Claimed by Panthers: A Reverse Harem Paranormal Romance (Panther Shifters of the Amazon Book 3)

by Laura Wylde

  “Come here,” she growled, her eyes sparkling with need instead of fear. “I want you now.”

  She grabbed my tee shirt and dragged me to her, kissing me hard. The passion flowed intensely between us, Tara could sense the desperation and hunger, the need to move quickly, to forget about the upcoming war. I didn’t need words to communicate with her. She just knew.

  “Oh, Jabari,” she murmured against me. “You are one hell of a kisser, you know that.”

  As her hand slipped down to the waist band of my trousers and she teased her eager fingers inside, Tony came up behind Tara and began to tease the inside of her thighs. She tilted her head back, leaning against him as she whimpered with excitable need, but that didn’t stop her from cupping her hand around my steel rod and stroking me at a pace I loved.

  “Oh fuck,” I groaned. “Fucking hell, Tara.”

  Her soft velvety fingers felt incredible, the way she took her time to flick over my tip was utterly phenomenal. She was playing my cock like an instrument; she knew exactly what I needed. But it wasn’t just that to drive me wild. It was her. Her beauty, her essence, the way that she was like a devil and an angel all in one. How did someone get so freaking stunning? So perfect for not just me, but for all of us? We were so different. I didn’t think that it was possible… until she came along and turned all of our lives upside down in the best way possible.

  All of a sudden, Tony lifted her from her feet and lay her back on the bed. Much as I was angry to have her stripped away from me like that just when she was doing such a wonderful job with my body, I liked the sight of her sprawled across my bed. She looked incredible as the other guys peeled her clothing off. I touched myself, running my fingers delicately up and down my length while the others stripped her down and kissed and licked all over her skin. Tony positioned himself between her thighs, his tongue circling around her clit at an incredible pace. She grabbed Ramon in one hand and turned to look expectantly at Seth. But he just stood there, unsure of what to do.

  “Seth,” I whispered, knowing that I needed to help him out, to guide him. “Tara wants you in her mouth.” His eyes popped open, wide with surprise. “Just go to her. She will help you.”

  Lust overshadowed his face. His nerves melted away and he dropped his trousers. He looked like he was in a haze as he stepped towards her, a feeling I knew very well myself. I had been in something of a haze ever since Tara came into my life. Nothing had been the same since.

  Tara locked her eyes on Seth, and she gazed at him like he was the sexiest man on the planet as she grabbed his cock and slipped it into her mouth, pushing him all the way to the back of her throat. Seth buckled, I didn’t think that he was going to last long, but he would have the time of his life. Tara was going to take him all the way to heaven and back.

  Tara’s body writhed with pleasure as the guys in my pack drove her to oblivion. I picked up the pace on my own cock, the sight of them enough for me right now. But soon, I was going to have to drive inside her. I needed to feel her tight pussy wrapped around me.

  “Oh fuck,” I moaned, tossing my head back in pleasure. I had always been an expert in waiting. I didn’t let impatience get the better of me which was how I had managed to last so long, but it was taking me down now. I could hardly stand being this near to her. “Oh, Tara.”

  It wasn’t a surprise to see Seth losing his mind rapidly, soaking her lips as well as shooting down her throat. What was a bit of a shock was to see Tara lose it at the same time. The power of Tony’s tongue drove her over the edge, and she screamed. Tara really let go as the orgasm shattered through her. Her contorted face was the most beautiful fucking thing that I had ever seen.

  Tony slid up her body and sucked and licked her nipples while she swam through the post orgasmic bliss. It had to be a wonderful, peaceful moment for her, but I needed that to end.

  “I need you,” I growled as my cock shuddered and trembled. “Fuck, Tara, now.”

  There was no second guessing my command. It was strong and dominating. Just the way that I planned to be once I got my hands on that stunning body of hers. I had waited too long to fool around. I needed to get what I wanted and give her what she needed too.

