by Megan Slayer
“Maybe I’d better have my guard cat in his regular place.” Penelope wriggled but didn’t pull away.
“I’d prefer it.”
Chapter Two
“I’m exhausted, but there’s no way I’m going to fall asleep.” She stared up into his green eyes. When she’d picked up the kitten, she’d had no idea her ball of fuzz would turn into a hot man. Like, holy hell, Batman, he’s hot. Her heart ached. Good-looking men didn’t come after her. They tended to give her wide berth. The ones who did date her didn’t stick around. Would Ascher be like the others? He kept claiming they were stronger together. What the heck did he mean?
“We don’t have to go to bed right away.” He rubbed her arms. “We can talk or whatever.”
Sure, Ascher looked ridiculous in her sweatshirt, but he hadn’t complained. The fabric pulled against his muscular frame. So all those hours running like a mad cat through her house helped his physique?
“There’s just so much to think about and process. My cat became a man right in front of me.” A man she wanted to strip naked again so she could lick every inch of his sexy body. The man she’d dreamed of waking up beside. She rested her head on his chest. “I wish I understood everything.”
Ascher wrapped his arms around her and stroked her hair. “I’m sorry. I never wanted to put you in danger, but you’re my human.” He kissed the top of her head. “When I was in my cat form, you understood me. Most people want that sort of bond with their pets. Now you’ve got the best of both worlds -- the most loyal house cat and the man who loves you.”
He loved her? Well, yeah, his cat should’ve. She’d fed him, kept him in catnip and hesitated to get him fixed. Why did he have to be so appealing?
“I’m drawn to you, Penn, and not just because you own me.” He cupped her jaw in both hands, forcing her to look into his eyes. “You won’t understand this, but you’re my mate.”
Yep, she didn’t understand him. The words made sense, but what the hell did being his mate mean? “Are you going to hit me with some crazy magic or something and make me want to fall into bed with you?”
“I wish.” He parted his lips and tilted his head to the side. “Right now, I don’t care about DNA, lunatics who want me dead or anything else.” He met her mouth for a kiss.
The moment their lips touched, heat flooded her body. She moaned into the kiss and pressed her chest tighter to his. Her nipples ached. From the lack of attention? Maybe. Penelope rubbed her groin against the growing bulge in his pants. Cream coated her pussy. No toy matched what he was packing. She dug her nails into his shoulders.
A strange scent wafted around him -- earthy, but almost like clean linen. Did men actually smell like linens or was it her detergent?
Ascher scooped her into his embrace and carried her through the house to the bedroom. He broke the kiss first and rested his forehead on hers. “I need to make love to you. Can’t wait.” He collapsed on the bed with her on top of him. He eased his hands inside the elastic waist of her yoga pants and palmed her ass. His touch on her body sent shivers through her being. She wanted to go too far with him and find her heart’s desire -- but not yet.
“No,” she said, putting a halt to their actions. One kiss and some cuddling didn’t equate to them having sex. “We can’t.” Although she wanted to, the thoughts were rational. She wasn’t the type to fall into bed with anyone on the first date -- even if she’d known him for over a year.
The shrill ring of her doorbell sliced through the tension in the room. Penelope brushed her hair off her face and sat upright. “I’ll be right back.”
“Wait.” Ascher tagged along, hot on her heels. “It could be Branker.”
“I’ll check the security hole first.” She stood on tiptoe and peeked through the small circle of glass. A man and a woman stood on her porch. Penelope gripped the door handle. The man looked one hell of a lot like Ascher. Same black hair, same green eyes and angular face. She flattened her feet on the ground.
“I think your brother is out there,” she murmured. Penelope scooted out of the way as Ascher glanced through the peephole.
“Joel.” He fumbled with the locks on the door. “Joel?”
“Wait.” Penelope blocked him from getting the door open all the way. She jabbed the chain back into place. “If this Branker fellow wants to hurt you, he could use your brother as bait to get you.”
“Good point.” He opened the door with the chain engaged. “Joel?”
“Brother.”
