Under the Panther's Protection [Black Panthers 3]

by Leah Brooke

  She leaned into him, much to his delight. “I called my parents. My mom answered. She was really upset.”

  Rubbing her back in an effort to ease her tense muscles, Joshua touched his lips to her still damp hair. “What’s going on?”

  “My dad fell. He’s in the hospital. He broke his hip and had to have surgery to replace it.”

  “I’m sorry, honey.” He continued his caress, loving that she’d come to him for support. “Is he doing okay? Is there anything that I can do?”

  Fiona sighed. “It sounds like he’s doing fine, but Mom’s frantic. When the hospital releases him, they want him to go to a rehab center for several weeks.”

  Tucking her forehead under his chin, Fiona sighed. “My mother’s a very smart woman, but she’s never been very independent. She’s scared of being home alone.”

  Joshua stiffened, not liking the direction the conversation had taken.

  Lifting her head, Fiona glanced toward the house. “I was going to let Mom talk to Glenna, but when I heard how upset she was, I decided against it. Mom knows that Glenna’s expecting and understood. Glenna’s been through enough, and she doesn’t need to worry about Mom and Dad.”

  Neither do you.

  Joshua closed his eyes briefly, breathing in the scent of his mate.

  Fiona stiffened when Glenna came out the back door with Leland, Joe, and several of his other pack mates trailing behind them.

  “Please don’t tell her. I’ll talk to her tomorrow and let her know that I told Mom where we are and that everything’s fine. I hate to leave before she has the baby, but I might not have much choice. But Glenna has a lot of people looking after her, and Mom needs me.”

  Joshua swallowed his automatic objection, knowing how important family was to all of them.

  “I won’t tell her, but I will let Leland, Joe, and the others know. They’ll do their best to keep her from finding out and keep her calm if she does. No one wants to see her upset.”

  Fiona relaxed somewhat, but it was obvious that she was concerned and even more stressed.

  She looked exhausted.

  Vowing to himself to make sure she rested, he continued to rub her back, looking up at Glenna’s and Joe’s approach.

  Anticipating his mate, he closed his hands on her hips, keeping her in place when she tried to jump to her feet. “You’re fine right where you are.”

  Glenna glanced meaningfully at Joshua’s hands and smiled at Fiona. “Mitch is making strawberry milkshakes for us. He’ll bring them out in a bit.”

  Fiona nodded. “That’s great, honey. How are you feeling?”

  Frowning, Glenna leaned into Joe as he put his arm around her. “I’m as good as I was when you asked me five minutes ago.”

  She glanced at Joshua, who kept his expression bland. “You seem upset. Are you sure you’re okay?”

  Joshua smiled. “She’s beat, and she’s fighting it. I’ll make sure she gets a good night’s sleep. Don’t worry.”

  Rising to his feet, Joshua set Fiona on hers, tightening his hands on her waist to steady her when she swayed. Eyeing Joe, he released Fiona, running his hand over her hair. “Let’s give Fiona and Glenna some time alone.”

  Joe got the message and inclined his head. “Glenna wants to sit and look at the mountains. Let’s get a couple of chairs and take them out to the yard. That’ll give them some privacy while we can still see and hear them.”

  Joshua knew Joe referred to their stalker and found himself sniffing the air again before moving away from her, walking with Joe toward the deck where the others sat, as they did almost every night.

  They started up the stairs to the deck when Joe stopped, leaning against the railing. “Fiona’s your mate, isn’t she?”

  Joshua turned back to look at Fiona again, his neck tingling. “She is.”

  He turned to look at the others, scowling at their grins. “What the hell’s so damned amusing?”

  Graham turned from cleaning the grill. “It’s good to know that even a hardass like you has a weakness.”

  “Yeah, well if any of you decide to try to get close to my mate, you’ll find out just how much of a hardass I am.”

  Vincent grinned at Joe. “Yep. Sounds just like you and Leland.”

  Joe frowned, glancing toward the women before eyeing Joshua. “So what did you want to talk to me about?”

  Joshua glanced toward the women, scrubbing a hand over his jaw. “Fiona called her mother to let them know where they are.”

