Panther's Pride [Black Panthers 2] (Siren Publishing Ménage Everlasting)

by Leah Brooke

  “Of course. If they want me to come up to the house, I will. Thank you.” She started to turn away, stiffening when he reached out to grip her arm.

  His smile hardened. “They don’t want you to walk. They want me to drive you up.” He turned to walk in the opposite direction, pulling her along with him. His gaze swept the yard and trees bordering it, his nervousness apparent. “Come on. My truck’s parked on the dirt road at the top of this ridge.”

  If he was just doing as Leland and Joe asked, he’d have no reason to be nervous.

  Digging her feet in, she tried to pull away, but didn’t even slow down his momentum. “Let go of me, damn it! You’re hurting me.”

  He smiled again, a smile that did nothing to disguise the evil now glittering in his eyes. “Come on. Your boyfriends are waiting.”

  His wording had her fighting in earnest, and remembering their sharp hearing, she threw her head back and screamed.

  * * * *

  Joe finished the last of the second coat of paint while Leland started pulling off the tape. “It looks good. I can’t wait for Glenna to see it.” He looked around, smiling at the enthusiasm from the others.

  Everyone was so excited about the baby, and wanted to be part of the preparations, but they had to be careful to make sure they didn’t overwhelm Glenna, or take anything away from her excitement in preparing for the baby.

  She looked better, but still tired, and she needed to relax as much as possible.

  It had been over an hour since he held her in his arms, and he missed her, but he hoped that sitting with her sister and looking at the mountains she loved would calm her.

  They were going to have to tell Fiona about their ability to shift soon, and he wondered how she’d take it. He just hoped she wouldn’t upset Glenna.

  “Ah, now, isn’t that beautiful?”

  Turning, he saw Graham admiring the finally constructed crib. Setting the roller aside to wash later, Joe went to stand beside him. “It is beautiful. Glenna picked it out.” He frowned. “It looks small, doesn’t it?”

  Leland grinned, his eyes alight with anticipation. “Babies are small.” Frowning, he turned to Mitch, who stood just inside the room sipping coffee. “Joe and I are both big and Glenna’s awfully delicate. What if the baby’s too big?”

  The flare of panic had Joe spinning to Mitch. “Shit. I never considered that. Is she going to be all right? Stop giving me that doctor face of reassurance and tell us the truth.”

  Shaking his head, Mitch raised his voice to be heard over the fans. “I’m watching her. If there’s a problem, I’ll let you know. The baby’s a little larger than I’d expected, especially since she hasn’t gained the weight I’d anticipated, but I’m watching her. Closely. I just want her to take it easy for the remainder of her pregnancy. We don’t know enough about shape-shifter pregnancies, and I’m not taking any chances. Where is she now?”

  Joe gathered the paint things to wash, trying not to think about how badly he wanted his mate. “She’s out back with Fiona. The two of them needed some time alone. I’m sure Fiona’s trying to find out what all the secrecy’s about.”

  Mitch frowned. “I just saw Fiona out front, arguing with Leland. Glenna’s not with them.”

  Joe stiffened, alarm making his stomach clench. “Who’s with Glenna? Fuck. I hope to hell she’s not alone.” He dropped everything, running out the door and down the hallway to the stairs. Aware of Leland following close behind, Joe raced down the stairs, taking them two or three at a time in his rush to get to her.

  Hoping he was overreacting, he ran down the hall and through the kitchen to the back door, flinging it open and clearing the doorway—just as he heard her scream.

  And smelled her fear.

  Chapter Twenty-Four

  Terrified for both herself and her baby, Glenna struggled to keep her balance while fighting to get free. Dragged ruthlessly up the steep incline, she cried out when she twisted her ankle, fighting harder at the painful scratches to her legs as he pulled her through the sharp brush. “Leland! Joe! Help!”

  Confident that someone would rush to her aid if they heard her, she kept screaming, praying that someone would hear her before he managed to drag her all the way to the top. Her wrist burned where he gripped it, but she kept trying to pull free, while keeping her other arm wrapped protectively around her belly to protect it from the rough brush.

  The baby kicked in earnest, a sharp reminder of what was at stake.

