Panther Magic

by Doris O'Connor

  You would make a beautiful panther, baby, if you could shift completely. And I reckon Draco pissed his pants.

  Kate had to smile at that, and just for good measure glared at the bloody fool again.

  “Put your claws away, my dear.” Gunnar Anderson’s amused voice brought her attention back to him. Head cocked to one side he was regarding her with a certain amount of … was that admiration? Surely that couldn’t be right, but a quick scan round the room confirmed the same look on most of the shifters in attendance in this room. A handful scowled, clearly not at all happy with what they had just witnessed, and as for Cole and her men, they looked about ready to do cartwheels in excitement.

  She suppressed a giggle at that thought, and her tense muscles relaxed further.

  “I don’t know how much, if anything of my conclusions you heard, young lady?” Kate shrugged her shoulders at Gunnar’s question.

  “Sorry, I … well, I’m not exactly sure what happened there, but no, I didn’t hear what you said, sir.”

  Gunnar’s smile lit up his face, before he sobered and then addressed the entire room.

  “Even the most hardened critics will not be able to deny that this young lady here is indeed mated to Arran and Zeb Harris. What’s more, considering her almost transformation it is also clear that she must have some shifter genes. Sadly, it seems too diluted to enable her to shift completely.” He glanced over at Draco and smirked. “Then again, for some here that might prove a godsend. We all know how unpredictable newly awakened shifters can be.”

  Draco snorted at that, but remained otherwise quietly sat in his seat, and Kate had to quell the urge to slap him, which she supposed was an improvement on wanting to rip his throat out. Really, that was just far too messy. What had she been thinking?

  Zeb’s and Arran’s mental chuckles filled her brain, and she dropped her gaze to the floor to avoid showing her thoughts to the judge.

  It’s okay, he’s on our side, baby.

  Sure enough when Kate looked up it was to find Gunnar smiling.

  “As she has demonstrated on several occasions now, this human, or should that be half-shifter, has established a mind connection with her mates.”

  A murmur went through the crowd, and Gunnar nodded, while Draco’s scowl grew.

  “No one here needs reminding how rare, if not to say impossible that is where one part of the mated trio isn’t a full shifter. Everyone will also agree that a mating such as this should result in strong shifter offspring that we as a community are desperately in need of. It would therefore be completely counterproductive to eliminate one or both of the males in this trio.”

  Kate breathed a sigh of relief, and a murmur of assent went through the crowd.

  Draco shot to his feet, and Gunnar gestured for him to sit back down, which he did eventually after a long hard stare from the puma shifter.

  “This is not to say that there will be no punishment for their crimes. Killing a human regardless of the circumstances cannot be tolerated. Therefore Arran and Zeb Harris are to pay monetary reparations to the families of the men they killed. I understand they all live in impoverished conditions, and an anonymous donation will go a long way to help that community as a whole. Furthermore to avoid any possible connection being made with the shifter community, Arran and Zeb Harris are forthwith forbidden from remaining, and returning to the UK for the duration of ten years, starting the minute they leave this hearing.”

  Kate’s mouth fell open, and she stared at the judge. She wanted to scream and rail at him, but she couldn’t seem to find the words. She looked toward her men instead, and while they looked far from happy, they nodded their agreement, and Kate’s world tilted on its axis.

  She would never see them again, if they were exiled like this. Breathing became difficult, and she couldn’t hear what else the judge was saying, as the world narrowed to a dim corridor of slowly encroaching darkness. The last thing she was aware of, before she allowed the darkness to swallow her, was Zeb’s growl in her ear as he caught her from falling. His delicious scent enveloped her, and then nothing.

  Chapter Eleven

  Zeb cradled his precious burden to his chest, not caring one iota about his blood dripping to the floor, where he’d broken the chains around his wrists for the second time. While he had been reasonably sure that Jackson would have caught Kate, no one else bar him and Arran was going to lay a finger on their mate again. Besides he would heal quickly enough, especially with his mate safely back in his arms where she belonged.

