"Nora, my little sun…"
My mother's smile had always been that gentle.
Whether I flooded my bedroom with foam after mixing baking soda, vinegar, and soap, or when I told her about the cancer growing in me, or when I chose to enter the cryo-pod because I wanted to contribute to science. She never stopped smiling at me, even when tears gathered in her eyes. She held me close and supported every decision I made.
Even now, when I drowned in guilt and regret even in sleep, she appeared in my mind just the same, smiling softly and gathering me into her arms like when I was a child.
I sobbed into her arms, choking on silent cries even though there was no warmth to feel. Deep down I knew it was only a dream I had built for myself to soften the terror of reality. For a moment, I wanted to remain in that illusion forever. Because the world I had awakened to was the real nightmare.
I didn't want to wake up. I didn't want to face that ruined reality.
But then a calloused finger brushed down my cheek, cold enough to jolt my body, and my eyes flew open.
Duncan crouched before me, amber eyes bright beneath the moonlight. His gaze held both curiosity and doubt.
"You're crying?" He asked. Then casually wiped another warm tear rolling down my cheek.
Instinct made me shove his hand away and scramble back out of his reach.
He didn't get angry. He lowered his hand slowly and rubbed the tear between his fingers, studying it.
"Strange. This is the first time I've seen a human cry."
I bit down on my lips and shrank in on myself, refusing to make a sound.
Duncan wiped his hand on his shirt, then tossed something into my cage. A slab of raw meat, still bleeding.
"Eat. That's the one that attacked you this morning." His mouth twisted into a mocking grin, as if expecting me to leap at it and tear it apart.
Hunger clawed my stomach, but the moment I realized the meat belonged to a human like me, my body rebelled and retched.
My hand flew to my mouth as a dry heave shook through me.
Seeing that reaction, Duncan's expression deepened with interest. "Oh? Looks like you understand what I'm saying."
A tremor ran through me, and I almost looked up in shock. I forced my head down and pressed my palm over my mouth.
"You're not like the others, are you?"
I said nothing, pretending not to understand a word. With my head bowed, I couldn't see his expression, but I could feel his gaze pressing through the strands of my hair, peeling back the mask I tried to hold.
"How boring." He sighed, the sound full of false disappointment. "If you're not special, I guess I'll just sell you to the breeding farms."
My fingernails dug into my cheek to keep my face still. He was baiting me. I knew it. If I reacted in fear, if I revealed anything, my fate would be much worse than some farm.
When I remained silent, Duncan laughed under his breath. His chuckle was low, rich, and disturbingly amused as it echoed in the quiet night.
"So you do have a mind." He murmured.
I glanced at him through the veil of my tousled hair. He sat in a crouch beside the cage, elbows on his knees and chin resting on folded fingers, lips drawn into a half-smirk that showed a glint of sharp fangs.
A cunning beast. A predator wearing a man's shape.
I dropped my gaze again, hiding the flash of hatred in my eyes. But Duncan wasn't done. His voice slid back in, somewhere between threat and temptation.
"If you show me your worth, I'll find you a new home. Better than some farm or circus."
I tucked my head into my knees and let silence answer for me.
A small object struck the top of my head. It stung, like a pebble.
Duncan's voice continued, unhurried. "Don't be so stubborn. You're not the only human with a brain I've met."
I didn't know if that was true, or just bait to lure me into revealing myself. And even if he had met others, what he considered 'a brain' might not be what I understood. So even as curiosity twitched inside me, I curled smaller, refusing to take the hook.
When my silence stretched on, Duncan clicked his tongue in disappointment. I heard him shifting, as if rising to his feet.
"A mistake, then?" He muttered, almost to himself. "Thought I'd caught something valuable."
His footsteps drifted away, crushing the damp grass beneath his boots.
I waited.
And waited.
Only when the silence stretched long enough for me to believe he was gone did I dare raise my head.
Nothing but darkness met my eyes. The rustle of wind through branches whispered faintly in the quiet.
"Well, you're not ordinary."
His voice, amused and sly, whispered right behind my neck.
My heart lurched violently. I screamed.
I jerked with a shrill cry, scrambling forward on my hands and knees until I collapsed near the opposite corner of the cage.
Duncan stood on the other side of the wooden bars, smiling that same unnerving smile. His amber eyes glowed like twin sparks in the darkness.
The sight froze me. His gaze cut through my breathless body as though I were already caught between his teeth.
How could I forget?
Black panthers stalk silently. They wait in the shadows. They strike when you turn your back.
They are hunters born of the night.
***