Page 6 of Panther Heart's Secret Passion
A twig snapped behind me, and I spun around, my flashlight catching Allen’s face, his jaw tight with anger. “Adrienne, what the hell are you doing out here?” he hissed, grabbing my arm and pulling me deeper into the trees.
I yanked free, my voice sharp. “Following a lead, Allen! Unlike you, I do not just wander around pretending everything is fine. That guy over there? He has the same tattoo as the ones who attacked me. You gonna tell me that is a coincidence?”
His eyes darkened, his voice low. “You are risking your life chasing this. You have no idea what you are messing with.”
I stepped closer, my anger boiling over. “Then tell me! I am sick of your half-answers, your warnings, your whole mysterious act. Do you know what this feels like? I am out here, alone, pouring everything into this story. I have been grinding for years, Allen, writing stupid clickbait articles, begging for a shot at something real. This is it, my one chance to prove I am not some nobody journalist who will crash and burn. If I fail, I lose everything, my career, my dreams, all of it! And you are just standing there, hiding whatever you know, acting like I am theproblem. I am terrified, okay? Terrified I am not good enough, that I will let everyone down. Just tell me the truth, Allen. Please.”
He flinched, his face softening, and he knelt in front of me, his hands gentle as he took my injured hand. The thorn had left a jagged cut, blood trickling down my wrist, and he pulled a bandana from his pocket, wrapping it carefully. His touch lingered, warm and steady, and that flutter in my chest was back, messing with my head. “Adrienne,” he said, his voice quiet. “I care. I do. But this is bigger than your story. It is dangerous, and I am trying to keep you safe.”
I swallowed, my throat tight, my anger cracking. “I am scared, Allen. Scared I will fail, that I will lose everything I have been fighting for. I have been at this for years, and I am so close. I cannot stop now, not when I am onto something real. That tattoo, those pelts, the shard in my pocket, it is all connected, is it not? And you know how.”
He stood, his eyes soft but guarded, his hand still holding mine. “You are not gonna fail. You are too stubborn for that.” He gave me a small smile, and it hit me like a punch, that warmth spreading through me. “But you have to trust me. Those guys, they are bad news. You keep digging, and they will come for you.”
I stepped closer, my voice shaking but firm. “They already are. Those cloaked figures, they knew my name. And now I know they are tied to the logging company, to that tattoo. I am not backing down, Allen. But I need you to stop hiding things. If you are in this with me, then be in it.”
He looked at me, his green eyes searching mine, and for a second, I thought he would finally open up. But he just squeezed my hand, his voice low. “I am with you. Just let me handle this part, okay? Stay out of the forest for now.”
I pulled my hand back, frustration bubbling up. “You do not get to decide that. This is my story, my fight. You want to help? Then start talking.”
Before he could answer, my phone buzzed in my pocket. I glanced at it, my stomach dropping as a news alert flashed across the screen. Benjamin, the ex-logger, was dead, found in his car just outside town. A note was pinned to his jacket, the words chilling: “She knows too much.”
Chapter Six
Allen
I stood in the cavernous chamber of Esoterra’s council, the air thick with the scent of damp stone and ancient magic. Glowing crystals jutted from the walls, casting rainbows that flickered across the uneven floor, but the light felt cold, almost accusing. The elders sat on carved stone seats, their faces etched with age and authority, their eyes boring into me like I was a traitor on trial. Lupe, the head elder, leaned forward, her gray hair braided tightly, her voice sharp as a blade. “Allen Orr, you have defied us again. The human, Adrienne Phelps, holds a veil fragment. She is a threat to Esoterra, to our very existence. She must be eliminated.”
My stomach twisted, but I planted my feet, my voice steady despite the weight of their stares. “No. I won’t let you touch her. She’s not just some human, she’s my soulmate. The bond is real, Lupe. You know what that means.” The words felt raw, like admitting it out loud made the bond burn brighter in my chest, a tingling warmth that hadn’t left me since I first saw her.
Torin, his beard streaked with gray, slammed his fist on the arm of his seat, the sound echoing in the chamber. “Soulmate or not, the veil comes first. She’s a journalist, sniffing around things she cannot understand. If she exposes us, Esoterra falls. You are letting your heart cloud your duty, Orr.”
I clenched my jaw, the bond flaring like a fire I couldn’t douse. “She’s not the enemy. Morris is. He’s stealing fragments, sabotaging the veil. I’m tracking him, like you asked. Let me handle this my way.” My voice stayed firm, but inside, I was wrestling with the council’s logic. Adrienne was close to the truth, too close, and I knew what that meant for her if they decided I couldn’t control the situation.
Lupe’s eyes narrowed, her voice dropping to a chilling whisper. “Your way has led to failure before. You defied us once, siding against Morris’s war, and it cost you exile. Now you stand here, protecting a human who could destroy us. Your loyalty is in question, Orr.”
