Feral Claws (The Midnight Panther Chronicles Book 1)

by Brooke Saylor

  By the time River exited the shop, Max had already stuck the poison back into his bag.

  “C’mon guys, I got us a new ride.” The glimmer in River’s eyes made me think maybe this trip wouldn’t be so bad after all. I grabbed my purse and stepped out of the car. My black heeled boots made little click, clack’s as I followed River down the row of rentals. He stopped in front of a red Porsche. I could almost see my reflection in the glossy paint.

  “Oh baby, you did good.” I purred, as I leaned up to smash a kiss onto River’s lips. He deepened the kiss unexpectedly, and I had to pull myself away to gasp for breath. I smiled up at him, and he gazed back with flames in his eyes.

  “Ahem”

  I took a step back to glower at Max, then quickly retrained my thoughts back to the car. Oh, she was pretty. And if we had to get out in a flash, not even a cheetah could outrun us.

  “I’ll admit, this car is badass, but how am I supposed to fit in the back seat of this thing?” Max asked.

  He was right. The car was a two-door, and a toddler would barely have room to fit in the back. I sent River a questioning look.

  He was smirking, and after he saw the looks on our faces a booming laugh exploded from his mouth.

  “Consider it your punishment for the theatrics you pulled back there.” he replied.

  I couldn’t stop myself from giggling. One point for River, zero for Max. This trip was already getting better.

  I opened the passenger door and pulled the seat up so Max could get in. He groaned as he threw his bag in the floorboard, shuffling his body over the seat after it. I winked at River before sitting down myself, and his proud grin gleamed in the dark.

  River turned the key in the ignition and the engine hummed to life. The car interior smelled like leather and Armor All cleaner, which wasn’t as bad as it sounded. Even with Max’s knee pressed into my back through the seat and the hum of traffic all around, I was completely comfortable. I closed my eyes as River coasted around sharp curves, and soon I was dreaming.

  “Who are you?” I asked as we reached the front door of the house.

  The boy smiled at me with a full set of straight, pearly white teeth. I ran my tongue across my own teeth, thick with plaque. I was ashamed to be in the presence of such beauty, when I looked like a Garbage Pail Kid myself.

  “My name is River. The South-side of Nashville is my territory.” He was still smiling.

  I just looked back at him in confusion. Territory? And why had he called me “kitten” earlier? Did he know I was a monster?

  “You know, werecat territory?” His smile died on his lips when he didn’t see any signs of recognition on my face.

  “I’m sorry. I don’t know about that.” What’s a werecat? Oh, God. Was that what I was? Was he one too? I started to back away, but he put his arms up in surrender.

  “Hey, don’t be scared. I’m not dangerous. Why don’t you come in, and we can talk.”

  I stopped backing away, but I didn’t take a step forward either. He opened the door to the house and took a step inside. He rummaged around beside the door and came back out with a knife. A scream got caught in my throat, but my body wouldn’t react.

  You deserve this, remember?

  “No, no. Look, take this. That way, if you get scared, you can just slash me to pieces.” He said. He smiled in a way that made me want to trust him, but I wasn’t sure I could. I took the knife, and he took a step back.

  “Come on, you can have some pizza and a shower if you want, and then we can figure out what comes next.”

  I looked up into his leaf green eyes and back down to the knife. If he had known what I was capable of, he would never have let me have it. The blade glistened in the light.

  “Well, what do you say?”

  I looked back up into the eyes of this stranger and took one step into his house.

  A bump in the road caused me to jump awake. Max groaned in the back seat.

  “What the hell, dude. Take it easy.”

  River ignored him and glanced over at me.

  “Hey, my little sleeping beauty.” He smiled before tugging his gaze back to the road.

  I wiped a bit of drool from my chin and blushed.

  “Where are we?” I replied.

  “Chattanooga, Tennessee. We’ll be at the waffle house in less than thirty minutes.”

