On The Prowl

“There are…things you don’t know about me,” Julian Craig said gruffly, his faint British accent slipping into his voice. “Things I didn’t know how to tell you.”

Rose Kinley forced herself to smile. “Whatever it is, I’m sure it’s not as bad as you’re making it seem.” And he
was
making it seem bad. Her heart thudded in her chest as she stared at him. They were in the Florida Keys, a virtual paradise, and the moment should have been perfect. Julian had taken her to a private home on the gleaming water, and they were standing on the balcony as the waves crashed below them. She’d been dating Julian for nearly two months—two of the best months of her life.

Rose was pretty sure that she was falling in love with him.

Julian. Tall. Dark. Handsome and so very sexy with his powerful build and those mysterious, golden eyes. When he came into a room, she couldn’t look away from him. She’d actually felt pulled toward him from the very first moment that they met.

“Rose, do you believe in monsters?”

A surprised and nervous laugh escaped her. “Monsters?” She put her hand on his chest and felt the strength beneath her touch. “You mean the boogeyman?” She smiled, teasing.

He shook his head and Julian didn’t smile.

The moments ticked by.
Is he serious?
Her own smile vanished. “No, I don’t believe in monsters. I’m not a child to be scared of the dark.” She stared up at him. “I know there is evil in the world.” This was so
not
the conversation she’d anticipated when he brought her to such a romantic setting.
So much for those plans.
“Robbers, killers…I know they’re out there. I see stories about them on the news every night.”

“I’m not talking about bad humans.” For a moment, she could have sworn that his eyes gleamed. Sometimes, they seemed to do that…to be brighter. To almost glow. A trick of the light or the dark or
something,
she was sure. No way were his eyes actually glowing. “I’m talking about real monsters,” he continued gruffly. “And, love, you need to believe in them because they are out there.”

Her heart lurched in her chest.
No, Julian, please, don’t be insane. You were so wonderfully perfect.
“Are they?” Rose asked him carefully. Her friends had warned her, but had she listened? Oh, no.
If a guy seems too good to be true…

“Yes, they are out there. They hide in plain sight and humans just don’t see them.”

If he seems too good to be true, then he probably isn’t all that good in the first place.

She swallowed and her hand fell away from his chest. Rose pulled in a deep breath and despite the heat of the night, it seemed to chill her lungs. “Do you…see any monsters right now?” Probably something she should know.

He growled. Goosebumps rose on her arms because it was such a deep, animalistic sound. That was one of the things about Julian. He had sort of an animal attraction vibe going on. A wildness that he barely held in check. Maybe that wildness was what had first drawn her to him. She’d taken one look at Julian and thought…

He isn’t like other men.

Now she knew why…it was because the guy might just be certifiably insane. Monsters walking around with humans? Sounded like he’d definitely taken a break from the meds.

“I’m dead serious, Rose. Fuck, I knew you wouldn’t believe me. I have to show you…”

She backed up a step. “I-I thought we were just going to have a nice night out. You don’t need to show me
anything
about monsters—”

His left hand lifted. A strong, powerful hand. One tanned by the sun with long fingers and…and claws that were sprouting from the tips of those fingers.

Claws.
Claws.

Rose shook her head. That wasn’t possible. She squeezed her eyes shut for a moment, but when they opened again, the claws were still there—and growing longer with each moment that passed. Long and wicked sharp claws.

“I’m one of the monsters, love.”

Her head whipped up. She stared into his eyes and they were
definitely
glowing. That wasn’t normal.
Glowing eyes. Claws from his fingertips. Oh, my God.
Even his face shape had altered a bit, becoming sharper, harder.

She took another stumbling step back. “This isn’t funny. I don’t know how you’re doing this, but stop the joke.”

“It’s no joke.” His voice had changed, too. Gone deeper. His words were more growl than anything else. He lifted his right hand, and it was changing, too. More claws. Long and dark and sharper than a knife.

Rose shook her head—over and over—and then she did what any smart woman would do when her lover suddenly sprouted claws. She turned and she ran.

“Rose!”

