Panther Magic

by Doris O'Connor

  Kate groaned at her thought processes. This was beyond ridiculous, really. Why did these two get to her so much?

  “There is an easy way of remedying this situation, however,” Arran said. “We would very much like to invite you to come and see one of our performances, as our VIP guests. You and Natasha both.”

  He nodded at Natasha, and for the second time in the last few minutes, Kate’s friend looked as though she was going to have a heart attack.

  “Oh, my, really? We’d love to come, wouldn’t we, Kate? Oh, this is so kind of you, really. Kate will be there, won’t you?”

  It was on the tip of Kate’s tongue to deny this assumption, but the way Natasha implored her with her big feline eyes meant that she couldn’t, so instead she just gave a tight nod. Natasha’s squeal rang in her ears, and the two men’s tight shoulders relaxed. She hadn’t even noticed how tense they had become until that moment, and Kate briefly wondered why this seemed to mean so much to them, before she was pulled into a bear hug by Natasha.

  “Thank you, you’ll love it, you’ll see.” Natasha’s whisper in her ear did nothing to quell the churning in her tummy when she looked across at the two men. Cat that got the cream sprang to mind, and she forced a smile on her lips, when Natasha finally released her, and Zeb and Arran made their goodbyes.

  Heat flared up her arms when they both took one of her hands each and bending over them kissed them in an old fashioned gesture that made Kate want to swoon like a Regency heroine in the historical romance novels she liked to read.

  “Until we meet again,” Arran said.

  “I’ll look forward to your proper apology then, girl.”

  Kate tried to snatch her hand away at Zeb’s outrageous words, but he held firm until she stopped struggling. Only then did he release her hand after he turned it over and dropped a lingering kiss on the rapidly beating pulse in her wrist.

  With a smirk to send her bikini bottoms aflame he winked at her, and left her to stare after the departing forms of him and his twin.

  “Jeez, what have you gotten me into, Tash?”

  Chapter Two

  Kate still wondered this four days later, as she got into the chauffeur driven car provided by the men to transport both her and Natasha to the Palladium where the two men were performing. The Palladium, no less.

  Jeez, as though she needed more proof of how clueless she was. It had been somewhat of an eye opener once she’d got home and Googled Zeb and Arran, as had the phone call from Luke Masterton. The owner of the spa-with-a-difference had taken it upon himself to check it was all right to pass on Kate’s details. Kate had been rather taken aback to learn Luke took such a personal interest, but all had become clear when he admitted that Zeb and Arran were personal friends of his.

  He had sung their praises, in fact, much to Kate’s silent amusement, once she had recovered from her initial astonishment.

  “I understand that Zeb, in particular, came on a bit strong in the swimming pool. I have, of course, reminded him of the spa rules, though I gather you rather successfully put him in his place.” She’d heard the laughter in the man’s deep voice down the phone. “I do wish I’d been there to see it. Anyway, I just wanted to reassure you that both he and Arran are experienced Doms, and you will be in safe hands, should you wish to pursue this further.”

  Kate grimaced, recalling this conversation now. Did she want to pursue this ... whatever this turned out to be? That was the million dollar question. For their part, the men had surprised her by sending a lovely bouquet of flowers for her and signed posters for Natasha. She had shrieked in delight, of course, and immediately replaced the one she had on her bedroom wall.

  Her freaking roommate had their poster on the wall, for pity’s sake. She should have known about them. In her defense, Kate surmised, that poster didn’t do them justice. Taken in the early days of their career, they were both heavily made up, and wearing some form of circus outfit. What had snared her attention, however, had been the two majestic looking black panthers they’d been pictured with.

  Her stomach had twisted in on itself at the mere thought of such proud animals kept in captivity and being subjected to the glare of the stage lights. No matter how many times Natasha told her to just wait and see, and to keep an open mind, the animal lover in Kate couldn’t reconcile with that. They might be tame, for surely they couldn’t perform with them otherwise, but that still didn’t make it right. Large cats like that ought to be roaming free in their native lands, not jump through hoops at their owner’s commands, and be transported and kept in cages.

