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Authors: Doris O'Connor

Panther Magic (9 page)

BOOK: Panther Magic
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Kate writhed under him,
unintelligible sounds spilling from her lips, and she spread her legs in a
silent invitation he found hard to resist. Mindful of where he’d last taken
her, however, he scooted down and used his mouth on her instead. It took mere
moments of his licking at her sweet cunt before Kate exploded for him again,
and he drank in her juices, until the last of her tremors subsided.
 
Licking and nibbling his way back up her
delectable body, he frowned when he tasted the salt of her tears on his tongue.
He kissed them away and claimed her mouth again in a tender kiss that made her
cry harder.


Ssssh
, sweetheart, there’s
no need to cry. It’s okay. Everything will be fine.”

Kate shook her head and
eyes screwed shut she reached for him, and he turned them both until she sat in
his lap, and he studied her.


Look at me, little wildcat.
Why
the tears?”

Kate’s eyes fluttered
open, and again she struggled to focus.


I can’t … damn it. I can’t see you properly, and I
want to see you.”

Zeb smiled and kissed
her nose.


You wear contacts, right?” She looked adorably
confused at his question, and he wanted to fuck her silly again, but that would
have to wait. There were running out of time, and he had to get her cleaned up
and presentable before Cole Jackson came through that door, and there was so
much he wanted to say to her yet.


I do, why?” she asked, and he kissed her nose.


Take them out. If my hunch is correct you won’t need
them anymore.”


But that’s impossible. I don’t…” He shut her up by
kissing her again, and then gently extricated himself, when the kiss quickly
turned passionate.


Trust me, little wildcat,” he said, and Kate sighed.
Cheeks flaming in seeming embarrassment she proceeded to rid herself of the
lenses in practiced moves and gasped


Oh, wow, you’re right. I can see—but how is that
even possible, and…” Her words trailed off again, and her hands checked her
belly and then flew up to her throat.

With a strangled cry
Kate shot off the bed, and raced to the bathroom. Zeb followed at a more sedate
pace, and grinned at her wide eyed reflection in the mirror, as she twisted
this way and that, muttering to herself.

To give her a moment, he
busied himself by running them a bath, and by the time it was filled to his
satisfaction, Kate seemed to have her emotions back under control.

He smiled at her as he
stepped into the fragrant bubbles, and held out his hand for her to join him.


Let’s get cleaned up. Cole will be here soon, I dare
say.”

A cloud crossed over her
expressive features, and he inwardly kicked himself for killing the moment.
Even more so when she moved, frowned and then stared at the thin trail of cum
that trailed down her thigh.


Yes, about that. I got carried away, and I should be
sorry for that, but I’m not. I can’t give you any diseases, I can tell you’re
not currently fertile, and, besides, it’s fucking hot to see you dripping in
my cum
.”

A brief flash of anger
made Kate’s eyes spark, and he was half expecting her to give him a verbal
dressing down, before she shrugged her shoulders, and surprised him by throwing
herself at him.

It was only due to his
shifter reflexes that they didn’t end up half drowned in the bath. As it was
the water sloshed over the sides, and Kate laughed.


Whoever cleans this place is going to hate us. Well,
you. I was never here, after all. And there’s no need for condoms. I’m on the
pill. But you should have asked me.”

She sighed when Zeb
snuggled into her neck, and pulled her down between his legs until her back
rested against his chest. Picking up the sponge from the side he proceeded to
wash her breasts, and Kate squirmed under his ministrations.


Hold still, and let me do this for you, my love,” he
said, and Kate froze. A sob escaped her, and when he turned her head to be able
to see her expression he wasn’t entirely surprised to see renewed tears
clinging to her eyelashes. He smiled and pulled her closer.


And I am very glad you were here, because whatever
happens tomorrow, we’ll have had these moments. I’ll die a—“


No, you won’t.” Her shrill shriek stopped him, and
she scrambled to her knees and turned around fully, until she was kneeling down
facing him, and put her hand over his mouth. A shudder went through her when he
licked her palm, and she shook her head.


