She stood at the base of the jungle, clutching her sides with her hands. From within the darkness, she heard strange noises. Birds sang and flew, small animals growled at each other. She took a small step into the mouth of the jungle. Her heart was practically in her throat, and she was nervous about what she might find. But she knew she had to do it. She had to research the panther shifters. There was no way around it; she would avenge her grandfather’s death.
In the distance, Arturo prowled the grounds, sniffing for food. His night vision kicked in and he was able to see through patches of moonlight that there were vermin running around. The first few kills had been easy. A rat or two, sometimes something bigger. He could identify their species by taste, and how their bones felt beneath his jaws.
He felt bad for leaving Laura at the party. She surely wouldn’t forgive him for that. He began to think of ways to make it up to her. Maybe he’d ask her out on another date, convince her that he wasn’t all that bad. But what about the truth? Would he ever be able to tell her that? Calm down, Arturo, he said to himself. She’s just a girl that you met on one of the tours. It’s not like she’d ever be into you. But the more he repeated this mantra, the less it felt true.
Laura wasn’t just another girl. He was attracted to not only her body, but her mind and wit as well. She was constantly snarky to him, always knowing when to fire a comeback. He decided he was mostly full, wanting to head back to the party to apologize. As he neared one of the openings to the jungle, he smelled something different. It was sweaty, tangy, and human. Was there a lost tourist in this massive jungle? But who would be foolish enough to enter into these parts?
He crawled slowly, his shoulders hunching as if he were going to attack. He needed to keep his wits about him. If he attacked an innocent human being, that would mean trouble for the rest of the panther shifters. They were meant to only eat animals. Years ago, perhaps decades, they’d once hunted humans. When Arturo learned about that, he felt disgusted, betrayed. They were half human; how could they kill one of their own kind? He’d explained this argument to one of his brothers, but they didn’t listen to him. This was probably why panther shifters hunted alone. They each held radical, dangerous opinions and would probably hunt each other into extinction if they weren’t careful.
Arturo knew he could never harm another human being. It just wasn’t in him. Those who couldn’t shift fascinated him. They weren’t as strong as he was, sure, but he was still interested in their muscles and marrow. What did it feel like to only have human DNA in your body? He neared the source of the smell, his mind raging like an angry storm. What he saw next surprised and confused him. It was Laura, frozen in her tracks. She looked at him with enormous eyes. He remembered he was unrecognizable in this form. This was it, the moment he’d been trying to avoid. It was time to tell her the truth.
Chapter 4
He transformed back into a human being, knowing it would frighten her. She shrieked and he silenced her by kissing her. She was silent for a few seconds before pushing him away and asking,
“What the hell?”
“Laura, let me explain—“
“You’re one of them,” she said, pushing him away.
“Listen Laura, I know you’re upset, but you have to keep your voice down. We’re not the only ones here.”
As if on cue, they heard stomping on the ground as other panther shifters surrounded them. Their paws made muted footsteps as they approached. Laura could see flashes of bright yellow and green that she assumed to be their eyes.
She stepped closer to Arturo and he put his arm protectively around her. Without realizing it, she’d already forgiven him for lying to her. He tugged her closer to him and addressed the group of panthers. It surprised him that they were all together in that area. They dug they claws into the earth, kneading the dirt like dough.
“Listen to me. This woman isn’t any of your concern. I command you all to leave, come back from where you came from. It’s not worth it.”
One of the younger panthers hissed at him, approaching closer than Arturo would have liked. Though he was in human form, he was still able to emit a low growl that came from the very core of his stomach. The young panther quickly stepped back.
“Give us the girl,” one of the older men growled. His name was Jess and he was married to a woman named Cana. They were a legendary couple, known for hunting down anacondas.
In fact, they were the only couple that hunted together. The other panthers preferred to remain separate from each other. It was just the way things worked; they enjoyed hunting alone.
Arturo always thought it was because they were selfish. When he was younger, and incapable of hunting on his own, he was nervous and often asked his friends and family to hunt with him. They abandoned him often, trying to teach him a lesson. His father told him it was better to be on his own. This resulted in many lonely nights in the heart of the jungle, struggling to find something to eat. He often slept near the canopies, preferring to look up at the sky. That was how he learned the constellations and different types of cloud formations.
When at last his family wanted to spend with him, he rejected them. Leaving for Rio de Janeiro, he decided never to be close with anyone again. Laura was changing things. If he were a different man, and this were a different time, he surely would have left her to die. He’d have been indifferent, not caring whether or not she was devoured. Perhaps he would have devoured her himself, had he not already eaten. This went against every rule in his book— to leave her to die, to let her live. Arturo lived in a world where everything had two parts and he could never figure out which side to choose.
“I will not hesitate to fight all of you right here right now. Or have you all but forgotten I come from the Emerald family?”
The other panthers hissed and growled low, but they finally dispersed. Arturo stuck around for a few more minutes just to make sure they were completely safe. He wanted to escort Laura out after they’d disappeared.
“Are you okay?” he asked as they walked through the trees.
“I’m fine, I think.” She still felt a bit shaky.
