by Scarlet Day
They hadn’t told Kate the whole truth about her father, or about herself. She’d endured enough shock for the time being, but they would have to give her the rest of the story eventually. Everyone thought Jesse’s family line had been extinguished when he was killed. The fact that Jesse had survived for as long as he did was somewhat of a miracle, having escaped the massacre when the rest of his family had been destroyed.
Jesse had only been a young boy then. He’d been spending a weekend playing with their father at their grandparent’s house when the attack at his family’s compound had occurred. It had been the only thing that had saved him back then. As the years had gone by and the attackers had not returned, Jesse had grown too confident in his own survival. He had started using his surname again, convinced that his family’s killers had finally returned to their native lands overseas.
Now that Kate was here, Blake worried it was only a matter of time before the news got out that the killers had left a loose end and the legendary bloodline had survived.
Chapter Seven
Kate awoke and felt something warm and hard pressed against her body. She inhaled and recognized Blake’s scent. She wasn’t sure how she knew that, but the enticing musk-and-honey smell registered in her mind as distinctly Blake. She wasn’t ready to open her eyes, so she just lay there and enjoyed the sensation of closeness with him. She had a hard time believing what she had done with Blake and his brothers, but it felt so right.
Men had never taken much of an interest in her before now. It wasn’t that she was bad looking. Okay, maybe she had a few extra pounds on her hips that she could never manage to work off. But there just seemed to be something about her that men had always shied away from. Maybe it had something to do with this damned cat that was stalking around in her head. Kate huffed, wondering if men had unconsciously sensed something bizarre about her that she had never before been aware of.
“Something wrong?” Blake’s voice finally made her open her eyes and admit that she was awake.
“Not really. Just thinking.” Blake narrowed his eyes like he knew that wasn’t really an answer, but he didn’t press her on it.
“How are you feeling?”
She thought about that question for a moment. With Blake rubbing his hand over her bare back, she thought it should feel soothing. Instead, her skin felt weird.
“I’m not sure.” She squirmed against his touch, and his hand stopped moving. “It’s like my skin is extra sensitive or something.”
Now that she was thinking about it, she was starting to feel a little uncomfortable. She sat up, not caring that the sheet fell from her and exposed her breasts. It wasn’t like Blake hadn’t seen everything she had, after all. She knew with anyone else she would feel embarrassed, but somehow she knew that with Blake and his brothers, she could never feel ashamed of her body or who she was.
She looked down at her arms and chest. Even though her skin looked normal, it felt irritated. “It tingles. Everywhere.” She looked at Blake in confusion.
“Come on, sweetheart.” He got out of bed and extended his hand to her. “That’s normal for what’s about to happen.”
“What’s about to happen?” She could hear the fear and uncertainty in her voice.
“You’ll love it. Trust me.”
She looked up at Blake. She did trust him. She let him pull her out of bed and walk her to the door but stopped before he could open it.
“Um, Blake? I’m not wearing anything.” Okay, so maybe she was still a little embarrassed. It was one thing to sit in bed naked, but she wasn’t used to walking around a house with no clothes on.
Blake chuckled. “Don’t worry, sweetheart. We’ll all be naked soon enough.”
Kate wasn’t sure she was quite ready for another round with the three brothers, though if she could get rid of this tingling sensation— which was quickly becoming a prickling feeling—she might be persuaded. She shrugged and stepped forward, allowing Blake to open the door and lead her into the living room.
Drake and Jake immediately turned their heads toward the door, and their mouths dropped open. Okay, so now she was feeling a little embarrassed.
“Guys, we need to get her outside.”
She gaped up at Blake. “What? You want me to go out there in this storm like this?” She swept her hand down her body.
“Actually, the eye is coming up on us. At the rate it’s moving, we should be good for about two hours.”
Kate could only gape wordlessly, since Drake had started to undress while he was speaking. She realized that Blake and Jake were following suit, and all their clothes were quickly being discarded into piles on the floor.
Blake pulled her around to face him and cupped her face in his hands. “Kate, now that you’ve mated to us, your cat wants out, and she’s not going to wait any longer. You need to shift.”
Panic surged through Kate at his words. She shook her head in denial and backed away. “I can’t. I don’t know what to do.”
“Don’t worry, babe.” Jake had come up behind her and put his arm around her waist. “Your cat knows what to do. All you have to do is follow her lead.”
Kate wasn’t sure she understood or agreed with that statement, but she was willing to try just about anything if it would stop this damn prickling. She took in a deep breath and let it out slowly then squared her shoulders and looked up at them.
“Okay then. Let’s do this.”
Blake flashed a dazzling smile at her, and she almost forgot about the prickling. Almost, but not quite. It was actually getting painful now.
Drake went to the front door and opened it. The rain had almost stopped, and the wind had died down. “It’s now or never.” He looked at Kate and grinned. Drake’s grin was just as devastatingly sexy as Blake’s smile, and she had to shake herself a little to stay focused. Drake winked at her. “As much as I’d like to stay inside and play, darlin’, I don’t think we want a brand-new kitty pouncing around the house.”
