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  MARKED BY THE PANTHER

  ZOEY INDIANA

  Marked by the Panther

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  Copyright © 2021 By Zoey Indiana

  All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, distributed, or transmitted in any form or by any means, including photocopying, recording, or other electronic or mechanical methods, without the prior written permission of the publisher, except in the case of brief quotations embodied in critical reviews and certain other noncommercial uses permitted by copyright law. For permission requests, please contact Zoey Indiana at [email protected].

  Publisher’s Note: This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places and incidents are either the product of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously, and any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, business establishments, events, or locales is entirely coincidental.

  Cover Art: ZDesigns

  CONTENTS

  Join Zoey’s Zine

  Chapter 1

  You'll never find your fated mate. Even the gods know how worthless you are.

  Chapter 2

  Why can't I just crash into him and have him sweep me off my feet?

  Chapter 3

  Are we talking mercenary or glorified, sexy bodyguards?

  Chapter 4

  If you want another kiss, you'll have to earn it.

  Chapter 5

  Don't worry mate, I'll protect you if he does, and I won't pee on your bed.

  Chapter 6

  I'll lay here holding you all night if it brings you an ounce of comfort.

  Chapter 7

  You're smiling like the cat that got the cream.

  Chapter 8

  It seems we both made mistakes last night.

  Chapter 9

  Who the fuck is Bob?

  Chapter 10

  Think of something irritating you, then beat the hell out of this monitor.

  Chapter 11

  The council will have a shit fit.

  Chapter 12

  Don't worry, I didn't drug it. This place is way too public for something like that.

  Chapter 13

  Jaden, think with your fucking brain.

  Chapter 14

  So will you stay with us for one more week?

  Chapter 15

  Seriously? Did no one tell them what a Furry is?

  Chapter 16

  She stabbed me… with a fork!

  Chapter 17

  Why do you want to mate me?

  Chapter 18

  Why isn't Jaden on the plane?

  Chapter 19

  It's impossible to live my life with one foot in each world.

  Chapter 20

  Mr. Bandit kept trying to catch Felix when he shifted.

  Chapter 21

  Didn't you get the memo, mate? I'm a panther.

  Chapter 22

  Today is a good day to kill.

  Chapter 23

  I'll kill those bitches if they hurt him

  Chapter 24

  Don't you dare wish that evil on me.

  Marked by the Lion

  Chapter 1

  Also by Zoey Indiana

  A special thanks to:

  A Note from the Author

  About the Author

  JOIN ZOEY’S ZINE

  Want more badass women finding the love they deserve? I’d love to tell you when the next book is available. Plus I always give my elite readers exclusive content, giveaways, sneak peeks, and the first look at new covers.

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  To all the diverse individuals who walk through a less than perfect life and survive hard times, you are worthy. I appreciate all the hard work you’ve accomplished to be here and read my book.

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  You are amazing, and don’t let anyone else tell you different.

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  To the boyfriend that has learned to cook because I’m writing all night, I knew you could do it! Lol.

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  And that critique partner of mine, Dawn’s a bit crazy, but all kinds of amazing.

  CHAPTER 1

  YOU'LL NEVER FIND YOUR FATED MATE. EVEN THE GODS KNOW HOW WORTHLESS YOU ARE.

  JADEN

  Pain exploded in my nose as an elbow bounced off my face. I growled deep in my chest as I grabbed the man's arms and pinned them behind his back. Silently cursing, I smashed the possum shifter against the wall. After grabbing a set of zip tie restraints from my back pocket, I wrapped the first one around the struggling beast's wrist.

  The high-pitched noise jingled behind me as my phone in my pocket vibrated. I tapped the Bluetooth in my ear. "It's Jaden."

  Before I could react, the possum wiggled a hand loose. He pushed off the wall and spun around to face me. Then his fist crashed into my nose.

  "Motherfucker!" Instead of grabbing my nose, I released my natural restraint to not punch stupid people. This asshole didn't deserve nice Jaden. First, I landed a blow on his solar plexus. Second grabbed the back of his head as he bent over to gasp for air and smashed my knee into his face. "That's for my nose. Now when you feel the splitting headache, I want you to remember I gave you the option to do this the easy way. The next time you wake up and choose to be a dumbass, don't do it here."

  He mumbled something, but I didn't bother to listen. I formed a fist, my middle knuckle protruding past my others, then hit his vagus nerve hard enough to reset his nervous system without killing him. His body went limp as he dropped to the ground, unconscious.

  "I take it this isn't the best time to talk?" Felix's voice spoke into my ear from the bluetooth earpiece I'd forgotten about.

  "Yeah, apparently not." I'd been dodging him for a few weeks now. Should have ignored the call. "I'm in the middle- well, hell." I cut off my sentence as I watched the head bouncer stomp across the bar toward me. "Call you back later."

  Before Felix could protest, I tapped my earpiece and rose to my full height. This bear annoyed the hell out of me. Anything I did was wrong in his eyes.

