Panther Protector: A WILD Security Book

by Ruby Forrest

  His hands slid down her skin, pulling at the coat that she had pulled on. Isabella- Fae shivered and pushed herself upright, so that it could be pulled from her skin, slid off her in a wave. She moaned softly, feeling the sound catching in her throat as he pulled it away, as she felt the warmth of his skin against her arms.

  She wanted it more. She wanted it against more than just her arms. She gasped as he pressed against her and she felt the heat of his lips kiss down her skin, down the curve of her neck, brushing against every sensitive nerve and making her head spin, brushing against every sensitive part of her body and leaving her writhing and moaning and arching her body with need, with need and desire and pleasure.

  Isabella- Fae trembled, feeling the sensations move through her body like a fire, like a desperate fire that could not be unlit, like a desperate fire that was threatening her very soul and her sanity. She was not that kind of girl. She did not go to bed with a man who she had only just met. She did not go to bed with a man who barely knew, and throw herself into it with all the passion that she had. She did not do that, but with Darcy it was different. With Darcy, she could not see straight, with Darcy, she did not have a choice, every part of her body and mind screaming for it.

  She grabbed him, pulling at his shirt, pulling it over his head. He obliged and Isabella- Fae ran her hands down the curve of his body, down every line, scar and tense, tight muscle that was building inside of her, down every curve of his body that was blinding her to everything else.

  He felt amazing beneath her fingers, felt amazing with every breath that she took. She was trembling, shaking, feeling the sweet sensations build inside her, blinding and all consuming. It was perfection and Isabella- Fae was not turning away from it, not for a second. She felt the need clawing at her insides, pulling her closer, leaving her with nothing but the flood, the burning need and desire.

  Darcy's fingers ran down the fabric of her a shirt and she shuddered as he pulled it from her skin, lifted it over her head. There was something so gentle about his touch, so gentle and so strong all at the same time. There was something about the way that he was touching her that made her feel dizzy, something about the way he looked at her, his eyes seeming to glow in the dark, that stole her breath and left her aching for more, desperate for more of his touch. Isabella- Fae shivered, feeling the way his hands stroked her skin, run over the bare flesh of her sides.

  His hands were warm and there was a restrained strength to him, a restrained strength, so gentle with her, but she knew that he could be so rough if he wanted to. The thought thrilled her, both the tension in his body, in the lines of his skin, as well as the burning knowledge that he was so close to hurting her, but he never would.

  She knew that, knew that as if it was set in stone. He wouldn't hurt her, he wouldn't let any harm come to her. She knew that. She believed that. Isabella- Fae gasped as Darcy's hands slid around her body, undoing her bra strap with an easy click. His lips were at her throat, pushing and kissing against the side of her neck. She shivered as his breath ghosted her skin, a voice soft in her ear, "More, Isabella- Fae?" There was a barely restrained lust in his voice, in the way that his body shuddered against hers. He wanted this as badly as she did.

  Isabella- Fae felt her breathing catch in her throat and she nodded, "Yes, yes, Darcy, I want you."

  Her bra slid off her skin in an instant and Isabella- Fae was left shivering at the sensation of the air on her skin, rushing over the sensitive curves of her breasts, the tense, tight buds of pleasure that built inside of her and made her moan in pleasure. She bit her lip, feeling the sensations rise inside her, the feeling of his chest against her skin, rubbing lightly against her full breasts. She moaned softly, her head falling backwards, and she shuddered and shivered, "Yes, yes, Darcy...." She gasped his name, breathless and trembling, feeling it catch in her throat, like a mantra, like a prayer. Like something else, something intense and unyielding.

  Isabella- Fae woke, jolted from her dream by the sounds of screaming. The pleasure that had enveloped her like a drug was ebbing, twisted away from her before she had a chance to savor it, before she had a chance to do anything other than gasp, she realized that they were in serious danger, in serious trouble that she did not want to face, but was left without a choice, was left without any way out except for fighting her way out, live or die, make it to the end.

