Free Savage Sanctuary 2: Panther Moon by Regina Carlysle Page A

and
    considering her unemployed, basically broke state, she hadn’t planned to buy anything but after some argument, Mahara had forced a “loan” on her. The plan was to pay the
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    Regina Carlysle
    money back once she landed a job somewhere. Trea knew Mahara wanted to give her
    the money outright but Trea hadn’t been brought up to take charity.
    Charity.
    Something she’d never imagined she’d have to grapple with.
    She was home now and night had fallen. Along with it came a sense of melancholy
    she couldn’t seem to shake. Hudson had called several hours ago to tell her he was
    catching up on the work he’d missed and would be late.
    Guilt.
    Charity and guilt.
    She accepted that she was at the mercy of the folks here at the Turquoise Moon
    compound. Her clothes were borrowed and every luxury provided, along with comfort
    and protection. Throughout her life she’d been sheltered and protected by her parents.
    Never once had she managed on her own and this was all beginning to look like a
    trend. Trea didn’t like it one bit.
    With a heavy sigh, she wandered into the kitchen and leaning against the
    doorframe, looked out over Hudson’s spacious backyard. It was beautiful. Far different from the rustic wilderness she knew at home. Sadness seeped into her pores threatening her composure but she held on if only by a thread. Tomorrow she would attend services for her parents at the cemetery a short distance from the main house. A part of her had already said goodbye to her parents but that other part? The part that was lost, lonely, and afraid held on to the childish hope that this was all some horrific nightmare from which she would awaken in her own bed to the sounds of her mother cooking breakfast
    in the kitchen.
    From the moment this had unfolded and her life had turned to crap, Hudson had
    been there. Every moment of every day, he’d been the single constant in her life and
    now she was left wondering what had happened. After Mahara and Titus’ visit, he’d
    promptly moved into the guest room. Remaining attentive, affectionate even, he
    refused to lie beside her in bed. There’d been no kisses, no touches, none of the hot 58
    Panther Moon
    sweat of passion she’d discovered with him on that first night. Of course she was too damn proud to ask him why he’d had such a dramatic turnabout.
    Doubts filled her mind as she stared out at the beautiful backyard pool. Eager to
    shake the cobwebs from her brain, she slid open the glass doors and stepped barefoot
    onto the patio. Trea trailed her fingers over the edge of a double-wide chaise, taking in the patio furniture along with a tile-topped table big enough to seat at least six people.
    A cast-iron barbecue grill occupied a spot nearby. There was no typical backyard fence and she realized it was all a part of the sense of family Titus Declan had built for his people. Privacy but protection. No other homes could be seen but she knew they were
    out there, filled with panther shifter families who only wanted to live in peace.
    Four giant pillars separated the edge of the covered patio from the decking of the
    pool. Trea leaned against one, absorbing its coolness against the heat of her bare arm.
    Her body temp was hotter than usual and in deference to that, she wore a light, stretchy tank top along with her most comfy jersey shorts. A cool evening breeze blew across her body and she inhaled deeply the scents of the countryside. The water in the pool caught the lights of stars hanging overhead.
    Beautiful.
    Despite everything she felt at home here and wondered why her father had been so
    determined to stay away. Stubbornness, she supposed. He’d always been a stubborn
    man. A smile of remembrance lifted her lips but then she went still at a familiar
    coughing sound. The panther was black, slinking from the perimeter of the shadows.
    He approached the edge of the pool, circling to the deep end, a picture of muscular
    grace that fairly stole her breath. Trea sucked