by Vonna Harper
“Not really.”
“Why not?”
Seeking courage, she stared at Sol. Despite what the jaguar had been subjected to, she remained a magnificent self-contained predator. “There hasn’t been anyone.”
“I’m sorry. So sorry.”
* * *
“She deserves better,” Uncle Clark declared as Darek and he headed toward the parking area.
“Better than what?” Knowing his uncle as well as he did, Darek wouldn’t try to evade.
“You. Not this place. It’s good for her, but you aren’t what she needs.”
“What do you mean, needs? She has a roof over her head and a decent paycheck. She loves being around the predators. She believes in what this place is about.”
“Those things aren’t enough.”
“I’m not here to fulfill all her needs any more than I expect her to fulfill mine. We have a business relationship.”
“It’s more than that. I get what the collar’s about. Look, Dominick and what’s-her-name have a relationship that works for them. Unless I read her wrong, she gets off on deferring to Dominick for everything. Callie isn’t like that.”
“If you’re saying Callie speaks her mind, I agree. You didn’t have to let her ask you the things she did.”
“She got me to acknowledge that my children are individuals. I shouldn’t lump them together.”
“You didn’t need her for you to figure that out.”
“I’m not so sure. Talking to her was easy for me. Other than laying claim to her, what’s your relationship with her like?”
Because of the pain medication Uncle Clark still took, he seldom drank. Besides, it was rather early to start. More to the point, Dalton needed to get back to work, put some thinking distance between himself and the man who’d taught him how to ride a bike because his father had been too busy.
“She hasn’t been working for me long. She’s needed some correction.”
“Which you’ve done in ways that satisfy you. Hell, I remember how much I loved the sight of a vulnerable and accessible bare ass before I got over the whole dominant male crap. Does she take to being spanked? Not all Others do.”
“It turns her on.” He shrugged. “I don’t think she wants to be like that but instinct can be pretty damn strong.”
“What about the collar? If she hadn’t been with you for long, that’s moving pretty fast on your part.”
He’d had the same thought only to shove it aside and focus on what she’d looked like with a plug up her ass and a tail against her legs. Damn, but the sight had been a turn-on.
“I had my reasons.”
“I’m sure you did. Look, it’s still none of my business, but there aren’t many secrets between us.”
“No, there aren’t.”
“If you’re going to keep that collar on her you owe it to yourself to get to know her, really know her. Mark my words, there’s a lot more to her than there is to Dominick’s pet. You don’t need a lap dog.”
His uncle had a point, but a lap dog was a lot easier to be around than a complex human being, and his life was complex enough as it was.
* * *
A little before five in the afternoon, Mr. Dalton texted her. COME TO THE HOUSE, NOW. She stared at the cryptic words then texted back. I CAN’T.
NOW, he repeated a moment later.
I’M IN LOOKOUT #1. CAN’T GET AWAY.
She steeled herself for another order. When it didn’t come, she decided to give him the explanation he deserved, but before she could start keying, the panther she’d been studying sprang to her feet. The heavily pregnant female hadn’t been as restless as she’d been earlier in the week. Instead, she’d spent much of the day, at least as much as Callie knew, sleeping. Thanks to the magnification, she’d seen the rippling action along the panther’s belly.
To the best of Callie’s knowledge there’d only been three contractions before the panther had suddenly stood. The predator lowered her rear end to the ground and dragged herself forward. Shaking so much she had trouble seeing, Callie focused.
Yes, there it was, something extending from the panther’s backside. The thing was dark and slimy, apparently motionless. The panther curled her body and licked what was still attached to her. A second later, she flopped down and lifted her hind upper leg. Praying the panther was getting rid of the sac around her newborn, Callie debated getting closer. Mr. Dalton had made it more than clear that she was to keep her distance but what if the cub needed help with something as basic as breathing?
It would die if its mother couldn’t adequately stimulate the breathing reflex.
Forcefully stopping the thought, she assessed things. The way the mother was positioned, she couldn’t see the newcomer. For all she knew it was doing fine.
Was there more than one?
Concerned, excited, and nervous, she stared. After a little while longer the panther stood. She spotted a small form on the ground. At first she was afraid to hope but soon she had no doubt. The cub was moving. Letting out a sigh that went deeper than relief, she again focused on the mother who’d stopped tending to the newborn. She again curled back on herself, lifted her tail, and licked at her opening. A reddish something slid out of her and fell to the ground.
She knew labor didn’t last long for predators because that made them vulnerable. From the first labor signs to the birth of twins no more than fifteen minutes had passed.
“Come on, little one, move,” she begged when the second cub remained motionless. “You’re fine. A bit of a hard landing but nothing more—please be all right.”
The female shifted. Callie could no longer see the newborn. The panther repeatedly licked her firstborn but ignored the second one. Did she know something Callie only dreaded?
Movement at the left drew Callie’s attention there. The other pregnant panther was approaching the birth site, her body low to the ground. Callie had never heard of a female panther killing her cubs, but these weren’t the other female’s children. Also, captivity had altered the species’ instinctive ways of living.
