by Sennah Tate
He took a deep breath and answered.
“What’s up? What? No… I… Slow down, Ben. Tell me what’s going on.”
Gabi cast a worried look in his direction, but Tucker shook his head.
He only caught bits and pieces of his brother’s frantic words. Hunters coming into the swamp looking for panthers. Panthers threatening Benny to turn himself in… or else. He got the gist of it. Everything was going to shit.
He should have known better than to think he and Gabi could have that one perfect moment.
He saw the concern etched into her features and knew he couldn’t burden her with all of this. He would sort it out. He could handle Silvanus. He could figure out who or what was maiming campers. He’d keep Benny’s secret and keep her safe.
There was no way he could do it all.
By the time he hung up the phone, Tucker knew he’d have to choose. Gabi didn’t seem to be in immediate danger, but there was no telling what the other panthers might do to keep their secret and their domination.
Benny, on the other hand, seemed genuinely concerned about the shifters’ threat. Tucker had to admit he was worried about it, too. If the other panthers were convinced Benny was behind the attacks and those attacks were causing hunters to search for panthers… Things could get really ugly really quickly.
“What’s going on?” Gabi asked, her arms wrapped around her body in the most enticing way. Tucker wanted to wrap her in his embrace and never let her go.
He shook his head, “Just some things I need to take care of.”
Tucker didn’t even want to consider the kind of headstrong action Gabi might take if she knew what was really going on. They still didn’t know if Silvanus was behind her dad’s accident. She was too close to the issue. He was too close to her. But he couldn’t push her away.
He reached for her hand and pulled her down into his embrace, “Now, where were we?”
Gabi put a hand on his chest, putting distance between them, “Wait, that’s all you’re going to tell me?”
Tucker frowned. He didn’t understand the question.
“There’s nothing to tell, Gabs.”
“Don’t Gabs me. You get a frantic phone call from your brother, you have those worry lines in your forehead and I can tell something bigger is going on than you’re telling me.”
He tried an irreverent grin, “Worry lines on my forehead?”
She wasn’t buying it.
“You know, I could get past a lot of stuff. I could get used to you being a werepanther and your bigfoot brother. Hell, I might be able to stand living in the swamp for you, but not if we can’t be honest with each other. After all the shit you’ve told me, you’re still keeping things from me?”
Tucker’s heart stilled and a lump swelled in his throat preventing any words from escaping. A buzzing in his ears took over his senses as the panther rebelled against their mate’s rejection. It all happened in the blink of an eye and in slow motion at once.
The hurt in Gabi’s eyes made him want to rip out the throat of the person responsible. But he was the cause of it.
She shook her head and said something he couldn’t hear. The droning in his ears refused to abate even as she pushed him out of her house with a scowl.
The screen door slammed in his face and Tucker was left holding his shirt in his hand.
“Gabi,” he muttered a plea too late.
What the hell had just happened?
Maybe this was all too much for her right now. Maybe she just needed time to cool off. To come to terms with their new relationship and the strange things in their town.
Yes. He’d go with that.
Gabi would come around; for now, Tucker needed to figure out what was threatening his entire way of life.
Chapter Nine
Gabi
Gabi’s entire body trembled as she drove down the near-flooded back roads. After kicking Tucker out of her bed, she’d spent the entire day gathering information on Silvanus and his crew. She found out where they hung out — another secluded cabin in the swamp — and had only the vaguest idea of what she planned to do when she got there.
The foreign weight of her father’s air pistol in her lap made Gabi ten times more nervous. It only shot tranquilizers — her father would never kill something if he could avoid it — but it looked intimidating enough. Maybe. She knew it wouldn’t be useful in an actual fight, but she hoped it was enough to make her heard.
All she wanted was for them to leave her father alone. He was an old man with an obsession that no one cared two licks about. There was no need to threaten him or run him off the road in warning. She needed to put an end to this.
Tucker obviously wasn’t going to be any help. Even though her insides quivered at the mere thought of his body radiating sexual prowess. He couldn’t trust her, so how could she trust him?
Her grip tightened on the steering wheel until her knuckles turned white.
She spotted the turn-off and pulled her car off the road. Her surprise visit was more likely to be successful if she went on foot — she didn’t want them to hear the car rattling up the muddy road.
“Okay, you can do this,” she muttered aloud, resolving her own nerves. She looked at the gun in her lap and shook her head. She must be insane.
But this was for her father. He wasn’t senile. Tucker’s brother proved that. She couldn’t let Lily lock him away when she knew the truth. Eventually, she would tell her father what she knew, but first, she had to make sure the panthers wouldn’t bother him anymore.
She hadn’t taken more than five steps away from the car when Gabi felt the hairs on her neck prickle with awareness.
She was just nervous. This was a stupid plan, but it was the best she had. She couldn’t turn back now.
The shadows seemed to grow closer together until Gabi could hardly see her feet in front of her. A breeze ruffled leaves and made her start.
But it wasn’t a breeze at all. She watched them stalk out of the tree line one at a time, all golden eyes and tawny muscled bodies.
One by one, the panthers morphed into formidable-looking men, boxing her in on all sides.
