Derek, page 12
I shook my head slowly. Mom wanted me here. She’s the reason I still came around.
“Tell you what. Let’s battle it out. You win, I’ll stop messing with you. I win, you stop coming around. Deal?”
When I glanced at him over my shoulder, he was already pulling off his shirt. I looked back at the door but Liv still hadn’t come out. Bear wanted to take the challenge and I felt myself turning towards Steven. His eyes lit up in triumph but I stopped myself before I could step towards him.
“No. You aren’t worth it. Leave me alone, Steven.”
I headed back towards the house, determined to leave, when a ripple of power brushed against my back. I stiffened, glancing behind me. Steven had shifted and I saw the look on his face. He was going to force the challenge whether I wanted to or not. He roared and barreled toward me. Bear ripped through my skin just as he launched himself into the air. He crashed against my chest but my bear was a lot bigger than his and I barely felt it. I slapped him away and snarled, warning him. He wouldn’t listen though and came at me again.
Pain raked down my back just as I moved to knock Steven away. I bellowed, spinning to face another cousin who’d come up behind me. There were a few now, all surrounding me. So this was the game they were playing. Distract me so they could come at me together. It might’ve actually worked too until a panther scream ripped through the yard.
Chapter Twenty-One
LIV
The afternoon wasn’t terrible once Derek’s cousin shut up. I like his mom. She’s quiet but she seems to genuinely care about her son and when the opportunity came to talk to her alone, I followed her inside, pestering her with questions about Derek as a kid. She smiled softly, recalling when his curiosity got the better of him when he was a little boy and he ended up stuck in a tree. He’d wandered too far from home and it took hours for someone to find him. He was so apologetic and sweet about it, vowing he’d never climb another tree in his life, but he ended up losing a toy airplane in one a few days later and wound up stuck again. Her laugh was carefree and light and I almost wished I could’ve met her without all the family around. She seemed like a different person when we were alone.
A ear splitting roar caught our attention and the blood drained from her face. She whipped her head in my direction, her voice trembling. “Y-you need t-to stay inside. G-go upstairs, Derek will f-find you soon.”
Yeah, nuts to that. I spun on my heel and tore through the door into the backyard, skidding to a stop, my mouth hanging open. People had shifted and it wasn’t hard to tell which one was Derek. He’s absolutely massive, towering over everyone in the yard. He was fighting off a bear half his size but you could tell in his movements that he wasn’t interested in killing anyone. He slapped the bear away and snarled out a warning.
Another bear circled him from behind, raking his claws down Derek’s back and I snapped. My panther burst out, shredding my clothes, and I took off, slamming headlong into one of the bears trying to come at Derek from the side. They were ganging up on him, backing him against the house so he couldn’t escape and that’s beyond fucked up. If you want to fight with teeth and claws at least don’t be a chickenshit about it. Fair fights only.
They didn’t see me coming and were uncertain on what to do about it. The thing about panthers is that once I start, it’s hard to stop. The bloodlust is intense and I let out a scream, chasing anyone who tried to come near him and not backing down until another got too close to Derek. They were bleeding and wary, trying to get close but backing away when I came at them again. One of them managed to catch my side and I let out a hiss but it was the bone breaking roar that followed behind me that had us all dropping to our bellies. Derek wasn’t playing anymore and he was pissed. He went after the guy who hurt me with a single minded purpose and the bear actually turned tail and ran.
While Derek was distracted, the first bear I saw him fighting with launched himself at me. I rolled out of the way and slashed my claws across his face, making him bellow in pain as he backed away slowly. Derek came back and my ears flicked, following the sound of him as he tore toward us. Crouching low, I gave him the room to jump over me onto the first bear, his jaw clamping on the bear’s neck.
“That’s enough!”
The order rippled with power. That was an alpha’s order. Derek’s uncle is an alpha. He’s not my alpha though so it brushed over me without any effect. Derek too, given the snarl in his throat. The bear he was holding was lax though, done fighting, and it made Derek pause.
