Things That Go Hump In The Night (77 page)

CHAPTER TWELVE

Hot and Cold

I
didn’t know how to feel anymore. I spent the rest of the afternoon holed up in my room, writing and rewriting my homework assignments until my eyes were crossed. Eventually I couldn’t even think up words anymore, so I returned to that drawing of Riker that remained unfinished.

There’s still something wrong with it,
I thought, staring at the piece from every angle.
I should just start over at the beginning.

Nothing compared to the potential of a blank page.

Turning on my music, I sat in front of my drafting desk and let the inspiration take me. With all the sketches I’d made of Riker during class—combined with my
personal
encounters—I was starting to feel like I knew every nook and cranny of his body. His tattoos were the hardest to shade, since they wrapped around living, breathing flesh, but with enough patience on my part, the panther eventually seemed to prowl across his skin.

An hour and a half later, I lifted my pencil from the paper to give my hand a break.
Almost there,
I thought, finally satisfied with the lines and shading I’d eked out this time.

“If I didn’t know any better, I’d say you’re obsessed.”

I jumped at the sound of Nora’s voice. “I didn’t hear you come in over my music.” Reaching over, I turned the speakers on my music player down. “How long have you been standing there, creeping on me?”

“I don’t creep.” Nora motioned towards my drawing of a nearly nude Riker. “You seem to do a lot of creeping, though. That your boy toy?”

“It’s a homework assignment,” I defended, “and he’s not my boy toy. Although…” I trailed off, not sure how to tell her about our encounter earlier, or even if I
should
tell her.

“Oh my god. What happened?” Nora was giddy, her face lit up with expectation. “Tell me, tell me, tell me!”

I laughed at her enthusiasm. “Okay, fine, but it doesn’t mean what you think it means, it was just physical—”

“You
slept
with him again?” Gasping, Nora laid down on the couch and fanned herself like a fainting Victorian lady. “When? How? Was it good?”

“I didn’t actually say that I slept with him,” I pointed out.

“Oh, please. No one says ‘it was just physical’ about a little flirting or a peck on the cheek. You totally banged that bad, bad boy.”

Sighing, I sat down across from her on the couch. “I did, I really did. And even though it’s a huge mistake, I can’t bring myself to regret it.”

“Because it was
just
that hot.”

Rolling my eyes, I swatted her. “Not just that, although it
was
pretty hot. But there was something about him. Something… tender. And we weren’t drunk this time.”

Nora raised her eyebrows at me. “Wait, are you saying you might actually want to date him?”

The idea sent me spinning. Some part of me wanted to say yes, but the rest screamed caution. This was a guy who thought nothing of a one-night stand, who inked his body with dangerous predators, who looked at me with something unnatural in his eyes. Unfortunately for me, I couldn’t forget the feeling of his skin against mine as I pulled glass out of his hand, or as he stroked my waist and pulled me close.

“I’m not sure. I mean, we said it would be strictly physical. I can’t exactly expect him to pick me up in a limousine and take me to prom.”

She rolled her eyes at me. “You know that’s not what I meant. And did you
both
say it was strictly physical, or was that just you pushing him away? Because you’ve gotten pretty good at that in the last year.”

“You mean Tom.” Nora knew all about him—she was right there in the middle, after all. Tom was the friend I’d slept with at a drunken frat party last year. Of course, we weren’t friends now, mostly because afterwards he wanted to put his arm through mine and call me “honey” and I wanted to pretend like it never happened.

Remembering it made me feel a little embarrassed; I knew he’d been hurt by my callousness, but at the same time, I hadn’t promised him anything and I’d been too hurt by my ex to let anyone close. Everything about his timing had been wrong, and my reaction to the idea of us being together hadn’t helped.

“You think I want to be with you?”
I remembered yelling at him.
“You’re not boyfriend material, Tom. It was just a drunken mistake.”

“Tom was a good guy, but he shouldn’t have pushed so hard,” Nora said, reaching over to take my hand in hers. “He knew how much Kyle hurt you, and he didn’t do himself any favors by giving you an ultimatum.”

“Either we do something about this thing between us,”
he’d pleaded to me,
“or we’re never going to be friends again. And I mean it, Mara—don’t expect me to stick around after you cry on my shoulder and lead me on like this.”

