Diaries of an Urban Panther (34 page)

Spencer snarled and the man dropped his eyes. To me, it was clear that if Spencer wasn’t there, these men were not strong enough to rip a whole in the Veil. So it was me and Spencer. Two men enter, one man leaves.

I left his side and crossed over to Jessa. I flattened my ears back and made a low throaty noise as I stalked around her, nibbling at her fingers long enough to drop the knife into them. She caught it quickly and curled her fingers around the blade. Stealthy is as stealthy does.

Then I was back at Spencer’s side, wrapping my body around his legs. In an instant, a simple thought, I was running my hand up his chest in one smooth movement that brought me around to his back, my lips in his ear. And thank you god, the suit was still in place.

His men flinched but Spencer was too wrapped up in the energy of my shift to be on the defensive. His head leaned back for a moment and his eyes fluttered shut, putting us cheek to cheek. Within his borders, his power played against mine. It wasn’t like on the dance floor where he was forceful; this was more relaxed, playful almost. I let my energy roll around him and let his exotic smell fill my nostrils.

“Why are you here, Violet?” he asked.

“I needed to see you again,” I whispered in his ear. “Feel your fur against mine. You did something to me and I can’t stop thinking about it.”

Spencer smiled and with barely a flexed muscle, quickly pulled me to his side, wrapping his arms around my waist. He looked down the front of my suit but his cool blue eyes snapped up and caught mine by surprise. I managed a deep seductive smile and molded against his body, trying to ignore that my panther loved his willingness to play, that he would be strong enough to really play with.

“Thought your answer was a resounding no.”

I cast my eyes down and to the side, the intensity of his gaze finally ruffling my calm. “Didn’t quite know what you were offering.” I flicked my eyes to Cristina who practically quaked with fear. “But it looks like you already have plenty of girls at the party.”

“They are nothing. Means to an end, my love.” He chuckled and his lips brushed my cheek softly. “But why are you really here?”

I swallowed hard at the edge his tone took. Time to layer on the act. “Your father sent his lackeys to attack me in broad daylight, like I was some sort of mess to be cleaned up. I didn’t appreciate it.”

Spencer reached up and ran his fingers through my hair, taking out the tie that kept it back. The surprisingly intimate gesture caught me off guard. A little gasp escaped my throat and he smiled and nuzzled his nose into my chestnut locks, taking in a deep breath.

“I knew you’d see I was right. I knew you’d join me. He said you would.”

I pushed away at his chest. “Who said?”

Spencer just smiled. “Jovan.”

I tried not to gasp as he so casually mentioned the world-eating demon the Neveranth was created to incarcerate. “Jovan?”

Spencer nodded. “He will come and the entire country will be ours.”

“He will come and kill us all,” I corrected sharply

Spencer shook his head as he dropped his arm from my waist and I was able to suck in a deep breath of clean air. “He will spare whoever I want, those loyal to me. He promised.”

The space between my shoulders went ice cold. This was what Chaz had been talking about it. The Cause knew that Spencer was going for Jovan, going for the big payday. And still they did nothing about it. So this really was up to me to save the world. The realization of it sat cold and heavy in my stomach.

“Are you all right, my pet? You look pale.”

“It’s a lot to take in.” I recovered as quickly as I could, thanking the gods that I had watched Jessa charm men for two years. “Being second in command to all that.”

There was a small yelp from behind us and we turned around to see Cristina covering her mouth.

“What?” I laughed as I approached her, slipping from Spencer’s possessive fingers. “Did he promise you power in the new regime?” I made a small pout and sent a laugh that echoed through the antique crystal around us. “Sorry honey. I’m abdicating your throne.”

I ripped the book from her hand and grabbed her throat, shoving her hard into an armoire. Her toes danced on the floor, her anklets jingling, as she clutched at my arm. Tears flooded my eyes as I felt the betrayal run hot through my veins. I saw the tainted light in her eyes, darkened with fear and power that I hadn’t even known to look for before. The disgust curled my fingers around her small throat even tighter.

