Panthers of Brigantia Shifter Box Set

by Lisa Daniels

  “You are an assassin. How can we trust you?” one of the women, who looked like she was a more recent captive, asked. It was clear she was accustomed to a more lavish lifestyle and wasn’t going to obey anything she was told.

  Phoenix stepped forward, “You are welcome to distrust us, but I feel it necessary to remind you that we have no obligation to help you any further. Either you sit here and wait quietly, or you make a lot of noise while running off on your own. We are only going to help those who do as they are told. If you prefer to be captured and drained, it isn’t our business to persuade you not to be an idiot.”

  “Phoenix,” Orion spoke near her ear.

  “Let’s go.” She grabbed his hand and turned from the women.

  Ignoring the murmurs behind them, she pulled him back toward their destination. “Sorry, Orion. I know, but I cannot stand when people judge you like that.”

  “I really don’t mind. They always end up apologizing.”

  Phoenix turned to look at him. “Really?”

  “Well, not the ones that I judge unfavorably, but the rest of them, yes.”

  “Oh.” Phoenix didn’t like people judging him based on his species, but neither did she like the idea of women apologizing to him, especially with the way women like that tried to apologize. Trying to clear the thoughts from her mind, she tried to channel her thoughts into what she needed to do. “I need to focus.”

  “I understand. Keep your eyes closed, and I will guide you.”

  He pulled her forward. She could feel when they stepped into the Holding Place, then when they emerged out of the other side. The sounds of screaming were tuned out as she slowly opened her eyes. Like she was in a trance, Phoenix took steps forward. There were so many more women, she began to tire before she finished.

  Some of the women had been a part of the heart so long there wasn’t much of them left. Trying to extract them took a lot of her mental strength, and Phoenix found herself beginning to slip. Shaking her head, the druid realized that she had moved too far forward and was now touching the heart. Turning to look around her, she noticed Unwashed standing just outside the room. Obviously Orion had been successful in establishing a barrier and had left.

  Closing her eyes again, she let her mind wander from her current situation. It took no time at all to locate Orion, who was pacing back and forth, his eyes never leaving her location. Pulling back, Phoenix knew that he was at least safe. The signal she was supposed to send him would not help her in her current situation, and she did not want to find out what he would do to try to save her.

  With him at a greater distance, I can at least try something I’ve wanted to do for a long time. One of her hands was connected to the heart, but the other was still free. There wasn’t much power left in the heart, just enough to be dangerous.

  Taking a deep breath, Phoenix allowed herself a wicked smile. “Let’s see just how much like Caspian I really am.”

  A dark energy began to surge around her, coursing down her arm and into the heart. Its strange shimmer quickly became dark, like ink had been injected into it. Phoenix tried to pull her hand away, but found that it was beginning to fuse. Glaring at the heart, she pushed a wave of dark energy at it. The outer casing cracked, freeing her hand, but causing magic to begin leaking. Phoenix’s mouth went into an O shape as she realized what was about to happen. Suddenly, a hand wrapped around her arm and pulled her backwards just as the heart exploded.

  “I told you it was too dangerous to leave you.” The voice just over her head sounded scared. Phoenix pressed into Orion as he held her, his body shaking.

  “It’s okay. I'm still here.”

  “You scared me so badly. I can’t lose you.”

  “I’m here, Orion. I’m still here.” Pulling back from him, she looked up. “We need to get them out of here. But on the plus side, that explosion means we don’t need to stick around to flatten the place.”

  “We will have words later. Be prepared.”

  “You are fine, so anything you want to say or do, I won’t stop you.”

  “That is a dangerous offer.” Sweeping her off her feet, he carried her out. And he did not put her down until hours later when they finally reached his home.

  Chapter 10

  A Successful Plan and the Hunt for an Old Friend

  Once they were home, Orion pulled Phoenix to him. She began to protest, “I need to stretch.”

  “You said I could do anything.”

  “I didn’t realize that you were going to treat me like your own personal teddy bear.”

  “Oh, I really love the sound of that. My own personal teddy bear. No, that’s not right. You’re my little bird. And there’s only one thing that I want to stuff you with.” He lowered her legs to the ground, but didn’t let her go. Her clothes were on the floor before she even noticed that he had put her down.

  Pressing her body up against the door frame, Orion’s body seemed to be asking for reassurance. Phoenix had no trouble giving him what he wanted. Wrapping her legs around him, she was surprised when he thrust into her. Reaching up, she dug her nails into the door frame and felt her body already starting to tighten.

  The next day was a complete blur as Orion took Phoenix at her word. Over time, his frantic passion burned out, giving way to a much gentler and more tender love-making. As she fell asleep, he softly sang to her between sweet kisses.

  Waking first the next morning, Phoenix found Orion sleeping next to her. Again, he had already cleaned up the mess they had made. With a giggle, she mumbled, “We need to get sturdier stuff in here.”

  “Or I could just not replace the items that weren’t furniture. When you are here, I don’t think I’m going to be able to control myself in the future.”

  She giggled again as his arms pulled her close. His soft lips were a sweet good morning, but things couldn’t start up again.