  “They don’t use cages, numpty,” Natasha had said, and Kate had shaken her head at her poor star-struck friend.

  “That’s what they say, but of course they’ll be using cages. They’ve got panthers in their show, for flip’s sake. They can hardly let them roam free through London, now, can they? No matter how tame they might be. They need to be kept under control.”

  The way Natasha had simply smiled at her had been galling to say the least.

  “Next you’ll be telling me it’s magic.” Kate had ground the words out through gritted teeth as her research on how exactly they transported those panthers had come up empty handed. The exact how-tos seemed to be shrouded in mystery. All the men would say in interviews was that it was a trade secret, and smile. And what smiles those were.

  It had done nothing to curb Kate’s libido, far from it. The more she looked into Zeb and Arran, the more obsessed she became with them. They did a fair amount of socializing, usually with some blonde bimbo on their respective arms, and the jealous person inside, which Kate hadn’t even known was there, wanted to scratch those women’s eyes out.

  It really was beyond ridiculous, the way they occupied her thoughts and dreams. Oh my goodness, her dreams. Regardless of what happened at tonight’s performance, she would have to bite the bullet and get herself laid, preferably by both of them. Surely that would cure her obsession with them. After all reality never lived up to fantasy, and once Kate had scratched that particular itch, she could get back to normal. She had been found daydreaming one too many times at work, as it was, and temp or not, she’d be out on her ear soon, and for good.

  Temping as an insurance claims assistant might not be her dream job, but it did pay the bills, and with Natasha off on a research trip to the Arctic Circle soon—the particulars of which her friend was unusually tight-lipped about—she would need the income more than ever. Natasha said her part of the rent would be upheld in her absence by her boss Cole, but the mere fact that she couldn’t say how long this trip would be for, and that she felt the need to assure Kate of the financial implications of this research journey, made Kate uneasy.

  Cool air rushing into the interior of the car shook Kate out of her internal musings, and she glared at the chauffeur who’d opened the door of the Mercedes to let her out onto Argyll Street. From here it was a short walk to the Palladium, and Natasha bounced in excitement next to her.

  “Oh this is so exciting.”

  “Have a nice evening, ladies.” The chauffeur smiled and pointed them in the right direction. In no time at all they were in their seats, right at the front of the stage, and Kate was sure Natasha would combust. The air fairly shimmered around her friend, and her stunning green eyes had never looked more feline than in the dim lighting of the theater.

  With an impending sense of doom Kate adjusted the hem of her clingy black sheath dress, and vowed to try to enjoy this for Natasha’s sake. After all, the woman was off to the frozen tundra next week, and after all the hard work her friend had put in, she certainly deserved a night out on the town. Apparently they were going out for a late meal after the show, according to the missive that was sent with the VIP tickets, and the dress code was smart. Hence, Kate felt like the proverbial trussed up chick. She was a trousers girl, through and through, and even at work she preferred trouser suits to skirts and dresses, so this sexy little number was an aberration. It had been the only way to convince Natas
ha into a slinky dress, however, and just like Kate always knew she had, her friend had a killer figure. Out of the shapeless clothes Natasha normally wore, she was stunning, and Kate envied Tash her ass and boobs. Both were nonexistent in Kate’s case. She was as tall as she was skinny, and she reasoned to herself, if she had a rack like Tasha’s she’d be in danger of toppling off her stiletto heels. At least she was used to them, unlike Tash, who kept muttering under her breath that she would break an ankle before the night was out.

  Shoes, and in particular boots of any description, were Kate’s secret passion, and she had far too many to count. Still, a girl had to get her kicks from somewhere, and Zeb and Arran were both tall enough that even in her killer heels they would have to dip their heads to kiss her.

  Kate barely suppressed a moan at that thought, fortunately masked by the music starting, and with a sigh she settled down to watch the show. The warm up was an up and coming stand-up comedian, and what misgivings she might have had soon dissipated into squeals of laughter. He was good, very, very good, and the whole audience was in stitches by the time he was done.

