The Panther's Arranged Mate

by Bonnie Burrows

  Storm smiled. “I think you might find that Josephine Onca will have answers to that question.”

  “I certainly hope so!” Shanya said.

  That night, she played the conversation over in her head. She had to admit that if Josephine Onca’s story was similar to hers, then it was no wonder she chose her panther prince over her life as a human. If Shanya was asked to choose between her family and living as Storm’s mate, she would gladly renounce her life as a human. The problem was that no one was asking her to make that choice.

  Besides, it was bad practice to insert one’s self in research like that.

  CHAPTER EIGHT

  The ballroom looked amazing. The photos that Shanya looked at online don’t do it justice. It was all finely carved marble pillars, with glittering candles everywhere. The place was warm, even in the dead of a New York winter. Tropical plants graced nearly every table and Shanya could hear the cries of tropical birds.

  Storm leaned in closer to her.

  “This is nothing,” he whispered. “This is just a small event.”

  “This is amazing,” Shanya said, looking around. She didn’t know where to look anymore. Everything was beyond her wildest dreams.

  A butterfly fluttered past her and Storm.

  “Is that real?” Shanya asked, gesturing to the winged insect.

  “Oh, yes,” Storm said absently. “The family keeps them in a greenhouse with the rest of the plants. These are just on display for the night.”

  It was nice to know that these people were so rich as to be able to constantly keep this huge room, with the vaulted ceilings, heated during the winter cold.

  A leopard stalked by them and Shanya gaped. Did they keep other animals as pets? That seemed strange. Like keeping another human as a pet.

  Then, before her very eyes the animal reared up and shifted into a woman in a tropical print dress. The dress had daring cut outs on the sides, uncovering much of her waist. Like Storm, her skin was that tawny gold color and her hair was jet black. It was straight and fell to her waist. Shanya wished that she’d straightened her hair. But she hadn’t had time and Mystia and Kennedy didn’t have straighteners for her to borrow. After all, they had no need.

  “Ah, Storm Panthera, and you're...?” the woman inclined her head at Shanya.

  “Mya’tha Leopardus, this is my date, Shanya Black,” Storm said, gesturing to the two women in turn. “Mya’tha is a very old friend of the family.”

  Shanya nodded.

  “So I know all the embarrassing stories about him,” Mya’tha said, smiling.

  There was something about her smile that put Shanya on edge. Or maybe it was the way she looked at Storm. Shanya moved closer to Storm. Though she was pregnant, her belly wasn’t obvious in her black dress.

  “Well, then I wonder if you'll give me the chance to tell her them,” Storm said with a grin. He didn’t seem to have any reservations with dealing with this woman, though he seemed to have known her for a very long time. She supposed that made sense.

  That and she had to remind herself few people had her past experiences with friends easily turning on her.

  She smiled at the leopard shifter and Storm guided her in towards the middle of the party. The rest of the party was a blur of colors and glittering walls. Everything stunned Shanya and Storm stayed at her side the entire time. This hadn’t been what she was expecting when she’d signed the contract.

  She’d thought that she would be kept locked away and out of sight. Instead, Storm seemed to want to show her off like she was beautiful or something. It didn’t make sense but Shanya decided to go with it. After all, there was no harm in enjoying herself.

  She didn’t miss how they drew the most looks out of any couple twirling the dance floor. For once there were no whispers, no hushed laughter. Shanya was willing to concede that among these guests, whose shifted forms were all big cats of one species or another, she was considered quite beautiful.

  It was a strange experience, but Shanya realized she didn’t mind it as much as she thought. So much of her life was spent trying to blend in and remain unnoticed. She’d thought that being the most talked-about person at the ball would be horrifying. However, she was beginning to realize that she didn’t mind the whispers that much when she knew that they weren’t about how ugly she was.

  When they finally returned to her floor in the house, Storm helped her out of her coat.

  “That was quite a night,” Shanya said. She was in awe of everything to do with this new life. But nothing awed her like Storm. She felt his eyes on her as he hung up her coat. He then started to remove her dress.

  Shanya let him.

  His hands were gentle.

  “You’re so beautiful,” he said to her in such reverent tones that she actually believed him.

  “I’m not,” she said, out of habit and reflex.

  “Oh but you are,” he said, stroking the smooth swell of her breast. “You’re the most beautiful thing I’ve seen in the world.”

  She smiled at Storm. In this low light, his skin glowed and his eyes gleamed brightly. She wondered what she looked like, if it was dark enough to make her skin disappear. If she stepped into the shadows, would he be able to see her? Did her eyes gleam like that as well?

  He kissed her and they began to move towards her bedroom. It was so strange, having her own rooms where he could visit only if she chose. The amount of power and freedom that was being given to her was amazing.

