by Scarlet Day
Kate felt the blood drain from her face. She was too stunned to respond. For all those years, her mom had thought Jesse had just walked off and left her to raise their child alone. A sob tore from deep within Kate’s chest as the tragedy of her mom’s lost love crashed down on her. “She never found anyone else. I don’t think she ever got over him.”
Blake wiped the tears that fell down her cheeks. “You need to know something about us, Kate. And about yourself, too, since Jesse was your father.” He stood up and moved to the middle of the room while Jake took his place next to Kate and wrapped his arms around her. Without any warning, Blake stripped off his shirt and tossed it on the floor.
“What the…” Kate tensed up, not sure she was ready for anyone to get naked. “Whoa! Uh, guys…hold on a minute!”
She tried to stand up, but Drake pulled her back into his arms. “It’s okay, I swear. He won’t touch you. But do you remember that gold thing that attacked the bear last night?”
“Yeah, but what does that have to do with him getting naked?” Kate was trying not to look at Blake as he undressed, but she just couldn’t help herself, and she peeked. Good heavens, he was gorgeous! His tanned chest and abdomen were ripped with muscles. Kate had an insane urge to run her hands over the contours of his body. He unfastened his belt and unzipped his jeans.
Kate knew she should look away—heck, she should be running away at this point—but his body was like a magnet, and she couldn’t tear her eyes away from him. He pushed the jeans over his hips and down his long legs then stepped out of them and stood up straight.
Kate let out a nervous giggle, unable to contain herself. He wasn’t the only thing standing up straight! Kate had been with guys before—okay, one guy, and it had been dark. But she had at least seen male body parts. One of her college roommates had a soft spot for Playgirl magazines, even going so far as to plaster their bathroom walls with the pages one afternoon. Of course, that just had to be the day that Kate’s mom had come by for a visit.
As Kate openly gawked at Blake’s hard body, her mouth went dry, and her breathing became shallow. She vaguely felt Drake stroking her hair before he leaned his mouth to her ear. “Hold on, darlin’. This is where it gets a little strange.” Kate was already bordering on hysteria—or maybe brazen lustfulness, she wasn’t sure which—and it hadn’t gotten strange yet? How could it possibly get any stranger?
It got stranger. As Kate watched in uncontrolled fascination, Blake’s body began to blur. Kate blinked, thinking her vision was getting fuzzy, but it didn’t help. In fact, it just got worse. Blake’s body seemed to be changing, but it was so blurry it was hard to make out exactly what was happening. It was as though there was some kind of aura around him. As she watched, mesmerized, Blake disappeared, and in his place stood a huge gold panther.
A scream started to work its way up her throat, but it never made it out. The massive cat sat down on its haunches and cocked its head sideways, gazing at her with wide chocolate-and-honey eyes. Kate knew those eyes. They were the same eyes in the painting of the panther in Blake’s room. Blake’s eyes. She was staring into Blake’s eyes.
Chapter Four
Kate told herself to breathe. Just breathe. In, out. In, out. She thought this would be a great time to pass out. Any minute now.
Why the heck wasn’t she passing out yet?
The panther calmly sat there in the middle of the living room, watching her. It wasn’t trying to attack her or eat her. Once she got over the initial shock, Kate decided it was actually quite beautiful, except that, well, it was a huge freaking panther! She wasn’t sure if she should scream, run, or maybe just check herself into the nearest psychiatric hospital and call it a day.
“This is so not happening.” The panther apparently disagreed with that statement because it chose that moment to stand up and slink toward her. It stopped right in front of her and then rubbed its face on her bare leg, letting out a purr that sounded as though it were enjoying itself.
“Um. Nice kitty.” The big cat stopped rubbing her leg and looked up at her. Kate swore there was a mischievous sparkle in its eyes. Then it stuck out its big pink tongue and slowly licked her leg from her knee all the way up her thigh. She let out a little squeak—the only sound she could manage to force out—and pressed herself into Drake’s big chest for protection. Even in her shocked state of mind, she couldn’t help registering how nice and hard Drake’s chest felt. She briefly wondered what the hell was wrong with her. How was it possible she could think about Drake’s chest when a wild beast had just tasted her? She hoped she tasted good.
Okay, it’s official. I have completely lost my mind.
She could have sworn the big cat actually smiled before it turned around and ambled casually back to the center of the room, flicking its long tail as it went. Then it turned to look back at her and began to transform. Kate watched, unable to tear her stunned gaze away, as Blake once again stood before her. His eyes didn’t leave hers as he reached down for his jeans and pulled them on. Then he walked toward her and knelt on the floor in front of her, moving her knees apart so he could scoot closer to her. He held her gaze and took her face in his hands.
“It’s really me, Kate.”
Kate still couldn’t understand why she hadn’t passed out yet, or run screaming into the woods, for that matter. But as long as she was going to stay conscious and remain in the house, she might as well try to find out what the hell was going on.
“Blake?” She reached up and touched his cheek. “It was you. You saved me last night.”
Blake smiled at her and nodded and then turned his face into her hand and tenderly kissed her palm. Kate gasped. The contact of his lips felt like an electrical current that sent tingles all over her skin. She had to remind herself to keep breathing.
