The Panther

by Ezra Dawn

  “Are you sure?”

  “Yes. Get over here.”

  Walking over, I climb in beside him. As soon as I’m within reach, he tugs me across the bed until I’m sitting in his lap with his arms wrapped tightly around me and my head resting on his shoulder, nose in his neck. He presses a kiss to my forehead and says, “Alright agápi mou, whenever you’re ready.”

  Warmth fills me at the unfamiliar term knowing it’s an endearment similar to what my parents always use with each other. Maybe he’s closer to trusting me than I thought. If he didn’t want to try and share a life with me, he wouldn’t call me anything but my name… would he?

  Sighing, I trace patterns on his chest with my finger as I recall my time in the lab. “The first experiment they tried on me was electrocution. They hit me with a voltage that would kill a normal person to see how it affected me and my animal. I should’ve died, but they used a serum on me to boost my healing ability so, I was back to normal within a day and they were able to up the voltage and try again. When they didn’t get the results they were looking for, they moved to other options. Another time, they cut strips of skin from me to see if it would grow back the same. At one point, they even threw me into a locked room with a woman and tried to get us to procreate so they’d have shifter children to experiment on. But I couldn’t do it.”

  Taking a deep breath, I continue, “I’ve been stabbed, beaten, tortured, watched friends die, all for the sake of their science. My closest friend died after they amputated his leg because they wanted to see if he could grow it back like his animal half could regrow a tail. They even spliced my DNA with other paranormals, though thankfully none were other shifters. Otherwise I probably would’ve gone insane when the two spirits competed for dominance within me.”

  He runs his fingers through my hair and says, “I’m so sorry that happened to you,” then with a growl he says to himself, “If I ever get my hands on Carmine Verucci and everyone involved with his schemes, I’ll make their deaths a very long and painful experience.”

  Kuro inhales deeply, then lets it out and says, “Do you know why they were splicing your DNA?”

  “From the conversations I overheard while still lucid enough to comprehend what they were doing they were trying to create something. What that was, I don’t know but they needed the DNA sequence to be perfect and were using us to figure it out.”

  “I hate interrogating you like this, but I need all the information I can get, so the people I’m working with can put an end to it.”

  Looking up at him I say, “It’s okay. Ask whatever you want, I can’t be sure I’ll have an answer for you, but I’ll try my best.”

  He strokes my cheek and says, “You said you heard them talking about the DNA sequence, did you ever hear them say anything else? Maybe where you were?”

  “I was in many different locations. They liked to shift us around. But there was one place where I overheard the guards complaining about it being too cold. Whenever a shift changed, the guards would always come in wearing thick coats, hats, scarves, and gloves.”

  “Did they mention specifics?”

  “Not quite, just that they wondered why the boss thought it was a good idea to open a lab in a frozen wasteland so far from civilization the only way in is by plane. One of them said the only bright side to being so far north was seeing the Aurora Borealis first-hand. Does that help?”

  Kuro grins widely and kisses me on the lips, shocking me completely. “Yes, agápi mou, that helps immensely. I’ll take you to meet the alpha during office hours and you can tell him what you just told me. We’ll put the hackers on it and see what information they can dig up. There are nine countries and one state that have a view of the Aurora Borealis so, with that information and the added search criteria the hackers are already looking for we should be able to narrow down one of the locations of where you were.”

  Smiling at him, I say, “That’s great. I’m glad I could help. If that information leads to a lab being shut down, then I’ll gladly relive those moments if it means uncovering information I might’ve forgotten about.”

  Kuro strokes my cheek and says, “You don’t have to go that far, agápi mou, what you’ve already told me is enough. If you remember something else, great, but if not, that’s fine too. If we can get a location from the information you’ve given, then we can launch a surprise attack and shut the lab down before they have a chance to vacate it and delete files. It’s our best chance at finding Carmine and shutting his operation down for good.”

  “I hope you succeed and save those paranormals from the hell they’re living in… like you did for me. Thank you for that.”

  He kisses my forehead and says, “You don’t have to thank me… It’s in my job description to help the innocent,” then with a wink he adds, “Plus my alpha kind of ordered me to do it so, it’s not like I could refuse.”

  Laughing, I say, “No I suppose you couldn’t. By the way, I wanted to ask you if your hackers found any records of the paranormals who died in the labs?”

  “I don’t think so, but they still have a ton of information to go through. Why?”

  “Because I was hoping the list could bring closure to some of the families who believe their loved ones are missing or just ran off and abandoned them.”

  He nods and says, “That makes sense. If we find a list like that, I’m sure representatives from the council will make the notifications. Now what do you say we try and get some sleep?”

  “Sounds good. Do you want me to go back to my room?”

  Kuro shakes his head and says, “No, stay right where you are.”

  “Are you sure?”

