by Scarlet Day
“Me? What do you mean?”
Blake kissed her fingers. “Sweetheart, you’re a black panther.”
Kate blinked at him, not understanding how the color of her panther could cause so much concern.
“Black panther shifters don’t exist, Kate.” Blake’s words still didn’t make any sense to her.
“Okay, so I’m different. Why are you all looking at me like this?” Kate had always felt a little self-conscious, never really feeling comfortable in her own skin. The news that she really was different made her feel a little defensive.
Drake brushed her hair out of her eyes with his fingers. “Kate, there’s an old legend among our kind. A legend about black panthers. They are only born to one specific clan—Jesse’s clan.”
Kate frowned at the mention of the father she had never gotten the chance to know. Drake ran his finger over her lips but kept talking.
“Only a few of the elders know the whole legend or where it came from. We know the black panthers were revered in ancient times for their powers. They disappeared generations ago, but a legend has lived on that they would return one day.” He looked at Jake and then down at Blake. Kate could feel them urging Drake to continue. This whole mental link thing was going to take some getting used to. Drake took a deep breath, and his voice took on an even more ominous tone.
“There is one clan, though, that made it their mission to ensure that the black panthers were extinguished forever. They hunted the descendants of the ancient clan and killed Jesse and his entire family to try to prevent them from ever rising again. Jesse was the last of his clan, Kate. When he was killed, everyone thought the legend had died with him. You’re the first black panther to be born in generations upon generations.”
“What else does the legend say?” Kate heard the hesitancy in her own voice. She wasn’t really sure she wanted to know the answer.
Drake’s brow furrowed, and he pursed his lips. Kate had the distinct impression he wasn’t all that happy about giving her the answer. “It talks of the black panthers being reborn with powers that would be even greater than their ancestors.”
Kate huffed. Great, she couldn’t even be a normal panther. She had to be some kind of freaky super-panther. “What kind of powers?”
Jake let out a frustrated breath and rubbed his hand up and down her leg. “We’re not very well versed on the legend, Kate. We just need to keep you safe and make sure they don’t find you.”
Kate wasn’t sure how to react to all of this. She had grown up always feeling like there was nothing special about her, and she never quite fit in. Besides the insecurity of growing up thinking her father didn’t want her, she had never really been good at anything. She sucked at every sport she’d ever tried. Cheerleading was out since she couldn’t do a cartwheel to save her life. And singing? Well, some things were just better left alone. So what happened after she found out she really was special? Someone wanted to kill her because of it. Why couldn’t she just be a normal golden panther like the men?
Drake put his finger under her chin and lifted her face so that she was looking into his eyes. He stared at her intently for a moment, his eyes like deep pools of chocolate that Kate wanted to sink into. “We happen to think you’re absolutely perfect, darlin’.”
Kate almost forgot to breathe. Her heart had been frozen since she’d lost her mom, but she could feel it starting to melt as she stared into Drake’s eyes. She started to lean in to kiss him, but at that moment, a great gust of wind slammed into the house harder than any had before, jerking their attention to the storm.
Blake reached for the remote and turned the television back on. Kate wasn’t sure how they were still receiving a signal, considering the weather, but she was glad they were. The picture wasn’t great, but they could at least find out what was happening.
It wasn’t good. The weather radar showed the huge storm swirling over the Florida peninsula, blocking out most of the land mass. Kate couldn’t tell where their location was by looking at the radar.
“Where are we?”
Blake leaned toward the television and pointed at the little clear dot in the center of the massive white swirl. “Right about there.”
“And how long before it will be over?” She didn’t like being trapped inside the house, especially when she now felt like she had a bull’s-eye plastered on her back.
The guys must have sensed her apprehension, because they all huddled in a little closer to her. Drake rubbed soothing patterns on her back. “Probably tomorrow. Don’t worry, Kate, we’ll protect you.”
The oven dinged, and they all jumped a little then started chuckling. Things were way too tense, and Kate needed the diversion. Jake jumped up off the couch and went to the kitchen to pull his culinary creation out of the oven. Whatever it was smelled wonderful, and Kate’s stomach let out an embarrassingly loud growl, which caused another round of laughter.
Blake got up off the floor and stretched. “I’m going to go try to get a phone call out before I eat.” He exchanged a look with Drake and Jake. Kate could tell that look meant something, but she didn’t know what.
Blake went to his bedroom and closed the door behind him. Kate watched the closed door for a moment then turned to the kitchen. She knew they would tell her what that was about eventually. She really did trust them.
She shook her head in amazement. She was having a hard time getting a grasp on how much things had changed in the last couple of days. When she’d left Palm Beach, she had been expecting a storm. But there wasn’t a storm warning in existence that would have alerted her to the tempest she’d found herself in.
Chapter Ten
Drake pushed his plate away and leaned back in his chair. Jake had outdone himself this time. It hadn’t been a complicated meal, but the simple meals were the ones Drake preferred. The roast had been perfectly cooked and satisfyingly filling after their earlier run and altercation. Fortunately, their cat metabolism allowed them to eat large meals without suffering any of the ill effects.
