Under the Panther's Protection [Black Panthers 3]

by Leah Brooke

  Ice formed in the pit of Joshua’s stomach. “We didn’t kill your Alpha. He came at our Alphas with a knife, and when they wrestled for it, he fell on it. Nobody wanted him dead.”

  “Well, I’m the Alpha now, and I’m going to make you pay for Jim’s death.”

  Joshua’s hand shook so badly he set the phone down on the counter so he didn’t drop it. He’d never been so scared in his life. “You hurt her, and I’m going to kill every one of you with my bare hands.”

  “Not likely. I’ve got the upper hand here. Not you.”

  Leland stepped forward, his face a mask of fury. “What do you want?”

  “Who are you?”

  “Leland, one of the Alphas. Women and children are off-limits.”

  “Revenge has no limits.”

  “Jim said something about that. We didn’t know about any of you.”

  “Your parents did, and they did nothing to help us. They didn’t even tell anyone to look for us.”

  “Why were you cast out?”

  “Because we were stronger and scared your pack. We’re also a hell of a lot smarter.”

  “Killing the woman isn’t going to solve anything.”

  “It’s revenge for killing our Alpha.”

  “Jim said that you’ve been stealing to survive.”

  “We don’t mind. We’re damned good at it. Tell me about the women.”

  Joshua clenched his jaw. “What about them?”

  “We saw that the first one had a baby. What do you have to do to get them pregnant? We’ve never gotten one pregnant before and started to believe it wasn’t possible. We know our parents got killed because of all the fighting because the women were getting pregnant by men they cheated with. Who got her pregnant?”

  A muscle worked in Leland’s jaw. “I did.”

  “How is that possible?”

  “Let her go, and we’ll talk about it.”

  “No. I think I’ll see if I can get her pregnant. If so, I just might keep her.”

  A red haze filled Joshua’s vision, his hands clenching into fists at the thought of anyone taking Fiona.

  “How do I know you have her?” Joshua’s voice had deepened, with a raw edge to it as he fought not to shift.

  “You called her phone, didn’t you?”

  “You could have found it. She hasn’t answered for a while. She could have lost it.”

  “Fine. You can hear her for yourself.”

  “Joshua?”

  “I’m here, baby.” He fought to keep his tone calm while fire and ice warred within him.

  “You know how much I hate being cold. Hell, my sister could probably find me before you do. Don’t tell her about this.”

  Thinking it was a strange thing for her to say, Joshua frowned. “Are you hurt?”

  “I’m okay.”

  “Remember what I said to you.”

  “I’m counting on it. Thanks for the bathtub.”

  “That’s enough!” The other man took the phone again, his tone furious. “You heard for yourself that I have her. Now, you can sweat.”

  The phone disconnected.

  Joshua disconnected and lifted his gaze to Leland’s. “They can see us.”

  “Yeah. She mentioned the bathtub and said that Glenna could find her before we did. Glenna always sits and stares at the mountains.”

  “And Fiona said that she was cold.”

  “They’re in the fucking mountains.”

  Joshua caught Leland’s arm. “There’s something I need to tell you. Fiona wanted it to be a secret until she got back.”

  “What is it?”

  “She’s carrying my child. If he hurts her—”

  Leland’s eyes went even colder. “He won’t. We know where he is, and we’re going after her. We don’t know how many there are, but we’ll leave enough here to protect Glenna and to make it look like we’re all still here. In the meantime, we’ll sneak up on them. We know these mountains a hell of a lot better than they possibly could.”

  Chapter Sixteen

  Fiona pulled her thin sweater more tightly around herself, pulling her legs closer to her body in an effort to get warm.

  At least the cold seemed to help her wrist, which she held protectively close to her body.

  Both wrists had been bound, and her jaw hurt where they’d hit her and knocked her out.

  The cold, though, hurt more but didn’t seem to affect her captors at all.

  So far, she’d counted four but heard them refer to others several times.