“Release him! There are children present!”
That made me hesitate and I swung my attention to the children who were huddled near an overturned table, crying and clinging to the teens. Their mothers had already shifted and paced in front of them, protecting them. They shouldn’t have been present during this. Derek dropped the bear and backed away. I wasn’t done yet, I wanted to punish the bear who hurt my mate but the cries of the children held me at bay. Instead, I paced in front of Derek, protecting him even though he was three times my size.
Derek’s uncle pointed toward the front yard, baring his teeth. “Leave!”
Neither me nor my panther was willing to let this man tear Derek’s family away from him. I know he didn’t start this. They did it on purpose so they could hurt him and he shouldn’t get punished for it. I let out a scream, startling the man. He didn’t know what to do with me. Not all rumors about panthers are unfounded and I was willing to bet he didn’t want to find out which ones were true.
When I padded forward, Derek swept a paw out and took out my legs. He wasn’t trying to hurt me but it caught my attention and I jerked my head around, glaring at him. His eyes looked sad and I could feel the defeat in the air. He was done fighting.
“Leave, Derek. Now. You are no longer welcome here,” his uncle snapped.
Derek gave one last long look at his mom, who stood in the doorway to the house trembling, before turning towards the front and stalking off.
Fueled by anger and heartache, I darted out after him. I overtook him in the front and spun around, snarling at him. He just shook his head, pushing past me. It felt like he was leaving me too and my cat couldn’t take it. So I did something stupid and attacked him. I barreled into his side and he let me knock him down. I know he let me because it was like slamming into a brick wall. No way I made any impact. I snarled and screamed, demanding he get up and fight, but he only looked away. I can’t lose him though. And the only way I knew to show him I wasn’t going anywhere was to sink my teeth into his shoulder. He bellowed out a roar and froze, unmoving until I released him and backed away, my ears flat and my tail twitching. Then he shifted back with a grunt and dropped to his knees, lifting his gaze shimmering with tears to lock on me.
“Liv. My mate.”
He was on me before I’d fully shifted back, pulling me against his chest and burying his face into my shoulder. I sobbed, hugging him tightly, careful to avoid his injured shoulder. Claiming marks don’t have to be so violent and painful but I couldn’t regret it. He was losing his family and I wanted to show him he still had me. I didn’t want to lose him.
“I’m sorry! I’m sorry!”
His grip tightened and he shook his head, refusing to pull away. “I’m not.”
Those two little words broke me and I felt my legs go out from under me. He scooped me up and marched to his truck, ripping open the back door to sit me on the seat. He kept trying to push me upright to look at him but I couldn’t move away from him right now.
“Ohhh sweet mate, you’ve been keepin’ secrets. Such a beautiful fighter,” he crooned, petting my hair. I buried my face against his chest, shoulders shaking on broken sobs. I hated that I kept it from him, it ate at me, but he didn’t even blink. He just accepted me and I couldn’t believe I got lucky enough to find him.
Cupping my chin with both hands, he lifted my face and captured my lips fiercely. I threw my arms around his neck, squeezing tightly as I kissed him back. This sweet gentle giant is mine and I’ll protect him with my life.
A snarl rattled my throat and he smiled against my lips. Slowly, he pulled back, bumping his forehead against mine.
“Pretty kitty. I love you, Liv.”
Choking back a sob, I leaned into him. “I love you too.”
It took us a minute to calm down. We couldn’t go inside for a change of clothes but luckily, Derek kept a spare in his truck. He pulled the jeans on while I put on his t-shirt. We were both bleeding and dirty but I didn’t care. I just wanted to stay wrapped around him. He scooped me up and brought me with him when he climbed into the front, keeping me tucked up against him as he started the truck.
We were just pulling out when his mother came racing towards us. She looked panicked and knocked wildly on the window until Derek opened it.
“I– I don’t want this to be the last time I see you. Please promise me you’ll come back.”
Derek frowned, glancing over his shoulder at the house, but there was no one there. He turned back to his mother, eyeing her suspiciously. “What’s uncle Roger got to say about that?”