The hurricane was raging worse than ever outside the kitchen window. The wind was blowing so hard it was driving the rain sideways. Drake couldn’t even see the tree line beyond the yard. The backside of this storm was going to be much worse, and he hoped the house would hold. They had assured Kate that this house could withstand anything, but that might have been a slight exaggeration to keep her from feeling too much anxiety. They knew for a fact that the house was built to easily withstand a Category 3 hurricane, but the weather reports were indicating that this monster had been a Category 5 when it made landfall, and it hadn’t slowed down very much since then. The warm waters of the Everglades were providing more than enough fuel to keep it churning destructively on its way across Florida.
Earlier, when Blake had exited his bedroom, he had caught Drake’s eye and nodded, so Drake knew he had gotten a call through to their cousins. He was anxious to talk with Blake out of Kate’s earshot. Despite their calm assurances, he and his brothers were seriously worried. They needed to learn all they could about this legend, and they needed to do it quickly. There were very few people alive who knew the full legend of the black panther. Hopefully, their cousins would be able to get them an audience with one of the last remaining clan elders who still had the knowledge.
Whoever the two trespassers were they had chased off, Drake doubted they would keep it a secret that they had seen a black panther. This wasn’t just news—it was big news. The longer they were stuck in this house, the more time the news had to spread. As long as cell phone and Internet service was still working, even if the service was spotty, word of a black panther would get out. He didn’t think it would be long before it got to the wrong people.
When they had told Kate another clan had killed her father and his family, they were only partially truthful. It had been another clan. It just hadn’t been a shifter clan. Kate had already dealt with enough life-altering news for now. He didn’t think she was ready to hear that there were other monsters
out there, especially considering these particular monsters were after her.
He watched Kate as she sipped her iced tea and talked about mundane things with his brothers. They talked about the beach, their favorite songs, anything to keep Kate’s mind off the danger she was in and the raging storm outside. As he watched her, he could tell she had absolutely no idea how stunning she was. Her long, silky black hair was a reminder of her panther’s coat. He remembered how it had shone in the brief sunlight earlier. He couldn’t wait to run with her again, preferably when he wasn’t half crazed with panic.
It was amazing how two short days could completely change someone’s perspective on life. Earlier this week, his main concern had been the damage the storm would do to their property and crops. Now he was ready to walk away from all of it to protect this one female. And walking away was exactly what they would be doing soon, at least for a while.
Kate must have sensed him staring at her because she turned her gaze to him. Drake felt an awareness flash across his mind, and Kate’s eyes widened.
“I heard you!” Kate’s voice was filled with wonder. “I mean I heard your thoughts! How?”
Drake smiled and ran his hand down her arm. It surprised him that she could hear him. “You’re becoming more aware of us. More attached. The closer you get to us, the easier it will be for you to know what we’re thinking. Normally, it would be mostly feelings when we’re in human form, although it sounds like you’ve got a knack for it. In panther form, we can all hear each other’s thoughts.”
His hand continued its slow slide up and down her arm, and Drake loved the silky softness of her skin under his rough hand. Tiny bumps appeared where he touched. Kate’s breath caught, and he looked up into her beautiful eyes. Her face was flushed, and she licked her lips nervously. The sight of her pink tongue sliding across her luscious lips was more than he could withstand.
Drake leaned over and claimed her mouth with a ferocity he hadn’t been aware he was holding back. He stood and pressed his body into hers, loving the way her soft curves molded to his hard form. Her taste was sweeter than honey, and he wanted to taste more of her, feel all of her. He could sense her, could tell her blood was beginning to become hot, as the mating fever once again rose within her.
“Drake.” There was pleading in her ragged voice as she tore her lips from his. He kissed her jaw and her neck, and ran the tip of his tongue around her ear. “Drake, please!”
He knew what she needed, and he was beyond ready to give it to her. He could feel the burning in her, and it fueled his own desire, making him as desperate as she was. He swept her up into his arms and carried her to the thick rug in the middle of the living room floor. Somewhere in the back of his mind he registered that the wind was picking up, and the house was rattling continuously, but he didn’t care.
He laid Kate on the rug and went to his hands and knees between her legs. He leaned down and licked her ankle then trailed his tongue up her calf. He teased the soft flesh behind her knee and delighted at the low mewling he heard from her. He grinned, knowing he wanted to hear more of those sounds, and he knew how he was going to make it happen.
He was briefly aware that Blake and Jake had followed them to the living room and were sitting back, watching. It would be like this often for them, one brother satisfying Kate and the others staying back to allow the closeness to develop between their mate and each of the brothers. There would also be times when Kate would have an overwhelming need for a specific brother. There would be no jealousy involved. Each brother reveled in the knowledge that their mate needed each of them, not just as a group, but also as individuals.
Drake pushed the too-big shirt she was wearing—his shirt—up over her thighs and stomach, revealing her sensuous sex to him. He groaned at the sight of her wet folds, already moistened and ready for him. But he wasn’t quite ready yet. He wanted to taste her first. He trailed light kisses up her thigh and then blew over her sensitive folds, grinning as she shivered and moaned. God, how he loved hearing those sounds coming from her!
