One Of The Enemy (Hidden Descendant Series, Book 1)

by C. M. Chidgey

I sighed, he always wanted to help with injuries. “I know.”

  “You’ve been pretty violent tonight.” Matt said seeming glad about it. “People are going to have to start making sure they don’t piss you off.”

  I smirked. “Good.”

  When we finally reached the house Dom and Owen had just joined up with us again and Andrew was waiting outside the front door. He took one look at me and gaped in amazement.

  I groaned. “I know, you spent the whole day getting me ready for the party and in a few hours I destroy it.”

  “How could you do this to me?” He made a mock hurt face.

  I raised an eyebrow. “How could you not tell me about the panthers?”

  He opened his mouth a few times before sighing and just shaking his head.

  “How about since I destroyed your makeover we call it even? Even though I lost this awesome dress so I’m clearly worse off.”

  He chuckled. “Deal and that was an awesome dress.”

  “Yeah, wolves didn’t agree.” I muttered. “Damn animals.”

  “Is that blood?” He asked looking at my leg.

  “Wolf.” Was all I said for an explanation. “Can we go inside now? Too many things can happen out here and I’ve just about had enough.”

  It wasn’t long before we were all sitting in the lounge. Owen smirked as he took the chair and I glared at him before sitting on the floor.

  “We need to talk about what just happened.” Dom said.

  I raised an eyebrow. “Which part?”

  “About you pushing Owen out of the way.”

  I stared at him for a minute before realising he was being serious. “Oh, I’m sorry I didn’t realise I was expected to stand and watch him get mauled on by a wolf. My mistake.”

  “I would have been fine Cayla, we heal fast, it would take a lot to kill one of us and definitely more than one wolf alone.” Owen explained.

  “Well, how was I supposed to know that?” I asked sending a glare in Dom’s direction.

  “That’s not the point, you shouldn’t have done it anyway.” He insisted.

  “Why the hell not, my life is just as important as everyone else’s.”

  His previously scary panther eyes revealed themselves, but right now they just annoyed me and I growled. “Don’t use your panther eyes on me Dominic. You know I’m right! I would not stand by and let someone get killed when I could stop it.”

  “Stop it by getting yourself killed? Real smart Cayla.”

  “I panicked so I pushed him out of the way! I’m sorry I wasn’t thinking straight after everything tonight.” I hit myself on the head. “Damn how stupid of me not to stop and think before I acted.” My head was starting to feel really hot and kind of fuzzy as I got more annoyed with him and how he was acting.

  “You shouldn’t keep putting your life in danger, Cayla. I mean tonight you just ran off into the woods when you know there are wolves out there.”

  “You scared the hell out of me, that’s why!” I yelled. “Yellow eyes may be normal for you, but for me not so much.”

  “How long are they going to do this?” Andrew muttered.

  “Who knows?” Matt answered just before Dom shouted.

  “Just because it scares you it doesn’t mean you go looking for danger!”

  “I wasn’t looking for it, I was trying to get away from what I thought was danger. I completely forgot about the wolves until I was out there.” I shouted, but my voice didn’t have quite the same volume to it and I was starting to wonder why my head felt so damn hot. My leg throbbed and I slumped down onto the carpet and muttered. “I’m tired of arguing now.” Dom still looked annoyed, but he ground his teeth together and tried to keep his mouth shut.

  “You look kind of pale.” Andrew said.

  I forced a laugh. “Really? That’s weird because I feel really hot, like I’m about to explode. It feels like I should be bright red.”

  Owen started sniffing the air and I frowned at him, the others didn’t though so apparently that was normal behaviour from him. Sighing I pulled some of the remaining material over my cuts on my thigh and pressed it against it trying to stop the slow trickle of blood. Owen stopped sniffing suddenly before he said.

  “Mark, you should get a look at that leg I can smell an infection.”

  I groaned wondering if anything could ever be easy.