  “That’s good.” Joe blew out a breath. “Hell, we should have thought of that.” He turned to watch Glenna. “We’ve just been so damned relieved to have her back, and learning about the baby…”

  Joshua understood the catch in Joe’s voice. “Fiona was going to let Glenna talk to their mother but found out that their father fell, broke his hip, and had to have it replaced.”

  Joe whipped his head around. “Shit. Is he okay? Do they need anything?”

  Blowing out a breath, Joshua checked on Fiona again, something niggling at him. Since no one else seemed concerned, he dismissed it as worry about his mate. “Their mother’s a wreck. When their father gets out of the hospital, he needs to go to a rehab for several weeks. Their mother’s frantic and scared to be home alone. Fiona doesn’t want Glenna to know. She’s afraid it’ll upset her and said she’s been through enough.”

  Graham’s gaze settled on the women. “It sounds like they both have.” Frowning, he turned to Joshua. “We all noticed how pale and thin Fiona is. Mitch is worried. She looks like she’s had the weight of the world on her shoulders.”

  Vincent nodded. “She looks fragile, like she could break any minute.”

  Remembering his mate’s earlier outrage, Joshua smiled. “Don’t let her hear you say that. I said something similar, and she jumped down my throat.”

  Vincent grinned again. “Having a little trouble handling your mate?”

  Joe glared at his brother. “I can’t wait until you find yours.” He turned back to Joshua. “You’ve got to have a mate to understand just what the hell they do to you.”

  He gestured toward Fiona and Glenna. “They’re both worn out, and Glenna told us that Fiona went without food to make sure she and the baby were taken care of. She said that Fiona used to tell her that she had a big lunch at work and wasn’t hungry. Christ, they only had noodles and herbal tea at the house.”

  Nodding, Joshua bit back his rage. “I saw that. Fiona actually passed out when she saw me. She thought something was wrong with Glenna, and she was so weak that she just collapsed. I packed her up and got her out of there before she came to. Glenna doesn’t know that, and I don’t think Fiona wants her to.”

  Joe’s jaw clenched. “Hell. She won’t find out. Poor Fiona.”

  Graham cursed. “Hell, we just asked Fiona to bake for us. Glenna said that her sister makes the most amazing desserts, and we thought it would be a way to spend some time with her and get her to feel more at home here. She sure as hell doesn’t need to be standing in a hot kitchen all day.”

  Joe raked a hand through his hair. “Glenna wants to go shopping tomorrow for the ingredients Fiona needs.” Joe smiled. “And pans. Apparently, we don’t have the right kind of pans. Don’t worry. I’ll put her off.”

  “No.” Joshua turned to watch Fiona again. “She wants to do something for her sister. I’ll make sure she gets a good night’s sleep tonight, and I’ll be around to make sure she takes breaks. She feels guilty enough because she might have to leave Glenna before the baby’s born.”

  Joe eyed the others and grabbed a chair. “Not a word to Glenna about her parents.” He cursed and eyed Joshua again. “Fiona’s in no condition to take care of anybody.”

  “I know.” Joshua picked up another chair with a curse. “She’s exhausted but too fucking hardheaded for her own good.”

  As they made their way down the steps and started across the yard, he glanced at Joe. “I’m taking her shopping tomorrow for a cell phone and some new t
hings. She won’t admit to needing anything, but I packed everything she owned into two fucking shopping bags. Will you ask Glenna what the hell she needs so I can get it for her?”

  He wanted to do something for his mate.

  He wanted to wrap her in softness and spoil her.

  He wanted to make her smile.

  “Will do.” Joe nodded. “I’ll text it to you.”

  Reaching the women, Joshua and Joe set the chairs down just as Mitch arrived with a milkshake for each of them.

  “Drink up.”

  While Joe spoke to Glenna, Joshua got in Fiona’s face, keeping his voice low. “The others know. Talk to your sister. I’m going to get your things from the truck and take them home. Tomorrow we’re going shopping.”