She shook her head, tears streaming down her face. “I told him if he didn’t let me see you, I’d go rogue. You’re my boy, I can’t not see you. He said you could visit as long as you stayed away from the rest of the family. Please, Derek.”
I could tell how difficult this was for her. She had sweat along her temples and her face was pale. She was fighting every instinct she had to go against Roger and she was doing it because she loves her son. I put my hand on his arm, giving him an encouraging look. He looked wary and uncertain but eventually, he nodded.
“Okay, Mama. In a little while. I need some time…”
She released a heartbroken sob and nodded slowly, backing away from the truck. Derek looked like he might drive away but he threw the truck into park and got out, pulling his mom into a hug. She trembled but she hugged him back tightly until he straightened and stepped back. When he climbed back in the truck, they gave each other a single nod before he drove away without looking back.
Chapter Twenty-Two
DEREK
My mind was reeling and I couldn’t think straight. I got about as far as the base of the mountains before I pulled off on a small trail and put the truck into park. I sat staring at the forest in front of me, trying to come to terms with what just happened.
My cousins wanted to kill me. That much was clear when they tried to corner me. I don’t know what I did to make them hate me so much but I would’ve been a goner if it wasn’t for Liv.
I looked at her, running my fingers through her hair. She was curled up with her head in my lap, fast asleep. She’d been a jittery mess when we left but she crashed hard once we hit the road and I didn’t want to wake her but I had questions and she was the only one I could get answers from.
Shaking her shoulder lightly, I grimaced when she blinked her eyes open.
“Hey.”
She sat up with a frown, rubbing her eyes. “Where are we?”
I shook my head. “Off on a trail. I needed a minute. Can we talk?”
She nodded hesitantly and I could feel the trepidation coming off her. She was worried about my reaction to her being a shifter but I couldn’t really blame her. I didn’t tell her either. She moved until she was sitting facing me, fidgeting with the edge of the shirt I gave her. Brushing my knuckle over her cheek, I tried to give her a reassuring smile.
“I’m not mad. I just wanna know why. And how. I’ve never met a shifter who can hide their scent like that.”
Her brow furrowed as she stared at her lap. “Most can’t. I had to learn. My mom… she’s not a nice person. She didn’t like the fact that I was dominant and kept attacking me. Dad got some of the other submissive shifters in the crew to teach me to push my panther down and be invisible. It kept Mom off my back.”
Fury ripped through me but I held myself back. I wanted to hunt her mother down and hurt her. Pushing down your animal like that isn’t healthy. It could mess with your connection, mess with your head. When she was shifted, she looked wild, almost like she wasn’t fully there, more animal than human.
“Why didn’t you tell me?” I whispered, trying to hide the growl in my throat.
She sniffed, wiping stray tears from her face. “I started hiding her around you because I was suspicious of Theo with Hailey. Then… then we spent time together and I was worried you’d hate me. You’d hate what I am.”
I was scared she was going to tell me she was afraid of me and didn’t want to set me off. I didn’t understand why she thought I’d hate her though.
“What makes you think I’d hate you?”
She bit her lip. “People say a lot of cruel things about panthers. Inbred, bloodcrazed, dangerous, untrustworthy. I’ve had other shifters immediately turn against me when they found out what I am. I liked you so much I didn’t want to tell you something that might make you leave. Then you told me you love me and I wanted to tell you the truth but I didn’t know how. I was mad at myself for keeping it from you and I kept waiting for the right time and it never came.”
Sighing, I reached for her, pulling her into my lap. “Sweet kitty, you thought I wouldn’t understand people judging you before they got to know you? That’s all they ever do to me. I don’t care about what other people say. You’re a good mate. Took on a sleuth of bears to protect me even though they were bigger than you.”
She scowled. “They might be bigger but I’m faster.” Hesitantly, she glanced up at me. “You really aren’t mad?”