  The car purred against the road as we zipped around other cars. River was enjoying driving this car a little too much, and the speedometer tickled the ninety mph bar. It’s lucky we weren’t all splattered to the pavement.

  “Jesus Christ, River! Slow your horses.”

  He pretended to just notice how fast he was going and slowed down an extra ten mph to quieten my protests. The city was beautiful at night, and the hill we were racing down showcased all the colored lights glowing in the distance. I wondered how many werecats lived around here, and if any of them were fellow tabbies. Probably not.

  Females were rare, mainly because our ancestors had been a little too primal. They fought over the women, killing many of them in the process. If a tabby had been unloyal to her mate, even in cases of rape, the male was overcome with bloodlust, killing her and anyone involved in her transgressions. Eventually they were able to better control their instincts, but by then it was too late.

  All of that was only theory though, told by a scientist River had met in one of the North-East territories.

  “Once we arrive I want you to let us handle the talking.” River said. When I didn’t respond right away, he glanced at me with both brows raised. I lifted my hands in defeat.

  “Yeah, fine.” I replied.

  I wasn’t happy about listening to their commands, but I knew it was for the best. If I opened my mouth around this pig, I wouldn’t be able to close it.

  “I just hope he has the information you need.” I grumbled.

  “He does. We spoke about it briefly over the phone.” Max said.

  If all went to plan, we would leave this place with enough knowledge to track the mysterious rogue stray. The cat who could be my parents' murderer. The cat who may or may not have killed an innocent human. I don’t think I could control myself if he pled guilty to the crimes we were accusing him of.

  God be with him, and have mercy on his distorted soul.

  I threw the door open and pushed my feet out of the car. The smells were nice at first, but after a while the air turned rank with mixed scents. River, Max, and my own aromas had tangled together, creating an overpowering musk of kitty. I inhaled deeply, but the smells from the parking lot across from the waffle house weren’t that much better.

  Grease, sweat, and something that resembled the smell of fried eggs. I wrinkled my nose and stepped aside so Max could climb out of the car.

  “Ow.”

  The car seats muffled his voice and smashed into his head, but after a slight struggle Max hopped out of the car. His red hair was sticking straight up, and a few of his shirt buttons were undone. Ha, if I knew riding in the backseat of a car that small would be such a struggle for him, I would have been the one to suggest it in the first place.

  River was the last to exit the vehicle, his thick boots making scuffling sounds as he circled around to us. I scoped out the inside of the restaurant. The darkness outside made the whole building visible through the tall glass windows. I only saw two teenage boys and one elderly couple, along with a male cook and a waitress.

  “Doesn’t look like he’s here,” I said.

  Before the men had time to respond, a scruffy voice called out from the darkness behind us.

  “Over here, Sugah’ pie.”

  I spun around. Behind the car stood a large man with an ugly face. He was about six feet tall with raven black hair, with three scars trailing down his face; claw marks. I tried to avoid cringing at the sight. The marks were thick and bright red, running from just above his eyebrow to below his lips.

  Luckily, I didn’t see anyone with him. He had come alone, as promised. Everything seemed
okay, but I wasn’t letting my guard down yet. He could have cats on watch around the building, ready to pounce. River and Max circled around the car to shake the man’s hand, but I hung back and continued to check out the area. If I couldn’t verbally tear this dude a new one, I could at least make myself useful by scouting our surroundings.

  “It’s nice to finally meet you, Rush.” River said. His voice sang with professionalism.

  “Yeah, yeah. Where’s my stuff?” Rush replied.

  Max pulled out the bag from his bag on cue, and I glanced around the lot to make sure no one was watching the illegal transaction. The wind was blowing slightly, tossing dry leaves across the asphalt. I saw no one else in the parking lot, and the road was empty as well. However, the town was eerily quiet.

  Rush tried to grab the bag from Max’s hand, but Max pulled it back from his grasp and hid it behind his back.

  “First, we need the information.” Max said.

