The Shunned (closed for LoganDarkHolme and DarkWarrioress)

[DarkWarrioress]

Everything happened so fast. Finding the cat on the top of her car. Then his…his… arrogance in not taking anything she said seriously and she knew he understood her, being in civilization had not made him dumb. She watched as his ears flickered and she knew he was paying attention to their surroundings even while behaving otherwise. Then, hell broke loose. Trying to shout over the cops, yelling at them not to shoot while trying to explain who she was, was not working. Finally, the cat took off. She didn’t know if she should be pissed or worried. Maybe both. She watched him disappear into a copse of trees. Hopefully, the cat would make himself scarce and she could find him again.

“Well, this is exciting day.”

Sam turned her head quickly and looked at the speaker.

“Oh, you again,” she said in an overly dry tone.

The cops and everyone else, including news reporters, had given chase after the cat. Sam was brushing off the back of her clothing as Alecsi joined her in the parking lot. Her eyes went from him those nearby trees, her brows furrowing into a frown. Her eyes held a spark of worry in them. It was tempting to join the fray but there would be little she could do. There was no way the panther was going to come out of hiding with so many people out there. She looked to the ground in a moment of thought. He licked her! He had never done that before. Of all the--- she then became aware of the man she had briefly spoken with earlier and was still standing with her. Sam cleared her throat.

“I know you said you had an understanding with the panther. How is that possible Mr.-----”

She looked at him expectantly.

 

[LoganDarkHolme]

Oh, you again if her voice had been any dryer, he would’ve gotten windburn. But his lips still twitched, watching the emotions cross her face, anger, worry, confusion, fear, trepidation, saw her gaze turn back towards where police and news crews had ran after him. His head still dipped he watched her from beneath the brim of his hat, he stroked a hand through his goatee as her gaze again turned back towards him, his nose twitched as he took in her scent, scented the air around them and filtered through everything, the police were going to be chasing their tails for a while in a panic, this park was huge and had afforded him a great deal of coverage. Hopefully they’d think he’d stay in the park, looks like he was on Two legs for the foreseeable future, He’d achieved his goal and found Sam, now he could watch over her, he’d no doubt after the yeeeaaarrsss of hassle he’d given the Cartel’s, they would no doubt be after him they were nothing if not persistent.

Sam’s throat clear drew his attention back to her and he tilted his head, inspecting her as her temper once more flared you said you had an understanding with the panther. How is that possible Mr.---- he smiled, his eyes narrowed slightly, ok, so he’d said that out loud, whoops, he hooked his thumbs into the belt loops of his pants, turning his gaze to look out into the park before looking back to her “Varenov, Alecsi, Varenov, or Alec, for short..” he said, his voice pitched low, husky, the barest hint of cajun inflection to his tone, "As for the cat, well, we ran into each other on the golf course, he knew I was no threat to him, and he didn’t attack me, smart feline, left me alone” he tilted his head back, looking into her eyes “something tells me darlin, we shouldn’t stick around here, should we go? Give us a chance to talk?” Alecsi turned his head as he heard the flapping of wings, narrowing his eyes as a Raven dropped down and landed on Sam’s car, flapping it’s wings and making a low Rattle as it snapped its beak at him “Go eat worms, shoo” he said to the damn bird and it flapped its wings at him again before it flew off

 

[DarkWarrioress]

Her eyebrow arched at his calling her darlin. While she recognized that some people spoke like that because it was just their speech pattern, she, personally, didn’t care for it. Considering where they were, what had happened, she let it slide. This time.

“Not a bad idea, Mr. Varenov. Could I interest you in a cup of coffee or something at a local coffee house?”

Sam saw a raven, curiously enough, land on the top of her car. What the bloody hell was it with animals today and her car? Especially the roof. Alec shooed it away while Sam opened her car door and got in. She waited until he was in her car and the door closed before she put the car in gear and backed out of her parking space, leaving the parking lot in her rear mirror.

“So, are you from around here, Mr. Varenov?”

She was mostly focused on her driving. The streets were so narrow with cars parked on either side, not to mention the hills they went up and down on. People were walking all around them and crossing the streets in front of them, some of them with lack of concern that there was a car coming down the street in front of them. Sam wasn’t sure if it was lack of concern on their parts or they simply didn’t care. They expected you to come to a stop so they could cross the street. Others, gathered on street corners saw an opportunity to pass and took it, scurrying across the road while the driver of the car sat drumming their fingers on the steering wheel. Some drivers had less patience than she did and honked their horns, starting to put their cars in gear making the pedestrians scamper across the street like busy ants.

Sam found her coffee shop, slid her car into a parallel parking spot with little to no effort and grabbing her purse got out of the car on her side. Coming around the front of the car, she waited for him to join her before she remotely locked the car and headed into the coffee shop. She could feel him behind her and it gave her a weird feeling. Finding an empty booth, she slid in and waited for him to join her.

 

[LoganDarkHolme]

Could I interest you in a cup of coffee or something?  ˆ he half turned, glancing at her from beneath the brim of his hat, his lips twitched into a crooked grin as he turned and walked around her car, his eyes scanning the area for any more cops or hunters he popped her door open and slid in, having to adjust the seat back farther for his long legs, "coffee sounds great" he said as she slid into the seat and made her way out of the park. So, are you from around here, Mr. Varenov? more then once Alecsi had grabbed the oh shit handle above his head, fighting hard to keep from snarling more then once at idiots that walked in front of them as she drove, he could feel the tingling in his gums from his fangs wanting to decend.

