Cole Jackson cleared his throat and smiled grimly at Arran over Kate’s head, before he extended his hand.
“I wish we’d met again in better circumstances than this, Kate.”
Kate stiffened in Arran’s arms and stared at Cole’s outstretched hand for the longest time, before she finally took it.
“I wish we did, too. Did Tash get to whatever she was going okay?” she asked, and Arran hated the wobble in her voice, and the way her hands shook as she, too, helped herself to a cup of coffee from the carafe.
Cole looked taken aback for a second, before he smiled.
“Yes, she’s gone off the radar now, but, yes, she got there.”
Kate nodded and blew into the steam curling over her mug.
“Tell me, are you going to take her head off, too, if she doesn’t manage to do what you need her to?”
Cole’s bear growled, and the man grew bigger in front of them, not that it seemed to faze Kate. Arran could sense her seething anger, and when he tried to pull her back against him, he wasn’t entirely surprised that she shook him off.
“Of course I won’t, and I resent the implication that I might.” Cole’s voice had dropped to a very low growl in his irritation, and he looked about ready to tear Kate’s throat out. Not that he would, but Arran’s panther reacted to the perceived threat anyway, and it took all of Arran’s concentration to stop himself from shifting there and then.
Apart from the fact that Kate’s tiny kitchen wasn’t big enough to accommodate his panther, this wouldn’t help anything, just reinforce to Cole that Arran, too, could not control his inner animal. While he sensed that the bear shifter was on his side, he couldn’t forget that he was here in an official capacity, and had the power to get them all killed.
Kate pushed her shoulders back and raised her head, as she stared up at Cole.
“Resent away,” she said. “But as you seem so happy to behead people who have done nothing wrong, what else am I to think?”
Cole shot Arran an exasperated look, and took a deep breath in as though to calm his bear.
“I’m not in the habit of beheading anyone, but the fact remains that Zeb has confessed to killing all those humans tonight, and the penalty for that is death.”
Chapter Six
Kate had never been more grateful for Arran’s quiet strength behind her than she was at that moment. His panther’s low growls trembled through her, and she concentrated on that sound over the rushing in her ears, and she swallowed convulsively to stop herself from being sick.
“That’s barbaric.” She forced the words out eventually, and Cole shrugged his shoulders.
“It’s the way we do things. Eight humans are dead. Someone has to answer for that. Zach sliced the throat of the one that stabbed him. Unfortunate, but understandable, but that still leaves seven—”
“Six.” Arran interrupted the bear shifter. “I killed at least one.”
Cole inclined his head.
“Six then. That still leaves six dead humans that he had no motive for killing.”
“No motive?” In her agitation Kate screeched the two words, and even she winced at the harpy impression. Cole’s eyes widened when she yanked her robe open.
“Does that look as though he had no motive?” she asked, and when he didn’t respond, she barely held back her tears. His eyes softened though, and she sank back against Arran when he put his arms around her, and covered her back up again.
“You don’t have to do this, baby. It’s okay.”
Kate turned in his embrace and allowed herself this precious moment of being held, before she pushed against his chest, and he reluctantly let her go.
“Yes, I do. Don’t you see? This is my fault. If I hadn’t walked home, and—”
Both men’s furious growls interrupted her, and she jumped. Arran looked ready to shift, and when she glanced at Cole, she could see his bear prowl under his skin, too. It was a fascinating sight, and a small part of her did marvel at the fact that she didn’t run away screaming, yet this all seemed almost normal to her.
Unbidden her hand went up to Arran’s bite mark on her shoulder. When the rumble of deep voices had woken her up, she had been in a state of panic, instantly transported back to the park, and those thugs looming over her. She’d clutched the sheet to herself in panic, and her fingers had connected with his mark, and all the terror had faded.
She was his now, for better or worse, and with that came the certain knowledge that he would do anything to keep her safe, and vice versa. The thought of anything happening to Arran or Zeb for that matter, filled her with dread so intense she could barely breathe. Zeb still scared her a little, but she also knew that he’d torn those humans apart because they had hurt her. How she knew that, she couldn’t say. Maybe it was the mating bond at play. Whatever the reason she couldn’t just let this council lob his head off. Not when he had been protecting her, not when all this was her fault in the first place.
“None of this your fault,” Arran said, and the intensity of his gaze pinned her in place when he cupped her chin to make her look at him.
“It certainly isn’t.” Cole added his agreement, and she felt the brief touch of his hand on her shoulder. “You could have been walking along the street naked, and that still wouldn’t have given anyone the right to attack you. You’re not on trial here, my dear.”
“Just the men who saved me? Is that what you’re saying?” Kate offered Arran a tenuous smile and he released her so that she could turn her head to look at Cole. The flash of respect in his amber gaze gave her the courage to press on.
“Those thugs would have raped me had my men not intervened.”
Cole smiled and flicked a glance at Arran over her head, and she could feel the waves of approval coming off Arran. He put his hand on her nape, and she leaned into the touch.
