Panthers luck, p.8
Panther's Luck, page 8
“Yes, but not money we have access to. It’s money they can take away from us.”
Romeo pressed his lips together. “But how are you allowed to be employed? Isn’t there a law against that?”
Thano shrugged. “It’s one they’re willing to oversee when it serves them.”
“Oh, for fuck’s sake.” He slumped in the chair, and Ciar watched in fascination. Romeo was angry and not because someone had done something to him. He was angry because Thano couldn’t have his money.
Ciar glanced at Draven, who was watching Romeo with a small smile.
“Romeo will register a business.”
“What?” Romeo stared at Draven. “No, no one would want to do business with me.”
Ciar nodded. “Eli will. Draven and I will sell him meat, and you’ll have the bank account. You can withdraw money and buy the things we want.”
Romeo stared at him, then at Draven, and lastly at Thano. “How would it work?”
“You’ll have to go to the bank, register a business, and open an account.”
“I register a business at the bank?”
Thano nodded. “The bank and the town board are working together. Everything business-related is done through there. Register as a farmer.”
“A farmer?”
Thano waved a hand. “The Moonlight Ranch. No one has been here. They don’t know what it looks like.”
“Will they come here to inspect?”
Fangs made an appearance as Thano smiled. “Off the paved road? We’d make sure they never arrive.”
Ciar waited for the scent of fear to spread, but Romeo relaxed into the chair again. Weird. Thano flashing fangs was something he should fear.
“Good, that’s good. Okay, so…” He turned to Ciar. “Are you sure this is a good idea? I’m terrible with numbers.”
“There is an accountant in Last Hope, or maybe you know of one in New Town you trust.”
Romeo shook his head. “I don’t trust anyone in New Town other than my family.”
Excitement bubbled in Ciar. “Great! We’ll go into town tomorrow morning. We’ll go to the bank, take the crate to Eli, and tell him to do business with us.”
Romeo rubbed a hand over his mouth. “I feel like throwing up.”
Ciar quickly took a step back. They couldn’t get human diseases, but he didn’t want to get vomit all over him.
“Are you sick?”
Romeo shook his head. “Nervous. This can go wrong in so many ways.”
Thano tilted his head to the side. “Why would it go wrong?”
Blowing out a deep breath, Romeo looked at them. “It always does. I’ll end up being beaten half to death in a ditch somewhere, and that’s if they’re kind.”
Something deadly crept into Thano’s eyes, and Ciar almost grinned. It was good Thano was on their side.
“We’ll go with you. Ciar, Draven, and I. If they attack, we’re four against a small settlement of humans, and if things get bad, Draven will fly out of there and inform the others.”
“The others?”
“The residents of The Moonlight Ranch. Last Hope will no longer exist, and they know it, so you have nothing to fear.”
* * * *
That night, Romeo lay in his bed and looked out the window at the dark sky. Last Hope wouldn’t exist if The Moonlight Ranch didn’t want it to. How dangerous were the people he’d read to earlier? He’d always known vampires and shifters were dangerous, everyone did, but to have them state so casually that a settlement would be wiped out…It explained the fear he’d heard in the older generation’s voices when he’d been a child.
The man he’d spotted in the crowd looked like he killed humans for fun, but Thano was nice, although scary. Ciar was kind, and Draven appeared easygoing, though he hadn’t spent enough time with him to say for sure. Humbert was a great kid, and the female crow who kept popping up was nice enough.
They had all helped him, not the serial killer guy, but the others.
He’d be the face of Ciar and Draven’s business. He had no idea how they intended to hunt or how they’d get it to Eli, but it would work out. Maybe.
He sighed and looked out the window again. There, the shadows moved, and he sucked in a breath. Looking closer, he noticed a large black cat move on a thick branch of a tree. Ciar. Or he guessed it could be Kerrin, but he didn’t think so. He looked again, and those round eyes met his and held his gaze. Romeo forgot how to breathe. Then he stretched out, his front paws hanging down on either side of the branch, and he rested his cheek against the bark. He looked like a cuddly kitten, but Romeo was aware he could kill him in a matter of seconds.
