by Meg Ripley
Man, was she intoxicating. Mason wondered if she was hot in her human form—and so did I. How could any female smell so delicious and even be average looking? I pictured a tall, curvy blonde at the beach. Hair down her back as she stood in the sun, her bronzed skin glistening as she came out of the water rocking a bright pink bikini.
I closed my eyes and grinned as I began to grow hard. It was a good image to fall asleep to, no doubt.
Maybe Mason was right: maybe I should try to find her. I couldn’t stop thinking about our encounter, and I did feel bad. How many shifters didn’t pick up on another shifter’s scent until it was too late? Maybe I could explain that I was tired and out of my element, not paying attention. Maybe she’d forgive me and wrap her slender arms around my neck and kiss me and tell me I could take her kill anytime.
The grin spread. Okay, dude. Get your ass to sleep or you’ll be toast tonight. Stop thinking about that panther. But the more I tried to not think about her, the more she overtook my thoughts. Frustrated, I stormed off to the bathroom and stepped into the shower. It would take a lot of cold water to get her scent and image out of my mind.
3
Britt
I pulled on my boots and brushed the specks of dirt off my camo pants before I hopped on my motorcycle to head to the bar where I would meet Dezi and Kat. God, this place had better not be busy, I groaned to myself. I didn’t hang with those two often, but since they were the only other panthers in the area—and Gladeswomen, like me—they were about the only people I could tolerate for any period of time.
I guess these women were technically my clan, but we didn’t act like it much. Sure, if something came up or some jerk in town was giving one of us crap, we’d have each other’s backs. That was a no brainer. We did have the mental link that came with being in a clan, but we didn’t use it much. There wasn’t even an Alpha in our little tribe. We used to have a fourth member, but she was killed years ago. After that, we kind of distanced ourselves some; it would limit the number of people whose deaths would hurt us.
We did make life easier for each other at times, and that’s what made our clan work. Dezi was a fisherwoman and often traded me fish for rabbits or whatever else I hunted up to eat that struck her fancy. Kat had the gator farm and she’d throw me one every now and then, but she was good at telling me where to find clusters of animals who came around, since she had the boat and lots of land. When a pack of something nasty was messing with her gators, she’d call on me to help hunt them all down.
Beyond that, we got together for a beer about once a month or so. Sometimes, life out there could be lonely. Mostly that was the point and main benefit of it, but every now and again, it was nice to see a friendly face, kick back and shoot the shit.
That night was Dezi’s birthday, and I had a fresh osprey wrapped up for her that I’d hunted that day. She had a thing for flying creatures. Me? I’d hunt anything that moved, as long as it wouldn’t bring the wardens sniffing around my place. Some things were protected, like sea turtles, and for the most part, we all kept to the restrictions. It was about preserving the land, after all, and none of us wanted to see some big shift in the wildlife because too much of whatever had been hunted out. But if something was causing trouble, protected or not, it would have to go—either by means of hunting, or a forced relocation.
I parked the bike amongst a cluster of others. Crap. This place is damn near packed, I thought. That joint was our best bet, though. Shady’s had the only decent grub in the area, and they actually knew how to pour a beer. Every time we went to that place further in town, we got nothing but foam and hassle. But Shady’s attracted the type of people we were used to and was usually good for entertainment. Someone was always pissing someone else off at Shady’s, and that was part of the draw.
I walked in and spotted Kat, then Dezi at a table, and a pitcher sat between them, sweating and half empty. One unattended pint sat full and untouched. I walked over and tapped them each on the arm with my fist, then downed half of my beer in two gulps.
“Ladies,” I said, taking my seat.
“About time you showed up,” Dezi complained.
Kat jerked her thumb at her, “She’s getting impatient in her later years.”
“What are you now, forty?” I chuckled.
She smacked my arm. “Bitch, thirty is still far off from that.”
“Not too far, though.” I raised my glass to hers and we tapped them together.
“Watch it, there,” Kat said. “I think you’re pushing thirty, too, aren’t you, Britt?”
“I’ve got six months left and I intend to enjoy them fully.”
“Now that you’re thirty,” Kat said like it was a dirty word, “do you have any plans for the next decade?”
“Yup. Fish more.” Dezi nodded once and poured more beer. “Maybe go north for a trip. Catch something different for a change.”
“But no settling down?” Kat wondered.
“Nah.”
Kat was the only one of us who bothered to marry. She had a few little cubs running around, who kept her busy when the gators didn’t. Usually, her husband was the one out wrangling them when they acted up, though. She handled the business end of things when it came to selling the critters off.
We ordered some wings and they’d barely hit the table before we tore into them. With their crispy skin and hot, tangy sauce, they hit the spot just right. As I finished off the last drumette and picked the bone clean with my teeth, I sat back to give my stomach room to digest.
People had been coming and going the whole time we’d been there. I hadn’t paid much attention, since that was just the nature of Shady’s. People were always coming and going.
That’s why I didn’t see him. But I smelled him.
That fucking bear from this morning.
I was thinking about ordering another basket of wings when his scent filled my nose and distracted me. I jerked my head over and saw him and I turned back quickly, but then remembered he hadn’t seen me in my human form.
