He gulped. Maybe this had been a bad idea. He shook his head. He needed to ignore the urge to transform. Pretend that he couldn’t feel the extension of his teeth into points, or the curl of his nails and fingers into claws. One, two, three, he counted to himself. His father had taught him how to control his shift when he had taught him how to drive a car. It was of utmost importance for him to stop himself from turning, no matter how excited he became. As he grew through the ranks of racers, it was his singular strength. Using it now, he ignored the pull for the chase. But Nicci was not as successful. With the sound of ripping fabric and the rush of heat and fur, he felt her push past him and race towards the rabbit ahead. But she was inexperienced, and the rabbit sensed her with moments to spare. Following behind her, he watched as her now panther form launched itself towards the critter, before missing completely. The rabbit spun on its paws and darted through the scrub before diving into a hole, with Nicci close behind, her eyes focused on its disappearing body. He choked down a chuckle as she landed with a soft thud on the ground beside the hole. Her face swivelled back to him, eyes glaring, and teeth bared.
Holding up his hands in mock submission, he stopped in place.
‘I could have told you that wouldn’t work,’ he grinned, before folding his arms across his chest. ‘But at least we know where to start now.’
He flinched as he watched her body painfully twist and contort back into human form.
‘Don’t suppose you can be a gentleman and head back to the house to get me some clothes then?’ She arched an eyebrow at him, and he smiled back.
‘Well, I could, but I do rather fancy this view myself.’ His heart beat faster as he tried to pull his eyes away from her. God, she was beautiful, he thought. Her skin was silken and had an almost radiant glow to it. Her hair had released itself from confinement and clung to her back like long dark ripples of feathers. Her eyes were fierce and focused, but there was a depth and beauty in them that made him want to stroke the side of her face and watch it flush with heat from his touch. He could feel his body responding, demanding his attention.
Swallowing, he dropped his eyes to the ground, his breath coming back in a gulp. ‘This is ridiculous,’ he scolded himself. His body was behaving like he was a teenager all over again. Gritting his teeth, he turned and headed back towards the house which luckily for him was not far away. The change in his joints and body made it hard for him to move, and his legs felt leaden. Being stuck in-between the shift was uncomfortable, but he didn’t want to scare her off by changing.
As he walked into her room, the smell of her surrounded him. His teeth clenched tighter. Flinging open the lid of her bag, he dug around to find some suitable clothing. From the selection he grabbed a pair of jeans, some underwear and a t-shirt. His fingers clenched around her bra instinctively, and he had to remind himself that this was not a sexual encounter. Releasing them onto the pile, he paused. There, in the corner of her bag, he noticed a blue oblong box.
Reaching in, he pulled out the jewellery and all thoughts of the change escaped him. It was a necklace, laden with bright gemstones and ensconced in gold. The limited light in the room reflected on the gem edge, making it sparkle. Just for a moment. He recognised the quality and expense of it, on par with the engagement ring he bought for his fiancée. He felt a stab of guilt as he remembered the circumstances of the purchase, namely his affair with a gem collector’s daughter. Tucking it back into the bag, he decided he wouldn’t ask Nicci about where she had gotten it. Perhaps she had her own guilty reason for having the jewels. It was none of his business. But he couldn’t shake the uneasy feeling in the base of his spine that it might have been a gift from someone else. Maybe Nicci already had an admirer?
Picking up the clothing again, he headed back into the forest to find her. Had his quest had not distracted him, he probably would have heard the car in the distance, but as it was, he was on a mission. She was still crouched over when he arrived, her eyes warily watching him approach as the thrill of her naked body again caused his limbs to stiffen.
‘Here you go.’ He threw the pile down by her feet. ‘Hope these are okay. Don’t worry, I won’t look.’
He turned his back, but his ears listened for every movement behind him. The crack of a stick as she stood up. The rustle of cloth as she put on her clothing. Each sound more enticing than the last as his imagination grew and his mouth got drier. Clenching his fists, he reminded himself that he needed to be a gentleman. She was worth that.