  He narrows his eyes at me and says, “You need to stop asking me that, agápi mou. If I wasn’t sure about you and about us, and the feelings I’ve kept buried for thirty years, then you wouldn’t be here right now. You’d still be in the medical tent or with another member of Joel’s inner circle and none the wiser to what we are to each other.”

  Curious and confused, I ask, “What feelings?”

  With a smile, he strokes my cheek and says, “I’ve been in love with you since we were kids but, I was terrified if I acted on it, we’d shift and realize we weren’t mates and would have to end things so, I kept quiet. Then the incident happened, and I put up a wall, so I’d never be hurt again and buried my feelings deep to keep myself from pining away for you after what happened. My point is, being near you and spending time with you like we used to do has brought those feelings back to the surface. I kept them buried but that doesn’t mean I stopped loving you. It’s only been a day, but you’ve broken down my walls.”

  Feeling tears prick my eyes, I kiss him on the lips and say, “I love you too. Always have. It’s why I could never forgive myself for what I did until I faced you and apologized. I don’t know what I did to deserve your kindness and love after what I put you through, but I’m glad for it.”

  “You didn’t have to do anything but be you, agápi mou.”

  “So, where do we go from here?”

  His grin is mischievous when he says, “I have some ideas, but they’ll have to wait a few more days until the doc clears you for strenuous activity. Now, let’s get some sleep, so, I can take you to meet the alpha and show you around pack territory. Then maybe, I can show you the wonders of the internet and we can buy you some clothes, so you don’t have to face going into town just yet.”

  With a smile, I say, “Sounds great. I look forward to it.”

  Kuro maneuvers us so we’re lying on our sides, pulls the blankets over us, kisses my forehead, and says, “Goodnight, agápi mou.”

  Snuggling against him, I say, “Goodnight,” and let the beat of his heart lull me into sleep.

  I’m pulled from sleep by the sound of the doorbell. Slipping from Benji’s hold, I take in his adorable sleeping face for a moment before exiting the bed. He immediately latches onto the pillow I was using, and I grin at the sight. Kissing his forehead softly, I make my way downstairs to see
who’s decided it’s okay to wake me up at seven in the morning. Opening the door, I see Joel and Negan on the other side. “To what do I owe this pleasure so early in the morning?”

  Joel says, “Ethan told us Benji had woken so, we came to talk to him and see if he can give us any information.”

  “It’s a bit early. He’s still asleep.”

  Joel and Negan share a look then Joel says, “That’s okay. We’ll wait. Benji is the only one awake right now so, we have to talk to him. Ethan thinks something is keeping the others in a coma, so we have to know how Benji came out of it on his own when the others haven’t.”

  Nodding, I say, “Come in. I’ll make some coffee then I’ll answer your questions if I can. Benji told me some things last night, so I have some answers. Anything you need clarification on, you can ask him about.”

  Leaving the door open, I head into the kitchen and prepare a pot of coffee. After it brews, I pour three cups, fix mine how I like, then set the other two in front of Negan and Joel—who’ve taken up seats at the island—along with the milk and sugar so they can doctor their coffee however they like. Leaning against the counter, I take a sip of my coffee and say, “Benji came out of the coma on his own because he’s the one who put himself in it. Maybe the others did the same, or maybe they were given something long lasting to keep them in a coma but, that’s why Benji is awake.”

  Joel and Negan look confused. Joel says, “How did he put himself in a coma?”

  “He teamed up with his animal spirit and they locked their souls deep inside their mind, binding the ability to shift and cutting them off from feeling or being part of anything that was being done. When his animal spirit sensed he was safe, he came out of it.”

  Both of them look shocked and Negan says, “Wow… I had no idea we were capable of something like that.”

  “I think he did what he had to, to survive. From what he told me, if he hadn’t taken drastic measures, his animal spirit would’ve died and so would he.”

  Joel nods. “It’s a miracle he survived. Did he say anything else?”

  Sighing, I say, “Yes. You’re not going to like it.”

  Joel’s expression turns serious and he says, “Tell me.”

  “Benji has been in a lab for thirty years. He was captured shortly after I left the pride and has been in one lab or another ever since.”

  “Jesus Christ.”

  “My sentiments exactly.”

  Negan says, “So, what does this mean?”

  Looking at him, I say, “It means, that Carmine has a second in command, outside of the coven he’s working with that ran things while he was in prison and likely aided in his escape. If we don’t take both of them out, and anyone else involved, this will never stop.”

  Joel sighs and says, “Damn… that’s not something I wanted to hear.”

  “I do have good news though. Benji overheard some things while in one of the labs that could be used to locate it. I asked if there were any other instances like it, but he’s not sure he remembers. I think after everything he’s been through; he’s buried memories, so he doesn’t have to relive the pain he felt. Though he’s said he’ll gladly relive those moments if the information would help, I don’t want him pushing himself that far. His sanity is more important than any information he might have.”

  “You’re right. We might not need any more information if the lead he gave you pans out and we move on the lab before they can move to a new location. So, what did he tell you?”

