The Panther Read online

  A knock at the door pulls me from my thoughts. “Come in.”

  A man wearing a lab coat over his jeans and t-shirt walks in with a smile on his face. His green eyes are hidden behind thick framed glasses and his red hair is tousled. “Hello Benji, I’m Doctor Ethan Ferriday and I’m here to examine you. I’m glad you woke on your own. It tells me you don’t have anything keeping you in a coma. Still, I’ll probably have you come down to the clinic for more tests later this week just to make sure everything is alright.”

  “I’m not sure I like the idea of being poked and prodded again.”

  “I promise, I’ll keep the poking and prodding to a minimum. Look on the bright side, once I’m done with my examination, if I deem you well enough, I’ll remove the IV, catheter, and feeding tube. Since the feeding tube is in your stomach, I’ll sedate you to remove it. Once you heal, I’m sure you’ll be back to doing things yourself in no time. Though I recommend that you don’t eat anything too heavy over the next few days until your body acclimates to having solid foods again. I’ll make a list of what you can and can’t eat and give it to Kuro.”

  “Sounds good, I’d love to go for a walk, feel the sun on my face and take in the scents of nature, maybe go for a run.”

  “You might need a little help until you get used to being on your feet again, but I see no reason why you can’t do those things. Now, let’s get on with the exam. The sooner I finish the sooner you can take that walk.”

  “Ready when you are doc.”

  Ethan grins at me and says, “That’s what I like to hear,” then pulls out a stethoscope. “Let’s start with your vitals.”

  Thirty years… I can’t believe Benji has spent the last thirty years in a lab being subjected to that kind of torture. Compared to what he’s been through, what happened between us in the past is like a tiny drop in a bucket and not worth holding over his head. Not when he’s suffered this long alone. I can imagine the kind of hell he’s lived in as I’ve seen the state of paranormals coming out of the labs first-hand. It’s not a pretty sight and I don’t think using what happened to keep him at arms-length is a good idea. Not anymore. Especially, since he’s apologized profusely, and I could see the remorse in his gaze and scent the truth of his words.

  After letting the doc in and sending him upstairs, I head to the kitchen and start making some broth for Benji to drink since I suspect that he won’t be needing the feeding tube anymore. As the pot of broth heats on the stove, I pull out my cell phone and dial my parents’ number. Hopefully, they won’t be too upset that I’ve been radio silent for the past two weeks. Normally, I call twice a week just to check in but since taking in Benji, I haven’t called at all since I was more focused on his care and making sure he had everything he needed.

  In hindsight, I probably should’ve called as soon as I took Benji in, because then I would’ve known how long he’d been missing and could’ve put one of the hackers on digging up information from that far back if there even is any. We know Carmine has always had help, but we assumed when he went to prison the experiments stopped, but thanks to Benji, I’m sure that wasn’t the case. No, Carmine must’ve had a second in command running things in his absence, it’s only a matter of discovering that person’s identity. I’m going to need more information, but I don’t want to push Benji into talking when he isn’t ready. Better talk to the alpha first and see what he has to say then maybe see if the hackers have found any record of Carmine having another partner other than the dark coven he’s working with. I’ll worry about that later.

  Hearing my mother’s voice in my ear I realize the call has connected. “Kuro, honey? Are you there?”

  “Yeah mom, I’m here.”

  “Good. I’m glad. Now, care to explain why you haven’t called the past two weeks? We were beginning to worry about you.”

  “I was a little busy, but I called for a reason.”

  “Oh? You didn’t call just to check in?”

  “No. I have something I need to ask you.”

  “Go ahead sweetie.”

  “Do the DeRozan’s still live next door?”

  “Yes, they do, but honey, I thought you didn’t like talking about them after what happened.”

  “I didn’t like talking about them because it hurt too much but now, I need to talk to them. Can you dial them in on a three-way call?”

  “Of course, hang on a second.”

  I hear the sound of her typing before the sound of Mrs. DeRozan’s voice comes on the line.

  “Hello? Kuro? Can you hear me? Your mother said you wanted to speak with me.”

  “Yes, I can hear you Mrs. DeRozan.”

  “I just want to say, I’m sorry for what happened between you and Benji, he was so upset when you disappeared and went to look for you. We never heard from him again. We don’t know if he’s alive or dead. Things haven’t been the same around here since he left.”

  I can hear the sadness in her voice and I’m glad what I have to say will change that. “Benji is why I’m calling Mrs. DeRozan.”

  Her tone is hopeful when she asks, “Have you heard from him?”

  “He’s staying with me while he recovers.”

  “Recovers from what?”

  “I’m sure my mother has told you what I’ve been doing.”

  “That lab business? She mentioned it. Are you saying my Benji was in one of those awful places?”

  “I am. We rescued him a few weeks ago but he’s been in a coma the entire time. He woke up a little bit ago and asked if I’d call you.”