Stop trying to distract
me,
and you will
not
die tomorrow. I simply won’t let you. You have to tell
them what happened, and that you killed those fuckers for attacking me, and
they’ll have to let you off. They will or I’ll … I’ll…”
 
Her words trailed off as she seemed to run
out of ideas as to what exactly she could do, and amusement bubbled up inside
him, and he slid her hand off his mouth and sucked her digits one by one.

Kate went a little cross
eyed at that action, and his balls ached with the need to impale her on his
cock once more, but he could hear the door open, and Cole’s scent hit him in
the gut. Their time was up.


We’re in the bath. Give us a minute, will you?” Kate
jumped at his shout and
blushed
the most delightful
shade of crimson when Cole’s bear growled in answer.


Cole?” she whispered the words, and Zeb nodded and
got of the bath.


I’ll keep him busy for a second, my love, to help
you get dressed. I’m afraid I ruined your panties, but the rest ought to be all
right still.”

Kate nodded and swiped
away renewed tears, as he wrapped a towel around his hips, and left the
bathroom. Zeb gave a grim looking Cole a curt nod, picked up her abandoned
clothes, and took them back for his girl. She was in the process of drying
herself, and Zeb swallowed a groan at the sight of her bent over. Her piercings
led his gaze straight down to her ass cheeks, and her still swollen cunt. When
this was all over and done with, and God willing he was free, Arran and he
would have to spend at least a week worshipping every inch of her body. He
willed his twitching cock to behave, and handed her the bundle of clothes, when
she straightened up and swung round.


I can’t do this. I don’t want to leave you, Sir.”


I’m afraid you’ll have to, Kate.” Cole’s deep growl
from the door made her shriek and yank her towel up, and Zeb spun round ready
to tear a chunk out of the bear shifter. Cole put his hands up and turned his
back to them.


Relax, Zeb. I’ve seen your mate naked before, when I
took pictures of her injuries as evidence, and just as well I did. I suspected
mating with you would complete the circle and heal her.”


What the fuck does that mean?” Zeb asked, dimly
aware of Kate hastily pulling on her clothes behind him. When she wrapped her
arms around him his panther relaxed.


I’m dressed, Cole. Thank you for the privacy.”

The bear shifter nodded
and turning round held out his hand.


You’re welcome, sweet thing, but we need to get you out
of here. We now have an excellent case, as long as Zeb stops being stubborn and
gives
us the correct version of events.” He paused and
stared at Zeb, and much to his beast’s dismay Kate let go of Zeb, and took
several steps toward Cole.


Of course he will.” She swung round when he made a
disgusted sound at the back of his throat, and he had to grin at the way his
feisty little mate glared at him.


You
will,
Sir. Arran and I, we both need you,
and I’m not prepared to lose one of the men I love.”

Cole smirked, and Zeb
felt as though all the air had been sucked out of his lungs.


You love me?” Even to
his own
ears his voice sounded like a poor imitation of its usual strength, and his
panther whined, when Kate kept on walking, picked up the filthy rags she’d
arrived in earlier and shrouded herself from view again.


Of course I do, you silly cat. Why else do you think
I was here? Arran is a shadow of his former self without you, and we’ll never
be truly happy without you to complete us. And maybe I’m greedy, but I want it
all.” She pushed her hood off her hair, and he couldn’t doubt the sincerity of
her words. Her conviction poured out of every one of her pores, and the
strength of her love for him wrapped itself around him almost like a physical
caress.


I love you, Sir, and you will damn well fight for
us, or … or … damn you, say something.”


Put your claws away, little wildcat. I will. I love
you too much not to try and fight this, if you’re sure that’s what you want.”


Promise me?” she asked, and he nodded.


I promise, baby. And I always keep my promises.”

Kate huffed out a breath
of seeming relief, and Cole rolled his eyes and opened the door.


