Strange Lake Falls Panther (Strange Lake Falls Series Book 4) (6 page)

Connor in his panther form and circled the area, but only found hints of Mors’ scent. It was spread all over the place, almost like there was more than one of him. He came back around towards the parking lot and caught sight of Roxanne walking out with the Alpha, his arm around her. He growled.

He wanted to rip the man’s arm off for having touched his mate.
Mate?
Where the hell did that thought come from? Roxanne couldn’t be his mate. She was a werewolf and he was a werepanther. Were they even compatible? In human form they were. It didn’t seem to matter to his cat; his cat wanted Roxanne.
Our Mate. The male touches our mate.

Her words to him before she went back inside, back to the Alpha, would haunt him forever. “You had your chance and you blew it.”

She was right, he had blown it. He had thrown her at the other man and now she was leaving with him. At the time he only thought of getting her away from danger. He knew that the other male was an Alpha and would protect her while Connor searched for Mors.

He watched as the man pulled out of the parking lot, turning left instead of the right. Right led to the pack house, but left would lead them to a nearby hotel where Connor assumed the alpha was staying. He may have really lost her for good.
Fuck!

*****

Roxanne stared out the window of the hotel room. She had showered and Lucas had been nice enough to lend her one of his clean shirts. It reached her knees, so she felt pretty covered. As a shifter, nudity didn’t bother her, but she didn’t think it wise to parade naked in front of a man in his hotel room. Besides, all she could think about was Connor. He had acted so strange. Now that she had time to think back, he had sniffed the air and then pushed her away. Maybe he scented danger. Why wouldn’t he tell her that? And why would he tell her to go back to Lucas?

“Feeling better?” Lucas asked, coming up behind her and placing his hands on her shoulders.

“Yes, thank you.”

“Are you feeling like talking about it?”

“No, but you deserve to hear about it anyway.” She sat on a chair and looked at her hands. She just didn’t know how to begin this.

“Let me help you out. Lucas you’re a great guy, but there’s someone else,” Lucas said for her, encouraging her to admit it.

“There is, but he doesn’t want to be with me. Shit. The situation is so confusing and complicated. We may not be compatible anyway.”

Lucas raised an eyebrow. “Why wouldn’t you be compatible?”

“He’s not . . . a werewolf.”

“Human?”

“No.”

“Vampire?”

“No. And I would rather not say too much more in case you tell Ric about this.”

Lucas sighed. “I would never betray your trust that way. So this guy who is
other
hasn’t claimed you but you want to claim him?”

She nodded her head.

“Why didn’t you tell me when I first arrived that you wanted someone else?”

“I should have. But he had never before claimed an interest in me. He wasn’t even in the country until a few days ago. Then you arrived and I was determined to move past these feelings and do the right thing by our people.”

He growled a little. It was the first sign that he gave that he was upset over the situation. “You make it sound so romantic,” he said, the first sign of sarcasm she’d heard from him.

She stiffened her shoulders in defense. “You came here, without ever having met me before, planning to mate me for the same reason.”

“You’re right. And we were both wrong to do so. A mating is for life and should be entered into only if the two involved share a deep, caring relationship with one another.”

“I do find you attractive and I like you. You have been so sweet to me.” She reached out a hand and cupped his cheek.

“That is not enough to base a mating on. I deserve more, and so do you. Roxanne, I must withdraw my interest in you.”

“I understand.”

“I deserve the truth.”

“Yes, you do.” She sighed. “His name is Connor. He’s Mary’s son.”

“Shit.”

“Exactly.”

“And he’s a panther?”

“Yes. He was turned against his will a little over a year ago.”

“Well, I’ve not heard of or seen a panther shifter in a long time. They didn’t like being around other shifters or humans. I had assumed they all died out.”

“Not all, and now Connor is one.”

“So, if you’re attracted to him, and I assume he’s attracted to you, why aren’t you two mated?”

She blushed turning away. “I’m not sure he’s really into me.”

Lucas snorted. “Two things tell me he is. One is that you are absolutely stunning. Not straight single male could resist your charms. Second, I can smell him on you still. That male is definitely interested.”

“I’m so sorry about tonight. I went outside to get some fresh air and he was there. The next thing I know, he’s kissing me and I let him. I kissed him back. It got out of hand but then he suddenly pulled away. Then he told me to go back to my date.”

“What an asshole. I will hunt him down and beat him until he can’t stand up.”

It made her feel a little better that Lucas would be upset on her behalf. “I appreciate the sentiment, but I can’t force myself on him. He’s pushed me away. I have to accept it.”