“Your men?” Cole asked, and Kate crossed her arms over her chest, and nodded.
“Yes, my men, both of them, and I won’t let you execute either of them. I won’t.”
Cole’s grin deepened, and he ran a hand through his hair. The action meant his biceps flexed, and Kate allowed herself a moment to admire this man’s physique. Cole was huge, and, well, bear like, and hot as Hades, and he did absolutely nothing for her. No, her heart and her libido belonged firmly to Arran and Zeb, it seemed.
“And what do you intend on doing to save them then?” Cole asked, and his eyes widened when she stamped her foot.
“Whatever it takes. Zeb did nothing wrong.”
****
The absolute conviction behind her words took Arran’s breath away. What had happened to the terrified human who wouldn’t even look at his brother at the scene of the crime? Arran wished Zeb was here to see this. Surely seeing her and hearing her stand up for him like this would make Zeb see sense?
Arran exchanged a glance with Cole, and he could see the approval in the other man’s eyes.
“Kate, he tore those humans to shreds,” Cole said. “Killing them is one thing, but he literally slaughtered them. It wouldn’t have been so bad had you been mated, but you’re not, and he refuses to give any excuse for his behavior. My hands are tied, and the trial is tomorrow. Your conviction does you credit, but—”
“If there’s a trial, then you need witnesses, right?” Kate interrupted Cole, and started to pace along her kitchen. Not that there was a lot of room to pace. Four steps and she had to turn round, but her bare feet slapped the floor in her agitation nonetheless, and Arran was relieved to see some color back in her cheeks. She looked like a woman ready to go into battle, for him and his brother no less, and if that was possible Arran fell even more in love with her. And it was love that made his chest feel tight, not just the need to protect and possess her that came with the mating bond. No, this went much deeper than that, and when she glanced up at him he could see that same emotion reflected in her eyes. It soothed his inner beast no end, and he sent a silent message to his brother to hang on in there. Whether Zeb would get i
t, who knew. His brother had shut himself off from their internal communication, seemingly determined to go this alone. It was beyond frustrating, and made Arran feel as though half of him was missing.
“Yes, but you’re human and—”
“And I’m also Arran and Zeb’s mate, and I was there.” Kate stopped pacing and interrupted Cole again. It was almost amusing the way she took no notice of his status or his persona, seemingly completely unaffected by the bear shifter’s presence. Not many shifters would have dared to interrupt the man this many times, yet their little human mate did so regardless, and Arran suppressed a grin. Cole, too, seemed hard pushed to not grin, as he threw Arran a comical look, crossed his arms over his chest, and let that interruption go, too.
“I hate to disagree with you, but you’re only mated to Arran, not Zeb.” That quiet statement delivered in the man’s deep growly voice seemed to deflate Kate’s righteous indignation somewhat, and she swayed slightly. Arran pulled her in to his side, and dropped a kiss on his mark on her shoulder, and a shiver went through his girl.
“Semantics,” she murmured and glared at Cole. “He just hasn’t bitten me yet, that’s all. He’s still my mate.”
Again approval flashed over Cole’s harsh features.
“I’m glad to hear you say that, because if we stand any chance of getting Zeb off the hook for what he did, then that is an essential part of it. No one on the council can argue the bond between mates, though they will try. Your mates have not won themselves any favors with the old council over the years.”
“Why not?” Kate asked. “I mean I dare say they might not be too pleased about Zeb’s and Arran’s magic act. It does increase the risk of exposure to the humans, somewhat I guess, but then again most of my kind haven’t got the common sense they were born with, so they’d just put it all down to magic.” She mimed quotation marks around the words, and Cole laughed.
“What? It’s true.” Kate said. “I’m no huge fan of humankind, myself. Most are only interested in themselves, and, yeah, I get it, it wouldn’t be pretty if humans on the whole ever found out about you guys, but really? That’s not likely, is it? Not unless you all suddenly decide to shift in Trafalgar Square or something, and I bet even then folks would think it’s some sort of a trick, so I can’t see the problem.”
She took a much needed breath of air, and Cole chose that moment to intervene.
“It’s not just that. Your mates are pureblood panthers, and as such they are expected to mate with a council approved female to further the line. I know Natasha will have filled you in on the finer points of the mating project, because she asked my permission to do so, so mating with a human…” Cole put his hands up to forestall Kate’s objection, and sure enough her annoyed growl made Arran’s panther strut in pride at his mate.
“So, you’re saying I’m not good enough for your precious council. Well, fuck that.” Kate stomped her foot in her agitation, and Cole shook his head.
“I’m not saying anything of the sort, Kate. My own mate is human, so, believe me, I have no issues with any shifters mated to humans, as long as they’re true mates, and I can tell from your reaction that you are indeed true mates to our resident magic panthers. The fact remains, however, that until you complete the mating circle with Zeb, we’ll have no evidence of that.”