  Darcy was pushing himself to his feet, his eyes wide even in the dim light. She knew, without him having to say anything, without having to say a damn word. She knew that she was in trouble, knew that she needed to get through it, and knew that it was not a game that something really bad was starting.

  "Run!" The word spilled from Darcy, as he threw her clothing. She pulled them on quickly, realizing that he was already getting dressed himself, almost completely ready. He was unzipping the tent and Isabella- Fae was relieved.

  For a second, just a second, she thought that maybe, just maybe, she would be okay, she would get out of this with him and they had just been imagining the sounds of screaming, the brutal sounding cries of war that flooded everything, that filled what had once been a perfectly peaceful night.

  Then the knives plunged into the side of their tent and the roar of a wild animal filled the air. Suddenly, Isabella- Fae had no choice other than to move forward, to burst out of the tent, into the night. There was absolute chaos. She could not see much, but she could feel Darcy pushing past her, feel the pain as he jumped straight into the chaos. She did not know what was going on, but she heard his voice ring out yet again, "Run!"

  This time, she did. This time, her legs moved on their own, regardless of her thoughts on the matter. This time, she ran, ran into the night, ran into the nothingness, ran and ran and ran, ran until she could not even remember why she was running in the first place.

  And still, she could hear them on her heels, hear the savage growls of whatever they had set on her, the pain in her feet was nothing compared to what awaited her, to what she was going to have to deal with if she was caught, if they found her and tracked her down, once and for all.

  She stifled a cry, trying to ignore the pain in her chest as she struggled to get in air, the stitch that made breathing a misery and the ache and pain of motion was all that she could feel, all that she could focus on other than the fear.

  She could hear them gaining on her, steadily catching up, making her feel breathless. She had to keep moving, had to keep running, but she had no more energy to give, no more energy to give as she ran and ran and ran, giving it everything that she had, everything that she possibly had to give and then some.

  She could hear roaring and screaming in the distance and she prayed that Darcy was okay, that Darcy would be safe, that he could find her and join her and that everything could be fine. It struck her, as she was running through the forest, that there was a good chance that they had been getting very close to her father, to where he had been taken, to where their base was. She knew that this was a dangerous mission, but she was realizing, more and more, that she was in an incredible amount of danger that she was closer to the edge than she wanted to admit, that things were getting harder and harder and that she might have been completely out of her depth doing this in the first place.

  When the root caught beneath her foot, Isabella- Fae was sent sprawling to the ground. She felt her breath get slammed out of her as she hit the ground, felt the energy drain from her as her body slammed into the ground with a dull thud. Everything hurt, everything ached. She hurt, she hurt so badly that she did not know how to take her next breath. Not only that, but her whole world was spinning and it felt impossible, almost completely impossible to stand up without falling over completely in the process.

  Isabella- Fae shuddered, pushing her hands into the dirt, feeling the sting as her scrapes and cuts gave way. The pleasure of last night felt like a dream, a distant memory. The confidence that she had felt when insisting she come along with Darcy, was a memory that felt even further remo
ved from her, further distant, further in the past. She did not know how, she did not know why, but she was determined to keep going, determined to push through the pain and make it to the end.

  And yet, she could feel them, hear them breathing down her neck. Isabella- Fae barely managed to push herself upright, barely manage to stand at all, when she felt the agony of being rammed, of a body slamming into her from behind and knocking her into the dirt, knocking her flat into the roots and bushes beneath her feet. She choked, feeling the pain flood her for the second time in a few moments.

  The weight on her back was heavy, and she felt claws digging into her back, felt the intensity, the hate, the intensity radiating from the creature that pinned her into the dirt. She realized, in that second, that she was close to death, closer than she had ever been, closer to feeling the bite on her neck and the life bleed out of her in a rush, as she lay dying in the dirt.