  “He overheard one of the guards complaining that it was too cold and the only bright side to being in the middle of a frozen wasteland so far north was seeing the northern lights first-hand. Now, I know that’s a huge search area since there are nine countries and a state that have a view of the northern lights, but I figured with the added parameters the hackers have been looking for, we’ll be able to nail down the location of the lab. Maybe even more than one if we’re lucky.”

  Negan asks, “Did he say anything else?”

  “Nope. That was it.”

  Joel says, “Did he tell you if he wanted to stay here after he recovers or if he planned to return to the pride?”

  My panther rises to the surface at the suggestion that our mate might want to leave us, and I find myself snarling, “He won’t be going anywhere,” shocking Joel and Negan both.

  Joel rolls out his alpha power and although it doesn’t have any effect on me since I’m not a wolf, my panther still backs down out of respect. Once my panther has retreated, Joel says, “What the hell was that?”

  Holding my hands up in a placating gesture, I say, “Sorry, sorry, my panther is a bit testy.”

  He scoffs and raises an eyebrow. “A bit? You call snarling at the alpha being a bit testy? I could’ve taken that as a challenge. Explain, now.”

  “Sorry. I really didn’t mean to snarl at you. Remember when I asked to join your pack and you asked me why I left my pride?”

  “Yes. You said it was because you were beaten for being gay by some of the locals and after having to go through the agony of getting your bones rebroken by the pride doctor you wanted to avoid being hurt again so, you left. What does that have to do with what just happened?”

  “Benji was part of the group that attacked me. We were best friends, I was in love with him and when he participated in that assault, I realized we were mates, having shifted the night before. Being hit by my own mate was the worst experience of my life and it destroyed something within me. Needless to say, when I left, I buried my feelings for him deep and denied our bond for thirty years.”

  Negan gasps. “My gods… even after all that, you still took him in? Why?”

  “Because despite what happened, he’s still my mate, and I couldn’t walk away from him when I had the ability to help. Besides, once he woke up, we had a chance to talk. By the time I convinced him to stop apologizing for what he did, and learned how long he spent in a lab because he’d gone looking for me after I left, I realized holding onto the pain of the past wasn’t doing any good and if I continued, I’d lose the second chance at happiness I was given when we crossed paths again.”

  Joel grins and says, “So, your panther is testy because you’ve denied the bond for thirty years and now that you’ve decided to accept it, he’s pushing you to claim Benji.”

  “Exactly. Having you suggest that Benji might want to leave me and knowing I can’t claim him for a few days until the doctor clears him, set me off. So, again, sorry for snarling at you. It wasn’t intentional.”

  With a laugh, Joel says, “I get it. If I’d been in your position with Alistair, and someone suggested he wanted to leave me, I’d snarl at them too.”

  Hearing footsteps on the stairs, I grab another mug and pour some coffee into it, adding sugar and milk, the way Benji likes it. Benji comes around the corner into the kitchen and stops in his tracks when he sees Joel and Negan sitting at the island. Hesitantly, Benji makes his way over to me and after greeting him with a kiss, I hand him his cup of coffee. “Good morning, agápi mou. I want you to meet Joel and Negan, the alpha and beta of the Venetian Hills Pack.”

  Benji’s eyes widen and he says, “I thought you were taking me to see the alpha during office hours.”

  “That was the plan but, Joel here had other ideas.”

  Joel stands and holds out his hand to Benji who takes it. Shaking his hand, Joel says, “It’s nice to meet you Benji, Kuro was just telling us about the two of you being mates. Let me be the first to express my congratulations and officially welcome you to the pack.”

  Benji gapes at him. “But we aren’t bonded yet.”

  Joel raises an eyebrow at him. “So? You’re still mates, and you’ll bond eventually. Since Kuro is part of my pack that automatically makes you a member as well.”

  Nudging Benji with my elbow, I say, “Just go with it, agápi mou. He won’t take no for an answer.”

  Benji nudges me back and says, “I wasn’t going to say no, I just thought it was odd he’d welco
me me when we aren’t bonded yet.”

  “Mates trump everything agápi mou. Even the unbonded ones.”

  “I’ll keep that in mind,” then turning back to Joel he says, “Kuro said you’d need to talk to me about my time in the lab.”

  Joel nods and says, “That’s true, but Kuro already told me everything you said to him so, unless you’ve remembered something else, I have everything I need. Though if you do remember anything please don’t hesitate to come to me or tell Kuro and he can relay it to me. If you’d like to seek out a professional, we have a few qualified individuals on hand for that purpose. Kuro has the information if you need it. Now, I think we’ll get out of your hair and leave you love birds to enjoy the rest of your day.”

  Before they leave Joel turns to me and says, “I’m going to give the information to the hackers. We’ll hold a strategy meeting if they come up with anything. I expect you and your team to be there.”