Page 3 of Panther Heart’s Secret Passion (Esoterra Shifters World #2)
Chapter Three
Adrienne
The site was a mess of twisted metal under the moonlight.
Chainsaws lay scattered, their cords sliced clean through, and a bulldozer sat abandoned, its side marked with deep, claw-like gashes that looked too precise for any machine.
I snapped photos, the camera’s flash cutting through the dark, my pulse racing as I documented every detail.
This was no corporate cover-up; something weird was going on, and I was close to cracking it.
Moving deeper into the site, I scanned the ground with my flashlight, the beam catching on something odd in a tree trunk.
A small, glowing shard, no bigger than a quarter, was embedded in the bark, pulsing with a faint blue light, like a heartbeat.
I leaned closer, my breath catching. It did not look like any metal or crystal I had ever seen.
My fingers hovered over it, itching to pull it free.
A low growl stopped me cold. I spun around, my flashlight shaking as two cloaked figures stepped from the shadows.
Their eyes glinted, not human, like the thing that attacked me before.
One of them, taller, with a hood pulled low, rasped my name, “Adrienne,” and a chill shot down my spine.
I did not think, I just ran. Branches snagged my jacket, tearing at the fabric as I sprinted through the trees, my breath ragged.
The figures were behind me, their footsteps heavy, their growls echoing in the fog.
I stumbled into a clearing, my ankle twisting on a root, and nearly fell when a hand grabbed my arm.
“Easy,” a familiar voice said, calm and steady. Allen Orr stood there, his dark hair messy, his green eyes sharp in the moonlight. “You are okay.”
I yanked my arm free, my chest heaving. “What the hell, Allen? You just checking traps again or what?” My voice was sharp, but I was glad he was there, even if I would not admit it.
He grinned, that disarming smile that made my stomach flip despite the panic.
“Something like that. Come on, we need to move.” He pulled me toward a nearby cave, its entrance hidden by vines.
The air inside was damp, smelling of moss and earth, and the walls were slick under my fingers as I followed him in.
Outside, I heard the crunch of leaves, the cloaked figures searching, their voices low and guttural.
I pressed myself against the cave wall, my heart still racing, but Allen’s steady presence next to me calmed me down, just a little.
I glanced at him, trying to keep my voice light to mask the fear. “You have a real knack for showing up when I am about to get killed. What is your deal, Orr? You moonlight as a superhero?”
He chuckled, kneeling to brush mud off my boots with gentle hands, his touch sending a spark through me. “Nah, just a guy who does not want to see you get hurt. You are making it hard, though, running into places like this.”
I smirked, leaning back against the wall. “What can I say? I am an award-winning klutz. You should have seen me at my first big assignment in Seattle. I tripped over a mic cable during a live interview, took out the whole sound setup. The crew still calls me Crash Phelps.”
He laughed, a low, warm sound that echoed in the cave. “Crash, huh? That tracks. Any other disaster stories I should know about?”
“Oh, plenty,” I said, grinning despite myself.
“There was this time in Portland, covering a protest. I got so caught up taking notes, I walked right into a street sign. Knocked myself flat, and some protester thought I was making a statement, started chanting my name. Most embarrassing byline I ever got.”
Allen’s eyes crinkled, and for a second, I forgot about the danger outside. “You are something else, Adrienne. Most people would stick to safer stories after that.”
“Where is the fun in safe?” I said, nudging his shoulder. That flutter in my chest was back, stronger now, and I could not ignore it. “Your turn. You cannot tell me you are just a wilderness guide who happens to tackle weirdos in cloaks. What is with those guys out there?”
He hesitated, his grin fading as he glanced toward the cave entrance. “Local wildlife,” he said, his voice casual but too careful. “Some folks around here get territorial. You wandered into their turf.”
I raised an eyebrow, not buying it. “Wildlife that knows my name? Come on, Allen, give me something better than that.”
He shrugged, but his eyes flicked to mine, and I caught a glint of something, maybe worry. “You are too curious for your own good. Just trust me, you do not want to mess with them.”
I crossed my arms, studying him. The cave was dark, but he moved like he could see every inch of it, his steps sure, his gaze steady.
No one could see that well in the dark, not without help.
My journalist instincts kicked in, but that flutter in my chest was distracting, pulling me toward him even as my brain screamed to ask more questions.
I reached into my pocket, my fingers brushing the shard I had grabbed from the tree before I ran.
It was still warm, pulsing faintly, and I held it tight, determined to figure out what it was later.
“Seriously, though,” I said, keeping my tone light. “You are like a ninja out here. You ever get lost in these woods, or is that just me?”
He smiled, but it was softer this time, almost like he was letting his guard down. “I know these woods better than most. Been out here a long time. You get used to the dark.”
“Yeah, well, I am not there yet,” I said, laughing. “I am still tripping over roots and running into creepy guys with glowing eyes. You sure you cannot tell me more about them? I am good at keeping secrets.”
He looked at me, his green eyes locking onto mine, and for a second, I thought he might say something real. But then he shook his head, that grin back in place. “You are trouble, Adrienne. I am just trying to keep you alive.”
I opened my mouth to push harder, but a branch snapped outside, and we both froze.
The crunching footsteps had stopped, but I could feel those figures out there, waiting.
Allen put a finger to his lips, his gaze steady, and I nodded, my heart picking up again.
We stayed like that for what felt like forever, the silence heavy, but being close to him, his warmth, his calm, made it bearable.
That bond, whatever it was, was real, and it was messing with my head.
Finally, he motioned toward the entrance. “They are gone. Let’s get you out of here.”
I nodded, slipping the shard deeper into my pocket as we moved toward the cave’s mouth.
The air outside was colder, the fog thicker, and I stuck close to Allen, my flashlight barely cutting through the haze.
As we stepped into the clearing, I felt his gaze shift to my hand, where the shard’s faint glow peeked through my fingers.
His face paled, his eyes widening with recognition, but he said nothing, his jaw tight as he avoided my gaze.