Strange Lake Falls Panther (Strange Lake Falls Series Book 4) Read Online Free PDF Page B

you have the best mother in the world.”
    “Oh, Connor,” Mary said with tears.
    “Come on in. Breakfast is going to get cold,” Ric said as he wrapped his arm around Mary and walked her back up the stairs. He ushered her forward. “Go on in, I need to speak to Connor for just a moment.”
    They both watched as Mary wobbled down the foyer heading to the dining room. When she was out of sight Ric turned back toward Connor and gestured for him to go back outside. Connor felt tension build up inside of him. He knew he would have to explain what had happened eventually, but he wasn’t sure he was ready yet. Ready or not, it was clear that Ric wanted answers.
    “What happened to you?” Ric asked. He didn’t elaborate. He didn’t have to.
    “I was attacked by a panther shifter almost eighteen months ago. The shifter was a loner, he had gone crazy killing people. I’ve spent the last year trying to track him down but he has disappeared.”
    “A panther? I’ve heard of lion shifters, but not panther.”
    “Evidently there’s not many left. The old shaman I met said that the panther shifters were dying out and moved away from the rainforest, all except for the shifter that turned me. Mors.”
    “Mors?”
    “Yeah, Morris Baynard, but he calls himself Mors. He’s all kinds of messed up.”
    Ric frowned. He looked at Connor, then looked at the house, as if he was trying to make up his mind. “You need to tell your mom. She’s going to figure it out anyway.”
    “I was going to tell her right before I left.”
    Ric glared at him. “You can’t leave. You just got here, and with Mary being ready to go into labor any day, she’s going to need you here.”
    Connor shook his head. “It’s too dangerous. I have seen the kind of sick mass destruction this guy Mors has done and I’m his fucking prodigy.”
    “What are you talking about?”
    “He went insane killing people and raping women trying to change them into were panthers so that he can propagate his kind. As far as I know, insanity is what killed off all the other were panthers. I can’t take the chance that I’ll go crazy too and hurt those around me.”
    Ric leaned forward and took a deep sniff in his direction. “Insanity has a specific scent, sickly and peppery. You don’t have that scent, just forest and your cat scent.”
    Connor wanted to believe that wouldn’t change, but he just couldn’t be sure. “I don’t want to hurt anyone, even by accident. I, also, can’t let Mors continue on the way he is. I have to track him down and stop him.”
    Ric placed a reassuring hand on his shoulder. “I understand. Stay for a little while and give me time to consult with the elders of my council to see if they know more about the panthers. We could also ask Adrian Belliveau or his maker Lila. Both are much older than me and have probably seen more different types of shifters.”
    Connor looked at the farmhouse with longing. He wanted desperately to stay with his family. He wanted to reconnect with his mother and he wanted to be there when his siblings were born. He had always wanted a brother or sister growing up. It had been lonely as an only child. His best friend Samantha was the closest he had ever come to having a sister.
    “Stay just a little while longer and give me time. I would to find answers for you and maybe the werewolf council can send out trackers to help you search for this guys.” Ric squeezed his shoulder.
    Connor let out the breath he was holding. He felt like for the first time he didn’t have to carry the burden all himself. “Okay, I’ll stay for a couple of weeks. But then I need to get back to my search for Mors. I can’t let him keep terrorizing villages.”
    Ric slapped his back, pushing him forward. “Come on, let’s get in there and get a plate before the twins or Sam eats it all. I swear that girl can pack it away.”
    Connor laughed. “She was always like that, even when she was a human.”
    He followed Ric up the