  The one in charge, though, had been the only one to speak to her. “You’re awfully brave talking to your boyfriend like that.”

  The others just kept looking at her with a combination of contempt and hunger, making her nervous as hell.

  “Like what?”

  “Like telling him that your sister could probably find you before he did. I would have cracked you in the mouth for saying something like that to me.”

  The only thing that saved her from sinking deeper into helplessness was the thought of what Joshua would do to the other man when he found them.

  After hearing what her captor said about getting her pregnant, Fiona made a decision to keep her pregnancy to herself.

  If he found out, he was likely to do something to make her lose the baby, adding to whatever revenge he sought. “Yeah, well, he’s not as ruthless as you are.”

  He smiled, seemingly pleased with that. “I know. They’re all weak. They try to blend in with everyone instead of making their mark. They actually hide.”

  Thinking about all the no trespassing signs surrounding the property, Fiona eyed the other man, trying to find a weakness, but she could barely see him through her swollen eye. “They just like their privacy.”

  Night had fallen, and the air had turned even colder, but they hadn’t lit a fire.

  They’d brought her to a small cave high in the mountains, with cold stone walls and floors, with only dirt and patches of ice covering them.

  The ceiling was low, only enabling him to stand upright in the center of the small cave.

  She could hear the wind blowing outside, and saw that it had started to snow.

  A small lantern in the corner provided the only illumination, which barely allowed her to see the other men’s features.

  Hunkering down in front of her, the man who appeared to be the one in charge reached out to caress her swollen cheek, his touch making her stomach roll. “I heard the big one went all the way to Ohio to get you. Kidnapped you. You seem awfully chummy with a man who kidnapped you. I just stole you back from him. Kidnapped you. When we get home, you can be that chummy with me.”

  Shivering with cold and fear, Fiona blinked. “How did you know that?”

  “The Alpha followed you. Told us everything.”

  “You’ve been following me?”

  “How do you think we knew about Florida? Jim followed the Alphas to Ohio and saw them collect the first woman. He was going to go for you then, but the big one showed up and kidnapped you. Knocked you out, did he?”

  Remembering how hungry and scared she was when Joshua had appeared, she thought about her reaction to her first look at him. Blinking back tears, she nodded. “Something like that.”

  “Get up.”

  “What?”

  “We’re leaving. Get up.”

  Shocked when he and the others began to get undressed, Fiona fought back panic at the thought of being raped. “Please, don’t.”

  His smile, pure evil, made her shivering even more intense. “Don’t flatter yourself. If I wanted to fuck you here, I would have done it already. We’re moving on. Follow me.”

  If they left, Joshua would never find her.

  She’d have to do whatever she could to slow them down.

  He and the others tucked their clothes and the lantern into a burlap bag, and the smallest of them tied it around his waist.

  Then, before her eyes, the four men suddenly disappeared, leaving in their place four black pa
nthers.

  Fiona blinked, wondering if they’d drugged her when they’d knocked her out.

  She was hallucinating, or already dead.

  I’ll never see Joshua again!

  Getting slowly to her feet, she backed against the stone wall, a sob escaping.

  She would die here, and no one would ever find her.

  When the one in charge snarled at her, she jolted, almost falling again.

  He moved closer, showing sharp, white teeth and growled, a sound that sent a chill down her spine.

  Instinctively holding her hands out in an attempt to hold him off, she pressed back against the stone wall. “No.” With a cry, she pulled her hands back when his teeth came closer to them.

  With another growl, he gripped the end of the rope securing her wrists and tugged, the sharp pain making her head swim.

  He tugged again, turning toward the entrance to the small cave with her in tow.

  Fearing that if she didn’t go willingly, he would kill her, Fiona struggled to put one foot in front of the other, each tug to her wrists agonizing.

  As soon as they went outside, the wind hit her, her trembling making the narrow snow-covered ledge they walked on even more frightening. “Slow down.”