  She didn’t know what this guy wanted from her, but she couldn’t let him take her. “Let go of me. What do you want from me?”

  “I’m going to make them pay for what they did to us! And you’re going to help me get my revenge.”

  The prickly brush scratched her legs and tore at her dress, like fingers trying to hold on to her and keep her where she belonged, but no amount of digging her heels in, or pulling against him could stop the inexorable progression toward the top.

  His strength reminded her of Joe’s and Leland’s, and she was no match for it.

  She tried to twist to see the house, but his hold on her right wrist and her bent position in the tall brush prevented it. “Let go of me! No!” She lost her balance, crying out when she fell on her back.

  Panicking when she couldn’t catch her breath, she fought harder, but he just kept dragging her through the sharp brush, scratching and bruising her back along the way. Biting her lip, she closed her eyes and focused on keeping her arm wrapped around her belly to protect her baby as much as she could.

  Oh, God. Please let someone hear me!

  A heartbeat later, he stopped, cursing as he released her. “Fuck!”

  Thankful to be free, she tried to gulp in air, but could only manage shallow pants. Rolling to her side, she wrapped her arms around her middle, fighting to catch her breath.

  She heard shouts, and then the unmistakable sound of a deep growl coming toward her from the opposite direction—the rage in it sending a chill up her spine.

  It had to be the sweetest sound she’d ever heard.

  They were here. Thank God.

  She concentrated on breathing, her panic increasing when a dull ache settled low in her back. Tears blurred her vision as an explosion of activity erupted around her.

  She heard the unmistakable sound of a truck accelerating, the sound becoming more distant, while the frantic shouts from Graham, Mitch, and Thomas came closer.

  A black panther flew past her with another growl of rage, just as another appeared at her side, two big, black paws landing hard on either side of her as he covered her body protectively with his.

  Still fighting to catch her breath, she reached for him, the soft fur beneath her hands becoming hard, sleek muscle, and she found herself looking into Joe’s eyes, dark with concern.

  “Easy, baby.” Joe’s hands moved over her just as Mitch, Thomas, and Graham appeared at her side.

  “I c–can’t c–catch—”

  Mitch knelt beside her, his attempt to shove Joe aside futile. “You can’t catch your breath. I know. Don’t try to talk. I saw you fall. You just got the breath knocked out of you, honey. Nice and easy. Calm down. Don’t panic.”

  “I’ve got you, baby.” Sliding his hands under her, Joe gathered her close and rose, lifting her against him. He smiled down at her, his eyes sharp with concern as she struggled to breathe. “Slow down. Yeah, that’s it. Slow and steady. That’s it, baby.” Turning, he started back down the incline, his smile tender and full of encouragement, but his eyes still glittering with anger and concern. “That’s better. I’ve got you now. That son of a bitch. When I get my hands on him, he’ll pay for this.”

  Glenna slumped against him in relief as her breathing evened out, the tightness in her chest and the pain in her back easing. “He s–said his name was Jim, and that you and Leland sent him to bring me to the house. He gave me the creeps, but when he called you my boyfriends, I really knew something was wrong. Everyone here calls me your mate.”

  B
ending to touch his lips to her hair, he hugged her closer, his eyes sharp and watchful. “That’s what you are. Just breathe, baby. We’re almost there.”

  “Is that the man who—who keeps coming around?”

  Joe nodded, his lips thinning. “Yeah, but let’s not worry about that now.”

  Absorbing his strength, she slumped against him. “He said he wants to make you pay for what you did to them, and I was going to help him get his revenge. What did you do to him?”

  Joe lifted his head to stare down at her and blinked. “I have no idea. I don’t even know him.”

  “No more about that.” Mitch stayed with them, running his hands over her. “Are you hurt anywhere? Your arms and legs are scratched up, but nothing seems to be broken.”

  “My back hurt a little, but it went away. Oh!” A rush of moisture escaped that had her tightening her hands on Joe. “I think my water just broke. It’s too soon. Oh, Joe. The baby.” Fear for the baby gripped her by the throat, the same fear she saw mirrored in Joe’s eyes. “Joe, please, don’t let anything happen to the baby.”