  She was going to die. She was going to die and there was no way out, not this time. She was going to die and this time, she was stuck, this time, she had nowhere to turn to, no one to call for, and no one to save her. She did not know what compelled her to cry out, when she knew that there was no one to help her. She did not know why she summoned the energy she did have and called, called for someone to do it, someone to help her, for him,

  "Darcy!" She called his name, feeling her voice crack and tremble, feeling the intensity of her panic and pain flood her system like a drug, like a jolt of agony that she could not bear to let go. It was too much. It was everything. It was too much. She shuddered and felt the teeth at her neck, felt the heat on the back of her skin, the anger.

  She was going to die. And then she felt it. The weight on her back lifted, as suddenly as if he had been thrown off of her. Then she heard a roar, loud and powerful an intense. Then she heard the yowl of pain, and she did not know if she had been saved, or thrown into even worse trouble.

  Isabella- Fae rolled over, scrambling to push herself up. At the sight in front of her, she froze. In front of her there was a fight, but not like anything she expected, not like anything that she thought she would have ever seen in her life. In front of her, two panthers were fighting, two panthers were fighting in front of her, teeth and claws grabbing into each other, slicing and slamming and attacking with all of the fury inside of them, all of the fury of a true fight. But this was something else entirely, something different from a fight in the wild.

  One panther had been trying to kill her, had chased her and hunted her down, after the attack on the tent. He had been after her specifically, and he had waited, lingered, savored the moment of killing her, savored the moment of hurting her, sinking his claws in, sinking his teeth in. He had savored it in a way that was almost human. And now, now, another panther had jumped in to save her, to save her in a way that she had never expected. This was not a fight over food. The second panther had left her lying there, no interest in hurting her, no interest in sinking his claws into her. He did not seem to be trying to show his dominance either. He seemed to be trying to kill.

  The whole thing was very human, very, very human for two animals who were fighting in the wild, in the jungle. Everything was all messed up and it was doing Isabella- Fae's head in, making her lose her mind, struggle to think past the insanity in front of her. What was happening? What was she doing here? Why were they fighting, one to kill and one to protect.

  One of the panthers seemed to be winning and, in the dark, Isabella- Fae could not tell which one it was. Was it her savior, or was it the one who wanted her dead? She did not know and she could only hope and pray that she was going to live, going to make it through this. She tried to push herself up, feeling her body give way. She did not know if it was an injury, shock, or something else, but she did not seem to be able to move. She seemed to be glued to the spot, stuck in one place, stuck watching the horror unfold in front of her.

  She felt her body tremble, sensation of panic moving through her as the fight ended. It was brutal, one harsh bite to the neck sending one of the panthers falling, tumbling to the ground, shuddering as he collapses, no more, no more life in him, nothing at all.

  He was dead and the other panther turned towards her. She realized, suddenly, that this panther was covered in blood. This was not his first kill. This was not the first time that he had hurt someone tonight and she prayed, prayed that this was the one who had saved her.

  He took a few steps forward, moving towards her. Isabella- Fae backed up, frozen on the spot. She shut her eyes, expecting the bite, expecting to feel death grip her like a vice and refuse to let her go. Instead, she felt the touch of hands on her shoulders, the touch of a hand against her, gentle and soft and very, very human.

  "Isabella- Fae, are you okay?" She knew that voice. She knew it and her eyes flung open. It was Darcy!

  Her heart caught in her chest, "Darcy!" She did not know what to say, how he was here. She looked around frantically. The panther was gone and Darcy was here. He was covered in blood and Isabella- Fae's eyes widened in panic, "Are you hurt?"

  He shook his head, "Nothing bad. Are you okay? Did he hurt you?" He checked her over with a worried eye and a concerned touch, looking her over. Isabella- Fae glanced over his shoulder, at the dead panther on the floor and felt confusion twist inside of her, uncertainty. She did not know what the hell was going on, but she felt lightheaded.