Kate screwed up her courage and marched to the door with Jake and Blake. They walked out onto the porch and into a world that had been beaten and battered. Trees had been stripped and had snapped. Debris covered the yard and hung from the branches of the trees that were still standing.
“We lost the shed.” Kate turned to where Drake was looking and only saw a large concrete pad. She assumed there used to be a building there. That probably explained the pieces of sheet metal and roofing material strewn across the yard.
The three brothers shrugged off the damage and turned to look at Kate like they were expecting her to break out in fur or something. She realized that was probably exactly what they were expecting.
“Um, guys…I have no idea what to do here.”
Blake took her hands in his and looked into her eyes. “Concentrate on your cat, Kate. Focus all your attention on her and then let go of your will. She’ll know what to do from there. Don’t fight her, and she’ll get you where you need to go.”
Kate hesitated. Something else concerned her.
“So, once I go all furry, how do I get back into my own skin again?”
Blake’s grin lit up his face, and he kissed her forehead.
“You’ll know, sweetheart. Trust me.”
Kate was still skeptical, but she nodded and closed her eyes, focusing on that part of her mind where her cat stalked. It was easy to see her cat now that it had come out of the shadows. It paced back and forth as if it knew what was about to happen. Kate focused on the cat and told her mind to give up control. Okay, it’s all up to you now.
Without hesitation, the cat growled and leapt forward in Kate’s mind. Her conscious thoughts melded with the cat. She could actually understand what the cat wanted! Kate ran across the yard, unconsciously dodging the debris in her way. Just before she reached the tree line, she instinctively leapt forward into the air. An intense, but not unpleasant, jolt of current ran through her body, and when she landed on the ground, she realized she was no longer standing upright. She l
ooked at the ground, which was now only about three feet from her head. Turning her head, she looked at her body and realized she was no longer human but had transformed into the cat that had been stalking in her mind. A surge of freedom and excitement coursed through her mind, and all she wanted to do was run.
She turned to look at her three men and saw they were still standing in the yard in their human forms, shock clearly displayed on their faces. With a triumphant yowl, she turned and bounded off at a full sprint into the woods.
Chapter Eight
Jake was the first one to recover from the shock of seeing Kate transform, but his shock was immediately replaced by panic. Without checking to see if his brothers were following, Jake let his cat take him and tore off into the woods after her. He just hoped none of the other shifters decided to take a run while the eye of the hurricane was over them. If they did- Jake ran faster, not wanting to follow his thoughts down that dark path. He finally heard his brothers running behind him. They had obviously come out of their momentary paralysis. Able to hear each other’s thoughts when they were in panther form, his brother’s frantic thoughts raced through his head, proving that they were just as panicked as he was. Their only thoughts were to run faster, catch her, and protect her.
Unmatched fear tore through Jake. Even though he’d only known Kate for a little over a day, she was already as much a part of him as his brothers were. From the moment he’d seen her, he knew he was bound to her, heart, mind, and soul. If anything were to happen to her, it would tear him apart.
He’d gained enough ground on Kate that he could hear her up ahead of him. Damn, she was fast! Even through his fear he felt pride at her amazing speed. He could sense her mind and her thoughts, and he knew she would be able to hear him if she opened her mind to him.
“Kate, stop! You’ve got to stop running!”
She either couldn’t hear him or was ignoring him, because she didn’t even slow down. Jake had a feeling it was the latter, since the first time a cat was allowed to run was a heady experience, and they didn’t like being told to stop. But Kate had to stop. Her life might depend on it.
He could see her now as she leapt over fallen trees and darted around thick underbrush. She really was incredible. She was fast as lightning and black as night. Which was exactly the thing that was likely to get her killed if they couldn’t get her back to the house without being seen. If they had known she was a black panther, they would have let her shift and run in circles in the house, furniture be damned.
Blake and Drake caught up with him and flanked him on either side. Their thoughts were in agreement—she had too much adrenaline running through her system, and it was making her too fast for them to catch her. Ordinarily they would have been able to catch a female, but the first run was a major rush, and it gave the shifter extra power. Not to mention if the legend were true.
Jake jerked his head. He was not thinking about that right now. The main priority was to get Kate back to the house. They would sort the rest out later.
He yowled at his brothers as he sent his thoughts to them. If they couldn’t catch her, they were going to have to herd her. Blake and Drake immediately veered off in wide arcs to get around to the left and right of Kate and steer her in the direction they needed her to go. They ran swiftly over the wet ground, sending out silent thoughts to Kate, begging for her to stop. She was apparently having none of it.
Finally, they managed to get her turned around and heading in the right direction. Just a few more minutes and they would be back at the house. They hadn’t seen any other shifters, and they were on their own land again, but Jake knew that wouldn’t stop another cat if they caught Kate’s scent.
Kate rounded a stand of trees and palmetto bushes, and they momentarily lost sight of her. As the brothers sprinted around the same stand, all hell broke loose. Two big tan cats jumped from the bushes into their path, snarling and ready for a fight. Jake’s brothers issued a string of curses through their thoughts, mirroring the curses running through his own mind. Kate’s scent was apparently strong enough to draw others here. The two intruders now stood between the brothers and their mate, a situation Jake could not tolerate.
