Panther Magic (5 page)

Zach gave
Arran
Kate’s handbag, and put his palm on her back. She flinched and clung to Arran
even tighter. He was pretty sure if he let go of her she’d cling all by herself
like a traumatized, Kate-shaped vine. Not that he had any intention of letting
go of her. He needed this contact as much as she did. The reassurance that she
was okay, or as much as she could be given the circumstances, the knowledge
that she was safe in his
arms,
and no one could hurt
her now.

Arran nodded his agreement to
Zach, and they both looked across to where Zeb was prowling the perimeter.
Every once in a while, he’d stop and kick one of the dead fucks who’d attacked
Kate. She flinched anew at the dull thuds of his feet connecting with flesh,
but Arran couldn’t blame his brother. He’d only managed to kill the one
bastard, before his attention had been taken up by Kate. Besides, he’d known
that Zeb and Zach had this covered. Once Zeb had given his panther full rein
the outcome had been inevitable. His brother’s inner animal had always been
volatile, far more so than his own, and considering the circumstances the blood
bath that followed was … unfortunate. Try as he might Arran couldn’t summon up
an ounce of compassion for the humans they had killed tonight.

They were someone’s son, brother,
lover, but they were also scum, attacking a lone woman on her way home. Not
that the council or the human justice system, for that matter, would see it
that way. All being well, clean-up would ensure these particular humans would
just join the hordes of people that went missing every year, and humanity on
the whole would remain as clueless about the shifters in their midst as they’d
always been. That still left council justice, though, and that tended to be
hard and swift. Arran was uncomfortably aware that they were already on the
council’s black list, for their refusal to mate with the council approved
females, and their magician act.

This … well, this could well cost
them their heads. With one last searching look at his brother’s back, he turned
away from the grisly scene and murmuring soothing nonsense to the terrified
woman in his arms, made short work of getting her home.

Fortunately they didn’t encounter
anyone else, and his panther growled his annoyance at the broken entrance door
to Kate’s block of flats, even if it made getting her inside much easier.
Taking the stairs three at a time he stopped outside her flat, and shifting her
slightly, slid her slowly down to the floor.

“
Baby, you’re home. Give me your keys so that I can
get you inside.”

Kate startled at those words, and
her head swung up. Her knees locked and her fingernails dug into his biceps, as
her flight or fight instinct kicked in, and her gaze darted around wildly.

“
Shh
, it’s okay. It’s me,
Arran. You’re safe, baby, you’re home. Let’s get you inside, shall we?”

Crowding her against the wall,
Arran grasped her chin to make her look at him, and firmed his voice to the one
he would use in a scene.

“
Girl,
stop. Look at me.”

Much to his relief his tactics
worked. A shudder went through her frame, and her body sagged against him, as
her gaze connected with his.

“
That’s my good girl. I’ve got you. You’re safe.
We’re going to open the door, and get you inside, and then we’ll run you a bath
to warm you up. You’re frozen. Give me your key.”

Kate ran her tongue over her
lips, and frowned when she encountered the crusted up blood there. His panther
growled anew at the all too visible reminder of what she had just endured. The
bastards had split her lip, and fingerprint bruises were forming on her neck
where one of the assholes had held her down. He couldn’t stop his panther’s
deep growls. They shook the floorboards, and Kate’s eyes widened in fear. She
didn’t pull away, however. Instead she leant in closer, inhaled deeply, and
then fumbled for her key. It took her several attempts to open the door, and
when she finally managed it, she darted through as though the hounds of hell
were after her.
 
The door at the far end
of the hall way slammed shut and locked, and seconds later he heard the
desperate sounds of her retching. Arran sighed and closing the front door after
him, stepped inside her cozy flat. It was going to be a long night.