She couldn’t let a cub or cubs be killed, she couldn’t!
Shaking off thoughts of how Mr. Dalton would react, she left the tower and descended as fast as she could. She raced toward the enclosure she’d been watching, trying but not succeeding to keep her footsteps silent.
“Callie, stop!”
Her legs still moving, she swiveled. Mr. Dalton, so far away she couldn’t make out his expression, stared at her. “I can’t. The panthers—”
He jabbed a finger at the ground. “Come here, now.”
No, she wasn’t his pet! She was a thinking, feeling human being, one who was terrified for the safety of a couple of innocent lives Mr. Dalton had made her responsible for.
Turning back around, she ran. Her breathing rasped not from the exertion but from fear. She’d deal with Mr. Dalton later, face his wrath once she’d done everything she could to—
He yelled. She didn’t try to make sense of the words.
Certain he’d follow, she concentrated on where she was going. From the observation tower what the panthers called home didn’t look far away. It was another matter on foot. The still-pregnant panther had undoubtedly reached the cubs. She’d been in stalking mode, her entire being fixed on her target. Maybe the new mother didn’t stand a chance against her but maybe the two predators would fight to the death. If that happened, Callie would raise the cubs—unless Mr. Dalton fired her.
He had to understand. Somehow she’d make him.
But she’d disobeyed him.
Some things are more important than either of us.
After what felt like forever, she reached the metal fencing around the panther enclosure. She turned left, staying close to the see-through barrier. A low rumbling sent chills across her back. The rumble continued, sometimes so quiet she wondered if she was imagining it, the next moment harsh. She’d heard panthers before, but then she hadn’t been terrified, not for herself but for
an innocent life.
“Don’t.” She wasn’t sure who or what she was talking to. “Don’t do something you can’t undo. We’re here to save lives, not destroy them.” She wanted to say more but was too out of breath.
Heavy breathing turned her from the fence. Mr. Dalton, his chest rising and falling, had caught up to her.
“What’s going on?”
She couldn’t tell whether he was angry. He’d never looked so powerful, his chest huge and his cheeks ruddy. Sweat glistened on his face, throat, arms.
Willing her lungs not to give out, she explained. “When I realized the other panther was stalking—if she intended to kill the cubs, it’s too late.”
He didn’t remind her that he’d ordered her not to interfere in the predators’ lives, didn’t point out that she couldn’t possibly stop a predator.
“Let’s find them.”
Let’s. Us?
Chapter Thirteen
So much sweat was on Callie’s back that her shirt clung to her skin. Her throat under the collar itched, and her right calf felt like it might cramp, but those things didn’t matter. The new mother and her twins weren’t far away, partly hidden in tall grasses. At first she didn’t dare believe both cubs were alive. Then the mother stood and changed position, the newborns dangling from her teats, their little legs pawing at the air.
The other panther had settled herself nearby studied the action. Maybe she was taking pointers for when it was her turn. The adult predators took turns vocalizing. Even as rough as their voices were, it was almost as if they were purring.
Mr. Dalton pulled his cell phone out of a pocket, did something to it, and took pictures. After making sure the telephoto feature on her cell was engaged, she did the same. The scene was beautiful, perfect, a moment unlike any other in her life. It didn’t matter that the male panther wasn’t here to see what he’d produced. The mother was hard-wired to protect, care for, and love her children. Yes, love.
The little ones had a caring aunt. Soon there’d be a cousin or cousins.
A predator family. Safe and secure. Healthy.
She tried to concentrate on taking more pictures but her vision kept blurring. Mr. Dalton hadn’t spoken since they’d gotten here, which was good since she didn’t trust her ability to respond. She was learning something she’d never forget, insight she hadn’t had until now. Without knowing what she was looking for, she’d spent her childhood seeking something she could consider her family. Now she was privy to something precious—as a witness.
“You could have stopped when I told you to,” he said.
Told, not ordered. Was there a difference? “No, I couldn’t.”
“I was pissed.”
“I know.” She couldn’t face him until she’d wiped away her tears but if she did he’d know. Maybe he already did.
“But that didn’t last.”
If she’d heard that tone from him before she couldn’t remember. His voice was measured and calm. “I’m sorry I—”
“What did I tell you about saying that?”
“That you didn’t want me to apologize.” Shoulders squared, she faced him. He dominated her world. “That if I did what you ordered me to do there’d be no need for the words. But back then only one thing mattered. The cubs’ safety. Their lives.”
“I get it.”
“I wasn’t thinking straight. Maybe I wasn’t thinking at all, but I couldn’t stand there.”
“Even knowing I was within my rights to spank you?”
“There’s nothing I can say. We both know what I did.”
“Would you do it again?”
No longer feeling as if she might start crying again, she straightened. “If I didn’t know any more than I did this time, yes.”
“Why?”
His eyes reminded her of a predator intent on his prey. He was single-minded, determined to get what he wanted or needed out of her. Considering what he’d told her about the cougar attack, she had to be as honest as he’d been.