  A lurch in her stomach made it easier to stop, and it was quickly followed by a loud, growling noise.

  “Yes, you are right, we probably should have something to eat.” He leaned over and kissed her forehead. Suddenly, he stopped. “Wait. Something’s not right.”

  Phoenix looked up at him, “What’s wrong?”

  “Your beautiful body, there’s something wrong with it.” Concern was etched over his face as he ducked under the covers to examine her. At first, she thought it was an excuse to try to turn her on so that she would be left wanting more, but his hands were not touching her in a way that was titillating. Instead, he moved his hands around her body, then focused in on her stomach.

  He threw back the covers. “How—how—” Orion kept a hand on her stomach. “That’s not possible.”

  Phoenix watched his expression, hoping for some sign that he was happy. The only thing she could read on his face was disbelief. “What? What’s not possible?” She already knew the answer—what she needed was to see how he felt about it.

  “Phoenix, you’re pregnant.” His eyes looked into hers. “You weren’t pregnant when you got here. I would have noticed when I was healing you. How did this happen?”

  Phoenix closed her eyes, “Do I really need to tell you how babies are made?” She opened one eye.

  “No, I mean, I understand the concept of baby-making, and I hope that I have some skill at it, but… I shouldn't be able to get you pregnant.”

  She began to sit up. He wouldn’t let her do that alone, though, and he was on her almost as soon as she started to shift position. “Calm down, it’s still the early stages.”

  Orion sat back, his muscular chest moving more rapidly than usual. “You don’t seem phased. I would ask if you don’t believe me, but that is decidedly not the impression you are making. In fact, I would think that this is not a surprise to you based on the way you are acting.”

  Phoenix bit her lip and tried to smile, “It was a long shot, I wasn’t sure it was possible. I just hoped.”

  Orion had no idea how to respond to that.

  “I know that you have always wa
nted children, and I couldn’t stand that I was holding you back. Especially after seeing how you were with Ignacio. It hurt to watch you because it showed me just what kind of father you would be.”

  “But…” his eyes tried to read what she was thinking as he looked into her eyes, “what will happen when they pull you back? How will you, how will the baby be affected? Can you even be pregnant there?”

  “No, I can’t, and that’s… why it was Plan 1, Part A. They can’t force me to return if I’m pregnant. I got the idea from something you said the last time I was here, I don’t even know how many years ago.”

  “172 years, 31 days, 42 hours, and I don’t know the seconds.”

  Phoenix placed a hand on his face, “You even track the time. How could I not try anything that might allow me to stay here with you, giving you the support you need?”

  Orion’s expression was blank as he stared at her. Finally he asked, “You mean, you stay here until the baby is born?”

  She nodded.

  “We won’t have to say goodbye for months?”

  She smiled and nodded again.

  Orion threw his arms around her, “You should have told me. Oh, I love you so much. So cruel, but so sweet.” He kissed her, then pulled her to him and stroked her hair.

  “I didn’t want to get your hopes up. My plan banked on us being different in every way to most druids and assassins, and if it didn’t work, I didn’t want to disappoint you. I couldn’t do that to you. If I failed, I wanted to be the only one disappointed.”

  “I could never be disappointed in you. Never.”

  “We may find out if that is true if you have to put up with me for almost a full year.”

  “I welcome it. I welcome it and everything you want to put me through.” He kissed Phoenix on the eyes. “I take it that it was Part 1, and Part 2 is still in the works.”

  “Yes. The pregnancy keeps me here for a while. That will give us time to find some other way for me to stay, hopefully something permanent.”

  “I will take care of it. I will find some way to save you.” He placed a hand on her stomach. “You have already done too much for me, I won’t let you worry about anything else.”

  “We will work on it together. I have no doubt that if we do, we will succeed.”

  “I love you so much, I don’t even know how to express it.”

  Phoenix giggled, “I think you know exactly how to express your love, that’s why I’m pregnant.”

  The sound of his laugh was like music to her ears. Phoenix looked up at his handsome face and took it in, hoping that she would be able to see it every day for the rest of their lives.

  “You realize this makes it incredibly difficult to let you go anywhere near the hearts.”

  “And of course, you have no say. If I don’t, there will be nothing left. I have to go, but from here on out, I will not ask you to leave me unprotected. That, I promise you.”

  “I couldn’t do it even if you did.” He pushed her down on the bed, unable to stop himself. Phoenix did not stop him, and for an hour, he made her feel better than she had ever thought possible.

  They stayed together as he made breakfast. Unable to sit and just watch him, Phoenix began planning. When the conversation died down, she moved the conversation to a topic they had both intentionally avoided.

  Broaching it slowly, she asked, “You know that we have to see him, don’t you?”

  “I figured it would be necessary, but was really hoping to put it off as long as possible.”

  Phoenix walked up behind Orion and wrapped her arms around his waist. “You don’t need to worry about me.”

  He patted her hands, “I know. It’s him I’m worried about.”

  “What? Why?”