‘Is someone here?’ she asked him. His eyes narrowed as he scanned the trees towards the house.
Beyond them, he could hear the low rumble of an idling car, that he recognised.
‘Fuck,’ he muttered to himself. ‘Dad’s here.’
#
CHapTEr EighT
Nicci watched him sprint in the house’s direction, his tight jeans stretching against his muscular legs as he did. She pulled the t-shirt over her head and considered her options. She could stay where she was, and hope that whoever just arrived didn’t know she was there. Or she could find out who it was. With the speed that Dru took off, she realised he already knew. Maybe it was his fiancée? They hadn’t really talked about their relationship status, but she knew, and did anyone who read the gossips, that he was getting married to the glamorous Ashley Maxwell. With her own beauty line, clothing brand and a social media following the size of a small country, she was arguably as famous as Dru. Everyone had seen the smiling photos of the two of them in the media. Arm-in-arm, they were a force to be reckoned with.
She paused for a moment and listened for the sound of talking in the distance. She could just make out the soft rumble of Dru’s voice, and as she waited for the reply, she held her breath. With relief, she heard another male voice. Their exchange grew louder, piquing her interest, so she crept closer to the edge of the forest to see if she could glimpse who Dru was talking to. Peering out from behind a tree, she could see the two men, of similar stature and build, squaring off near the cars.
The man was older than Dru, grey peppering the edges of his hairline, and his skin was paler. But the similarity between them was striking. It was his dad. She could hear snippets of their conversation, but the wind would catch their voices occasionally and throw it beyond her reach. His dad was furious about Dru taking off. He had crossed his arms over his chest, and the snarl on his face was visible even from this distance. As Dru argued with him, they began to remove their clothing and she watched both men shift forms. A knot of fear grew in her stomach. It was dangerous to be around a single fully grown male panther, let alone two.
She took a step back as the two men, now completely in their panther form, circled each other. A twig snapped under her foot, and two sets of slanted eyes turned to her. Her shift was swift and painful as panic overrode her body. As she raced back into the hinterland, she could hear their paws following swiftly behind her own. Her breathing unchecked, she clawed her way up an old gum tree into a branch high enough that they could not reach her from the ground. She turned to hiss her displeasure at her pursuers. Instead, she saw Dru, the slightly larger of the two cats, launch himself on his father’s back and dig in his claws and teeth. There was a loud shriek, and the two began thrashing with teeth and claws unabated.
Fear for Dru’s safety took hold. Shaking off her fur, she clung to the side of the tree hoping it would hide her naked flesh and yelled down at the two figures.
‘Jesus! Cut it out! You’re going to kill each other!’
The sound of her voice was enough to interrupt their attack, and they fell apart. Two pairs of eyes stared up at her as the wounded beasts caught their breath. With a shake of his shoulders, Dru’s father transformed back into his human form, the naked abundance of him on full display along with his wounds. His chest was still broad, muscular and was also covered in a fine down of greying hair. He had a deep red gash on his shoulder, but was already showing signs
of healing. The happy by-product of being a shifter.
‘I should have bloody known it! I didn’t drive all night to get here to deal with this again!’ he hollered up at her. He turned to look disapprovingly at his son, who had now changed himself. Nicci gulped as she saw the full beauty that was his naked male form. With broad shoulders and rippling torso, he looked like he had just walked out of a men’s magazine even with the bloody cuts. He’s an R18 version of godliness, she told herself.
‘For fuck’s sake, Dad! It’s not like that at all!’ He growled back at his father.
‘Well, she’s in heat, and I can smell that from here like a bloody beacon, so what the hell else are you doing out here in the woods alone together?’ His mouth pulled tight and his frown deepened. Pointing up at her, he added, ‘Right, you! Get your arse down here this instant. We need to talk.’
