by C. J. Ayers
Jackson walked toward him, shit – we were so worried about you. Welcome back. His voice was quavered slightly with emotion, and Caleb gently head-butted his pack brother in greeting.
Glad to be back. Though the zoo definitely had its plus points, he smirked inwardly as he thought of Felicia warm and ready in the bed upstairs, but on the whole it wasn’t much fun. Not great for my reputation either.
We think Shelia’s behind the car accident – what happened? Jackson asked.
Caleb hissed in response, I thought as much – the break-lines went. She’d got Derek working for her, right? There was only one person that had access to the keys.
Yeah. We haven’t busted her yet – we just kept her away from learning that you were in the zoo, and came as soon as we could – but you’d gone. He paused. She‘s been running the business in your absence, Caleb. The panther hung his head in shame, and pawed at the ground.
Caleb let an animalistic growl escape his throat. His rage overtook him for a split second – envisioning tearing into his office and ripping her from his seat, before he returned to sanity. It’s not your fault Jackson. But her days in this pack are over. We’ll send her back to where she came from.
Let’s go. Jackson replied, moving to turn toward the open road that would lead them back home.
Wait, commanded Caleb. He pounced elegantly upward onto the ledge of one of Felicia’s half-opened windows. Once balanced there he transformed back into a man, and gracefully eased himself through the gap.
Inside he found a paper and pen and wrote Felicia a note, explaining that he’d be back later. He left it tucked by her sleeping figure. Leaning down he kissed her gently on the cheekbone, inhaling the sweet, musky floral scent of her hair.
Caleb and Jackson raced through the sleeping city in panther form, with a few minutes left before dawn emerged, they found they could easily stick to the shadows to avoid detection – the humans about were the drunk and destitute, oblivious to the world around them.
They stopped off at Caleb’s apartment for him to shower and change. He revelled in the clean water, and the quiet luxury of his modern apartment. Putting on a crisp white shirt and trousers he began again to feel truly human, and less like a caged animal. It was strange to be back on two feet, the past few weeks were the longest he’s spent continuously in animal form – and whilst it felt natural and freeing in certain respects, he had missed being in this body.
Looking around at the apartment he tried to see it through Felicia’s eyes. Perhaps it could do with a female touch, he mused, looking at the dark, neutral tones that made up the sophisticated décor. He imagined her at the kitchen island, bare legs, naked beneath one of his shirts.
He re-focused his mind on the task at hand. Before he brought home his mate he had a complication to remove.
The pack had gathered in the warehouse. The cheering and evident joy at their leaders return had been doused by the reality of the packs immediate threat.
“I want Shelia and Derek found, and bought to me. Jackson and I will prowl north side and the Navy Pier, the rest of you break up and spread out – I don’t want a zip code of this city left unsearched. Derek’s human, so go easy on him. I don’t want their deaths on your hands - I just want them bought to justice.” Caleb stood on a pile of pallets, with the pack hanging on to his every word, relieved to have their leader in his rightful place.
At his word, the pack transformed in unison to become a seething mass of muscular force, teeth were bared and the deep cries of revenge-hungry panthers echoed loudly throughout the warehouse. A second later they thundered out of the entrance, shaking the ground as their weight pounded the concrete and shook the building’s foundations.
Shelia’s freedom in Chicago would be cut short today, just as Celeb’s had been.
Chapter thirteen
Felicia awoke with a start. Morning sunshine and a light breeze streamed through her half-open window, and she smiled warmly in greeting to the glorious morning.
Turning she looked for Caleb, the mysterious shape shifter who felt like a half-dream this morning.
A half-dream he turned out to be; the covers that were still indented by his presence were stone-cold, he must have left hours ago. She stared down at the empty spot as if her wilful imagination could bring back his form, and tried to ignore the hurt that was left in his absence.
She had known it would be a one-night event; his absence should come as no surprise. I shall not care, she repeated as her mantra, over and over again.