  She was following panthers along a slick ledge and down a mountainside.

  She had to be in the middle of some kind of nightmare.

  “Come on, Fi. Wake up.”

  One of the panthers walked in front of the one holding the end of the rope while the other two walked behind her.

  The one directly behind her kept nudging her, making her fear losing her balance.

  “Stop it. I’m going as fast as I can.” Each time she fell behind, the panther tugged on the rope, making her cry out in pain.

  They’d turned into panthers.

  How could they have turned into panthers?

  Even if Joshua found her, he’d never stand a chance against wild animals.

  Wild animals who, just minutes earlier, had been human beings.

  She must have hit her head and no longer knew reality.

  It was the only explanation that made any sense.

  They would kill her and probably mutilate her body, and no one would ever know what happened to her.

  Joshua would never meet his child.

  It had gotten so dark that each time a cloud passed in front of the moon and cut off all source of light she couldn’t see anything.

  Not even where she stepped.

  With her hands tied in front of her, she couldn’t hold on to the wall of rock on her left and shivered so hard that it became increasingly difficult to keep her balance.

  One wrong step and she would go over the side.

  Her face felt frozen. The cold wind against cheeks, wet with tears, made her cheeks feel like ice.

  She was so cold that she began to get numb, her feet no longer feeling the impact of every step.

  They walked in silence for several minutes before the panthers in front of her stopped abruptly, lifting their noses as if sniffing the air.

  The memory of Joshua doing it when they’d been walking toward the farmhouse brought tears to her eyes.

  She’d never told him that she loved him.

  Her pride seemed so silly now, and she swore if she had the chance to tell him, she would.

  She pressed her hand to her belly, crying out when the panther holding the rope tugged at it again, pulling her hands away and further hurting her injured wrist.

  Despite the cold, it had begun to swell and the rope had tightened unbearably.

  They started moving again, this time more slowly, for which she was grateful.

  She’d lost her bearings and searched in the distance for any sign of the farmhouse but had to focus on following the panther in front of her.

  If she lived to tell about it, no one would ever believe her.

  A sense of unreality had settled in as she walked on and on in the dark, unable to see anything around her.

  Her feet were so cold that she could barely feel them anymore, which made keeping her balance even harder.

  Concentrating on putting one foot in front of the other, Fiona didn’t notice when they stopped again, running into the back of the panther in front of her.

  She lost her balance and, with a cry, started to fall, crying out again when something hard slammed into her, shoving her back against the stone wall.

  Crumbling to the ground, she sucked in a breath at the feel of silky fur against her, that of a huge panther.

  The growls emanating from him held a fury that scared the hell out of her, and froze her in place.

  Grateful that there was no longer a pull on her wrists, she held her hands out in front of her protectively, waiting for the panther to strike.

  To her amazement, he didn’t, fighting off the panthers surrounding her with razor-sharp teeth and claws, his growls filled with rage.

  Too terrified to move, she placed her hands protectively over her belly and pressed her face against the cold stone, squeezing her eyes closed as the sounds of snarling and growls intensified.

  They seemed to come from everywhere, the sounds deadly and terrifying.

  Another howl of rage, one more desperate than the others, got farther and farther away—the unmistakable sound of one of them going over the side.

  The large panther seemed to be protecting her body and kept her pressed against the rock even as he fought the leader.

  She felt as if she’d stepped into a foreign world, where everything seemed to make sense to everyone except her.

  It lasted only a minute or two, but suddenly everything went silent.

  To her stunned amazement, the sleek fur pressing against her became warm flesh, and with a cry, she tried to pull away.

  “Easy, my mate.”

  Stilling at the sound of Joshua’s deep voice, Fiona blinked and suddenly found herself wrapped in his arms. Several flashlights came on, surrounding her with light.

  His large hand cupped the back of her head and pressed her face against his throat. “I’ve got you, baby. I told you I would come get you, didn’t I?”