Blake took her hand in his and entwined their fingers. “You’re taking all of this remarkably well so far.”
“So far? There’s more?” Kate’s voice was nothing more than a squeak. She didn’t know how much more she could take.
Blake’s lips turned up into a half smile. Kate couldn’t help but think of how sexy that grin was, even if it did belong to someone who had just grown fur and fangs a few minutes ago. Kate could swear it was getting hotter in the house. Had the hurricane knocked out the air conditioning?
“Well…” Blake hesitated and looked at each of his brothers. “For starters, both Drake and Jake can do that little trick, too.” Kate gasped and whipped her head back and forth between the two brothers on either side of her.
“What the hell are all of you?” Rather than being terrified, which any sane person should be, she was starting to feel strangely fascinated. It probably didn’t help that Jake was drawing soft patterns on her wrist with his finger, and Drake’s hand had drifted up to gently massage the nape of her neck. Why was she reacting to these men so strongly?
“We’re shifters, Kate.” Blake’s voice brought her attention back to him. “Everyone in our family shifts.”
“Do you all turn into panthers?” Now there was something she’d never imagined asking anyone.
She caught Blake’s hesitant look at his brothers before he answered. “Our family does. So do the other families in our clan.”
“Your family? You mean there are other families that can shift into other things?” Blake only nodded and didn’t offer any other information. Kate was starting to get an uneasy feeling about something. “That bear from last night…was that an ordinary black bear?”
“No, it wasn’t. He was a shifter from another clan.”
“Why was he chasing me?”
Blake looked at his brothers again before looking back to her, but it was Drake that leaned over and spoke softly into her ear. “This is gonna get even stranger for you, darlin’. Are you sure you’re ready?”
His breath against her ear caused a pleasant shiver across her skin that traveled down her body. She turned to look at Drake and got lost in his eyes for a minute. They were the same col
or as Blake’s, but somehow they were uniquely Drake. She felt her pussy clench, and she almost groaned out loud. What the hell was wrong with her? She was practically jumping out of her skin. Every little touch from these guys was making her crazy. She mentally shook herself. She needed to know what was going on.
“Tell me. Everything.”
Drake continued looking at her for a moment and then turned to Blake and nodded. She looked back at Blake, who placed his hands on the tops of her thighs. The touch was enough to make her want to squirm, but she held herself still.
Blake took a deep breath. “You’re Jesse’s daughter, Kate. He was a shifter, a panther like us. That means you’re a shifter.”
Kate blinked at him, trying to process what he had just said, and then she burst out laughing. “No I’m not. I can’t do what you did.”
“Not yet.” Jake’s words brought Kate’s laughter to a complete stop.
“What do you mean? You think I’m going to grow fur all of a sudden?” The fact that she had just watched a man turn into a giant cat was one thing, but to think about it happening to her? Nope. Not going to happen.
She looked at all three men. They were all watching her with very serious expressions. It was making her nervous about what they might tell her, but their intense stares were also making her damned uncomfortable for an entirely different reason. How could she be so freaked out and so turned on at the same time? Finally, Blake broke the silence.
“Kate, the bear shifter was chasing you last night because he could smell you. He knew you had shifter blood, and he wanted to mate with you.”
“What? That…that…thing wanted to…to…” Kate couldn’t even say it. It was just too appalling.
“Sweetheart, I was out last night making sure everything was secure before the storm when I caught your scent and went looking for you. Bringing you here to our house, in such close proximity to us, well…let’s just say it triggered a reaction…in you and in us.” Blake stopped and exchanged glances with Drake and Jake. Both men nodded, urging him to continue.
“Kate, males are able to shift from the time we’re very young, but our females can only shift once they reach sexual maturity and join with the shifters they are meant to mate with.”
Kate actually felt relief as his words sunk in. “Then I’m okay. I mean I haven’t…you know…mated with a shifter, so I’m not going to grow fur and fangs. Right?” She looked at each of them hopefully, but they all looked really uncomfortable, as though they hadn’t told her the most important part yet.
“Spill it. What have you not told me yet?”
Blake gently rubbed her thighs with his big hands. Kate had never had much of a sex drive, but Blake’s hands were making her want to throw him on the floor and have her way with him right here and now. And Drake and Jake could even watch. Heck, if they kept touching her, they could play, too. Kate knew she was definitely losing her mind if she was entertaining these kinds of outrageous ideas.
Blake looked at each of his brothers. From the corner of her eye, Kate could see them nod at him again.
“You’ve been exposed to us now, even if we haven’t actually mated. When you meet the ones you’re meant to mate with, your shifter blood responds. It’s why you feel the way you do right now.”
Kate blinked, trying to understand what Blake had just said. “The way I feel? How can you tell…”
“We can sense your feelings, sweetheart. And we can smell your desire.”
Kate was horrified. It must have shown on her face because Blake reached up and smoothed his hand over her cheek. “It’s okay, sweetheart. It’s normal for our kind. You don’t have to be embarrassed about it. Your body is starting to go through the mating fever. It will only get worse until you’ve mated with all of your mates.”
“Wait. What? What do you mean all of my mates?”