  The man sneered and ran his hand through his greasy hair. He was wearing a leather vest and dirty ripped jeans. He looked tough, rough, and all around edgy. I couldn’t imagine all the women who had to suffer from his hand. It sickened me. If I weren’t trying my hardest to take Max’s advice, I would have clawed his eyes out. It looked as if someone had tried that same tactic before, and that thought just made me sicker.

  “We had a sighting around here of a cat that matches your description. Two dead girls in town before he moved on.” Rush said. His words were mellow and drawn out, making me wish I had a remote with a fast-forward button.

  “Sighting? Did you get a good look?” River asked.

  “White, with black stripes on his tail. He was large. No one saw him out of cat form. When my boy tried to track him, his scent vanished. He’s been gone ever since.” Rush replied.

  “He was white?” I asked.

  River shot me a look, urging me to stay quiet. I couldn’t help myself. If he was white, it was possible he could be the cat who killed my parents. White fur wasn’t very common. It was like red-headed humans, uncommon but not unheard of. There was only one white tomcat I knew personally, and he was someone on River’s work crew.

  Rush trained his eyes in my direction, examining me from head to toe. His gaze sent shivers down my spine, and he smiled. His teeth were yellow and chipped, and the smell of his breath reeked of something comparable to roadkill. I took a step back, and he raised his brows, a smile playing on his lips.

  “What’s the matter? Don’t like what you see?” He wiggled his brows, and then his smile was replaced with a menacing glare.

  A growl began to rumble from River’s throat as he pulled me behind him. Max moved to stand beside him, and they both squared up against Rush.

  “She’s mine.” River said between clenched teeth.

  Rush put his hands up in surrender, and the teasing smile returned to his face.

  “Hey, no hard feelings.”

  “Tell us more about the stray.” Max said.

  The men were all rigid, and the surrounding air was thick enough to be cut by glass. Luckily Rush wasn’t in the mood for a fight. He lowered his arms to his sides and continued on as if nothing had happened.

  “The stray killed two girls, both early twenties. The psychotic bastard stormed in with other humans present in the house. Seems as if he’s running on pure bloodlust.”

  “Do you have any idea who he could be? Was his scent familiar?” River asked.

  Rush stroked his chin in thought.

  “Hm, come to think of it, I remember tracking his scent after Gill saw him, and he did smell familiar. But I couldn’t place it at the time. It was like a deja vu moment. Something from my distant past.” He said.

  Well, that wasn’t much help.

  I crossed my arms over my chest and silently edged closer to River’s side. I was completely visible to Rush now, but his eyes were still focused on River.

  “Come to think of it, he might have smelled like the cat I met when I was visiting your part of town, some odd ten years ago. Back when your daddy owned the territory.” Rush said.

  “So he was local to Nashville?” River asked.

  Rush shrugged. “Maybe.”

  “What did he look like?”

  “Blonde, tall. I don’t really remember much. However, I do remember where I met him.” Rush replied.

  His eyes finally found their way back to me. He licked his lips hungrily, and his eyes ogled me with intensity. I didn’t even blink. When his eyes met mine, I saw all the women he had hurt begging for help in their black depths.

  “I’ll tell you for a taste of her.” he whispered.

  An unexpected smile lit my face. I was hoping he would say something like that. His words struck a chord within me, and my claws extended. It wasn’t often that I partially shifted, and it wasn’t something I could control. A growl more than human escaped my lips at the same time as River’s fist connected Rush’s face. Blood exploded from Rush’s nose, and he swayed on his feet. He blinked a few times before spitting blood onto the pavement.

  “You shouldn’t have done that.” Rush said.

  As he spoke, a cat came out from the shadows a few yards behind him. The feline was black and saber-toothed, as dangerous as any other werecat. I could hear a low growl slipping from between his teeth, warning us not to run. He approached us with his thin tail whipping back and forth in the air with anticipation.

  “We need to go.” I said. My voice was scratchy and didn’t sound normal. My vocal cords must have shifted as well, making human language harder to speak. What I really said sounded something like, “Eeh Eoh Goh.”