  Joe straightened, his entire demeanor changing in an instant. Holding her in his strong arms, he transformed from angry lover to fierce Alpha in an instant. “Nothing will go wrong. I won’t let it.” He glanced at Mitch. “Nothing will go wrong.”

  Mitch cursed. “Hurry up. Get her inside.”

  Fisting her hand on Joe’s naked chest, she tried to look around him. “Where’s Leland?”

  “Right here, my mate.” Leland appeared beside them, touching her leg as he shared a glance with Joe. “He got away. He had the fucking truck running and got away. How is she?”

  Joe spared her a tender smile, but his body remained tense. “She thinks her water broke, but if it did, everything’s going to be fine. I think our little one might be born a little early, but we’re ready for him, aren’t we, baby?”

  Mitch placed a hand on her abdomen, cursing when he had to move aside as Joe went through the back door. He caught up to her again, just as what felt like a giant band tightened around her abdomen.

  Moaning, she wrapped her arms around her belly. “Oh, it hurts.”

  Placing a hand on her abdomen, Mitch shared a look with Leland and Joe before smiling down at her. “Looks like he’s in a hurry to meet his mama. He’s objecting to being jostled around as I would expect any child of an Alpha would be. We’ll have you at the hospital in no time.”

  Fiona called out Glenna’s name, her tone frantic. “Damn it, Joshua! Let go of me. She needs me.”

  Glenna stiffened as another contraction hit. “Shit. This hurts. You’d better put me down before Fiona runs in here. If she runs in here and sees you naked, you’re going to have a lot of explaining to do.”

  She didn’t want to admit out loud that she was jealous, and didn’t even want Fiona to see their gorgeous bodies.

  Mitch held out his arms. “Give her to me.”

  Joe growled. “I’ve got her.”

  Despite her fear and the pain that wrapped around her again, Glenna giggled. “If Fiona sees you naked, she’s going to have heart failure, and I sure as hell don’t want the nurses at the hospital to see my mates naked.”

  Joe stilled, bending to touch his lips to hers, his eyes sharp and fierce. “You called us your mates.”

  Cupping his jaw, she smiled up at him, warmed to see how much that meant to him. “If I’m your mate, then you’re mine.”

  Leland bent to touch his lips to hers, his eyes dark with concern when she moaned as another contraction hit her. He pushed Mitch aside, one hand on her abdomen and the other in her hair. “I promise when this is over, I’m going to spoil you rotten.”

  Glenna smiled as she knew he meant her to. “I’m going to hold you to that. Breakfast in bed and foot rubs.”

  Leland ran his fingertips over her legs, his jaw clenching. “Anything you want, my mate.”

  Mitch pushed between them. “We have to go. Now. Joshua and Fiona can ride with us and the others are already passing the word. Go get dressed. Fiona’s going crazy and Glenna’s going to feel better with her sister with her.”

  As Joe reluctantly passed her to Mitch, she reached for them. “Please hurry.”

  Leland nodded once. “We’ll be right back, baby.”

  A flurry of activity followed—so much going on around her that she could barely keep up.

  Joe yelled to Joshua, and seconds later, Fiona appeared at her side as Mitch carried her out to the SUV, which had somehow appeared right outside the front door.

  Settling her on his lap in the back seat, Mitch glanced at Graham, who stood just outside the door. “Go get my bag and make sure Joshua has a cell phone. I want to call ahead and have everything waiting for us when we get there.”

  Joe and Leland joined them, and with Joshua driving and Fiona in the passenger seat, they raced to the hospital.

  Mitch took her pulse and blood pressure, his hand going to her abdomen each time she had a contraction. “They’re already three minutes apart.”

  Joe, who sat in the middle, pulled her onto his lap. “We’re with you, my mate. Just hold on. We’re pulling into the hospital parking lot now.”

  Leland jumped out before the SUV even came to a stop, reaching in for her. “Give her to me.” The steel in his voice eased some of her fear, as did the confidence in Mitch’s eyes when they met hers again.

  Mitch jumped out and headed inside. “Let’s get her inside.” As soon as he walked through the emergency room door, he began barking out orders like a drill sergeant.

  Before she knew it, she’d been settled in a room with Fiona, Joe, and Leland all gathered around her.