  Everyone stood aside and allowed me to take control of her body. First, I rolled her over on to her front, then with an agonizing moan I pulled her on to her hands and knees. Finally, as I angled my cock inside of her, I pulled her upwards so her back pressed against my chest. I wanted everyone to see as I piled into her hard, over and over again. Each thrust echoed through the room, making my heart race even faster. She was so tight, so wet, how the hell was I supposed to hold it together? I felt even dizzier as my fingers tweaked her soaking wet nipples…

  “Oh, fuck.” Ramon knelt in front of Tara, his face glazed over with lust, and he slipped his cock between her lips. The way that she hungrily sucked and licked him was incredible. Her fingers even grazed lightly over his balls. She was a sexy, kinky freak and I loved it. But then I suppose she would have to be, to be with us. “Fuck, this is so hot,” I groaned. “You have no idea.”

  I sucked a patch of her throat which had already been marked, presumably by Ramon before, and really claimed her as our own. Maybe she wouldn’t be. Perhaps we would all die tomorrow, she could run away if this was too much for her, but I knew for sure that this was our mate. There wouldn’t be anyone else. If it wasn’t Tara, my Little Miss Purple, then it was no one.

  A guttural cry came from the pit of my stomach as I exploded like a volcano inside of her, her walls clamping around me, coaxing more from me, as I came. I slid my eyes closed and inhaled her delicious citrusy scent as I did, wanting to savor everything about this moment. I would have to remember it forever. No matter what happened, this orgasm was the one to stay with me.

  Falling over the edge, drowning in pleasure with Tara and my pack, was the most intense, wonderous experience. It was one that I wanted to last and last. I didn’t want tomorrow to ever come. I wanted to stop time and exist here forever more.

  As I collapsed backwards, completely spent and drained of energy, Tony took my place, causing the pleasure that I had given her to keep on rolling through her body. I watched them through hooded eye lids, glad that we had at least been given this chance.

  She is the one, I thought to myself sleepily. I don’t know how she feels about us, but I love her, and I know the other guys do too. She is the one we want to be our wife.

  Tara

  “I don’t want you to go,” I said sadly, as I leaned against Seth. “Not now. Not ever, really.”

  Last night was something else. It was absolutely incredible. I finally got to see what Reese and Kayla were talking about when it came to the nature of the polyamorous relationships. It was better than any fantasy could have ever been. It made me feel so much closer to all the guys as well. I now had an even deeper bond with every single one. I hated them to have to leave.

  Of course, I knew this was going to happen. As soon we got to Panthera, I knew that it would end in a war. How else could it go? They needed to fight the jaguars off somehow. Then Jabari made it even more obvious by grabbing and kissing me. In front of the other wives as well. He claimed me and made me his own. That was the moment I knew it was potentially our last night together. Sure, we went out with a bang, but still it wasn’t enough.

  “This isn’t my fault, is it?” I gushed while looking at Jabari. “Because of the pictures?”

  The damn pictures and video footage that I couldn’t believe I had clung to for such a long time, that seemed so freaking important to me, that now felt like absolutely nothing. I would give it up in an instant to have Jabari and the others safe. Why didn’t I do so earlier?

  But now it was far too late to make that offer. The war was already in motion.

  “This was going to happen anyway,” Tony reassured me. “There’s nothing for you to worry about. The jaguars want us to bow down to them, and we won’t. This was inevitable.”

  “It feels like my
fault.” I pouted out my bottom lip. “And I feel horrible because of it.”

  Ramon grabbed me and pulled me to him for a giant, reassuring hug. I leaned against his chest listening to the pounding of his heart. Every beat felt like it was for me. Like he didn’t want to leave me either. I gripped tightly to his shift and tried to hold back the tears.

  “Can I hug you?” Seth whispered, much less uncertain than he was before. I enjoyed his confidence. It made me feel a whole lot closer to him. “If you don’t mind?”