Ciar looked at him one last time before closing his eyes. Romeo yawned and slumped back against the pillow. Amazing. A panther was sleeping outside his bedroom window.
Sometime later, he woke with a start. A howl cut through the air, and it was followed by one sounding as if it was right outside his window. He looked out and Ciar was gone. There was no wolf he could see, but an answering howl came from the other side of the house.
The chickens! Were they here to take his chickens? He kicked off the cover and ran out of the bedroom. Another howl sounded and there was a scratch on the front door. Romeo’s blood froze to ice. Was a wolf scratching his door?
A deep growl followed, and for some reason, he didn’t think it was a wolf’s growl. He was no expert in growling though. What if it was Ciar who needed to come inside? Maybe they were wolves from another territory, and he was outnumbered.
He yanked the door open, only to find the doorstep empty. What the hell? The scratching had been there a second ago.
It didn’t take long before there was a scratch on the terrace door, and Romeo turned to look. The house was small, and he could see through the rooms, but he couldn’t see anyone by the door. If Ciar had needed to come inside, wouldn’t he have popped his head, so it was visible through the window?
Another howl sounded, and Romeo looked toward the forest. There was no one to be seen, though he suspected if they didn’t want to be seen, they wouldn’t be.
He took a step down the stair, and if he died now, they could tell a story about the stupid human with no sense of smell who couldn’t tell who was howling or how close they were, but it didn’t matter. He had to protect his chickens. He’d invested his last money in those poor little birds, and he suspected wolves ate chickens if they got the chance.
They might eat humans too.
Another howl resounded through the air, but this time it was cut off, and a growl followed. A hoot sounded, and Romeo shivered. Owls always sounded so spooky. He stumbled over to the temporary chicken coop. It looked undisturbed and Romeo shivered in the summer night. It wasn’t cold, but he only wore his underwear, and it was cooler than in his bedroom.
While debating if he should go back into the house or stand guard—without clothes and weapons—the shadows moved. He’d hoped it was Thano who did his appear-out-of-nothing thing, but from between the trees came a wolf. Huge, with shaggy, gray fur. It moved toward Romeo with a lowered head and bared teeth.
Fuck. Mamma had been wrong. He wouldn’t starve to death; he’d be eaten by wolves.
A growl came from the other side, and he whirled around. The panther. It walked faster than the wolf, but also with lowered head and bared teeth. Romeo’s heart blocked his throat and prevented him from speaking. He had no idea what he’d say, but he stood frozen.
The wolf growled and continued forward. Romeo pressed himself against the cabin wall. He didn’t know if it would attack him or Ciar, but it looked ready to tear someone’s throat out.
Another howl sounded, but the wolf didn’t react. Romeo scanned the trees. Would the others come to help their pack mate? Soon, another wolf became visible. It was more sand-colored than the first and Romeo met its gaze. It peeled back its lips but didn’t growl. Romeo continued to watch it. What would he do if both attacked?
He didn’t have time to contemplate it before the first wolf leaped. It flew past Romeo and onto the panther. When the other wolf rushed forward, Romeo did the same. He’d lost his mind, but he couldn’t let two wolves attack Ciar. Right as he braced for impact, a huge bird dropped from the sky. The wolf yelped in pain and took a step back. Massive wings flapped, and Draven landed on the ground next to him. He’d never seen a bird as large, but this was not the time to stare in wonder. He turned around and gasped. Ciar had his jaws closed over the wolf’s skull.
Romeo wanted to look away but couldn’t.
The air shimmered, and a disheveled Thano appeared. “Let him go, Ciar.” His voice was hoarse, and Romeo suspected he’d been sleeping. If vampires slept.
“Tatwulf, what’s the point of this?” Thano glared at the wolf as Ciar let go of him. Rubbing his neck, he shook his head and turned to Romeo. “Are you unharmed?”
“Yeah. I ran out to check on the chickens.” He gestured at the chicken coop. He hadn’t checked, but since the birds remained inside, he assumed they were fine. “I wasn’t sure if the wolves would kill them.”
Thano stared at him. “Wolves were howling, and you ran outside?”
Romeo’s cheeks heated. “Yeah, I…I noticed Ciar in the trees before I fell asleep and when there was scratching on the door, I thought maybe it was him needing to come inside.”