Chapter
Five

Kate wasn’t sure she would ever
stop retching. Everything hurt, and the stench of blood was everywhere. Hers,
the guys that Zeb had killed, Zach’s, and if she closed her eyes all she could
see was the glowing eyes of Zeb’s panther, as he’d ripped her attackers to
shreds as though they were merely ragdolls. Not that she felt an ounce of
remorse at their deaths. She could still hear them cheering when they’d
wrestled her to the ground. Their evil laughter when they’d ripped her blouse,
their rough hands on her breasts, her throat, the hands forcing her legs apart,
and the foul smell of their alcohol laced breaths, as one of them forced his
tongue down her throat.

It made her gag anew, and she
stumbled to her feet, suddenly desperate to get the soiled clothing off her.
Her trembling fingers would not cooperate, and she breathed a sigh of relief,
when the dodgy lock on her bathroom gave way, and Arran burst in.

He was behind her in a heartbeat,
his incredible warmth enclosing her in a comforting cocoon, and she started to
cry again.

“
There, I’ve got you, baby. It’s okay. You just let
it all out.”

Kate shook her head, and when she
tried to pull her clothing off, his large hands stopped her.

“
No, I need to … please, it’s all dirty. I can’t …
please.” Kate didn’t even know what she was pleading for, but Arran seemed to
know. Wordlessly he bundled her up in his arms, and seconds later the soothing
warm spray of her power shower washed away her tears. Arran got in with her,
clothes and all, and within seconds they were both sopping wet.

Kate tried to push him away, but
he was having none of it. Instead he grasped her chin, and she lost herself in
the sheer intensity of his gaze.

“
Let me do this for you, okay? I’m going to take
these clothes off you, and wash you down. I promise that’s all I’ll do. Is that
all right?” The concern in his deep tones, and the affectionate way in which he
held her, meant she would have done anything for him at this point.

“
Yes, Sir,” she murmured, the title slipping from her
lips as easily as the next breath, and his eyes lit up in approval.

“
That’s my girl. Turn around for me.” He murmured the
words, and Kate dutifully turned to face the wall, while Arran made short work
of divesting her of her sodden clothes. By the time he lifted her legs one by
one to get rid of her trousers and panties Kate was all too aware of him.
 
He sucked in a sharp breath when she turned
around, and she gasped when he stood back up again, and ran his hands lightly
over her abdomen. Even that action hurt, and when Kate looked down
she
, too, gasped at the purple bruises forming on her skin.

“
Oh, baby, I could kill those bastards all over again
for doing this to you.” He traced the outline of the worst of her bruises with
his fingertips, and turning her to and fro inspected her body for more
injuries. His face set in a grim line when he traced the gash on her collarbone,
caused by one of her assailant’s knives. It had stopped bleeding, but she
couldn’t help her flinch of pain, and Arran growled low in his throat.

Despite the situation they were
in, or maybe because of it, her body reacted instantly to that sound. Her nipples
beaded, and her internal muscles clenched in desperate need, and she grew wet
for him. Arran’s nostrils flared, and he inhaled sharply as though he could
smell her arousal, and perhaps he could. She wasn’t at all surprised to be
looking into the eyes of his panther when she sought his gaze. Considering what
she had witnessed earlier that should terrify her, but it had the opposite
effect on her.

She wanted him with a need
bordering on desperation, and she tugged at his shirt with clumsy fingers.
Soaked through as it was it clung to his muscular body, clearly outlining every
well-defined muscle, and she wanted, no needed, to trace those ridges and
valleys with her tongue. Arran’s muscles flexed under her questing fingers when
she finally managed to tug the damn shirt out of her way, and his panther
purred his approval. The deep sound spurred her on, and she groaned under her
breath when the blasted fabric wouldn’t cooperate further. Going on tiptoes she
tried to yank the material over his head, and Arran chuckled as his head got
stuck.

“
Here, let me.” With a few deft movements, he’d
pulled the shirt off, and Kate let her eyes wander over his pectorals.
Everything inside her clenched in need, when she followed the light dusting of
hair that narrowed into an enticing happy trail, pointing down to the hard
ridge straining against his jeans. God, he looked huge, and her mouth watered
with the need to taste him. When she grasped the button of his jeans his hands
closed over hers and stopped her.

