by Meg Ripley
“I’m not going to sit around and wait to be slaughtered.” Was he nuts? He wanted me to just sit there?
“Please. I’ll stay here with you. The second I hear something, you’ll know about it. And if we can help in any way, we will.”
“Get out of my way.” I reached out my arm to push past him.
I hadn’t paid attention to the fact that he was naked. Again. I’d seen this guy naked more than I’d seen him clothed. But after our night together, I knew what that body was capable of. When I brushed my arm against him, it was like touching fire. It made my skin tingle and my scalp prickle.
He reached out to stop me by putting a hand on my arm. He didn’t grab or pull or hold me; he pleaded. “Please, Britt.”
Had I ever heard him say my name before? If he had, it hadn’t sounded like that.
I turned to look at him. “You don’t know what you’re asking.”
“I do. I really do. And that’s why I’m begging you. As soon as I know the park is clear, we’ll go out and follow the trail.”
“What good is that going to do? I have to get out there if I’m going to catch him.”
“What if it’s more than one?”
“It’s not.”
“You mean, it wasn’t,” he challenged. “What if this time, there are a few of them? What if they overtake you? Can you outrun a bullet? Can you fight off two or three men at a time?”
“Did they shoot this panther?”
“I don’t know yet. But wouldn’t it be good to know that before charging out there? Mason is on the scene and so are several shifters from the force. They know the scent. I even took Mason to get the vehicle’s scent. I know you know these parts really well. You’re a good hunter, and I know you could find him. But you’re not a cop. You’re trained to deal with animals, not criminals. They know more about how people like this work and think. I don’t want you to get hurt. Please.”
I don’t know what it was, and I may never know. But something in his eyes or words softened me. And that was a rare occurrence. Being sentimental wasn’t exactly in my nature. In fact, I couldn’t recall being sentimental once in my whole damn life. But as I looked at him, the trouble I saw in his eyes brought me pain.
What the hell? Why should I care what he felt or thought? I’d wanted this all to go away. That was why what he’d said the night before made sense. If we just did it, just went ahead and had sex, it was supposed to end these feelings. To take this obsession from me. It hadn’t worked and that pissed me off. Being so close to him naked, I could hardly stand it. And now he wanted to sit around like that and wait?
I pulled my arm away. “Do you own any clothes?” I snapped.
I turned and went inside, letting the door slam behind me. I heard it open a moment later, as I was setting my gun back down.
“Actually, I kind of ran out without thinking. I didn’t bring anything. I just wanted to get here to make sure you were okay.”
I gave him a slight glare, but my heart wasn’t in it. I went to my bedroom and found a pair of shorts and a shirt that I thought would fit him. When I came back out, I tossed them at him.
“Thanks.”
“Beer?” In the kitchen, I pulled one from the fridge. If I was just going to sit around all day, I might as well enjoy it a little.
“Sure.”
I grabbed a frosty can and passed it to him. When he popped the top, it foamed all over his hand.
I laughed. “Amateur.”
“Not in everything.” He winked.
I rolled my eyes. “You look ridiculous.” I hadn’t paid much attention to what I’d grabbed, but I realized that the shorts were on the shorter side—probably why they were stuffed in the back of my drawer—and I must’ve grabbed the one shirt I owned that had any sort of sparkle to it: a blue tee with tiny gems on the sleeves’ edges. It was subtle, but too much for me to wear—definitely too much for him to wear.
He struck a pose and made a face like he was a supermodel. “It’s all about being comfortable in your own skin.” He chuckled and sat down on the couch, resting his feet up on the coffee table.
“Well sure, just make yourself at home.” I flopped down next to him and took a long sip of my IPA.
“Nice cabin,” he said.
“Thanks. It was my gramma’s. My ma lived here her whole life, and so have I.”
“Right. You said your mom was killed by a hunter years ago. I’m really sorry.”
“Me, too.” I took another sip.
This felt awkward. I didn’t know him well enough to be comfortable around him, and I didn’t do well with the whole getting-to-know-you thing. I didn’t need to know anyone besides the people I already knew.
But desire still racked my body. A desire to know him, to be near him. It was starting to move from my bones to my emotions. And that meant it was getting dangerous. I had no reason to be with anyone; my life was just fine as it was. Alone. I’d never wanted any sort of boyfriend or partner, and I still didn’t.
Except—and I couldn’t bear to admit it—it felt like I was beginning to. He made me feel so…domestic, if that was even possible. Like I wanted to just get up and cook something for him; to take care of him. God, I was going soft and becoming a damn floozie. I had to stop this nonsense somehow.
“So, what’s your story?” I asked. “Are you like, sixteen, or what?”
“Um, no. Twenty-five.”
“Really?” I looked him over. “With that baby face?”
“I’m from California. It’s different there.”
“I’m sure. How you’d end up here, then?”
“My family moved away, but I was born here. I don’t know. I got older and it was like the land itself called to me. I came out to visit family we still had in the area and I stayed. I found our original clan and they welcomed me with open arms. Everything just fit.” He shrugged. “I may not be a Gladesperson like you, but it seems that I belong here somehow.”