  I grinned and flung my arms around him, the wetness staining my cheeks now. I couldn’t keep it in any longer, I was a damn emotional wreck. New mom Kayla, and pregnant Reese, were doing a much better job of holding it together than me. It was embarrassing, really.

  “Be strong for me,” I hissed quietly to Seth. “Make sure everyone comes back in one piece.”

  He didn’t answer me with words. Instead, he squeezed me tightly, reassuringly.

  Then, I grabbed Tony. He chuckled into my ear, which I presumed was to let me know that he wasn’t worried at all, that he had all the confidence in the world, but I wasn’t buying it.

  “Be careful,” I said, quietly. “Look after everyone out there.”

  Finally, Jabari took me in his arms, and he stared deeply into my eyes. I could see all the emotions there, all the feelings he had for me and it made me fall apart. The tears that were there only moments before became full on sobs. I leaned against his shoulder and wept like crazy.

  “Shh, shh, don’t worry,” he told me. “We’re going to be fine. You know that, don’t you? You have seen us fight; you know what we are capable of. You have nothing to be concerned about.”

  “I… I know,” I sobbed, sadly. “I just don’t want you to go, that’s all.”

  It was the perfect time to tell them all how I was feeling, to tell Jabari and the rest of them that I loved them, but for some reason the words wouldn’t come. It was the perfect moment, really. Just before I was about to send them into battle, to perhaps never see them again—not that I wanted to think of it like that—but I still couldn’t say it. It was like there was something there in my throat, blocking me. It actually hurt, and I was sure that the ache would remain in my body all day long.

  “We will be back,” Jabari reassured me with utter confidence. “All of us. Once we are, our lives can go back to normal. We won’t ever have to deal with the jag threat again.”

  “Should I come?” I demanded, hopelessly. “Give them my photos? Would that help?”

  Jabari’s whole body language changed, as if the thought of me on the battle field destroyed him. His face stiffened, and I could almost see a wide range of emotions flickering behind his gaze.

  “There is no way in hell that I’m letting you anywhere near those assholes,” he growled. “Not a chance. Plus, this is bigger than that and you know it. You will stay here with Reese and Kayla.”

  I didn’t mind being with them. They were nice people who I got along with, but I would rather my men have been here with me. Knowing that they were out there in danger was too much for me. I clung to him and sobbed a little harder, hating the idea that this could be the last time.

  “You take care of yourself,” I begged. “Please. All of you. Come back to me. As soon as you can.”

  Javier then made the command that it was time to leave, which of course the other panthers had to obey immediately. They pulled away from me and got into battle stance. They looked powerful, like a force to be reckoned with, but still I couldn’t hold on to that confidence. The fear was much more overwhelming. Really, I had only known these guys a short while, but the impact that they had had on my life would last forever. No one had ever affected me quite like this.

  “It will be fine,” Reese tried to reassure me while wrapping her arm around my shoulder. “I know that it’s hard but the best thing we can do is try not to worry too much. We don’t want them to be looking at us sad, knowing they’re breaking our hearts by leaving because they need to be focused. So, dry up those tears and wave them farewell. Then we can cry afterwards.”

  I knew that she was right, so I did as she suggested and wiped my tears on my sleeve. If Reese and Kayla could hold it together while their husbands left and one of them had a child with the other on the way, then I could keep it together too. At least for a few more minutes. I stood tall, I raised my head high and jutted out my chin, waving fiercely to my men. They waved back, their eyes portraying the truth but the body language making them the men that they needed to be today.

  My men. Yes, that felt right. The men now really did belong to me.

  “Come on,” Kayla said once they had vanished into the distance, out of the tunnel and leaving Panthera. At least for the foreseeable future. “Let’s go and play with Jessie. He’s a good distraction. Plus, I’m pretty sure that we all need some herbal tea by now.”

  “Herbal tea?” I questioned, curious. “I’ve had lots of herbal tea, but what’s this one?”

  “It’s a special Panthera recipe.” Kayla smiled, secretly. “You will love it, believe me.”

