The Werecats: Creatures of the Night (Book One) (Revised)

- Six: Near Death Experience -

- Six: Near Death Experience -

A kaleidoscope of eyes stared beyond the forest edge, but only one set grew closer. The eyes slunk out of the woods to reveal a massive black panther. As I tried to back away, Dominique grabbed my arm.

"Don't run," he said, "it'll piss him off."

"He's already pissed off!" I hissed, shaking his arm loose.

"Stand your ground, but don't overpower." Dominique backed away, and the huge cat approached me.

His eyes seemed to be painted with blood itself. They stared at me intently, and even though they were the eyes of an animal I saw something there. Something knowing. Something human.

"Eran, I've found her." Dominique said from behind me. I didn't notice I was shaking until I felt the panther's wet nose graze my hand. He sat back on his haunches and looked at me. He's assessing me, I realized.

The panther and I made eye contact, and something in my head wavered. Like something was trying to break through my mind. I stared at the panthers eyes, mesmerized, and I saw the tiniest gesture of his head for us to follow him.

"Come on," Dominique said, leading me towards the woods by my elbow.

"It's pitch black in there! I won't be able to see." I protested.

"You will, trust me." Was Dominique's only reply.

"Trust you? That must be some kind of sick joke because I find it a bit hard to believe that someone who attacked me and kidnapped me expects me to actually trust them." I spat, shaking his grasp away. I turned to walk away, but before I got very far I squealed as I was hoisted up onto someone's shoulders.

"Put me down!" I boomed, slamming my fists against his back.

"Only if you stop with all this stupid protesting. It's pissing me off." Dominique growled, setting me on the ground again and walking deeper into the woods. I thought about it for a second, and scurried after him. He may have kidnapped me, but I didn't want to be alone in the woods at night.

As we walked I noticed every now and then a pair of colorful eyes look at me from beyond the trees. It was still too dark to see their bodies, but their judgmental stares were ominous nonetheless.

We walked for a short time until we came upon a small abandoned shack sitting in a field of crisp green grass. The shack had become overgrown after years of neglect, and poison oak and ivy creeped up the sides and along the shaded windows.

We approached the shack and the door was opened for us by a man much taller than I, and maybe a bit older too. I glanced up at him and when I did my steps wavered. He stared down at me with the same dripping blood red eyes that the panther had just moments before.

"Come in." He said, "Sit."

Reluctantly I sat on the dusty couch that sat in front of a vintage TV set.

"I am Eran Accardi. The Head of our leap." The man, Eran Accardi, said as he held his hand out. I shook his hand and refrained from pulling back from his tight grip.

"What's a leap?" The question bubbled up and out before I could stop it.

"A leap is a group of panthers." Dominique answered as he came into the cabin. He was carrying a bottle that contained a deep burgundy liquid. He handed the bottle to Eran, who took it and quickly drank half of it in a gulp.

"What is that?" I asked.

"Blood." My breath caught in my throat. They must have noticed my shock because Eran and Dominique chuckled.

"By drinking human blood, Werecats can stay in their human forms for short periods of time at night." Eran explained.

I was left alone to my thoughts as Dominique and Eran began discussing things. I only heard short words like 'schooling' and 'family'.

"It's settled then." Eran said after a while, "Riley will begin her life here immediately."

"What?" I spat. Eran whirled around at my protest and he pulled his mouth close to my ear.

"I said that you will be moving in immediately. That is an order." He growled into my head.

"I don't take orders from anyone." I hissed back, trying to shake his grasp on my shoulder.

"You do now, princess." Eran let me go and looked over me to Dominique and nodded slowly before stalking out of the shack.

"Riley?" I turned around just in time to get a glimpse of Dominique before he plunged a syringe into my neck.