"Alecsi, please, Mr makes me sound old" he jokes, glancing at her with a smirk "no, im from farther north, but im more of a drifter, spent a lot of time doing ........whats the word......" he frowned as he sought the word that seeemed to suddenly elude him "helping small villages in other countries, food, clothes, whatever, " he trailed off as she parked as he slipped from the car, his nose twitching as he took in the scents around them, watching her as she rounded the front of her car, his eyes falling to her pert ass before he followed her inside, the scents of food that wafted to him had his stomach growling, loudly, he hadnt hunted this morning, and things happened faster then he had anticipated,

rubbing his ear as the white noise that was the patrons of this establishment assaulted his hearing, snippets of conversations, loud noises that again forced him to not snarl. he had forgotten how loud enclosed spaces could be, having spent the last 10 plus years in the forest, where it was quieter, movement in his periphery had him snapping his hand out to catch the waitress arm before he even registered and realized she was just placing a glass of water down infront of them. He froze, for a moment, his gaze staring at the startled expression on her face as he forced himself to let her go "uhhh, im, im sorry, fast movement, makes me jumpy ummmmm, PTSD, " he scrambled for words as he let her go slowly and took the glass, downing the contents, ice and all in one swallow "im, sorry....." the waitress swallowed but nodded her head and Alecsi silenty kicked himself, maybe this was a bad idea, he took up the menu that was laid before him, trying to not look like a bigger idiot

"i, uh, i think we will need a few minutes to decide, " Alecsi reached into his coat and pulled out his wallet, slipping a $50 from the bill fold he slid it to the waitress "your tip, and, agian, umm, im sorry..." when the hell did english become so fucking hard? god damn it this was NOT going the way he expected, his eyes flicked to Sam, almost fearful of what he would see in her eyes

 

[DarkWarrioress]

Sam was quiet and observant when they sat down in the coffee shop. Alecsi was acting, well, weird, from her point of view. There was something about him that reminded her of someone but she was drawing a blank as to who it was. With her elbows on the table, fingers laced together and her chin resting on the top of them, she studied him and when he handed the waitress a fifty dollar bill, her eyebrows rose but she didn’t say anything until he glanced her way.

“That was a little generous, don’t you think?”

She was smiling as she said it.

“So, tell me, Mr.—uh---Alecsi, you’re not from around here are you?”

She stopped the waitress as the busy woman was starting to rush by and asked for two menus. The fact that the panther had been in the park had made her miss lunch and she was hungry. When the waitress dropped off the menus with the promise of returning shortly to take their orders, Sam opened her menu and studied it. She peeked over the top of it.

“Care to join me for lunch? The panther sighting made me forget about eating and I’m famished.”

She went back to studying the menu, trying to decide what to eat. The man was a stranger to her but he seemed easy enough to talk to. There was a tv hanging in the corner of the room and the news was on. Sam lowered her menu to listen. The commentator was talking about the panther that was still on the loose, about local events, the weather and finally about asking the pubic to be mindful as the FBI were hunting some dangerous drug dealers that were connected to a cartel located in Brazil.

When Alecsi wasn’t looking at her, she was studying him. Who did he remind her of?

 

[LoganDarkHolme]

“That was a little generous, don’t you think?” Alecsi halfheartedly shrugs, the hot wash of fear from the girl still burned his nose, and he felt tipping her excessively might keep her from doing anything, well, stupid, like causing a bigger problem. “she didn’t mean to startle me, and didn’t deserve for me to grab her, so” his eyes fell to her lips as she smiled, then to her face. Sitting back as he took his menu and began perusing the list of foods, honestly he was hungry, and could order the entire menu, and still be hungry, he was a cat after all. “So, tell me, Mr.—uh---Alecsi, you’re not from around here are you?” that made him chuckle, she’d just asked him that and completely missed his answer, “no, im from…..farther north, im a wanderer” he said, sitting back as the waitress came back, picking up her still slightly elevated heart rate yet, but she no longer reeked of fear, so that was a bonus.

Her eyes skimming the menu as the waitress waited, he caught her mumbled [I] Care to join me for lunch? The panther sighting made me forget about eating and I’m famished[/I] ok, now he laughed, a dark reverberation of sound, making his eyes gleam, a brief shine of green across his pupils as the light caught his eyes before he again dipped his head to cover his eyes “Yes, the cat does have that effect, I would love to join you, I mean, we are already here…….” his voice dry with more then a little amusement, He shruged again but his lips twitched into a crooked smile, he has juat motioned for her to order first when her gaze snapped to one side and he followed her line of sight to the TV, watched her smile fade and he focused his hearing as he too listened, his lip curling and he snarled a soft curse. A group of cartel members were reported having killed several border agents and crossed into southern California, destination unknown.

A low growl rumbled his chest for a brief moment before the waitress throat clear brought both their attentions back to their menus “uh sorry” he said quietly “as if there wasn’t enough trouble in town right?” he quipped, glancing to Sam before he rattled off his order, 4 double cheese burgers, 2 orders of fries, large soda, a chicago dog, and an order of cheese curds and a stack of pancakes, The waitress just kinda stared at him slack jawed but he ignored it and turned to sam “what would you like? My treat” he blinked noticing the way she just stared at him “what?” why was she looking at him like that?

 

[DarkWarrioress]

Her eyes widened and she dropped the menu onto their table as she heard him order. How could he put away so much food? She managed to stammer her order to the waitress and handed her back the menu. She waited until the woman left to place their order and leaned forward over the table toward him and asked in a low voice.

“You’re going to actually eat all that?” She studied him for a long moment, “You must have one hell of a metabolism,” she leaned back in her seat and studied him, “if I tried to eat like that, well, I just couldn’t. There’s no way.”

She looked out the window with a frown.

“I hope he got away safely. I don’t expect you to understand, but I know that panther. In fact, I’m the reason he’s here in San Francisco and I’m beginning to regret it. I should have left him in the jungle, where he belongs.”

