Her Panther Protector [The Protectors 5] (Siren Publishing Classic)

by Doris O'Connor

A groan escaped her at the friction even that innocent action by her own hand created between her legs. Her pussy was swollen and far too sensitive, and despite her earlier orgasm, she was horny. Damn it, what had he done to her?

  She acted like the heroines in the shifter erotica she had recently stumbled across. Thank goodness for e-readers and all that, because it meant she could indulge in her guilty pleasure during her lunch hour at work without any one of her new colleagues being the wiser. Macey knew, of course, that her choice of reading material was nothing to be ashamed of, but the secret thrill it had given her…No, she couldn’t admit that out loud.

  Macey rinsed the washcloth out and froze as another thought occurred to her. If shifters really existed, and Sasha was living proof that they did, then…

  “Holy shit!” The curse bounced around her bathroom and Macey winced and stuck her head back out of the door to check on Kenny, but he stayed blissfully asleep. Her nephew, who no doubt shifted, too. Her heart beat even faster at that realization and the enormity of what she had taken on. How was she ever going to help him, when she had no clue about how any of this worked?

  Macey sighed and pulled out her drawer to hunt out her flannel pajamas. They were old and hideous, with pictures of little pigs, but they covered her adequately and they would surely prove a turn-off to Sasha. At least she hoped they would, because she knew that she wouldn’t have a snowball’s chance in hell of resisting him, not now that she knew the pleasure he could extract from her body.

  With a reluctant grin at her wayward thought processes, Macey went in search of the man himself. She found him in the kitchen. He’d made coffee and, steaming mug in hand, stood staring out into the darkness behind her kitchen window. There were no streetlights this far out, and Macey couldn’t see a thing past the limited amount of light that shone into her garden from the kitchen. Really, what had she been thinking, buying this place? If they found her, no one would come to her aid out here, and she wrapped her arms around herself in a vain effort to stem the shivers of unease trawling down her spine.

  Despite the heat of the Aga and her thick pjs, she shivered. Acting entirely on instinct, she stepped up to Sasha’s broad back and, putting her arms around his waist, snuggled into his incredible warmth. His inner animal rumbled in what sounded like approval, even as the man tensed and a shudder went through his frame.

  “You’re playing with fire here, kitten. I’m still hard enough to pound fucking concrete. I can’t believe I got cock-blocked by my own son.” He ran a hand through his hair and Macey marveled anew at the way his powerful back muscles rippled against her as he did so.

  “Yes, well, welcome to parenthood,” she said, and Sasha put his mug of coffee down on the work top and turned around in her arms to study her. A wry grin kicked up his harsh features when he took in her attire.

  “Those pajamas are a crime against pigs and fashion, if you ask me.”

  She shrugged her shoulders and grinned up at him when he grasped her chin and rested his forehead against hers.

  “Mind you, we need to talk, so it’s probably just as well.” He pulled back and the heat in his gaze as he slowly ran it over her from head to toe chased away her earlier misgivings. Macey squeezed her thighs together to relieve the ache in her pussy, and his nostrils flared as she grew wet for him again. His blue eyes took on the golden glow of his inner animal and she held her breath as he seemed to grow bigger still in front of her. She could almost see his large cat prowl underneath his skin and it proved the biggest turn-on yet. Yep, hopeless case, that was her. At least she now knew why.

  Sasha really wasn’t just another guy, and her heart beat faster at the realization that he wanted her as fiercely as she wanted him. To mask her reaction, she stepped around him and poured herself a coffee with shaking hands.

  An uncomfortable silence fell between them until Sasha spoke.

  “Those nightmares he has, do you know what they’re about?”

  Chapter Nine

  Macey’s knuckles turned white around the cup she held in her hands, and Sasha swore under his breath at her reaction. Fuck it, he wanted her. His damn cock was still so fucking hard for her that it took every ounce of self-control he didn’t even know he had to not bend her over the table and fuck her senseless.