“You thought Ciar would scratch on your door to be let in?”
Romeo frowned. “No, I figured if he needed to come inside, he’d show himself in the window.” He was quiet for a heartbeat. “Or simply open the door and walk in.”
“Wolves were scratching on your door, and you opened it?”
Romeo shrugged. No one had ever claimed he was smart. “I worried about Ciar and the chickens.”
“You worried about Ciar.” Thano sighed and looked at Ciar.
“It could’ve been wolves from another territory wanting to attack him.”
Thano nodded, then pinched the bridge of his nose. “So you figured you’d help him?”
“I don’t know. But I couldn’t stay in my bed, could I?”
“Yes, you could.”
The wolf huffed and tried to move away.
“We’re not done, Tatwulf.” Thano’s voice took on a deadly tone, and Romeo shivered. Then he turned to Romeo. “I’ll deal with this. Go back to bed.”
Romeo nodded, and it wasn’t until he was halfway to the house that he noticed the black panther walking behind him. When he showed no sign of changing course as Romeo walked up the stairs, he held the door open to let him in. No one had ever prepared him for how big panthers were. Ciar climbed the stairs behind him, and when they reached the bedroom, he stretched out on the floor.
“Are you planning to stay there?”
There was no reply other than Ciar closing his eyes, which Romeo interpreted as Yup. I’m asleep now.
He spent a few minutes staring at the ceiling. What the hell had happened?
Chapter 10
Ciar was furious, and if Thano hadn’t arrived, he’d have cracked Tatwulf’s skull. The fucker believed he could scare Romeo and get away with it? He surely knew everyone would hear it was him. Ciar had woken at the first howl, and while the crows, the bears, the vampires, Draven, Kerrin, and whatever wolves weren’t involved in this were farther away from the house, they’d hear the howls, and they would recognize them. There was no hiding who was involved, so what was it Tatwulf was trying to accomplish?
Scaring Romeo enough to get him to leave?
The fool rushed out to save his chickens. He smelled scared, but not sufficiently so. Ciar huffed and heard a rustle from the bed. Romeo still hadn’t dozed off. He’d stay the night, but as soon as Romeo was asleep, he’d sneak out and see if Draven was around. He wanted to know what had been said. Would Tatwulf be asked to leave The Moonlight Ranch?
No, the wolves were the only ones apart from Thano who had contact with the humans and the means to do business with them. They didn’t need human clothes or human food or human things, but it was nice to have, and the only way to get it was if Thano or the wolves were able to strike a deal with a human.
Soon Ciar and Draven would be able to contribute. Everyone at The Moonlight Ranch would benefit from them starting a business—from Romeo starting a business. Romeo could buy whatever he wanted. No one would try to stop him, and Ciar believed if someone asked him to buy something, he’d do it.
Ciar didn’t know how long it took, an hour maybe, before Romeo’s breaths grew deep and rhythmic. He waited a little longer before slowly getting up and stalking down the stairs. When he reached the bottom, he turned right into the kitchen and shifted to human form to open the door. Once he got out, he looked at the scratches made in the wood. Stupid wolves.
He stilled. Maybe they knew what Ciar and Draven were planning. They’d talked about it on the terrace, and there had been people there. Maybe they wanted Romeo gone, so Ciar and Draven wouldn’t be able to make money. As it was now, Thano was the most important person on The Moonlight Ranch and then came the wolves. Ciar was stronger than any wolf, but they contributed more than he did.
There was a flutter of wings, but it wasn’t Draven landing as he’d hoped. It was Fala.
“What’s happening?”
She grimaced. “Tatwulf wants there to be a vote about whether Romeo should be allowed to stay.”
“What? Since when do we vote?” Breed didn’t vote. The strongest made the decisions.
“Tatwulf claimed it’s the way the humans decide things, and since Romeo is human, we should do it his way.”
Ciar stared. He couldn’t believe it. “What did Thano say?”
“He said it’s the way humans do things. It’s what they do all day on the town board. They have meetings about different things, and then they vote. The suggestion with the most votes is the one everyone will follow.”
