The Kitten Has Claws

The Kitten Has Claws [Chapter 5]

Noelle walked slowly over to the bed and placed a hand on Raine’s shoulder. She could feel the tension throughout his body. “What they don’t know is that we don’t need panther women to reproduce panthers. The panther gene is dominant in the males only. It is very rare to give birth to a female panther. So, naturally, female panthers are revered and protected. Now that we only have a few females left we needed to start searching for other women, so that we don’t die out.”

He pierced her with a knowing look, “That’s where you and your friends come in. Alistair, owner of the cabin you rented out, is a good friend of mine. He let me know that a bachelorette party was coming in a couple of nights, so I took four of my men with me to check it out. We waited in the woods for a long time, watching everyone arrive and deciding on the best plan.”

“You figured you would just walk in?” Noelle snorted sarcastically.

Raine gave a small smile, “I had to give the signal first.”

“The loud scream we heard? That was you?”

“Of course. The panther scream. Then we walked in and grabbed who we wanted.” He gave a rakish grin, “I’d say we did well.” Noelle curbed the urge to smack him upside the head. Stupid man, he had to say something immature like that.

Noelle felt horrible though. These men had gone through so much and had lost so much. She didn’t blame them for their actions, but kidnapping was still a bit extreme. She supposed it was their animalistic nature that accounted for their need to possess.

A sudden horrific thought broadsided her, “Are we going to be safe?” Just because the women weren’t panthers didn’t mean the Hunters wouldn’t try and kill them anyways.

Raine looked insulted, “Of course you’ll be safe. I’m not so sure you and your friends will like our commanding attitudes, but it’s all for your safety.”

Noelle rolled her eyes and smiled, this should be interesting. The women would only last so long being cooped up before someone would explode. Noelle had dibs on Ingrid. She didn’t do too well with staying in one place for very long.

“Since you’re going to be here for a while,” Raine purred, “you should tell me about yourself.”

“Who says I want to stay here?” Noelle asked with a raised eyebrow.

Raine laughed and grabbed her around the waist, pulling her down onto the bed next to him. “It’s too late now; I’m not letting you go.” She laughed softly with him and pushed his arms away, trying to ignore the electric thrill she felt at his touch.

“Why don’t you tell me about yourself,” he said, gazing softly into her eyes.

“That was a womanly question if I’ve ever heard one,” she laughed.

He leaned down on one arm and grinned sexily, letting his black hair fall into his piercing emerald eyes. He looked so relaxed, lounging on the bed, but she could see the tightness in the corner of his eyes. Noelle felt sympathetic towards him because he had the weight of the world on his shoulders. The fate of his pack was up to him.

Sighing she looked down at him, “What do you want to know?”

“Tell me about your family.”

Noelle flinched and quickly avoided his gaze. “There’s not much to know. My parents weren’t really around when I was a child. They died when I was fifteen and I moved in with my aunt and uncle. I’ve lived with them ever since.”

“Was that atrocious girl who threw herself at me your cousin?” Raine asked with a frown.

“Yah, that was Clarke,” she replied drily. “Lovely, isn’t she?”

“A real bundle of sunshine. Is she always like that?”

Noelle took a moment to reply, not wanting to be rude, but it was true. Clarke had always gone out of her way to be mean to Noelle. From the first day she had moved in, Clarke had made it clear that they were not going to be friends or sisters. “She’s never really thought of anyone but herself,” she finally said. “I’ve gotten so used to it though that it doesn’t bother me anymore.”

She jumped when Raine growled low in his throat, “There is no excuse for her behavior. She treated you like dirt. You shouldn’t be making up excuses for her.”

“I’m not making excuses for her, I just don’t care anymore. High school was hell, but I survived Clarke and her clones. I was so happy to go to college and get away from Clarke, and I did, for a while.”

Noelle scowled as the memories came back in a flash. “She got engaged only about a month ago, halfway through my second year of college. I was required to come back home to help with all the preparations. I was in charge of making sure everything was put together perfectly, including this bachelorette weekend.” She snorted humorlessly, “But of course, none of my work was to be rewarded. I wasn’t even going to be a bridesmaid. Clarke told me she was going to conveniently forget to make me a bridesmaid. I had no doubt she would apologize profusely when her parents were watching and somehow it would end up being my fault in the end.”

Raine reached out and grabbed her hand in his and softly stroked it, offering comfort and encouragement. “It’s a good thing I’ve taken you away from them then, isn’t it?”

“Fishing for compliments now?” Noelle teased. She loved the feel of his skin on hers, even if they were only holding hands. Somehow his touch calmed her down, made her feel safe and at peace. This could be dangerous, trusting a man she just met.

“Do I scare you?” Raine asked abruptly. He had a serious look on his face, and his eyes held a hidden emotion.

“No,” she responded quickly. “Sometimes you intrigue me, other times I want to murder you, but I’m hardly intimidated by you.” His eyes darkened to a forest green as he smiled slowly. Her heartbeat raced as he leaned forward to bring their faces closer together. Noelle felt her eyelids get heavier and she had to force them to stay open.

Raine paused, only centimeters away from their lips touching. “Good,” he whispered, letting his sweet breath wash over her face. He pulled back abruptly and smirked, “Hungry?”

Mortification washed over Noelle, staining her cheeks a lovely rose color. She had been that close to letting Raine kiss her. She had wanted it with every fiber of her being and he had pulled back, teasing her. “Jerk,” she muttered, sweeping past him and down the hall. His laughter echoed behind her. 

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Alrighty - this is the last chapter posted. If you want to read the rest of the book - please visit amazon.com and purchase the book. It's under "The Kitten Has Claws" by Nichole Hafer

:) I really appreciate the support and love from everyone who previously read the book.