She didn’t want him locked up but at the same time, she didn’t want him running loose in the city. He wasn’t safe on thew streets. Some fearful idiot might try to shoot him. She was about to go on when the waitress returned bearing part of his order and hers with the promise to be back with the rest of his order shortly. Her eyes went to the food on the table and slightly shook her head as she picked up one half of her sandwich and nibbled at it. When the waitress returned with the rest of his order, Sam pushed a few things out of the way to make room.

“I still can’t believe you’re going to eat all that. I’m getting full just looking at it,” she joked lightly.

 

[LoganDarkHolme]

“You’re going to actually eat all that?” he blinked, his lips twitched at the sheer shock on her face, god she was cute, all wide eyed. “You must have one hell of a metabolism,” he nodded as the waitress finished writing down their orders and left them alone, he took his hat off finally, giving her a full look at his face for the first time as he leaned back against the booth and watched her “I do, actually,” his voice was a low purr “I was diagnosed with Hypermetabolism as an infant, as far as the doctor’s were able to tell, my metabolic rate is about 6 times faster then a normal persons” it wasn’t exactly a lie, his shifter metabolism was actually closer to 10 times the normal rate of humans, being a big cat he usually ate his weight in food on a daily basis, along with some other nicer perks, increased healing, increased resistance to poisons and various venoms, but whose keeping track.

He watched as her gaze turned out the window, her brows drawing down in concern, biting her bottom lip, he wondered if that was a nervous habit? I hope he got away safely. I don’t expect you to understand, but I know that panther. he fought hard to keep from smiling, the warmth in her voice, the subtle softening of her features, ever since he caught her scent in the forest, that first time, saw her, saw the fear, and the fearlessness she displayed confronting him, talking to him. Hell, her touch was branded into his fur, she was the first person that ever touched him that way, she cared, well, cared about the beast, she was honest, she was good human. And it made a pang deep in chest ache knowing that her desire to help him roped her into the situation they are now in, why he allowed his capture, to protect her, because she was a target, by the cartel wanting his fur on their wall, and her head for defying them, and the world of scientists that now wanted to dissect him.

In fact, I’m the reason he’s here in San Francisco and I’m beginning to regret it. I should have left him in the jungle, where he belongs.” he nodded gently, this time his lips did kick up at the edges “im sure he’s fine Cher, “ that light cajun accent hiding the purr “he’s a brilliant animal, those hunters aren’t going to find him any time soon, there is a lot of land around here to run, and a lot of trails they will never find in the mountains., im sure you had your reasons for doing what you did, best you can do is do what you did best, you found him once, and well, judging by his reactions back in the park, I don’t think he's all that far away, he might surprise you …..”

Alecsi was interrupted as the waitress came with the tray of food and he sat back, unable to stop himself from licking his lips as the scents of roasted meats, salt, and seasoning invaded his senses and he growled in hunger, picking up the first burger and taking a bite a small shiver raced down his arms, fuck it had been soooooooo long since he’d had any kind of cooked meat, it was few and far between, and only when he’d ventured into one of the villages to steal one of their meals, or when they offered him a “sacrifice” in hopes of his protection, or to ward him away from their cattle. “I still can’t believe you’re going to eat all that. I’m getting full just looking at it,” he chuckled, "you cant beat necessity" and It took him minutes to demolish the first burger, then the second, by the time the third arrived he’d slowed down, not wanting to appear completely deranged, polishing off the fries and soda not long after, by the fourth burger he was already eyeing the desert menu that was tucked in the corner of the table by the window.

His ear twitched as he listened, even now still aware of his surroundings, listening, his nose imperceptibly twitching as he scented the air, weeding through all the scents for any hint of danger. It was about 25 minutes before the food was gone and he sat back, wiping his mouth clean, having piled all the dishes together for the waitress who paled as she saw not a hint of any food remaining of what he’d ordered, her eyes staring at him and he merely arched a brow at the girl before she seemed to snap out of it and hurried to take the dishes away. Alecsi’s gaze once more turning to Sam “So, you live around here? Or just staying in the area?”

his question was innocent enough, but he didn’t know where their paths would take them next, and if she decided to part ways with im, maybe she’d give him some sense of direction in which to follow her. Plans formulated quickly in his mind, as well as alternatives, he could return to the forest for the night, but now that he’d heard the news the Cartel had crossed the border and were actively searching, at least he assumed, he didn’t want to stray far from her.. Taking out his wallet he laid a $100 on the table “I got the check, I ate the most, only fair a gentleman pays for the lady” he said smoothly, meeting her eyes intently

 

[DarkWarrioress]

“I got the check, I ate the most, only fair a gentleman pays for the lady”

His eyes met hers over the rim of her coffee cup. She frowned slightly as she felt something akin to lightning shoot through her. There was something about his eyes and the way he looked at her. When she met his eyes, she could have sworn she knew him….. or at the very least, had met him, but where? How? She gave her head a gentle shake.

Still frowning, “ Um… I’m sorry but I have to ask this, have we met before? And I just got back into town a few weeks ago. I’m from further up north but I moved to the Bay Area about a year or two ago to take a position at the Institute. I was sent to Central America to catch the panther and return with him so the doctors could study him and now that crazy beast is out there in the Park somewhere, probably deliberately taunting the officials who are trying to capture him again.

Well, I should be getting home. Today’s my only day off and there are still a few things I need to see to.”

She pushed back her chair and stood up, extending her hand over the table.

“It was nice meeting you, Alecsi and thank you for my lunch.”