She didn’t slow down, she just ran faster. She flew through that house and rushed down the stairs that would take her to the ground floor. She didn’t hear him behind her and that scared her because she was sure he was trailing her. She grabbed for the door and yanked it open—

Only to have it immediately slammed closed again, by Julian. He hadn’t just trailed her, he’d caught her, all without making a sound.

Her breath heaved out and she whirled to find another way out. But…she was trapped. He’d trapped her between his hard body and the wood of the door. His eyes were still doing that scary glow thing and she was too afraid to look down and see if he still sported claws. “I-I want to leave.” She tried to sound calm. Rose was sure she failed.

“Let me explain…”

Explain claws? “You already did. You’re a…”
Monster.
Rose couldn’t get that word out.

“I should have stayed the hell away from you.” His gaze swept over her face. “But there was something about you, from the first moment. I saw you, and I wanted you more than I’ve ever wanted any other woman.”

Her heart was about to jump right out of her chest. He wasn’t touching her, but she could feel his heat surrounding her. He was so big, well over six feet, and he dwarfed her own five-foot-five frame.

His dark head leaned toward her. “But I
never
wanted you to fear me.”

“Then maybe you shouldn’t have flashed your claws,” she blurted. Because how was she not supposed to fear those things? They were like knives that had just grown straight from his fingers.

“I’m a shifter. It’s what I’ve been since birth.” Dark stubble lined his jaw. “If I could change who I was, I would. Trust me, I’ve wished to be different more times than I could count but I never wanted it more…” He swallowed. “Never more than when I met you.”

A shifter. That meant…he turned into some kind of animal or something, right? “What do you…become?” Was she seriously having this conversation?

“A panther.”

Right. Sure. Because of course he wouldn’t turn into something cuddly and sweet. He
would
be a panther. Raw power and danger and claws that could rip her throat open in one swipe.

She felt dizzy. Rose really didn’t want to faint on him. “I need you to let me leave.”

“That’s the last thing I want to do.” And then he was locking his hands around her shoulders. She couldn’t help it, Rose flinched, but his claws didn’t slice into her. He touched her with the hands and strength of a man, not some kind of beast. “You think I’ve
ever
told another human what I am? That’s against the rules. I’m not supposed to tell mortals, but you’re different.” His gaze still blazed. “Because you’re mine.”

When he touched her, her body reacted. It was like a heat burned between them, one that raged and destroyed everything in its path, everything but the white-hot need and passion that erupted. He touched her, and she wanted. It was a desire unlike anything she’d ever felt before. And, yes, maybe she had thought it was unnatural at first…

Then she hadn’t cared.

But now… “What did you do to me?” Rose whispered. “How did you make me want you so much?” Even then, when she was terrified of him, she wanted him. Her breasts were aching, her body readying when she should be running as fast and as far from him as she could.

“I think you were made for me.”

Rose shook her head.

“And I was made for you.”

She didn’t believe in soul mates. She hardly believed in love. She—

“I will
never
hurt you,” Julian vowed. “Believe that, if you believe nothing else. I told you the truth because I don’t want to lie to you. I want you to know all of me. Everything. No secrets and no—”

But he broke off, his eyes widening in alarm.

Bam! Bam! Bam!

She heard the thunder, as if from a distance. She heard the blasts and she felt the wooden door shake behind her.

Then the pain came, erupting through her body. Her right side. Her left. Her back and then—then straight through her chest.

Julian was shouting and jerking her away from the door. She grabbed his arms, holding tightly, and she looked back over her shoulder.

There were…holes in the door. As if someone had…shot through the door?

She could feel a warm wetness on her body. Julian had her in his arms and he was running through the house. He rushed up the stairs and put her on the bed.

“Don’t move, love. Just…fuck, stay here, I’ll take care of them. I’ll take care of
you.
”

Rose tried to speak, but couldn’t. A faint moan was the only sound to escape her lips. She tried to lift herself up, but…something was wrong. She couldn’t move her legs. And the pain that had wracked her just moments before?

She didn’t feel it any longer.

She didn’t feel anything.

But she could hear screams. Desperate, terrified screams that seemed to shake the night itself. And she heard the inhuman snarls of a beast.

Her breath whispered out and her eyelids sagged closed.

