The Panther's Rival

by Emilia Hartley

  He used to think that his time in the Northern Wind had left him tainted, that he hadn’t left soon enough to right the wrongs of his actions under Lucas’s megalomaniac orders. He thought he’d be unable to find happiness or peace. He imagined that Lucy once felt the same in her own life, to some degree at least. He couldn’t help but think they both knew a little better now, and he, was all the happier for it.

  She could live her life by her own rules now, only worrying about what made her happy. And Dan? He finally realized that he could, too.

  What did he want next? Though the answer was different, it resonated in his heart loud and clear like the answer that had once come before it.

  He wanted Lucy.

  As if she’d read his mind, he felt the soft denim of her jeans against his thighs as she swung her leg over his thighs. Before his eyes were fully open to assess the situation, her lips were firmly on his.

  Passion ignited like a flamethrower, Dan’s hands moved instinctively to Lucy’s waist and gripped her close. When she finally pulled away, they were both gasping.

  “Lucy,” Dan breathed, not really sure what to follow up with to convince her that he needed more.

  He wanted to pull her mouth back to him kissing away all of her doubt and worry so that he could replace it with love. He wanted to strip her bare and admire all there was to admire about someone as beautiful as she was. But he didn’t want to scare her away or make her regret coming here. So he’d let her lead.

  They sat in silence for a moment, catching their breath as they gazed deeply into each other’s eyes. Then with an impatient groan, Dan disregarded his original thought and pulled her back down to him.

  There was something different about her, Dan thought. Something raw, something animalistic that roared inside of her in that moment. It excited his bear, and it excited him too.

  He groaned as she pulled away, tugging a little on his bottom lip with her teeth. Watching as she tugged off her top, he gasped when he noticed that she was wearing nothing underneath. She slowed down a moment to admire him before her mouth fell back on his once more. The urge to grab and hold and run his hands over every part of her faded away as she kissed him, and he let himself ride the wave of her passion. She was finally taking control of her life, and the first thing she’d chosen was him. He could respect that.

  Tugging suggestively on his T-shirt, Lucy broke away from the kiss for Dan to remove it. It was off in a flash, and Lucy hesitated a moment to take him in. He could hear her heart rate increase as she watched him, her eyes leaving little scorch marks of pleasure on his body wherever they trailed. She ran her fingers lightly down his chest, and his breath caught, making her smile. She leaned in for another kiss, wigging her hips as their lips met. He gripped her hips tightly with a soft groan, grinding her down against him.

  She pulled back yet again, Dan too breathless to protest her departure as she stood up over him. He watched hungrily as she slowly and purposefully peeled off the remainder of her clothes. It took every bit of his willpower to not jump up and caress his hands over every part of her body. He had to remind himself that this was her show, and he was just along for the amazing ride.

  Lucy gazed down at him seductively. “Now you,” she smiled, reaching a hand out to him. He took it openly, thinking idly about how vaguely reminiscent his current position was to the first night they’d spoken. Life comes full circle.

  It didn’t take long for him to strip out of the rest of his clothes. They both stood naked, basking in the dusky glow of the evening as the setting sun cast rays of warm light over their skin. Lucy looked beautiful as ever, her blue eyes sparkling mystically in the twilight. He truly didn’t deserve her.

  “You are perfection,” Dan murmured, breaking the silence between them and wrapping Lucy up in his arms. His fingers curled in her long dark hair as she collapsed into him, their lips meeting in a feverish embrace.

  They slowly descended back to the blanket, Lucy astride him. She pulled away from the kiss, and Dan took the opportunity to explore. He trailed his lips across her jawline and down her neck, relishing the sighs that he emitted from her as her back arched for more.

  His hands trailed lightly over her hips and waist, but he didn’t stray anywhere else. He wouldn’t until she gave the go ahead. She was an experience that he didn’t want to rush.