  There was a long pause as Orion sought the right words, “Caspian has spent a long time hating himself for what happened. No matter what I said, no matter what he has done to try to right it, he cannot let it go.” There was another pause. “And he is… very ashamed of the person he has become. He hides it very well, has even cultivated a reputation around it, one that he does not deserve. But I think he believes he does. What will happen to him when he sees you? I... want to protect him as much as possible.”

  “Ah, that makes sense. Maybe I was flattering myself thinking you would be jealous.” She squeezed him.

  There was no amusement in his voice when he responded, “I don’t need jealousy because I trust you completely. When it comes to Caspian, I know he was your first crush, but I like to think that I am your first love.”

  Phoenix rested her cheek against his back, “You are my only love now.”

  “Hmmm.” Her response clearly didn’t satisfy him, but Orion didn’t press for more. Instead he focused on the serious part of their conversation. “I should be able to locate him after breakfast.”

  “Thank you, Orion.”

  “You don’t need to thank me. Like I said, I don’t hold anything against him from our past. He is one of my oldest friends, in every sense. There’s Caspian, Darius, and you.”

  “Darius?” Phoenix asked.

  “Oh, right, um, I’ll let you figure that one out. It’s really not my place. Of course, I trust you and Darius. If we can save Caspian from himself, I can again trust him. Given our lifespans, I really miss being able to rely on him as I once did.”

  “I understand that. I have missed him, too. And watching him has been heartbreaking.”

  “What happens when we find him?”

  “He has been in contact with the last remaining seer.”

  “There are still many seers.”

  “The last pureblooded seer.”

  “Wait, one survived?”

  “Yes, she is… she was the source of Legend’s prophecy, and encountered Caspian not too long after that. And he let her go.”

  “Oh gods, that… Legend said that he recently encountered an old friend, but I failed to consider that an old friend for him is something very different to what most people call an old friend.”

  “Not quite like your old friends, but yes.”

  “I should have… shit. Shit.”

  “What?” She moved around to look at him. “What’s wrong?”

  “If she is the last seer, and he is with her, what are the chances that he will kill her? And what will that do to the curse?”

  Phoenix looked at him, “Maverick is with her, and he is in love. She has a protector if Caspian tries to kill her.”

  Orion shook his head, “Maverick is no match. Caspian would kill and regret it later.” He turned off the stove. “We have to go find him.”

  Phoenix was touched by the concern Orion was expressing. It was clear that he didn’t hold anything against Caspian. Reaching around him, she turned the stove back on. “I am so touched to see that you feel that way, but I can assure you that everything will be fine. Well, as fine as things can get. She issued a prophecy.”

  “About him?”

  Phoenix nodded.

  “To his face.”

  “Yeah. Not great, but he won’t kill her.”

  Orion put his hands over his face, then pulled them away. “Poor Caspian.” He didn’t know how Phoenix knew, but he didn’t doubt her knowledge.

  “Right now, he needs time. But we can hunt for him over the next day, and then we can go find him before we go talk to everyone who is going to help us with the next two hearts. He should probably know anyway.”

  “I… okay. You are right. Is there nothing we can do for him?”

  “There is one thing. Let him know that you want to see him tomorrow once you locate him. That will give him time to calm down before you show up.”

  “I think that seeing you is going to change his frame of mind. Learning you are pregnant will definitely affect him, and probably in a good way.”

  Phoenix laughed, “Alright, you can brag to him. But no one else. Alright?”

  “Whatever you want. I love you too much to deny you.” Giving her a light kiss, he turned his attention
back to the stove. “Caspian hunting. It’s always an interesting endeavor.”

  “The way you cook. The way you care so much. I love you, Orion. I love you so much that I don’t think I can last if we are separated again.”

  “I won’t let it happen. I will find some way to keep you by my side. I love you too much to ever let you go again.”

  Heaven’s Assassin

  Panthers of Brigantia

  Book 4

  By: Lisa Daniels

  Prologue

  The Small Problem of Imprisonment

  Her body stretched out on the lounge, the woman lazily looked at the room around her. Things were so boring, almost as if the world had given up under her powers. The boredom was getting to be quite tedious, but there were still a few things that reminded her that she needed to be careful.

  Reaching down, her hand stroked the panther chained to her chaise lounge. A wave of malice washed over her, and with a wicked grin on her face, the woman dug her fingernails into the panther’s back. He roared, but there was apparently nothing he could do to retaliate against her. The magical collar kept him from shifting, and the shackles around his paws kept the panther from being able to stand, let alone retaliate against her. Of course, the woman knew if she were to unleash the creature, she would be in serious trouble. It had taken almost every ounce of her magic to capture the elusive beast, and there were times when she had felt certain that she would die in her attempt. And she had never felt more alive.

  That had been almost ten years ago. Several assassins had come to try to take her prize away, but none of them had been able to rise to the occasion to challenge her. She had heard that this particular creature had a friend who could possibly have posed a satisfactory challenge, someone who was nearly as depraved as she was, but he had not come. Several times she had tried to force the reason out of the panther, allowing him a little time in his human form. But he had never said anything as a human. As punishment, she had denied him the form, though she thought it a terrible shame. He was easily the best-looking man she had ever seen. Especially his eyes when they were full of hate.