Page 292 of Secret Shifters Next Door

“Wow. Okay. Sure. What do you want me to do?” I asked.

“Nothing. Stand there, and I’ll see if I can make it happen.”

Blayne stepped back a few feet and closed his eyes. Not wanting to break whatever conversation he was trying to have with the panther inside him, I tried to be as quiet as possible. Blayne’s forehead was lined in concentration. Then, like a light switch flicked on, his features softened and a happy grin spread across his face. My heart jolted for an instant. Ever since I’d come home, he’d looked so angry and depressed. That smile showed me that he could still be happy. He wasn’t totally broken.

“Hey, buddy,” Blayne whispered. “Long time no see.”

As his words faded, his body morphed into that of a panther. His entire body faded and transformed into the beast who lived within him. I’d watched Liam shift dozens of times, but it hadn’t dampened the awe that filled me from witnessing it. Seeing something that, by all accounts, shouldn’t be physically possible always made me feel like I was living in a fairytale or something.

My jaw dropped at how beautiful the creature before me was. I’d expected his panther to look identical to Liam’s, but this was a step above what his brother had been. Liam’s panther had been at least twenty pounds lighter than Blayne’s, with dark black fur. I hadn’t thought anything could have been darker, but looking at Blayne now, his coat of fur was as black as onyx. The deep coal color was so complete, I almost believed I could fall into it, like it was a bottomless pit.

Then he turned his bright jewel-like eyes on me. I’d never seen something so amazing.

Blayne padded toward me, circled me, sniffing at me. After a moment’s hesitation, he leaned in and nuzzled my leg with his nose. Afraid that I’d do something wrong, I stayed unmoving until the warm and soft muzzle slid under and lifted my hand. It was the universal animal gesture for “pet me.” When I caressed his fur, the panther purred and shivered in delight.

I petted him as he wound around me, rubbing his coat against my legs and sliding his head under my hand for more petting. It would have been easy for me to assume this was all Blayne’s doing, but I had to remind myself that the panther was mostly in charge here. The panther was the one who wanted me to be in his life. Not Blayne.

It went on like that for over ten minutes, then Blayne shifted back. When he did, he was so close to me, his face inches from mine. He was breathing heavily, a look of happy relief on his face.

“Thank you,” he said. His voice was deep and confident. “I needed to see if my panther was just playing hide-and-seek or if he was still mad at me.”

He chuckled once, but stopped abruptly. His eyes flicked down to my lips, then back to my eyes. Heat radiated off his body, enveloping me. Our eyes locked for a long moment. Something was happening. I could sense it. Something big was going on between us. It almost made me dizzy, and I placed a hand on his chest to steady myself, then took a step back.

He watched me intently. Like a predator eyeing his prey. He blinked and slowly shook his head. “What are you doing to me?” The question was so soft, I couldn’t tell if he was talking to himself or actually addressing me.

The intensity of the moment was too much. I took two steps back. “Uh. I’m glad you can shift again.”

Blayne’s eyes continued following me with the same fervor. He spoke again, but this time louder. “I said, what are you doing to me?”

“I don’t know what you mean. I need to go. Good night.” Without another word, I hurried back to my house.

Thankfully, he didn’t follow me out of the forest. I didn’t think I could face him just then. All I knew was that I had to get home. The power of the moment was too much, and I needed time to decompress. To try and sort out what it meant.

As I walked back to my house, I kept seeing his eyes staring into mine. It sent a not-unpleasant shiver through me.

Halfway up the pathway from my mailbox to my porch, I stopped in my tracks. My front door was ajar. I was almost positive that I’d closed it when I’d gone out with Blayne. That had been almost twenty minutes ago, and a lot had happened, but I was absolutely certain I had closed it.

Taking a few hesitant steps closer, I craned my neck up to see the door frame. The jamb was splintered as though it hadbeen kicked in. A spike of fear jolted through me. Immediately, I backed away from the house, my head swinging back and forth to check my surroundings. I saw and heard nothing. I thought about calling for Blayne, but he’d probably shifted again and had gone running deeper into the forest.

Instead, I backed toward my car. I dug in my pocket and breathed a sigh of relief when I found my key fob still in it. I jumped in and drove away from the house, watching it recede in my rearview mirror. I drove directly to my father’s house, not sure where else would feel safer.

Uncle Mike was watching TV in the den when I burst in through the door. He must have seen how freaked out I was because he jumped up and was at my side in two strides. “Ava, you look like you've seen a ghost. What’s wrong? What happened?”

“Is Dad around?”

Mike shook his head. “Gio’s asleep upstairs. Been asleep since you left.” He gently shook my shoulders. “Hey, kid, look at me. What’s got you so spooked?”

I gave him a rundown of what I’d found at my house. The door standing half open. The splintered wood. The sense that someone was inside. As I spoke, I could see heat build in my uncle's cheeks. He looked pissed.

He nodded. “Let’s check this out. Come on.” He took my hand and led me to the kitchen.

LJ stood in front of the fridge eating cold pizza. Mike waved a hand at him. “You got a piece on you?”

LJ lifted his waistband and showed a gun in a holster. “Yeah. What’s going on?”

“Some shitheads might have broken into your cousin’s house. Gonna go check it out,” Mike growled.

Fury instantly flashed in my cousin’s eyes. “Seriously? Ava, you good?”

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