10. Daxton

TEN

DAXTON

My bike's engine growled beneath us as we tore through the night away from Lucius. The intense urge to keep Savannah safe powered through me and my panther, but there was an underlying hint of unease festering through me too. Lucius messing around in my head, trying to get me to reveal my panther to her, had thrown me off my game.

Kiera had said he could control the mind of a shifter and force them to do things, but I knew she'd bound his ability—which was why he'd come after her in the first place—what I hadn't expected was for him to gain it back and attempt to control me.

Savannah's arms wrapped tighter around my middle, and I swore it felt as if she was the only thing holding me and my panther steady, the only thing keeping us from going back and taking on Lucius again. Getting her to safety was what mattered most.

Guilt prickled through me.

If I'd gotten us out of there sooner, maybe I could have saved her from everything tonight. Heck, if I hadn't been so damn selfish and been able to fight the draw I felt toward her, maybe then she wouldn't have been thrust into a world that was as dangerous as it was unbelievable, all because of me.

When we pulled up outside my camper, my bike's engine came to a hum before I shut it off. I took off my helmet and pulled in a deep breath. Squeezing my eyes shut for a second, I tried to brace myself for seeing the difference in the way she would look at me now that she knew what I was.

Time seemed to stand still.

Savannah didn't release me or attempt to slide off the back of my bike. Instead, she kept her arms wrapped around my middle and her body pressed against mine.

She had to be in shock.

I hung my helmet on my handlebars and tapped her arm gently while glancing over my shoulder at her. She stirred to life and slid off the bike behind me. She didn't move to take her helmet off. Instead, she stood there like a deer caught in headlights.

Swallowing hard, I slid off my bike and stepped to her to unclasp the buckle beneath her chin. My hands trembled, and I wondered if she noticed. The weight of what I needed to explain to her, what I needed to say, pressed against me.

"Savannah, I…" I started, but words failed me.

How was I supposed to explain any of this to her?

"What was all that back there?" she asked, blinking. "How could he do that to you? Are you okay?" Her tone was riddled with both confusion and concern.

"I'm sorry you had to see all that. I never intended to pull you into this mess."

"What mess?" she asked, her eyes searching mine. "What did I just witness?"

"It's complicated. There's a lot you don't know about me, about my world. Lucius, he's—different. He has the ability to get inside a shifter's head and make them do things they might not want to. That's what he did to me tonight. He used his ability on me to make me reveal myself to you."

"Shifter?" She stared at me, curiosity glinting in her eyes. It was a far cry from the fear I'd expected to see. "What are you? What kind of shifter?"

"I'm a panther shifter."

Before she could respond, Neo and the others made their way to us.

"What's going on?" Neo demanded.

"Lucius," I said, his name leaving a bitter taste in my mouth. "He tried to expose me in front of Savannah."

"Expose you?" Kiera asked.

I nodded. "Yeah."

"Where were you?" Neo demanded, anger flashing through his eyes.

"In the parking lot of Last Drop."

"He's bold," Lorenzo chimed in.

"Very bold," Miranda said. "That's a pretty public place."

"Back to what you said before… he tried to expose you?" Kiera asked, concern heavy in her tone. "What do you mean?"

"He got into my head and tried to force me to shift," I said, my tone harsh.

Neo shot me a look, and I knew he was as concerned as I was that the asshole had his ability back.

"Shit, that means his binding wore off," Kiera gasped, her eyes growing wide. "He's still here in Crescent Creek, and now he has his ability back. This is so not good."

"Can we create something to shield our minds from him?" Miranda asked.

It was a good idea. Between the two of them, I had no doubt they would come up with something we could use. After all, they were both witches. Well, Miranda was half witch, half panther shifter, but she was still a witch.

My gaze dipped to Savannah. She stood beside me, eyes wide, soaking everything everyone said in. I imagined it was all a lot to take in, as if what she'd already seen and learned tonight wasn't enough.

"Are you okay?" I asked, my tone soft.

She glanced up at me. "Yeah."

"I know this is—" I started, but she held up a hand and shook her head.

"I'm fine. Also, I'm not going anywhere, if that's what you were about to ask me," she said.