 

[LoganDarkHolme]

He listened as she explained her brief past, some of it he’d gleaned from the time they’d spent in the jungle, and he’d listened to the chatter of her coworkers at camp. The other the Raven’s had found out for him, but as he listened he tried to hide the irritation as she didn’t really give him much of a clue, ok, so she was staying in the area, but this still was an area with a million people, he’d have to go back and read the file he had on her again, he only skimmed it so he may have missed something. He blinked out of his thoughts as she made to get up from her seat and he too rose to his feet, his eyes going back to her's, now that crazy beast is out there in the Park somewhere, probably deliberately taunting the officials who are trying to capture him again. that made him smile, his eyes glittering with amusement “Come now Cher, I think you shouldn’t worry, the cat is probably long gone from that park, and the officials are just chasing their tails “ he snickered at his own joke “I wouldn’t be surprised if he turned out to be closer then you expected, he seemed rather…………..curious……..about you, I saw your interaction with him at the park, before he ran past me, “ he canted his head to the side slightly “He seems interested in you as much as you are about him,”

He smiled again as he finally broke eye contact with her, slipping his hat back on his head, tucking the brim low over his eyes, and he saw her stiffen, the waft of confusion, and frustration wafted to him I’m sorry but I have to ask this, have we met before? he tilted his head down, hiding his eyes briefly before he canted his head up to look at her, felt his pupil’s shift to his cat’s slits before he could reign in the surge of his beast, he blinked and his eyes returned to normal almost as fast as they’d changed. While Alecsi was human, had a human mind, the wildness of his beast half, his instincts, still could over ride his humanity if his emotions were strong enough, or if he let himself “Go feral” as it was known, Alecsi’s nose twitched and he brushed it with his finger briefly “Can’t say that we have” his voice casual, if she wasn’t human, she’d be able to smell the lie on him, so thank god for small blessings. “id remember you, if we had, you are a breath of fresh air” he smiled, his ear twitching he turned to gaze out the window, a “low rider” car, pumping Mexican rap music slow rolled by and his eyes narrowed some before he returned his attention to Sam

“well, I too am in town for business, im staying at the Oceano by Half moon Bay, I enjoy the view of the water” quietly he made a mental note to make a reservation but right now his main priority was going to be trailing her, and finding out where she was staying, and watch over her, he didn’t think the cartel would find her this quick, but he wasn’t willing to chance it. Smiling his fingers touched the brim of his hat and he nodded “It was my pleasure Cher, hope you find what you seek, “ he followed her outside and watched her get into her car, watching as she pulled out, his eyes tracking her movements glanced around as he ducked into an ally. It was after mid day, the lunch rush was dying down, but he would be hard pressed to follow her. Watching her make a turn up ahead he ducked into an ally. And ran, finding ways to follow her, while trying not to appear strange enough to the general public to have someone call the cops on him as he tracked her

 

[DarkWarrioress]

The next few days, Sam was busy cataloging some of the animals the zoo had. Her thoughts kept meandering back to Alecsi. There was just something about him she found so familiar. Every time something important came to her mind, it just as quickly shied away. Always elusive and damn irritating. One Saturday morning she was sitting at her dining room table, drinking her coffee and her eyes spied the fanny pack with the license and such. Retrieving it, she spilled the contents out on the table and picked up the man’s license, studying it. In her free hand she held her coffee cup and had just taken a sip when she spit it out all over her dining room table.

“Crap!”

She quickly cleaned up the mess, dumped her cup in the sink, snagged up the contents of the fanny pack and barely caught up her keys before she slammed out the front door and got into her car.

No. It can’t be. Buit if so, how on earth did it end up in Brazil?

She steered her car toward Half Moon Bay and the Oceano.

​

The car door slammed behind her as she exited, tucking the license and every thing else in the back pocket of her jeans. She stopped at the front office and inquired the room number of her friend, Alecsi Varenov. She used her womanly wiles on the man to get the info. Climbing the stairs, she found his room and knocked.

 

[LoganDarkHolme]

Sam was boring. Well, he guessed, not “THAT” boring. He’d tailed her throughout the day, hopping from Taxi to Taxi, following her around the Zoo, watching as she spent time with some of the animals, and no, that was not a pang of jealousy at watching her play with tiger cubs, Nope, not jealousy at all. Why the hell did he care? He growled to himself as they she moved around the zoo, she was good, he had to give her that, he listened to her as she chatted and helped diagnose illnessess, spoke with other scientists, and he heard them talk highly about her, and a few other male coworkers jeer and make crude remarks behind her back, they “might” have had an accident or two, I mean, they were clumsy, broken ankles healed, it wasn’t his fault they ran into him.

After about the second day he realized her schedule was pretty mundane, which was good for him as it gave him time to travel back and forth from Half moon bay to her part of the city. And she returned home at an early enough time that it allowed him hunting time in the mountains. Not that he was adverse to fast food or eating out, but the beast in him craved live hunting when ever possible. Hell he’d lived the last 14 years pretty much in animal form 24/7, he was just used to it. However after about the 6th day Sam surprised him. He’d just gotten out of the shower when he heard banging on his hotel door. Frowning he stepped from the steaming water and wrapped a Towel low around his waist, his nose flaring and his eyes widened as he scented Sam on the other side of the door, then frowned, why the hell was she here?

With a sigh he unlocked the door and opened it “well, hello Cher, what do I owe the……..” his words were cut off as she shoved passed him, the scent of her anger rolling off her as she stormed into his room, he blinked as he shut the door, and turned to stare at her, blinking as she wheeled on him HOW, Did YOUR license! End up on Brazil!!! she fairly shouted at him, holding up said license for him to see, his eyebrows lifting, well fuck, that’s where his pack had gotten off too, she’d taken it.

“ummmm, I told you, I was a missionary, I did work all over the world….” He lied, blinking in feigned surprise as she realized he was just in a towel, dripping wet, and he didnt miss the heat that suddenly flared in her cheeks as she looked him over then turned her gaze away sputtering

 

[DarkWarrioress]

In the middle of her tirade it finally dawned her that he was standing there, half naked. She allowed her eyes to wander over what they could see of him. Then she blushed as her eyes came back to his and realized he was watching her. She cleared her throat.