  She would let him, of that he had no doubt. She might have decided to cover up, but he could smell her need for him, musky and sweet, just like the residue of her juices he’d licked off his fingers once he’d made it downstairs. He still couldn’t believe that he hadn’t sensed Kenny’s approach. He’d been too caught up in the moment with his mate. She was utterly, breathtakingly beautiful when she came, and the next time she did so, he wanted it to be with him buried up to the hilt in her body. He wanted to be able to take his time to worship every inch of her fragrant skin until she was marked by his claws, teeth, dripping in his cum, and, yes, carrying his mark, and now was not the time for that.

  “I think that he relives the moment his mother died.”

  Macey’s halting words poured ice-cold water over those thoughts and his claws pushed out in his agitation. Macey took a step away from him, but it wasn’t fear he sensed from her right now. Rather, it was a stunned fascination. Taking a deep breath, he willed his inner animal to stand down, and Macey’s mouth fell open.

  “It must take an awful lot control to do that,” she said, and Sasha shook his shoulders. “Will, Kenny shift, too? When he sleepwalks, he shifts, right?”

  Sasha nodded his assent, and Macey pulled out a chair and sat down heavily.

  “I thought maybe I was seeing things. When he gets angry, he shimmers and he growls just like…well…”

  She didn’t seem to be able to finish that sentence, so Sasha did it for her.

  “Just like a cub?” he asked, and Macey nodded.

  “Fiona said he wasn’t normal. We fell out over that—again. Maybe, if we hadn’t, if I’d kept in touch more, this wouldn’t have happened. I mean, I saw the signs, yet—”

  Sasha’s furious growl stopped her in an instant and, crouching low in front of her, he took her hands in his and shook his head at her.

  “Don’t. Do not second-guess yourself. Therein lies madness, Believe me, I know. Ever since I found Kenny wandering along that road in his cub form, I have been doing nothing but, and all that gets me is a fucking headache. You’re human. There is no way you could have known or even suspected that he was a shifter. Fuck it, I should have been there, for him and his mother.”

  He straightened and started to pace the kitchen in an attempt to calm down his beast. He needed to shift right now, and preferably kill some motherfucking vamps, or track down a deer, yet he couldn’t do either of those things.

  “Don’t beat yourself up about that,” Macey said. “By her own admission, Fiona didn’t even know she was pregnant until she was six months gone, and by then she’d slept with so many guys she couldn’t even begin to pinpoint who the father might be.” A forlorn smile played around Macey’s full lips. “I can still see it so clearly. I opened the door to find her standing on my doorstep, and she was glowing. You know that deep glow women get when they’re pregnant. Or maybe you don’t.”

  “No, I know exactly what you mean. My fellow Protectors…Errr, I mean…”

  Sasha inwardly winced at his slip. It would be too much to hope that Macey wouldn’t pick up on that, and sure enough, she straightened up and, head cocked to one side, regarded him thoughtfully.

  “You used that word before, as in, Kenny and I are protected. What exactly do you mean by that?”

  “Nothing, it’s just...”

  Macey frowned at him, and Sasha pulled out the chair opposite her and sat down.

  Fuck it. He couldn’t lie to her, and besides, she had a right to know. Being a Protector was now Kenny’s birthright, too, so he had to explain this to her. No time like the present and all that, but he would have preferred to have this discussion with her with them both floating in post-coital bliss. Surely that would
have made this particular bitter pill easier to swallow.

  “Fine, look, don’t freak at this, but shifters aren’t the only things from common human folklore that are real.”

  A strangled laugh escaped her and she brought a hand up to her mouth as though to stop a scream. Waves of uneasiness poured off her tense frame, and she jumped when he reached across the table and took her hand in his. He didn’t think she’d even realized that she had clenched her fingers into fists so tight that she must be close to drawing blood with her nails. Sure enough, when he slowly uncurled the digits, her fingernails had left angry, red half-moon indents behind in her palms, and she whimpered in need when he ran his tongue over the marks.

  “So, what else is real?” she asked, and he sighed when she pulled her hand away.

  “Everything, kitten.”

  Macey paled and swallowed hard.

  “Everything? I mean, literally everything?”

