BK 5 - Chapter 50 - I'm A Werepanther
Vance kept glancing at Hannah as they walked. He could tell she was nervous, but he didn't understand why. Then, a thought crossed his mind.
"Are you nervous because you think your family will have a problem with me?" He asked. Hannah looked up at him in confusion.
"Why would my family have a problem with you?" She asked, completely clueless.
"Well, I'm not white." Hannah stopped walking and looked at him in disbelief. She almost wanted to take him to her family immediately so he could see exactly what they thought of him.
"My family won't care about that. Our family is extremely diverse. I do have something to tell you, though, about me. I think it may be better if we can go somewhere private." The heaviness in Vance's heart left. He had been worried that maybe if it came to him meeting her family, they might not approve. However, judging by Hannah's expression, he could tell that wasn't the case.
"We can go to my apartment. It's not far from here. If you're comfortable with that. I promise I'm not going to try anything. We could always go to the park or somewhere else if you prefer." Hannah stood on her tiptoes and kissed him to stop him from rambling. Vance wrapped his arms around her and savored the taste of her lips.
"We can go to your apartment. I'm not worried about you trying anything." Hannah bit her lip before she said anything else. If he agreed to accept her, Vance may have to worry about her trying something.
They turned around and walked back to his apartment. Hannah couldn't believe how close it was to where she lived. His apartment was on the first floor of a triplex. When they walked in, she looked around with a smile as they removed their jackets.
It wasn't like any of her male cousins' places that looked like bachelor pads. Vance's apartment was cozy and warm. She could see herself cuddled up with him on the couch while they bounced ideas off each other for their books.
"I love it." Hannah looked at his desk that faced the street and realized she walked past him all the time on her favorite walking route. She imagined him sitting there watching her walk by while he worked on his book. Vance put his arms around her from behind and rested his head on her shoulder.
"Every time I saw you go by, it was the best part of my day. My heart would race, while I hoped each day would be the day you would look up and see me. I imagined we would fall in love at first sight." Hannah turned in his arms and smiled.
"Why didn't you ever come out and speak to me?" She asked, looking into his dark eyes.
"There was no way I'd have the nerve to do that. If you'd told me to go away or said you had a boyfriend, I would have been heartbroken because of the fantasy I had built in my head of you. I'm glad that the reality turned out to be so much better than the fantasy." Vance looked into her gorgeous face, still not believing she was with him.
"That would have never happened. When I saw you, I was sure you wouldn't want me. I'm so glad I ran into you today. My grandmother recently passed away, and I just read a letter she had written to me, so I was out taking a walk trying to clear my head. Thank you for being there to brighten my day." Hannah ran her hands over his smooth face and around his neck.
"Do you want to eat or talk first?" Vance asked. The sparks she was causing in his body almost made his knees weak. He was so glad he hadn't had the nerve to talk to any other woman. Now, any first experience he had would be with Hannah and not tainted by anyone else.
"Let's talk first. I don't think my nerves will allow me to eat right now." Fiona was doing her best to keep Hannah calm. She could already tell Vance was in love with Hannah even if he hadn't said it.
"Don't be nervous. I'm sure whatever you have to tell me can't be bad." He took her hand and led her to the couch. He was going to have her sit next to him but instead pulled her onto his lap so she was sitting sideways with her head on his shoulder. It was how he had pictured her sitting many times. Hannah kicked her boots off and snuggled into his arms.
"Are you okay sitting like this?" Vance asked hoarsley. When she wiggled her bottom in his lap, it made him have a small erection that he didn't want her to feel.
"I'm fine sitting here. I never really thought about how I would tell a man this, so I'm just going to wing it. Please don't think I'm crazy. I promise I'm telling you the truth." Hannah looked into his eyes. Vance rubbed his hand over her back and kissed her forehead.
"Okay." He said while continuing to stroke her back. She kept her eyes on his.
"I'm a werepanther." Hannah held her breath while she waited.
"What is a werepanther?" Vance asked as his pulse began to speed up.
"A werepanther is someone who can change from a human to a panther. My family is made up of panthers, lions, wolves, tigers, bears, and others." Hannah was confused about why he was looking excited rather than looking at her like she'd lost her mind.
"I knew it was true," Vance said softly.
"Knew what was true?" Hannah asked, confused. This was not going at all like she imagined.
"Some of the books I've written are about shifters. In my research, I came across some laws about protecting shifters, vampires, and witches. That's actually one of the reasons I came out here. There are rumors of a large family of shifters who live here, and I've hoped to meet them, but I don't know where to begin to look." Hannah burst out laughing. Vance didn't understand what was so funny.