  She helped him get his clothes off before he tossed her to the bed and clambered on top of her. Storm kissed his way down her neck and bit her shoulder gently. Shanya moaned and arched up into Storm. She moaned as she rocked her hips back and forth.

  Laughing, Storm moved his fingers down to part her lower lips. Shanya responded with a gasp. With his other hand he began to lightly stroke her long nipples. He’d discovered that was a quick way to drive her wild on their first night together. It still worked. Arching off the bed, Shanya tried to get him to thrust inside of her.

  Ever the tease, Storm refrained from using his fingers to fuck her until she was wet and gasping on the bed with need. It was only then that he buried his fingers deep inside of her and worked her until she came apart under his fingers.

  *

  “Are you excited for the party?” Mystia asked.

  “Yes, of course,” Shanya said.

  Mystia had spent a long time planning the party, making sure everything was perfect. She had done a good job of it, too. Mystia had decided to borrow from human tradition in honor of Shanya and had thrown a masked ball.

  Shanya didn’t have the heart to tell her that this was not a common human event. though with how prevalent it occurred during TV shows and in movies, perhaps Mystia could not be blamed for that oversight.

  “Do you like it?” Mystia asked.

  She’d been cagey on the details for over a month now and Shanya could see why.

  “Yes, it’s perfect,” Shanya said, looking out at the arriving guests. All of them wore masks. She realized that few had been creative and most of the masks represented the animals that they shifted into.

  Storm came up to her. He was wearing a glorious black panther mask that Mystia must have picked out for him.

  “Good,” he said looking her over. He presented her with a box. Shanya looked at him. “Go ahead, open it.”

  With trembling fingers, Shanya opened the box. Inside was a perfect mask of a black panther—though this mask was far more delicate and feminine looking than Storm’s. She gasped and looked up at him.

  “I thought...” Shanya cut herself off. Both Mystia and Storm were smiling at her.

  “Put it on!” Mystia said. “You’re going to look so lovely!”

  Carefully, Shanya slipped the mask on her face. Her vision was limited, but both Storm and Mystia beamed at her.

  “How do I look?” Shanya asked, turning her head this way and that.

  “Beautiful,” Storm breathed out.

  Shanya gr
inned at him. Her mask was opened in a snarl and it allowed everyone to see the lower portion of her face. Shanya liked that it would allow her to eat and drink without removing the mask. She didn’t want to think about what such constant actions would do to her hair over the course of an evening.

  “I can’t believe it,” a masked lioness said. “Storm Panthera, mated.”

  “Oh, don’t worry,” the leopardess sitting next to her said. “I heard that he found her at a Heat Center.”

  “Oh?” the lioness said archly. Shanya froze. She didn’t want Shifters to catch her eavesdropping but she needed to hear what they were going to say about her.

  “Yes,” the leopardess said with a grin. “So, she’s only here until her contract is up. You’re getting worried over a pretty surrogate, that’s all. Storm’s going back on the market soon.”

  “You don’t say,” the lioness said as she licked her lips. “That is good news.”

  “Yes,” the leopardess said. “She’ll be gone and he’ll be ready to claim.”

  “Are you sure, though?” the lioness asked. “You’re sure?”

  “Of course,” the leopardess said. “I know someone who works there and saw him go in, alone.”

  “They’re really tight with confidentiality.”

  “Not when they’re drunk,” the leopardess said. “She was beyond smashed at that point. Said he remembered her name and everything. She was very taken with him. Poor thing, I imagine she doesn’t see the most attractive people coming through those doors.”

  “Well,” the lioness said. “If you are sure, then that is great news. And it definitely explains how quickly his mother approved. She hated me the last time we dated. I knew that she couldn’t be fawning over a human this quickly.”

  “Well, she is carrying her grandchild,” the leopardess said. “I’d be sure to flatter someone who was doing that. Even if it’s just because of the money.”

  Eventually, they turned a corner and left Shanya frozen. She felt sick. Of course it all made so much more sense. Of course his family didn’t really like her. How could they? They hardly knew Shanya. All that they knew about her was that she was pregnant with Storm’s children and was pure human.

  Oh, they’d made an effort to be nice to her. Couldn’t have her getting overwhelmed and miscarrying—then they’d have to put up with her even longer.

  Shanya bit her lip. She couldn’t believe that she had been so stupid as to fall in love with Storm Panthera. He had gorgeous women throwing themselves at him all the time. It definitely explained why his mother had taken to her so well—Shanya was the woman who was finally going to provide her grandchildren,

  though, Persephone was going to give birth first. Maybe Madira was just thrilled to have even more grandchildren. Maybe she was pleased that her only son was going to start a family. Yes, that had to be it. She wanted her son to have children. Presumably, Storm was the one who was set to inherit and she’d just secured him heirs. That made sense.