  Her horror at the verdict had soothed his savage beast. She wouldn’t be so shocked and miserable that she fainted, if she didn’t care about them as much as Zeb and Arran did. This was a complication, a bump in the road. That was all. Zeb shook his head at Arran when he stepped up to him ready to relieve Zeb of Kate, having been released of his own chains by the guards.

  “You’re bleeding all over her. Go, get cleaned up, and I’ll take care of her, bro. We can’t go to the airport like this.”

  Zeb would have argued, but a quick glance down reiterated his brother’s assessment. Shirtless as he was, he was leaving a trail of blood on the floor, and while his injuries were already healing, his jeans were definitely worse for wear. Reluctantly he handed her over, but not before he sniffed her again. She appeared to be peacefully sleeping, but she was far too pale for his liking. His brother’s worries hit him in the gut as he handed Kate over, and apart from snuggling into Arran’s chest with a small sigh, made no other moves.

  “I wouldn’t worry over her too much. She’s been through a hell of a lot these past few days, and mated or not, she’s still mostly human. Their bodies are far more fragile than ours.” Cole stepped closer to look down on their mate, and smiled. “Judging from past experience with my mate, she simply needs to sleep and recharge. She hardly slept last night either, too worried about you. Emmi said every time she fed the baby she could hear Kate move about in her room, so be patient, let her sleep, and she’ll be just fine when she does wake up.”

  Arran nodded, but Zeb was having none of that.

  “We haven’t got time. You heard the judgment. We’re supposed to leave straight away.” He glared at Gunnar Anderson, who gave him a curious smile. Zeb was uncomfortably aware that he owed the older shifter his life, and thus couldn’t berate him for his judgment. In truth, both he and Arran had expected far worse.

  He tore his gaze away from the shifter and back toward Kate.

  “I’m not leaving her again.” At Arran’s annoyed growl, he flicked a glance up to his brother. “I mean we aren’t.”

  His panther whined, and Cole’s amused chuckle grated on his last damn nerves.

  “Who said anything about leaving her? Zach is waiting out front with the car to take you to the airport, and as well as your luggage he happens to have Kate’s suitcase. Her passport is on top.”

  Cole winked at him, and Arran laughed.

  “We can’t just abduct her,” he said, and Gunnar coughed.

  “Gentlemen, you might want to have this discussion not in my hearing. After all what I don’t know about, I can’t act on.” He gathered his papers and left, and Jackson punched Zeb in the shoulder and smirked.

  “Go, get cleaned up. With a bit of luck she’ll rouse enough so you can ask her, before you make it onboard your jet, but if not…”

  He let the words trail off and simply grinned. Zeb exchanged a look with his brother, and then glanced back down on Kate. His animal rose with a possessive snarl, and he knew there and then that she would be going with them regardless. She might well go ballistic on them when she realized, but then again, there were always ways of distracting them.

  I like your way of thinking, Zeb, and I guess it’s only an abduction if we stop her from leaving when she does wake up, right?

  Too fucking right, little bro, but I intend on keeping her so busy that she won’t even dream of wanting to leave us.

  Arran laughed, and Zeb grinned back at him.

  “
Go, I’ll meet you at the car. I best go and freshen up.”

  Arran needed no further encouragement, and when he was out of hearing, Zeb turned toward Cole Jackson and held out his hand.

  “I’m not sure what you had to do to get this all arranged in our favor, and I’m sure I don’t want to know, but I’m sure fucking glad you’re on our side.”

  Cole ignored his hand and pulled him into one armed hug instead.

  “Don’t mention it. Besides the minute I saw her injuries, I knew you did the right thing. She’s your mate. I know I’d skin any bastard alive who would dare lay a hand on my Emmi or Gabe.” He paused, and a dark shadow crossed the bear shifter’s face

  “Which reminds me, time to check out Draco’s connections. There’s no room for his views on the new council. Safe trip, Zeb, and good luck with Kate. I reckon you’re gonna need it.”

