to leave the confines of the vehicle.

  “Whatever you do,” he began, then swallowed. “You stay close to me until I let them know you are welcome, okay?”

  “I…um, yeah. Okay.” She turned her head slightly, giving him a hard glare. “Why?”

  “Just do it,” he growled, afraid he would scare her if he said that the panthers may not accept a human being on their territory.

  “I will do it this one time,” she told him. When Talon looked at Liberty, the blue glow from the lights on the dash highlighted her beautiful features and her long, brown hair glowed softly. He wanted nothing more than to reach out and brush his fingers down her locks. “But you will not keep things from me, Talon.”

  That statement brought him up short. He remembered his Guardians laughing and teasing him that she was an alpha among her people. From the hard set to her jaw, he knew that Liberty Raines was not a female to mess with.

  As they entered the front door, Talon felt Liberty pause at the scene before them. The living room was crowded with his people. A few Guardians had already shifted, awaiting orders.

  His eyes searched the crowd, finding the mother of the girl sitting in a chair at the back of the room, her mate on his knees, trying to console the upset female.

  “I will find your daughter, Marie,” he promised, clearing the emotion from his voice, before turning to the pride. “I will stop at nothing until this girl is found. I need my Guardians in my office, now.”

  “Alpha?” Harold, the pride’s healer, called out, his eyes falling on Liberty.

  “This is Liberty Raines,” he said, deepening his voice. “She is human and she is welcome here.” He didn’t say she was his mate. Now wasn’t the time or the place to make an announcement. There would be time for that later…at least, he hoped so. The pride relaxed slightly, most of them nodding their acceptance.

  “Talon?” Liberty whispered, squeezing his hand. “What can I do?”

  “Can you find out who saw her last? Ask the other teenagers…speak with her parents,” he directed, glancing around to see half of the pride watching the human that was in their home. He gave everyone a hard stare, hoping they got the message that Liberty was welcomed here. “I need you to help me.”

  “I’ll do whatever you need me to do,” she replied, shifting her eyes nervously to the crowd.

  “They won’t hurt you,” he said, just above a whisper. In a show of his power, Talon cupped Liberty’s face and placed a soft kiss to her forehead, hoping that if his hard stare didn’t work, the chaste kiss would be enough to put his scent on her skin for at least an hour. That’d be long enough for him to talk to his Guardians and come up with a plan to find whoever was responsible for the girl’s disappearance. “I’ll be back soon.”

  “Okay,” she whispered, inhaling deep.

  Walking away, he didn’t dare look back, but he could feel her watching him disappear down the hallway to his office. It took everything Talon had not to return to her, pulling the little female into his arms and pressing his lips to hers in front of his pride, but that was going to have to wait.

  “What happened?” he asked as soon as the door closed, searching the room for whoever had an answer. Talon leaned against the large cherry desk that had been in his family for hundreds of years. The damn thing weighed a ton and was his father’s favorite piece of furniture in the house. He’d had custom bookshelves built into the wall behind the desk, framing the large window that overlooked the front of the property.

  “She was coming home from the main house,” Noah began. “Her mother was out in her yard and heard a commotion. The only reason why we know Evie was taken was because her mother heard a scream and saw two men running away with her daughter thrown over one of their shoulders. Her father took chase, but the men had too far of a head start.”

  “Has she called out for you?” Savage asked, his teeth clenched tightly. The Guardian ran his hand through his brown hair, stopping to pull hard at the longer hair on top of his head.

  “No,” Talon complained. “She’s not communicating with me at all.” Any member of his pride could call out to their alpha if needed. It was a magical connection they shar
ed. It was his duty to protect them, and he’d failed with Evie.

  “What’s the plan?” Dane asked, standing against the far wall, his hands clasped in front of himself and his feet shoulder width apart. He was on edge, and when Talon looked around the room, he saw all of his Guardians were ready to get the girl and return her to the pride. Even Booth and Storm, who were already in panther form, were on alert.

  “Booth and Storm, I need you to search for scents,” he ordered, turning toward the others. The panthers understood him in their animal form and with a nod, sat back on their haunches awaiting anything else Talon had to say. Savage would head to Liberty’s home, watching for anything out of the ordinary there. Winter was already in charge of watching over her sister, Nova. “Noah, get Kye and bring him in here.”

  “Anything else?” Noah asked, already turning for the door.

  “Watch our brother,” he sighed, making eye contact with all of his Guardians. “If anyone can find Evie, it’ll be him.” No one said anything, but they all knew that Kye and Evie had been seen talking over the summer. He would know her scent better than any of the Guardians. It was tricky, but sending Kye out to find her may just save the young female’s life.

  Noah didn’t need to find their baby brother because as soon as the door opened, a younger version of Talon rushed into the room, his eyes glowing amber. It broke Talon’s heart to see his baby brother on the verge of losing control. He’d been prepared to deal with his brother’s heartbreak if he found out that Evie wasn’t his mate. This would be so much worse if she didn’t make it.

  “You can’t keep me from finding her,” he roared, walking right up to Talon’s desk and slamming his hands down in anger.

  “I’m not,” Talon growled, his alpha bubbling to the surface. No one, not even his little brother, walked into his domain demanding anything. He knew Kye needed guidance, but he also needed a strong hand. “But you will stand down, Kye.”

  “I’m sorry,” he relented, dropping his gaze to the desktop as a sign that he was not going to challenge the alpha. Talon’s push of power was no match for Kye’s anger. “I have to find her, Talon.”