“Yes, well. Here. This is yours. I still want to know how the hell the panther had it.”

She thrust the fanny pack out to him.

“How and where, in bloody hell, did you get all those scars?”

He was thoroughly marked with them and some of them, if she didn’t miss her guess, were actual bullet scars. What had he been involved in that he had gotten shot? Not just once or even twice, but a few times. God, she could fall into those eyes. Wait. What?! She shook her head and nervously moved further into the room and put some distance between them.

Breathe, Samantha. Breathe.

“Alecsi, you aren’t involved in something dangerous, are you?”

 

[LoganDarkHolme]

“Yes, well. Here. This is yours. I still want to know how the hell the panther had it.”[/I] he watched the hot blush flush her skin, scented the embarrassment as it tainted the air, along with something…….sweeter……..he shook his head as he took the pack from her and set it on a table, a smile twitching the edges of his lips, he was about to answer her question when she threw another one at him, this one quieter, shock edging her voice How……did you get all those scars? as he looked at himself and silently cursed as he realized she was staring at the various cuts, and scars that littered his body from long ago injuries. That was the thing, any injuries he sustained while in cat form, also showed on his body when he returned to human form, although healed, and most of the ones she stared at now he'd received as a cat, and had long forgotten about. Clearing his throat he wet his lips “give me a second, I uhh, I should get dressed before you end up pouncing on me” he teased her quickly escaping to the bathroom, tossing on his Tank top and a loose pair of shorts, clothes he wouldn’t mind tearing if something happen and he had to shift quickly.

After a minute, he stepped from the bathroom, his eyes going to the pack on his desk then to her a sigh in his voice “I did a stint of work in eastern Brazil, I told you I was a missionary, our group was harassed and robbed by the cartel on a regular basis, my pack was stolen from me when we passed through their territory on our way to Arapiraca” he looked to her as he made a motion for her to sit if she wished and he sat on the bed and sighed running his hand through his hair “you know as well as I do that the panther is a man killer, he probably ambushed the drug runners and somehow ended up with it, he did enjoy his trophies”

He rose to stand and went to a several covered trays on the dresser and lifted the lids, the scents of cooked meat, sweets, and a carafe of milk wafted up and he stifled a hungry growl, stopping to look over his shoulder “since youre here, breakfast? I have plenty” or offered, motioning to the 6 trays of food and took the huge plate of steak and moved to the table by the window Alecsi, you aren’t involved in something dangerous, are you? his answer was instantaneous “No, why?” he looked to her as he took the knife and started cutting the thick slab of meat before him

 

[DarkWarrioress]

Clothes. Yes. A good idea. Considering what time of the year it was, why he had the heater on baffled her. It was getting awfully warm in here, wasn’t it? The idea of pouncing a man she had just met was ridiculous, right? Yeah. Right. When he returned dressed in some shorts and a tank top she breathed a little easier. Her eyes narrowed in on him since he hadn’t answered her question about all the scars she had just seen.

“you know as well as I do that the panther is a man killer, he probably ambushed the drug runners and somehow ended up with it, he did enjoy his trophies.”

Her eyes watched him as he went to the trays with food on them.

“Since you’re here, breakfast? I have plenty.”

She half laughed and half snorted. With the appetite she had seen at the diner a few days back, she knew he could and would eat it all. After he took his plate and went to sit at the small table in his room, she joined him. She did breathe a sigh of relief when he told her he wasn’t into something dangerous. Looking across the table at him, she simply watched him eat for a few moments before she spoke softly.

“What do you mean, he enjoyed his trophies? How would you know anything about that, Alecsi? What aren’t you telling me? And I’d be very careful about dodging my questions, if I were you.”

 

[LoganDarkHolme]

What do you mean, he enjoyed his trophies? For the briefest second his body tensed he realized too late his slip, but he'd hoped she'd miss it, he should have known better, she was to astute for that, he continued to cut his steak eating the tender bits first, biting back a growl, damn this place had excellent cooks. "How would you know anything about that, Alecsi? What aren’t you telling me? And I’d be very careful about dodging my questions, if I were you.” he couldn't stop the edges of his lips twitching into a small smirk at the fire in her eyes "i think, cher." His voice was low, husky, his eyes flicking up to hers, he felt his pupils shift to verticle slits of his cat, knew that with the glow of the sun at her back his eyes would be shining iridecent red from reflection "that you are starting to piece together..........," he took another bite, his eyes never leaving hers with an unnerving, unblinking gaze that was heated by intensity

"you know, what is happening, you are too smart to not make the connection, since you first saw me, laying there in the dirt by the falls, shaking so bad at your discovery you could barely cock the hammer back on that tranq rifle you carried, after snapping several pictures, that camera gave you away, just so you know, well, that and your scent"

He quipped off handed as his gaze finally left her and returned to the steak as he continued to eat casually, watching her from the edge of his vision trying to process, her face scrunching up in a delightfully cute "wtf" look. "the nights i lay in the trees outside your camp, listening to talking to Ricardo, planning your booby traps, your trail camera locations," he sighed wiping his mouth setting the plate aside "the feel of your hand in my fur as you stroked my head after i allowed you to tranq me and throw my ass into the cage....i saw the tears in your eyes cher, your heart on your sleeve." getting up he gathered their plates and placed them back on the tray, his back to her as he stilled, a heavy sigh rolling through his shoulders "i do however, owe you an apology, Sam. I never meant for the cartel to find you, or threaten you, and now, they know who you are, and because of me they are hunting you. Your bosses Too, once my blood work hit the scientific grape vine. So, here i am, to protect you, and, well, because you.....interest me...samantha.....very much....."

he tossed his napkin on his plate, watching as her jaw hung low, saw her trying to make the math fit in her head, to understand exactly what he was saying. Clearing his throat he stood "i told you, the panther is closer then you think, " he moved into the bathroom, closing the door enough to hide that he was stripping down, then between one breath and the next, he shifted, landing silently on all fours, he shook out his fur, turning he pawed at the door, opening it, his shoulders barely fitting between the door frame he padded out, his ears tilted forward. He stared at her with his red gaze, head cocking to one side, nose flaring he sniffed the air, then yawned, baring his teeth before he sat on his haunches, watching her, waiting.