  “Yes, baby. Or at least it once was. As far as I know, unicorns are extinct now, and there aren’t very many dragons left, but everything humans have consigned to myth has at least a basis in reality, hence the need for us Protectors.”

  Macey finally looked up again, and some of that god-awful tension left her frame.

  “Okay, so what do these Protectors do, and why have I never heard of them?” she asked.

  “Because you’re human. Can you imagine the uproar if the general human populace knew that shifters exist, let alone vampires, witches, fairies and the like?”

  If that was possible, Macey paled even more, and he hated the fear he saw in her eyes when she looked out into the night beyond her kitchen window.

  “Oh God, that’s why you were so insistent that I needed that new front door, and to keep my windows and door locked at night, right? Are they out there now, prowling?”

  Her voice had risen to a shrill shriek in her agitation, and her eyes darted around the room as though she was expecting untold terror to descend upon her through the very walls of her home.

  “Listen to me, kitten. You’re safe. Both of you. When I’m not here, I have the wolves out there watching you. Nothing is going to happen to you or Kenny. I promise you that.”

  Her mouth worked, but no sound came out, and, acting on instinct and the fierce need to hold her in his arms, Sasha shot to his feet. Grabbing her, he sat back down with his precious bundle on his lap. It did nothing to help the ache in his balls, but Macey did calm down when he ran his nose along her neck and nibbled her earlobe.

  “Wolves?” she finally asked, and he tugged her chin up with his index finger to better see her expression. She was still far too pale, but at least she didn’t look as though she was going to freak out anymore. “Real wolves, or shifters?” She pulled a face and rolled her eyes as though she was disgusted with herself for asking that question, and then focused her attention on the swirls of ink decorating his biceps.

  “Forget I asked that. They’re shifters, too, right?”

  Sasha gritted his teeth at the sweet torment of her innocent exploration of his tats, and she stopped abruptly when he picked her up and moved her slightly forward on his lap so her delectable ass was not in contact with his rock-hard junk. Heat stained her cheeks when she glanced down at his groin and, wrapping his fingers into her hair, he pulled her head back up until their gazes connected.

  “Yes, they’re shifters, and ignore that. I’m always hard for you. I’m getting used to the blue balls.”

  He winked at her and loved the ghost of a smile that played around her lips in response. They were still slightly swollen from his earlier kisses, and her delicate skin showed the beginning of a whisker rash from his scruff. It made his possessive animal strut. Those marks would fade all too soon, but they were a start in the right direction, at least.

  “I’d offer to help you out, but I’ve never been very good at this ‘having sex’ thing.” Her quiet whisper landed in his gut like a stone, and his panther snarled in answer.

  “I find that very hard to believe, kitten. Who’s told you such fucking nonsense?”

  Macey wrapped her arms around herself and shook her head.

  “It doesn’t matter. You were telling me about the wolves?”

  She glanced up at him, and while he was itching to find out what that comment had been about, he let it go for now. Someone, at some time, had clearly done a number on his girl.

  “Yes, you’ve met some of them when they delivered the door.”

  Her eyes widened as she remembered, and he nodded.

  “Their Alpha used to be the head of the Cumbrian Protectors, but since his death that title has passed to Ronan Bernhard. Henry Hastings didn’t have any children who could have taken over the leadership of the pack, and being a Protector is passed down through families.”

  He let that sink in for a bit, and he could almost see the wheels turning in Macey’s head as she mulled over this bit of information.

  “That’s where you’re telling me that Kenny will be one of those Protectors, too, right?” she asked, and he hated the catch in her voice at his tight nod in confirmation. “Jesus, he’s just a child.”

  “No one will expect him to do anything until he’s ready. Being a Protector is his birthright, however. I come from a long line of Panther Protectors.” He paused again to give her time, and when she sighed and looked at him, the worry in her expressive eyes was hard to take.

  “What if he doesn’t want to be a Protector? What then?” she asked. Sasha scraped a hand over his face, all of a sudden wary beyond belief.