“This isn’t like Tom. Riker and I were never friends,” I pointed out to her. “I’m not pushing him away because of Kyle. I’m
way
past our breakup. I’m just not sure Riker is the type of guy to even
want
to settle down. Why get attached if I’ll just get hurt?”

“Hurt the way Kyle hurt you by cheating on you?” Nora’s voice was soft, her hand warm around mine. “Eventually you’re going to have to give someone a chance, and if you ask me, it seems like this Riker guy has some potential.”

“You haven’t even met him.”

“No,” she said, “but I see the way your eyes light up when you talk about him. So what if he has tattoos and he likes one-night stands? You were there with him, getting drunk and having casual sex. That doesn’t mean you can’t want something more, and it doesn’t mean he can’t either.”

Smiling, I shook my head at her in affection. “You always know just the things to say to me when I’m acting indecisive.”

“So you’re going to give him a chance?”

I thought about it for a long, long moment. When I closed my eyes, two glowing yellow irises seemed to stare at me. I couldn’t forget the way it felt to have him protect me from Danny—or how passionately he kissed me after we’d had sex on his desk. Opening my eyes, I looked at Nora.

“I’ll give him a chance. But after we agreed to keep things professional between us and cut everything else off, I’m not sure he’s going to be pursuing me anymore.”

Snorting, Nora patted my hand. “Honey, it’s the twenty-first century. You can ask
him
out. After acting so hot and cold, it’s the least you can do for the poor guy.”

She was right. Now I just had to figure out where the hell a guy like him enjoyed going out.

CHAPTER THIRTEEN

Prowl

He
had a mission, and there was no room for his panther’s wild desires to get in the way of it.
Mate,
it growled in Riker’s head, but he pushed the beast back into the recesses of his mind where it would stay until he let it roam again. The chemistry he felt with Mara was sometimes unbearable, but he couldn’t let it get in the way.

Danny Killum had to pay for what he’d done to her, even if it meant going back to a world Riker had promised himself he’d left forever.

The sun was setting, turning the campus into a dark blue-grey. In the evening twilight an average Joe couldn’t see for shit, making this a perfect opportunity for Riker to do what he did best.

Prowling to the edge of campus, he stood beneath the trees. He could hear birds singing, small predators walking in the underbrush, even the distant sound of human voices hundreds of yards behind him. Closing his eyes, he breathed deep and let a sliver of the predator inside him loose.

When he opened his eyes he could see ten times better than as a human. He knew that his irises had turned a bright yellow, and that if someone shone light at him, his pupils would reflect it right back. Taking a deep breath, he let all the scents of the world around him wash through him.
Meat. Dog. Bird. Man. Fox.

And somewhere—distantly—he smelled someone like him.

Throwing his head back, Riker opened his mouth and let out a high-pitched feline scream. The sound was more beast than man, and the closest a panther ever got to a roar. No doubt it would terrify any nearby students, but that wasn’t his aim.

Moments later, a silken black panther paced towards him on silent feet. Birds and squirrels scattered in its wake, and its tail swished in the air, its claws digging in for leverage on the soft New England soil. It was dark with yellow eyes, its form that of a jaguar, but taller and lankier, a creature adapted to the night. A shifter panther was native to Belmont City only—and far more dangerous than a typical black coated jaguar.

“Jonathan,” Riker said, his voice soft and low for a panther’s sensitive hearing. “I’m glad you came.”

Several feet from where he stood, the panther stopped and began to change. The sight of him twisting and reforming in the dark was something often whispered about;
shapeshifters,
they said, lived here.
Belmont City is a strange place,
people muttered as they packed their bags and left. One reason why the metropolis had never become as large as Chicago or New York was because of what its settlers built it on: a lake of supernatural power residing deep in the bedrock, the water so still yet so powerful that it carved a cave in the earth. It was a place only maniacs and the most desperate of humans tread—and nothing human ever left it.

But Jonathan had escaped, once. As had Riker.

The black panther was a man now, clothed in all black and standing mere feet from Riker. The two men assessed each other for a moment, their eyes an identical shade of yellow.

“So does this mean you’re finally coming back?” Jonathan asked, his voice pitched low for Riker’s supernatural ears. “I knew this little professor thing wasn’t going to last.”