 

[DarkWarrioress]

It was too much. Everything he was saying circled around and around in her mind but nothing was connecting. It wasn’t possible…. Was it? She sat there, watching him get up, put his plate back on the tray and then disappear into the bathroom. How could Alecsi know about her time in the jungle? How could he know about----

The door to the bathroom swung open and a –her---uh, the—panther padded out, staring at her. Sam stood up abruptly, knocking the chair over and stumbling backwards.

“It’s not possible. How… what… Alecsi?”

Her words were stammered in shock. Her mind registered what was happening but the logical side of her brain said it wasn’t possible. Yet. She stared at the huge, sleek cat in front of her. His eyes. She knew those eyes. Her brain was still saying it was impossible, but she was staring right at the evidence that said otherwise.

"I told you, the panther is closer than you think."

Those were the last words she heard in her mind before the room got dark and she fainted.

 

[LoganDarkHolme]

It’s not possible. How… what… Alecsi? his head canted to one side, his tail curling around his paws as he watched her, the widening of her eyes had him stiffening as she recoiled, the scent of her confusion making his nose burn, the sound of her heart racing in her chest had his ears swiveling forward, he knew she was about to……………………….yep………… he leapt at her, shifting as he caught her in a crouch before she hit the floor, holding her against his chest, he slipped an arm under her legs, the other tucked firmly behind her back he lifted her. She was such a tiny thing, his eyes skimmed over her, her heart rate steadied as she lost consciousness and he shook his head, upset with himself. Ok, that REALLY could have been handled much better…..but he thought she was strong enough…..

With a heavy sigh he laid her on the bed, brushing her hair from her face, his eyes again roaming over her, he tugged her shoes off and tucked the blanket up to her waist, not wanting to her to get too warm “that was a brilliant idea, idiot…” he muttered to himself, mentally punching himself in the head, “poof im a cat” yea, dumbass……..shaking his head he grabbed a second covered tray. He had time now, might as well finish eating. And eat he did, quickly demolishing the 3 other plates of steak, a pizza and a large plate of spaghetti he dressed in a robe from the bathroom while room service returned to collect the trays, then disrobing he shifted back to his cat, jumping up on the bed beside Sam, he lay down, his tail curled over her legs, he rested his head on his paws, nose twitching he yawned. Might as well nap, he didn’t know how long she was gunna be out.

 

[DarkWarrioress]

She came to with a small soft moan. She sat up with her palm on her forehead.

“What the hell happened?”

She blinked and looked around. Then her brain registered who was at the foot of the bed. She blinked again and her eyes focused on the big, black cat on the bed beside her and it all came back to her. She passed out. She never passed out but apparently trying to put everything Alecsi had told her together so it made sense, then…. he had come out of the bathroom, the panther. Everything still was swirling around in her brain but there he was, the cat, lying on the bed, eyes closed.

“You can stop pretending to be asleep, Alecsi.”

She knew he wasn’t asleep from the time she opened her eyes and sat up. Pushing up on the bed, she adjusted the pillows behind her back and got comfortable. She wanted to rub his fur and bury her face in it, but this was not an ordinary cat.

“And… you can go find something to put on when you change back into human. While it is nice to see the panther again, it’s your human side I want to talk to right now. Gah… and here I was so totally worried about the cat and you were right under my nose as a human.”

She ran her fingers through her hair and glared at him.

 

[LoganDarkHolme]

What the hell happened? his ear twitched towards her as she sat up suddenly, his head remained on his paws, the scent of her confusion peppered the air, before annoyance and a twinge of rage also tickled his nose, he felt her relax back against the head board, keenly aware of her eyes on him as she stared. ok, glared, at him. and the heat of it burned across his skin. You can stop pretending to be asleep, Alecsi he cracked an eye open, then lifted his head to stare at her, his head was nearly as wide as her shoulders, his eyes trailing over her, ears swiveling as he listened, as human he still had enhanced senses, but they werent as keen as when in his fur, so he listened to the surrounding room, footsteps in the hallway of other residence, staff, the scents of food from catering delivering to other rooms.

His ears swiveled back towards her as she shifted on the bed and rearanged the pillows, he lowered his muzzle and sniffed along her leg, a low rumbling purr vibrating the air between them as she continued to glare, he canted his head to one side, his tongue licking along his muzzle and teeth before he yawned, laying his head back on his paws, eyes staring at her. he could see the desire in her eyes to want to pet him, saw her muscles twitch but she held firm and didnt move. And… you can go find something to put on when you change back into human. While it is nice to see the panther again, it’s your human side I want to talk to right now he rolled his eyes at her and rose to stand, stretching out so she cold get a full look of him, she was sitting in a King sized bed and from tail to snout he took up the entire width of it and then some.

He dipped his muzzle down and nuzzled her ankle, licking her skin before he hopped down and returned to the bathroom shifting forms he pulled his shorts back on, walking back into the room, stretching as he tugged his tanktop on then ran his hands through his hair looking at her as she crossed her arms and here I was so totally worried about the cat and you were right under my nose he huffed a soft laugh as he sat on the edge of the bed, curling his legs indian style as he turned to look at her, the bed between them "well, now you know why i destroyed your blood samples the first time around, i didnt realize you'd already sent one or two vials off" his shoulders slumped

he sighed again, his gaze falling from hers "i told you not to worry Cher, But its your scientists im most worried about now, the night i left the lab, the guard i'd killed and the old bastard, well. the night time staff were running "Other" tests on me, seeing how long it would take me to heal from injury, my immunity to poisons and resistance to your tranquilizers, and i know you have questions" he looked at her again,

 

[DarkWarrioress]

Hearing him sigh made her grin and she swung her legs slowly over the end of the bed, sitting on the edge as he returned.