  I didn’t have anything better to do so I went with the girls to Kayla’s place where we played a ball game until Kayla brought us this special tea. As soon as I took just one sip from it, I could tell that it really was special. It had some kind of calming effect on me. I leaned my head back and basked in the sensation for just a moment. It had been such a long time since I felt this way.

  “So, you are enjoying it here?” Reese asked me after a few moments. “You like Panthera?”

  “I do,” I admitted. “It’s lovely here. I guess you must love it too.”

  “Oh yes, I do, so much.”

  I leaned forward, curious. “Did you not enjoy your life before? Did you want to get away?”

  “I lived in New York and I had a very successful and fulfilling life.” This reply shocked me. “To be honest, I didn’t even realize that anything was missing from it until I got here.”

  I searched myself inside realizing that was exactly how I felt too. I loved my life. I really enjoyed exploring the world, protesting things that I just knew were wrong, and having my adventures. But Jabari, Seth, Ramon, and Tony had filled a hole that I didn’t even know needed it. I honestly wasn’t sure if I’d walk away now no matter what happened.

  “The library is always a good place for self-reflection,” Reese told me, knowingly. “Kayla and I are fine here with Jessie if you want some time to think.”

  Once Reese pointed me off in the right direction, I thanked her for knowing what I needed and made my way to the library. I had always loved books and reading anyway. I always looked for a library wherever I went, so this was perfect for me… even more so when I realized that it was filled with texts about the panthers and their history. Finally, I could get the answers to everything to do with this race. The truth as well, not just rumors and lore like the cat museum had given me.

  God, that felt like a lifetime ago now. When I strolled in to Brazil expecting to find a cat related adventure. How little did I know that it would completely turn my life around.

  I smiled to myself, thinking about how much I had changed since I came here. How much of a different person I’d become. I felt more grown now, more capable. More of an adult. This experience had really opened my eyes to the person that I wanted to be as well. I always thought that I knew myself, but now I really did. I wanted to be the Tara that I was in Panthera, the Tara that the guys brought out of me. She was the best version of me that I could be.

  With that thought in mind, I took my seat in the library with a stack of books as high as I could carry and I started to read, diving in to research knowing that would help me get through the hardest day of my whole damn life…

  Bleep, bleep.

  I go so sucked into my reading. I had spent the last couple of hours completely absorbed in the history, the past wars, the plans for the future including preserving the race… all of it. I got myself completely lost in it all and
it was wonderful. It made me even more determined to help.

  So, my cell phone blasting out, reminding me that there was a world outside of this was a shock.

  Maz: Hey Tara, long time no speak. How is the Brazilian adventure going? Please tell me the reason that you haven’t been in touch is because you’re shacked up with some hot man, not that you have been eaten by those damn massive wild animals you insist on chasing xx

  Her message was filled with much bigger implications than she ever could have known. This was the time to start telling her that I had met someone if I really was going to stay here. Of course, it was something that I could always back out of later on, but I knew I wouldn’t. If I said those words, then I was staying. I would be one of the human wives carrying a panther shifter baby.

  Once I had that child, I was committed to Panthera. I couldn’t leave my baby, nor could I bring him or her into a world where persecution and death was a real risk.

  Darla: Yes, it has been a while. That isn’t like you. You’re usually very keen to tell us all about where you are. You haven’t been kidnapped or anything, have you? Xx

  I smiled to myself and started typing, the decision making itself obvious for me.

  Tara: I am with a hunky man, in fact. That’s why I have been absent xx

  Maz: Oh, thank goodness! Tell us all about him xx

  Tara: He’s a tall, muscular hunky man who makes me laugh, is very smart, makes me feel safe, and also calms me down. I think he might be the one for me, you know xx

  The only way that I could describe my mystery man was to make him a combination of all four. I just wasn’t sure that they would understand polyamory. I wasn’t ashamed, not at all. I just wanted to make it easy for them to get why I was leaving my whole life behind.