I glanced over again. He didn’t seem to notice me or recognize my scent. God. How had he managed to survive so long with such pathetic basic instincts?
“What do you guys know about the bears around these parts?” I asked.
“Bears? Black bears?” Kat asked. “They like to come and try to get at my gators from time to time.”
“I mean the shifters,” I clarified. “Are there many of them?”
Dezi shrugged.
“Why?” Kat asked.
I jerked my head toward the table where the bear sat with his three friends.
“I had a run-in with one this morning. Took my kill,” I explained.
Dezi narrowed her eyes and turned in her seat to look. “Which one?”
“The one with the ridiculous boy-band hair.” It was bad enough when women went all crazy with hair dye, but a man? He had medium-brown hair that was longer on top in jagged chunks, and the ends were tipped blonde.
Dezi turned back and raised an eyebrow at me. “And you couldn’t take him?”
“I tackled him,” I said. “I let him know what was up.”
“What’d he do?” Kat asked.
I rolled my eyes and snorted. “I ran off and when I came back, he not only left the carcass for me like a jackass, but he wrote out ‘sorry’ in elderberry flowers.”
They both broke into laughter. Kat almost spit out her beer.
“Go set him straight,” Dezi urged.
I nodded to myself. “Yeah. I think I will.”
I pushed back from my chair and walked over, making it known with my narrowed eyes that I wasn’t there for a friendly chat.
He didn’t see me coming—again. His side was to me, and he was in mid-conversation with the others at his table.
I shoved his shoulder. “Hey.”
That got his attention. They all looked, and the one I’d shoved gaped at me with wide eyes.
“Umm…” he said.
“Pay attention wh
en you’re hunting,” I said forcefully, almost shouting, and a hush fell over the crowd.
He looked to the others, then back at me.
Behind me, two men in the bar shouted, “Fight!”
I had to remember this was Shady’s. Usually we were watching the fights, not participating in them. But any time someone showed a sign of aggressive behavior, the crowd liked to egg him or her on and push the fight. My demeanor and tone had been enough to alert the masses that something was about to go down.
I glanced behind me and noticed my girls nodding in encouragement. Most of the people in the bar had turned their chairs to watch.
He held up his hands, “I didn’t mean to do it, and I said I was sorry. I left it for you and everything. Give a guy a break, huh?”
“Give a guy a break? I don’t appreciate someone creeping into my territory and going after my kills.”
Behind me, a chorus of “Ooooh” went around the bar.
He got to his feet and dropped his voice. “Look, I’m not trying to start something. I’m not the fighting type. What can I do to make this better?”
“You can stay out of my way, dumbass. Pay attention to what you’re doing from now on.” I poked my finger into his shoulder with each word: “And stay. Out. Of. My. Territory!”
“Okay, okay, I will. I didn’t even know it was yours; I was just out hunting.”
I stood there, glaring. He wasn’t even going to defend himself?
Finally, he stuck out his hand to shake mine, not to push me back. “I’m Ezra. Sorry I pissed you off, but it’s nice to meet you.”
I hesitated. If I shook his hand, his scent would be all over me. And right then, his scent was driving me up the wall. It was the same as before. It made me wired, like I wanted to pounce on him, but not bite him. I’d thought it was just a reaction from my animal side. It was much stronger when I was in my panther form and he was in his bear form, but even as humans, my body wanted him. Craved him.
But my mind sure as hell didn’t.
I glared at his hand. “Next time, you might get yourself killed.”
I turned on my heel and stormed back to my table. The crowd responded with disappointment, but I ignored them. Fuck ‘em; they could get their kicks from someone else. He wasn’t worth throwing fists over, and it hadn’t been all that much of a deal to get bloody over. He had left it for me and apologized several times. He was an idiot but not an asshole, I decided.
I sat hard in my chair and the ladies clapped for me. They sent final glares at Ezra before turning back to me.
“Hopefully, that’ll get through his thick bear skull,” Kat said.
“I’ll remember his scent,” Dezi said in agreement. “The second he shows up somewhere he shouldn’t be, I’ll let him have it.”
“Thanks, ladies,” I nodded.
But throughout the rest of the evening, I found that my gaze was being pulled in his direction. About half the time when I looked over, he’d be looking at me already or would turn to meet my gaze and I’d have to look away fast. If only he didn’t smell like that. I might have to go as far as to wear perfume to keep his stench from my nose.
“Either of you own perfume?” I asked.
They looked at me, puzzled.
“You want to get dolled up for someone?” Kat asked.
Dezi knitted her brow. “What do you want that shit for?”
“Nothing like that, guys. I want to get his scent out of my head.”
Kat’s mouth jerked into a smile. “Oh boy. Got it bad, huh?”
I kicked the leg of her chair. “No.”
Dezi chuckled. “Defensiveness is the first sign, you know.”
“I’m not interested in him or any other fool in the ‘Glades. He just smells…well, I just don’t want to smell him is all.”
Kat held up her glass. “We’ve got beer. Does that count?”
Dezi snorted and I shoved her.
“You stuff it,” I said. “That’s not what I meant. I ain’t pouring beer on myself just to chase away his scent.”