  The sun was starting to rise, flutter across the day and Isabella- Fae felt Darcy's arms around her. He lifted her up, raising her into his arms and cradling her close. Isabella- Fae's eyes fell shut and she drifted in and out of consciousness. She did not know what was up, what was down and what was going on. All she knew was that Darcy was here and he had never let her down yet. She knew that she would be safe as long as he was here. She knew that she had to hold onto him with everything she had.

  She knew that she hurt, that everything was okay, that everything would be fine and they would get through this, no matter what was happening. She shuddered, closing her eyes and feeling the shuddering through her head.

  "It is okay, Isabella- Fae. I've got you." His words were soft and gentle, comforting her mind, comforting as they reverberated through her whole body. She drifted in and out, the feelings sharp in her mind. It was perfect and he was here and no matter how scared she was, no matter how worried she was, no matter what was in store for her.

  Darcy was here and it was going to be okay. She would get through this and they would find her father. The last thing that Isabella- Fae knew before she fell into the darkness, was Darcy's arms around her and the feeling of his body against hers, his warmth on her body. The last thought she had, was a worry, the wonder what had happened to that second panther. Why Darcy was covered in blood...what was going to happen next.

  Before she could think deeper on any of that, she felt her eyes fall shut and the world fell silent.

  Chapter 6

  Isabella- Fae woke to find herself by a fire, Darcy sitting beside her. She stirred, shifting and pushing herself up. Everything ached and, all at once, she remembered everything that had happened in this last few hours. The attack flooded back into her mind, the panic, the way that she had been attacked by a vicious panther, only to be saved by another, and rescued from the whole mess by Darcy.

  She groaned as she moved, her head feeling like it was going to explode. Darcy looked towards her and she swore that she could see relief on his features, "You're awake. That's fantastic. Isabella- Fae, take these...you probably hurt something awful."

  He handed her a bottle of water and a couple of tablets, which Isabella- Fae took gratefully. She did not need to be told twice. Everything ached and she wanted a relief from the pain that twisted in her limbs and her body that thundered through her head. She downed them quickly, drinking a few more sips of water while she was at it, feeling the relief as the water trickled down her throat.

  She passed the water back and took a good look at Darcy. He had cleaned up. She remembered the bloo
d that seemed to cover him when he found her, that had stained his skin and his clothes. Now, he seemed to have cleaned it all off, so much so that Isabella- Fae was left wondering if it was just all a dream, if she had imagined all of it. Maybe, he hadn't been covered in blood. Maybe she had imagined the whole thing. Then she noticed the way his bag was torn, the change in shirt, the bandage up his arm, and she knew, without a shadow of a doubt, that she was right.

  She hadn't imagined any of it. It had all been real. Isabella- Fae turned towards Darcy, confused, "Darcy, what was all of that?"

  "The men who took your father. They found us." His voice was cool, almost cagey.

  Isabella- Fae nodded slowly, feeling uncertainty twist in her body, but she shrugged, "Okay, so they found us. I guess we were close."

  Darcy nodded, "I think I've pinpointed a general location. We'll head off when it gets dark."

  Isabella- Fae nodded again, unable to argue with the logic of that plan, the logic that seemed very sound. She sighed, unable to shake off the worry that gnawed at her, "So, how did you find me? How did you get out in the first place?"

  Darcy shrugged, "I fought my way out, and followed your trail."

  "But you found me so quickly." Something did not seem to be adding up, but Isabella- Fae could not quite put her finger on it, "What happened?" Isabella- Fae frowned, worry pounding at her head all over again, "What about the panthers?"

  Darcy looked like she had just lit a bomb beneath him. She could feel the tension tightening through her body and she shook her head, feeling confused, frightened, and uncertain. She had caught him in something and she needed to know what it was. She needed to know he could be trusted.

  "What about them?"

  "They attacked me!" Her voice caught, "Well, one of them hunted me down, chased me down. Then another was there, saving me, attacking the other one." She sounded insane and she found that she did not care, the stress of the last week really starting to weigh on her, really starting to make her feel like she might crack.