The panther licked at the blood around his mouth as he walked toward his mate, enjoying the savage way the enemy was terminated. They were predators…it was their nature to enjoy the kill.
But the moment his panther took in his mate’s appearance, trembling on the floor, her body damaged…he lost it all over again.
His beast was huge, staring down at the woman who was unconscious on the ground. A might roar escaped his lips, the aroma of his mating scent mixed with her blood permeated the cabin. Other panthers from his pride gathered around, two in panther form were whimpering and pacing, unsure if their leader would let them close enough to give aid if needed. He was angry, fierce…ready to destroy whoever had harmed the precious woman that he loved. Yes, loved. Liberty had sacrificed herself to save the life of one of his pride. How could he not love her?
His eyes shifted to the man that was still being pinned by his Guardian. This wolf would pay for the damage inflicted on his mate. Talon stalked him, ignoring the man’s cries for help.
“I was told to do it,” he whimpered, trying to back away, but Savage held him strong, blood seeping from his throat where the panther kept him pinned.
Talon didn’t hesitate to pounce, his claws digging into the man’s chest. Savage stepped back, letting his alpha deal out justice to the man who’d dared touch his mate. His mouthed opened, a mighty roar burst forth out of his throat only seconds before he clamped his teeth around the man’s neck. One bite ended the kidnapper’s life.
He shifted, taking his naked body and wrapping it around her. He knew it was imperative to touch every inch of her body. The scent of werewolves burned his senses, and he growled when he rolled her to face him.
Liberty’s face was battered, one eye completely swollen shut. The bruising was severe, and it killed him to see how she’d been abused. She had claw marks on her neck, her blood painted her beautiful skin a deep crimson.
“Please, baby,” Talon begged. “Wake up…wake up.”
“Nooo,” she screamed, kicking out against an invisible threat. Her uninjured eye tried to open, but it was so glazed over from the drugs they’d injected her with, she probably couldn’t see him if she tried.
“It’s me…Talon,” he called out to her, pushing out his voice so that she would surely hear him.
“T…Talon?” she stuttered, her body beginning to shake from the shock of her injuries.
“Yes, love,” he purred, letting the vibrations seep into her body.
“I’m sorry,” she cried, closing her eyes.
The shaking didn’t stop as he held her close. She opened her mouth to speak again and Talon froze. Blood oozed out of the corner of her dried and cracked lips. A moment later, a steady stream poured. Liberty gasped for air, but she couldn’t seem to get enough. Her lungs gurgled as she fought for every breath.
“Get the doc!” he yelled. “Hang on, Liberty. Help is coming.”
“Talon?” Noah gasped in shock, looking over his brother’s body at Liberty’s face. “Shit! Doc is close. Just keep her warm.”
“Not going anywhere,” he said, squeezing his eyes tight to hold in the tears of fear. Fear that they would be too late to save his mate.
Harold rushed in the door with a curse. He was already applying latex gloves so that his touch wouldn’t cause Liberty any more pain than she was already experiencing.
“Alpha? May I give aid to your mate?” he asked, standing off to the side.
“Please!” Talon, despite all of his instincts, released his hold over Liberty and allowed the healer to check over his mate.
Harold dropped to his knees and began checking her over. His hand froze when he placed the stethoscope over her heart. His brow furrowed and Talon growled, knowing that he’d found something wrong.
“Her heart is weak,” he announced, looking up into Talon’s eyes. What he saw in the healer’s eyes caused panic to rise up inside him. “Her lungs are filling with blood.”
“No,” he whispered.
“If you want to save her,” Harold started to instruct, “You have to force the change on her.”
“Force?” he snarled. “What the hell are you talking about?”
“She’s too weak to take your blood.” He swallowed hard. “You will have to force it down and it won’t be pleasant for her, Talon. She may not accept it.”