I snorted. “Is that why you highlight your hair? To remind yourself of California?”
He reached up to finger his blond tips. “I just like it.”
“It makes you look ridiculous in bear form.”
He grinned. “You don’t like my streaks? I think they make me look distinguished.”
“The first time I saw you, I thought it was dried mud. Then you shifted and I saw your hair and realized that even in bear form, you have those goofy blonde pieces.”
“You should dye yours.” He reached over and picked up the end of my blonde ponytail. It would look good blue or even with just a touch of red. Your hair has a hint of natural red in it.”
I froze until he put my hair back down. Any touch from him seemed to make me begin to sweat. If I was going to keep a level head so we could chase this killer down when the time came, I’d have to keep my raging hormones in check. I couldn’t just get turned on every time he brushed against me.
“No TV?” he asked after a minute of silence.
“Nah. What’s the point?”
“Entertainment?”
“I make my own.”
He crossed his arms. “Yeah? Let’s see.”
I raised an eyebrow. “I didn’t say I was the entertainment. I find ways to keep entertained is all.”
“Like how?”
“Going out and finding something to eat. Skinning it, selling it. Walking around or running through the park. Sometimes, I go to Shady’s.”
He raised his eyebrows. “That’s it?”
“What else is there?”
“Fun? There is TV, but also movies, going out, dancing, hanging with friends, relaxing and maybe playing a game or two. Reading, shooting, bike rides, hikes, fishing, working out, running. Golf, bowling, painting, cooking. Then there’s the local stuff like museums, zoos, arcades. The beach? I love the beach.”
I blinked at him. “So, you are, like, sixteen.”
“Dude! People do these things. Adult people. Adult people who want to have fun and enjoy life.”
“I enjoy life.”
“Do you? You seem kind of…unhappy to me.”
“Based on what?” I snapped, crossing my arms.
He broke into laughter. “Well, that posture and that attitude, for starters. You’re always so serious. Just have fun once in a while.”
“There’s no time for shenanigans. I do catch a good fight at Shady’s now and then.”
“So, watching two drunk idiots pummel each other is your idea of a good time?”
I lifted one shoulder. It had been. Until the night before. Now, I could think of at least one other way I wouldn’t mind passing the time.
“Doesn’t your clan get together and do stuff?”
“Sure,” I said. “We were at Shady’s the night I saw you.”
“You were there with only two other ladies.”
“Yeah. My clan.”
“Your clan has only three people?”
“Panthers are rare, remember? We have Kat’s gramma, too. But she’s older and doesn’t get around much anymore.”
“Sound pretty lonely.”
“It’s not,” I said, a little too defensively. I didn’t need to explain myself to him. “So, what does your clan do? Sit around and play shuffleboard while drinking lemonade?”
“Shuffleboard.” He tapped his lips. “That’s one we haven’t tried yet. Could be fun…”
“You’re kidding.”
“Yeah.” He playfully shoved my shoulder. “Lots of times, we just build a fire on the beach and hang out, talking and telling stories. Or we go out and do things, like hang at Shady’s. Usually Conner and I hit the gym together a few times a week. I go to Owen’s for his wife’s cooking. Though now that they have a baby, that’s all he talks about. I go shooting or fishing with Mason. They’re my best friends, but we have a decent sized-clan. There’s eight of us. Well, I guess if you count the baby, it’s nine, maybe soon to be ten. We think Noah’s wife is pregnant, but no one is saying yet. Probably too soon to announce. We have clan picnics and get togethers regularly, and a lot of us work together. We’re close, you know. Family.”
Family. At the mention of the word, I thought of Ma and Gramma. God, did I miss their company; missed having people to just sit back with and bitch about the day to. But Ezra couldn’t be that to me. We were far too different.
“Your life sounds overwhelming,” I admitted.
“It’s full. But it’s happy. I figure it’s about time I find a special lady and move onto life 2.0.”
I chuckled. “Life 2.0?”
“Marriage, kids.” He made a box crossing his pointer and middle fingers on both hands. “Dad life, you know.”
I laughed again. “Did you just throw a gang sign at me?”
“It’s a hashtag? Don’t you get on Instagram?”
“What’s that?”
He slapped his forehead. “You do have a smart phone, don’t you?”
I pointed to the phone hanging on the wall. It was yellowed with age, its cord sagging to the ground. It was rarely used. If I wanted to talk to Dezi or Kat, I spoke through our clan’s mind connection or just went to see them.
He went over to the phone and picked it up, then started laughing. “Oh my God, it has a dial tone and everything!”
He took another two beers from the fridge and tossed one to me as he sat back down. Brave little fucker, wasn’t he, to just go around my place and do as he pleased.
“So, I’m guessing you have no computer?” he asked. “Wi-fi?”
“I don’t even know what that is.”
He whistled. “That explains a lot.”
“What’s that supposed to mean?”
“You’re so secluded. You must really be a pain in the ass if you scared everyone away.”
“Ha ha.”
“Your life is really just hunting?”
“I have a garden, too. But I like to keep it simple.”
