Mating Season (Morgan Clan Bears, Book 1) Page 15
“I love you, little ones,” he said to them both as Aria and Tessa dozed off to sleep.
The End…
Keep reading for a look at Talon (Rise of the Pride, Book 1)
Talon (Rise of the Pride, Book 1)
By Theresa Hissong
Chapter One
The footage had been seen on every news outlet around the world. Two men were filmed shifting into black panthers at the edge of a forest in northern Mississippi. The video was as clear as the blue sky above. They’d been seen and the entire world now knew that shifters existed.
Talon Shaw gritted his teeth at the reporter who kept asking some of the most idiotic questions he’d ever heard in his life. Why the fuck they wanted to know about their mating rituals was beyond intrusive, and he sure as hell wasn’t going to let that bit of information out into the general public. Every human would run away screaming if they had any idea how mating occurred.
He’d been in talks with local law enforcement and the media for almost a week now. If Ranger and Kye hadn’t been so stupid, they wouldn’t be in this situation. They’d be living peacefully on the pride’s two hundred acre ranch south of town with no one the wiser.
“How long have your kind been around?” a reporter asked.
“Where did you come from?” another chimed in, talking over everyone else.
“Are you dangerous?” a cute blonde asked, raising her hand.
“Our kind have been around for thousands of years,” Talon began, looking out into the sea of human reporters. It was hard not to lash out at the reporters for their increasingly impertinent questions. “We are a peaceful group, usually keeping to ourselves. Our ancestors were warriors for kings in ancient times. Panthers have no hatred toward anyone, human or animal.”
“How old are you?” a male reporter asked, leaning forward to make himself visible. Talon recognized him from the local station.
“I am twenty nine years old,” he answered, catching sight of his younger brother, Noah, standing off to the side. Talon scanned the room and found his second in command, Winter, waiting off to his right. As his eyes moved back across the room, Noah made a sign for Talon to finish answering questions.
“And you are the leader of this…pride?” the male asked, looking confused over his choice of words.
They were different from their animal cousins. Usually, panthers were solitary animals, only coming together to procreate. Since the beginning of time, the shifters had stuck close together, maintaining a family environment. Their ancestors actually coined the name “pride” in reference to their families.
Their animal form wasn’t quite like the big cats in the jungles of the world. From a distance, you’d say they were panther, but their genetic makeup was more than just one breed. In fact, their animal bodies were bigger and different from their animal cousins in the wild. They did not have darkened rosettes like some black cats, either. Their genes were not a pigmentation flaw like scientists liked to use in reference to the wild black cats. No, Talon and his pride were just black, panther-like cats that lived in the human world.
“Yes, I am. Every pride has a leader, an alpha. It is his responsibility to nurture and provide for his people. Without the leadership of an alpha, the pride would suffer and eventually die out. It is my responsibility to make sure that they have work and a safe environment to live and raise their young.”
“Are there other shifters out there?” the blonde woman asked.
“This is about my pride, and I will only speak about them,” he said, his voice holding a warning. It wasn’t his place to tell the secrets of the other shifters.
“So, there are others?” she pushed, leaning forward. “Are there wolves? Like in the movies? What about other animals?” The woman’s eyes took on a dreamy haze and Talon cringed.
“Next question,” he responded curtly, looking away from the woman. He hoped like hell that she didn’t push him any further to answer those damn questions.
“You own a few companies, Mr. Shaw,” another reporter began. “Is this how you provide? Do you only employ your own kind?”
“I employ members of my pride and humans,” he said, trying his best not to fidget in his seat. He had to answer these questions as honestly as possible, but not so honestly that the people who worked for him would be targeted.
“Did the humans know that you shift into an animal?” a woman called out.
“No,” he answered simply.
He didn’t want to scare the humans. The last thing their kind needed was for the humans to hunt them down out of fear. There were many things about shifters that he would take to his grave. There was no way in hell Talon was going to let the humans know that they could be transformed into a shifter with a blood exchange and excruciating pain while the human’s body transformed into an animal.
The questions kept coming and eventually his time was up. His brother, Noah, and his second in command, Winter Blue, escorted Talon to an awaiting SUV, whisking him away from the steps of the City Hall building. The camera flashes caused the panthers to squint, the light irritating their sensitive eyes.
“I’m so glad that’s over,” Talon sighed, leaning back in his seat. It’d been a long day of answering increasingly personal questions.
“We should be able to breathe a little this weekend.” Noah smiled. “I don’t know about you, but I’m ready to have a beer.”
“That sounds like a great idea,” Talon agreed, finally beginning to relax. “Let’s hit up The Deuce for dinner.”
“Do you think there will be a problem?” Winter frowned. Winter was not only his second in command, but also the head of his security company, S.S.S. or Shaw Security Specialists, as the sign over their office complex stated.
“No,” Talon replied. “We will not run away from this town. Running only makes them believe that we have something to hide. This pride will continue their daily routines regardless of the media and whatever they say.”
“Then a beer it is,” Noah cheerfully proclaimed. “Let’s hope that little bar owner is there tonight.”
“Just a beer, Noah,” Talon warned, not giving away any emotions. He didn’t want to think about the woman that owned the bar they visited.
Liberty Raines was there most nights, but that didn’t mean that they’d interacted with her very often. There’d been a few times that she’d come by the table to drop off drinks or food. She was always too busy working for them to strike up a conversation. There was something about the little brunette that sent Talon’s panther into a growling frenzy. It must’ve been her scent. Oh, he could pick it out of a crowd. The combination of wildflowers and sunshine was permanently etched into his brain.
The last thing he needed in his life was a woman. He had too many things going on now that they’d been outed by the humans. The fact that she was a human sealed the deal on the certainty that he wanted nothing to do with her. A panther and a human didn’t mix, and he sure as hell wasn’t going to drag a human into his world.
Not now…not ever.
Talon is available for FREE!
About Theresa Hissong:
Theresa Hissong is the bestselling author of the Rise of the Pride series. She writes paranormal romance, rockstar romance, and romantic suspense.
She enjoys spending her days and nights creating the perfect love affair, and she takes those ideas to paper. When she’s not writing, Theresa spends her free time traveling and attending concerts all over the United States.
Look for other exciting reads…coming very soon!
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