“You have one chance to declare what side you are on, witch,” I hissed into her ear.

“I am yours, Daughter of Jourdaine,” she gasped. “I swear it.”

“Then I suggest you play dead if you want to survive this.”

I dropped her to her slippered feet and held the book close to my chest. The book danced with dark energy, the slimy, cool kind that made bile rise in my throat. Cristina held her throat and took in deep shaky breaths. She looked up at me with brown eyes, clear of any persuasion that Spencer had held over her in the past. Untainted as she declared her choice.

I nodded slightly and threw a wall of energy at her that was bigger than anything I had conjured in the past. Her petite body flew up and over a desk and crashed into a full china cabinet. The noise was deafening.

Without flinching, I turned to Spencer with a satisfied smile and swayed back over to him. “Now, where were we?”

Spencer smiled and held his hand out to me. Slipping my hand into his, he guided me to the mirror and the circle. Jessa’s head lulled to one side and our eyes met. It was the only time I wished that I could see into her mind, wished I were telepathic and could tell her that everything was going to be fine.

Every fiber of me wanted to go to her, but I couldn’t break the façade. But the panther could. A small amount of energy crept forth and stroked her cheek. I could feel her soft skin on my forefinger. Her eyes fluttered closed for a moment and she moaned softly.

Spencer turned around and looked between us. “What was that?” A deep furrow formed between his eyes.

My energy snapped back and my heart raced. Of course, he could feel that. He was as powerful as me.

I licked my lips and lied through my teeth. “She was my friend for years, yet it took your foresight to see what her true power could be used for.”

Spencer’s jaw loosened. “You do have a way with words, Violet.”

“Thank you.”

“If you would do the honors, my pet,” Spencer said as he pointed to the book. He slid his jacket off his broad shoulders and tossed it on a table. He began to unbutton his shirt.

“What kind of a girl do you think I am?”

Spencer laughed as he pulled out his shirttails to expose a tan, taut chest. “I need you to carve a symbol into my chest, so that when Jovan comes, he knows who the worthy one is.”

“Worthy one?”

Spencer retrieved an ornate silver knife from the table where his coat lay. “He cannot take human form. He must possess a vessel.”

“But what about you?”

Spencer smiled. “That almost sounds like concern in your voice, kitten.”

My stomach turned on itself when he called me that. I took the knife from his hand and opened the book. “Which one?”

He pointed to a simple rune on a page full of text that I couldn’t begin to read.

As I was looking at the page, Spencer took the basin full of Jessa’s blood and dumped it down the front of the mirror’s silver surface.

Jessa gasped and her fight was renewed against her restraints.

As I expected to see the blood flow down the smooth surface, the mirror seemed to absorb the blood, taking it beneath its surface, leaving only the frame still covered in the rose-scented red.

The surface of the mirror rippled like water and I looked around to see what the next step was. That’s when I saw Chaz sneaking in the corner of the room.

No more thinking, my three minutes were up. My brain kicked into a gear I didn’t even know was possible; an instinctual level that didn’t filter through my usual levels of cynicism and self-doubt.

The silver in my hand felt heavy and as Spencer turned back to me to start, I rammed the knife into his ribs, all the way up to the hilt. We both gasped as blood spilled out dark and hot over my hand. I tore the knife out and kicked him farther and harder than Cristina. His surprised figure went flying into the darkness behind the ring of old lamps.

The book, now spattered with blood, grew hot and anxious in my hands. I looked at the mirror and tossed it through the surface. The surface rippled happily with the offering. If it was active, then they must have gathered some of my blood when they cold-cocked me.

The nearest mongrel started to pull out his gun. I could smell the oil as I turned around. I ran for him. His brown eyes widened as he raised the gun at me.