  She wrapped her hands around his wrists, dragging his hands up and around her torso, pushing her breasts against his palms. He obliged happily, hands cupping each one gently and brushing his fingers lightly over her nipples. She moaned softly against him, pressing herself even closer. She threw her head back, lifting her breasts higher and closer to his face, and Dan couldn’t help but dip his mouth towards her chest.

  She quivered against him, responding immediately to the way he played with her body. Every lick, every caress, every nibble elicited a response, which in turn excited Dan evermore. He pulled away long enough to get her attention before flipping her off of him and laying her gently on the blanket below him. His face fell back to her breasts as she readjusted, his hands having free range of motion to travel as they pleased. The caressed lovingly around every curve of Lucy’s body, eventually finding their way towards her soft, warm center. Slowly, he pushed a finger inside.

  She reacted immediately, her back arching as she gasped her pleasure. He didn’t stop, his mouth working eagerly on her breasts while his fingers pressed into her over and over. Her breathing came faster and faster as he worked her, and he could feel how close she was getting to her climax as she tensed and writhed around him.

  In one swift motion, Lucy slipped from under Dan, pushing his hand away. Before he could worry about the reason why, she shoved him onto his back, sliding down on top of him. He didn’t have time to think before the pleasure plumed deep in his belly, making him cry out. She worked quickly, her hips gyrating frantically over his, and he had to squeeze his eyes shut so that he didn’t get too overwhelmed too quickly. The warmth of her surrounded him, coaxing him ever closer to the apex.

  With some effort, he managed to slow his breathing, letting it out in a steady gasp as he finally reopened his eyes. Lucy was absolutely stunning astride him, her hair cascading beautifully over them both as she rocked her hips in pleasure, working them both closer to their orgasm. His hands found her breasts again, kneading and nipping little sounds from her as her breath began to quicken once more.

  Her body shuddered suddenly, and without much warning, she erupted around him, crying out his name as she held tightly onto his shoulders. It was loud, raw, and filled with love, and the sheer power behind her pleasure was more than enough to send Dan over the edge of oblivion as well. He finally let go as she coiled tightly around him, and together, they jumped over the edge into bliss.

  Lucy quivered with satisfaction, as she lay cuddled in his arms. His heart danced upon seeing the serenity on her face, her eyes closed as she relaxed lazily against him. So this was what happiness felt like.

  He could get used to this.

  “Lucy,” he murmured, nuzzling lightly at her ear

  “Mmm?”

  He grinned softly, brushing his lips across her cheek, his heart nearly bursting with adoration. “I think I love you.”

  Silence fell between them, and for a moment doubt began to creep in. Dan held his breath as he waited for Lucy to respond.

  “That’s good,” came Lucy’s eventual reply. “Because I think I love you, too.”

  Chapter Seventeen

  It had been six days since the night on the hill, and Lucy was still getting used to waking up in Dan’s bed. It felt wonderful, and amazing, and a bunch of other words she’d never equated to her life before this moment, but it was still all so new that it took some time to get used to. Every time she woke up believing her happiness was some elaborate dream, only to gaze down at Dan’s sleeping face and realize that it was real. It was like unlimited Christmases, and she hoped the butterflies she felt every morning as she recognized her reality nev
er went away.

  “Good morning,” Dan mumbled sleepily, seeing her staring as he rolled over. “Sleep well?”

  Lucy grinned, leaning down to kiss him. “I didn’t exactly get much of it, if I can recall.”

  “And here I thought you enjoyed it,” Dan replied, a mischievous glint in his eyes.

  “You know I did,” Lucy replied, kissing him deeply. Dan’s arms slipped around her pulling her on top of him.

  She laughed, pushing away lightly, though she wished she didn’t have to. “If we don’t get up now, we’ll be late,” she warned, making Dan groan grumpily. “I know, I know, but I can’t think of how humiliating it would be to have them all sitting out there waiting for us just because we wanted one last romp in bed.” She reluctantly pushed off of him, sliding her feet onto the floor and hopping out of bed.