She stood up, grabbing the bottom of the duvet to shake it out – erasing his memory, letting the breeze carry off his scent. As she did so, a piece of paper floated gently to the floor.
Felicia – I’m sorry I had to go. Pack business. Will see you soon, C she read. It was a gentlemanly note, but she was smart enough to know that it didn’t mean a thing. It was a polite goodbye, empty of promise, and she couldn’t hold it against him.
She rejected the dull ache of misery in the pit of her stomach; she had a media shit-storm to sort out today – a hotly anticipated and now missing panther at Chicago’s biggest zoo. She moved toward the bedroom to shower and get on with her day. If there was one thing that Felicia was a pro at, it was drowning her mind in work when faced with heartbreak and disappointment.
Felicia let the hot water cascade over her face and body, enjoying the intense temperature as it numbed her senses. She closed her eyes and tried to focus only on the feeling of the water, letting the images and memories of last night be washed away with Caleb’s touches and caresses.
As she tried to let her mind drift, it was bought back sharply to the present. A loud creak from one of her bedroom floorboards could be heard over the pounding water, the board was slightly loose and she’d never got around to fixing it.
She reduced the water pressure, but didn’t hear anything further. Felicia wondered if a stray cat had gotten in through her window – there was a ginger tabby from next door that she often saw exploring the front yard.
She left the shower reluctantly, and vigorously dried herself off. Her dressing gown was hanging on the back of the door, and she wrapped the soft fleece around herself, letting damp hair hang loose down her back.
She had hoped the shower would revive her, but as she opened the door to her bedroom and her eyes came to rest of the now-made bed, she just felt deflated and exhausted.
At her dressing table, Felicia surveyed the shadowed circles beneath her eyes despondently. She felt cheated; she should have been glowing and sexily rumpled after last night’s activities, but instead she appeared washed out and anxious – not great for a day when she’d need to go and take on the Chicago media, the wrath of her boss, Ben, and the rest of the zoo staff.
Half-way through the application of her make-up she began to feel uneasy. She thought she saw something move, swiftly, out of the corner of her eye. When she turned to look there was nothing there, just the empty wooden chair in the corner of her room.
Then she thought she heard something, coming from behind her wardrobe – the door was slightly ajar, but there was nothing unusual about that – it frequently swung open, especially if any of the windows weren’t shut. She turned back to the mirror again, but now she felt alert, tense, and could feel a prickling at the back of her neck. Someone was watching her.
“Caleb?” she called out softly. Her heart beat perceptively faster as only thick silence met her call. “Caleb, is that you?” There was a noticeable tremor to her voice that Felicia wished wasn’t there.
A split second later two hands grabbed her, one pulling back her hair and exposing her neck, the other holding a huge hunting knife that rested within a millimetre from her throat.
“Caleb’s not here. He’s never going to be back.” A voice hissed at her, and yanked her hair backward again, so that she could see, upside down, the face looming behind her. Flashing yellow eyes met hers, and a beautiful face spoilt by too much make-up and a disfiguring scowl of seething hatred.<
br />
“Who are you?” Felicia was panicked and baffled by the appearance of the woman – she’d never seen her before, what did she know about Caleb?
“Doesn’t matter.” Her face leaned in close, and she caught a strong whiff of the woman’s intense, sweet perfume that smelt cloying and stale, “what matters is that you messed with the wrong man, and you’re going to pay for it.” The woman let go of Felicia’s hair, and then smiled sweetly at her in the mirror.
The next moment Felicia felt a sharp thwack to the back of her head that was so intense it made her want to vomit, and sent her reeling forward in her chair. Darkness descended rapidly, and she was lost to the world.
Chapter fourteen
Jackson hung up. He shook his head at Caleb’s silent question; there had been no sightings in the west part of town. That was the fifth call in the last hour, the pack was coming up empty and neither Caleb nor Jackson had been able to find any sign of Shelia.
