Page 4 of Finding Her Panthers

"Maybe it means we are getting close?" She’s still hopeful, and I have been clinging to her positive outlook for most of this year.

I don't respond as I look out the window, watching the people on the sidewalk as we slowly creep forward. I wonder where they are all going, laughing and talking. There seems to be a long line down the whole block waiting to get into a building.

We reach the beginning of the massive line. Two huge bouncers are guarding the club entrance, picking and choosing the few they are letting in. I have never seen the club before. It must be good to see the desperation from the people in the line. The huge sign over the door says Club West. As the bouncer opens the door for a couple of lucky women, my whole body is electrified.

"Stop!" I take in a deep breath as Penny slams on the brakes, not questioning me. "We have to get in there now,” I urge. I can smell my mate. The pain I have lived with for a year is easing just enough to take the edge off. "My mate is in that building, Penny," I say desperately. I don't recognize my voice. It's deep and pleading.

"I will get you in there, girl, no matter what. Let me find somewhere to park." She whips the car into the alley beside the club, shooting me concerned glances at my whimpers. "We won't leave until we find him, don't worry." She leaves the car to the side of the alley, yanking open her door and moving to mine to help me out.

“Thanks, Penny,” I grasp desperately to her arm. I am more energized than ever, knowing I am this close to ending my torture.

"Let's walk around the building. We might have a better chance at the back door than the front with that mob. If not, I will cause a fit with the bouncers you can slip through," she ensures me, pulling me to the back of the building.

We find a door in the back, and Penny goes to see if it is unlocked while I try to stay on my feet, leaning on a garbage dumpster. I look up at her squeal of joy, fighting the urge to do it myself.

“Thank God,” I mutter.

She pulls me quickly to the door, saying, "So if we run into some huge bouncer, I'll throw myself at him, and you keep going. No matter what. Got it?"

"Yes," I squeezed her arm. "I really do love you. Thank you for helping me."

She looks back at me intensely. "I love you too, and you don't have to thank me. We are family, and I would do anything for you."

I take a deep breath before we open the door. We share a look as we pull it open slowly. Thankfully there is no one on the other side. I am not in fighting shape right now. We enter a long dark hallway that looks like a scene in a horror movie and carefully make our way to the end of the stairs leading up. Penny lets me lead. Following my nose, I grip the rail and concentrate on putting one foot in front of the other. As we move further, the music gets louder, and I have to single out the scent I am after. There are so many bodies in the space it gets harder to distinguish.

“All we need is creepy music and to fall down while running,” Penny whispers.

“Don’t jinx us. That’s all we need right now,” I whisper back.

“If someone jumps out with a chainsaw, I can’t guarantee I won’t push you into them and run back the way we came,” she admits, still whispering. The stairs warrant it.

“Um, ditto, girl,” I confess.

“Wait, really? The one with the superpowers would do that to a lowly human?” She gasps as she clasps her chest.

“All the energy I have left would be used to hump his leg!” I am serious.

Penny has to slap a hand over her mouth to keep from laughing out loud. Instead, she gathers herself, nodding solemnly, and continues down the hallway.

Suddenly I freeze, my brain trying to compute this new development. I have three mates. I know it down to my bones as I take another breath. Three distinct scents, different yet the same. I have read about this before, but I didn't think it was a real possibility. Maybe this is why my pain is so intense, my need so fierce. I will need all three to sate it.

"I have three mates. So don't be alarmed when I throw myself at three men." I just put it out there, hoping she doesn't freak.

"Excuse me? That's a thing?" she asks. At my nod, she loses a little of her freaked-out look. "You alright with that?”

"Yes, weirdly." I start walking again. The farther we go, the stronger the scent and the music get. I don't know if I feel relief, nervousness, or excitement. Maybe it's all three.

“You lucky bitch!” she mutters. “I can’t even find one man that knows what a g-spot is. You get three, probably hot, shifters that I’m sure will only have to blow on your clit for you to get off.” She sounds seriously hurt.

“Listen, after I meet my three mates, get to know them, trust them, and mate them so I can get rid of this horrible uncomfortable pain, I will then turn all my attention to helping you find someone that can blow on your clit, too,” I say in exasperation.

Her face clears, and she beams a smile at me. “Awesome!”

If I didn’t love her.

Taking the last step at the top, we are suddenly on a balcony overlooking a massive dance floor and bar. There are thousands of people dancing, drinking, and talking. The sounds are overwhelming. We see another set of stairs to our left going down to the stage underneath us. To the right, the balcony splits three ways. One way continues to a hallway in front of us and one to the right. My attention is caught, though, by what’s on the left of the balcony as it curves around. I can hear my heart beating in my chest harder than it ever has, my palms are itching, and embarrassingly I am soaking wet.

I know four men are standing together talking, but I don't even register what the fourth one looks like. I am finally so close to my mates, and they are gorgeous. I am feeling too many emotions to concentrate on any details. Without thought, my body starts moving towards them, pulling away from Penny, determined to get closer. I feel them all tense and turn as if one, locking eyes on me. I hear the growls emanating from deep within them, making my whole body vibrate with need to be near them, feel them. They are suddenly standing in front of me, surrounding me.

---