He settled himself flat on the floor between her legs and gazed at her. She was gorgeous, and he couldn’t wait any longer to taste the honey she offered. He leaned in and inhaled, letting her scent wash over him. It was like orange blossom and honey to him. He slowly licked her, starting at her sweet entrance and leisurely working his way up to her swollen clit. His cat purred in his head at her taste, which was even better than her smell. Now that he had tasted her, his cat would recognize her scent even from a distance.
His tongue swirled around her clit, and she moaned and arched her hips into him. He held her thighs apart with both of his hands and licked the juice from her slit, pushing his tongue into her entrance and swirling it inside of her. Her desperate cries told him she was getting impatient for release. He twirled his tongue around her sensitive clit and sucked it into his mouth then nipped it gently between his teeth. Her orgasm was immediate and explosive. He latched onto her clit and lightly teased it with his tongue as she thrashed under him. His cat purred in triumph at the impassioned cries of his mate.
Drake felt Kate’s hands wrap around his arms, and she pulled him forward over her.
“I need you, Drake.” He saw the frenzied need building again in her eyes and could hear it in her voice. The mating fever was an intense and consuming force of nature that would not be denied. And he certainly had no desire to deny her anything.
With one strong thrust, Drake drove hard into her and seated himself completely.
“Yes, Drake, yes!”
Her voice drove his own desire, and he pulled out then thrust back into her, again and again, until he could feel them both hurtling toward the edge. Just before they hit their peaks, Drake felt their emotions open completely to each other and meld together, carrying them to a shared high as they rushed over the edge. Their combined climax deepened the connection between their hearts and minds, and they screamed their pleasure together, wrapping each other in their joy.
Chapter Eleven
Kate was getting impatient. Or rather, her cat was getting impatient. It wanted her to shift and was pacing back and forth in her mind, making its unhappiness extremely obvious.
“I can’t help it!” She huffed loudly and continued staring out the kitchen window. Not that she could actually see much. The rain was still blowing past the window in sideways sheets. She had almost gotten used to the rattling of the house. She would only jump when an even stronger gust of wind would hit.
Strong arms wrapped around her from behind, and she knew without looking it was Blake. It was disconcerting how she could tell the brothers apart without even looking at them, but at the same time, something about it just felt so…right.
She sighed and leaned back against his chest. “Is this ever going to be over?”
Blake nuzzled his face into her neck. “Not long now, sweetheart.”
Having seen as much of the blinding rain as she could stand, Kate turned in his arms. She didn’t see the other brothers. “Where are Drake and Jake?”
She caught the hesitancy in Blake’s expression. “Packing.”
“For what?”
Blake raked his hand through his hair and blew out a long breath. “We can’t stay here, Kate. It’s too dangerous. We’re taking you somewhere safe.”
Kate started to protest. She couldn’t just leave everything. “For how long? I’ve got my condo. My car. ” As soon as the words were out of her mouth she realized how stupid that sounded. It was just stuff. She had left her job to take care of her mother. She hadn’t made any friends in Palm Beach. Her mom had left her the condo and enough money so that she didn’t need to rush out and get another job. But the real truth was she just hadn’t seemed to care about anything since her mother’s death.
Now, however, she knew she was starting to care for these men. She could feel her heart expanding for them. It was like using a muscle that hadn’t been exercised in too long.
“We’ll have someone check on yo
ur condo while we’re gone, and I’ll get our mechanic to pick up your car. It’s on our land, and I know where it is, so it won’t be a problem.”
She nodded and rested her head against his chest. “Where are we going?”
“To our family’s place down in the Keys. It’s protected by very old clan magic. The only people who can get on the island are people we want to be there. I called our cousins earlier, and they’ll be heading this way as soon as they can get through.”
She started to ask him more questions, such as how this magic worked, but something hit the side of the house with so much force it sounded like an explosion, and the whole house shook violently.
“What the hell…” Blake let go of her and ran toward the back of the house, toward Jake’s bedroom. Drake was already running down the hall, and he threw open Jake’s door. Kate ran after Blake and gasped when she saw what was beyond the door.
Blake grabbed her, pulling her backward and forcing her against the hallway wall. “Stay here!” Then he charged into the room, which wasn’t much of a room anymore.
Kate stared in shock as Blake and Drake waded through the mess and threw pieces of debris out of their way. The outside wall and the roof had collapsed, and rain was pouring down on them. There were concrete blocks, roofing tiles, furniture, leaves, and unrecognizable rubble everywhere. Her frantic gaze searched the room, but she couldn’t see Jake. What if he were hurt? Or worse? She started to hyperventilate. Her cat was yowling in her head, wanting her to do something.
She strained her ears, trying to hear any sound that Jake might be making, but the roaring of the wind and rain made it impossible to hear above it. Drake and Blake grasped a large piece of the fallen roof and heaved, their muscles straining with the weight of the debris. They lifted it up, and Kate’s heart leapt into her throat.
“Jake!” Kate screamed, and ignoring Blake’s order to stay put, she rushed into the room and fell to her knees next to an unmoving Jake. The heavy roof debris was thrown to the side, and Blake and Drake knelt down to assess their brother.