I met her gaze, refusing to flinch. “My loyalty is to Esoterra. Always has been. But killing Adrienne won’t fix this. Morris is the problem, and I’ll stop him. Give me time.” The air was thick with their distrust, their murmurs like a low growl around me. Lupe’s lips pressed into a thin line, but she waved me off, her silence heavier than any rebuke. I turned and left, my boots echoing on the stone floor, the bond urging me to find Adrienne, to protect her, even as the council’s threat hung over me like a storm cloud. If I failed, they’d go after her themselves, and I couldn’t let that happen.
Outside, the forest was dark, the fog curling through the ancient trees like a living thing. I shifted my focus, my panther senses kicking in as I picked up Morris’s scent, that acrid tang of malice and sweat. It led me deep into Esoterra, to a ruined temple hidden in a forgotten corner of the realm. The crumbling pillars were etched with shifter runes, their faint glow pulsingunder the moonlight. The air reeked of ash and decay, and in the center of the temple, I found a ritual circle drawn in ash, surrounded by charred veil fragments. Their blue glow flickered, weak and unsteady, like candles about to go out. My blood ran cold. Morris was trying to destroy the veil, to tear open the barrier that kept Esoterra hidden from the human world. If he succeeded, everything we’d protected for centuries would be exposed.
I crouched by the circle, my fingers brushing the ash. The fragments were brittle, their magic fading, and I could feel the veil’s energy stuttering, like a heartbeat skipping. Morris was closer to his goal than I’d feared. Memories of him hit me hard, sharp and bitter. Three years ago, he stood in that council chamber, his amber eyes blazing as he preached about human greed, how their logging and cities would burn our forests to nothing. He rallied shifters for a war, promising to drive humans out once and for all.
My phone buzzed in my pocket, pulling me out of the memory. It was Adrienne, her text short but enough to make my chest tighten:Meet me in Mistvale? Got something to show you.The bond flared, urging me to go to her, but I couldn’t let her get any closer to this mess. I typed back, my fingers heavy with guilt.On a job, can’t make it tonight. Stay safe, okay?I hit send, hating the lie, hating the distance I had to keep. She deserved the truth, but telling her would put her in the council’s crosshairs, and I was already walking a thin line.
I moved deeper into the temple, my senses on high alert. The air shifted, thick with menace, and before I could react, a sleek black panther lunged from the shadows, its amber eyes glowing like fire. Morris. His claws slashed through the air, and I shifted in an instant, my own panther form meeting his with a snarl. We collided, teeth bared, claws tearing, the temple echoing with our growls. “You’re too late, Orr,” he taunted, his voice a low rumblein his shifter form. “Your little journalist will doom Esoterra. She’s got a fragment, and she’s digging too deep.”
I swiped at him, my claws grazing his flank, drawing a thin line of blood. “Stay away from her,” I growled, my voice thick with fury. “This ends with you, Morris.”
He laughed, a harsh, grating sound, dodging my next strike. “You’re weak, always have been. Clinging to humans, to your precious bond. It’ll destroy you both.” He lunged again, his teeth snapping close to my shoulder, but I twisted away, my claws raking across his side. Two of his rogues emerged from the shadows, their eyes glinting, ready to join the fight. I was outnumbered, and I knew it. A crumbling statue loomed nearby, its base cracked, and I slammed my shoulder into it, sending it crashing down. The noise startled the rogues, their attention splitting, and I took my chance, bolting through a gap in the temple wall.
My heart pounded as I ran, Morris’s taunts echoing in my head. He knew about Adrienne, about the fragment. He’d been watching her, maybe closer than I’d realized. I shifted back to human form, my muscles burning as I sprinted through the forest, the bond pulling me toward Mistvale like a magnet. The close call with Morris shook me more than I wanted to admit, his words cutting deeper than his claws. Adrienne was in danger, and I couldn’t keep lying to her, but the truth would only pull her deeper into this mess. The lights of Mistvale appeared through the trees, faint and flickering in the fog. I headed straight for the Misty Pines Motel, my boots pounding the gravel as I reached her room. The door was ajar, and my stomach dropped like a stone.
I pushed it open, my breath catching. The room was a wreck, papers scattered across the floor, her notebook torn to pieces, pages fluttering like ghosts. Her laptop was gone, the desk drawer yanked open, its contents spilled. The air smelled ofcigarette smoke and something sharper, like fear or desperation. There was no sign of Adrienne. My heart hammered, my panther senses straining for any trace of her, but the room was empty, the silence heavy. I scanned the mess, spotting a photo from the logging site pinned under a broken lamp, the claw-mark tattoo visible in the grainy image. She’d been digging, just like I feared, and someone had come for her.
The door creaked behind me, and I spun around, my fists clenched, ready to fight. Adrienne stepped in, her hazel eyes wide with shock as she took in the trashed room. Her face paled, her hands trembling as she stepped over the scattered papers. “What the hell happened?” she whispered, her voice shaking. She looked at me, fear and defiance warring in her expression, that stubborn spark still there despite the chaos.
I wanted to tell her everything, to warn her about Morris, the veil, the council’s orders, but the words wouldn’t come. My throat was tight, the bond urging me to pull her close, to keep her safe. Instead, I stepped toward her, my voice low but firm. “Can you come with me? Trust me, I will protect you.”
Chapter Seven