She held the gun up with a shaky hand, her eyes searching in the darkness for Silvanus.
“I… I just want to talk. Please,” she begged.
A bark of laughter from behind her made Gabi whirl around to face the leader of the group. As she did, the other men closed in on her, pinning her arms behind her. The tranquilizer gun fell out of her grip into the mud with a low plop, all those hours her father spent with her at target practice for naught.
“Bringing a gun into a man’s home doesn’t exactly inspire diplomatic feelings, sweetheart,” Silvanus sneered, stepping into her view.
“M-my father is harmless. He doesn’t care about your… um…” Gabi’s eyes looked him up and down, unable to gesture with her hands held behind her. “Just leave him alone,” she stumbled through her attempt at sounding forceful, coming off feeble and frightened instead.
Headlights turned down the road and cast deep shadows over the lead panther’s face. Something caught Gabi’s eye. An odd-shaped scar. It triggered something in her memory. Something she’d forgotten about years ago…
“Falcon Crest Lake…” she muttered.
“What did you say?” Silvanus’ eyes bored through her, wide with disbelief. Or was it fear?
Before she could follow the train of thought, her body became intensely aware of Tucker’s presence. She felt him there before she saw him. Before she realized it was his SUV with floodlights burning her eyes. She knew it was him.
He took one look at the scene: Gabi restrained by two strange men, a discarded gun on the ground at her feet and a blood-thirsty Silvanus within spitting distance of his mate. Gabi could practically see the panther claw his way to the surface as Tucker shifted involuntarily.
“Tucker! No!” she screamed as the panther tackled one man holding her. Gabi fell to the ground as her other assailant released he
r to shift. She struggled to pull herself out of the mud, the bright lights from the SUV sending spots in front of her eyes.
Her voice was lost amongst the cacophony of cats fighting. High-pitched screeching hisses made the primitive part of Gabi’s brain send off warning alarms. Run. Hide. Get to safety.
Tucker fought two panthers at once. Then three.
Silvanus never shifted. He still stared at Gabi with a mixture of cool contempt and detached intrigue.
Tucker fought four panthers then. Gabi saw great gashing wounds in his side and her stomach turned upside down. He was going to die if she didn’t do… something.
“Falcon’s Crest Lake,” she said louder, pulling herself to her feet finally.
Silvanus raised an eyebrow but said nothing.
“Tell them to stop fighting!” she screeched, hysteria ripping the air from her lungs.
“Why?”
“Because,” Gabi hissed, “I know how you got that scar.”
With a bellowing roar, the Alpha called his pack off of the intruder.
“Take him out of here,” Silvanus said barely more than a whisper.
Tucker limped forward, his expression still one of ferocious protection, but he seemed to sense that his mate was no longer in imminent danger.
Gabi choked back tears, seeing the beautiful animal in so much pain.
A dozen golden eyes watched her help Tucker into the SUV and back down the road slowly. Tucker hovered between forms, half of his body human, half panther. Gabi thought that it didn’t look good. He didn’t look good. This was all her fault.
If she’d made the connection sooner… But how could she? That day was forgotten decades ago.
“Tucker, stay with me, baby. Shit. I’m sorry. Shit shit shit.” It had been too long since she’d driven these roads. She didn’t know the way to his cabin. She felt useless, helpless and utterly hopeless.
Tucker’s eyes drifted closed and Gabi frantically patted his furry paw.
“No, come on, stay with me.” She was so consumed with Tucker’s condition that she didn’t see the animal in the road until the last moment. She slammed on the brakes, the back tires sliding out in the mud. Gabi looked up to see a giant furry humanoid waving his arms at her. He ran around to the driver-side window and tapped on the glass with a leathery finger.
Gabi jumped, startled, but quickly connected the dots. He was gesturing for her to roll the window down.
She hesitated, glancing back to Tucker — now completely human save for a few cat-like whiskers — before heaving a great sigh and pressing the button to lower the window.
“Let me in. I’m his brother. We went to school together. I looked a little different,” Benny joked.
Gabi marveled at how he could possible crack a smile in a time like this.
“He’s… he’s…” Gabi gestured, her lip quivering.
Benny hopped in the back seat and patted her on the shoulder, “He’s fine.”
“What? No…”
“Shifters heal really fast. He’ll sleep for a day or two and then eat enough for an army and be right as rain. No need to get all worried.”
Gabi sniffled and gave Tucker another wary look before turning back to Benny for confirmation, “Are you sure?”
He nodded and Gabi wondered if it was a family trait that she was so easily put at ease by these brothers. Benny had that same genuine quality that she loved so much in Tucker.
And ‘love’ was certainly the word for it; there was no use denying it anymore. She’d thought she could be mad at him, but the moment they were in true peril, she knew that there was no one else in the world she wanted.
Even if he was infuriating.
Chapter Ten
Tucker
Three days later, Tucker opened his eyes.
“Gah—” he rasped, his mouth drier than sand.
He swallowed, his throat raw and cracked from days of neglect.
“Gab—” he tried again.
Gabi flitted in in at the speed of light, as if she’d been waiting on the tips of her toes for this moment.
