Panther Curse: Shifters Bewitched #3 Read online

  But she stumbled and stopped, and I stopped too.

  She was right. We couldn’t keep going. Especially when I wasn’t even sure we were going in the right direction.

  “Let me hold you,” I murmured into her hair. “I’ll find us someplace safe.”

  She lifted her arms up, warming my heart with her wordless acceptance.

  I relished the trusting way she hid her face in my neck as I cradled her in my arms.

  Some vestige of the panther must still be clinging to me if she surrendered so willingly. That was what I chose to tell myself.

  A thorough exploration of the woods around us led me to a rocky cliffside. If I was extraordinarily lucky, I might find an unoccupied cave.

  And if I was less lucky, at least the cliff wall could shelter us from the worst of the wind.

  “Are you feeling any better?” I asked her, not quite wanting to specify that I meant the price for her magic.

  “It dissipates over time,” she murmured. “Usually.”

  “That’s good,” I told her. “It’s not the worst price.”

  “It’s mortifying,” she moaned. “Do we have to talk about it?”

  I smiled, glad she couldn’t see it with her face tucked into my neck.

  “No, Kendall,” I told her. “We can talk about whatever you want.”

  I spotted something promising.

  “I’m going to put you down for a moment and try something,” I told her.

  “Okay,” she said, allowing me to place her back on the ground.

  The dark mouth of a cave opened in front of us, and there was the sound of water somewhere nearby. If my panther could use my eyes, and nose, he might be able to tell us if the cave was already occupied, and where the water was coming from.

  I called to him, trying to stay calm and confident.

  But once again, he did not surface.

  I closed my eyes, willing myself not to roar with pain.

  “Are you trying to see in there?” Kendall asked softly after a moment.

  “It’s pretty dark,” I told her, shrugging.

  She lifted her right palm to the sky.

  “Should you be doing that?” I asked her.

  A ball of soft blue light appeared in her palm. She watched it levitate above her hand for a moment, then tossed it gently into the cave.

  A couple of moths flew out, but nothing more.

  As the light bounced back to her, I could see the cave was empty. Something bigger must have been living here or it would be occupied by smaller animals. But whatever it was, it had clearly moved on. Nothing but a pile of small, bleached bones in the corner indicated a larger animal had ever been here.

  Beside the cave, sparkling spring water flowed down the rocks.

  “Water,” she moaned happily.

  “This is perfect,” I told her. “Let’s get settled for the night.”

  “There’s something I want to do first,” she said, turning away from me.

  “Whatever it is, I want to do it with you,” I told her.

  “Okay, actually there are two things,” she admitted. “One I need privacy for, but you can watch the other.”

  “I won’t look, but you can’t go alone into those woods,” I told her, a little too loudly.

  I held my breath, cursing myself inwardly for being so bossy. She wasn’t used to that.

  But she only laughed.

  “Sure, okay,” she said. “I guess I don’t want to be alone any more than you want to let me be alone. Let’s go.”

  18

  Kendall

  Peeing in the woods is never fun, and it’s especially not fun when your new, growly boyfriend doesn’t want to be more than two feet away at any given time.

  But after drinking sweet spring water until I could barely move, a bathroom break was non-negotiable.

  After convincing Jared to allow me an extra couple of feet away from him and going about my business, I felt much better.

  But there was still more to do.

  “I have to ask you something,” I said to him, on the way back to our cave.

  “What’s that?” he asked.

  “We don’t exactly know where we are, do we?” I asked as kindly as I knew how.

  He didn’t answer, and I glanced up at him.

  His expression was furious. He shook his head.

  “I’m guessing that would be easier to figure out if you could shift?” I asked.

  “I’ve never had to worry about that stuff before,” he admitted. “Traveling without my panther side is dangerous.”

  “Maybe I can help us,” I told him proudly. “But I’ll have to use magic one more time. If I use too much…”

  I was too embarrassed to finish the thought.

  “I’ll be ready,” he said, his voice low and promising. “Just in case.”

  I felt the blood rush to my cheeks, and I looked away.

  “What are you going to do?” he asked lightly.

  “I’m going to try to send a message to my friends,” I told him. “Two of them are mated to guardians. They’ll come for us.”

  “Two of your friends are mated to guardians?” he echoed in wonder. “Which guardians?”

  “My friend, Bella, was the first to be chosen,” I told him. “She was chosen the day she arrived at the school by a wolf shifter called Luke.”

  “Incredible,” Jared said, with a faraway look in his eyes. “Good for him.”

  “Then my friend, Cori, was chosen by Reed,” I told him.

  “No way,” he said, looking seriously uncertain.

  “Yes,” I told him. “They’re inseparable now.”

  “Reed was always… troubled,” he said softly. “He stayed in his bear form, for the most part.”

  “Not anymore,” I told him. “Cori brought him out of his shell.”

  “She must be an amazing woman,” he said.

  “She is,” I agreed, thinking about my intrepid friend, who had sacrificed so much, including her memories, for love. “But he brought her out of her shell too. They’re perfect together.”