  Joshua eased back, desperate to see Fiona’s face. Pushing her hair back, he fought back fury at the sight of her bruised and swollen cheek and eye. “If they weren’t already dead, I’d kill them.”

  His stomach knotted tighter when she whimpered and looked at him in wide-eyed terror. “You’re safe, my mate. You’re safe. Let Mitch take a look at you, and I’ll carry you home.”

  Her eyes appeared unfocused, and she stared up at him as if she’d never seen him before. “Panthers.”

  Mitch gently untied her wrists. “Yes. Hey, honey, can you tell me where else you’re hurt?”

  Joshua released her just long enough to dig into his backpack for a blanket. He tucked it around her carefully, his jaw clenching at how hard she shivered. “I think she’s in shock.”

  “I’m okay.” Her gaze slid to Mitch and back again. “They turned into panthers. They really did.”

  Frowning, she reached out to touch Joshua’s shoulder with one hand while Mitch tended to the other. “You were a panther? You pushed me.”

  Joshua nodded, lightly gripping her chin to look into her eyes. “I did. He was falling, and with that rope in his mouth, he could have taken you with him. You stumbled and were already heading toward the edge. Did I hurt you?”

  “No. I didn’t feel anything.”

  Mitch began wrapping her wrist. “I think her wrist is broken. I’m splinting it for now. I can’t put it back in place until I x-ray it.”

  “I heard it snap.” Fiona looked past Mitch, crying out, her eyes going wide. “Watch out!”

  Joshua gathered her close, kissing her hair again. “It’s okay.” Following her terrified gaze, he forced a lightness into his tone in an effort to calm her. “That’s Joe. Vincent and Dane are right behind him. Leland and Thomas are behind me.”

  Her eyes widened again, her gaze swinging to his. “You’re all
panthers?”

  “Shapeshifters.” Mitch finished securing her wrist and ran his hands over her ribs. “We can shift at will, but since we’re all naked when we shift back, they’re staying nice and warm with their fur.” He smiled faintly, shining the flashlight into her eyes. “Besides, Joshua wouldn’t take kindly to having you surrounded by a bunch of naked men.”

  “Naked?”

  She started to look down, but Joshua chuckled and lifted her chin again. “Keep your eyes up here. Look at me, my mate.”

  “Your mate? Is that a panther thing?”

  “That’s a shapeshifter-in-love thing. I’m going to shift back to carry you down. You’ll be strapped to me. Just stay still and enjoy the ride. My footing and balance is better when I’m in panther form, and I don’t want to take the chance of falling with you. The others are with us. If there are any of the other pack’s men around, we’ll handle them. I don’t want you to be afraid.”

  “I can’t believe you found me. Did they hurt any of you?”

  Joshua wasn’t about to tell her the bites he’d taken because he didn’t want to move away from her. “No, baby. I told you we’re good.”

  “They’re all dead?”

  “Don’t worry about them.”

  “They were talking on the phone to others.”

  Mitch repacked his backpack and slid it on again. “Take her straight to the clinic. I’ll x-ray her wrist and finish checking her out there.”

  “Okay. Help me get her ready.” Joshua bent to touch his lips to her icy ones and helped her to her feet. “I’m going to shift so Mitch can make sure you’re secure. If you feel like you’re falling, or you’re in pain, let me know.”

  Fiona frowned. “Will you be able to understand me?”

  “Of course.” Joshua smiled and kissed her forehead, infuriated that she’d been hurt. “I just can’t talk to you, but it’s me, baby. Just relax and enjoy the ride.”

  “So cold.”

  “I know. We’ll be down the mountain soon.” He shared a look with Leland, who was clearly furious. “It’s still me, baby. My fur will keep you warm.” Turning his back, he shifted, remaining as still as he could, the fury inside him only held back by his mate’s need for him.

  Using another blanket and several lengths of rope, Mitch secured her to Joshua’s back so that she lay flat on top of him.