Jake brushed a stray lock of hair out of her face so he could see her eyes. “Babe, female panther shifters have more than one mate. And male panthers that are from the same litter usually share one mate. We’ve always known we would share.”
“Hold on. Are you saying that I’m your…that you’re all my…that all four of us…” Kate was trying not to panic again. It wasn’t working. Her breathing was becoming ragged and shallow. She was pretty sure this time she really was going to pass out.
Blake pulled her off the sofa and cradled her on his lap. He held her close and rocked her as he stroked her hair.
“That’s how things are with our kind, sweetheart. And once we mate, none of the partners ever loves another.”
“I don’t understand.” Kate was overwhelmed with the turn of this whole conversation. Her head was spinning. And why did her blood feel so damn hot?
Blake kissed her forehead. The heat from his lips shot through her body and felt like it went straight to her clit.
“Kate, the bear that was after you is a loner. He wanted to mate with you and then go on his way. We’re not like that. When I brought you home, we knew we wanted you. Our cats knew you were ours. And once we mate, we’ll stay together forever.”
“But we don’t even know each other. You might not even like me. I might snore. You might leave the toilet seat up. How can we make that kind of decision without knowing anything about each other?”
“Our cats know this is right, babe.” Jake got down on the floor next to her and Blake. “If it weren’t meant to be, then we wouldn’t have responded to you. But you can feel the heat, can’t you? You can feel your blood getting hot.”
Kate could feel it all right. Her blood felt like it was going to boil right out of her skin. It was like molten lava coursing through her veins. She nodded, unable to hide the truth from them.
Drake moved off the sofa and joined them on the floor. “We feel it, too, darlin’. Our cats have been screaming at us since you came through the door last night.”
“So, you just let your, um, cats make the decision and hope it all works out? What about falling in love?” Kate couldn’t deny her body was ready to climb all over these guys, but what would her heart have to say about it? She was pretty sure her brain wasn’t even in on the conversation at this point. It had checked out as soon as the whole man-turns-into-cat thing happened.
Blake cradled her face in one hand and looked into her eyes. “Sweetheart, you’ve never known your cat, but she’s there, inside of you, waiting to get out. She knows what she needs and what she wants. She already understands what your heart doesn’t, but your heart will catch up to her. You need to look for her, Kate. She’s ready.”
Kate felt as if his gaze pierced her soul. The wind and rain continued to lash the house and rattle the hurricane shutters, but everything fell away except for Blake’s eyes and the heat from the masculine bodies surrounding her.
Then she saw it. There was nothing more than a shadow at first, silently pacing back and forth in the dark recesses of Kate’s mind. She focused, trying to make out details of the shadowy figure. As if sensing it finally had her attention, the shadow stilled, and a fierce growl tore through Kate’s mind as a huge cat bounded out of the darkness.
Chapter Five
Kate gasped, and her hands flew up to Blake’s chest to brace herself. She opened her mouth to say something, but nothing came out.
“You see her, don’t you, sweetheart?” Blake’s lips brushed her forehead.
Kate could only nod, still in too much shock to do anything else. The cat inside her head purred at the sound of Blake’s voice and began pacing again. Kate could see it clearly now. Somehow, Kate knew she had always been there, lurking in the back of her mind. With newfound clarity, she realized the part of her that had never felt complete, that had always felt trapped in her own body, was the part of her that belonged to this cat. The big cat’s instincts and emotions were starting to press on her. The cat was becoming impatient, and Kate had no doubt what she wanted.
Jake began stroking Kate’s back in long soothing motions. “Don’t fight her, baby. She’s been trapp
ed for too long. She wants her mates, and she won’t do anything that would cause you to get hurt. Trust her. Trust us.”
Kate’s blood felt like it was going to boil right out of her veins. Her whole body was tense, and she felt like every nerve was exposed. It was uncomfortable, almost bordering on painful. She was pretty sure she could have an orgasm just by thinking about it, but she was almost to the point where she couldn’t think at all. She wanted these men. The big cat pacing in her head wanted—no, make that needed—these men.
“I don’t know what to do.” It was true. Even though she wasn’t a virgin, her only previous sexual encounter was forgettable, at best. It certainly hadn’t prepared her for anything like this.
Drake leaned over and gently pressed his lips to her temple. The simple touch of his lips sent tingles down her spine. He put his mouth to her ear. “You don’t have to do anything, darlin’. We’ll do everything. You just feel.”
Drake’s deep voice and soft breath created a delicious shiver that started at Kate’s head and worked its way down to her toes. She could feel her pussy clench with a need that was growing stronger by the second. Her head was telling her to stop, but her body and the cat inside her mind had other plans. They were apparently in cahoots with each other because they were telling her head to shut the hell up.
Blake cradled her to his chest and stood up in one fluid motion. He walked to his bedroom with Drake and Jake following them. Drake dimmed the bedroom lights, and Jake threw the big fluffy comforter onto the floor. Blake gently lowered Kate so that she was standing, but he kept her pressed against his body.
Blake held her face in his hands and looked into her eyes. “My sweet Kate, I swear we will never hurt you and will always protect you. Can you allow yourself to trust us?”