  It was true. And for the first time, that little twinge of resentment I felt every time I thought about Reed taking my friend and changing her was gone.

  Cori was happy. And I was happy for her. Full stop.

  “I’ve missed so much,” he said quietly.

  “You’re coming home now,” I told him. “Everyone will be so glad to see you.”

  He nodded, but his eyes were still far away.

  “If only to have a fresh audience to share their adventures with,” I added with a smile. “There’s only so many times we can retell those stories to each other.”

  “So how are you going to send that message?” he asked.

  “I need a flower,” I told him. “I think I saw one near the mouth of the cave, but I’m not sure.”

  He nodded and followed me through the trees again.

  There was just enough moonlight for me to manage without stumbling too much.

  Sure enough, near the mouth of the cave, trumpet flowers twined around the trees. I plucked one from the vine and sat down in the thick grass just outside the cave, holding it in my open palms.

  Jared sat beside me to watch.

  I hoped I could pull this off. So far, everything I had tried since finding him had worked. My magic was pretty good, but I didn’t have anything like one hundred percent accuracy yet.

  Suddenly I wondered if my magic was getting stronger because my mate was near. Most likely it was only that my adrenaline was high, or that I was trying so hard to impress him. Still, it seemed like an awfully big coincidence.

  I made a mental note to ask him about it later.

  Looking down at the pale blossom in my hand, I called to my magic and felt it flow through me once more.

  The soft petals were already sort of winglike, and I only had to envision what I wanted it to become, before the bloom began to tremble in my hands.

  I lowered my face and whispered to i
t.

  Find us…

  The faces of my friends and their mates came easily to my mind’s eye, and I rested lovingly on each, showing the flower exactly who it was looking for.

  When I was satisfied that it knew all it could, I closed my eyes and reached out. The delicate petals were easy to penetrate. I showed it what I wanted.

  Jared’s quick intake of breath told me that my magic had not failed.

  I opened my eyes to see the blossom had transformed into a pale moth, with long, fluttering wings.

  “Go to them,” I reminded it.

  The little creature lifted from my palms, hanging in the air for a moment. Then it fluttered away, between the trees, toward Primrose Academy, I hoped.

  “That was amazing,” Jared told me. “You are incredible.”

  “It’s a simple piece of magic,” I told him, more gratified by his praise than I wanted to admit.

  “You created life,” he said.

  “In fairness, the flower was already alive,” I told him.

  “I’ll bet its life is a lot more interesting now,” he said with a smile.

  “If it makes it,” I said thoughtfully. “It’s not used to being a moth. Anything could happen to it.”

  “Like me,” he said softly.

  “Your panther,” I guessed. “Did they take it away from you somehow?”

  “I’m honestly not sure yet,” he told me, shrugging. “They tried to drain the magic out of me. But I swear I keep getting flashes of my panther senses.”

  “Give it time,” I told him.

  “You hungry?” he asked me.

  “Does it matter?” I replied looking around at the distinct lack of drive-through windows.

  “There’s food in the woods,” he said, chuckling.

  “What do you mean?” I asked.

  “Come on,” he told me, standing and offering me his hand.

  I followed him between the trees as he looked for something up in the canopy.

  “Here,” he said triumphantly, plucking something out of the branches and handing it to me.

  It was some kind of oblong green fruit.

  “What’s this?” I asked him.

  “Wild pawpaw,” he said.

  “Like in The Jungle Book?” I asked, incredulous.

  “Exactly,” he said.

  “This is Pennsylvania,” I told him. “It might look like a pawpaw, but I’m pretty sure it isn’t one.”

  “Ask your Plants prof when you get back to school,” he said. “She’ll tell you. Wild pawpaw are common in the woods of Pennsylvania.”

  The fruit in my hands was heavy and soft with ripeness. My stomach growled.

  “Fine, I’ll try it,” I told him.

  “That’s the spirit,” he laughed.

  We carried an armload of them back to the cave and sat in the mouth of it to eat.

  “Like this,” he said as he showed me. “The skin is thin, so you can peel it off.”

  I watched as he stripped some skin off and broke the fruit in half. A sweet, floral scent wafted toward me.

  “You don’t eat the skin or the seeds,” he warned me, pulling off a small chunk of the juicy flesh and holding it out to me.

  I ate it from his hand, closing my eyes to savor the incredible flavor.

  “What do you think?” he asked.

  “I can’t believe you just pulled this off a tree,” I told him. “It tastes like mangoes and bananas.”

  “Glad you like it,” he said, smiling. “See? We can make it out here for a while.”

  “As long as the warlocks don’t find us,” I said, shivering at the thought.

  “Eat,” he told me sternly. “You’ll feel better.”

  We broke open more of the delicious fruit and ate quietly for a while. He was right, as soon as the sugary juices hit my stomach, I started to feel more like myself.

  When my belly was full, I sat back for a moment in contentment.

  “You okay?” he asked.

  “We’re still not out of the woods, no pun intended,” I said. “But I was just comparing my situation to how things were looking at this time last night.”