Penelope couldn’t see him, but she heard Ascher’s brother quite well. He even had the same gravelly voice.
“Is this… your mate?” Ascher asked.
“Yes. May we come in?”
Ascher glanced at her, then shut the door. “He’s alone save for his mate. I can’t turn him away.”
“Sure.” Why not? Hell, everything else she thought she knew had turned upside down -- why not let total strangers into her home as well?
When Ascher opened the door again, Joel and the woman stepped into her small house. Both slipped their shoes off as Ascher re-engaged the lock. “This is Penelope, my owner.”
“It’s nice to meet you.” The woman opened her arms. “I’m Hayden.”
Joel, the spitting image of Ascher, smiled. His eyes lit with mischief. “You must be the woman who tamed my brother. Fang did have a way with curtains.” He offered his hand. “I’m Joel. It’s a pleasure to meet you.” He draped his arm around Hayden’s shoulders. “I hoped I’d be able to find you. The scent was strong.”
Scent? Penelope eased backwards to the couch. Minutes earlier she’d been on the brink of stripping naked to make love to Ascher. Now his brother and mate were in her house. Oh, and both men could turn into black housecats.
“Why… are you wearing that?” Joel’s dark brows knotted. “Is this your first shift?”
“Yes.” Ascher joined Penelope on the couch. “I was in the middle of a lot of explaining.”
“Yeah, seeing my cat shift into a guy was quite a shock.”
“I know,” Hayden said. “Three days ago when Godzilla shifted, I almost passed out.”
“Godzilla?” Penelope snorted. “That witch had a way with naming them, didn’t she?”
Ascher curled his arm around her and cuddled her to his side. “I see you’re in one piece, Joel. I take it Branker didn’t find you?”
“He did.” Joel perched on the edge of the armchair. He patted his thigh for Hayden, then when she sat on his lap he enfolded her in his embrace. “Branker sent his man Nugent to kill me. Hay helped stop him. If it weren’t for her, I’d be dead.”
“Joel shifted back into his cat and tried to run, but the bastard caught him and jammed a needle into his chest.” Hayden closed her eyes. “I thought I’d lost him.”
“You didn’t.” He pressed his forehead to her temple.
“It’s a bizarre coincidence you’re here,” Penelope said. “How’d you know where to find him?” For a moment, jealousy slid through her veins. She wanted what they seemed to have -- a solid love and devotion.
“His scent.” Joel nodded once. “I know it sounds crazy. Our cats have a much better sense of smell than our human counterparts. The cat helped me to find Ascher.” He shrugged. “It also didn’t hurt for him to have found his mate shortly after I found mine. He can shift.”
“Oh.” Penelope sagged in her seat. “Then he doesn’t need a mate,” she blurted. “You broke the spell and they’re all free.” Well, didn’t that knowledge take some of the pressure off.
“No, his blood is valuable. Branker is in jail, but there are others who want to harm us. We need to find our mates, bind our DNA and come back together.” Joel sat at the edge of his seat. “Haven’t you two mated?”
Penelope glanced at the clock. “Damn. Almost eleven at night. Where’d the time go?” She stood and righted her clothes -- anything to not have to answer Joel’s question.
“Can you give us a minute?” Hayden stood and hooked her arm around
Penelope’s. “I need some water.”
When they entered the kitchen, Hayden eased the door shut. “I know this is nuts. Trust me. Four days ago my house cat was just a little black ball of fur and my love life was in shambles.”
Penelope withdrew two glasses from the cupboard and filled each glass with water. “Here.” She gripped her own tumbler. “You two seem so happy and perfect for each other.”
Hayden leaned against the countertop. She clutched the glass in both hands. “Joel and Ascher might be in their human forms right now, but they are still the sweet and loveable cats we adopted. That affection doesn’t die when they shift. It magnifies and gets better. I know, it’s hard to believe your eyes. One day a cat, the next a man. It’s nuts.”
Penelope turned Hayden’s words over in her mind. She did see the protective streak in Ascher -- the same one in Fang. Same eyes, same good nature. But he’d become a man who said they needed to mate for him to survive.