  It made Zeb and Arran’s entrance even more noteworthy. Dressed in tuxedos, they were drool-worthy, even more so than in their swimming trunks, and Kate had to give it to them. They were mesmerizing to watch. She couldn’t be sure if they could see over the glare of the lights, but she felt pinned in her seat every time they looked in her direction, and they did that a lot.

  When they asked for volunteers from the audience, the female screeches of excitement were something else, and Kate grinned when they singled out Natasha to come on stage and join them. True to form, her friend almost fell when she negotiated the last steps up, and Kate watched in horror as she stumbled. She needn’t have worried however, because Arran and Zeb were there in a flash to steady her, and the whole theater erupted into good-natured laughter, when they insisted that Tash remove her shoes.

  “We want to saw you in half, my dear, not take off your ankle, after all.”

  That whole act should have been cheesy, but somehow it wasn’t, and when they made Tash disappear in a flash of light, Kate shot to her feet with everyone else to applaud loudly. So far so good, but the panthers were next. She knew they always kept them to the end of their show as their big finale, and she barely suppressed a scream when Arran materialized right next to her in another big puff of smoke, and dramatic music.

  He winked at her, and then addressed the rest of the theatre with great flourish.

  “Who here is ready to call on the magic panthers? We need a beautiful woman to coax them out, and I do believe I have just found her.”

  Kate’s immediate protest died on her tongue, when Arran chose that moment to place his large hand on her nape. Heat scorched her skin, and her body responded instantly as Arran pulled her closer into his body. He let his fingertips trail down the row of piercings tracing her spine, and a faint rumble rose from his chest. It reminded Kate of the deep, content purr of a cat, which should have sounded ridiculous even in her head, but somehow was sexy as hell.

  He dipped his head and inhaled next to her ear, and the crowded theater faded into the background as she fell back under his spell. Maybe he was using some sort of strange magic on her. It certainly wasn’t normal the way she literally turned to putty in his hands just by being this close to him.

  Arran continued the downward journey of his fingertips, until the fabric of her dress stopped him. She’d chosen this dress specifically for its scalloped neckline that left her back exposed. With her hair tied up in a messy up-do it left acres of skin exposed, and showed of her back piercings. They were a relatively new addition, and she liked showing them off. Arran pulled her closer still with one heavy hand resting just on the small of her back, so close that she could feel his stiff cock digging into her belly.

  Kate sucked in a breath, as her body responded instantly to the certain knowledge that he was as affected by her presence as she was by his, and she squeezed her thighs together to relieve some of the delicious ache in her clit. Already her thong was getting damp with her arousal, and the lacy scrap of fabric would soon provide no protection at all. She ought to be mortified by this, especially as Arran and Zeb seemed determined to drag her on stage.

  She was dimly aware of Zeb talking on stage and the audience responding to him, but every cell in her body was too focused on Arran right now.

  “Beautiful.” He whispered the word into her ear, and let his hand trail lower briefly, until he could squeeze one of her butt cheeks. “Tell me, sweet thing, have you got any piercings in more intimate areas, perhaps?”

  His voice had taken on a distinctive growl, and Kate whimpered and grasped the lapels of his tux jacket to steady herself as red hot arousal coursed through her veins. That voice alone did things to her, and then there was his delicious scent. It seemed to be getting stronger, or maybe that was just her lust-fueled brain’s imagination, and she shook her head, not trusting her voice to work right now.

  “Shame, that would be fucking hot.” A shiver went down her spine as he released her and held out his hand as the music on stage reached dramatic levels. “Let’s finish this show. Close your eyes for this bit, pet.”

  Artificial smoke covered them both, and Kate dutifully shut her eyes. It seemed as though the ground fell away from them, and Kate barely suppressed a shriek, when Arran swept her up in his arms. Air rushed by, and Kate got the distinct impression she really didn’t want to see what the hell was going on. Besides, the whole experience was far too discombobulating as it was.