  “He wouldn’t be the first one who tried to shirk his duties, but believe me it never works. I should know.” He gave a humorless laugh at her sharp intake at breath, and he would have shot to his feet, the need to pace consuming him right now, but Macey chose that moment to run her hands up his biceps, over his shoulders and up his neck until she could frame his face. The feel of her slender fingers on the bristles of his face, coupled with the gentle pressure she used meant he couldn’t move, didn’t want to, in fact.

  There was something just truly exhilarating about letting his mate touch him like this, without fear, or revulsion, or condemnation. He only read quiet acceptance in her chestnut gaze, and the need to know more.

  “What did you do?” she asked, and his panther growled low in his throat.

  “Everything I could to get away. After my parents died, I went off the rails completely. Mrs. H and Henry Hastings did their best to help me, but as far as I was concerned, they were all part of the same fucked-up mess that killed my parents.”

  Macey drew in a sharp breath and he forced a grim smile on his lips.

  “The accident wasn’t an accident, was it?” she asked, and once again, Sasha was blown away by her sharp mind.

  “No, kitten it wasn’t. They were run off the road by vamps. The fuckers are rife in this part of Cumbria, always have been. Apparently, we stand on a gateway for paranormal activity. Lucky us, huh?” At her shudder of fear, he dropped a kiss on her nose, loving the way she went a little cross-eyed as she tried to keep her focus.

  “Don’t worry, we’ve got it covered, mostly. Back in the old days, it was a real problem. Nowadays, not so much. We have a well-oiled team, and there haven’t been any new nests of vamps appearing after the last big fight we had nine months ago. Having Dimitrius with us is probably scaring most of them away.”

  At her confused expression, he laughed.

  “Forgive me. You’ll meet him soon enough, I’m sure. He’s mated to Eva. She’s another Protector, shifts into an eagle, and for reasons best known to her has mated with a Vampire.”

  He had to laugh as Macey’s mouth fell open in surprise.

  “Believe me, I think most of us wore that very same expression when we found out. We were all for killing the fucker, but he’s her mate, and that…well, that kinda makes him untouchable.”

  Sasha thought it wisest not to mention Dimitrius’s neat trick of being able to walk in the sun. He’d given his girl en
ough to mull over as it was. Let her believe she was safe during the day, at least.

  “Then there is Leon. He shifts into a lion, but he’s not based here in Middle Brook. He protects the lakes, but as he’s married to Mrs. H’s daughter, we tend to see a lot of him around these parts.”

  “I see, but hang on. Mrs. H, that stands for Hastings, right? So if she was married to Henry, and they have a daughter, why is she not Alpha of the pack, and a Protector? Seems terribly chauvinistic to me.”

  Macey narrowed her eyes at him when Sasha burst out laughing at that.

  “I fail to see what’s so funny,” Macey said, and crossed her arms over her chest again. He was pleased to note that she stayed sat on his lap, however. It seemed his girl needed the physical contact between them as much as he did.

  “I’m only trying to figure this all out, you know.”

  “I know you are, baby. Rebecca is a witch like her mother, though, not a shifter, so she couldn’t take over the pack. Henry’s cousin became Alpha after his death, and his son Hunter, who you’ve met, is the new Alpha.”

  Sasha grasped her neck, and bending his head, claimed her mouth in a kiss. It was only meant to be a brush of his lips over hers to erase her pout of annoyance, but when she opened for him on a deep-throated moan, he took the kiss deeper. Macey whimpered into the kiss. Grasping fistfuls of his T-shirt, she pulled him closer while straddling him at the same time, and his panther went wild.

  Macey winced as his claws ran out, and when he stood up with her in his arms, she locked her legs around his hips while grinding her pussy along his dick.

  Breaking the kiss, he deposited her on the kitchen table and yanked her ass forward until it half hung off the edge, while he bent her backward until her back made contact with the wood. Her eyes widened and her pupils dilated until only a small ring of brown remained, and he yanked his T-shirt over his head. The way her hungry gaze all but devoured his body as she looked her fill, breaths coming in short gasps, made Sasha even harder. Groaning, he unzipped his jeans to let his erection spring free. He rarely bothered with underwear, and the cool air hitting his dick made him hiss through his teeth.