  Chapter 9

  When I woke up the next evening Owen seemed convinced that the infection had finally left my system, which in turn returned Dom’s eye’s to their normal green. It made me wonder what it was that Dom had decided he couldn’t tell me yet, but I wasn’t going to push him. I guessed that he would tell me when he wanted to.

  When Mark was done wrapping a clean bandage around my thigh I got up off of the couch that I had spent the night sleeping on. I groaned looking down at my dress that was barely even hanging on my body anymore.

  “I need a shower.” I mumbled.

  “I would have to agree.” Andrew said.

  I lifted my hands to my hair, which now just felt like a mass of dirt and knots. Grabbing the clip at the back of my head I tried to pull it out, but it was caught up in the knots.

  “Ow! Help please!”

  Andrew and Denise got up quickly and carefully untangled it from my hair before pulling it out.

  “Thank you.” I said as I took off the earrings and necklace that Andrew had let me borrow before giving them to him. “And thank your sister please.”

  He nodded. “I got your suitcase from my house earlier and put it in the room you slept in before.”

  I nodded. “Thank you guys, all of you. For saving my life, the birthday party and everything.” I murmured looking down at my dress as I played with what was left of the hem.

  “You’re welcome sweetheart.” Dom said putting a hand on my head.

  I flinched away. “Don’t touch my hair, it feels awful.”

  He chuckled pulling his hand away. “Ok, go take a shower.”

  I smiled at him before turning away.

  “Take that bandage off while you shower.” Mark called.

  I waved my hand to let him know I had heard him before climbing the stairs and going into the room to find my suitcase. Opening the suitcase I pulled out a vest top and pyjama bottoms knowing since it was so late there wasn’t much point putting day clothes on.

  I threw my dress straight into the trash since there was no hope for it at all before climbing into the shower. It seemed to take forever to wash the knots and dirt out of my hair, but eventually I could run my fingers through it without them getting caught up and it finally smelt like the shampoo rather than the forest.

  When I climbed out I actually felt clean and dried myself off before rewrapping the bandage around my thigh and pulling on the clothes I had taken out of the suitcase. After towel drying my hair and brushing it I made my way back down to the lounge with the others. Mark and Denise were in the kitchen and Andrew had returned home so Matt and Dom were the only ones in there with Owen once again in the form of a cat.

  “Who’s coming apartment hunting with me tomorrow?” I asked sitting in a chair.

  I didn’t miss the look that Dom and Matt gave each other that I couldn’t even begin to make out

  “What” I asked looking at both of them.

  “Nothing.” They said simultaneously. “Sure we’ll come.” Dom added.

  I drew my eyebrows together, but had no idea what they were hiding. Owen made me jump when he climbed onto my lap.

  I frowned. “It’s weird knowing that this isn’t really a cat.” I mumbled scratching him between the ears making him purr. I looked up to see Dom’s eyes turn yellow as he stared at the cat. “Woah, what’s up with you?” I asked him.

  He kept silent, but Matt smirked before saying. “He’s jealous.”

  I frowned down at Owen as I stopped rubbing behind his ears. “But he’s a cat at the moment. It doesn’t really count.”

  Matt chuckled. “He doesn’t see it that way.”<
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  Owen purred before standing up and rubbing against my stomach. Dom clenched his fists and Matt laughed.

  “The guy has a death wish.”

  I snorted and pushed Owen away until he hissed and fell on the floor. “Stop pushing your luck Owen.”

  Dom seemed to relax and his eyes returned to their green as soon as Owen had walked off and curled up on the floor. I shook my head in amazement at how he could get jealous over a cat, but I guess it was the equivalent to a guy rubbing up against me so it was at least a little understandable. Pulling my feet up underneath me I snuggled against the chair.

  “So, how long have you guys been panthers? Was it a fifty, fifty chance like Andrew is?”

  They shook there heads and Dom said. “No, we are descendants of the original panther line so it was never a question if we would be panthers, we just had to wait until after our eighteenth birthdays.”

  “We don’t find out until the first full moon after our birthdays. That will be when we turn for the first time. We don’t have any choice, but to turn at least once during the full moon each month.” Matt added.