  “But he’s okay?”

  “Yes. The doctor is examining him now. There’s something else you need to know, Benji has been in a lab for the past thirty years. He hasn’t told me anything about his experiences, but I can guess that it wasn’t pleasant. The reason I’m telling you all this is because a lot can change in thirty years and I believe Benji might struggle a bit when faced with those changes. So, I’d like for you to hold off on bringing the entire family down for a visit for a week or two, just until Benji gets acclimated.”

  My mother finally chimes in with, “Honey, that isn’t fair. She hasn’t seen the boy in thirty years, you can’t deny her right to visit.”

  “Mom, I’m not denying her that right, I just don’t think the entire family should descend at once. I believe forcing Benji to face everything he’s missed all at the same time won’t be good for his mental state so I’m asking for two weeks to give him time to get used to being a free man again and allow him the time to learn about how the world works now. I’m sure his siblings have probably had kids by now. How do you think Benji is going to feel when his nieces or nephews ask him a question and he doesn’t know what they’re talking about? I know I’d feel like an idiot if I were in his shoes and that happened.”

  Taking a deep breath, I calm myself and apologize. “Sorry, I didn’t mean to go and rant like that All I’m asking is that Mrs. DeRozan and her husband refrain from bringing the entire family down for a visit right away. I didn’t say the two of them had to stay away too.”

  Mrs. DeRozan says, “Don’t apologize sweetie, I understand where you’re coming from. It sounds like you’re trying to protect Benji from being overwhelmed by what he’s missed. I know he’ll likely feel regret over missing so much even if it wasn’t his fault. David and I will come down on our own soon. We’ll bring the photo albums so we can tell Benji all about his family before he’s confronted with them.”

  “Thank you, Mrs. DeRozan, and feel free to call and check in any time you want. I’m sure Benji would love to hear your voices.”

  “I promise we will. Now, if I remember correctly, I believe I told you a long time ago to call me Melinda. I expect you to honor my wishes, mister. This Mrs. DeRozan business makes me feel old.”

  With a laugh, I say, “Yes ma’am. I’ll keep that in mind for the future.”

  “You’d better. I’m going to hang up now and call David to tell him the news. Please let us know if anything about Benji�
�s condition changes.”

  “I will.”

  I hear the beep signaling the end of the call and double check to make sure my mom is still on the line. Seeing that she is, I say, “Sorry I snapped at you mom.”

  “Honey don’t apologize. It’s not the first time you’ve snapped at me. I have to say though, I’m glad you got some of your fire back. I haven’t heard you sound so passionate about something in a very long time.”

  “Yeah, well, a mate will bring out the fire in anyone.”

  She screeches, “Benji is your mate?”

  Crap… I shouldn’t have said that… oh well, Benji will know soon enough since I plan to quit masking my scent around him now that I’ve decided to put the past behind us.

  “Yes, he’s my mate. I’ve known since that day at school. It’s part of the reason why what happened hurt so much.”

  “Oh honey, I’m sorry.”

  “Please don’t apologize, it wasn’t your fault.”

  “I know, I just feel bad for what you went through.”

  Leaning against the counter, I turn the burner off, so the broth doesn’t boil over. “It’s in the past now, mom.”

  “I know honey. Does Benji know?”

  “Not yet. I’ve been masking my scent around him. He’ll know soon enough though. I’m going to hang up now. The doc should be finishing up with Benji soon and I want to take him some food.”

  “Go take care of your mate, honey, but keep me updated, okay?”

  “I will mom. Oh, and would you mind not telling Mrs. DeRozan or Mr. DeRozan about the mate thing? I’m sure Benji would want to tell them himself.”

  “Of course, I’ll keep it to myself sweetie.”

  “Thank you.”

  “You’re welcome sweetie, now go take Benji some food.”

  Chuckling I say, “Yes ma’am.”

  Ending the call, I fill a bowl with the broth, grab a spoon, a Jell-O cup, and a bottled water then make my way upstairs. Luckily, Jell-O cups are my personal addiction, so I have a few different flavors on hand. I figured Benji might like a little variety after being fed through a tube for an extended period of time and likely not being fed anything decent before that. Damn… two weeks of caring for him has pushed my protective instincts into overdrive. How did I ever think keeping him at arms-length would be possible? I should’ve known that after being denied for thirty years my panther wouldn’t back down willingly when it comes to Benji.

  Now that he’s back in our midst, my panther considers him as good as claimed and doesn’t plan to let him out of our sight. If I’m truly honest with myself, I’ve missed spending time with him. The good memories we shared outweigh the bad, and I’ve let myself hold onto the hurt for too long. Though deep down, I know it was fear of being hurt again that kept me from returning to my hometown or asking about Benji. If I didn’t see him, or talk to him, or hear about him, then I could keep my heart intact. Despite the fact that he was part of the bashing I received, my feelings for him haven’t changed, though I’ve done my best to bury them deep. I can’t do that anymore. They say confession is good for the soul, maybe forgiveness is too. I’ll find out soon enough.