Nicci wasn’t sure what to do. She couldn’t exactly hide behind the tree - they both knew she was there. But she wasn’t exactly keen to climb down the tree naked and into the hands of two grumpy, injured men either. She nibbled her lip.
‘I’ll go get you some more clothes,’ Dru called up. ‘Jesus Dad, have some common decency.’
‘Don’t you dare talk to me about being decent,’ he replied. ‘An engaged man frolicking in the woods and avoiding his job and commitments is hardly fucking decent.’
Dru’s shoulders slumped, and he threw an apologetic look up to Nicci. ‘I won’t be long. I’ll get you something for your cuts while I’m at it, Dad.’
‘Don’t bother,’ he grumped, crossing his arms back across his chest. His gaze remained firmly on Nicci. Once Dru had left, he began the interrogation without any shame for his naked form.
‘What pack are you from? I don’t think I have seen you around before?’
‘I don’t know, that is to say...’ Nicci felt flustered under his intense gaze and she tried to avert her eyes. But she also recognised a powerful male when she saw one. Her instincts told her she needed to reply or face his wrath.
He stared hard at her. ‘So, you don’t have family then?’
‘None that I know of,’ she admitted, wishing that she was invisible.
‘And how did you meet my son?’
‘By accident. My car broke down when I was passing through here last night and he offered to help.’ A shiver ran through her. It was cold. In the distance she could hear the soft thuds of Dru’s running feet on the forest floor and felt grateful that he was quick.
They watched each other in silence until Dru returned.
He was breathing heavily, as he tossed her clothes up into the tree for her. She caught them, but it was hard to hide her naked body from the onlookers. Dru had the decency to avert his gaze. His father did not.
Shuffling her way down the tree, she stood nervously beside the trunk.
‘So this girl here says you offered to help her?’ His father crossed his arms over his chest as his gaze returned to his son.
Dru grimaced. ‘Yes Dad, that is all I was doing. Honest.’
His father looked back at Nicci. ‘So nothing has happened between you two?’
‘Nothing at all, sir,’ she admitted, his stare cutting through her. ‘He was just showing me how to hunt. I haven’t ever had training.’
His lips pulled tight. ‘Well, that’s a new one.’ There was a slice of silence between them as they eyed each other.
‘Fine,’ his father sighed. ‘ Let’s get going then Dru. You have obligations back home you need to attend to. We can drop this one off with a suitable pack along the way.’
‘No,’ came the swift reply from Dru. ‘I’m not going anywhere. I came to get away from the bullshit and I plan on staying here until things die down.’
The older man let out a large laugh. ‘Die down? Christ son, the longer you are away, the more the media frenzy grows. You can’t hide from them forever. They will find you, and if they locate you here, with someone like her.’ He stabbed a finger in Nicci’s direction. ‘The media will feast for days! Weeks even!’
‘Well, maybe I would be okay with that,’ Dru growled back. ‘They have controlled my life for long enough. Every bloody thing I do gets examined and re-examined by the media. As far as they are concerned, I’m nothing but a deadbeat womaniser, anyway. Might as well prove them right!’
‘No son of mine will be dragged into a scandal!’ his father roared.
Nicci took a step back and felt the hard form of the tree behind her.
‘Look, I don’t need to be here for this,’ she murmured, her eyes darting around looking for an escape option if they were to shift again. ‘You two can sort it out. I will just go back and grab my things and head off.’
‘No,’ both men yelled at her in unison, before frowning at each other.
‘No,’ replied Dru again. ‘You don’t have to go. Dad will leave soon.’
‘I will not,’ he replied. ‘Unless you’re coming with me. But she needs to stick with us until we can find her a pack. God knows how dangerous it is for our kind to have her wandering around the place unchecked, and unattached. She’s also of breeding age, and should look for a suitable mate. As you well know we are a dying breed Dru, and every single female that we have is important. I don’t think it will be hard to find someone to take her.’