  I frowned. “I thought it was werewolves that turned during full moon.”

  Dom shook his head. “Werewolves, just turn during full moon. We can turn whenever we want, but we have to turn at least once during full moon. We could hold it back, but it gets pretty painful if we do.”

  “Werewolves are real?” I asked suddenly still caught up on the first sentence.

  Matt chuckled. “Maybe.”

  “Maybe? Do you actually know?”

  “No.” Dom interrupted before Matt could answer. “He doesn’t actually know. He’s convinced that they are real, but he has no proof.”

  “Well if shapeshifters are real then why not werewolves?” Matt said.

  I shrugged. “I guess you have a point, but then if you go thinking that you could start thinking why not vampires? And why not zombies or any other thing?”

  “That’s what I tried telling him.” Dom agreed.

  Matt shrugged. “So what, they probably are real.”

  I rolled my eyes. “Well, I’m still processing that shapeshifters are real so I think I’ll just stick with that for now.”

  “Dinner is ready you four!” Denise called in from the kitchen.

  “Four?” I asked looking around until my gaze fell on Owen. “Oh, what does he eat, Whiskas?”

  Matt and Dom snorted at the same time Owen hissed before returning to human form.

  I grinned and shrugged. “Hey I didn’t know I’m new to this.”

  “Nice save sweetheart.” Dom said and Owen glared at him before smirking at me and winking as we walked down the hallway.

  I heard a low growl come from Dom as we reached the dining room and I turned on him eyes wide as his eyes yellowed and looked at Owen threateningly.

  “Owen honey, stop messing with him.” Denise said.

  “Stop with the panther eyes.” I said nudging Dom in the arm.

  The moment my skin touched his he seemed to relax, well that was weird. What the hell was with the yellow eyes? I thought it only happened when I could be hurt or there was danger around, but he seemed to do it when he got jealous too and none of them had mentioned that the night before. I bit my lip as I stared at him and tried to figure out what was going on, but I was completely baffled.

  “Cayla, do you want to sit down?” Mark asked pointedly and I jumped realising everyone else was sitting and I was the only one standing and staring at Dom with what I knew was a confused expression.

  “Oh, yeah sure.” I said quickly before sitting down on the only remaining chair next to Dom.

  I was quiet as everyone chatted around me while I ate quietly, I was starved so I had an excuse to keep silent by eating fast, but when I ran out of food I was left to my thoughts as I tried to understand what Dom could be hiding from me. Maybe shapeshifters weren’t allowed to be with humans? But then that still wouldn’t make sense about the panther eyes when he got jealous or I got hurt. I couldn’t think of anything that would make sense as to why he did that. Were panthers possessive or something, but then Matt hadn’t seemed possessive over his date at my birthday, in fact he didn’t really seem that bothered with her. How could learning that they were panthers suddenly make everything so confusing? It suddenly made me feel really out of place. Everyone here was a panther except me and even Andrew although he wasn’t here right now was a possible panther.

  “You look like your in deep thought my dear, is something bothering you?” Denise asked.

  I jumped and looked at her before forcing a smile that I knew wouldn’t have my dimples that proved I was really smiling. “Yeah, it’s just been a long few days with a lot to take in.”

  She smiled. “I know it was a lot when I found out, I never learnt that I might actually be a panther until my eighteenth birthday. I denied it all the way up to the first full moon, but then I didn’t have any choice but to accept it when I was suddenly on four paws and a lot shorter than I was moments before.”

  Mark chuckled. “And that was the thing that made us teach Dom about them at a young age, he always knew he was going to be a panther.”

  “Why didn’t your parents tell you before?” I asked Denise.

  She shrugged. “I was the last one of the line in my family and they didn’t think it was likely I would be one either so they never told me. Was as much of a shock for them as it was for me I think. My line had practically died out until I met Mark here and we joined our lines together now Dom can carry them both on.”