As touching as this is, we have got to go,
now.”

Kate jumped, blew Zeb a
kiss, and then disappeared through that damn door. It shut behind her with an
ominous thud, and Zeb’s legs refused to cooperate. He slid to the floor, and he
hoped like fuck that he could indeed keep this particular promise.

 

Chapter
Nine

 

Vision blurry, thanks to the
tears that started to fall the minute that door shut behind them, Kate was
grateful for Cole Jackson’s quiet strength next to her. One large hand clasped
around her elbow, he pulled her along.


Let’s get out of here, little one.”

Kate was dimly aware of
negotiating the myriad of corridors and then underground access tunnels,
through which they had originally entered the Council mansion unseen, until
they emerged into bright sunshine. She blinked as rough hands removed her
cloak, and a frisson of fear chased down her spine, when someone pulled at her
neckline and calloused fingertips traced first Arran’s and then Zeb’s marks on
her shoulders. The marks burned and tingled, and the presence of her men filled
her mind and made her cry in earnest.


I’ve got this, boys. Make sure any surveillance
footage of us in the tunnels is destroyed. It will be obvious enough that we
smuggled her in. We don’t need to give them more evidence.” Cole Jackson’s deep
voice rumbled through her, and seconds later she was pulled into his embrace.
Kate ought to struggle, but instead she sagged against him, his scent oddly
familiar, yet different. The presence in her mind grew stronger, as though her
men were with her, encouraging her to trust him, and with a quiet sob she
wrapped her arms around his middle, and allowed herself the luxury of being
held through her tears.

By the time she finally got her
emotions back under control the bear shifter’s shirt was soaked through with
her tears, and he shook his head and cupped her chin to make her look up at him
when she started to pull away apologizing profusely.


Don’t worry about that. It’s only a shirt. Let’s get
you in the car and away from here. You’re coming home with me. The boys have
already packed you a bag.”

Before the significance of the
words could truly sink into her befuddled brain, he’d had her installed in the
passenger seat of his Land Rover, and they were driving off.


What do you mean they’ve packed me a bag?”

Heat rose in her cheeks at the
mere thought of Cole Jackson’s security team riffling through her underwear
drawer. They were all hunks in their own right, and besides…


And why am I going to your place? Arran is at my
house so…” Her words trailed off, and fear made her stomach churn when Cole
flicked his amber gaze to hers briefly and shook his head.


He’s not, little one, and neither your men nor I think
you ought to be on your own right now.
Besides
Emmi
is dying to meet you.
She’s been rather
deprived of female human company since Gabe’s birth, let alone a female in a
similar situation to hers, so this will be good for both of you. I’m sure you
must be full of questions, and
Emmi
will be able to
answer them much better than I ever could.”

He smiled when Kate opened and
shut her mouth but couldn’t manage to form any words. When she did eventually
speak it was a rather strangled squeak.


Your mate is human?” She rolled her eyes and slapped
her forehead. “Of course she is
,
you said that to
Arran before, but what do you mean she is like me? And where is Arran?”

A shadow crossed over the bear
shifter’s features, and the way his mouth set in a grim line gave Kate renewed
palpitations. She wasn’t going to like his answer.


Arran is doing what needs to be done for council
justice to be able to take place.” His knuckles tightened on the steering
wheel, and Kate would have thumped the man if she didn’t think she would do
herself an injury in the process. Like all the shifters she had met so far,
Cole was huge, huger than most in fact, with not an ounce of fat on that
muscled bear-like physique of his. She was beginning to get quite good at
guessing what inner animal a shifter was. Cole had the brawn of his bear, like
her men had the sleek, muscle packed grace of their large cats, whereas Zach
had the sit and quash them mass of his elephant.


What do you mean, council justice?” she asked, and
Cole’s smile in answer didn’t reach his eyes.


You’re an intelligent girl, I’m sure you can figure
it out. There’s only one thing he could do, to give both him and Zeb the best
chance of a fair hearing.”