  Before Zeb could question him on that ominous statement, Cole had left the room, and Zeb went in search of the nearest restroom.

  Having suitably freshened up and donned the clean clothes one of the grumbling guards brought in for him, Zeb joined his brother and a still sleeping Kate in the back of the car, and Zach sped away from the mansion. The action caused the assembled pack of hyenas, which had been sent to oversee their departure, to scatter into all directions, as he gunned the engine and headed straight to them.

  “Damn fuckers,” Zach mumbled under his breath. “One day, I’ll make them dance. They enjoy their jobs far too much.”

  “Agreed,” Zeb and Arran said in unison, and Zeb pulled Kate’s legs on his lap. He instantly felt calmer, holding onto his mate, and it soothed the sting of jealousy he felt at Arran being the one whose lap Kate sat on.

  “Stop glaring at me, bro. I’d say we take it in turns to hold her, but you don’t really want to disturb her and have her wake up, before we’re safely in the air, do you?”

  Zeb shook his head and frowned at his brother.

  “No, but it shouldn’t be a problem, if she does, does it? You don’t think she’d object to coming with us?”

  Zach coughed into his hand, and a clear bullshit could be heard.

  Arran glared at the back of Zach’s head, and tightened his jaw.

  “No, I don’t think she would, not really, but I’m not taking any chances either.”

  Don’t get cold feet on me now, bro.

  I’m not. I just want to do this right. She’s our mate, but I’m not sure how she’ll feel about having to relocate to Vegas permanently. Her whole life is here in London, after all.

  Arran hugged Kate closer and inhaled deeply. It wasn’t like Arran to be this unsure of himself, but then again, they had never had a mate before, and Zeb knew just how he felt. He ran a hand over his face, suddenly tired beyond belief.

  Neither one of them had gotten a lot of sleep over the last couple of days, and now that the imminent danger had passed, exhaustion was fast pulling him under.

  A tense silence fell in the car, and when they finally reached Heathrow, they all breathed a sigh of relief. Thanks to their status and the fact they had a private jet, check in procedures were completed in record time. They got a few strange looks when they presented a still sleeping Kate’s passport, but no one challenged them either, and not for the first time Zeb was grateful for the fame that came with their job.

  It was a pain in the ass at times, but it sure opened doors and insured them VIP treatment. He just hoped that Kate would like living in Vegas. They had just accepted a longstanding assignment at one of the premiere show hotels in the great city. The advance alone had paid for the hire of this jet, which had made their latest tour much easier to cope with. Fortunately the performance Kate had attended had been one of their last ones of the tour, before they settled in Vegas.

  Zeb wouldn’t have liked to explain to their fans or their manager why they couldn’t meet their obligations. Their agent was one of the best in the business, but the man was human and clueless about the real nature of their act. It was only their immediate circle who knew, and they were all shifters like them.

  Their rags to riches story had graced many a magazine cover over the years, and Zeb was fully aware that half of their allure was the fact that no one could figure out how they did what they did. Naturally gifted magicians, the ability to use their panthers, and the other animals their inner circle shifted into, gave them an edge.

  One that made them less than popular with certain members of the council, but that couldn’t be helped.

  He pushed the maudlin thought away, and smiled at the steward who greeted them on board. If the man wondered why Kate was with them, he was too polite to comment, simply welcomed them on board.

  “Takeoff will be shortly. I’m afraid for your own safety everyone on board will have to remain strapped into their seats for that.” The man briefly glanced at Kate’s inert form, and Arran growled his annoyance. In other circumstances his brother’s short temper would have amused Zeb. It was normally him with the too short fuse, but not today. In truth, Arran looked as exhausted as he himself felt.

  “That won’t be a problem,” he said, and together they managed to get Kate sat and strapped into the seat between them.

  She stirred slightly, and her mouth fell open as her head rolled onto Zeb’s shoulder. Asleep and snoring softly she looked utterly adorable, and the wave of affection he felt for her made his inner animal roll over in submission. Arran, too, grinned, as he took Kate’s hand in his.

