MAIL ORDER BRIDE: ARISTOCRAT: The Duke’s Engagement (Historical Victorian Duke Romance) (New Adult Romance Short Stories) (16 page)

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The Panther’s Lair

A Shapeshifter Romance

By: Silvia Pierce

Chapter 1

              Arturo scanned the forest for anything he might be missing. It was early, only five o’clock in the morning. He was in the jungle hunting for his breakfast. Having already consumed three large chickens, his stomach still felt empty. In panther form, he was always ten times hungrier. In human form he barely ate, preferring to drink wine, beer, and coffee. As he walked through the jungle, his shoulders hunched, muscular beneath his thick black coat. He was known as a panther shifter, a powerful being that could transform from a man into a jungle cat. His jaws were strong and heavy, as were his claws.

              Hunting before the others at the hotel woke up was a good idea, for if they knew what he was, he would surely be out of business. Either that or he would be killed. Arturo lived in Rio de Janeiro, a beautiful stretch of land that was home to an incredible array of beasts. During the day, he gave tour guides through the jungle, gaining passage because of his status as shifter. At night he drank the night away at the hotel’s bar before stumbling back to his room with his arm around a beautiful vixen.

              Arturo prided himself in the fact that he was a passionate love maker with an unquenchable desire for the female sex. Just the other night he was in bed with a woman named Jasmine. He paid homage to the most delicate parts of her body, making sure to ravage her until she screamed with pleasure. Those living in the adjacent hotel room banged on the walls and complained. Arturo merely ignored them, for they were commoners to him and did not understand the importance of sex. He’d had to leave Jasmine’s quickly, though, for his hunger took over.

              He did not need the full moon to shift into a panther; he was able to shift whenever he pleased. It was a bit painful when he was younger and still getting used to his abilities. But now he could shift with ease, merely swapping out his human skin for a coat of fur. There was no human being alive that knew what he really was. Though expected to travel in a pack, Arturo was a solitary hunter. Panthers are much more different than wolves; they prefer to eat and hunt alone. He rarely came into contact with other panthers, except when he crossed onto one of their territories.

              There are several parts of the jungle where he is not allowed to roam, but this does not stop him. In fact, he’s seen as one of the head panthers of the jungle, known for his bloodlust and strength. But he’s never killed a human. In fact, Arturo refuses, and anytime anyone suggests he’s a human killer, he becomes instantly enraged. Spotting one last spare chicken, Arturo abandoned his thoughts on the hotel and pounced. The chicken barely had time to call out in alarm before Arturo sunk his sharp fangs into its skin.

              He consumed the bird, bones and all. It was delicious, crunchy and smooth at the same time. Now that he was properly fed, it was time to go back to the hotel to shower. He walked toward the edge of the jungle, making sure that no human was watching. There is a large pool the size of a kidney bean wrapping around the backside of the hotel. Though he wanted to go for a swim, he knew he needed to clean up before the tour. There were bound to be beautiful women with overly jealous boyfriends that he could woo.

              Back in his hotel room, or rather suite, Arturo sighed. He closed his eyes and let the hot water wash over his body. After cleaning off the scent of blood, he sprayed on cologne that he knew other females would be attracted to. He was a tall, dark man with short brown hair and deep brown eyes. He wore dress pants and satin shirts with the sleeves rolled up for he loved to show off his muscles. When he wasn’t hunting or drinking, he was at the gym working on his core.

              After getting dressed, he headed downstairs to inspect the tour group he was meant to lead. It was full of young adults, all itching to get into the jungle. They had heeded the hotel’s warning to dress practically, though many of the woman still looked beautiful in their running sneakers and shorts. In the back, he noticed a woman with long brown hair and tan skin. She looked him straight in the eye, unflinching. He wondered who she was and why she was looking at him like that. It mattered not. He announced to the group that the tour was beginning; they collected their scattered items and followed him out the door. At the receptionist desk, his close friend Michael waved at him, winking at the other ladies. Arturo began to explain that he was able to go into the jungle because he’d lived on this land his whole life and the animals were used to his nonthreatening presence. He also stressed that none of the vacationers should ever go into the jungle unaccompanied. It was far too dangerous, and a rogue animal would surely kill them. His back was still turned to them, so he didn’t notice the tan-skinned woman raising her hand.

              “Are there any jungle cats that live here?” she asked, startling him.

              Normally the tourists didn’t ask questions, at least not right away. They were too fascinated with the birds and flowers surrounding them. Indeed at that very moment, a rainbow macaw spread its wings and took off into flight. Arturo suppressed a grin as he heard the audience sigh a collective “Aah.”

              “Jungle cats?” he asked. “There’s a few, but don’t worry, they won’t bother you.”

              “I’m not worried about them bothering me. I’m interested in the kind of animals that call this jungle their home. Tell me again, tour guide, are there jaguars and panthers? I can’t recall if you clarified this information.”

              Arturo frowned, casting his eyes on a large red mushroom. He thought of how phallic it looked, and wondered what it would be like to have a head as big as that mushroom. This woman sure asked a lot of questions. He felt like he was being grilled for something he’d done wrong, like a murder, perhaps.

              “There are only panthers. The jaguars live in a separate jungle located near the warm waters of Rio de Janeiro. Like I said miss, you have nothing to worry about.”

              “I’m not worried.”