Bile rose in Kate’s throat, and
she swallowed repeatedly to stop herself from being sick, as the answer dawned
on her.


He’s turned himself in, hasn’t he? How is that
helpful? I don’t understand … this whole thing is insane.”

Cole reached across to give her
shoulder a squeeze.


Relax, little one. With Zeb changing his story, he had
to. Voluntarily turning himself in will show the council that he’s willing and
ready to accept their judgment.”

Kate shook Cole’s hand off with a
glare, and his lips kicked up into a lopsided smile.


And what if that judgment goes against them? I can’t
lose them, not now.” Her voice broke on those last few words, and Cole sighed
and ran a hand through his brown hair.


We’ll worry about that if it happens. This is the
best chance they’ve got, and with Gunnar Anderson as judge, we’ll stand the
best chance of things going their way.”

The absolute conviction behind
those growled words soothed Kate’s agitation somewhat. There was something
about Cole that made her glad he was on their side, but she still had to probe.


And what makes this Anderson fellow so special?” she
asked, and Cole laughed.


Well, for starters
the fact that both his sons mated a human.
Now admittedly their bite
awakened her inner puma…” At her gasp his grin deepened, and he nodded. “Yeah,
Anastasia had shifter blood in her bloodline and didn’t know. Anyhow, they have
adorable triplets now, which in itself is
something of
a miracle, considering the abysmal fertility rate. And then there is the small
matter that his daughter is mated to both a wolf and a human. They, too, just
had cubs, so I reckon Gunnar will be more than amenable to consider the
seriousness of the mating bond between you, Arran, and Zeb.”

Kate chewed her lip and regarded
him thoughtfully.


Yes, but aren’t you forgetting one small thing? I’m
not about to give birth to anything, babies or … did you say cubs?
As in furry little creatures?”

Cole winced as her voice had
risen in her agitation, and she murmured an apology, but, really, cubs?


Don’t look so worried, Kate. The potential for
offspring will go a long way to soothe the ruffled feathers of the old timers.
We need fresh blood, or shifters will be extinct in a few generations, and—”


That’s as may be, but cubs, really?” Kate couldn’t
help but interrupt him, and while his bear growled his annoyance, Cole’s eyes
sparkled with barely disguised amusement. “Did your wife give birth to a bear?”

She frowned at his laughter, and
once he had his merriment under control, Cole shook his head.


No, she didn’t. Gabe is very much a baby. However,
he is also a bear cub, and at some point will shift. That’s when the fun really
starts. Anastasia’s triplets shifted much sooner than anyone was expecting, so
we’ll see. It’s certainly an adventure.”

Kate had to laugh at that. It was
that or
cry
, and she’d done enough crying to last her
a lifetime.


You’re on the council, right?
So
why aren’t you the judge?”
Kate asked, and Cole smiled.


Because I’m speaking
up for your men.
Guess you would call me their defense lawyer if this
was a human court, which it isn’t, of course. The judge’s decision is
final,
and judgment swift, but like I said, we lucked out
with Gunnar. It will be all right, you’ll see, so I want you to stop worrying,
and try and relax.”

Kate snorted in derision at that,
and Cole laughed.


Yes, I know, but I don’t want
Emmi
worrying over you.”

The way he said his wife’s name
and the waves of protectiveness that rolled off his large frame made Kate blink
away tears again. It was clear that he loved her to distraction, and it made
Kate miss her men even more.

A comfortable silence fell between
them for the rest of the journey to Cole’s house, and Kate gasped when the
front door opened the minute Cole parked his car outside his house.

The young woman, who cradled a
baby at her breast, broke into a big grin when Cole closed the distance to her
in record time, kissed the baby’s downy head, and then proceeded to kiss his
wife senseless. Kate averted her eyes and took her time clambering out of the
Land Rover, and when she eventually reached the front door it was to see Cole
now cradling his sleeping son in his arms.

Emmi
held out her hand and smiled at Kate.


