Sunset Glade Panthers: The Original Trilogy and Epilogue Page 4

  “And who’s going to stop me?”

  Tucker saw red for a moment. Then his lips were on hers. Without the words to refute her, he hoped to kiss her senseless until she acquiesced… or something.

  Maybe he just wanted to kiss her.

  And kiss her he did.

  Electricity arced between them as his mouth descended on her petal-soft lips with a hungry growl.

  For a moment, Gabi froze, emitting a startled squeak at his sudden claiming of her mouth. It wasn’t enough for Tucker.

  One hand settled on the small of her back while the other cupped the base of her neck, pulling her in, drinking in her nearness. Her scent filled him with a contentment he hadn’t felt since Benny’s accident.

  Her resistance dropped with an eager moan and she parted her lips — a siren dragging him further into the depths. His thoughts shifted; visions of his teeth marking her shoulder, claiming her body, mind and soul as his mate, sprung up unbidden.

  Mate, the panther growled again. Tucker pushed her away, trying his best to ignore the look of confusion that colored her freckled face.

  “I’m coming with you,” he said finally, “or should I ask your father for his opinion on your little excursion?”

  Her mouth fell open in surprise and it took a titanic amount of will-power to avoid kissing her giddy.

  “You wouldn’t! He might be crazy enough to try to come along,” she said, her confidence wavering.

  Tucker cocked an eyebrow with a wry grin, “So you admit it’s crazy?”

  She sputtered, “No… that’s not… you’re twisting my words.”

  He admired the plump fullness of her kiss-roughened lips. He wanted to feel those lips on his skin, soft teasing kisses across his flesh, velvety warmth wrapping around his cock…

  He had to suppress a groan.

  “So?” he prompted.

  Gabi huffed, throwing her hands up in defeat, “Fine, you can come along.”

  Her scowl only deepened at his satisfied grin.

  “I was hoping you’d see things my way.”

  Chapter Five

  Gabi

  She still felt the lingering effects of his kiss as Tucker loaded his SUV with her camping gear. His taste remained on her tongue and her body hummed with unwelcomed arousal.

  Who did he think he was? He couldn’t just follow her around, kissing her whenever she argued with him.

  Though it was a mighty fine kiss, she thought, touching her fingertips gingerly to her lips.

  At first, when his lips met hers, Gabi didn’t know how to react. She thought she was having a psychological break or a hallucination of some kind. She’d spent so many teenaged hours dreaming about that kiss, fantasizing about Tucker Auric, wishing he’d notice her — now that she had other things on her mind, he finally got around to it? What the hell!

  Then, she accepted it. His strong hands covered her body and he pulled her deeper. She opened herself to him, drowning in the heady pleasure of it all. Just when she needed to come up for air, he pulled away, leaving her more confused than ever.

  And the cocky bastard had the gall to blackmail her into coming along. He knew she wouldn’t want to worry — or tempt — her father. But she was determined to learn once and for all if he really was crazy or not. What choice did she have but to agree?

  At least having Tucker along might give her an opportunity to figure out what that kiss was about.

  Their first stop was the site of the attack. They searched for tracks, clues or trails of any kind. Both had plenty of experience in the wilderness and it didn’t take long for Tucker to break the frosty silence.

  “So, why are you back in Sunset Glade? Besides being a pain in my ass,” he said with a cheeky smile.

  Gabi frowned. She was a pain in his ass? Ha.

  “Does it matter?” she said coolly, examining a line of broken branches.

  Tucker sighed, “I’m not your enemy, Gabs.”

  His use of her nickname gave her pause. Since when were she and Tucker Auric on ‘nickname’ basis?

  “My sister’s been on my case about our dad. She thinks he’s senile. She wants to put him in a nursing home.”

  Tucker sucked in a breath, “Oh, that’s rough, I’m sorry.”

  She nodded, following the path she’d found until it ended at the base of a cypress.

  “I’m still holding out hope that he’s not crazy…”

  “So you’re out here looking for his monsters?”