“I’m not a professor, I’m a teacher’s assistant pursuing an MFA,” Riker pointed out, irritated with the other man. “And you know I’m not coming back. Not yet. There was an agreement. I still have more time.”

Grumbling, Jonathan looked off into the distance, his eyes narrowed. “Suit yourself. I still think you’re an idiot to pass up a life like that.”

“It’s not
my
life.” Sighing, Riker was determined to change the subject. “Look, I asked you here for a favor, not some politics.”

“Fine.” Jonathan met his eyes, his gaze more measured and human. “Tell me all about this favor you need, and I’ll tell you if I can do it.”

I shouldn’t have expected anything more from Jon,
Riker thought to himself, resigned to whatever bullshit he’d have to put up with from him.

“There’s this kid at the school—a real asshole. And I can’t mess with him because I work for the college and he knows who I am. So I need a little help.”

“You mean you need me to play psychopath to your apex predator.”

Riker shrugged. “Something like that.”

“Alright, I’ll play.” A little smirk curled up Jonathan’s lips. “So tell me, what exactly did this guy do to get you so worked up?”

His inner panther paced and snarled. “Let’s just say there was a girl involved.”

“I never thought I’d see the day.” Mischief sparkled in Jon’s eyes. “Riker Kinley, a panther with a mate. What a lucky lady to have a catch like you.”

“I didn’t say we were
mates,
” Riker growled. “Listen, just follow my lead, alright?”

The
panther wasn’t hard to find inside himself, especially with the week he’d been having.

Riker pulled the form on the way others pulled on clothing, draping himself with feline muscles and grace. Though the cracking of his bones hurt, though the pierce of his new teeth through gums was agony, though it was strange and unnatural—he truly felt at home as a panther.

So at home, in fact, that he hadn’t let himself shift for three months.

Beside him, Jonathan took the lead. “I hope you know what you’re doing,” he said, his human speech strange in Riker’s feline ears. “Based on how long it took you to shift, you haven’t been practicing the way you should. The last thing we need is for one of us to lose control and maul some college student.”

In answer, Riker lifted his lips to show his long, sharp teeth. Jonathan was one to talk. Still, it wouldn’t hurt to be careful.
Stay in control,
he reminded himself, fighting the beastial instincts that wanted to take over his four-footed body.
No mauling. She’s not your mate.

The panther couldn’t stop thinking about her, though, which is why Riker had risked asking Jonathan along on this mission. He knew better than to risk doing it by himself; without another shifter there to keep him in check, he wasn’t sure what he would do.

Especially since the panther insisted that Mara was his mate, and any male who stood between them should be turned into dinner.

Riker led him around the back of the dorms through the thick New England forest that jutted up against the red brick buildings. He’d looked into Danny’s file to figure out where he lived; a misuse of power, maybe, but he wasn’t about to feel bad about it. Unluckily for them, he was on the third floor, which meant they’d have to be careful about being seen.

Stopping, Riker glanced up at Jonathan, and their eyes met in a flash of power.

This is it,
Riker telepathed to him, his thoughts slipping into the other man’s mind with ease.
Third floor with the drapes closed.
Danny’s room had a balcony—one they were about to take advantage of.

You’ve still got it,
Jonathan sent back. His inner voice was as clear as a bell in Riker’s mind—something that almost scared him.

Prowling forward, Jonathan stopped below the window on the first floor and assessed his position. Then, with an almost feline crouch, he propelled himself up and grabbed onto the second story balcony. His shoulders worked as he swung himself up onto the railings, balancing better than any human tightrope walker. Then he reached up, grabbed the third floor balcony, and repeated the maneuver.

Turning, his eyes met Riker’s, their supernatural pupils reflecting moonlight at each other.
I’ll let you know when it’s time for your entrance.

Hesitating, Riker considered his options.
I want to know what’s going on in there the whole time.

Surprise spilled from Jonathan’s expression, visible even from this distance.
Whatever you say, hoss. Jump on for the ride.

With a sharp
twist
of his inner mind, Riker joined his vision with the other man’s. The effect was sickening at first, but within moments it was as if he were looking at a picture in a picture, with Jonathan’s vision taking up most of his consciousness. He could see his own panther form crouching in the darkness; he was larger than Jonathan’s panther by a good bit, and dark as the night itself.

