Page 1 of Claimed By the Panda
Chapter 1
Jian
My date, Darla, wasstunning; a curvy tiger shifter, all lithe grace and golden eyes. And she’d made a special trip to Reno for our Halloween date. So why wasn’t I enjoying myself?
She was the daughter of Li Zixuan, of the Seattle Li Clan, one of the most revered and feared families on the West Coast... and my father’s best friend. The two of them had been trying to set us up since middle school, and now that they finally had, it was not going well. Everything about her was irritating me, even her sexy tiger costume was a little too on the nose for my tastes.
And all she’d done all night was show me silly videos of pandas.
“Isn’t this one adorable?” Darla tapped her phone screen, where a panda tucked his head and went tumbling down a grassy hill. “Look at how it tumbles! So cute and chubby.”
For fuck’s sake. It was Halloween night, and I didn’t want to spend it with a supernatural apex predator, being forced to watch a panda make an ass of itself.
“Oh, watch this one!” She swiped to another video, this one featuring a panda attempting to walk across a rope bridge, only to slip through the crack between the slats and tumble to the ground.
I took a long drink of water, counting backward from ten to keep from saying something rude. “Why don’t we do something other than watch panda videos?”
“Oh! I’m sorry! They’re so cute and—”
“And clumsy and ridiculous.” I carefully lowered my voice. It was a shifter-owned restaurant, but I saw many human patrons. “When you’re a panda, people mention it a lot.”
Darla’s smile dimmed. “I didn’t mean to upset you.”
“You don’t know how lucky you are to be what you are.” “Oh, come on,” she said. “Your animal is beautiful and rare. It’s not like you’re a squirrel or something.” “Whatever.” Technically, she was right. According to my family, our panda heritage is something to be proud of, and many shifters felt that we were one of the most sacred of our kind. But nobody takes a panda seriously. No one fears a panda or runs from a panda. They run towards us, usually while squealing and giggling with joy.
“Sometimes, it sucks to be a tiger. We don’t get to be cute after childhood. People are terrified of us.”
“Yeah, it must be terrible being seen as dangerous and powerful.”
Her face fell, and I knew I’d been unfair. Darla wasn’t trying to be mean.
“I love pandas.” Darla leaned forward. “You are powerful in your own way. My dad says your dad knocked him flat during a demonstration once.”
“Dad got lucky.” I didn’t want her pity.
The waiter refilled our teacups, leaving an awkward silence in his wake.
Our parents were friends, and she had a close relationship with her formidable father. Everything I was saying would go straight back to her dad. I should have been trying harder, but I couldn’t summon any interest in her.
What I needed was an excuse to end things early. One that wouldn’t upset either of our fathers. I glanced around the restaurant, noting the other couples giggling and kissing over their hot pot. Maybe being in love wouldn’t be so bad, but I was pretty sure it would never happen with Darla.
That was it. That was the plan.
“I’m in love with someone else.”
Darla blinked. “What?”
I shouldn’t have doubled down, but once I started talking, I couldn’t stop. “I already met my mate. But our dads, they wouldn’t stop nagging.” I was starting to wonder if the silly videos were right. Pandas did make a lot of bad decisions.
“Your... mate?” Her eyebrows rose. “But your dad said—”
“My dad doesn’t know yet.” The lie expanded, taking on a life of its own. “It’s... complicated.”
“Oh.” Her lips formed a perfect circle. “Is she—”
I bit my bottom lip, trying to look sly. “He. My mate is a man.”
“Holy shit!” She clapped her hands together, clearly thrilled by the gossip. “That’s amazing! When you know, you know, right? Love is love!”
