Page 8 of Bad Blood Panther

Chapter 4

Jenny stared into Alex’s eyes for a few timeless moments, and it felt like the whole world stood still. Then he rose to his feet, backing slowly away like she was a dangerous animal. With stunning speed, he turned and bolted out the door.

His friends—the giant man and the blue-eyed wolf—crowded around her, asking questions that she didn’t even hear.

She’d found Alex. Right here, the first place she stopped, like it was meant to be. She couldn’t let him just disappear. Not again.

Jenny dashed after him, wondering why the hell she’d put on high heels. Trying to fit in, and now look. She could barely run. Ankles wobbling, she pushed past people without really seeing them, not caring now about the drinks spilled on her clothes.

Thank goodness he hadn’t gone far. She caught up with him in the parking lot, next to a beat-up old truck, pacing back and forth and muttering to himself, hands clenched in his hair.

As if he really was as batshit crazy as everybody said.

“Alex?” she said tentatively.

His head whipped around. His mouth was hard, his eyes wary, and there were a couple of faint scars across his face that hadn’t been there before.

“Don’t call me that,” he said roughly. His voice was different too—rougher, more gravelly, like he’d spent a lot of time shouting. Or screaming. “I’m Xander. Alex died three years ago.”

That stopped her in her tracks. He really had left everything behind. He’d done it on purpose.

She knew what a wreck he’d been after Cindi Turned him, and with good reason. She’d done it without even asking him—they were lucky he’d survived it. But afterward, he wouldn’t even let anyone from the clan get near enough to help him. His panther had kept them all savagely at bay.

Then he’d gone away and, apparently, tried to pretend none of them ever existed. That the person he used to be never existed.

“I’m sorry,” she said, and she hoped he understood that it was for more than getting his name wrong. “Xander.”

“I’m not going back,” he said. “So if you’re here for that backstabbing bitch Cindi, or to help that psycho Alton build his evil army of panther drones, you can whip out your cell phone right now and tell them I said no. Fuck no, hell no, no way, every kind of ‘no’ there is. I’m not ever going near Broken Hill as long as I fucking live.”

Xander could see Jenny’s mouth moving, but he could hardly hear her talking. His cat was yammering too damn loud—going all emo and making no sense whatsoever.

Not that that was anything new.

He had to keep it together. Just a little longer, until he could get back to the territory. If his cat had to go nuts then, at least he’d be safe.

They could lock him in the crazy shed until he calmed down. Or trank him and put him out, which he would love right about now, because fucking Jenny.

Jenny had introduced him to Cindi, which he still held against her. Because if he’d never met Cindi…

Don’t go there.

She was still saying something, he realized. “Could we maybe talk privately?” she asked.

Xander tried to clear his head. “I thought we were.”

“Um, not exactly.” She looked around nervously.

Oh, fuck. His entire crew was out here, standing around them in a rough circle. Looking worried and dangerous.

Jenny licked her lips. “I—I need your help. It’s important. Is there somewhere we can—”

“No,” Flynn said.

Jenny jumped, as if he’d threatened to hit her. Scared kitty. Little did she know, this was Flynn trying not to be intimidating.

“I’m alpha of this crew,” Flynn said. “If you’re in trouble and you’re bringing it to Xander, I get to hear all about it. Non-negotiable,” he added, as she opened her mouth.

He glanced at Xander. “You okay?”