Kate moaned and looked up at him.

“
Please, Sir, let me…” She couldn’t help her pout
when he shook his head, and he flashed
her a
crooked
smile.

“
It’s not that I don’t want to, baby, but after
what—”

“
No, please.” His eyes widened when Kate interrupted
him. “Please, I don’t want to talk about that. I just want to forget. Please,
Sir, make me forget them.” Her voice broke on the last few words, and she was
blinking away hot tears again, dimly aware of Arran pulling her in for a hug.
His erection dug into her belly, and she rubbed herself against him. The
friction and slight pain caused by the coarse denim against her tender flesh
pitched her arousal higher, and she moaned when he slapped her ass lightly. He
left his hand there. Heavy and hot it branded her, while he trailed his other
hand up between their bodies until he could cup her chin. He ran his thumb
lightly over her swollen lips, and his jaw tensed when she flinched.

“
Does that hurt, my sweet?” he asked.

“
Not much, Sir.” She whispered her answer, and he
smiled.

“
Good.” That was all the warning she got, before his
lips claimed hers. Gentle tentative strokes along her bruised skin at first and
when she opened to him on a groan, his tongue swept past her lips. He deepened
the kiss in seconds, taking charge of her mouth in the same way he took command
of her wrists. Pinning them high above her head, he held her in place, as he
crowded her against the tiled wall, while his tongue fucked her mouth like she
desperately wanted him to fuck her. More of her feminine arousal trickled past
her pussy lips, and breaking the kiss with a grunt, he shut off the water and
curled her fingers round the shower head holder.

“
Don’t let go, sweet, or this all stops.”

He flicked a glance at her and
smiled at her whispered, “Yes, Sir.”

“
Good girl, now open your legs wider and let me see
my pussy.” When she complied immediately, he grinned and dropped to his knees
in front of her. All coherent thought fled her brain when he used his thumbs to
spread her inner lips and then blew across her clit. The little bundle of
nerves contracted, sending waves of pleasure through her system, and Kate threw
her head back and moaned. Oh, God that felt way too good, and he’d barely
touched her.

“
So wet for me already, sweet girl. I shall have to
reward that, won’t I?”

Kate whimpered at the first
stroke of his rough tongue against her sensitive folds and she could feel his
smile in the kisses he trailed up and down her inner thighs. When he took one
of her legs and flung it over his shoulder, she grasped the showerhead in a
death grip, as he licked up and down her slit. Tingles of need erupted under
his talented tongue, and the deep vibrations of his murmured appreciation of
her gushing for him, added another layer to the sensation overload he subjected
her to.

Arran continued to lick, tease,
bite, and nibble up and down her slit, lapping at her juices like a man starved
of sustenance, and her arousal built in ever tighter circles of need. When he
tunneled his tongue into her pussy hole, while gently pushing his thumb against
her anus, Kate jerked her hips against him.

“
Hmm, soon, I’ll take you here.” He murmured the
words into her belly as he trailed his lips higher, his fingers replacing his
tongue between her legs. Her thigh slipped off his shoulder, and Kate screamed
when he reached her breasts and bit down on one hard nipple while rolling the
other between the thumb and forefinger of his free hand.

“
Yes, you like this, don’t you, baby? If I do this,”
he pulled hard on one nipple, while biting down on the other, and shards of
sweet pain shot straight to Kate’s desperately clenching clit, “you gush
beautifully for me. I bet you could come just by me doing this, couldn’t you?”

Kate nodded, while pushing
herself shamelessly against the magic fingers between her thighs.

“
Please, yes, God … please, don’t stop. I’m so close,
I’m
oohh
…”

The rest of whatever sounds she
was making turned into a long drawn out moan when he released her breasts and
kissed her with a desperate urgency that matched her own. When he pumped his
fingers in and out of her pussy, and curled them up in such a way that he hit
her sweet spot, Kate hovered on the painful edge of impending orgasm, and her
hips went crazy.