“There’s so much out there that you’re missing, Britt. It’s not even just about having fun. It’s life. There’s so much to experience, and you’re not experiencing any of it.”
“And I’m just fine with that.”
“Don’t you want more?” he asked. “Don’t you want to see the world? Taste weird foods, see beautiful sights, meet all sorts of people and animals, do everything life has to offer you?”
“Nah.”
“The Everglades is amazing. But there’s a lot more to the world than just this little chunk of Florida.”
“I don’t think about it like that. This is my world. It’s all I need.” I paused, not sure I wanted to say it out loud. “Until…”
12
Ezra
I held my breath waiting for her to finish the sentence. Until…she gets older? Until…she wants to settle down? Until…she met me? But before she answered, my phone buzzed in my pocket.
“One sec, it’s Mason calling.” I tapped the screen to answer and walked out to her porch for better reception. “What’d you find?”
“The scents match, so we’re looking for a serial. I was hoping you had something more.”
“No. I’m with Britt at her cabin.”
“Oh.” Long pause. “Good. Is she up for helping?”
“Definitely.” She was inside, but she could hear me talking. “We’re just waiting until it’s clear so we can run.”
“Until it’s clear? What do you mean?”
“Um…” How could I say this without Britt finding out? “When it’s safe for panthers to be in the woods?”
“You’re keeping her home to keep her safe.”
“Of course. That’s my job.”
“Uh huh… Then I guess I’ll let you know when we know more.”
“Thanks, man. Stay safe.”
He snorted a laugh. “You too, man. You, too.”
I went back inside and found Britt waiting for me, looking anxious.
“Anything?” she asked.
“He just called to make sure we were both okay. They’re a caring bunch, my clan.” I smiled. “He’ll call when they know something.”
“It seems like it’s taking a long time. Let’s run over to where the body is at least. I want to know if it’s the same guy or not. He didn’t know if it was the same guy?”
“Oh…” I scratched the back of my head. Why hadn’t I foreseen this? “He didn’t say.”
“He didn’t say.” She leveled her gaze at me. “He does know the scent of the first killer, right?”
“Right.”
“And he’s there now at the second body?”
“Uh…I think he’s there. He didn’t say. Maybe he’s still at the station.”
She narrowed her eyes at me. “Don’t you think that’s kind of important?”
“Well, yes, sure. But right now, they have to gather evidence. Find fingerprints, footprints, fibers, that sort of thing. DNA, you know?”
“We don’t need any of that! We need to get out there.” She stood and headed for her gun again.
“We have to wait. There are a lot of cops over there right now. Non-shifter cops. Mason said once they’re done, the shifters will move in. It’s complicated, I guess, being on the force where some are shifters and some aren’t. They can’t give up the secret, so they have to let them do things the human way.”
“The human way is going to get more panthers killed.”
“You know, maybe we should have your clan come over here and hang out. Until we know it’s safe.”
She huffed. “Kat has a family and a gator farm to run. Dezi is out fishing, as always.”
“Do they know what’s going on? Did you use that”—I pointed to the ancient phone on the wall—“to call and tell them?”
“I didn’t use the phone, but they know. I gave them the scent. Can’t pass a scent through the phone.”
“Good point,” I said. “Got a deck of cards?”
“For what?”
“To play?”
“There’s a killer running around, panthers are in danger,
and you want to play cards?”
“Yes.” I nodded. “That’s how you stay safe. He’s not going to come into your cabin and kill you. Not with all your guns and me here. Maybe we can lure him close and get him.”
Her head whipped to me as if she had a sudden thought. “The second panther was a pure panther, right? Not a shifter?”
“Not a shifter.”
She visibly relaxed.
“Call your friends,” I suggested.
She stared off into space for a moment. “Yeah…”
She went into the kitchen and made two calls, returning much sooner than I’d thought she would. When she returned to the living room, she looked distraught. I wanted to pull her into my arms and hold her, but I wasn’t sure if that would be okay. After our night together and the way it had all happened, I didn’t know where we stood, if anywhere.
“You okay?” I asked.
“Sure.” She dropped a pack of cards on the table.
“You updated your friends?”
“Yup.”
I shuffled the cards and dealt. She sat across from me at the kitchen table, but seemed to be lost in her own world.
“So, you do care about something,” I said.
“Of course, I care about something!” she snapped.
“Well, you act so tough all the time, like you don’t need or want anyone, like nothing bothers you.”
“I don’t need anyone. What are we playing?”
“Texas Hold ’em?”
“Fine.”
I dared to ask, “So, do you care about me?”
“I care about beating you.” Her mouth quirked into a half smile.
“I’ll take it.”
She actually relaxed a little as we played. I don’t know if it was the beers or if she was getting comfortable with me. She seemed to laugh more, and every time she did, it lit me up inside. I felt myself falling—try as I might to resist it. And I thought, just maybe, she was starting to like me, too.
I thought about kissing her. Or even starting simpler and just taking her hand. I didn’t want to move too fast, but we had already slept together, so was it moving fast at all? I didn’t know how to handle it, and I didn’t want to mess it up.