She was dying, and Rose knew it. Someone had shot through the door. The bullets had torn into her and now…now her life was over.

***

“I hope you know what you’ve done.”

That voice—low and oddly sinister—pulled Rose from the darkness. Her eyelids flew open and she sucked in a greedy gulp of air.

“Be sure you hold up your end of the bargain, panther.” Again, it was that sinister voice talking. One that seemed to reek of power and danger. “Because there is a price for the gift I’ve given.”

Her gaze shot to the man speaking. He was tall, with dark hair, glinting eyes, and a face that seemed to be cut straight from stone. For just an instant, she actually wondered if she was looking into the face of the devil. But then he smiled at her…

Rose didn’t wonder any longer. She
knew.

“Welcome back,” he said.

Back? Her gaze jumped to the left and she saw Julian…Julian—who was wearing only a pair of faded jeans and who was
covered
in blood. The coppery scent reached out to her and Rose found herself licking her lips.

I like the way it smells.

What in the hell? She jerked upright in the bed, a bed that was also stained with blood. Her blood. Her hands flew over her body, searching for the wounds that had been there before, but now they were gone. No torn skin. No bullet holes. No pain at all.

“Wh-what happened?” Rose whispered. Her throat seemed parched so she swallowed a few times and licked her lips. “I was…hurt.”

“But you’re not any longer,” the mysterious man said. “Amazing, isn’t it? The price some people will pay to keep the things they value.”

She wasn’t a thing and she didn’t think she liked that mystery guy. “Who are you?”

He shrugged. He wore a suit, a perfectly pressed suit that seemed so out of place in that room full of blood. “Call me Luke. All my friends—and my enemies—do.” He stalked toward Julian and clapped a hand on the other man’s shoulder. “See? She’s as good as new. Well, with a few minor adjustments, of course.”

She slid from the bed and stood on trembling legs, feeling at a terrible disadvantage. “What’s going on?” Rose struggled to remember. “I was…shot.”

“At least three times,” Luke offered helpfully, even smiling as he shared that tidbit with her. “Or was it four? One bullet severed your spine. Rather nasty.”

She looked down at her legs. Rose remembered that she hadn’t been able to feel them. A tear slid down her cheek.
I feel them now.

“And what weak assholes shoot through a door, anyway?” Luke demanded to know. Her gaze flew back to him as he shook his head in disgust as he released Julian’s shoulder and turned the force of his rather creepy stare onto her. “Using heat sensors, trying to take out Julian. Not caring who got in their way. Hardly the sporting thing to do.” His smile hardened. “I sure hope they’re enjoying hell.”

Severed your spine…And what weak assholes shoot through a door, anyway?
His words echoed in her ears. She stumbled away from him and found herself backing into the nearby corner as her shoulders hit the wall. If some bullet had severed her spine, she wouldn’t be standing right then. She wouldn’t even be moving at all.

Terrified, her gaze darted around and she realized that every piece of furniture in that bedroom—every piece but the bed she’d been in—had been wrecked. The dresser was smashed to bits. The chair had been clawed open. The
walls
were even smashed—deep holes and gouge marks were in them.
What is happening?

“A thank you isn’t out of the question,” Luke announced as he released Julian’s shoulder. He waited a beat, as if he expected someone to suddenly shout out thanks. When no gratitude came, he sighed. “I pretty much bent the laws of nature for you, lady. So…yeah, you’re welcome.”

“I’m having a nightmare.” There. That made sense. Julian wasn’t a monster. He hadn’t grown claws. She hadn’t been shot. Creepy Luke wasn’t there. This was all—

“You
are
the nightmare now, sweetheart.” Luke gave her a chilling smile. “And again, you’re welcome.”

Her gaze snapped toward Julian. Why hadn’t he spoken yet? And why was he staring at her with that twisted expression of grief and relief on his handsome face? “Julian?”

A muscle flexed along the hard line of his jaw. “I wasn’t going to let you die.”

Her stomach was twisting.

“Technically, she
did
die,” Luke supplied helpfully as he tapped his chin. A big, ominous-looking ring curled around his finger. “And I brought her back. Undead style.”