Panther's Revenge

Chapter Twenty-Two-Nate

My mind was absolutely blank as I ran up the stairs and through the wall ways of the mansion where Cleo was held.

I wasn't thinking about the multiple lives I had just taken.

I wasn't thinking about the aching in my fists, or the racing of my heart, or the pounding in my ears.

I was hyper focused on reaching my mate.

Ike and I were stopped in the hallway now, chests heaving, both looking for a way to the roof. I wasn't seeing a clear way up.
"Any ideas?" I hear Ike ask. I kiss my teeth and walk down to the end of the hallway, where there's an open window blowing the wispy curtains surrounding it around.

"A good enough one." I rip the curtains off once I reach the window and throw them to the floor. Sure enough, there was a good sized ledge on the outside, and when I leaned out and looked up, I could see the lip of the roof jutting out, just waiting to be swung up onto. I step out, my eyes drifting to the scene below for a moment.

There are both men and women fighting, some in wolf or panther form, some as people. It looked like we were winning, if nothing else. I had become familiar with a few faces from Ike's pack, and I could see those were the ones on top in their fights. Still, I could see Thomas from across the way having to pull a wolf off the throat of one of my pack members, and I could smell blood heavy in the air. People from all sides were dying.

The sound of a panther screeching from above me snaps me out of my daze, and I refocus on the task at hand.

Without hesitating further, I jump up and grab ahold of the roof's lip, pulling myself up and swinging my legs over quickly so I can stand up and move out of Ike's way. He followed seconds later.

"Get the fuck off me!" My eyes fall on the fight in front of me.

Cleo is about to kill her brother before either of us even got the chance.

Her panther is on top of him, it's teeth buried in his jugular. Blood was pouring from his neck onto the roof of his mansion. The panther's angry yellow eyes weren't focused on the man she was killing, however.

They were focused on the motionless body of Willow that lay on the other side of the roof.

"No..." I hear Ike whisper from beside me. I reach a hand out, stopping him as he's about to move forward. He's about to protest, but I just point towards our mate.

Charlie has stopped moving, stopped trying to shove Cleo's panther off.

He's dead.

The panther drops his body, shaking its head of his blood. Its eyes move back towards Willow, and it turns to make its way towards her.
I only notice the many bodies covering the roof when the panther steps over them on her way to her friend. Damn. Cleo really liked Willow. This was going to fuck her up.

The panther nudges Willow's body with its black nose, and she rolls over to face the sky.

She's definitely not breathing.

The panther makes a sad whiny noise and sinks down to rest its chin on Willow's still chest. It closes its eyes and begins to tremble. I immediately rush forward, pulling my shirt off over my head and covering Cleo's now naked, human body. My heart aches at the sobs that fell from her lips. Her body trembled as she buried her face in Willow's body.

"Where is Levi?" I look up at Ike, who hasn't moved. He looked pretty wrecked too, though. His eyes are red and watery, but no tears fall.

He'll cry when he's alone, I'm sure of it.

Cleo sniffs, and finally lifts her head. Rage fills my entire body at the state of her face; broken, bruised, and slashed at.

My poor Cleo. She didn't deserve this.

She looks behind us towards the edge of the roof facing the back of the house. Ike quickly makes his way over, and I turn back to Cleo, who is watching Ike.
"Cleo." I say, and she finally looks at me. Her lower lip trembles, and I swallow thickly. Fuck, seeing her cry made me want to cry too. I mean I liked Willow, her and her brother were cool, but I really wasn't that attached to them.

But feeling how deeply sad Cleo was right now, made my heart break.

I wrap my arms around her and pull her against my bare chest, holding my shirt against her back so no preying eyes could see her. I had seen angry red marks all over her back and bruises along her ribcage. I don't know what Charlie had done to her while he'd had her, but it was clear he didn't treat her gently, like a mate should.

Charlie was lucky he was already dead.