I shook my head. “No, kitty. I’m not mad. I didn’t tell you either. I wanted to but Jackson told me to wait. He thought you were human and didn’t want me to scare you.”
She melted in my arms, burying her face against my neck. She is a beautiful mystery, my mate, and I couldn’t have gotten luckier if I tried.
We sat for a while, cuddling and just taking a breather. She asked me how I felt about what happened with my family but I couldn’t answer her yet. I was glad to not have to deal with them anymore but sad too. A small part of me hoped if they saw me with Liv they’d see I wasn’t dangerous and just let me be. I didn’t realize how far they’d go to get rid of me.
Once we were back on the road and Liv was back asleep, I called Jackson. He answered on the first ring, confusion tinging his voice.
“Hey, man. I thought you were with your family today.”
I sighed. “Yeah, I don’t really have one anymore.”
I told him what happened, told him about Liv. He’s my friend and he’s always had my back. He seemed stunned by the story, staying quiet for a minute.
“Jesus, man. That’s a fucking mess to unravel.”
I snorted. “Yeah, I guess.”
“And Liv’s a shifter? How the hell did I miss that?”
Bear threatened to revolt if I had to relive that story so I decided to leave it up to Liv. If she wanted to tell him, she could when she was ready.
“That’s not my story to tell. But she claimed me and she’s mine. I’m bringing her home but our clothes got ruined in the fight and I only had a t-shirt for her. Can you bring out a blanket or something so I can get her upstairs?”
“Sure, just let me know when you get close. Is anyone hurt?”
If she was human, I’d be more concerned about her injuries but like me, she’s a quick healer and when I peeked at her side when we were stopped at a light, the claw marks were already scabbed over and healing. She might have some scars but she’s still beautiful to me.
“We’re okay. It looks worse than it is.”
I didn’t want him to worry once he saw my shoulder. She wasn’t gentle about her claiming but she told me she was afraid I’d leave and her panther reacted before she could stop it. When she admitted that she didn’t really try that hard to stop, I pulled her in for a kiss. I understood the feeling, Bear wanted to claim her more times than I could count and a small part of me wanted to let him. It was only the thought that she was human that held me back. Now though…
I sucked in a sharp breath. Now I could claim her and I knew she could take it. She’s tough, took on Steven without question and probably left him with a few scars of his own. At least now he couldn’t say he was the better looking cousin. I saw his face, she got him good.
“Derek?”
“What? Oh, we’ll be there in about fifteen minutes.”
He chuckled. “Alright, see you soon.”
The rest of the ride was quiet as I made my way back to my place. I’d apologize later but I couldn’t bring Liv home right now. Not after what happened. I needed to hold her and remind myself that I wasn’t alone. She’s my mate and everything was going to be okay.
When I pulled up out front, Jackson and Theo were waiting for us. Jackson had a blanket in his arms and Theo looked worried. I pulled Liv against my chest, careful not to wake her, and slid out of the truck.
Jackson approached with the blanket and when he took in a breath, his eyebrows flew up. “Shit, you weren’t lying.”
I nodded. She wasn’t hiding it anymore. She smells like fur. Fur and flowers and Liv. She’s perfect and I’d tell her every day until she believed me.
She stayed asleep as we brought her upstairs. It wasn’t overly late, the sun was just starting to set when we left so it was barely dark, but she’s been crying a lot and a fight like that couldn’t have been easy for her. I settled her into my bed, brushing the hair from her face before I wandered back to the living room where Theo and Jackson were waiting.
Theo grimaced. “You look like hell.”
I shot him a dry look. “Thanks.”
He put his hands up, snickering. “My bad. I’m just surprised. No one gets to you. I’ve seen you fight. And who in their right mind would go up against you anyway?”
Scowling, I moved to the small kitchenette in the corner. I’m an okay cook and I figured Liv would be hungry when she woke up. She didn’t eat much today, too focused on me and keeping me calm. Not that it mattered in the end. I still got into a fight and lost my family. I wasn’t sure how I felt about going to visit Mom after all that.