There was a moment of silence. She watched as Lucas stood and went to the minibar. He poured a glass of bourbon and came back, handing her the glass. “Drink all of that, then go to bed. I have to run down to the lobby but I’ll be back. I’m going to see if they have a cot they can give me to sleep on.”

She took a sip. “I don’t want to put you out.”

“You’re not. Go ahead on to bed. I have the key. I want to wait on the bed and bring it up myself so that no one will disturb you.”

She wasn’t really paying attention anymore. She took a large gulp and wobbled over to the bed. She lay down and closed her eyes. That was a mistake. She saw Connor’s face as he made her come. He had been just as much into her as she had been into him. So why was he pushing her away? She sighed and tried to think of something else, anything else but Connor. She heard the door to the hotel room shut softly as Lucas left. Roxanne was going to need another glass or two to truly unwind.

Connor was fighting his cat for control. His cat wanted to track down Roxanne and kill the man that took her from them.

“Get mate now!” his cat demanded.

“No, damn it! We’ll put her in danger if we go after her.”

“We keep her safe. I want my mate!” his cat insisted.

“I want her too.” Connor felt like his heart was breaking in two. He had been obsessed with Roxanne for the past few years, but now, finally recognizing what his cat had been trying to tell him, that she was his mate, he could see that he had fallen in love with her. Probably the first time he saw her, he started to fall. Now he was completely and utterly consumed with love for her.

But he had pushed her away. He scented Mors and all he knew was that he had to protect her. No matter what. Even if she hated him for it. Her life was more important.

The doorbell rang, interrupting his thoughts. He went to answer it. He paused, smelling wolf, and a part of him hoped that it was Roxanne. He opened the door to be greeted with a fist in his face. He was surprised and flew backwards, sliding across the floor. Who the hell was this?

“Get up, you asshole!” the blurry stranger yelled as he stormed in.

It wasn’t until Connor got back to his feet and really looked at the stranger that he recognized him. “Alpha. Why are you here?”

“I have spent the last two hours trying to comfort a crying Roxanne after what you did to her.”

Connor’s eyes narrowed at the other man as he sniffed the air. “Did you touch her?”

“Of course not. I am not in the habit of taking advantage of emotionally distressed females.”

Connor breathed a sigh of relief. Then he remembered what the man said. “She was crying?”

“Yes. So much that I decided, when I got a chance, I would come find you and beat the shit out of you.”

“Where is she?”

“Her whereabouts are not your concern right now. What kind of game are you trying to play with her?”

“I’m not trying to play any games with her. I . . . care for her deeply.”

“Yes, your care for her was evident when you dumped her in an alley and told her to go off with another man.”

“I was trying to protect her!”

“From what?”

“From the psycho who turned me! I scented him close by and I was trying to get her away from there, to safety.”

“Why didn’t you just tell her that?” The Alpha seemed to relax his stance a little.

“She would have stayed by my side. She’s beautiful, brave, and stubborn.”

“She needs you to tell her the truth. She thinks you turned her away because you didn’t want her.”

“Fuck that, she’s all I’ve ever truly wanted.” Connor ran a hand through his hair.

“Then you need to do something about the damage you have caused. Or you risk losing her forever.”

“I . . . have to handle Mors and the danger he brings with him first.”

“You can’t handle this on your own,” Lucas told him bluntly.

“He won’t be,” Alpha Ric said from the doorway.

Neither Connor nor Lucas had noticed Ric’s entrance. He was leaning against the wall.

“How long have you been there?” Connor asked.

“Long enough. Mary didn’t see you come back inside the club so I told her I would come and check on you. Jackie and Adrian will take her home. So this guy Mors is here in Strange Lake Falls?”

“I caught some of his scent outside the club, but it was real faint and appeared to be in several different places, spread out. It didn’t make sense.”

“I’ll have the twins meet you back at the club. They are two of our best trackers. Show them the scent before it disappears completely. I’ll call Adrian and let him know. Your mother and Roxanne need to know what’s going on.”

“I don’t want to scare them.”

“Well, they’re going to know something is up when I order them to have round-the-clock security. I won’t take a chance with their lives.”

Connor nodded. “Thanks.”

“You’re family. No thanks is needed.”

Lucas moved forward. “Let me go with Connor to check the scent. I’ve had more years of tracking than your boys.”

“Good idea, Lucas. I want everyone to meet at the pack house first thing in the morning so we can go over security measures.” Ric walked up to Connor and placed a hand on his shoulder. “We’ll find this guy and take care of him.”