  She sensed Zeb moving in next to her, when Arran put her back on her feet, and when she felt the warmth of the stage lights on her skin, she opened her eyes.

  Arran was speaking now, some mumbo jumbo about an offering to the panthers, but she wasn’t even listening, too caught up in the expression in Zeb’s eyes, as he looked at her. She couldn’t put it down to a trick of the light now, as his gaze bled from molten chocolate to glowing soft yellow, and the air shimmered around him. Arran pulled her back and out of the way, and with another dramatic sequence of music, flash lighting, and yet more smoke Zeb disappeared. Her scream died in her throat, when a snarling black panther appeared in his place, and the audience erupted into raucous applause.

  ****

  Zeb crouched low and snarled his freedom. It felt good to be back in panther form, and his beast damn near purred at being this close to his mate. Her scent drove his animal wild. He wanted nothing more than to wrap himself around the human, lick and bite her fragrant skin, and sink his teeth into her flesh to cement this bond between them.

  Arran watched their mate warily for her reaction, while maintaining a fixed smile for the benefit of their audience, as he ran through his practiced spiel. Zeb, too, bowed and ran circles round his brother and their mate, as per their act. They were performers after all, and the show had to go on, but, boy, how he wished they would all just bugger off and leave him alone with Kate. Well, Kate and Arran.

  It had been something of a shock to them both when they realized that their animals had chosen her. While deep down they’d always known it was a possibility that they would end up mated to the same woman, the reality of the depths of their feelings, the instant need to connect and protect this one precious person they were meant to be with had floored them both.

  Little was known about the mysterious mating bond, thanks to the council’s less than ethical mating practices, but with fertility rates declining sharply, attitudes were changing. With the killing of the original shifter in charge of the Mating Project, the abhorrent practice of mating young shifter females to eligible males had been mostly abandoned, and a team of scientists was working on getting to the bottom of the shifter community’s fertility problems. As pure blood panthers, Arran and Zeb were all too aware of the need to procreate, but being males they’d had much more freedom to do as they chose, and having always been fascinated by magic from an early age, had chosen to pursue a career in entertainment.
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br />   It had taken them out of the council’s influence, and perhaps more importantly, eventual success and the fame that came with it, meant they were safe from this having to mate nonsense. The brothers had taken full advantage of the willing female pussy on offer, and had shared plenty of women, co-topped yet more willing submissives, yet one sniff of Kate’s scent in that swimming pool and everything had changed in an instant.

  However, Kate was human, and the fact that she seemed to find their profession abhorrent complicated things somewhat. So, while Zeb had been all for throwing her over his shoulder and dragging her off caveman style, the more cautious Arran had been the voice of reason.

  “Let’s invite her to the show, so she can see for herself, and go from there.”

  It seemed a sensible enough plan, even if the wait to see her again had been killing both of them. If they’d thought their instant reaction to the human had been an aberration, they were soon cured of the notion. Both men had scented her the minute she’d sat down in her seat, looking as though she wanted to be anywhere else but here. She’d looked good enough to eat in her bikini with her long chestnut hair tumbling over her back, but in this slinky little black number…

  Fuck, he wanted her, and judging by the waves of lust and sheer possessiveness that rolled off his five minutes’ younger brother, Arran, he was barely holding it together either. Zeb jumped through the last hoop and approached Kate again. At Arran’s gentle encouragement she crouched down and put out a trembling hand. Zeb grinned as he licked her fingers, and she gasped out loud, when he padded closer. Her heart was beating so fast, his little human was in danger of going into cardiac arrest, but it wasn’t fear he sensed from her. Awe, confusion, and the sweet perfume of her unwilling arousal, those he got loud and clear, and he licked up her arm. The very scent of her exploded on his taste buds, and his beast purred his delight when she finally smiled, and buried her hands in his fur. It was torture and heaven, all rolled into one to be this close to her, and he nudged closer.