“Maybe she’s left town,” suggested Jackson, as they surveyed the outlay of the city from a high-rise by the lake. The was a nervous edge to Jackson’s voice, he hadn’t been able to get hold of Jake since their last conversation when he’d asked his brother to distract Sheila. He paced up and down, trying to shake off his concern.
Caleb watched his second in command, worried for him. Then he turned to the horizon. The sun was lowering its position in the sky now, and Caleb had a horrible feeling that time was running out.
All day Caleb had been trying to understand Sheila’s motivations. If she was behind the car accident, then clearly she wanted him dead – but why? Was she really interested in the business? She’d never indicated as such. As far as he could recall, it had never come up. But if she wanted something, then why wasn’t she seeking out Caleb, why was he searching all over the goddamn city for her?
He watched the building cranes at the edge of Lake Michigan, constructing the new piers, their steel cages glittering in the half-sun and moving so slowly from this distance they looked motionless.
“She needs leverage,” Caleb muttered under his breath. Suddenly everything became crystal clear.
“What?” Jackson turned to him, waiting for an explanation.
“Leverage. She wants something from me, and she needs a bargaining chip.” The horrific realisation dawned; he’d been such a fool. “Felicia.” Caleb growled her name with such ferocity that Jackson took a step back.
“The woman who you stayed with?” He asked.
“Yes. Shit. Call the pack – they need to be on standby, get them all closer to the city. We need to take a trip to the zoo.”
“Is that safe?” Jackson questioned.
“It’s fine. We need to speak to her boss. I need to know if she turned up for work today.” Caleb transformed, and bounded off across the roof of the building to the exit.
As they tore threw the city, Caleb felt no regard for his own safety – the very likely chance that a pair of panthers would be seen in broad daylight and captured.
They transformed back into human form down an ally near the zoo, changing into clothing they’d carried with them. They headed across the block in silence, but Caleb’s chest was thumping and he could feel perspiration beading at his temples. If anything’s happened to her… he didn’t finish the thought. Its conclusion was unacceptable to him.
They paid to enter the zoo, and the irony was not lost on Caleb. Fighting their way through the throngs of hyper school children and harassed looking teachers and mothers, they tried to locate the wild cat enclosure.
Caleb kept a look out for Ben, whilst simultaneously vainly hoping that he would see Felicia – safe, happy, wearing her green regulation park jacket and polo shirt that she always managed to make look indescribably delicious, her red hair pushed back into a beguiling-looking ponytail.
“Ben!” Caleb saw the keeper, standing outside the enclosure and looking impatient. Ben turned to look at him, appearing mildly perplexed that a stranger knew his name, and then as Caleb got closer, Ben’s expression changed to that of someone trying to place a person they vaguely recognised.
“Can I help you?” he asked politely.
“Have you seen Felicia?” Caleb asked. His voice was taught, not giving away the storm of emotion behind them. Ben had no such reserve.
“No I bloody haven’t! Today of all days. We’ve got an animal missing, God knows how – and I can’t find Felicia anywhere. I even went to her apartment. I swear; if she’s done anything stupid…she loved that animal.” He muttered a stream of curse words beneath his breath.
“Shit.” Caleb roughly shoved his hands through his hair.
“Why – who are you? Do I know you?” Ben looked at Caleb inquisitively, and then stared at Jackson. “You two brothers, or something?”
“It doesn’t matter. Can you call me if you see Felicia?” Caleb held his hand out for Ben’s phone and he complied. They swapped numbers, and Caleb took another sweeping glance across the sanctuary.
“Call me if you see anything weird.” He commanded.
“Weirder than our new leopard going missing?” Ben responded, but it was to Caleb’s retreating back.
Chapter fifteen
“What’s going on?” asked Jackson, as soon as they got a block away from the zoo. Caleb hadn’t spoken a word, the only evidence of his rage were the muscles in his jaw twitching furiously.
