Dark Panther (BBW Paranormal Shifter Romance) by Tara Shuler Page B

like something eat?” a voice asked.
    She tried to answer, but her throat burned and stuck together and sound could not escape, so she only nodded. She heard the sound of metal scraping against metal, and a heavenly scent wafted into her nostrils.
    “Open up,” he said, and she parted her lips slightly.
    She heard him blowing air several times, and then something warm and savory hit her tongue. It was hearty and rich, with a gamey flavor that was not at all unpleasant. After several bites, she began to recover a bit of strength. Finally, she could speak.
    “What is this?” she asked weakly.
    “Stew,” he answered.
    “ Yes, I gathered that,” she said. “What kind?”
    “Venison.”
    “Deer?” she asked. She took another sip and added, “It’s good.”
    “It’s made with deer and foraged vegetables,” he said. “Wild carrots, water lily tubers, wild onions, wild mushrooms, and it’s thickened with roasted acorn flour.”
    “Mmm,” she mumbled in acknowledgement, already exhausted from speaking.
    He spooned another bite into her mouth, and she sucked it down greedily. Perhaps it was because of her ravenous hunger, but she couldn’t recall ever tasting anything so truly heavenly.
    “All done,” he finally told her, and she was disappointed. He added, “There’s more for later, but you need more rest.”
    She nodded, and drifted back to sleep.
     
    *****
     
    When she woke up again, Lucy noticed the constant dull ache had subsided, and now she only felt pain when she moved. It was bearable. She squinted, fearful that opening her eyes would bring about the burning agony, but she felt no pain.
    She blinked repeatedly, trying to moisten her eyes as the lids stuck to her eyeballs and made it difficult to open them. Finally, through a haze, things began to take shape. A blurry fire danced and flickered in the distance. A dark mass hung above it… a pot, perhaps?
    She pulled herself carefully into a sitting position despite feeling moderate pain, and continued scanning the room with her eyes. Everything was so dark that she could hardly discern her location. The walls were imperceptible… either too far away or too dark to see. The floor was nothing but a hazy, dark blur.
    Then she noticed him. He slept on the floor some distance away. He was lying on what appeared to be a pile of furs, and she could see his shirtless shoulders and back. His muscles twitched , and she figured he must have been dreaming.
    “Logan?” she called gently. He stirred and muttered something, and then went motionless again, so she called again, “Logan?”
    This time, he rolled over, his hand covering his eyes, shielding them from the light of the nearby fire.
    “Hey,” he muttered groggily. “How you feeling?’
    “Better,” she said.
    “That’s great,” he said. “Took you long enough.”
    “Long enough?” she asked. “How long have I been here?”
    “Almost three weeks,” he answered.
    The breath sucked out of Lucy’s lungs as though she’d been punched in the gut. Her head began to swim, and she leaned forward and placed her head on the softness underneath her.
    “I guess people will be missing you,” he commented.
    “Like who?” she groaned. “Like my piece of shit ex who cheated on me? Or the one who used to beat me up? Or maybe my parents who tried to starve me to death and abandoned me in an orphanage when I was a little girl?”
    She was immediately regretful of divulging such personal information to a complete stranger. She pursed her lips together and sighed, frustrated with herself.
    “Sounds like me,” he said, his voice laced with what sounded like pain and regret. “My parents abandoned me, too. But not before leaving me with a few souvenirs to remember them by.”
    He rolled over and bared his back to her, and as her eyes adjusted, she could clearly see numerous scars mottling his skin across his back, his shoulders, and his neck.
    “My god,” she whispered. “And I thought I had things