  Knocking on the bedroom door, I hold the tray of food in one hand and turn the knob to open the door. Ethan looks at me and says, “You’re just in time. I was just about to sedate him and remove the feeding tube but, judging by the tray on the nightstand here, I see he hasn’t been fed yet, so I’ll let him eat and then remove the tube. I see you stuck to liquids, good. I’ll make sure to leave you with a list of things he can eat and when over the next few days.”

  Nodding, I say, “Sounds like a plan,” and turn to Benji. Placing the tray on his lap, I say, “I talked to your mom, she and your dad will be coming to see you soon. I hope you won’t be upset with me, but I told them not to bring your siblings right away since I didn’t want you to be overwhelmed with all the things you missed all at once.”

  “I’m not upset. I think it was the right decision. My siblings were all younger than me, so, seeing them all grown up is going to be a shock. I’m not ready to face them just yet. Especially, since I don’t know how I’ll be received. For all I know, my brothers and sisters might think I abandoned them on purpose and hate me.”

  Taking his hand in mine, I say, “I don’t think they hate you. In fact, I’m sure they’ve missed you as much as your parents have, and if it turns out I’m wrong well, then they can go fuck themselves because you don’t need that kind of negativity in your life. Now, eat your food before it gets cold.”

  Benji chuckles and says, “Thank you.”

  “You’re welcome.”

  Sitting in the chair by the bed, I lean forward resting my elbows on my knees and clasp my hands together. “If you’re feeling up to it, tomorrow we can go shopping and get you some clothes. Or if you’d rather wait a while before venturing out into the world, you can borrow some of mine.”

  Benji sips his broth and says, “If it’s not too much trouble, I think I’d rather borrow something of yours. I’m not sure I’m ready to be thrust into the lion’s den just yet. Not until I learn a few things about how the world works now.”

  “I promise I’ll teach you everything you need to know.”

  “You don’t have to do that. I’m sure when my parents come, they’ll want me to go home with them and they can teach me whatever I need to know.”

  “I want to besides, even if they want you to leave with them, I’m not going to let that happen.”

  Benji looks confused when he says, “Why not? Am I a prisoner?”

  “No… no, of course not. That’s not why. There’s a few reasons but the main one, I’ll tell you about soon, just not right now.”

  “Okay, if you can’t tell me the main one, then tell me the others.”

  “Well, I think the doctors here are better equipped to handle any possible issues that might pop up later on as a result of you being in a lab since they’ve got experience dealing with rescued paranormals. The alpha still needs to talk to you about any information you might have on the scientists from the labs and lastly, I don’t want you to go. I’d like the chance for us to get to know each other again so we can fully put the past behind us and get back to being friends.” And eventually more…

  Benji smiles at me and says, “Okay… I’ll stay.”

  Feeling relief and happiness at the same time, I can’t stop the grin that crosses my face. “Great.”

  Hearing a phone ping I look over at Ethan and see the goofy grin on his face. “That the wife?”

  “No, the husband. I’ve been tasked with bringing home something to eat that; and I quote ‘the she-devil and her unborn spawn won’t hate.’”

  Raising an eyebrow at him, I say, “The mood swings are that bad?”

  “You have no idea. If she isn’t crying at commercials on the television or laughing at things that aren’t funny, she’s as angry as a viper and even the littlest things piss her off. I didn’t put my dirty socks in the hamper last night and she refused to make me breakfast because she ‘wasn’t my maid or my mother and until I learned to pick up after myself, I could starve for all she cared.’ I ended up eating a bowl of cereal and making my own coffee before coming into the clinic this morning.”

  “What about your husband?”

  “That smug bastard got bacon, eggs, and pancakes because he brought her chocolate cake from her favorite bakery when he got off shift last night.”

  “Maybe next time you’ll remember to put your socks in the hamper.”

  Ethan laughs and rolls his eyes, “Trust me, I’ll forget again by the end of the week.”

  “And she’ll be refusing to make you breakfast again.”

  With a shrug, Ethan says, “Probably, but I don’t mind it. I’ll take hellish mood swings any day of the week because the end result is worth it.”

  “How much longer does she have?”

  “Two more months but, she could easily give birth early since she’s carrying twins. We�
�re having a barbeque and baby shower in a couple weeks, everyone’s invited, including you and Benji.”

  Benji looks at him with wide eyes. “You’re inviting me? Why?”

  “Because Kuro knows you and because it would be a good way for you to meet new people, socialize, and get to know the pack since you’ll be staying here for a little while. Besides, after living in a cage for so long, you deserve to have a little fun.”