So glad to meet you.
Come on in and make yourself at home.”

Kate couldn’t suppress a gasp of
surprise when
Emmi
turned and she saw the other side
of her face, when she tucked her hair behind her ear. A myriad of fine scars
marked the young woman’s cheeks. They almost looked like claw marks, and Kate
jumped when Cole’s bear growled right behind her. That was definitively a
menacing growl.

Emmi
just laughed and glared up at her husband.


Stop it. I’m sure Kate meant no harm.” She traced
the scars with her finger tips, and gestured for Kate to follow her into the
house. “Don’t mind my husband. He tends to get overprotective over these, and I
know they’re not the prettiest part of me, so—”


Stop talking
nonsense, woman.”
Cole’s deep rumble held an edge of steel that made
Kate want to scramble to her knees. “You’re beautiful inside and out, and I
have no compunction to put you over my knee and spank that luscious ass of
yours, until you stop putting yourself down. And with Kate here, you can’t hide
behind Gabe. I’m sure Kate would be more than willing to babysit him, while I
teach my bratty wife a lesson.”

Kate didn’t know where to look,
but she hastily nodded when Cole’s intense gaze connected with hers, and then
suppressed a giggle when he winked at her.

Emmi
had gone pale and took several steps away from him.


You wouldn’t … I mean … I was just…”

She breathed a sigh of relief
when Cole stepped closer, inhaled deeply and then kissed the worst of her
scars.


I know, sugar. This is a warning, that’s all. I’m
going to put our son down, and as I can’t smell anything cooking, will order us
some takeout. It’s been one hell of a day, and I’m hungry.”

He kissed
Emmi’s
nose and then disappeared up the stairs.

Both women audibly exhaled and
then grinned at each other.


Intense, isn’t he?” Kate asked, and
Emmi’s
grin deepened.


Yes, well, you know how they get. I’ve only met your
men once, but I got the impression that Zeb, at least, is just as intense?”

Kate’s pussy clenched just
thinking about how intense Zeb had been, and
Emmi
gave her a knowing look.


I take that as a yes,”
Emmi
said, and Kate followed her into the living room. The once clearly masculine
place had been overtaken by baby paraphernalia, and
Emmi
sank into the big leather couch facing the fireplace with a small sigh.


I love my son dearly, but I do treasure the times
he’s asleep and not in my arms. It doesn’t happen oft
en
.


I can imagine,” Kate said, and dropped her gaze to
the floor when she automatically found herself staring at the other woman’s
scars.


You can look. It’s okay, really. You should have
seen me when it first happened. Now, I really did look a mess then.”


Do you mind me asking what happened?” Kate asked,
and
Emmi’s
smile lit up her face until Kate didn’t
see the scars anymore.


Not at all.
It
was an ex of Cole’s.” At Kate’s sharp intake of breath, she shrugged her
shoulders. “Yes, she didn’t take too kindly to a human mated to an original
bear shifter. You see the council had decreed that she ought to be mated to
Cole. He’d already decided that was never going to happen, but that bitch
didn’t take no for an answer. Seeing me pregnant with Gabe pushed her over the
edge, and she attacked me.”


She almost killed her.”

Cole’s deep voice made Kate jump,
and
Emmi
smiled up at her husband, when he sat next
to her and proceeded to draw
Emmi
onto his lap. She
snuggled into his broad chest with a small sigh of contentment, and Kate
swallowed down the pang of envy at their togetherness.


You were pregnant with Gabe when she attacked you?”
Kate asked, and
Emmi
closed her eyes, and snuggled in
closer to Cole’s chest.


Yes, she was. I almost lost both of them, in fact.”
The pain in his amber eyes when he looked at Kate took her breath away, and she
almost missed
Emmi’s
quiet words.


You didn’t though, and all’s well that ends well.”

Emmi
sat up and smiled at Kate.

BOOK: Panther Magic
13.06Mb size Format: txt, pdf, ePub
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