"I told you not to worry Cher, But its your scientists I’m most worried about now, the night i left the lab, the guard I killed and the old bastard, well. the nighttime staff were running "Other" tests on me, seeing how long it would take me to heal from injury, my immunity to poisons and resistance to your tranquilizers, and I know you have questions."

Her head shot up at that as her eyes widened.

“Alecsi, what happened? It’s not like you to kill unless you’re forced to. This is bad. Really bad.”

Sam slid from the edge of the bed and began pacing the room. The police were going to think him a wild killer and the scientists were going to want to keep him under wraps because of how special he is. She whirled about and looked at him.

“Do the scientists know you can… you know… shift?”

This was all her fault. As he said, she had shipped off his blood to the Institute and then they had demanded she bring him back to the States. If only she had listened to her instincts and left him there, in the rainforest. None of this would have happened. Then again, she hadn’t expected to encounter a shapeshifting panther either. She ran her fingers through her hair.

“And how is this possible, Alecsi? How are you like something in a fantasy novel?”

Okay. So that sounded a little rude but she was more worried than anything else.

 

[LoganDarkHolme]

“Alecsi, what happened? It’s not like you to kill unless you’re forced to. This is bad. Really bad.” his lips twitched into a smile at that statement, and he gave a soft chuckle “know me so well already hmm?” he teased, of course she’d known the stories of him from the natives and the tribes that lived in the amazon so her logic leap wasn’t wrong, but the way she stated it so straight forward warmed something in him, but he ran his hand through his head as his head dipped a moment before he sighed and the smiled faded “there were two, an old bastard with beady eyes, , and a younger kid, “ a low growl cut off his words and he took a moment, his eyes shifting red for a moment before returning to his human dark brown “they found the antibodies in my blood that makes me resistant to their drugs, and it made them increasingly irritated that nothing they used on me was working any more, the guard I killed, he was one of 3 im assuming was on the scientists payroll that would come into my cell and “subdue” me, I didn’t fight back much at first, as you said, I don’t kill, unless provoked, well, cartel not withstanding………..and beat on me, taking more blood” he snarled softly

“I waited, and watched, I put up with the abuse, but they realized quickly, that I was healing within a day of what ever minor damage they managed to cause me, and started upping the level of violence to see how long it took” he licked his lips like they were getting dry and again ran his hand through his hair, but he refused to look away from her, his gaze stayed with hers, “Once I figured out the rotation for the guards and the scientists schedules, well, im sure you know what happened, I made sure to track down and destroy their camera system before I left so there was no evidence of them seeing my shift….” He watched as she slid from the bed and began pacing, his eyes falling to her ass more then once when she turned away from, him Do the scientists know you can… you know… shift? he shook his head “no, the only ones that saw me shift where the old fucker and the dead guard, and im sure that even if the old man tried telling people he saw the cat turn into a man no one would believe him and write it off that he cracked…..”

He watched as she spun to face him, her face almost in a panic And how is this possible, Alecsi? How are you like something in a fantasy novel? his head cocked to one side as he watched her, her face was broadcasting every thought she was having and he slid from the bed, moving to her, his hands gently catching her upper arms, caressing her, a shiver trailing his body at finally being able to touch her, his eyes shifting to the slits of his cat,

“none of this is your fault Sam, I let you…. catch me, because you’re in danger, I….put you….. in danger” he stated, ignoring her question for the moment “Even if you had left me in the amazon, the Cartel would still hunt you, because I killed for you, to protect you, their men died, they aren’t going to leave that alone, I let you catch me, so I can be here for you, so I can protect you until I can figure out how to stop them permanently.

His eyes searched her face, watched the thoughts, emotions crossing her face, her jaw slightly slack, lips parted and he focused on those lips, memories of her hands in his fur, her smile, her laugh, her gentle touch, his lips twitched in a low growl “ive been wanting to do this since you first stroked your hands in my fur” and he leaned down to kiss her

 

[DarkWarrioress]

“I’ve been wanting to do this since you first stroked your hands in my fur..”

Her lips had parted to reply but before she could, she felt his lips pressed against his. Every thought in her head fled. Her heart pounded against her chest, her blood rushed through her veins. There was something cosmic in his touch. Her palms pressed against his chest. She could feel his heart beating against them. For the moment, time stood absolutely still as they kissed.

“Alecsi…” she breathed against his lips as she gently and reluctantly pulled away from his lips, “I….we…”

Her thoughts were all a jumble of knots and twists and turns. She was still trying to absorb the fact that this man could shift into a cat. A panther. Let alone what he was trying to tell her about the cartel. Then this.. this attraction between them. Before she could say anything else, glass shattered inward from the plate glass window of his room. They both hit the floor and she heard him growl.

“Alecsi, what is----”

She was interrupted by a hail of gunfire coming into the room and embedding into the wall behind them.

Dear god. What was happening?

She almost screamed out loud as another round of bullets came firing through the scattered window and the only thought going through her mind was how were they going to explain this to the police?