“But we don’t do things that way.”
She shrugged. “I know.”
Ciar had a sinking feeling Tatwulf had a plan. Wolves were sneaky. “Are there many who want Romeo to leave?”
She pursed her lips. “I don’t think so, but Tatwulf said it won’t take long before he’ll bring his pack here, and it made many uneasy. One human is easy to control, but a murder of them?” She shook her head and black feathers appeared on her shoulders.
“He can’t feed them.”
“No, but if you help him make money, he might.”
Ciar nodded. He’d help Romeo make money, and Romeo would help him make money. It was only fair. He might want to bring them here, but the cabins weren’t livable, and he didn’t want them in his house. “His pride is small.”
“I don’t think it matters. The non-human passing are especially uneasy, since it would mean they wouldn’t be allowed to be close to the buildings. Romeo has already seen them, but if there are humans everywhere, they won’t be able to come to the story reading.”
Ciar growled. “If his pride is coming here, it’s not for a long time yet, and no one has to hide because they’re human. They’re off the paved road. Our rules apply.”
“Yes, it’s what Tatwulf said, too. Romeo is a human off the paved road, which means we can eat him.”
“But that’s our rules. I thought we were going by human rules.”
Fala looked confused. “Yeah…I don’t know. We’re going to have a meeting after the reading tomorrow night. Tatwulf wanted one.”
Ciar peeled his lips back. “Isn’t he being punished for bringing his wolves here and scaring Romeo?”
“No one was hurt, and Romeo wasn’t scared.”
“He was scared.”
Fala grinned. “Draven told everyone how he rushed out of the house, facing off against a pack of wolves to save his chickens. Many laughed at Tatwulf for not being able to scare a human, and Thano said Draven told the truth.”
Ciar nodded. He wouldn’t ruin Draven’s attempt at making Tatwulf look weak by telling people Romeo hadn’t been scared, but he had been scared. He’d done it anyway, had stepped out in front of Conal when he’d closed in to help Tatwulf attack Ciar.
Conal hadn’t attacked Romeo. So either they’d agreed they wouldn’t harm him, or Conal wasn’t as loyal to Tatwulf as he wanted to believe. Time would tell.
* * * *
Romeo woke to the sun streaming in through the bedroom window. He glanced at the floor, but the huge black panther was gone. He was both disappointed and relieved. To see a panther was amazing but realizing you could be a quick snack was less so.
He stepped into a pair of jeans and headed down the stairs. He’d kill for a cup of coffee. He hadn’t had one in ages. Too expensive and hard to get hold of. He hadn’t seen any coffee in any shape or form in Eli’s shop in Last Hope. He knew where to go in New Town to get hold of some roasted beans, but this was a new place.
He boiled two eggs and since the bread was going stale, he toasted it in a skillet. Right as he sprayed the eggs with cold water, Humbert stepped through the door.
“Are you going to Last Hope again?” He looked disappointed.
“Good morning. Did you sleep well? Did you dream anything interesting?”
Humbert stared at him.
“Have you eaten?”
“No, I just woke up and heard Ciar and Draven talk about going with you to the bank when it opens for the day.”
Oh, shit. He’d almost managed to forget with all the wolf drama going on. He’d planned to dig a garden bed and get the seeds his mother had gotten him into the soil.
“Would you like some toast?” He held up some browned bread. He could make more. The bread wouldn’t last much longer. Perhaps he should give it to the chickens before it turned moldy. He feared it would any second.
Humbert slowly nodded.
“Great! I’ll make some more. Could you let the chickens out, only in the coop, not out-out?” He reached for a jug and filled it with water. “And give them fresh water.”
Humbert took the jug with a grin, and Romeo got started on the toast. He placed them on a plate and grabbed the eggs. He’d planned to eat both of them, but Humbert was a growing boy.
Walking out to the chicken coop, he sat on the grass and watched his terrible-looking birds. How long before they grew new feathers? They pecked around the grass happily enough, but he had no idea how to take care of birds. What if he did something wrong? He wished he could send a letter to his mom. They’d never had chickens. It wasn’t allowed in their area in New Town—only if you lived on the outskirts—but he was sure she knew more than him.