At least now she could confirm that it wasn’t all in her head. Now she had bona-fide proof that the race of panther shifters existed. But they were bloodthirsty and vicious. How would she ever get revenge for her family? It was time to talk to Arturo about what had happened.
“My grandfather was killed by panther shifters. In fact, he was killed by one of his own kind. We never knew for sure who it was, but it was someone close to him.”
“Your grandfather traveled in a pack? What was that like?”
“Incredibly difficult. From what I’ve heard, panther shifters are prone to agitation and prefer to be loners. It makes sense; they’re completely unlike lions in that sense. He thought he knew the people he worked with. We were all wrong.”
“I’m so sorry to hear that,” Arturo said. He’d heard about a situation that occurred not too long ago, where an elderly leader had been killed. He had no idea it was so close to his jungle, and had no clue said leader had a granddaughter. It wasn’t that panther shifters didn’t reproduce, but they were quite selective about their mates. This led him to his next question.
“Can you shift?” he asked her.
“No. At least I don’t think so. To be honest, I’ve never tried.”
“Mmm,” Arturo mussed. “Well, we can figure that out at a later time. We should really get you back to the hotel now. I imagine you’re exhausted.”
“I’m fine,” she said, smiling. “What about you? It must be exhausting to flex your muscles like that.”
He chuckled. “You’re a feisty one, I’ll give you that. I’m surprised you were scared.”
“Me? Scared? Don’t be ridiculous. I was just surprised is all.”
“Don’t flash your canines at me,” he joked, being her smile wide. He pinched her waist. They walked into the hotel, cool air enveloping them.
“I guess this is where we say goodbye,
” Arturo said.
“Walk me to my room?”
She’d posed it as a question, but it was more like a request. He nodded and followed her up to her room. She walked in front of him, her hips swaying back and forth. He felt his hands turn into claws, which he dug into his pockets, praying they wouldn’t rip fabric. She unlocked the door slowly, turning an enormous golden hotel key. As she turned the knob, she looked back at Arturo. Immediately, he closed the space between them, running his hands all over her body. They tumbled into the room, where they would remain until morning.
Chapter 5
When Arturo kissed Laura, she was taken completely by surprise. His lips were smooth and tasted sweet. She felt her body melting beneath his touch as he hoisted her into his arms and carried her to the bed. Throwing her body on the duvet, he mounted her, his strong legs straddling her wide thighs. She felt her heart beat faster with every motion he made, a liquid desire encasing her body in amber. They tore each other’s clothes off and left them in a heap on the floor. Arturo bit Laura’s neck, causing her to cry out in pleasure.
“Shh,” he coaxed. “The neighbors will think you’re being murdered in here.”
“Let them think what they want,” she said, pulling him closer.
They moved together in the semi-darkness, a slip of moonlight visible betwixt the curtains. Arturo never took his eyes off Laura, which startled and intrigued her. She wondered if he treated all his girls like this. Was she just another lay to him, someone he would screw and forget about? She tried not to become anxious thinking about the morning, but she couldn’t help it. He was her black knight, her one purpose for staying in Rio de Janeiro. He single-handedly proved her research correct while saving her in the jungle from a pack of panthers.
As he moved inside her, Laura’s mind drifted back to the jungle. She remembered feeling safe and protected when Arturo placed his arm around her shoulder. The other panthers looked ready to pounce on her. Some of them were even drooling enormous puddles onto the jungle floor. What would have happened if he’d left her there? She shuddered at the thought.
“Are you okay?” he asked.
“I’m fine, I just felt a draft.”
Slightly embarrassed, she felt her neck turning bright red. Arturo chuckled and proceeded to plant warm kisses upon her collarbone. She arched her back, her body tingling all over with pleasure. They remained like that for quite some time, tangled up in the bed sheets. Just when Laura thought she was going to fall asleep, Arturo would wake back up again and make love to her. Her cries of passion echoed through the night, waking even the deepest sleepers. No one in the hotel knew it was she and Arturo making love, but all who heard were envious of their passion. In the morning, after they’d finally dozed off, Arturo woke and took a shower. ~
Laura opened her eyes slowly, surveying her surroundings. Had he left? Abandoned her the next morning because he was too afraid to commit? Alas, she heard the sound of water running, and smelled a mixture of shampoo and empty steam. She sat up in bed, tugging the blanket around her naked body. Glancing at the clock, she saw it was eleven in the morning. Arturo had probably missed his shift already. Or maybe he was avoiding going to work. She wondered what the other panthers would do to him the morning after a confrontation like that.
Would they go back on their rules, move on to killing civilians? Or would everything stay the same?
Arturo exited the bathroom in a hazy cloud, a stark-white towel wrapped around his lower body. His muscles glistened with water and his eyes were bright brown.
“I thought you’d left,” she admitted.
“Do you want me to leave?”
“No. I don’t mind if you stay.”
He smiled. “Good. I suggest you take a shower, lest you want to walk around all day smelling like sex.”
Again she felt herself blushing. Unable to create a proper comeback, she walked towards the bathroom and turned the shower on. The water was still hot. She turned the temperature up, not caring that it made her skin turn shades of red. She looked like she had a sunburn, but it didn’t matter. This was exactly what she needed. A good hot shower after a night with another man.