  I nodded silently. Was that her way of telling me that Dom would never be with me because he had to carry the line on with a panther girl to make sure that they wouldn’t die out?

  “What if Dom’s children aren’t panthers?” I asked.

  “Since he is a direct descendant the gene should be strong enough in him to be sure he does. With two people with the gene the child is always a panther, the gene only gets weaker when mixed with humans.”

  “Oh.” I murmured. “Well that would suck huh? Damn humans.”

  “Oh no, no dear I don’t have anything against humans I was simply explaining the panther gene to you.” Denise said quickly.

  Another smile was forced onto my lips. “I know, I was joking.”

  “It’s not really just the panther gene, it’s the same with all shapeshifters.” Mark said.

  “There are others?” I asked.

  He nodded. “We don’t get along well with each other. The closest group we have to us are tigers. They are something like our enemies and they hate humans. Anyone who dares to so much as kiss a human and they are banished.”

  I forced a chuckle. “Huh, doesn’t sound like humans and shapeshifters go well together.”

  “Shapeshifters and humans are fine, it’s just tiger shifters and humans.” Dom said quickly.

  “Well then, better make sure I keep my distance from them then.” I muttered.

  “Is this too much information?” Matt asked. “You look a little pale.”

  I forced a smile. “No, it’s fine. I’m fine.” Except from the fact that my heart was breaking knowing that I could never really be with Dom and risk letting the panther line become further diluted I added to myself mentally. “Hey, is it ok if I go up to bed?” I asked.

  “Of course darling.” Denise said. “Are you sure you’re ok?” I nodded and stood up before picking up my plate. “No, don’t worry about that.” She said putting a hand on my arm.

  I smiled at her putting it back down. “Thanks, and thanks for dinner.” Dom grabbed my hand as I walked past him and I glanced back at him giving a smile before pulling my hand from his grip and heading out of the room calling behind me. “Night guys.”

  The moment I closed the door to the room I kicked my suitcase and hissed. “Dammit!”

  Why the hell had I let myself like him? Ok so in my defence I hadn’t known about the whole panther thing before and I definitely hadn’t known that he would
have to be with another panther. It would be fine though, tomorrow I would find an apartment and then I would only have to see him at school. I needed to keep my distance, the more time I spent with him, the harder it would be to let him go when I had to.

  I heard footsteps on the stairs so I climbed into bed quickly, closed my eyes and pretended to be asleep. When Dom opened the door and whispered my name I didn’t move or answer him. He stayed there for a few more seconds before sighing and closing the door behind him. Turning my head into the pillow I let the floodgates open, it wasn’t long before I had cried myself to sleep.

  The moment I opened my eyes I felt like crying again, but I forced the tears back, got up, showered and pulled on tights, denim shorts and a black top before brushing my hair.

  When I got downstairs I kind of wished I hadn’t bothered with the tights because I felt really hot. Mark and Denise who were the only two in the room didn’t seem to be feeling it though, they were quite happily sat at the table in their jeans and t-shirts while I was cooking alive so I didn’t mention anything.

  “Are you ok dear? You look a little red in the face.” Denise asked.

  I smiled and nodded. “I’m ok, just left over from the hot shower.”

  She nodded. “Yes, I do enjoy a hot shower when it’s cold.”

  Well that confirmed it, I was definitely having a random hot flush. After shoving some cereal down my throat I stood up and said.

  “Well, I’m going to find myself an apartment.”

  “Oh, of course dear, but first we need to show you your birthday present.” Denise said quickly.

  My eyebrows shot up. “My birthday present? You didn’t need to get me a birthday present you’ve already done too much for me.”

  She smiled. “Don’t be silly dear and it’s not just from us if it makes you feel better. It’s from Dom, Matt, Andrew and Owen too.”

  “Owen?” I asked my eyebrows rising further. “I barely know him.”

  “You did, he was the cat remember.” Mark said.

  “Still.” I muttered wondering what on earth they could have bought me.

  “Have you told her yet?” Matt asked walking into the kitchen.