  She frowned, “Well… when you put it that way…” A sigh escaped her lips.

  “Something is out here though. Last night proved that.”

  She noticed the way his jaw ticked as he clenched; had she struck a nerve?

  “That doesn’t mean it’s anything unusual,” he argued.

  Gabi was well aware of the fact. It was something she couldn’t stop thinking about.

  “So what then? You decide to put your old man in a home and go back to Miami like nothing ever happened?”

  One sentence from Tucker was enough to spawn a hundred questions in Gabi’s mind.

  “How did you know I was in Miami?”

  Tucker shrugged, “I heard it one place or the other. Actually, I heard you were a nurse.”

  Gabi frowned, swiping at strands of sweat-slicked hair that stuck to her forehead.

  “Not yet. I’m still saving up for Nursing School,” the same old lie slipped out too easily. Why did she care what he thought about her?

  “I’m sure you’ll be great,” he answered absently.

  A pang of guilt clawed at her stomach.

  “No, I won’t,” she muttered, following him through the brush as the sun dipped into dusk. “I’m not really saving up for Nursing School.”

  Why are you telling him of all people? Something about Tucker eased her worries, made her want to be honest and open.

  “You’re not?” he questioned without a hint of judgement.

  Gabi sighed. She hadn’t told anyone about this. Hadn’t even wanted to think about it herself. Tears brimmed in her eyes and she swiped them away before continuing.

  “No. I’ve applied three times. I’m not getting in. Please don’t tell anyone,” she hastily added, instantly regretting sharing her secret.

  He turned, facing her with a look of earnestness that made her heart clench in longing.

  “I would never. I’m sorry; that must be disappointing,” he said.

  Gabi felt a shiver slink up her spine. Oh, how she wanted him to touch her, to kiss her, to brush away her tears with his calloused thumb. Instead, she nodded.

  “Well, on the bright side, you have all the skills to come work for Parks and Wildlife,” he teased, trying to lighten the mood.

  Gabi awarded him with a wan smile, but the moment was short-lived. A shrill scream pierced the early evening air.

  “What was that?” she asked, her pulse quickening to supersonic speeds.

  Tucker’s look of alarm did nothing to quell her fears.

  “Don’t move. I mean it. Stay right here,” he ordered, slipping off into the woods.

  She watched him weave his way through trees, at a loss for words, and then she lost sight of him.

  Every rustle made her jump. Each new gust of wind sent frightened panic through her. Standing alone in the darkening swamp after hearing that bone-chilling cry of anguish made Gabi lose all pretense of bravado.

  A twig snapped in the dark and she whirled around to face the noise.

  “Screw this,” she muttered. She wasn’t going to be a sitting duck. If she was going down, she’d go down fighting.

  She traipsed off in the direction Tucker had gone, her trepidation growing with every step. He’d told her to stay put. But he wasn’t in charge of her. She could take care of herself.

  Like Mr. Pierce?

  A chill went down her spine. Maybe this had been a terrible idea. She could be at home, snuggled in her bed with an old water-logged book. Instead, she was stranded in the swamp with only the pani
cked feeling of being hunted as her company.

  Stupid, stupid, stupid girl, she scolded herself. What was she thinking?

  She saw him then. The panther. Near the trail, stalking toward a bloody male victim. She remembered their encounter the previous night. The big cat had looked at her with eyes full of… understanding? Humanity? But that wasn’t possible. He was the monster that attacked Mr. Pierce and now this man. How could she have thought herself safe?

  And right before her very eyes, the panther changed; his tawny fur retracted, the curvature of his spine changed so that he was on two feet and Gabi instantly recognized him as his human features took over the panther’s.

  A startled gasp alerted him to her presence and Tucker turned, his gaze locking on her.

  In a moment of sheer terror, Gabi turned and ran as fast as she could.

  “Gabi!” he called after her. “Gabi wait!”

  She heard his footsteps gaining on her. He was more athletic, more accustomed to the area. She didn’t stand a chance. She was going to be slaughtered by her schoolgirl crush.