  With a grumble of complaint, Dan threw back the blanket, stalking into the bathroom. Lucy couldn’t help but laugh.

  She pressed her cheek against the closed door. “Since you’re showering first, I think I’ll go for a run before I clean myself up,” she called. “I won’t be long.”

  The door clicked open just a crack, and Lucy could see Dan’s eyes as he peeked through the slit. “You could just join me in here and forget about the run,” he murmured suggestively.

  Heat shivered though her core, but she shook her head. “Jogging every once in a while is the only thing that keeps my bear in check most of the time,” she explained. “Plus, it gives me time to think about things and wake up my brain in general.” She pushed the door open a bit more so that she could plant a quick kiss on Dan’s grouchy lips. “I won’t be long.”

  He bellyached a bit more before saying, “I guess I’ll make up a quick breakfast for us when you return,” he replied grumpily. “Hurry back.” He closed the bathroom door to Lucy’s amused grin.

  “And stop laughing when I’m trying to be sad,” he called through the door. She barked a laugh in response.

  She wasn’t lying when she said that running calmed the beast. Despite her unwillingness to shift, she did quite like the outdoors, no doubt due to the affinity to nature that seemed to come standard with most shifters. Before Dan, a quick jog was the closest she could come to peace, and her bear felt much the same. After the week she’d had, she was long overdue for a run in the forest. It would help her fall back into a decent routine of living in toleration with her bear, and give her a chance to properly collect her thoughts and emotions without outside intervention.

  She stepped out into the warm morning sun, stretching her arms high as she scouted the trail options around the shop. One headed west, to the house that Tom and Savannah were now living in. Another headed northwest-ish and it was the direction that Dan headed whenever he set out on scouts for the Northern Wind pack. She figured her best bet was to head straight north, the direction that Dan drove before they hopped out to scale the hill to their spot.

  She didn’t know the forests here well enough to head in a random direction. The few times she’d ran before, she confined herself to the small area of the surrounding zone — and even then only when she was sure no one would be around—but today she felt she needed something a little more extensive. At least this way, she kind of vaguely knew where she was going and how to make it back. Mentally finalizing her route, she set off at a jog. The bear protested, placing vague suggestions of shifting to make this whole exercise thing much easier in her mind, but she ignored it. She’d been forcing it down for so long, it was almost easy to deny its advances these days. Maybe one day, with Dan, she wouldn’t feel the need to do so anymore, but she wasn’t there quite yet. So inside, the bear would stay.

  The wind was cool and soothing against her skin, refreshing after her night of sleep and clearing her mind for the day ahead. The bear protested softly, but even it could appreciate a bit of exercise, even if it only experienced it secondarily through Lucy’s human skin. The days were warmer here than what she was used to back where she once lived, and it made morning jogs much more appealing to both of them. She wouldn’t return to the shop a frozen popsicle from the frost that tried formed on her sweat drops.

  She’d made it pretty far into the woods by the time she needed to take a break. She looked around, pleased to notice that she could still make out a few markers here and there that told her where she was. She wasn’t completely lost, not yet anyway. She made it a personal motive to get to know the forest better in the coming days. This was her home now, she’d best get used to it.

  She took a few more gulps of the crisp morning breeze, relishing in the wildlife before calling quits on her break. She stood tall, pressing her hands into her lower back and tipping her face skyward. As she mentally prepared the next leg of her jog, she mused lightly about how this would feel on four paws instead of two feet. To her surprise, the thought of doing such a thing didn’t utterly repulse her like it would have in days long past. If she could work up enough courage, maybe she’d ask Dan about it. With a warm feeling in her belly, she confessed that the thought of them taking the woods by storm after a shift together didn’t sound like such a bad idea after all.

  “I thought I’d find you here.”

  The hard voice was cold with hatred, chilling Lucy’s spine with fear as she spun to face the intruder. Dominic.