“Look at things this way. You’re the one to break him in and teach him what you like in bed.” Hayden wriggled her brows. “Definitely a perk.”
She hadn’t thought about Ascher having sex. Well, no, she had because he wanted to have sex with her. The idea of getting a virgin stunned and amused her.
“I don’t question the witch’s magic. We were chosen for a reason.” Hayden lowered her voice. “There’s something you do need to know. If you mate, even if you fall out of love with him, he’s yours forever. The magic binds him in his cat form to you. He’s not taking mating lightly.”
Penelope wobbled on her feet. Wow. A lot rested on her shoulders. If she turned him down, he’d be hunted for his special blood. If she mated with him to help him, then decided she wasn’t in love with him, he’d revert back to a cat and be hers until God only knew when. Or she could admit she loved him no matter what he looked like.
The kitchen door opened, and Joel stepped into the room. “Are you two conspiring against us?” He grinned. “Staging a coup?”
“Just girl talk.” Penelope placed her nearly full glass of water on the counter. “When you said the shifters had to bind together, do you mean like once you find each other?”
“I’d prefer to stay close to my brother, yes, but we won’t impose.”
“Stay here. I’ve got the guest room, and someone needs to get Ascher some clothes. Pink sparkly kitties just isn’t his style.” Penelope waved. “Come on. It’s this way.”
As she escorted her new friends through the house, a thought occurred to her. In the space of a few hours her life had turned upside down. Did she regret what had happened? Not a chance. Yes, the situation was strange, but oddly enough she understood. Hayden’s words resonated in her mind. They’d been chosen for a reason. Maybe that connection she felt with him wasn’t a figment of her imagination. She needed to talk to Ascher and find out what this mating business was all about.
Chapter Three
Ascher stood before the mirror in Penelope’s bedroom and appraised his human body. He’d been in her private space so many times but never as a man. Being there felt right. He eased the sweatshirt up over his head and tossed the garment onto the bed. He didn’t mind wearing her clothes -- they carried her scent.
The more he looked at himself, the more he liked what he saw. He turned and stared at the pale skin stretching across his frame. The hours running laps through the house, chasing dust bunnies and the bouncy ball toys, had paid off.
Goddess. He wanted Penn to find him attractive and want him the way he craved her. He sighed. The more he wanted her, the more she seemed to not believe him. He needed more than a kiss and a snuggle. He needed his mate.
Behind him, the door opened. Penelope slipped into the room and smiled. Her cheeks streaked red, and she hugged her tablet to her body. “Hey.” She tucked a lock of her dark hair behind her ear. “I want to apologize about earlier. We should’ve talked more, but to tell you to stop kissing me when we weren’t doing anything wrong… it… I shouldn’t have.”
“You were protecting yourself. I’m glad you did stop me. I want our time together to be special.” Ascher crossed the space and took the tablet from her hands. The electronic device ended up on the dresser and he cupped her jaw. “What’s happening between us is a big change. Even I don’t understand all of it.”
“It’s a good change.” She leaned closer to him. “I wanted to show you something on the tablet, but it can wait. This can’t.” She rose up on her tiptoes and kissed him. Penn eased her palms over the planes of his chest, eliciting many sensations in his body -- his blood heated, tingles zapped him from within and relaxation settled around him. His cock responded and thickened behind the constraining fabric. His cat rejoiced. His mate wanted him.
Penelope bit his bottom lip and moaned. She stayed in his embrace. “My knees are weak,” she whispered.
“Show me how to love you.” Ascher kissed her again, drowning in her sweetness. He caressed the satiny skin around her middle, beneath her sweatshirt. The more he touched her and tasted her, the more he wanted her. He dragged her to his chest and walked her to the bed. He wanted her bared for him and beneath him as he made her his.
Penn reached behind her head and removed the elastic from her hair. The dark tresses spilled over her shoulders. She eased her shirt over her head and whipped the garment somewhere behind her. Her breasts pressed against the lace of her bra. He preferred when she went without the pesky lingerie.