I grabbed his arm and pulled his arm towards me. His clumsy weight fell forward and I put him in a flying arm bar that would have made my sensei pee his pants. The mongrel landed on his back with a loud oomph and his head cracked against the cement.

The gun fell from his hand and right into mine. My plan had worked. I scooped it up, and taking shelter behind a rolltop desk out in the middle of the showroom floor, I aimed at the others before they even noticed their friend was on the ground.

I went for the chest. I wasn’t sure how many bullets were in this model, somewhere between ten and fifteen. Didn’t know if it would be sufficient to take down a shapeshifter, but I didn’t even need to hit the bastards. I just needed to draw them away long enough for Jessa and Chaz to escape.

They scattered like birds, not dogs. The showroom floor provided little coverage for the men. They managed to duck behind tables and china cabinets. Didn’t stop me from shooting at them, the chaos throwing glass shards and porcelain everywhere. Taking potshots now and then, they blew chunks off of the table next to me and destroyed the desk. As they focused their sights on the crazy cat with the gun, Chaz crept in towards Jessa, a void of calm in the chaos.

“No!” echoed out across the floor.

Spencer launched his entire body at me, knocking the gun out of my hand. My head smacked against the cement floor as his claws dug into my shoulders. He hadn’t shifted. Yet. His hands had grown talon nails and his golden eyes flashed wildly above me.

That’s all the invitation the panther needed to come forward. I drew more energy from the air around and from him, stealing it easily from his already charged beast. His energy left a bitter taste of disappointment on my tongue, as my human form gave way to the cat. I didn’t even know that I could do that, but the panther didn’t care where it came from, just that it made me stronger.

My hind legs threw him off me quickly, heels over head and he landed behind me. Like lightning, he was on his feet again as I was rolling onto my four paws.

Keeping low to the ground, I watched, easily predicting his movements. It was all in the timing. He took one step forward and I pounced with deadly aim straight for the jugular. I didn’t just go for cutting off air this time, like in the alley. I went for blood, just as he had Jessa’s. I went to steal the life that he had stolen from me.

Lightning stabbed into my midsection as we landed. Spencer cried out as my teeth sank deep into his throat with our impact and a knife buried itself deeper into my ribs.

I let go and rolled away, sliding off the small blade. The wound sizzled and smoke poured out like lips smoking a cigarette. I thought of the previous poison he tried to use and forced myself to shift back into the bipedal version. He’d gotten me right between the last two ribs, in the exact spot I had stuck him.

My hand pressed against the wound, blood spilling out from my fingers. I’d always thought that was a cheesy move on the part of the special-effects guys but turns out, that’s exactly what happens.

Spencer sat up not four feet from me, blood pumping out of the wound in his neck. His face was already pale with the loss as blood streamed down his bare chest.

“Heirloom silver,” he said smiling, holding up the knife. “Really does the trick.”

I looked down at the wound. It felt like he’d stuck me with a fire poker that only stabbed again and again each time I tried to take in a breath. “The picture frame.”

“You were a cute kid,” he said as he pushed himself up and off the floor. “Too bad you turned out to be such a bitch.”

“Better than a spoiled prick.”

“Oh, Violet,” he said as he swayed over to the table where his jacket was. He slid the coat on and sat on the edge of the table. “Aren’t we beyond that?”

The wound in my side began to fester and I could feel the curse burn like poison through my blood. I barely heard Chaz call out to Jessa, the echo of gunshots, as I pulled myself up against a china cabinet.

“What the hell is going on here?” The voice roared through the showroom. It vibrated the crystal, leaving a tinkling echo in its wake.

I smelled cigars. No, tasted ash in my mouth. And then the flash of energy poured over me. Hello, Daddy Dearest.

Because my night wasn’t enough of a complete disaster.

Rough hands grabbed my arms and lifted me from the floor. I cried out as the wound spread open and my feet roughly found the ground beneath me. My captor looked at me with black beady eyes. His father’s trained dogs.