Talon’s eyes landed on his mate. Liberty was broken, laying on that mat. She’d been brutalized, and he couldn’t even think about what else those dogs had done to her. He couldn’t let her die. He couldn’t lose his heart.
“Tell me what I have to do,” he ordered.
As the doctor explained the procedure, Talon kept his eye on the woman he loved. Her skin was getting paler by the second, her breathing shallower.
“You have to make sure you slice your vein…deep,” the doctor said. “Pinch her nose so that she will hopefully swallow your blood. Don’t let her aspirate on the blood.”
“Okay,” he whispered, feeling his pride at his back.
She would probably hate him, but he couldn’t let her go. With a roar, he sliced into his right wrist, twisting it so that it laid over her mouth. She didn’t make a move to open her lips, his blood trickled down the sides of her face, mixing with her own blood. He pinched her nose, and counted the seconds. She still didn’t move to open her mouth.
Maybe he was too late.
Maybe she was already gone.
His world...
His life…
His mate…
Chapter Fifteen
Evie cried as she was lifted from the backseat of the truck. Her father’s arms were strong and sure as he rushed her to the house. Her mother, Marie, stood there with her hand over her mouth, sobbing hysterically.
“I’m okay, mother,” she whispered, trying to suppress the tears. She’d cried all the way back from the cabin. She’d hoped that Kye would be the one who found her, but it was his brother, her alpha.
“What can we get you, darling?” her father asked.
“Water,” she begged.
“You need to shift,” her father said. “You need to heal.”
“I know, and I will,” she promised. Evie hadn’t known who the woman was that was held captive with her in that cabin, but the Guardians had explained everything on the way back to the pride. Her name was Liberty, and she was the alpha’s intended mate. More tears escaped her eyes when she realized that poor woman probably wasn’t going to make it out of there alive.
“Water first,” he ordered, rushing out of the room. When he turned to leave, Evie’s mother stepped forward.
“I’m so sorry, momma,” she sniffled. “They kept me so drugged up that I couldn’t call out for the alpha.”
“We know, sweetheart,” Marie cooed, stroking the dirty hair away from her face.
Evie turned on her side, wondering where Kye was and why he wasn’t there. A lone tear escaped her eye and she didn’t even have the energy to wipe it away.
“He’s on his way,” her father said, entering the room with several bottled waters. Her father knew about her love of the alpha’s little brother. They’d warned her that there was no way to tell if Kye was her mate. They’d even tried to keep them apart when her parents realized that the two of them were in love.
“Who?” she asked, tucking her head into the covers…afraid that her desires for the young panther would not be coming true.
“Kye, honey,” her mother smiled. “He was told to stay behind. The alpha didn’t know what condition he’d find you in, and he didn’t want to risk his brother going feral.”
“He would never hurt me,” she said, taking the bottled water and draining it in several gulps.
“I would cut off my own arms before ever laying a hand on your daughter,” Kye vowed from the doorway.
When their eyes met, Evie cried harder, trying to push herself out of the bed, but she was too weak. She just wanted to feel his arms around her. She wanted him to help her…to keep her safe.
“We will leave you two alone,” Marie stated, pushing her husband out of the room.
“Evie,” Kye barely choked out, holding back his own tears.
“Kye,” she cried weakly. Her arms were too tired to hold them out to him and her legs were too wobbly to hold herself up to run to him. “Please touch me…hold me?”
“Anything,” Kye vowed, rushing forward. Evie buried her face into his neck while great sobs wracked her body.
“Don’t ever let me go,” she begged, absorbing his warmth and his strength. That strength was something she was going to need until she could get over the nightmare she’d lived for the past few days.
“Never,” he promised, pressing his lips to her forehead. “I have something that belongs to you.”
“W…What?” she stammered, trying to control her tears. Having his touch was helping more than she ever thought it would. Having Kye’s warmth around her, she actually felt like she might be able to overcome anything.
He opened his hand, but frowned, “I found your necklace and had it fixed.”