  Chancing a look over her shoulder proved to be the wrong choice as Tucker slammed into her, tackling her to the ground.

  Gabi struggled against him, but his hands were like vice grips on her wrists.

  “Gabi, stop! Just listen to me!”

  “Listen to you?!” she shrieked, hysteria making her voice sound like someone else’s.

  “You’re a… Oh my god! You killed that man! You’re going to kill me!” she sobbed, still fighting against him, “That’s why you didn’t want me out here, that’s why…”

  He pinned her to the leaf-strewn ground between his iron thighs, one hand holding her wrists over her head.

  “Gabi, it’s not me. I didn’t attack anyone. Please, calm down,” he pleaded.

  “CALM DOWN?” Her struggles resumed in earnest as she tried to buck him off of her. All those times she imagined him on top of her, this was not what she had in mind.

  “We were together for both attacks, remember?” he added, impatience tinging his words.

  “What… no we weren—” She paused at the meaningful look he gave her.

  Of course… She’d been eye-to-eye with him while Mr. Pierce was attacked. But that meant that he was really…

  “What are you?”

  Tucker sighed, giving her a pointed look.

  “Can I explain to you without you freaking out or running off?”

  Against her better judgement, Gabi nodded.

  “Okay,” he said, letting out another heavy exhale, “I’m a shifter. A panther to be precise. I’m not the only one, either. Remember Silvanus and crew?”

  Ice poured through her veins. Their threats against her father seemed much more frightening with this new information.

  “They’re… shifters, too?” she asked, hesitating over the foreign word for a moment. She never even knew such things existed.

  He nodded, “For obvious reasons, you can understand why we’d like to keep this under wraps.”

  “Were…” Gabi paused, still trying to grasp everything Tucker was saying while keeping her skepticism at bay, “were the others the ones that… that…” her lip quivered, unable to finish the sentence.

  “No. That was my brother.”

  She sat bolt upright with an incredulous look.

  “What? That’s not possible. Your brother…” her words trailed off.

  “He’s not dead,” Tucker said plainly.

  “What? I don’t understand. You’re not making any sense.” As if the talk of ‘shifters’ had made sense.

  Tucker let out a low whistle, “It’s kind of a long story. Benny always wanted to be a shifter… Well, someone thought it would be funny to tell him about a swamp witch that could change him.”

  “A witch?” Gabi exclaimed, more incredulous than ever.

  “She changed him. Cursed him. He was supposed to become a monster — lose his humanity, but it never happened. The curse went wrong,” he sighed, and the look of pain on his handsome features made Gabi want to soothe all his troubles.

  “We always expected for it to ‘click’ one day. For him to go berserk. I got this job, my secluded house, everything to protect him… and everyone else. It seemed like it was working, too. Until tonight.”

  Gabi’s jaw dropped, “You really think he could do something like this?”

  Tucker winced, “No. At least, I hope not. But I saw him. If he’s lost his humanity, I have to put a stop to this. You should go home. Stay far away from here.”

  Though he didn’t say it, Gabi knew what Tucker meant: he would have to kill the brother that supposedly died a decade ago.

  She rested a hand on his forearm, giving it a gentle squeeze, “I’ll come with you.”

  “Gabi…”

  “Tucker, I’m not going to let you deal with this on your own.” She didn’t know why she felt obligated to be there for him. Somehow, Tucker’s revelation put everything in perspective. He wasn’t aloof, he was trying to protect his family. She understood that. Maybe better than anyone.

  He didn’t answer for an extended moment, the silence hanging heavy between them.

  Finally, he nodded, his jaw clenched.

  “Okay, but if I tell you to stay put, you have to do it, okay? It’s for your own good.”

  Gabi searched his gold-green eyes for a chink in the armor he’d put between himself and the world.

  She shrugged, “If that’s what you want.”

  Chapter Six

  Tucker

  What he wanted? What Tucker wanted was to forget anything about shifters, witches and sasquatches. He wanted to live a normal life — or as normal as possible in the Glades — where he didn’t have to hide his true nature. He wanted to kiss Gabi senseless again and drag her to his bed.