  Finally, Shanya was able to move again. She set her drink of sparkling water down. She couldn’t bear to be moving amongst these people any longer. It was clear that this wasn’t the safe haven she’d come to enjoy. Instead, these people were like the people that she had dealt with every day of her life.

  They only valued her in so much as she was useful to them. As soon as she stopped being useful, they would throw her away like so much refuse.

  Shanya fled. She wasn’t supposed to move fast in her condition, but she didn’t need to be able to move swiftly in order to escape. A girl running from the festivities would draw attention. All Shanya had to do was smile and drift towards the elevator, once she was there she could flee to her floor and bar the door.

  The way to the elevator was crowded. Everyone was smiling at her and complimenting her. But Shanya could see through their ruse. They weren’t mysterious creatures. They were mean, petty, and exactly like humans in all the worst ways.

  The only thing that was different was that no one called her ugly, not even those who couldn’t see her. Shanya finally made it to the elevators and soon was shooting upwards towards her floor. It was abandoned.

  As soon as Shanya was out of the elevator, she darted from the waiting room and barred the door. She didn’t want to receive anyone tonight. She didn’t even care what the Pantheras were going to think of her disappearance. She couldn’t bear to be in their presence any longer. Everything was a lie.

  Worst of all, it was a lie that Shanya bought. Oh what a fool she was. She made her way through her vast quarters until she at last arrived in her room. If only she weren’t pregnant she would have gotten drunk off all the fine alcohol. Though, Shanya thought bitterly, I wouldn’t be in this predicament if I wasn’t pregnant.

  The thought was almost enough to make her want to miscarry.

  Shanya pushed that thought away. She didn’t know what that process would do to her body and besides, she would just end up pregnant again if she wanted to do anything other than crawl back home to her horrible family.

  Shanya laughed bitterly. That would never happen, she thought as tears ran down her face. Even these lies were better than living with her family had ever been. At least the people here thought that she was beautiful. Her family just thought she was a deformed freak.

  CHAPTER NINE

  It had started when he first saw her in the Were Human Approved Heat Relief Center. He’d gone to several similar places in his days at the university but this was the first time he’d decided to use one in the States.

  Felixus has told him about this place. It was the best in the nation and was a good place to go. Storm had gone in having an idea of what to expect. Nice place. Nice attendants. He’d come in a lot with a few of his lady friends—females were vulnerable when they approached their heats and Storm was often tasked with escorting them to the Center.

  This was the first time he’d gone on his own.

  What Storm Panthera did not expect was her.

  She was standing there, her skin practically black and her eyes glowing amber. Her face was perfect, all smooth sloping angles. She was the perfect combination of panther and human and Storm had hoped that she was pure.

  But then it had turned out that the perfect creature before him was human.

  Linda had given him a knowing look and allowed him to fill out the application in the same room so he could get a sense for her. He knew that he made her nervous. That was an affect he was used to having on other Shifters, but not on humans. They usually couldn’t pick up enough cues to have the sense to be nervous. But she seemed afraid and surprised that he had even spoken to her.

  When she left, he’d nodded to Ms. Olsen. He had to have her.

  “You know that I can’t just set you up,” Ms. Olsen said.

  “Please,” Storm said. “She’s perfect.”

  “This is not a bar,” Ms. Olsen said primly. “But if it turns out that you’re compatible, then I’ll make sure you get her first.”

  She looked him over.

  “You are looking for children, correct?” Ms. Olsen asked.

  Storm shrugged. His mother had been pressuring him for years now. Honestly, he’d been on suppressants for too long to have much desire for young.

  “It would please my mother,” Storm said. “But I can’t say that I like any of the Panthers in the area.”

  “I’m going to check yes on your form,” Ms. Olsen said. “You’re almost thirty Storm, you need to think about having heirs. And oh, look, you’re in luck, we have a few pure humans who will carry Shifter children.”

  She winked at him. Storm didn’t know what to make of it. Ms. Olsen was a mystery to him. He knew that she was a Shifter, but he’d never been able to place which animal she turned into.

  Of course, that all became clear when he got the call the next day informing him that there was compatibility with one of the newest recruits. He was excited. His mother had been subtly hinting about him continuing the family line. His sisters, Jules, Mys
tia, Kennedy, and Actracia, were also being pestered. Especially since Persephone had gotten herself pregnant. She, too, had decided to forego the mate part and instead had used one of the many services in order to find an appropriate genetic match.

  Like all such centers, the Were Human Heat Relief Center valued privacy and as such, Storm didn’t know who his heat mate would be when he went in the next day. The heat suites were large and luxurious. The walls were soundproofed, as most animal mating was loud. For him, the room had been filled was large scratching posts and had high vaulted ceilings. There was a small walk way, broken up with raised platforms that circled the rooms. This allowed him, and he supposed other feline shifters, the ability to move around the room without touching the ground.