“Oh,” she gasped, a genuine smile spreading across her face. “Thank you.”
“Are you healed enough for me to put it on you?” he asked, his eyes flashing amber at the bloody marks on her neck.
“I don’t care,” she whispered. “You gave me that for my birthday last year. I would rather have it on where it belongs. Please?”
“Anything for you,” Kye smiled, carefully clasping the golden chain behind her head. He touched the chain as it rested at her collarbone, causing Evie to sigh softly.
“I need a shower,” she frowned. “But I don’t want you to leave.”
Her best friend and the boy that she’d loved for as long as she could remember, leaned over and kissed her forehead. “I will stay as long as you want me here, Evie girl.”
“Then I may never ask you to leave,” she replied.
“You need to shift.” He frowned, fingering the necklace as he held her close. “If you’d like, I’ll shift with you.”
“I’m so tired,” she whispered, nuzzling into his shirt. God, he smelled like home and safety. Why were their kind so cruel? Why did she have to wait until they were of age to proclaim their mate status? She knew in her heart that they were destined to be together. There was no other man she wanted.
“I’m going to carry you outside,” he announced, sliding carefully off the side of the bed. Evie winced as he slid his arm under her shoulders. His other arm secured her body under her knees. “Tell me if I hurt you.”
“You can’t hurt me any more than I’ve already been hurt,” she said, tears gathering in her eyes.
Kye scowled, releasing his hold. She wanted to protest, but decided that she’d rather stay in bed anyway. Shifting could wait for another time. Maybe after Evie had eaten she’d have enough strength to shift.
“What did they do to you?” he asked, stroking a piece of hair behind her ear. “Please tell me.”
“They didn’t touch me,” she answered, closing her eyes. They quickly popped back open when the visions of her captors appeared. “They threatened to, though.”
“Oh, baby,” Kye said, wrapping his arms around her for comfort. “We will get through this,” he vowed. “I will be here every step of the way.”
“Okay,” she answered, unsure if there would ever be a time that she didn’t remember the way she’d been treated.
“Come,” he said, after a few moments of quiet. His strong arms scooped her up, Evie’s hands clasped around his neck automatically. Kye nodded to her father as he made his way through the house. Her brother snarled from the couch, but Evie’s mother scolded him. She was thankful no one in the house stopped Kye from caring for her.
“Can you undress?” Kye asked, a slight blush creeping into his cheeks.
“Yes,” she answered, then smiled at him.
“I’ll meet you here,” Kye promised, stepping around the side of the house.
Evie quickly removed her clothes, draping them across the large shrub in the yard. She dropped to her knees and let the change take over. Her panther roared at finally setting itself free. The cat had wanted those wolves’ blood, but it knew that shifting with that collar on would’ve killed them both.
Evie stood on steady legs, the panther’s healing power taking over her human body. A few of her ribs had been broken, but she felt them mend as she waited for Kye to shift.
A purr reached her ears before she saw him. That sound was one that Evie had known since they’d first shifted a few years ago. It was Kye’s panther’s way of greeting her cat.
He walked cautiously toward her, his large paws barely making any noise as he approached. The moment he was close, Evie’s panther rubbed her face against his, absorbing his scent and the feel of his fur. She was finally home.
A lone tear escaped the panther’s eye where the love of her life couldn’t see.
A panther snarled deep in the forefront of Liberty’s mind. She must be dreaming, because it felt like there was something feral fighting for space in her mind. Her body felt warm, content. There was soft bedding around her body and she inhaled deeply when she caught a familiar scent. Her body tingled, an unknown desire to find that scent overcame her, but she was just so tired. She wanted to reach out for that safety…the scent…the panther.
Mmmm, mate!
What? Where did that come from? Her mind froze. What the hell was going on with her? She felt weird…different.
Testing her body, she pointed her toes and frowned when her back arched in the process. Damn, she was really warm. Her body stretched lazily, the sound of fabric ripping confused her.