  “Wh-what are you doing here?” she stammered, silently cursing the way her voice and body automatically fell back into that victim mindset. She was a better person now, damn it! Better than this! She tried to stand a little taller. “I’ve said all I needed to say to you, Dominic,” she finished, her voice a bit stronger than before.

  He snorted in derision. “You think you get a say,” he bit. “Cute.” He took a single step forward, and Lucy automatically stepped back.

  “You’re going to come with me and explain to all our new little bear friends everything you know about this trash pack you’ve been glued to,” he explained, voice as dry and as cold as she’d remembered. “I’ve let you have your fun, your little ‘show of rebellion’,” he mocked with air quotes.

  His gaze suddenly fell dark, and dread pooled in Lucy’s stomach. “Now be a good girl and move your ass,” he growled. “Before I move it for you.”

  When she didn’t move, one large hand lashed out for her. She just barely stepped out of reach, and rage glinted in Dominic’s eyes. “I’m not going anywhere,” she declared, voice surprisingly stern despite the way her heart was quaking. “I thought I made it very clear that I want nothing to do with you.”

  A vain bulged on Dominic’s temple, his fists clenching at his sides, as the familiar fury Lucy’s knew him for began to course through his body like wildfire. “You’ll do what I tell you!” he bellowed, shaking the trees and sending the local critters skittering for cover.

  “I left you behind with some lowlife trash and suddenly you think you can speak over me?” He took another step toward her. “What? Do you think you’re in love?” He scoffed, spitting on the dirt in disgust. “Think again, little sister. You were nothing more than an elaborate plant. A mole to get information for our dear cousin.” He glared daggers into her, and her blood chilled at the accusation. A mole?

  So that had been his plan all along; to purposely leave her behind in an attempt for her to syphon information form their pack for him? Surprisingly, an anger of her own rose to overtake her fear, but she beat it down. Even when faced with someone as fearsome as her brother, she still didn’t want to resort to violence or negativity. It was no secret to her or anyone else that she disliked Dominic, but letting go of that anger now would mean she’d fall into the same traps that he did back when his descent into madness had begun. She wouldn’t stoop to those kinds of tactics, not now and not ever.

  Though she knew Dominic smelled her fear, she tried not to show it. She kept her face carefully blank, with maybe a hint of resolve, showing him without words that though he had his fear, she’d found something infinitely stronger than anything he’d ever faced before. She’d found
love, and if he thought that she was the same scared little girl that he’d left behind in that alley so long ago, well then he’d be in for a very rude awakening.

  She may not be able to take Dominic alone, but he’d soon learn that giving her the chance to find her freedom was the biggest mistake he’d ever made.

  ***

  “Morning, Dan,” Nick called as he stepped out of his truck. “Lucy inside? Jo’s got a ton of renovation supplies today; she won’t be able to carry it all in alone.”

  Dan ran a hand through his slightly damp hair. “I don’t know, actually,” he said, his gaze trailing listlessly over the tree lines. “She went out for a run before breakfast, but that was like, an hour ago. She said she’d be quick; I didn’t expect her to take so long.”

  Nick opened his mouth to say something, but a rustle through the trees cut him off. In a flurry, Tom emerged from the forest, tugging his shirt over his head.

  “Bad news guys,” he greeted, alarm in his step.

  “What’s the matter?” Nick responded, voice instantly serious.

  “I smelled one of Lucas’s goons outside the house this morning,” Tom began. “I shifted and tracked the scent to the north until Lucas’s and a few more scents I couldn’t trace mingled with the one I was following.” He looked from Nick to Dan, gaze hardened. “They’re here.”

  Scents Nick couldn’t trace? What if one of them was Dominic? What if they’d gotten to Lucy while she was out running? His blood ran cold at the thought. “We need to go,” he spoke, voice chilled as he took the first step towards the forest. “Now.”

  Tom stepped frantically in front of Dan, stopping his walk.