"I'm sorry, it's just that you've been looking for my family. My parents, aunts, and uncles are responsible for putting those laws into place. I can't believe you already knew about us." Hannah kissed him, and he chuckled. He had been worried she was going to think that he was crazy for believing that shifters were real.
"I can't believe you're part of the family I've been looking for. I never even told my parents the real reason I moved out here. Why did you tell me, though? I assumed shifters kept this a secret." Vance wanted to see her shift but was scared to ask. Maybe that wasn't something she wanted to show him.
"We don't tell anyone; it's the only way to keep us safe. I told you because the only people we tell are our mates. Shifters are mated to one person. You feel the sparks when we touch because you're my mate." Fiona began purring. Hannah took Vance's hand and put it on her chest so he could feel the vibration. "That's my panther, Fiona."
"Wow, that's incredible. So when you say I'm your mate, what does that mean exactly?" Vance left his hand on her chest, and Fiona continued to purr. He was still in shock that the woman he had wanted for months was a shifter, and she said he was her mate.
"That means if you accept me, I will mark you by biting into your neck. You will then become a werepanther like me. Once you have fully transitioned, you will mark me, and we will then be fully mated." Vance's smile spread across his face.
"Once we're fully mated, does that mean we'll always be together?" He asked, running his fingers through her long blonde hair.
"Yes. We live longer than humans and heal faster, too. So what do you think?" Hannah's heart was beating so hard while she waited for his response.
"I think you made this the best day of my life. I was already secretly in love with you before I met you or knew anything about you. Now that I know you were always meant to be mine, it's a dream come true. I want you to mark me. I want to love you for the rest of my life and grow old writing our books together. However, I don't think anything we put into words will compare to our own love story because, sweetheart, we're going to be epic." Hannah didn't let him finish talking. She turned around so she was straddling his lap, and kissed him. Vance wrapped his arms around her and held her tight.
"I'm in love with you too. I want everything you said. When do you want me to mark you?" Hannah asked against his lips. She could feel him pushing against her, so she moved slightly so she could feel it more.
"Can you do it now? I don't want to wait unless you want to." Vance looked into her beautiful green eyes and knew he would be happy looking into them for the rest of his life. Hannah slid her hands under his shirt and ran them over his hard muscles.
"I can do it now, but I've heard it can have an orgasmic effect. So, if you're not ready to go that far yet, we can wait." Hannah shifted slightly again and felt him pushing against her even more. Vance watched her face as she continued to toy with him.
"Are you ready to do that? I can't think of anything better than having you bite me before I make love to you." Vance moved his hands to her hips and held her in place while he moved so his erection rubbed against her. He had never done anything like this, but his desire for Hannah was so strong he was ready to leave his comfort zone.
She smirked at him before standing up and removing all of her clothes. Vance looked away at first when he felt his face getting hot. He was a grown man and felt ridiculous that she was embarrassing him. Hannah pulled his shirt off and walked between his legs. Now that he had said he wanted everything, she was going to do everything. She put her arms around his neck and pressed her body against his. Vance put his arms around her, and when he felt her silky soft skin against his, he moaned.
"I don't want to mark you and then make love to you. I want you to remove your pants so I can make love to you while I mark you." Hannah whispered in his ear. Vance let his hands move down to her firm, round bottom. He couldn't speak as he stood up and removed his pants and boxers. He looked away as his erection sprang free. Hannah didn't hesitate to reach out and take him in her hand.
"Wow. I always thought only shifters had penises this big." She stroked him back and forth, and he grew in her hand. Vance looked at her in confusion.
"Exactly how many have you seen?" He didn't like the thought of her seeing another man naked.
"None. My cousins talk, and I've heard how big their men are." Vance sat back down, and she didn't remove her hand from him. When she leaned over and placed a soft kiss on the tip, he thought he was going to explode.
"Will it hurt your first time?" He asked as she straddled his lap and got into position. Neither had done this before, but Hannah knew what she wanted. She wanted him inside her when she bit into him.
"Shifters don't feel it like humans do. It will barely be noticeable. However, with your size, I'm sure it will be a tight fit. Are you ready?" She lowered herself so just the head of his penis was touching her entrance.
"Yes. I love you." Vance said as he ran his hands over her body. While Hannah slowly lowered herself onto him, he leaned forward and took one of her nipples into his mouth. They both moaned as the sparks ran through their bodies. Once he was all the way in, he raised his head and kissed her lips.
"I love you too," Hannah said. She tilted his head and bit into his neck as she started moving on him. Lance felt over-stimulated from her bite and how tight she was on him. The connection he felt with Hannah was overwhelming. All those years of thinking he would be alone because of his fear washed away. He loved her and would ensure she never questioned his feelings for her. It was time to write their love story.
