Talon (Rise of the Pride, Book 1) (15 page)

Her door flew open just as his boot hit the
first step on the old wooden porch. She was inside before he made
it to the door. When she slammed the door in his face, a mighty
roar filled the night sky and she sank down against the wall in the
hallway and cried.

The moment the door slammed in his face, his
panther rushed to the surface and cried out in anger at his mate
denying him. His canines punched through his gums and it took all
of Talon’s human willpower to keep his body from shifting. A
vicious curse fell from his lips as his human mind and his
panther’s waged war over what was the right thing to do and what
his instincts yearned for him to accept. Liberty was his true mate
no matter how hard he pushed her away…no matter what the rules of
his pride were.

He felt Savage rush toward the house from his
sentry position in the woods. He’d been there most of the night
watching the house. Winter was at the bar with Nova, planning to
escort her home. When he turned, Savage the panther froze, not
moving forward. Talon snarled, tossing his head out toward the
woods, reminding him of his duties. The cat slinked back and turned
without any hesitation.

“Liberty,” he howled, his voice distorted by
his growing canines. “Open the door!”

“Get out of here, Talon,” she yelled. Her
voice was so close to the door that he wondered if she was sitting
right against the other side.

“Liberty,” he gasped as the sound of her sobs
hit his ears. Pounding his fist on the door, Talon cursed himself
for making her cry. A male didn’t cause his mate tears, he
prevented them. A mate’s solemn vow was to keep her happy and to
care for her. He’d failed the first part miserably.

But hadn’t he pushed her away? Hadn’t he just
made a promise to let her go?

“Go away, Talon!” she snarled.

“No,” he growled, the sound so guttural it
actually vibrated the wooden frame of the door. Silence followed
for about two heartbeats before Talon heard footsteps stomping
toward the stairway down the hall from the entrance. At that point,
he knew she wasn’t behind the door anymore.

One well-placed kick to the lock sent the
entire door flying inward, bouncing it off the wall behind it.
Liberty looked over the banister, her eyes narrowing in anger.
Mine…my mate!
His panther was screaming in his head…trying
to override all of his human intentions.

“What the fuck are you doing?” she screamed,
throwing her hands in the air as she ran down the stairs.

“Watch your mouth,” he snapped, marching
forward to intercept her. He took one arm and wrapped it around her
waist, yanking her flush against his body. Before she could curse
at him again, his lips crashed down against hers, his tongue
demanding entrance. He’d kiss her into submission if he had to.
This human was driving him wild.

Talon took his free hand and tangled his
fingers in her hair. He made a fist and tightened his hold on
Liberty. He pulled on her hair, breaking their kiss. Tilting her
head back, Talon gazed into her eyes. They were glazed over, her
lips swollen from his assault.

“It is a bad idea for a mate to lock out
their panther, little human,” he growled, his voice closer to
animal.

“I’m not yours, you said so yourself,” she
snapped.

“You are mine and don’t you ever forget that,
Liberty.” She inhaled softly, and Talon was sure she was taking in
his mating scent. She tried to pull away, but it was a weak
attempt. She wanted him. He knew it from the scent of her arousal
that wrapped around his senses.

“You don’t want me,” she growled. “You said
your pride was more important.”

He saw the defeated look in her eyes. “I
could no more let you go than I could let someone kill an innocent
child from my pride.”

“Don’t say things that you will later regret,
Talon,” she whispered, her eyes still wet with unshed tears.

“Listen to me, Liberty Raines,” he growled,
getting in her face. At no time did he release his hold on her
head. Talon wasn’t about to let go of her. “You are my mate. There
is no other female in this world who could hold a candle to
you.”

“Either you want me or you don’t, Talon,” she
complained. “You can’t tell me that I am yours one minute, then
when everything goes to hell, you push me aside.”

“I have to care for my pride,” he said, his
voice sounding tired. He leaned his forehead against hers, his icy
blue eyes boring into hers. “I’m torn.”

“It doesn’t have to be that way,” she
pleaded, a lone tear trailing down her cheek. His thumb brushed
away the wetness.

“I never meant to make you cry,” he said.
“Please, just wait for me.”

God, he felt like the biggest fool. How did
you push away what your instincts demand you claim? As an alpha,
how did you balance the two parts of yourself? This wasn’t
something his father had warned him about during all of those talks
they’d shared about the responsibilities he’d one day inherit.
Little did either one of them know, but his father wouldn’t be
around to council Talon as he took over the pride.

“Let me help you find her,” Liberty begged,
her voice sounding just as tired as his. “I’ll be careful. I
promise.”

“I would rain hell down on anyone who harmed
you just as they’ve harmed one of my own,” he sighed. “You are not
to go looking for her.”

“But,” she started to argue, but was cut off
by his growl.

“No,” he stated, not taking any protests from
her.

“Let me go, Talon,” she whispered, trying to
move away from him, but he held onto her for another few seconds.
The loss of her touch burned him straight through to his soul.
“Please?”

“I have to go,” he said, pressing his lips to
hers once more. “I’ll have one of the Guardians repair your
door.”