  River must have not understood me, but he glanced back in my direction. His eyes were glowing in the moon, meaning he had partially shifted as well. He must be really pissed. Max was looking between us and the cat circling us, trying to decide the best way to get us out of this mess.

  We didn’t have enough time to fully shift and fight, but we might still be able to take the cat. I knew River had his hunting knife in his pocket, and I had my claws. The only problem was that we weren’t sure how many more were hiding in the dark treeline.

  River tossed the keys at me and motioned towards the car. I didn’t waste a second, and soon I was in the driver’s seat shoving the keys in the ignition. The car purred to life, and I strained my eyes to see what was happening outside. River was bent over Rush, and they were both on the ground. Max had the bag of drugs in his hand, holding it up like a bargaining token. The cat was only a few feet away from him now, but he wasn’t moving.

  River shifted his weight on top of Rush, and I saw why we were at a standstill. River’s knife glistened in the moonlight, and a drop of blood seeped out of Rush’s neck where the blade rested. He pulled Rush up with him so that they were on their feet and backing away from the panther, heading closer to the car.

  Oh, God! Please don’t let them be taking a hostage!

  I twisted my head back for a second to check out the restaurant. The customers inside hadn’t noticed us yet, but it would only take one glance outside for someone to call the police. Please hurry, I silently begged.

  Max hopped into the car and climbed into the backseat.

  “What they hell are you doing?” I asked, grateful my voice had returned to normal.

  “Don’t worry, we’ve got it covered.” he replied.

  “It doesn’t look like it!”

  I could hear Rush yelling from outside. “He was at the Red Fish Bar & Grill, that’s all I know!”

  Max leaned into the front seat and opened up the door. As he did, River threw Rush to the ground and hopped into the car, slamming the door behind him.

  “Go, go, go!” he shouted.

  I floored the gas pedal, and the tires squealed against the pavement as we flew forward. I felt something hit the back of the car, but I was too focused on trying to turn onto the road to look behind us. I ran over the curve, but then straightened out the car and sped down the empty street.

  “Give
me the drugs.” River said.

  I heard max fumbling through his bag and then a hand shot in between the seats, holding the bag full of white crystals. River grabbed it and then carefully opened the zipper. I heard a roar from behind the car and straightened my review mirror to get a glimpse. The cat was on our tail, running gracefully with gleaming bright eyes. Rush was a few paces behind him, but he was still running faster than any average human should. They were being incredibly stupid. If someone saw this they would definitely call the cops, maybe even the FBI.

  “Oh, shit.” I said.

  “Don’t worry, Kitten. I’ve got this.” River replied smoothly.

  He cranked down his window and then slung the bag out of the car, sending all the small particles out onto the street. The cat and Rush both bee-lined for the bag, and Rush dropped to his knees as the cat buried his face into the pavement. If there was ever a time for me to learn the dangers of drug addiction, it was then.

  I didn’t slow the car down until we reached the gas station in the center of town. I pulled into the lot, this time missing the curve, and parked the car.

  Finally, a sigh of relief escaped my lips. We had made it out.

  “Promise me we won’t ever do that again.” I moaned.

  Max was slumped in the car's backseat, and he looked just as beat as me. River, on the other hand, didn’t seem phased at all. He was cleaning Rush’s blood off his hand with a tissue. The red blood gleamed against the white of the soft paper as he dabbled it against his palm. River was glowering at the dashboard ahead, and I didn’t think he had heard my previous comment. His eyes still glowed bright green.

  I sometimes wondered what kind of life River had growing up. When he had to fight, he fought tough but never left the scene with anything more than a scratch. He had only told me a few stories about his dad, but none of them were very pleasant. From what I heard, his father made enemies quicker than friends and believed all things could somehow be solved with violence. It was a miracle River had made it out of that life to become the gentle man he was today. Well, maybe gentle wasn’t the best discription.