The surprise ambush was enough to finally get Kate to stop and turn around as her defensive instincts kicked in. Although, considering the circumstances, Jake would have been happier if she’d kept running back to the house and locked herself in a bathroom until they finished handling this situation. But with her mates being challenged, Jake knew that her cat’s instincts were telling her to stand and fight for her men. Fierce pride shot through Jake at the sight of his magnificent mate as she stood hissing and bristling at the intruders, but he could strut later. Right now they needed to kick some furry ass.
The brothers hurled themselves toward the trespassers, teeth flashing and claws slashing. Jake’s only thought was to get between these unwelcome visitors and his mate. He threw himself over the back of the smaller one and landed on his feet behind it. He lashed out with his claws and caught the cat on its flank, opening up the flesh in long, deep slashes. The cat screeched and spun toward Jake, managing to swipe its claws across Jake’s snout. Jake shook his head at the stinging sensation but refused to back down.
Drake and Blake had gone after the larger cat, and Jake caught a glimpse of them as the three of them tumbled into the bushes. Kate apparently wasn’t content to let her mates handle this without her, and she leapt into the fray and dug her sharp teeth into the shoulder of the cat that had scratched Jake. The cat hissed angrily and tried to swipe at Kate, but her quick reflexes were no match for it, and she danced out of reach. Even in his pissed-off state, Jake couldn’t help but admire her.
The intruders must have realized they were outnumbered and outmatched because they abruptly turned and fled into the woods. The brothers would have followed, but their immediate priority was to get Kate back to the house where they could protect her more easily. Jake rubbed his face against the soft fur on Kate’s neck and purred at her, letting her know she was to follow him. He took off running, Kate on his heels and his brothers close at Kate’s sides.
At last they reached their yard, but they didn’t stop running until they bounded onto the big porch. The brothers spun to look behind them, scanning the trees and making sure they weren’t followed. Kate padded over to Jake and licked him on the nose. Her big pink tongue felt like a soothing balm as she lapped at the deep cuts. He rubbed his face into hers and purred at the silky feel of her fur against his.
Blake transformed back to human and opened the front door for them. Once inside, Drake transformed and then turned to watch Kate. Jake wished he could stay in his panther form with Kate for a while longer. He had longed to find his mate and wanted to spend time with her in both his forms. But that would have to wait. Right now they had more pressing issues to attend to, like keeping Kate alive.
Chapter Nine
Kate sat on her haunches in the living room and watched Jake transform back into his human self. He was magnificent in either form, and even Kate’s cat appreciated the contours and hardness of his human muscles. Kate was quickly coming to the conclusion that her cat knew what she was doing when she’d chosen these men to be her mates. Maybe she would have to start listening to the cat more often, now that she knew it was there.
Her men had started to dress, and Kate sensed they were expecting her to shift. She just wished she knew how. The cat sensed her confusion and retreated to the shadows of her mind, allowing Kate’s will to once again assert itself. Kate felt a familiar tingle and looked down. She was back to normal again.
“Wow! I know I should be completely freaked out right now, but that was amazing!” She looked up at her men, who were now back in their jeans, though Kate was pleased they had at least left their shirts off. She suddenly realized she really had started thinking of them as hers. It felt nice. Her cat huffed in her head, letting her know she agreed, and it was about time Kate thought so, too.
Drake went to his bed
room and returned with a shirt that he handed to Kate. “I’d love it if you want to walk around the way you are, but just in case…” He winked at her, and she felt the heat creep into her face. Drake grabbed her waist and drew her toward him then lowered his lips to hers in a crushing kiss. His tongue probed her mouth and danced across her tongue until Kate was dizzy with his taste.
He finally pulled back and rested his forehead against hers. “You scared the hell out of us, Kate. I don’t know what I’d do if something…”
Kate raised her hand to his cheek and looked into his deep brown eyes. “I’m sorry I ran. I just couldn’t help myself.”
Drake turned his face into her hand and kissed her palm then took the shirt from her and held it out for her to slip her arms into. It was so big it came down to the middle of her thighs, but she could smell Drake’s scent on it, and her cat purred in approval. Yes indeed, she and her cat were agreeing on more and more things every minute.
When she turned back around, Drake slowly buttoned up the shirt for her, not taking his eyes from hers. Of all the brothers, Drake had seemed the most reserved. But now, if she tried hard enough, Kate could almost feel his emotions. They were deep and powerful, and the strength of them almost took Kate’s breath away.
Drake led her to the couch and then settled her in his lap while Jake sat next to them and put Kate’s legs over his own. Blake sat on the floor in front of them then took Kate’s hand and entwined their fingers together.
“Okay, you guys look way too serious.” She reached up with her free hand and rubbed her fingers across the already-healing wounds on Jake’s nose. “Is this about those two cats out there?”
Drake pressed his lips to her temple. “Yes and no. We knew there might be others who would challenge our mating. What took us off guard was you.”