Dangerous Desires

The Beautiful Panther Turned Man

The crack of a branch draws Alazaya back to the present. She strains her senses, trying to find out what could have made the noise. Would anything even want to be out in this storm, instead of safely sheltered from it? She didn't know enough about the people of Earth or its creatures to know one way or another.

Another crack sounds, this one coming from ahead of her. She comes to a stop, her head tilting to the side in consideration while listening for another sound over the howling storm around her.

She tried to sniff the air, but the rain water makes it impossible to identity what could be out in the forest with her, but she was getting the distinct feeling of being hunted.

Her silver gaze narrows, searching through the darkness for whatever was near her. It was times like these she cursed the fact she was made to wear a ball gown instead of her regular 'armor'. She didn't even have a weapon on her anymore, having lost her knife after slicing the cloaked males arm that had tried to attack Lucas from behind. She didn't even have her brother's sword; he'd taken it back from her once they reached the window where he made the portal.

She supposed she could always shift to defend herself, but that didn't seem like such a good idea at the moment, when she was unaware of the kind of inhabitants Earth possessed. Which meant she was left with only her hands and feet to defend herself if the need arose.

She had a feeling it might.

As if to prove her right, a large cat, or rather, a large black panther if she ever saw one, was slowly crowding into her space. Its shoulders were crouched low, as if preparing to spring into an attack against her. The animal was beautiful, in that lethal kind of way. It made her own Beasts shift beneath her skin in excitement. Excitement for what, she had no idea. But their reaction to this creature alerted her to the fact that it was indeed male, and a shifter like her.

Well, that wasn't exactly true, now was it? she thought to herself while studying the animal carefully. While it was indeed large, she knew without a doubt her warg form was much larger. By a lot, if she had to guess.

When she continued to stare at the mesmerizing male, he slowly came to a stop about twelve feet away from her. Her head tilted, arching a sardonic brow at the male. "Can I help you?"

Alazaya had to bite back a laugh when he blinked at her in shock. It was then that his eyes narrowed, his violet gaze--was that color normal for the Earth Realm shifters?--roving over her form. He took in the state of her dress, the blood, now no longer dry but running over her skin thanks to the rain water, making her appears as a m******e survivor... which she was, now that she gave it some thought.

The wind picked up at that moment, lightening striking one of the trees nearest them and setting it aflame.

She cried out at the unexpected heat, wincing when a slight burn appeared on her shoulders from being too close. She shrank away from the now flaming tree, scowling hard at the fact she was so preoccupied with the male in front of her she had allowed herself to be distracted from the storm raging around her.

"Are you alright?"

Alazaya turned her gaze from the burn and looked at the male now standing in front of her in place of the panther that had been there a moment ago. She frowned, heat rushing through her that had nothing to do with the fire or burn, and everything to do with the male.

Beautiful isn't something she had ever thought to use to classify a male before, but really, she couldn't think of a better description for him. He was tall, much taller than her barely there five foot stance. If she was forced to guess, she would say he was at least six and a half feet tall, if not an inch or two more. He was also very muscular. Actually, the more she thought about it, he almost reminded her of a human body builder she had seen in one of the Earth Realm movies as a teenager. Tattoos adorned his tanned skin, swirls and other stranger patterns covering his right arm, shoulder and pectoral in a fascinating disarray that made her want to trace it with her fingers... and possibly her tongue, if he were so inclined. Denim pants covered his strong muscular thighs, and nothing else. His gaze was studious, his violet irises seeming to glow as he watched her with careful concern while she checked him out.

If he were anything like the Beasts from her realm, she couldn't guess at his age, though he appeared to be close to her 25 years. His dark brown hair had a tongue of red in it and was swept back from his forehead thanks to the rain. Slight fuzz covered his strong jaw in a barely there beard.

So, yes, to say he was beautiful was an understatement. And now she knew she was staring like a love strewn teenage twit, a blush was taking over her ivory cheeks.

"I'm sorry," she apologized abashedly, which just irritated her further. Since when had she ever been bashful, damn it? "What did you say?"

The male grinned, clearly aware that he was attractive and used to females swooning over him. she almost scoffed at that notion. "Are you alright?" he asked again, his deep timber voice a smooth drawl that swept over her skin in another rush of heat.

Alazaya blinked and nodded her head. "I'm fine... Can you tell me where we are?" She figured she may as well figure out her location before attempting to continue her trek to civilization and shelter.

The male frowned in confusion. "You don't know where you're at? Were you in an accident?" he questioned, once against taking in her bloodied ball gown.

She shrugged. "Clearly I'm not from around here."

His frown deepened. "Clearly..." Shaking his head, he looked around them before glancing back at her. "We're in White Paw, Washington," he informed her.

She nodded thoughtfully. "White Paw... How far is the nearest shelter?"

He arched a brow at her. "Were a good twenty miles out of city limits, but there isn't a homeless shelter in town. We don't have enough residents in town to need one. Nearest one would be in Seattle, and that's a good two and a half hours away by car."

Alazaya sighed and nodded. "Can you point me in the right direction, please?" she yelled over now now screaming wind. The storm seemed to be picking up rather than dying down. Which just further frustrated her to no end. She really just wanted to find somewhere warm she could rest for the night before figuring out her next move.

The male gave her an odd look before shaking his head, his hand going to the back of his neck in thought. "Look, clearly you're in some kind of distress. Why don't you come with me to my place for the night? The storm is supposed to continue getting bad for the next few hours, and you look like you're about to drop dead from exhaustion."

Her eyes narrowed. "Your place... You want me to go with you to your home?"

A slight blush darkened his tan face. "I swear I'm not going to try anything with you. I just want to help in any way I can. My mother raised me right, after all," he joked with a wink.

After a moment of thought, Alazaya nodded. "Okay, I agree. Please take me home with you."