  "What the fuck is your problem? You can't go around killing patrons just because they rough you up a bit."

  "First of all, the male is a first class asshole who got handsy with your bartender. Second, he's just taking a little nap. Besides a headache, he'll be fine in the morning." I left out how bad that headache would be, though.

  The bear glared. I knew he wanted to have words with me, but I wasn't in the mood for it. He gestured at the office, but I shook my head. Glenn could say what he wanted right here, or keep his mouth shut. "If you can't follow simple directions, then you need to see yourself out." When he laid his grubby paw on my arm, the temptation to break it rolled through me. But that wouldn't help right now. "I told the female bear at Wolfsbane hiring you wasn't a good idea. Everyone here knows why your parents abandoned you. Seems you made it through years of military service just to be an even bigger fuck up."

  My hands curled into fists, but I held them at my sides. As much as I wanted to knock out this beehive licker, the last thing I needed right now was an assault charge. Doing as I had my entire life, I balled the pain up and crammed it as deep as possible until I could ignore the words. A familiar numbness settled over me as I focused my gaze on the bear.

  First, I'd politely quit, then leave before my mouth got me into trouble. Leaning in close, I dropped my voice. "Next time you lay your honey grubbing paws on me will be your last. I might be as much of a fuck up as you think, but just remember, I could kill you and dispose of the body without a trace."

  Good job, dumbass. I silently cursed myself for making a scene as I slammed the door open. It bounced off the brick wall, then banged back into place. I threw my leg over my s
leek black motorcycle and shot out of the alleyway. Maybe the gods would finally take pity on me and let me die quickly in a high-speed accident.

  Weight settled in my gut as I reduced my speed. The last thing I should do was risk some innocent human's life just because my parents were too dense to wear a fucking condom. Instead of parking my bike in the garage, I parked it in the driveway and walked to the end of the compacted gravel.

  The wall of trees and uncleared land called to me, begging me to shift into my cat form and run wild. Everything seemed simpler as a panther; eat, run, sleep, and mate.

  Mate.

  The word burned through me as I stared down at my open hands.

  Why would the gods grant me the honor of a Tsigo? My own parents didn't want me. That's why my father left me out by the creek as an infant. Nothing changed growing up, even after my mother had found me. She'd spent days nursing me back to health after my sperm donor took off for a few weeks in a rage. Years of painful memories weighed on me, reminding me of all the reasons a female would never choose me. Even if I didn't wait for my fated mate, and chose a female, that was good enough. I didn't want to turn into my father. My parent's curse was the reason I needed to throw my secret dream away.

  And yet, the thread remained. What if I did find my Tsigo? If we were fated to be mated by the gods, how could we turn into something toxic like my parents?

  "Jaden!"

  His voice smacked into me, bringing back a mix of emotions. I turned and looked over at the male, remembering the first time I'd met him. We'd both parachuted onto Survival Island with five other Agenwi. Aside from Felix's brother Arric, all of us were strangers, dropped onto an island and given a month to pass the test mission. The Agenati Division in the Department of Defense didn't mess around with training their soldiers.

  "Felix." My voice couldn't disguise my reaction at seeing him. I crossed my arms and widened my stance.

  Felix rolled his eyes. "You know you can only ignore me for so long." He walked over to me.

  "That's because you don't know how to take a hint, or fifty. How many times do I have to ignore your calls before you realize I don't want to talk?"

  He shook his head. "I'm not some female you can brush off when you're worried you'll catch feelings."

  I narrowed my eyes at him. "You're more like a bat… I can't bring myself to cut you off, and you fly blind, crashing into me at the worst times."

  "You always did have the worst sense of humor out of the six of us."

  Felix held his hand out. I glared at it for a full minute before I relented. Reaching out, I grasped his hand in a series of handshakes and fist bumps. "It's amazing how you can learn everything about a male, be his battle brother, and yet still can't teach him humor. Just a walking reminder of my biggest failure." I fell into the jovial, light-hearted humor I'd used to cope with our daily life or death experiences.

  "All jokes aside, we need to talk." His smile disappeared as his eyebrows narrowed at me. "I'm concerned about you. Farmer's worried about you, all of us are."

  My jaw sealed shut, refusing to make another mistake today. I wanted to tell him off, insult him until he left so I could be alone to wallow in my self-hatred.

  "Stop being a fucking dick, Warden. All of us are pissed about what happened in the prisoner camp, but we can't do shit about it. Farmer, Casper, Grimm, Nile… we've all moved on. You're the only one who can't seem to pull himself together long enough to function."

  Hearing the team's nicknames took me back in time. Felix was my friend, my brother from during the war. He didn't deserve my wrath, but he was pushing my limits.

  "I've already talked to them, and they already support this idea. All you have to do is stop acting like a kitten."

  A deep growl rumbled in my chest. "Why can't you all just fuck off and leave me alone? Maybe I don't want to work security for your little dating events or The Bar. Have you ever thought about that?"