She blinked once…twice. She was in a room that smelled strongly of Talon. Looking around, she saw she was in a large space, dark brown furniture everywhere. The bed she was on sat high off the floor and she was surrounded by dark blue fabric.
A flash of black fur had Liberty looking down. Her heart began to race when she saw a panther’s paw. Her mind struggled to accept whatever the hell was going on. That paw turned into a hind leg, which moved when she willed it to move.
She jumped when she realized that panther’s paw was actually her human foot. The panther scrambled backwards, banging into the headboard before falling off the bed into a heap on the floor.
The other voice in her head snarled, demanding calm, but Liberty was far from calm.
He changed me into a panther!
When she tried to stand on all four paws, she slipped on the hardwood floor, smashing her hip into the nightstand. Her heart pounded as she backed herself into the corner. Her claws caught in the curtains and she yelped when they crashed to the floor.
The door opened and Talon rushed in, his face masked with worry. He froze in the doorway, a beautiful smile spreading across his face. Liberty’s human sighed. She’d never seen him smile like that, and it did funny things to her heart.
“Liberty,” he said cautiously. His hands raised in a defensive manner. “You’re okay. It’s a little confusing at first.”
Confusing? She wanted to glare at him, but instead, her panther snarled and tried to move forward. Her front paws held firm, but her butt hit the floor again when her back legs slid out from underneath her. God, she probably looked like an idiot.
“Easy,” he urged, stepping forward.
Easy? Easy! I’m a fucking panther!
“Woah,” he said, stopping when she finally got her legs steady and moved forward, her panther stalking him as if he were prey.
“I had to turn you,” he answered her warning growl. “I know you can hear me.”
In response, she roared and used her new claws to swipe at his leg, slicing his jeans at the shin. She was so angry at him right now.
“Hey, you little hellcat!” he barked.
A sudden wave of power overcame her, forcing her to her belly. It felt familiar, but stronger. It was his alpha powers, and she had to obey him…she couldn’t fight back against him. Liberty remembered Talon explaining
that a newly turned panther had to learn to control their emotions. Their tempers could get the better of them until the human side found a balance with the panther side of who she was now. Her panther snarled inside her head, but Liberty’s human side pushed harder, calming the cat slightly.
“Shift,” he growled, his eyes glowing amber.
Shift? How the hell do I do that? Liberty’s panther whined, leaving her defenseless as sensations overcame her.
Liberty’s body convulsed, sending her back to the floor in a heap of black fur. Her bones screamed in pain as they reshaped, molding themselves back into their human form. A deep sounding moan released from her throat as her canines recessed back into her gums. Tears leaked from her human eyes as she curled herself into a ball. Strong arms lifted her from the floor and placed her on the bed, covering her naked body that was suddenly cold.
“It’ll be easier the next time,” Talon offered.
“There won’t be a next time,” she complained, shaking her head. “That hurt like hell.”
“I know, love,” he purred, the vibrations soothing her more than ever before. She laid there for several minutes, listening to the soft vibrations coming from his chest. His warmth seeped into her aching body and she closed her eyes in bliss.
“Why?” she asked after several minutes.
“I couldn’t let you die,” he answered, reaching over to stroke her hair, pushing it behind her ear. She inhaled his scent and purred in response. “You are beautiful.”
“Oh my God, Evie!” she squealed, trying to sit up in the bed, but fell on her back with a groan.
“She’s fine, thanks to you.” He scowled. “But if you ever overstep me and go off on your own to rescue one of our pride, I will punish you.”
“You wouldn’t,” she gasped, sitting up straighter in the bed. Talon moved back slightly, but didn’t offer any help. He watched her carefully, allowing Liberty to move freely.
“I will blister your tail, Liberty Raines,” he growled. “I found that note in your car.”
Talon (Rise of the Pride, Book 1) Page 15