“I don’t have real friends. I don’t have a family. Maybe that’s why predators have become so important to me. They give me something I don’t have in my own world.” Revealing so much drained her, but she didn’t regret a word.
“It shouldn’t be like that for you.”
She didn’t need his disapproval, his condemnation if that’s where this was going. If he allowed it, she’d continue to work for him, but from now on she’d keep her emotions to herself.
“Mr. Dalton, you can’t understand what it’s like to not know where you’re going to spend the night.”
“Your family was homeless?”
“My father was seldom around. It wasn’t good when he was.” She fought the desire to lower her gaze. “My mother left me with my grandmother when I was eight.” She filled her lungs. “Not long after that my grandmother handed me over to my aunt, but she already had children so—”
“How many?”
“Four or five during the time I lived with her. She had at least two more after I was taken away. She was supposed to get an implant so it wouldn’t keep happening, but she didn’t.”
“Who took you and where did you go?”
“A warehouse.” Old anger washed over her. “A human warehouse. Every room was filled with children. The Elites in charge hired Others to care for the children but there weren’t enough.”
His fingers gripping the wire turned white at the knuckles. She didn’t know what to make of his reaction or if she wanted to.
“I lived there until I was twelve.”
His nod took a long time. “Then you were transferred to a girls’ group home where you were taught a trade.”
A trade! “They—informed me I would be trained to keep subway stations clean.” Her breath rasped. “I couldn’t. After my one time down there—I couldn’t.”
“What did you do?”
They were in dangerous territory. Even though it had happened years ago, she could still be prosecuted for breaking a Society law. If she was found guilty, and she would be, she’d be sent to prison. But she’d gone too far. If she didn’t give him the rest of the story, he was within his rights to force the truth from her.
She didn’t believe he would.
Or rather she prayed he wouldn’t.
“I ran away. I wound up on a farm owned by an elderly Elite couple. They didn’t care about my past, just that I was willing to do the chores they no longer could. I, ah, I stayed there until the woman died and their children took over.”
“How old were you?”
“Seventeen.”
“I remember seventeen,” he said softly. “Barely. What happened then?”
At that age she’d considered herself an adult. As long as she was willing to work for little pay and a roof over her head, marginal farmers were more than willing to employ her. They didn’t ask questions and she didn’t volunteer anything about herself. She might still be looking after livestock and harvesting crops if she hadn’t heard about a grounds maintenance position at the zoo. Grounds maintenance was a fancy term for pooper scooper, but she didn’t care. She loved the animals and most of them seemed to know it.
“Did you tell Dominick about your past?”
Of course not. “All he cared about was that I was willing to continue to work for less than minimum wage.”
“I don’t buy that. I know what the man’s like around women.”
“He’d convinced Angela to be his pet shortly before he took over the zoo so his sexual needs were being taken care of.”
“Angela. So that’s her name. You say convinced. In other words, you think she willingly wears his collar.”
“She told me their relationship works for both of them.”
“How do you feel about that?”
“What they do isn’t my concern.”
“Just as our relationship shouldn’t matter to anyone else. However, my uncle doesn’t see it that way.”
She wanted to watch the panthers, not try to carry
on a conversation, even one about Clark who she’d liked from the moment she met him. If Clark represented the men in Mr. Dalton’s family, he was blessed.
“What are you thinking about?” Mr. Dalton asked.
“People. Animals. The difference between them.”
Instead of laughing at her, he held out his hand, indicating he wanted her to take it. “They don’t need us. Time for us to leave them alone.”
* * *
His fingers surrounded and sheltered her smaller ones. He hadn’t explained why he was taking her into his place but she was content to exist in the moment. Luna had a mate. The panther population had grown by two. She shouldn’t need anything else.
“It’s been quite the day,” he said as they stepped into the living room with its expensive furniture and open windows. “A couple of major developments.”
“I was thinking the same thing.”
He released her hand and indicated he wanted her to sit in the recliner closest to the largest window. “It’d be easier for me and maybe you if I let things stand as they are, but I can’t.” He looked at his cell phone. “Messages. There’ll always be messages.” He placed it face down on the coffee table. “They can wait.”
She hadn’t sensed any anger in him while they were on their way here but maybe the newborns had distracted her more than she’d realized. His moods were complex—and exciting.
“You and I need to talk,” he said.
“If it’s about my not obeying when you ordered me to—”
“You ignored me, which has a lot to do with what I’ve been thinking.”
Despite her heightened awareness of the collar, she refused to touch it. “You must know why I kept running.”
“I do now.”
“But not right away?”
“Hell, no. I’m not used to dealing with what I initially saw as defiance on your part. However, that isn’t what this is about.”
“Oh?”
“My uncle is a remarkable man. In some respects I’m closer to him than I am to my own father. Uncle Clark takes the time to listen. He always has.”
“I’m glad.”
“Glad?”
“That you have him in your life.”
He leaned back then leaned forward and placed his hands on his knees. Even though he was sitting, he made her think of a big cat, restless and aware of his surroundings. He wasn’t going to pounce but something had her on edge. Alert. Except for the sound of a breeze brushing the trees beyond the windows, the room was silent.