  Felix narrowed his eyes as he leaned in, shoving a finger into my chest. "Or you're still upset that I found my Tsigo while you walked away with nothing. Instead of being happy for us and having patience, you're acting like a lion with a thorn in its paw."

  I'd known the speed dating event I'd seen in the ad was a dumb idea. Even as I sat up late filling out applications for both Felix and me, I thought deep down it wouldn't work. I'd already accepted that we wouldn't find the other half of our souls. Besides, who didn't laugh at the idea of getting a flying fox to attend a dating event on Halloween. Yeah, he didn't look like a typical bat, but he still was.

  When I saw him walk out of that room with Luna, a wave of hope had filled over me. A few months dragged by, and that hope festered into jealousy. Until I heard my father's words replaying in my brain one long, lonely night. "You'll never find your fated mate. Even the gods know how worthless you are. They'd never relegate an innocent female to live in shame with you." It was the only thing I could think about when I saw Felix now.

  His finger dug deeper into my chest, dragging me from my thoughts. "I've already contacted the rest of the team, so all you have to do is show up at The Bar this Friday night at nineteen hundred hours."

  Felix didn't wait for a response before he turned his back to me. I gave him one anyway. "Don't hold your breath."

  "That's a shame since I know your mate will be there." He jumped, his body shrinking into a brown ball of fur and black wings. His wings flapped as he launched himself into the sunset.

  I cursed as I turned back to the trees. Rolling my shoulders, I let my beast rise and take over. I dropped onto all four paws and bolted into the vast expanse of trees. Because of my parents' mistaken mating, I had been born cursed to live alone. My fated mate didn't exist. The gods wouldn't allow it. Felix was wrong.

  CHAPTER 2

  WHY CAN'T I JUST CRASH INTO HIM AND HAVE HIM SWEEP ME OFF MY FEET?

  PIPER

  Lilith set another cup on the table as she breezed by, checking on the other patrons. I picked it up and took a quick sip to gauge the temp. Yup, just right. Lilith knew exactly what I liked. Bold flavors and caffeine ran through me, giving me the strength I needed to listen to Yani. I loved the woman to death, but even I couldn't handle her incessant talking sometimes.

  "I know he's out there, I can feel it, but I don't know if I'll ever find him." Yani tapped her fingernails on the table as tears welled up in her eyes. "What happens if we don't find them? I don't want to go through my entire life looking for him in all the wrong places. Why is this so hard?"

  "Sweetie, you have to be patient. We've just started looking. You can't expect all of us to find our fated males right away." When did the talk of fated mates, shifters, and this new way of life become normal? I'd been born into the world as just another human woman.

  "But that's why we started Mateless Mates… so we could find our forever mate faster. I'm tired of looking. Why can't I just crash into him and have him sweep me off my feet?"

  "Because it would be too easy. All the best things in life take time." I put my hand on top of hers, silencing the loud ticking of her nails on the table. "It's only been a few months, we have to give it time."

  Yani's other hand patted mine. "Still, what if he's not here? Maybe I should go to one of the other shifter communities and look there. Wait, no, because if he's here, then I'll miss him. Or I should spend half my time between both places. Or should I go on a long road trip to all the large communities? Oh, I can't decide, maybe you should come with me?"

  My head spun from trying to keep up with her. "Yani!"

  Her eyes widened as they refocused on me. "I'm sorry. I'm nervous and can't help myself."

  "I know, but you're a lot to handle sometimes. Besides, I think we should stay right here. We're the only group that has approval for dating events right now. Even though there are groups forming all over the place, they still have to get up and running. We should focus on where we are right now."

  Lilith dropped off a muffin for Yani. Bless that woman. Lilith kne
w if Yani had something to snack on, she wouldn't talk as much. She circled around the little coffee shop she owned, then plopped into a chair at our table. "Just remember to keep your head about you. When you go into that room tonight, feel your mate. Reach out with your instincts and be open to finding him. Then the universe will serve him up on a silver platter. That's what everyone says. Even for us, we can feel an instant attraction, a soul deep pull toward the one their gods chose."

  Yani nodded, then popped a piece of muffin into her mouth.

  "We'll all be there too. When that door opens, take a deep breath and remember to think before you speak." I finished my second cup of coffee and stood.

  "Wait, I thought you weren't going tonight?"

  I ran my hand over my thigh to straighten out the fabric. "Well, I changed my mind. So I have to leave now if I want to have enough time to run by the home for an hour before getting ready for tonight."

  An hour later, I arrived at the Highlands Long Term Care Facility. I walked through the halls while the smell of cleaning solutions assaulted my senses. As much as my clients loved to see me, I hated walking in this building. It was so hard to see all the people cut off from the world and their families by the locked doors.

  My knuckles brushed across the door, quietly tapping before I passed through the doorway. "Mrs. Jacobsen, how are you today?" The woman sat in her rolling reclining chair, staring off into the distance. She didn't budge a muscle as I moved around the room. "I like your shirt. It's very pretty. I bet it was your husband's favorite."