Connor nodded again in relief. He was so blessed to have such good people in his life. He and Lucas followed Ric out of the house. All three then shifted into their animal forms and went their separate ways.

It didn’t take long to reach the wooded area surrounding the nightclub. It was three in the morning and the club was closed, but the employees were just now leaving. None of them paid attention to the wolf or the panther watching them.

Connor lowered his nose and sniffed the ground. He pawed a leaf that seemed to have the heaviest scent of Mors on it. He shifted. “This is his scent. It’s faint but definitely him.”

Lucas shifted. “I’ve got him. I’ll wait for the twins. You have a female to claim.”

Connor blinked in shock. “What? I can’t. Not until Mors has been dealt with.”

“Go, Connor. I have a silver Mercedes in the hotel parking lot. The doors to it are unlocked. In the trunk are spare clothes and the key to the hotel room. Room 335. You can access it from outside so you won’t have to go through the lobby.”

“But there’s other issues. What if I lose control and become more like the guy who changed me?”

“There’s the possibility of insanity no matter whether you are human, wolf, panther, or alien. It’s not based on who made you. There is a scent to sickness. I can smell the sickness coming off this guy Mors. You don’t have it. Now go.”

Connor didn’t argue any more. He shifted to his panther and took off towards the hotel. He wanted to apologize to Roxanne and beg her forgiveness. Then he wanted to claim her body, heart, and soul for all time. He prayed she would forgive him and accept him.

Roxanne was having the best dream. She felt strong hands caressing her back. It felt so good, almost like a massage. In her mind, she imagined Connor touching her. His fingers were warm and rough. She had kicked the covers off as she felt her body heating up. She wore her underwear and Lucas’s large shirt, but nothing else.

Hands caressed her legs softly. Then lips nibbled at her neck. A scent reached her that had her wolf sitting up and paying attention. The hand moved from her legs up to cup her covered pussy. She couldn’t help but moan with need. “Mmm . . . Connor.”

“Yes, sweetness?” Connor bit gently at her earlobe.

The small bit of pain mixed with pleasure woke her up. She opened her eyes. “Connor?”

“Roxanne.”

His kisses trailed over her shoulder. She shivered with pleasure as she tried to turn to look up at him. “What are you doing here?”

Connor moved to one side and gave her room to roll onto her back. “I needed to apologize to you.”

“How did you know where to find me?”

“Alpha Lucas told me. He stopped by to have a little talk with me.”

Roxanne reached over and turned the light on. She didn’t really need it but there was something different about Connor’s face. She looked at him again and gasped. His chin sported a dark bruise and his lip was split.

“What the hell happened?”

“The Alpha had some strong opinions he wanted to express.”

“Oh, Connor.” She got to her knees and cupped his cheek gently so she could look at his bruise.

“It’s nothing. It’s already healing and will be completely gone by morning.”

“I just hate to see you injured in any way.”

They stared into each other’s eyes. She didn’t ask why Lucas punched him. She already knew it was because of her. Lucas was a good man who wanted to right a wrong. And now he had sent Connor to his hotel room to see her. She felt her heart racing. “Why did you come here?”

He shifted closer to her. “I wanted to apologize for how I behaved at the nightclub.”

“For kissing and touching me?”

He shook his head. “No, for what I did after that. I sent you away from me. That was the last thing I wanted to do.”

“Why did you?”

“I caught the scent of Mors, the guy who changed me. He was close by.”

Roxanne was shocked. She had never expected him to say anything like that. “The guy from South America?”

“Yes. I caught his scent and wanted to get you to safety, but I was struggling with my cat and I didn’t handle it very well. I went searching for him but I couldn’t find him.”

“You went after him on your own? This guy is too dangerous from what you have told me.”

“Worried about me?”

“You big jerk! Of course I’m worried about you.” She tried to hit him but he caught her wrist. He brought it to his mouth and licked her pulse.

“Is apologizing all that you wanted to do?” she asked. She could feel the heat rolling off of him. It seeped inside of her, arousing not only her, but also her wolf.

“No, I also wanted to tell you something else.”

“What?”

“That I want you desperately. I have ever since I first met you almost two years ago. I want you so badly I can’t sleep without dreaming of you, how you feel, how you taste.”

Roxanne shivered. “I want you too. I’m falling in love with you, Connor.”

“I’ve already fallen, baby. There’s no coming back from it.” Connor pulled her into his arms and leaned forward to kiss her deeply.

The moment their lips met, passion ignited like a firestorm.