  Fiona’s eyes flashed. “I told you—”

  Joshua gritted his teeth, frustrated at her stubbornness. “I know damned well what you told me, but you have next to nothing. Hell, you don’t even have any girl stuff.”

  Fiona blinked, leaning her head back to smile at him. “Girl stuff?”

  Mesmerized by her smile, Joshua couldn’t resist brushing her lips with his. “Yeah. All those creams and stuff that’s going to fill my bathroom counters.”

  Fiona’s smile fell. “I don’t need—”

  Joshua smiled coldly, keeping his voice low. “Tell me one more fucking time that you don’t need anything and I’ll turn you over my knee.”

  Her eyes flashed again, but she didn’t lift her head, proof of her exhaustion. “Listen, asshole. I—”

  Joshua ruthlessly cut her off, not in the mood for her objections. “You’ll learn soon enough when something is not negotiable. This isn’t. Stay put until I come for you.”

  Left alone with Glenna, Fiona took several steadying breaths, admiring the view.

  Glenna had already finished her strawberry shake, so Fiona handed her hers. “Here. I don’t want it.”

  Glenna smiled. “Fiona, we have food now.”

  “I know. I don’t want it.” Her stomach rolled at the thought of trying to drink the thick shake, her nerves stretched to the breaking point.

  Glenna shrugged and took the shake, drinking it while they sat in silence for several minutes, taking in the view.

  Fiona struggled to relax, but worry about her parents, Glenna, and finding a job weighed heavily.

  She didn’t even want to think about the possibility of being pregnant.

  She hated leaving Glenna, but their mother needed her and Glenna was surrounded by people who would take care of her.

  At least, they appeared to be.

  Glenna belonged here, but no matter what Joshua said, Fiona knew that she didn’t.

  Her thoughts never strayed far from him and the fact that he had her so tied up in knots.

  Although she’d promised herself that she wouldn’t get emotionally involved with him, she found herself doing just that.

  It had to stop, and going to see her parents would give her the space she needed.

  But it meant that she had to leave Glenna.

  Glenna’s straw made a slurping noise when she got to the bottom of her second shake. “So now that we’re alone, do you want to tell me what’s going on between you and Joshua?”

  “He’s a Neanderthal. Let’s leave it at that.”

  He can also be so gentle.

  Lifting a brow, Fiona crossed her arms over her chest. “Are you going to tell me what everyone but me seems to know? What’s all this mate crap, and why were you afraid Joshua would scare me? What the hell do you think that big lug could do to scare me?”

  Fiona couldn’t help but wonder if Leland or Joe had done something to scare Glenna but so far had not seen any sign of Glenna being afraid at all.

  Turning to look at the mountains again, Glenna sighed. “You know I hate keeping secrets from you, but this isn’t mine to share. Ask Joshua.”

  Determined to get to the bottom of anything that might be a threat to her sister, Fiona nodded and clenched her jaw. “I will.”

  She shot to her feet, knowing she wouldn’t be able to leave until she was sure that Glenna was safe.

  “You sit here and rest. Joshua said that he would unload the truck, and I want to get my things put away.”

  She didn’t have much and hoped he got everything.

  “I like the idea of staying with you until the baby comes, but I’ve got to start looking for a job. If Mom and Dad hadn’t sold the house, I’d stay there. Hopefully, I’ll have enough money to find a place of my own soon.”

  Glenna sat up, her eyes filled with concern. “Please stay until the baby’s born.”

  Patting her hand, Fiona forced a smile, too tired to try to come up with a reason for visiting their parents. “I’ll try. You belong here, Glenna. I don’t.”

  She turned away, pausing before turning back. “Do you love them?”

  “Yes.” Glenna answered immediately, her eyes brimming with emotion. “So much.”

  Fiona nodded, expecting nothing less but needing to hear the words from her sister’s mouth.

  “Do they love you?”

  Glenna sighed and sat back again. “They’ve never said.” Resting a hand on her swollen abdomen, Glenna smiled. “But I think they do. They just don’t recognize it. They didn’t ever plan to fall in love.”

  Lifting a brow, Fiona shook her head. “Nobody plans to fall in love. It happens when you least expect it.”

