Free Lexia (The Deadwood Hunter Series) by Rachel M Raithby Page B

grip never faltered.
    “Get off, get off!” she screamed, kicking out again but he wouldn’t let go. A blood-thirsty look gleamed in his eyes and the more she kicked the further his teeth sank into her ankle.
    The sound of a car made Lexia glance up, its horn sounded over and over momentarily distracting the panther and as Lexia slammed her foot into his jaw he let go, falling to into a heap below her.
    Lexia sighed in relief but then gasped as her dad’s car sped up towards the panther. The cat froze for a second still in a jumbled heap as the car raced towards him, then he scrambled to his paws trying to avoid being run over but he’d hesitated too long.
    Lexia screamed as the car hit the cat. “No!!” she cried, scrambling into her bedroom. Lexia stared down at the panther still on the ground and she wanted to cry, her heart hurt as she looked at this beautiful animal hurt and broken before her.
    “What have you done?” she screamed to her dad still sitting in the car, tears welling in her eyes. She didn’t care how irrational she was being or how it may look being so upset by the panther being hurt; she couldn’t control her feelings. Lexia felt as if she’d been split in two, one half of her wanted to jump from her window and make sure the panther was dead. The other felt heartbroken as if her best friend lay below. She didn’t understand her feelings but then she didn’t understand much anymore, so she cried. Cried for the panther and for the loss of her old life; she stopped trying to hold in all of her feelings and just let them out.
    Then the panther slowly lifted his head and for a second the world froze as he stared into her eyes, but they weren’t the eyes of a panther anymore, she was looking into the eyes of a man. For that split second everything felt right in the world, then she blinked and he was gone.
    Her dad scrambled out of the car. “Lex, Lex! Are you okay?”
    Lexia couldn’t speak, she felt too shaken but she nodded to him and smiled weakly.
    “I’m coming now, don’t move.”
    As he ran in the house Lexia looked down at her ankle and started to panic, the holes were deep and blood poured from them but already she could feel the power in her blood fixing it. The blood was slowly stopping and she glanced up to see her reflection in the mirror on the back of the door, a strangled cry left her throat as she looked into the bright gold eyes staring back at her.
    Her dad’s feet pounded up the stairs, “Oh god, oh god,” she said to the girl in the mirror, “please stop, oh god please, he can’t see.”
    The floor boards squeaked as he walked across the landing, her heart hammered in her chest, and her hands started to shake. “Go away, turn blue,” she pleaded to the mirror but as the door opened they were still gold and Lexia closed her eyes, tears slowly rolling down her cheeks.
    “Lex? Lex baby, it’s okay, open your eyes, I’m here.”
    But she couldn’t because if he saw her eyes, he’d never be there again. He’d already pulled away and she didn’t think she could handle losing him for good. So she slowly turned her head from side to side, her tears still falling.
    “I can’t,” she sobbed.
    “Lexia baby, look at me, you’re okay now. The panther’s gone, you’re safe.”
    Lexia slowly opened her eyes, bracing herself for the moment he realized her eyes weren’t blue anymore. But he didn’t gasp in horror, he took her head in his hands and then wrapped his arms around her. Lexia sobbed as she looked into the edge of the mirror, looking into her now blue eyes.
    “Oh Lex, it’s okay I’m here, I’m going to call the ranger straight away, sit down let me see your foot.”
    Panic set in again as she remembered her injury that had already started to heal.
    “Dad, don’t fuss. I’m fine, it’s not too bad.”
    He sucked in a breath when he knelt on the floor. “Lex!”
    “Dad seriously, it looks worse than it is. See I can walk on it just