  “I could watch her sleep all day,” he said.

  “Yeah, me too, but I’ll be glad when we get her into bed. I’m fucking knackered.”

  Arran grunted his agreement. When the plane finally leveled off and the seat belt sign went out, it was with a certain amount of relief that they all fell into the plush king size bed located in the on-board bedroom. The brothers stripped naked and having divested their precious girl of her t-shirt and jeans, slid in either side of her.

  Arran went out like a light, his nose buried in the side of Kate’s neck. It took Zeb longer to fall asleep, but eventually he, too, gave into the inevitable.

  ****

  Kate had the strangest dream. Her men were in there, and Cole Jackson, and she was … not shifting exactly, but she felt as though she ought to. Anger coursed through her, as a pair of dark eyes taunted her. She wanted to kill those eyes, and the force of her hatred to the unknown person that gaze belonged to scared her. A myriad of strange scents and noises assaulted her senses. Car doors slammed, the low rumble of men’s voices, snatches of traffic, more car doors, and was that the sound of an airplane?

  More voices, the odd sensation of being lifted, carried, and then plummeting as though she was falling, only she wasn’t. Softness against her naked skin, followed by the hard, hair roughened planes of a man’s embrace, and then nothing but the soft drone of an engine that lulled her back to sleep.

  Kate jerked awake what felt like hours later. A dead weight pinned her legs in place, and the soft exhalations of one of her men’s breathing sent instant tingles of awareness down her spine. With it came the peace that could only be found by being in the presence of both her men. Her heart beat faster when she realized that they were indeed both here with her, wherever here was, and that they were both fast asleep.

  Arran’s even breathing tickled her neck, and it was his leg over hers that held her pinned in place, and on top of Zeb. His steady heart beat under her ear, and she lifted her head slightly to study his face. He had one of his hands interlinked with hers, as though he was afraid she would run away, not that she could move, which brought with it more pressing concerns.

  She really needed to pee, but how to extricate from between her men without disturbing the sleeping beasts, and where on earth was she? Judging by the monotonous drone and the slight vibrations they were on some sort of moving vehicle. Her earlier dream came back to her. Surely not?

  She propped herself up a little higher and frowned at her bra and knickers. The men themselves were naked, and her
hormones woke up kicking and screaming when it dawned on her what the hard, hot rod poking her backside was. She gave an experimental wiggle, and Arran groaned in his sleep and mercifully moved his legs off of her and rolled on his side and away from her.

  One down, one to go. Somehow she didn’t think extricating herself out of Zeb’s clutches would be as easy to achieve, and sure enough when she gently tried to tug her hand out of his, he grunted in his sleep and tightened his hold on her.

  Kate sighed and giving up for now, looked around her. They were definitely in some sort of plush bedroom. The emergency lighting was on, and out of the small oval shaped windows she could see nothing but black sky.

  Oh my God. She was on board a private jet, that much was clear, and she slapped her free hand over her mouth to stop herself from making a noise. She should have known that was useless, because Zeb woke up with a low growl, and she briefly looked into the eyes of his panther before they bled back to the color of dark molten chocolate. Her insides tightened in need at the instant flare of lust, and she lost herself in the smile that lit up his features, as he released her hand, buried his digits in her hair instead, and pulling her back down and on top of him, kissed her.

  His spicy scent drew her in further, and when she groaned against the firm pressure of his mouth on hers, he wasted no time in slipping his tongue past her lips and taking the kiss deeper. His erection reared to life under her belly, and they both grunted in need when she straddled him. Releasing his hold on her hair, he grasped her hips instead, and Kate gasped when he moved her up and down his cock trapped between their bodies. Her panties grew damp and her body automatically readied itself for his possession, and she drew a shuddering breath into her lungs when he finally broke the kiss. With her hands flat on his chest she pushed herself upward. The action freed his cock, and it reared upward in front of her. Her mouth watered seeing the drop of pre-cum already coating the flared tip of his shaft, and Zeb groaned when she licked her lips.