“Felicia’s the leverage. I think Shelia’s taken her. We need to get to her apartment and have a look around.” As soon as the last syllable was out of Caleb’s mouth, the phone rang.
He picked it up without saying a word. Over the line, a rasping weedy voice he recognised as Derek’s gave him the information he’d been so desperate to receive.
“Wreaking site, West Lake. We have the zoo worker, come alone.” The phone went dead.
Caleb recognised the address as a dilapidated old infrastructure that had once belonged to him – it had been used to store old emergency service boats for the river, but he’d turned it into a mainframe computer storage, before selling it.
“We need to move. They’re near Garfield Park.” Caleb transformed again, and recklessly led Jackson back into the throng of the city.
A few yards away from the location, Caleb came to a standstill.
I need to go in alone.
No way! Are you kidding? Jackson tried to block Caleb’s way.
It’s at Sheila’s request. I’ll be fine. But if anything happens to me, you need to destroy her. She won’t be good for the pack. I’m trusting you, Jackson.
Jackson bent his head low in a sign of deference and respect for his leader. Jackson desperately hoped he wouldn’t be needed – there hadn’t been such a successful leader in all of the pack’s history. Caleb hadn’t even reached his pinnacle; Jackson knew that they were heading for a level of power and security that no other pack in America had ever reached. And more importantly, Caleb had done everything peacefully.
He moved out of Caleb’s way and let the solitary panther make his way to the site. The sun was starting to set now, turning Caleb’s silken fur the colour of a dying fire, his shadow prowling by his side.
Caleb slowly loped toward the entrance, trying to appear calm and unruffled. Derek’s short, stocky figure stood against the doorframe. He had trained a weapon on Caleb as soon as he saw him approach. As Caleb got closer, he found himself staring down the barrel of a trembling gun.
“Stop! Don’t come any closer.” Derek’s words were rushed, and Caleb could see that the man was sweating, and an expression of sheer panic was written across his face. “You need to change, before I let you in.” The gun trembled even more. The guy was about to lose it, thought Caleb. A panicked gun handler could be more lethal than a trained killer.
Caleb stepped back in an attempt to calm him, and transformed slowly. In human form he didn’t move a muscle. His hands were held out to demonstrate he was unarmed. They stayed like that, Caleb still and steady, Derek staring at him and trying to control his tr
emors, until a voice called out from within the building.
“Let him in.”
Derek lowered the gun barrel, and gestured for Caleb to enter. Caleb stepped past Derek, feeling the gun’s barrel following his every movement. He walked as softly and slowly as he could.
Chapter sixteen
It took Caleb a while to make out the figure at the far end of the building in such dim lighting. There was one exposed bulb hanging from a celling, but the gloom swallowed up whatever light it gave out. Sheila stepped forward, in human form, with brutally carved hunting knives in each hand. Caleb couldn’t see Felicia anywhere.
“Where is she, Shelia?” he asked. He kept his voice low. All her behaviour to date gave the impression of someone completely unhinged, and he didn’t want to aggravate her. Whilst outwardly he appeared calm, inwardly his emotions were raging – he had expected Felicia to be here, and with his panther senses repressed, he couldn’t locate her through scent.
“She’s alive. And she’ll stay that way if you do what I ask.” Shelia’s voice cut through the room, and he could hear the high pitched note of hysteria in her voice.
“What do you want?” he bit out the words.
“PanCorp, Caleb.” She smiled at him, a sick, twisted parody of a smile.
“You and I both know that’s never going to happen.” Caleb crossed his arms, fighting the urge to tear across the room and destroy her.
Shelia laughed, and took a step backward. She sheathed one of her knives, and rolled open a hanger door, revealing a body trussed up tightly with rope. Felicia was unconscious. Her body hung in mid air, held by more rope which was in turn attached to a long chain bolted from the ceiling. For now, her feet were securely on the floor, but judging by the complex series of pulleys and axels, that could change at any moment Shelia desired.
