Talon (Rise of the Pride, Book 1) (11 page)

He held the door open for her as they entered
the dimly lit establishment. Several people stared, but Talon
mearly placed a warm hand on her lower back and ushered her toward
the awaiting hostess.

“Mr. Shaw,” the lady greeted. “Your table is
ready. Please follow me.”

She noticed how the woman’s eyes traveled up
his body slowly, and for some reason, Liberty wanted to claw those
eyes from the little blonde’s head, but she refrained from doing
so. It probably wouldn’t look good on him or his pride.

She had to keep reminding herself that Talon
had asked her on this date. Well, that wasn’t true. Liberty had
almost demanded a date when he’d claimed her in the bar.

A waiter appeared as soon as they were
seated. He was about Liberty’s age, and asked for their drink
order. Talon ordered a bottle of wine and sat back in his seat.

They’d been escorted to a little alcove in
the back of the restaurant. There were three other areas just like
that one and she was happy for the privacy. The walk through the
peanut gallery was stressful enough.

“I get looks everywhere I go,” Talon said,
clearing his throat. “Don’t let them get to you.”

“It’s rude,” she replied.

“It’s the way of my world.” He frowned. “This
night is for us to get to know each other better. For
you
to
get to know me. Ignore everyone else.”

“What about you getting to know me?” she
questioned.

“My panther has already claimed you.” He
chuckled when she scowled. “I’m sorry. If you could understand my
people, you wouldn’t have to ask that. It’s our nature. Our animals
rule us. There is only one true mate for a panther. When we find
our mate, Liberty…it’s for life.”

“That’s what I’ve heard,” she said, but
quickly looked at her lap, realizing she’d just spoken about
something from that book of Nova’s.

“Who have you been talking to about us?” he
growled, leaning forward.

“No one,” she backpedaled, holding up her
hands in defense. “It’s Nova…well, it’s one of her books.”

“Book?” he asked, his head tilting
slightly.

“This is embarrassing,” she mumbled.

“Tell me,” he encouraged her, reaching out to
take her hand.

“Well, my sister reads these paranormal
romance books,” she started, then shrugged. “She kept telling me
about what her books had said about shifters. I…I know it’s
fiction, but I wondered.”

“If it was true?” he asked, continuing on her
nod. “Well, is it?”

“I’m not sure,” she mumbled, feeling heat
creep up her cheeks.

“Ask me something,” he urged.

She looked around the dining area and noticed
that no one was staring and that they were pretty much alone. Other
patrons were far enough away, so whatever she had to say wouldn’t
be overheard.

“Is the urge to claim me incredibly strong?”
She scrunched her nose, remembering the words in the book. The male
character’s overwhelming need to claim his mate was so well
described that Liberty’s chest hurt from reading about his need to
mark her.

“Yes,” he breathed out.

“Does your animal compete with your human
side?” she asked.

“More than you could ever understand,” he
sighed, but smiled warmly. “Since I was born a panther, it’s easier
to live with the constant battle. The ones who have been turned
have a harder time adjusting.”

“Are they dangerous?” she asked, her
questions continuing. This was the most he’d ever really spoken
about himself and his people. She liked that he trusted her enough
to share the secrets of his kind.

“Newly turned shifters do have to be watched
until they are able to control their animal,” he whispered, casting
his eyes around the restaurant to make sure no one was
eavesdropping. “If they don’t, they will go rogue. Rogues have to
be put down.”

“Oh,” she gasped.

“I wouldn’t let anything happen to you,” he
promised, but seemed to catch himself. “That is, if you
decide…”

“Does it hurt?” she interrupted. “When you
shift?”

“The first time…yes,” he answered. “After
that, you learn to embrace the change. It’s part of who I am…who my
people are, Liberty. Shifting is as normal as breathing for
us.”

“Will I
have
to become…you know?” she
swallowed, feeling her hands starting to tremble.

“Only if we want to have children,” he told
her, looking a little uncomfortable. “But that is not something we
need to talk about now.”

“Okay,” she said, releasing his hand as soon
as the waiter returned with the wine.

“What is it like? Having another being inside
you?” She frowned. “Am I asking that right?”

“Yes,” he smiled. “For those that are
changed, it takes some time to find a balance. Your panther is
always fighting to be let free. Most newly turned panthers have to
be watched until they can control their tempers. It can be quite
frustrating at times.”

“Do you know who I am when you are in your
panther form?” she asked, the questions seemed to be spilling from
her mouth. It wasn’t very often that Talon spoke about his kind to
her. So, if she was being honest, she wanted to get all the answers
she could while he was in the mood to talk.

“Yes, we recognize and understand you,” he
said.

Liberty bit her lip and let those answers
soak in. She watched him as he took a drink from his glass. He
looked human, but there was an undertone of something wild
there…something special. Maybe it was his eyes? The icy blue color
gave his kind away. She had never seen anyone else with the kind of
blue eyes the panthers had. It was indescribable in its
intensity.

“What can I get for you?” the waiter asked,
turning toward Liberty.

She ordered a steak and a salad. The waiter
turned toward Talon and asked the same question.

“I’ll have three porterhouses, medium rare,
three baked potatoes, and can I have three orders of grilled shrimp
on the side?” The waiter jotted down the request and took their
menus, not commenting on his order. Liberty had already seen his
appetite before, so it wasn’t a shock anymore.

“How are things at City Hall?” she asked,
wanting to talk about anything. She hated awkward silence when on a
date.

“They have all the information they need,” he
grunted. “There were doctors there yesterday. I refuse to let my
pride become a science experiment.”

“That’s awful,” she complained. “Please be
careful.”