Nicci felt her pulse quicken. ‘Wait what?’ she gulped. ‘You want to hand me off like some kind of breeding cow to some random pack?’
‘Like hell he will!’ growled Dru, the sharp tips of his changing teeth showing through his lips.
But his father squared his jaw. ‘You’re both being ridiculous. It’s for her own safety and benefit. And it wouldn’t be a random placement. We would need to converse with a few of them to work out where she would best fit. They may even know more about her family and where she is from.’
He paused mid-sentence and drew his hand up to his face to stroke his chin. ‘Actually, I should have a chat with Gus. He’s been running DNA tracking on the packs for a few years now to trace their history and development. He might have some ideas.’
Dru saw an opportunity to buy some time. ‘Sounds great Dad, but you don’t need us to come with you for that, surely? How about you chat to Gus and Nicci and I will hole up here until you get to find out what we need to do? You’re right, we can’t leave her unprotected and I’m in no hurry to leave. But given her current condition, it would be crazy to introduce her to a new pack right now. Not to mention dangerous for her. So, let’s take some time before we rush into anything. She could be useful.’
His father let out a scoff, and Nicci felt the small hairs on her arms bristle. She knew what his father meant with that sound. She was not good enough for them. Yet again, she was not considered good enough to keep around.
But she also knew that the men were right. She was vulnerable, compared to other panthers who’d grown up in a pack with guidance and training. She didn’t have the experience or help to keep herself safe. And, there were more dangerous shifters than them around the world.
‘I’ll stay with Dru, but I want time to think about the DNA,’ she reluctantly agreed. ‘I have never known my family, but I am not sure that I want to know them. Give me some time to think it over.’
Dru’s father nodded. ‘Fair enough, I will find Gus and come back next weekend. But I expect you both to be ready to leave by then.’
Having decided, he started back towards the car. He stopped a few feet away. ‘Do you need anything before I leave? Food? Water?’
‘No, we’ve got it, Dad,’ Dru was watching him go with a careful expression. He nodded and continued his path. Once he was out of earshot Dru let out a gigantic sigh.
‘Fuck’s sake,’ his shoulders slumped. ‘I should’ve known he’d bloody find me.’
‘He probably used the GPS from your car or your phone,’ Nicci stated. ‘Mine’s too old to track.’ She
gave him a small smile of triumph. He grinned back.
Dru gave her a side-glance. ‘Yeah, didn’t even think of that. Yours doesn’t even drive now, so it’s not worth tracking.’
‘Speaking of which,’ she started walking back towards the house. ‘What do you think the chances are that you could fix it?’
‘Unlikely. I don’t have the parts, and even if I did, the car is rough. Personally, I would recommend you ditch it and get a new one.’
She could hear him following immediately behind her, and the mere thought of how close he was, made her skin tingle. ‘I can’t afford it.’ In fact, there were many things she could not afford at the moment. Food, rent, getting arrested for theft. But most of all, beyond everything else, she couldn’t afford to fall for a guy who already had a wife lined up. Especially not a man like Dru Maxwell.
#
CHapTEr NiNe
Dru dragged his feet in the dirt as he walked along behind Nicci. Her hips swayed in front of him enticingly, enough to conjure up the feel of the soft inner thigh skin that lay wrapped up in her jeans. It was a pleasant distraction from the fury that his father’s arrival had provided. ‘How dare he try to tell me what to do, I’m a fully grown adult,’ he muttered to himself.
For as long as Dru could remember, his father had been the controlling force in his life. Every aspect of his schooling or career was carefully and meticulously plotted out for him. His girlfriends had all been vetted for both their potential as a future mate, and their suitability to the family. They denied him many, many times. But each time his father said no, a piece of him grew stronger and more resistant. As he grew older, he started to openly defy his orders, instead making choices that Dru often regretted afterwards. From women to booze, gambling to racing. His life was a series of fun fuck-you’s to his father.
His fiancée was the odd exception to the rule.
A Town Called Nowhere Page 4