Arran tore his lips from
hers.

“
Fly for me, sweet girl. Let go.” The grunted words
into her neck were all the encouragement she needed for Kate to tumble head
first into her release. She moaned her denial when he withdrew his fingers, and
opened her eyes to find him looking down at her. Through the hazy steam still
permeating the air in her shower unit the soft glow of his panther’s eyes
registered, and she whimpered anew when his canines lengthened. She was dimly
aware of the snap of foil and Arran fumbling with what she presumed was a
condom before he grasped her leg and then the broad, sheathed tip of his cock
breached her pussy hole. He must have had one stashed in the pocket of his
jeans, because she knew she didn’t keep any in her shower.

Kate panted her need as he pushed
in slowly, all the while holding her gaze with his. The intensity of his eyes
meant she couldn’t look away, mesmerized by the way they bled from the deep
molten chocolate of the man to the soft amber of his beast and back again. She
ought to be terrified, but as her body adjusted and welcomed the steady
invasion of his cock into her channel, all she felt was a sense of peace and
rightness. This, right here, this overwhelming feeling of connection was all
that mattered, and when Arran finally bottomed out inside of her, they both
groaned in unison. Her vaginal muscles clenched and released around him as her
orgasm flared anew, and Arran started to move. Every thrust into her made her
release burn hotter, and Kate whimpered and moaned as trembles shook her body.
It seemed to be what Arran had been waiting for, because he thrust harder,
deeper, until she felt utterly owned by him. When he buried one hand in her
hair and tilted her head sideways, a silent question in his fascinating eyes,
Kate moaned her reply.

“
Yes, please. Make me yours. I want to…”

The pain of his bite took her
breath away, only to be replaced by pleasure so intense she screamed. The force
of her orgasm meant she let go of her anchoring above, and they collapsed on
the floor as Arran grew bigger inside of her and then tensed. With one last
long thrust upward, he snarled his own release, and the jerky movements of his
cock emptying himself into the condom triggered another orgasm for Kate.
Smaller than the previous ones, it nonetheless made her go limp. Utterly spent
and sated, Kate simply relaxed into Arran’s incredible warmth. She was dimly
aware of his licking his bite, and winced when he pulled out of her, and then
urged her to stand with one hard arm around her waist. The shower came on
briefly, washing away the evidence of their coupling, and Kate sighed when
Arran washed her down. The comforting fluffy feel of her bathrobe was next, and
then the world tilted again. Kate closed her eyes, and when Arran deposited her
on what had to be her bed, she blindly made a grab for him.

“
Don’t leave,” she murmured, and Arran kissed her
with so much tenderness it brought tears to her eyes.

“
Never, my sweet.
You’re
mine
now.”

****

Arran waited until Kate’s even
breathing told him she was fast asleep, before he moved off the bed. He wanted
nothing more than to curl up next to her, drink in her scent, and reassure his
panther that she was indeed safe. He trailed his fingers over his mating bite,
and Kate stirred and arched into his touch. It soothed his troubled mind
somewhat, and he loved the fact that she now carried his mark and his scent.
She’d seemed with him in the moment, but he couldn’t help but wonder what she’d
make of all this when she was awake, and not shell-shocked by what had happened
to her.
Or almost happened to her.
His panther snarled
in anger at the thought of how much worse it could have been—for her, anyway.

Zeb was in deep shit. Arran could
sense his brother’s shimmering anger and his distress at being confined. Not
that Arran could do anything about that right now. He could no more leave Kate
than he could stop breathing. After one long last look at sleeping beauty in
her bed, Arran padded back into the bathroom. Their clothes were a soggy mess
on the bottom of the shower unit, and he grimaced at the bloodstains on Kate’s
torn blouse. They would only be fit for the bin, but mindful of the fact that
the council might want them for
evidence,
he wrung
them out, and left them there.