Let’s go.

Jonathan balled his fist up and smashed open the sliding glass door to the balcony, glass shattering everywhere. He pushed through the frame, his boots crunching on the carpet.

Danny woke with a start, staring blindly out into the darkness. “What the—what the fuck? Who’s there?”

In response, Jonathan chuckled. The sound was eerie. “You know who’s here,
fucker.
It’s payback. Revenge.”

Throwing himself out of the bed, Danny pressed against the door. “I don’t know who the fuck you are, man.”

“You don’t?” Cocking his head to the side, Jonathan slid forward, taking part of Riker’s presence with him. He could
feel
his own anger infect Jon, make him lift his lips in a snarl. “You sure as fuck will know who I am in a minute. You know what you did.”

With a shout, he lunged at Danny, picking him up off the ground by his jacket. “Wait, wait! If this is about that thing in February—”

There was his chance. “It is,” Jonathan replied.

“That’s between me and Pete, it has nothing to do with you… whoever you are.”

“Yeah? Well, Pete doesn’t think so, because Pete hired me.”

Danny’s heart beat double, even triple time, his whole body reeking of fear. “I’ll pay him back, I swear. He knows I’m good for it!” Something seemed to occur to him suddenly. “Wait—he sent you alone? Why would he do that? That’s not Pete’s style.”

Here’s where I come in,
Riker thought, all his muscles bulging in anticipation. Unlike Jonathan, he wasn’t going to need a jumpstart, not in his shifter form. He took a flying leap into open air and landed on the third floor balcony railing, his claws wrapped around it for purchase, his tail swishing in the air for balance.

“Wh—what was that?”

Riker released himself from Jonathan’s vision and leapt forward into the room. He padded carefully across the broken glass on the floor, his paws spread. A low growl emanated from his throat at the sight of the little punk who’d threatened his ma—
Mara.

“Your worst nightmare.” Johnathan’s voice was grim as he released Danny and stepped aside. “He could take care of you in a second. It would be messy, but hey—this is Belmont City. Stranger things have happened than an indoor animal attack.”

“You’re not saying that’s a…”

“Belmont panther?” There was glee in Jonathan’s voice—glee mirrored in Riker, as they could both smell Danny’s fear. “I’m sure you’ve heard the stories. Strange things happen here. Dangerous things. And there’s nothing more dangerous than a black Belmont panther.”

Close enough to almost touch Danny, Riker couldn’t help himself: he reared back on his hind legs and buried his claws into the wall beside the punk. Danny whimpered as he dragged his impressive claws down to the floor, creating inch deep gouges in the wall right next to him.

“Alright, call him off! What do you want? I’ll do anything, just—just get rid of the thing.”

Get him to leave town,
Riker telepathed to Jonathan, who subtly nodded in response.

“I wish I could say I control him, but…” Jonathan shrugged, like there was nothing he could do. “Well, I guess I
could
hold him back while you run away. That’s worked a few times in the past, but once he has a scent he’s pretty unstoppable. You’d have to get pretty far to shake him off your trail.”

Riker growled, deep and low, pacing in front of Danny’s terrified form.

“I’ll leave town. Is that what Pete wants? He can have his territory back—all of it! Just don’t kill me, please.”

“Suit yourself. Two hundred miles should do it.” Peeling himself off the wall, Jonathan paced back out to the balcony. Riker followed, sparing a few glances back in Danny’s direction. “I’ll keep him occupied while you pack.”

Disgruntled, Danny glared in their direction. “Whatever, man. Just give me ’til the morning.”

Useless ingrate.
With a roar, Riker pounced in his direction, landing on the bed. His claws tore up the comforter, the sound of his fury filling the whole room—and no doubt waking Danny’s neighbors.

Danny threw himself into the corner, his whole body shaking, eyes wide with fear. “Okay, I’ll leave now! Now!”

“Sounds good to me,” Jonathan said, leaping up onto the building.

“Hey—get this thing out of here before you leave!”

“Oh, he’s coming too.”
Get out of there, Riker, before you eviscerate him.

Want. To. Kill.
Riker snarled at the kid, his mind white with rage. The soothing balm of Jonathan’s mind in his was all that kept the panther from leaping forward and ending Danny forever.