"Wasn't planning on it." I flashed her a tiny smirk.

The last thing I wanted was for her to be alone right now. The risk of Lucius coming after her was too high. Plus, my panther wouldn't let me leave her side even if I wanted to. He'd shred me to pieces before he'd let that happen. Not that I planned on leaving her side, anyway.

"Hear me out," Lorenzo said, gathering everyone's attention. "Wouldn't it be better if you banish his ability altogether?" he asked, his gaze fixed on Kiera.

I liked the idea, and I knew if anyone could do it, Kiera could. After all, she'd woken Neo from one hellacious sleep spell. The woman was powerful. Also, I'd love to see Lucius stripped of his power for good. No shifter should have the ability he had. It wasn't right.

I sighed, realizing Lucius had become an even bigger pain in the ass. He was making it hard for us to build ourselves up after everything we'd already been through.

"It would, but in order to banish his ability, I'd need to be near him," Kiera said. "As in, standing within a few feet of him."

"Which isn't fucking happening," Neo ground out before anyone could say another word.

His panther surfaced, brightening his eyes, and I noticed Savannah tense beside me. Instinctively, I placed a hand at the small of her back to comfort her. We locked eyes, and I knew my touch comforted her in the way I'd hoped.

"But there has to be a way to shield your minds from Lucius's tricks like Miranda suggested," Kiera said, her brows furrowed in thought. "I just need to do some research."

"In the meantime, we all need to be cautious." Neo's attention shifted to me, and I knew from the hard edge to his stare he was about to ask for more details from my encounter. "Tell me exactly what happened."

I reiterated the whole scene to him—from what it felt like to have that asshole in my head, to the moment Savannah whipped out a canister of pepper spray and blasted him with it. Neo listened, soaking in every detail, and so did the others.

"Smart thinking," Kiera said to Savannah. "Spraying Lucius with your pepper spray like that."

"Bet you never thought you'd be using it on a snake shifter when you bought it," Lorenzo chimed in with a chuckle.

"Actually, I didn't buy it," Savannah said. "An old woman—I think her name is Ms. Lynette—gave it to me. She said I'd need it at some point."

I'd heard of the old woman before. She had the gift of giving, whether that be actual gifts or advice. Somehow, she knew what a person needed before they needed it.

The woman was a town legend.

"Well, she wasn't wrong," Lorenzo said.

"I should start researching," Kiera insisted. "Lucius won't stay away for long now that he's got his ability back."

"I'll help," Miranda chimed in.

"Want me to patrol?" Lorenzo asked Neo as Miranda and Kiera walked away.

Neo nodded. "I'll join you."

"What do you want me to do?" I asked, feeling like I should be doing something too.

"Make sure she's all right," Neo said, nodding to Savannah, before he and Lorenzo walked toward the woods.

I glanced at Savannah, my guilt for pulling her into all this eating at me. "I'm sorry for dragging you into all of this."

She shook her head. "You didn't drag me into anything. What happened at the bar wasn't your fault."

"Still, I feel responsible."

"You shouldn't. Besides, I'm here right now because I want to be, and because I care about you," she whispered.

Her words eased some of the turmoil warring inside me. Despite the danger of the situation we were in, having Savannah at my side gave me a sense of peace. Even so, I couldn't shake the uneasy feeling sliding through me about what was coming next.

The way it had felt having Lucius inside my head, forcing my panther to the surface, rippled through me. It had been pure torture and unlike anything I'd ever experienced before.

As I stared at Savannah, gratitude for what she'd done filled me. My panther made a noise, signifying that he felt the same.

"Thanks for using that pepper spray earlier. You really saved me back there."

"You're welcome." She shrugged. "I couldn't stand there and do nothing."

"Do you want to stay the night here? Or would you rather I take you home?" I asked, hoping she'd stay.

My panther grew restless at the thought of her leaving. He craved her presence as much as I did. We both needed the reassurance she was safe by having her close tonight.

"I'd like to stay, if that's okay with you. I'm not ready to be alone after all that," she said, her words calming my racing heart.

"I was hoping you'd stay," I replied, a smile twisting my lips, and then nodded. "After you." I motioned to my camper.