Ascher palmed her chest, loving the feel of her satiny skin under his hand. He’d dreamed about touching her. Reality pleased him so much more than dreams. He flicked his thumbs across her nipples.
“Ascher,” she groaned. Penn tipped her head back, exposing her throat.
He trailed his fingers over her neck. She felt so delicate in his arms. “Tell me what I need to do.”
She disengaged from him and shoved her yoga pants to the floor. She crawled on the bed in nothing but her panties and bra, then flopped onto her back. “You come to me and let me touch you.” She spread her legs. “Please?”
“You don’t have to beg.” Ascher grabbed the waistband of his pants and tore, shredding the elastic as he pushed the pants to the floor. The cool air in the room swirled around his dick. Oh, Goddess. He’d wanted Penn for so long, but he’d never last at this rate.
She sat up and reached between his legs. “Let me please you.”
She kissed her way up from his belly to his pecs. Penelope crawled to the end of the bed and sank to her knees. From her position on the end of the bed, she stared up at him. From his knee up to his hip, she kissed and touched. The moves elicited a deep groan from his chest. When she brushed her cheek against his cock, he jerked forward. He’d never felt anything so sexy in his life.
Ascher couldn’t move. Instead he focused on her. The woman rocked his world. She flattened her hands on his upper thighs and flicked her tongue over the blunt head of his erection.
“Shit,” he murmured. He threaded his fingers into her hair. Butterflies swarmed in his belly. He shifted his hips, easing his dick in and out of her mouth. “Feels good.” Fixated on her, he fought to catch his breath.
Damn. He knew this wouldn’t last long. The climax was too close. The more she took him in and sucked him, the closer he came to losing control.
“Stop, sweetheart.” He eased his cock from between her lips. Time to let nature take over. Ascher spread her out before him. Goddess, she turned him on. He moved on instinct. With one hand, he stroked his erection and used the other hand to tug on her panties.
“I need you,” he growled.
“Yeah.” Penelope helped him shove her underwear down her legs. She reached between her legs and caressed her pussy.
“Holy shit.” He shivered and crawled between her legs. In one thrust, he entered her. The moment he sank into her sweet heat, his head swam. She might not understand their connection or the magic, but the magic didn’t lie. He kissed her upper chest, then made his way to her throat. The urge to bite her
overwhelmed him.
“Mine,” he roared.
Penn nodded again. She wound her arms around his neck and met him thrust for thrust. She hooked her ankles together at the small of his back.
“Ascher. Oh,” she moaned. She arched beneath him and exposed her throat again.
Time to give in to the primal need to claim his mate. He buried his teeth in her neck, enough to break the skin and leave his mark. When he finished, he gasped, “Mate.” Ascher surged deep inside her and shivered. He emptied his seed in her pussy. From head to toe, everything tingled.
Penelope’s tiny whimpers broke through his orgasmic haze. She relaxed beneath him and tugged him to her chest. “Ascher, baby, there’s no way that was your first time.”
“It was.” He pulled out of her, missing her heat. Ascher slumped beside her on the bed. “But I can’t wait to do it again.”
“Me, too,” she said, laughing. “But next time with a rubber. I should’ve thought of it before, but you swept me away.”
“We were both caught up.” Damn it. He’d forgotten about protection. Then again, the idea of her having his children didn’t sound bad. Not at all. Still. He respected her wishes.
“Ascher?” She draped her arm across his belly and rolled into his side. “You do realize whatever we did could be heard in the guest room.”
He closed his eyes and chuckled. “Oh, well.” He could only imagine what his brother and Hayden had overheard. The weight around his shoulders had lifted. Penelope belonged to him. No one could break their bond.
Now he had to convince her just how much he loved her, and that their love could last forever.
Chapter Four
Penelope rolled onto her back and blinked her eyes open. For a moment, she forgot where she was. A warm body pressed to her side. She knew the smell -- Ascher.
“How long have you been awake?”
“Since six, like every morning,” he replied. “I’ve got a schedule. Six a.m. means dinner time.” He rolled her, pressing her back to his chest. “Right now, I don’t want dinner.”