“Tucker!” she flung herself on him, wrapping her arms around his neck in a choking embrace while showering his bearded face in kisses. “I didn’t think you were ever going to wake up,” she said.
His muscles screamed in protest as he slid his arms around her. It was worth it.
“Oh! Benny said you’d be hungry. I’ll go grab you something!” Gabi hurried off, nearly tripping over herself in excitement.
“Wai—uh,” he started and gave up as she disappeared into the kitchen. Tucker managed to sit up, working to get his bearings.
“Beware, the beast awakens from his slumber!” Benny taunted from the other side of the main living area.
“I don’t want to see any funny business going on with my daughter,” Dr. Fairway added from the opposite side of the chessboard.
His brother brought him a glass of water and Tucker suddenly felt human and alive again.
“So… explanations?”
Benny shrugged, “The doc here’s not as good at chess as his title would have you think.”
Dr. Fairway had a look of pure delirious joy on his face and Tucker got the impression that he didn’t feel like he’d lost at all.
Gabi came back into the living room with a sheepish look and a plate of very dark bread.
“You don’t happen to like your grilled cheese well done, do you?”
Tucker laughed and stood with a stretch, his joints popping in quick succession.
“I’ll eat the whole damn plate if you put it near my mouth,” he said, stuffing the blackened sandwich in his mouth before making a face.
“But why don’t we let Ben make the next batch?”
Gabi’s cheeks burned red, but she laughed despite it.
“I guess that’s the thanks I get for trying to show you I love you, huh?”
The words spilled from her mouth before she even realized it and once they were out, Gabi looked as if she wanted to stuff them all back in.
“I… what I mean is… uh…”
He captured her lips with his, their tongues tangling in a heated embrace until Dr. Fairway cleared his throat loudly.
Tucker pulled away with a grin, resting his forehead against Gabi’s, their eyes locked, “I love you, too, Gabrielle.”
“Gabrielle?” she teased.
He shrugged, “Something I’m trying out. What do you think?”
Gabi laughed, “I like Gabs better.”
“But I got yelled at for that one!” Tucker protested.
“You were keeping secrets,” she admonished.
“To keep you from doing the same foolhardy thing that you did!”
“See where secrets get you?” She quirked an eyebrow, a hand settling on her hip defiantly.
“Touche,” Tucker held up his hands in surrender.
“This is all really cute,” Benny said with a roll of his eyes, “but have you forgotten about the hunting party storming the swamp and Silvanus’ ultimatum?”
Gabi frowned, “I think he’ll be a little more cooperative, now.”
“And I’ll take care of the hunters,” Tucker said, “I’m still a warden and panthers are protected. No one’s going to be poaching in my swamp.”
“Mmm, I like it when you get forceful,” Gabi purred, sliding a hand over his lower back.
Her father cleared his throat again, even more loudly. Gabi couldn’t suppress her answering snicker.
“Later,” Tucker whispered into her ear, placing a kiss on her neck, delighting in the shivers his lips created. “Right now, I need food,” he said loudly enough for all to hear.
“One All-You-Can-Eat smorgasbord coming right up!” Benny called, tying his apron around his waist.
Tucker looked around his cabin. Where he’d once felt trapped and isolated, he now had family — love. It was a welcome change and one he could certainly get used to.
Ember
Chapter One
&nbs
p; Hailey
Funerals weren’t something that Hailey gave much thought to. She’d never been to one. Well, not until this one. It was strange; everyone around her had obviously suffered a loss. She had too, now that she thought about it.
When she’d first got the call about her grandfather’s gruesome end, she wasn’t sure what reaction she should have. Hailey hadn’t seen or heard from her grandfather since she was a little girl. Now well into her twenties, she didn’t have any recollections of him at all. So while everyone around her seemed distraught, Hailey simply felt awkward.
That happened to her a lot. Not knowing how to feel or react in social situations. She’d spent much of her life sheltered beyond belief and her transition into adulthood was anything but smooth.
After thanking what seemed like the hundredth stranger for their condolences, she was in desperate need of a breather. Social events usually took a lot out of her, but this one was particularly exhausting — she’d never had to be the center of attention before. Despite her feeling like all eyes were on her, no one seemed to notice Hailey slip out.
That happened to her a lot, too. Like she could turn invisible at will, Hailey was able to make herself just unobtrusive enough to not be missed. She managed to escape at the same time someone else entered, avoiding the jingling bell over the diner doorway drawing attention to her exit.
Once outside, she took a deep lungful of sticky Everglades air. She’d grown up further north. Near Georgia. South Florida felt like a different planet. She needed a straw just to get a breath. The humidity felt like her natural habitat, though. She found it refreshing in an odd way. Like being swaddled by the atmosphere — comforting and constricting at once.
A flickering streetlamp drew her attention across the narrow Main Street to an ancient playground. Hailey wondered if it was the centerpiece of town when she’d lived there. Maybe it was shiny and new back then. A lot could change in twenty years.
By the time she’d finished the thought, she found herself trailing a curious finger over the rusty chain of the swing set. In a different life, under different circumstances, would she have grown up playing here? Making friends here? She sat on the swing, giving the supports a wary look as they creaked under her weight.