 

[LoganDarkHolme]

Alecsi…I….we… that dazed look on her face was totally worth the risk of kissing her, the feel of her hands against his chest caused a low rumbled purr to vibrate through him, he broke the kiss after only a few seconds the edges of his lips turning up into a gentle smile, then his ear twitched, sounds coming to him from outside and he snarled, viciously, “Alecsi, what is----” he grabbed her and shoved her down behind the bed before gun fire ripped through his room, shattering the large bay window, his body jerked as a bullet slammed into his shoulder and he let the energy of the impact spin him around and he dropped to the floor, snarling in pain he moved quickly, covering her body with his as items shattered, fell, paintings on the wall falling and breaking, he held her down, his body quivering with rage. He felt her tense beneath him and slapped his hand over her mouth to keep her from screaming. As the gun fire died down he heard voices shouting, screams from the other rooms,

Alecsi’s body rippled as the beast beneath his skin wanted out, shouting reaching him as he heard heavy footfalls and a Mexican accent Check to see if the bitch is dead!, then torch the hotel! Hurry before the police show up Alecsi cursed his mouth beside Sam ear he whispered “Stay down, whatever happens, whatever you hear” he saw her gaze fly to his face as she tried to squirm, pushing himself up off her body, he looked at her “im sorry” and then he shifted, one minute he was man, then in seconds it was like his body exploded into fur, the man vanishing beneath fur and fangs and he shook out his fur his ear swiveling, he waited until the first man appeared at the end of the bed and launched himself into the gun wielding idiot, fangs finding skin he tore at the jugular of his victim, leaving the body as a shout of DIABLO GATO!!! echo’d, Alecsi launched himself at another invader claws tearing, with a quick glance Alecsi only counted 4 more attackers, the Cartel had found them

Another gunshot sounded and Alecsi roared as pain seared his back leg, the wail of Siren’s drawing closer the attackers turned and fled, 3 of their men lay dead as Alecsi limped back into the room, chest heaving from adrenaline he nudges her with his nose, catching her shirt in his jaw he tugged on her, watching as she looked at him and he turned, facing the hole in the wall, then back to her, growling and motioning for her to move, his head turning towards the hotel door as voices began yelling through the door, what sounded like police, he hoped Sam got her ass in gear, everyone had fled at the gunshots and he wasn’t capable of shifting back yet till the bullet wound in his leg healed more he charged out the window into the street and dashed around the building to the parking lot, hiding under her car, tail twitching with irritation as he saw nearly a dozen cruisers come squeeling into the parking lot

 

[DarkWarrioress]

Everything happened so bloody fast. One minute he was kissing her (and she was liking it), the next there were bullets coming through the window and spraying the walls. The next thing she barely had time to acknowledge was Alecsi, turning., One minute there was firm hard skin under her hands and the next, there was a massive amount of fur, muscle and weight on top of her. He bounded off and the next thing she heard…

“DIABLO GATO!!!”

If they hadn’t been in a life threatening situation, she would have snickered from amusement. Her hands went over her ears as she laid on the floor of his room, idly noting that the carpet needed to be cleaned and her mind shuddered at the thought of it. There was a roar from Alecsi that she couldn’t ignore and against any kind of intellect, slowly raised her head until she was looking over the edge of the bed and just as quickly dropped back down. He had been hit by a bullet, if not more. Not fatally from the looks of it. Still, that had to hurt something fierce. The next thing she felt was his nose, nudging at her. Before she could move or do anything, he grabbed her by her shirt and tugged.

“Dammit, Alecsi, stop tugging on my shirt. You’re going to get it all out of shape.”

She was testy but could he really blame her? She could hear the sirens of the cop cars coming closer.

“I’m coming. I’m coming already. Go. I’m right behind you.”

She paused only long enough to gather up her purse, his wallet and the fanny pack. Anything that could lead the cops back to them for questioning. It was going to be bad enough that they were going to be looking for Alecsi, since the room was registered in his name. They’d have to deal with that when the time came. She barely made it out the window and to her car before law enforcement pulled up. She was parked several cars away and had slipped into it, wondering where he was. She lowered her car seat back until she was lying supine and started to quietly close her car door when she spied his twitching tail. Well, this was going to be interesting. The one thing she hadn’t grabbed was any clothing for him so by the time he switched back into human form, he was going to have to ride in her car naked all the way back to her apartment. Then there was the matter of how they got him into her house without being seen. She sighed softly. For the umpteenth time she thought she should have left the panther in the jungle. This time for different reasons. Did she have regrets? She thought about the kiss….. and smiled… nope, not a one.

“Alecsi” she called softly, knowing that with his cat hearing, he could hear her, “stay put until this massive amount of cop cars leave. How the hell we’re going to get out of here without drawing attention to ourselves, I don’t know and pull your tail in. If I can see it, anyone can.”

And that was her worry for the moment. How to get them both out of there without drawing attention to themselves. Pretty soon, the cops were going to be swarming all over the parking lot, canvasing the motel guests for any kind of information and what was she going to tell them as she silently worried about the panther under her car? Sam leaned low and stretched to reach her glove box, searching it for aspirin when there was a knock on her window. Twisting her head she gulped.

Be cool, Sam. You handle this.

She sat upright and rolled down her window.

“Yes, Officer? How may I help you?”

“Afternoon, Ma’am. Have you been here long?”

“Mm. Why no, sir. I just pulled up, noticing all the commotion. Is something wrong?”

“So, you didn’t see anything that happened here? And where did you come from?”

“Well, I was out partying with my girls and pulled in here to look for my sunglasses and to look at my phone before I headed home and no,” she frowned, “I didn’t see anything, just you guys pulling up. In fact, I just noticed that room over there was shot up. I hope no one is hurt.”

She made a show of looking around him as if checking out the scene behind him.

“Could I get your name and phone number just in case we need to contact you again?”

“Of course, Officer. Not a problem.”

She gave her name and phone number and then apologized for not being able to help him out more. He gave her a slight grin and took his leave. Only then did Sam breathe a sigh of relief.

“Alecsi, when you can change back to human form, slowly keep yourself between my car and the next one. I’m going to lean over and open the passenger side door so you can slip into the car. Keep low. We don’t need them to see you.”

Leaning across the passenger seat, she pulled on door handle and set it free, now, she just had to wait for him to join her.