  “We’ve made some progress,” he allowed. “But we should try to sleep now so we can get up early and keep moving.”

  “Sure,” I said. “I just want to get cleaned up first.”

  We headed back over to the spring to wash up. I plunged my hands into the cold water and almost screamed.

  “We were running hard when we first got here,” Jared said. “I guess we didn’t notice the cold as much.”

  I managed to get all the stickiness off myself, but it left me shivering.

  Jared did the same. I noticed he showed no sign of being cold.

  Was that a shifter thing? Did it mean his panther wasn’t really gone? Or was he just being tough?

  The idea that they had drained away so much of his magic was terrifying. I couldn’t imagine experiencing something like that. My magic was a huge part of me. Just having it bound by the stupid collar had been torture.

  “Will they find us in the cave?” I asked him.

  He frowned.

  “On their own? No. But if they use the dogs, maybe.”

  “You mean hellhounds?” I asked.

  He nodded slowly. “If you know about them, it’s not a great sign.”

  “They used them in the woods,” I told him. “Trying to get their hands on a book.”

  “So, they’re not afraid to take them out,” his voice was concerned. “But we can’t keep running without rest. We’ll make mistakes.”

  “I have an idea,” I told him. “But it might not work.”

  “It’s the best idea we have,” he said.

  “You don’t know what it is yet,” I protested.

  “It’s our only idea,” he said, raising an eyebrow.

  “Come into the cave,” I told him. “As long as you’re done whatever we’re doing out here.”

  He followed me back to the cave and we both crawled inside.

  I got comfortable in a crossed-legged position, palms up, and breathed in and out several times.

  Paying it forward was necessary for what I was about to do. I’d gotten off easy by not overdoing it with the flower-moth, but if I used much more magic, I’d be paying a price for sure.

  I stole a glance at Jared.

  Maybe that wouldn’t be such a bad thing.

  I pushed those thoughts aside and tried to focus on the task at hand. It wasn’t simple, and I wasn’t sure I could even begin to make it work.

  But thinking about the hellhounds, I knew I had to try.

  My mind went empty, opening outward like a folded note expanding into a blank page and then further still, so that my consciousness blanketed the forest, the state, the world, the universe.

  I pulled it back in slowly, until my focus formed a tiny glowing ball of light.

  The light wasn’t in my hands, but rather in my mind’s eye. This magic required something different.

  After repeating the exercise several times, I sent my mind out of the cave, while my body stayed behind, and found the mountain spring.

  That cool, clear water poured down from the rocks above in a path worn smooth by the years.

  But there were many paths the water could take. My consciousness traced them until I found the right one.

  Here, I told the water. Right here.

  It did not respond at first, just continued on its timeworn path.

  But after a moment, the first trickle traveled down a new route and splashed down at the foot of the cave.

  Another rivulet followed it, and another, until the whole mouth of the cave was masked by a wall of water.

  My excitement was so great that I nearly rose up to look at the scene from above, leaving my body behind.

  At the last instant, I remembered myself and pulled inward again.

  “Kendall,” Jared was murmuring into my lifeless body.

  I gasped as I rejoined myself. Tears streaming d
own my face.

  “Kendall,” he moaned, taking me into his arms.

  I was frightened that I had nearly lost myself, but couldn’t find the words.

  Then the price of my magic landed on me like an anchor and all I could feel was his warm body, pressed to mine.

  19

  Jared

  My own body surged with need as Kendall melted into my arms.

  Touching her earlier had pushed the limits of my self-control, and I wasn’t sure I could do it again without claiming her. But I was determined to try.

  She was still half-sobbing. I wasn’t sure why, but I thought it was probably part of her price, her desperation so intense it made her cry.

  “Don’t be frightened,” I murmured to her. “I’m here. I’m going to help you.”

  “Jared,” she whimpered.

  “I’ve got you,” I crooned, helping her peel off her clothing.

  My heart pounded as each garment fell, revealing her tender flesh.

  Letting go of her for a moment, I pulled off my shirt and folded it and her clothing on the ground, hoping it would be enough to take the edge off the cold, granite floor of the cave for her.

  I wasn’t feeling the cold as much as before. Hope sprang eternal that my panther was coming back. But more likely it was the fire Kendall was igniting inside me.

  Taking her hand, I helped her lower herself onto the bed of clothing.

  She was trembling with need, but I could feel her trust in me, emanating from her like a sweet perfume, and I was drunk on it.

  Mine, something said inside my chest.

  But only the panther could claim her properly. Only he could save both our lives.

  Please…

  But there was only me in this cave, alone with my helpless mate, her desire winding around us both, driving me wild.

  I bent over her, wishing I had the panther’s eyes so that I could read the nuances of her expression in the dark.

  “Jared,” she murmured, her arms out for me.

  Her arms felt like home, and I went to them, letting go of the rest of the world.

  She was softness personified. I pressed my lips to her face, kissing her forehead, her eyelids, her cheeks, losing myself in her.

  Kendall moaned and clung to me as if she were drowning in need.

  I wanted to take it slow and savor her, but I couldn’t bear for her to suffer.