“I don’t know who I can trust anymore,” he
admitted. “I think I will just take it slow. Only answering what I
want them to know. We are not freaks, and we don’t want to take
over the world. We are happier being left alone.”

“Are you worried about the safety of your
people?” she asked, reaching over to take his hand. It was such an
automatic response and it felt…right.

“We are stronger than humans,” he
acknowledged, keeping his voice low. “We would never hurt anyone,
but we are also very protective of our families. I would have a
hard time controlling the males if one of their mates were
harmed.”

“I understand.” She smiled at him.

“Tell me about your family,” he said, taking
a sip of his wine.

“My dad died a few years ago,” she began,
trying to keep from crying at the thought of her dad. “I took over
the bar from him.”

“I remember your father,” he told her. “He
was an honest and fair man.”

“Thank you,” she sighed, looking down at her
lap. “I miss him terribly.”

“I’m sorry,” he said softly, stroking the
back of her hand. He frequently did that and Liberty liked it, a
lot. She wanted to moan from the warmth of his fingertips, but she
just clenched her thighs together and kept talking.

“My mom died in a car accident with her
parents. My father’s parents died when I was a baby. It’s just Nova
and myself now.” Liberty was proud of herself for reciting all of
the tragedies that had happened in her life without breaking down.
There were days where she would be angry at the loss of so many
loved ones, wondering why it happened all so fast. There were other
days when she sucked it up and kept moving forward. She wasn’t one
to dwell on the past or what could have been.

“You have the pride,” he whispered, pulling
her hand to his lips. The moment they made contact with her skin,
Liberty closed her eyes and just absorbed the feel of it. She was
really starting to like this guy. “Don’t think I forgot about our
debt to you for stopping Terry that night in the bar.”

“Oh, that,” she chuckled. “I’ve had to kick
out some scary people in the past couple years. Terry is no
danger.”

“It goes against everything I’ve ever been
taught to see a woman have to defend herself,” he admitted.

“You’re very protective,” she observed,
looking up into his icy blue gaze.

“Very,” he winked.

The waiter arrived with their meal. Another
waiter followed behind with three more plates for Talon. They sat
his food down without a second glance, and Liberty thought it was
odd. Even at the bar, everyone still watched the pride eat almost
in awe at how much food they could consume in one sitting.

“Ouch,” Liberty jumped, feeling pain in the
tips of her fingers. The second waiter had grazed her hand as he
was setting her plate down. Talon immediately reached out and took
her hand into his, pulling her fingers against his chest.

“It’s okay. I’ve got you,” he cooed.

“I’m so sorry, ma’am, Alpha,” the young man
said, his face red from embarrassment.

“No worries,” Talon told him, never taking
his eyes off of Liberty.

Liberty looked up at the young man, and then
she saw it. The waiter had icy blue eyes just like the alpha in
front of her. “He’s one of yours?”

“Yes,” Talon replied, continuing to stroke
her hand. She worried for a moment that he would punish the young
man, but Talon didn’t even growl in the younger man’s direction. He
was more preoccupied with touching her.

In fact, his touch consumed her. The pain had
been like several needles piercing her skin, but as soon as Talon
had made contact with her skin, the feeling subsided, leaving
warmth behind.

“All better?” he asked, raising the tips of
her fingers to his lips. He placed a soft kiss on them before
placing her hand back on the tabletop.

“Thank you,” she mumbled as she blushed. The
moment was short lived, but the connection between them only seemed
to grow. She could see herself falling for this man…and falling
hard.

Talon took Liberty’s hand as they left the
steakhouse. Her tiny fingers were engulfed by his and that alone
made him feel strong and virile, knowing that he could protect his
mate. And she
was
his mate. He just needed to convince
her.

As soon as they reached the truck, Talon
pinned her back to the door, reaching up to cup her face with his
hands. His lips pressed to hers almost in desperation. His body
warmed, his panther purred in his mind, and his soul felt alive.
His tongue traced her bottom lip, gently pleading with Liberty to
open up for him. The moment she did, he purred low in his throat
and deepened the kiss.

“You are mine, Liberty Raines,” he growled,
nipping at her lip once more before releasing her. The softness of
her body called him back, and he didn’t give her a chance to reply
before he kissed her yet again. “
Mine!
”

A vibration between their bodies made them
separate. Liberty groaned when she fished her phone out of her
purse. She quickly answered it with an exaggerated sigh.

“Hello?”

Talon watched her face fall as she listened
to her sister’s panicked voice. Talon didn’t need to ask what was
being said because with his enhanced hearing, he already knew that
something bad was going down at the bar.

“Terry is back and he’s causing trouble,”
Nova yelled into the phone. “He’s refusing to leave until he talks
to you.”

“Call the sheriff,” Liberty ordered. “I’ll be
there in fifteen.”

Talon had already pulled her around the
truck, opening the door as soon as she hung up the phone. “Get
in.”

“Did you hear that?” she asked.

“Yes,” he growled. That human male had a
problem with alcohol and he was cutting into Talon’s time with
Liberty. If he wasn’t under such a microscope, he’d take the human
out back of the bar and beat him senseless.

By the time they reached the bar, Sheriff
Lynch was already there, along with two other officers. Terry was
being led out of the bar in handcuffs. As soon as he saw Liberty,
he started yelling at her.

“Where the hell have you been?” Terry
slurred. “I’ve been looking for you everywhere!”

“What the hell is going on, Terry?” she
asked, irritation strong in her voice. When Terry lunged toward
her, Talon pulled her body behind his for protection. The officer
who had Terry by the arm jerked him back, giving a shout of warning
at the man.