              He looked up at her, enraptured with her deep brown eyes. They stared at each other for a few seconds too long before some of the other tourists got antsy. Arturo continued his tour, walking along the designated path. If he were to stray from the path, it would immediately alert the other big cats that he was giving them a human offering. He wasn’t about to do that, and he definitely wasn’t going to lose any tourists to the jungle. This tan-skinned woman was a nuisance but she wasn’t foolish. He knew she wouldn’t stray from the path, but one could never be too sure with these things.

              The trees formed a thick canopy above their heads, allowing only needles of sunlight to reflect off the ground.

              The woman was called Laura, and she was very much interested in Arturo. She was equally fascinated with the amount of animals and amphibians that seemed to avoid him when he walked. A normal person would believe it was because he was a human being and they were afraid of him. But Laura wasn’t just any normal human being. She was suspicious of everyone on this resort, believing that they had ties to the black panther pride that had killed her grandfather years ago.

              She didn’t suspect Arturo was a panther, but she thought he might know some information about them. When she left Florida for the Rio de Janeiro, her sisters told her it was all in her head. They talked about how panther shifters were just another urban legend that would turn out not to be true. They told her to not get stressed out, for they were worried about what would happen when she got to the jungle and realized panther shifters didn’t exist. But Laura was determined. And unfortunately, she was attracted to Arturo. She tried to make these thoughts go away, thinking instead of how she would question him further after the tour.

              He felt their eyes on his back, and sweat trickled down his biceps. Around his left wrist was a tattoo of barbed wire, reminding Arturo that he belonged with the other panthers, regardless of whether or not they worked together. It was like a contract he’d signed when he moved to this side of the jungle. Though he’d grown up in Columbia, he moved to Rio for the isolation and beautiful jungles. The plus side was that there were many beautiful women. Except for the tan-skinned girl, who was slowly driving him crazy with her weird questioning. The tour proceeded on as normal, but he couldn’t stop thinking about how weird she had been. Was there something he didn’t know, had she seen him earlier? He reassured himself that this hadn’t happened. She was just a tourist like all the others, just another woman that he would meet and forget about. Little did he know how wrong he was.

Chapter 2

              Laura hadn’t planned on touring the jungle that day. In fact, it was the last thing she wanted to do. She’d been eating her breakfast that morning when she noticed a man hanging out in the doorway of the kitchen. He was pushing the door open and closed with his foot and teasing one of the female cooks. At the time, Laura thought nothing of it. He was probably a manager bothering one of his workers. But then she encountered him in the hallway, talking up one of the receptionists. She later learned that he was the one that gave the tours, which was unfortunate for Laura because she couldn’t stand him.

              Unfortunately for Laura, she knew she needed to go on Arturo’s tour. It was the only way she’d be able to find out about what happened with her grandfather. Maybe he’d even know about some of the panther shifter myths. She was told he knew the jungle inside out, so she figured she’d attend the tour anyway and ask him questions. She’d never expected to actually learn something from him. The jungle was beautiful, and dark. The others on the tour didn’t seem to care about what Arturo was saying. They were mostly young couples, wrapped up in their honeymoon romances.

              Laura didn’t care for romance. She came from a close-knit family who prided themselves on their hard work and ethics over romance and relationships. Plus the last time she’d been in a relationship with another man, it hadn’t ended well. She found out he was cheating on her with one of the girls she worked with, and after that she found it impossible to trust anyone outside her own immediate circle. Arturo would be no different. He glossed over her question about the panther shifters before continuing the tour.

              It was hot out that day, and Laura felt her clothes sticking to her skin. She wanted to abandon the tour badly and go swimming in the pool. Arturo completed the tour by talking about an enormous breed of anacondas that laid claim to the green heart of the jungle. They ended at the hotel doors, gasping cool air flooding at their feet each time the electronic doors opened and closed. Laura waited for everyone to leave so she could be alone with Arturo. She hadn’t wanted to, but she needed to ask him a few more questions about the jungle.

              “So what brings you to these parts?” he asked, leaning back and forth on his heals.

              “I’m here for research. In fact, I’m here for research on the panther shifters. And before you say anything, I know you told me it was a modern myth, but I just don’t believe that’s true.”

              “Why don’t you let me buy you a drink and we can discuss this further?” he asked, leaning against the doorframe. It was then he recognized her natural beauty, the enormity of her eyes, her voluptuous body.

              “I’ll get a drink from you, but I want to make one thing clear— this is not a date.”

              “Whatever you say,” he said, holding his hand up.

              They walked into the hotel’s bar area, Laura picking a seat by the window. Through the glass they could see the pool, a stretch of bright green, and beyond that— an enormous clear-blue ocean. It was a serene location for a hotel, perfect for tourists and anyone wanting to escape their busy realities for a while. Laura focused on unwrapping the cloth napkin in front of her. She found Arturo both annoying and attractive at the same time, and thought ignoring this would be best for everyone.

              Arturo busied himself by looking at Laura. She wasn’t like the other women, throwing herself all over him. And she didn’t seem to be in a relationship. He definitely didn’t see a ring on her finger. She was agitated, though, but he was unsure of why. Perhaps she was annoyed to be on vacation and at work at the same time. He knew the feeling. They signaled the waiter over, ordering a bottle of pineapple wine to split between them. The waiter bowed and winked at Arturo before heading to the kitchen for glassware.

              “So tell me, you say you’re here for research? Where are you from?”

              “Florida. I used to live in the Keys, but something, uh, something happened so now I’m here.”

              “How do you like it so far?”

              “It’s okay. Things will be even better when I can get my hands on some research.”