“Maybe you should just embrace it,” Dezi shrugged. “You haven’t really dated.”
“There’s a reason for that,” I said.
“Did he touch you at some point? Brush against you or something?” Kat wondered.
“Nah.”
“Then why is his scent so strong to you?”
I shrugged. “It just permeates everything. I don’t know. Maybe it’s time I went on my way.”
“Sit your ass down and ignore your little boyfriend over there,” Dezi commanded. “We just ordered another pitcher, and you ain’t getting out of drinking your share.”
I blew out a breath. “Fine. But if it gets worse, I’m out.”
4
Ezra
I trudged beside Owen as we walked through thick brush deep in the park. He sprayed a neon pink dot on a tree and turned to smile at me.
“Did I tell you what he did yesterday?” he asked.
I blinked at him, trying to refocus. He’d been talking so much this morning in his excitement that I’d tuned out. My mind kept wandering that day. And the night before. I tried to deny it. They were just random thoughts bouncing along my brain, that’s all.
But I could not stop thinking about that woman. All morning, she’d consumed my thoughts. And now, I was about to be found out.
“Umm…” I tried to bring back some part of the conversation, but my brain blanked. “Who?”
Owen gave me an incredulous look. “James?” He said it like I was the biggest idiot in the world.
“Oh, right.” Who else would he be talking about? Since his baby was born, Owen’s whole world had transformed. Now it was all about how many hours the baby slept and how much he ate and how many smiles he gave. It went on and on.
“So, did I tell you?”
“I don’t think so.” I wanted to say yes. Anything to get him to stop going on about the baby. But if I lied, he would ask me what I thought about it or would say something that needed a response from me, and I wouldn’t be able to give one. So, I had to be honest and take whatever lengthy monologue would follow.
“He rolled over for the first time!” Owen looked at me like I should be overjoyed about this.
“Oh. Is that...a big deal?” I gave an apologetic smile. I didn’t know the first thing about babies.
“It’s just an important milestone. It means his brain is growing and working. Before long, he’ll be pushing up on all fours and starting to crawl. Gosh, then it won’t be long before he’s pulling himself up on things and trying to walk.” He blew out a breath and ran a hand through his hair. “I have to get the baby-proofing upgraded. It’s one thing when they can’t move much yet. There’s not much he can get into, you know? But once he’s crawling, everything in the house has to be moved or covered or protected. Do we have those corner protectors?” Now he was taking out his phone. Probably to text his wife, Addie, about whatever baby-proofing crap he was talking about.
While he was distracted with corner protectors—whatever the heck those were—I looked around, trying to accomplish what we came here to do. Some trees in the area were dying and had to be removed, so we were out marking which ones would be cut down and which would be watched. The questionable ones wouldn’t get the axe just yet, but if they didn’t improve in the next six months or so, they’d get the chop on the next round. I spotted a tree that didn’t look too promising, gave it a good sniff to confirm, and sprayed an X with the bright green spray paint in my hand. This tree was a lost cause.
When Owen put his phone away, he smiled at me. “Addie is so awesome. She already had them, of course. I should have known she would. She was planning to put them on this week, now that he’s turning over. She was thinking exactly the same thing I was today!”
I nodded. “Cool, bro.”
“I never knew marriage would be like this. It’s just… so much better than I ever imagined, you know?”
“I don’t, actually.” I chuckled
. I’d had girlfriends, of course. Plenty. And more short-term hookups than I could count. But none of them had ever been at the level of Addie and Owen’s relationship. I doubted he ever loved anyone besides her. They’d been high school sweethearts and everything, separated for years, now together again and forever.
“When’s your turn, man?”
“Funny you should ask. I was just thinking about that.”
“Oh?” He sprayed another tree.
“Thirty is coming, whether I want it to or not. Maybe it’s time.”
“Definitely. You find the right woman, and it’ll change your world.” Owen beamed.
“Obviously.” I rolled my eyes, but laughed.
“Sorry. I guess I do tend to talk about Addie and James a lot. They’re my everything, though. I can’t help it.”
“Yeah… I think I know what you mean.”
“Oh yeah?” He raised an eyebrow. “Does this have anything to do with the panther from last night?”
“I can’t get that chick out of my head.” I shook my head like I was trying to shake her out. I didn’t even have to close my eyes to imagine her scent. It had taken up residence in my brain and whatever thought I had brushed against it, bringing it fresh to me. I’d never taken so many cold showers in my life.
“You gonna ask her out?”
“I don’t know. I mean, yeah, I guess I want to start thinking about settling down and all that. Find my special one. I see what you have. I’m not ashamed to admit my jealousy. I just don’t think the panther is the one.”
“Why’s that?”
“She’s a panther, dude. I mean, like, I don’t have an issue with that. I fully respect other species. It’s not the interspecies thing that trips me up. But Panthers are hardcore; all tough and serious. And she is most definitely 110% panther.” I shook my head, remembering her reaction to my accidentally taking her kill, then how she’d confronted me at the bar. It wasn’t even that big of a deal, but she kept going on like I’d murdered her puppy or something.
“She was pretty intense last night, I’ll give you that.”