  The mental image of Joshua staring down at her, his eyes glowing with a combination of hunger and possessiveness rose in Fiona’s mind.

  Dear God.

  Forcing the image away, Fiona swallowed the lump in her throat.

  “That doesn’t mean that it’s good for you.”

  She couldn’t love Joshua. She just couldn’t.

  How could she fall in love so soon?

  Shaking her head to clear it, Fiona turned away, looking toward where Joshua had parked the SUV, surprised to see Joshua in what appeared to be a deep conversation with Mitch.

  “I’ve got to get the truck unpacked before it gets dark. I want you to promise me, though, that you won’t settle just because of the baby.”

  Fiona considered moving to Florida with them, where she could help her parents and not have to worry about ever being cold again.

  Glenna smiled. “I promise—and I want you to promise me something.”

  Fiona frowned and glanced toward the house, surprised to find the deck empty. Turning to face Glenna, Fiona saw one of the men watching them from a distance. She didn’t recognize him, but he had the same dark coloring as the others, and it relieved her that someone would be watching over her sister. “What’s that?”

  Smiling, Glenna rubbed her belly. “I’ve seen the way Joshua looks at you. I want you to promise me that you won’t walk away from something that’s right under your nose.”

  Fiona’s face burned at the memory of how she’d begged—demanded—that Joshua take her. If Glenna knew, she’d insist Fiona stay, something she knew she couldn’t do.

  “He’s a Neanderthal.”

  Strong.

  Fierce.

  Primal.

  Glenna leaned forward again. “Maybe he only wants to protect you.”

  Joshua spoke of feeling protective toward her, but Fiona had no experience with that kind of man.

  She’d learned long ago that she could rely only on herself.

  Shaking her head, Fiona tried to force a smile, a lump clogging her throat. “Honey, that kind of man died out a long time ago. Now, they’re just assholes.”

  Chapter Six

  Aware of Mitch’s approach, Joshua turned, stiffening at the determination on the doctor’s face. “What’s wrong?”

  Shaking his head, Mitch smiled. “Nothing. I just wanted to talk to you alone.”

  Joshua glanced back to where Fiona stood talking to Glenna. “About?”

  Following his gaze, Mitch sighed. “I heard that Fiona’s your mate.”

  “So?”

 
; Mitch smiled again. “We know very little about how this mate stuff works. We have the information from the journal, and Leland and Joe have been giving me information, but without having any information from our parents, except what’s in the journal they left, we’re all in the dark here. I don’t like being in the dark.”

  Joshua raised a brow. “And you expect me to tell you personal information about my relationship with Fiona?”

  “We have to understand how this works so we don’t make the mistakes our parents did. Hell, we’ve all avoided getting involved with anyone, and now we know that we can actually have mates. We’re also beginning to understand that being with a woman who isn’t your mate could be dangerous to all of us.” Mitch glanced toward where Fiona sat with Glenna. “I also want to know if there’s any chance that she could be pregnant.”

  “That’s none of your fucking business.”

  Mitch laid a hand on Joshua’s arm when he would have turned away. “Damn it, Joshua! We know absolutely nothing about what’s involved in carrying a shapeshifter. I’m watching Glenna closely and asking her a lot of questions, but we don’t know nearly enough.”

  He smiled ruefully. “It’s not like they taught it in medical school.” He scraped a hand through his hair. “So far, everything seems all right with Glenna, but the more I know, the better. What if there’s a problem in the future? Damn it, Joshua. I just can’t stand aside and let something happen to one of our children or one of our mates. We need all the information we can get.”

  Joshua blew out a breath. “I agree with you.”

  Mitch smiled, his relief evident. “Good. I know how you don’t like talking about anything personal, but I’m not doing this for gossip. When the baby comes, I’m going to watch him closely. I need to know everything I can. Instead of just having a treatment room in the big house, we’re going to build a separate building. Hell, pretty soon we might just have a lot of babies running around.”

  Joshua looked out at the yard again, picturing it. “That would be a hell of a change, wouldn’t it?”

  “Yeah.” Mitch nodded. “You haven’t told Fiona about us yet, have you?”