  But most of all?

  Most of all, Tucker wanted to forget the image of the gore-covered beast that haunted him. He’d heard the sasquatch cry — recognized it immediately — and shifted in hopes of spotting it easier in the twilight hour.

  The beast took off, leaving its victim behind, a trail of blood in his wake.

  It was a hot knife of betrayal straight to his intestines. Benny? Was Ben really capable of such a heinous act?

  The victim, this one an older man, was mauled beyond recognition and lifeless by the time Tucker got there. He took chase, but soon lost the trail.

  Then Gabi saw him shift. Ran from him. Who wouldn’t?

  But she listened to him. She believed him. And she’d offered to stay with him.

  He knew he was being selfish allowing her to accompany him. If he were honest with himself and did what was really best for her, he would send Gabi to safety. He wouldn’t let her enter such an uncertain situation.

  But his mate soothed the savage beast within him. She kept his temper level and kept his fears from paralyzing him. Would he be able to do what was necessary if Benny was behind this?

  The thought made him sick to his stomach.

  He glanced at Gabi again, wondering what had changed. Earlier that day, she seemed to hate him. Her body had certainly responded to him, though. Then they’d each shared something personal and secret — something they were each ashamed of. Was that when things changed?

  She sent him an encouraging smile and a nod of reassurance. He could do this.

  He steeled his nerves, straightened his spine, and prepared himself for the worst.

  The front door creaked as it swung open and the tantalizing aroma of vanilla and sugar assaulted him.

  Involuntarily, Tucker closed his eyes and inhaled deeply, savoring the delicious scent.

  “Ben? You home?” he called, his voice an octave higher than usual. Could his baby brother really have turned into the monster they always feared he’d become?

  “Hey! I was wondering when you’d turn up!” Benny came into view from the pantry, an apron with the words ‘Real Men Do Dishes’ emblazoned on the chest wrapped over his furry frame.

&n
bsp; “I made angel food cake for dessert,” he said brightly.

  Tucker took a moment, trying to digest the scene. Benny looked as well-kempt as every, nary a leaf or speck of blood matted into his fur. He reached into the oven with his bare hand and pulled the golden brown bundt out, depositing it on the counter.

  “Have you been home all night?” Tucker asked, his voice harder than he’d meant.

  Ben finally realized something was amiss, his features falling into a frown, “Yeah, why?” he asked, hesitant to commit to the words.

  Tucker sighed and fell onto a barstool, his face pinched with worry.

  “Something’s going on. There was another attack. It… looked like… I thought it was…”

  Tucker gave his brother a meaningful look. He didn’t have to say more.

  Benny slammed the oven door shut, hiding his expression from Tucker.

  “There’s another… like me?”

  Tucker couldn’t bear the painful hope in Ben’s voice.

  “Ben, it’s not like you. It’s… It killed someone.” Sudden realization struck Tucker; Gabi was still outside, still vulnerable.

  He held a finger up, excusing himself, “Hold that thought, there’s someone you should meet.”

  Tucker felt like he could dance a jig. Benny wasn’t a monster. He was still the perfect little furry pain in the ass brother. And Gabi… She was perfect too. Too perfect for the likes of him, but Tucker couldn’t wait to bring the two most important people in his life together.

  They already knew each other, but not in this capacity.

  Benny sent a mocking grin in Tucker’s direction as he nearly flew out of the house to fetch his mate.

  “Gabi!” he called, his heart expanding in his chest. His mate. His love. His.

  “Gabi, it’s okay! It wasn’t Benny!” he didn’t find her where he’d left her. He searched the brush nearby before spotting her footprints leading away from his cabin.

  There weren’t any signs of a struggle. No broken branches or drag marks. Only one set of footprints moving resolutely away from his dwelling.

  His heart sank.

  “Gabi?” Tucker called feebly once more, hoping that the evidence was misleading. Hoping that she hadn’t left.