After they got dressed, Arturo invited her to lunch. They decided it was best to go to a restaurant away from the hotel, so they could talk freely about the panther shifter race. He said it was difficult to tell who else was a panther shifter, especially when they were in the body of a human. Anyone could be listening at any time, and he had a hunch that several people within the hotel were shifters. He’d noticed a handful of men and women exiting the hotel and disappearing into the jungle. There was no other reason other than the fact that they were shifters. But Arturo never confronted them. Perhaps they knew about him and had kept silent. He decided it was best to just ignore them. But he couldn’t ignore the nagging feeling in his gut. He was anxious for Laura, and her mission.
“What do you want to do once you find out who killed your grandfather?” he asked, sipping a glass of orange juice.
“I’m going to kill every last one of them,” she said fiercely.
“Do I need to remind you that I’m one of them?” he asked nervously.
She didn’t say anything for quite some time. Unsure of whether or not he was on her hit list, he remained silent as well. He had to figure out a way to persuade her not to kill them. It wasn’t fair. Just because someone had gone rogue didn’t mean the other panthers were bad people. Her grandfather must have trusted the wrong crowd, which made total sense to Arturo. They were supposed to be solitary hunters. If anything, it was her grandfather’s fault for being killed. These words he did not dare speak aloud. But he did dare glance at Laura, making sure she hadn’t disappeared in a cloud of smoke. Even though she was angry, she was still just as beautiful. Her large almond eyes shone brilliantly, and she devoured her food like a hungry lioness.
“I don’t want to stand in the way of your revenge, Laura, for I understand the pain you feel after losing a relative. But I want to warn you that revenge is a dangerous road, and you’re not going to find anything good down there. It will only create a cycle of violence.”
“What do you know of revenge? You kill for sport whenever you please, and you sleep with whomever you want. You essentially have it made, you’re so privileged.”
“That’s not true,” he said. “If you want to know the truth, I sleep around with people because I’m lonely. We’re not supposed to hunt with each other, live with each other, let alone talk to each other in public.
“I’ve become so paranoid about whether or not anyone is a shifter that I’ve barely spoken to anybody. You’re the first woman that I’ve slept with that I actually—”
He stopped himself, for he knew if he continued he would confess his newfound feelings for her.
A loud cackling from across the restaurant interrupted them. Laura looked over to the sound of the noise, finding two tanned women with gold hoops making their way to the table. They were immersed in a conversation in another language. Laura thought she caught bits of French.
Arturo felt his heart sink in his chest. These were two women he’d slept with about a month ago —twins from Milan— and they were not the type who liked to share. The one who claimed she was born a few minutes older was called Dani. She had her thick black hair cropped short. Her sister, the “younger” one, left her black hair to grow long. Her name was Karin, and she had an intense obsession with smoking weed during sex. They stalked over to the table, which is exactly what Arturo hoped wouldn’t happen.
“T, what are you doing here?” Dani asked.
“Yeah, we like thought you were giving a tour today,” Karin added.
“Ladies, I actually called out today. One of the receptionists is taking my shift. Is there anything I can help you with?”
Across from him, Laura shifted uncomfortably. She wasn’t used to the attention of other females, especially not positive. Her last relationship hadn’t ended well, and it made her feel anxious to be cornere
d by these two. She was too nervous to look at Arturo, so she looked at her hands, her half-empty plate, the water glass filled with melted ice cubes.
“And who is this?” Dani asked.
“T, if you wanted another lay, you could have just called us,” Karin said.
“She’s a friend of mine,” Arturo said.
Laura tried to ignore the fact that he’d called her his friend. It was true, they’d only slept together once, and that was about as friend-like as you could get.
She saw flashbacks of her past relationship, all of her friends and cousins who had been betrayed by their boyfriends or girlfriends. Deciding she couldn’t take it anymore, she began to stand up. This was worse than being insulted directly; she was being insulted as if she wasn’t even there.
“I have to go,” she said, dabbing at her lips with a napkin. “I can’t talk about this anymore.”
“Laura, wait—” he called out but she wouldn’t listen. She rushed from the table, her white napkin falling to the ground like a crushed dove.
Chapter 6
Arturo watched Laura rush out of the restaurant. Though he wanted to chase after her, he didn’t. He just sat there, staring at the napkin in his lap. The twins were chattering on about one thing or the other but he tuned them out.
“I have to go back to my room,” he said. “Excuse me ladies.”
“Okay,” they say in unison, unfazed by the scene that had just played out. They were used to Arturo being strange. If they were hooking up with him during the night, he would often disappear without a trace. They wondered where he went but never asked.
Once he was alone in the hall, Arturo leaned against the wall. What was he doing? How was it possible that Laura had this kind of affect on him? He knew he shouldn’t go after her, but he wanted to. He took the staircase instead of the elevator, running up to her bedroom. The brightly colored hotel walls were dizzying. He reached her room, practically pounding on the door. She didn’t answer.
No Choice but to Marry: A Historical Mail Order Bride Romance Page 17