The last thing he wanted to do was leave her,
but it was for the best. Releasing her hair, he turned, leaving the
woman who held his heart in the palm of her hands.

Talon walked with purpose to the side of the
house, his emotions were like a blinking billboard across his
features. Savage approached from the safety of the woods already
fully clothed.

“I need you to fix her front door,” Talon
ordered, the rumbling growl coming from his chest left no room for
questions from his Guardian.

“Yes, sir,” Savage replied.

Talon fought to keep from looking back at her
house as he rushed to his vehicle. It was time that he took care of
his pride, just as he’d promised the day he’d taken the oath. His
power surged inside the cab of his truck, sending his panther
forward. They both knew that the pride was his main responsibility,
no matter how much his heart yearned for the human female to be at
his side.

He pulled onto his property, jumping out of
the vehicle. Several of his pride were milling about, but none of
them said anything as he shed his clothes, tossing them in the back
of his truck. It only took a moment for him to shift.

His claws dug into the dirt as he raced
toward where his men were searching, gathering scents of whoever
had dared to come on his property. Three of his Guardians were
hanging close behind his youngest brother, watching him as he moved
about the area. His nose was to the ground as he searched.

Talon snarled, gaining their attention. Dane
huffed once and shook his head, telling the alpha they’d found
nothing. They’d searched the road that ran alongside the property
and were now off in the thickest part of the wooded area, hoping to
find a trace of the girl or the men who’d taken her.

A faint scent of an unknown panther tickled
Talon’s nose. A warning growl rumbled from deep in his chest as he
memorized the scent. This was definitely not from one of his pride.
As he moved around the area, he was confused because the scent was
only in one spot. There was no trail. If a panther had moved
around, brushing up against a tree trunk, a sapling, hell even a
leaf, their scent would remain. This scent was just there on the
ground.

Dane stepped forward, pushing his nose
against the area. Talon had started to wonder if he’d been so
wrapped up in the disappearance of Evie and his need for Liberty,
that he’d possibly mistaken the scent, but from his Guardian’s deep
growl, he knew that it wasn’t a figment of his imagination. This
scent was real and it belonged to someone who wasn’t one of
theirs.

Chapter Nine

A couple of days was all it took for Talon to
find his way back to Liberty’s home. She’d been in his every
thought while he had been out searching for Evie. They were still
no closer to finding the female than they had been when she went
missing.

Talon had sent every male available out to
look for her. He couldn’t understand why Evie wasn’t reaching out
to him. His only answer was that she was either sedated…or dead. He
wouldn’t think that she was not with them anymore. He couldn’t
handle losing one of his own. There would be no way his brother
would be able to survive the loss of a potential mate.

Talon was a little disappointed when he
pulled into the driveway and her car was absent from the yard. He
slid out of his truck and started for the woods surrounding her
home. Savage stepped out from behind a shrub, already shifted from
his animal form.

“Hey, boss,” he greeted.

“Any trouble?” Talon asked, his keen eyes
searching the property.

“None,” Savage answered.

Lights painted the yard, the low beams from a
car washed across the two men. Liberty’s car stopped next to
Talon’s truck. His panther pushed forward, its interest piqued by
the woman who was just out of reach.

Talon gave his Guardian a hard stare before
walking away. By the time he rounded the front of his truck, she
was climbing out of her vehicle. His boots crunched on the gravel
drive as he approached her, his arms automatically going around her
waist. His lips crashed down on hers with an intensity that proved
how much he needed her…wanted her.

“Your eyes are glowing,” Liberty said,
breathless.

“My panther,” he admitted, trying to push
back the beast inside his mind.

“What are you doing here?” she asked, taking
a step backwards. Talon frowned when their connection was lost.

“I had to see you,” he replied. “Can we go
inside?” Talon had known he needed to find the people who took
Evie, but his heart was torn. Torn between his mate and his pride.
His father had trained him to care for the pride, but his mother
had always come first in his father’s eyes. She was his heart and
soul, and without his mother, Talon’s father would have been
nothing but a shell of a man.

“Come on,” she said, tucking her chin and
heading toward the door.

As soon as the door closed behind them, Talon
pulled her into his arms, ignoring her protest. He needed her
scent, her warmth. “I don’t know what to do.”

“About Evie?” she asked, her concern evident
in her voice.

“About everything,” he admitted, nuzzling her
neck. “I need you. I
want
you, Liberty, but I have
responsibilities to my people.”

“I understand,” she whispered, pressing her
lips to his neck. She lingered there, inhaling his mating scent.
His panther lurched forward in his mind, demanding he claim
her…make Liberty his.
Mate! Panther! Mine!

“I can only give you tonight, Liberty.” He
tangled his fingers in her hair, pulling slightly so that she would
look into his eyes. What he saw there was fire and need. Her
arousal was a sweet aroma in the air. His cock hardened and he
shamelessly rubbed it against her stomach.

In a move that shocked him, Liberty reached
for the hem of his shirt, jerking it upwards. His arms lifted
automatically and the material was tossed somewhere behind her. The
moment she reached for her own shirt, he grasped her hands,
stopping her from undressing.