  Leland and Joe hovered over her, frowning each time they had to move out of the nurse’s or Mitch’s way.

  The pains continued to get worse, the tight, invisible band tightening more with each contraction.

  Gripping her hand, Joe leaned over her, his eyes glittering with emotion. “Breathe with me, my mate. In. Out. In. Out. Like that. Yeah. Look at me. I swear, I would take the pain for you if I could.”

  As the contraction eased, she smiled up at him, squeezing his hand. The pain was minor compared to the fear for her baby. “I know. I know you would. It’s too early. I’m scared. What if the baby’s not ready?”

  Leland leaned over her other side, using a damp cloth to wipe her face. His smile held a tension—an anxiety that he tried to hide behind a reassuring smile. “He’s going to be just fine. We’re right here with you. Fiona’s here, too. You’re going to be fine, honey, and so is the baby. He wouldn’t dare scare his momma.”

  Aware of her sister’s voice, she tried to smile in her direction, but another contraction hit, this one much more intense than the others. Biting her lip to keep from crying out, she squeezed Joe’s hand and breathed through it, but almost as soon as the pain ended, another began.

  The pains came one right after the other, with barely enough time for her to catch her breath between them.

  Leland, looking more frantic than she’d ever seen him, turned to snarl at Mitch. “Do something, damn it! Give her something.”

  Mitch met his snarl with a calmness that reassured Glenna. “I told you that I can’t. We’re almost there. Her labor progressed faster than I’d expected.”

  Fiona’s ignorance of the situation and the presence of the nurse kept everyone silent, but the unspoken question hung in the air.

  Was it because she carried a shape-shifter?

  Leland grimaced. “That fall probably brought it on. When I get my hands on him, he’ll pay for this.”

  Their big bodies hovered protectively over hers, and she found herself hanging on to their encouraging words and crooning voices like a lifeline.

  Leland wet the towel and came back again, wiping her face, her neck, and her upper chest between contractions. “You’re doing so good, baby. You don’t have to hold back. Scream if you want to.”

  Glenna didn’t know how much time had passed, but she found her
strength waning. When yet another contraction hit her, she gripped both Leland’s and Joe’s hands as the pressure became unbearable. “I need to push.”

  She was aware of Fiona’s voice, thick with emotion, and Mitch’s much calmer one, but it seemed too much effort to focus on what they said.

  Joe brushed her damp hair back from her forehead. “Mitch said that you can push on the next contraction. He’s ready, baby. We’re all ready. God, I hate to see you in pain.” He wrapped an arm around her from behind, glancing at Mitch. “She doesn’t have a lot of strength left. She can’t even squeeze my hand.”

  “The baby’s coming now, and she needs to push. Get behind her and support her so she can.” Mitch’s voice held a hunt of urgency that penetrated the fog of pain surrounding her, and when the next contraction hit, Joe settled on the bed behind her, supporting her and wrapping her in his strength.

  When the next contraction passed, she slumped heavily against him, feeling vulnerable and emotional.

  She couldn’t go on without the words she’d been waiting to here.

  Joe rubbed her shoulders. “You’re doing so good, baby. I’m so proud of you. You ready to push again?”

  “No.” Shaking her head, she met Leland’s stunned look with a frown. “I’m not pushing anymore—aaah—until you both tell me you love me.”

  Joe stilled behind her.

  Leland gaped at her.

  Mitch and Fiona both chuckled, while the nurse turned three shades of red.

  When another contraction hit, Fiona, who stood by Mitch, shot a look at both Leland and Joe. “You two better talk fast. The baby’s coming.”

  “Push, baby.” Pressing his cheek against hers from behind, Joe groaned. “Of course, we love you! How can you doubt it? Love doesn’t even come close to what I feel for you. That’s it. You’re doing so good. You and I are going to have a long talk about this later.”

  Leland bent closer, his face inches from hers as he wiped her forehead with a cool, wet towel. His eyes, hard with frustration and concern, held hers, the emotion and fear in them so intense, her breath caught. “I love you so damned much, I ache with it. We didn’t tell you because we figured you wouldn’t believe us and would think it was just because of the baby. We didn’t want to upset you.”