“Well, then get me to Zeb,” Kate said. “He can bite me, and then we’ll have the evidence, right? You’re head of security, or so Tash tells me, so surely you can get me in to wherever this council of yours is holding him?”
“It’s not that easy, baby.” Kate whirled round to glare at Arran, when he felt compelled to point this out, and he had to fight the urge to pull her to him and kiss her senseless. The possessive animal inside him also wanted to put her over his knee for the mere suggestion of her putting herself in danger like this, while the rational side of him knew that this might well be the only solution to their predicament. Having her talk sense into Zeb would be the only way for his stubborn brother to even try to defend his actions in front of the trial, he knew that. Arran also knew that his hothead big bro would not be able to resist claiming their girl, not with Arran’s scent already clinging to her.
Cole seemed to have reached the same conclusion, because he nodded thoughtfully, and smiled.
“It’s not easy, no, but doable, and also very dangerous for you, Kate. If you are found on council property, and in the act of helping an inmate set up for trial, the guards would be perfectly within their rights to kill you on the spot. Are you sure about this?” he asked, and Kate nodded.
“Absolutely, I’ll do whatever it takes. I said this already. Is there something wrong with your hearing?”
Arran coughed to hide his amusement, and Cole looked stunned for a minute, before he threw his head back and laughed.
“Well, with that attitude of yours, we might just pull this off. You’ll have your hands full with this one, so just as well there’s two of you to keep her in line.” He winked at Arran when he said that, and Kate squared up to the bear shifter and poked him in the chest.
“No one keeps me in line, Mister, not—”
“Pet, that’s enough. You’ve made your point. There is no need to be rude.” Arran dropped his voice, and Kate froze and dropped her gaze to the floor.
“No, Sir, I’m sorry, it’s just…” She glanced up at Arran, and when he smiled and opened his arms, she scooted into them. Arran took a deep inhale of his precious girl, and her tense frame relaxed further.
“I know, my sweet, and I love your willingness to go into battle for us, but Cole is on our side. Let’s save your feistiness for those that need it, shall we?” He tugged her head up, and when she nodded and offered him a tentative smile he kissed her nose and then forced himself to release her.
“So, what’s the plan of action, Cole?” he asked.
By the time Cole and he had hashed out a plan, the sun was beginning to rise, and Kate looked dead on her feet. In truth, exhaustion pulled at him, too. It had been one hell of a day and night, and would only get worse.
It was with a certain amount of relief that he shut the front door after Cole, and scooping Kate up in his arms he took her back to bed. She clung to him, and he tucked them both under the covers with a murmured, “Go to sleep, my sweet. It will all work out all right.”
“Promise?” she asked, her eyes already closing, and he sighed.
“It just has to.”
Chapter Seven
Zeb paced the confines of his elaborate prison cell like his animal counterparts at the zoo. Back and forth, his panther as agitated as the man, and he was half convinced that he would make a groove in the expensive carpet that graced this room.
This room at the council’s official residence might have all the luxuries one would associate with a five star hotel right down to the stunning view across private gardens, the four poster bed, and the marble en-suite bathroom, but this was nothing more than a holding cell.
Bars across the window prevented escape down that route, and the heavy door was not only a fire door, but also soundproof. Nothing could come in or out other than through that entry, and while this room wasn’t bugged, he knew there was CCTV in every corridor of the mansion.
Not that he had anywhere to go. To try to escape would be akin to suicide, and besides he had given his word. There was also nowhere for him to run, because he would no more endanger Kate and his brother than he could stop breathing.
His panther snarled as unbidden images of the last time he’d seen his mate invaded his brain. Held in Arran’s arms she’d looked utterly terrified of him, and Zeb stopped his incessant pacing and punched the wall instead. Plaster fell to the floor in a cloud of white, and a dull pain shot up his arm from his abused knuckles, but it was nothing to the ache in his soul.
Fuck it all to hell and back. Every cell in his body urged him to go and find her, to reassure himself that she was okay, but he couldn’t do that. She wouldn’t want him anyway, not after what he had don
e in front of her, and she would be better off with just Arran. He was by far the gentler of the two of them, and the least Zeb could do was make sure to keep his brother out of it.
The sound of the handle turning in the door swung his head round, and he scowled at the cloaked figure carrying a tray laden with food. The stench of hyena hit his nostrils, completely obliterating the smell of the food, and his stomach roiled in disgust.
“I told the last one, I don’t want any food, so you can take that right back again.” The small figure ignored him, and the door shut with a soft click, effectively barring the hyena’s exit, and Zeb swore under his breath, as the dim as fuck shifter put the tray down on the sideboard.
“Are you fucking deaf as well as stupid, hyena? I said, I … fuck, no.”
His words trailed off and his panther roared when the hyena shrugged off her cloak with a disgusted sound at the back of her throat, and Kate gave the filthy rags she’d hidden under a kick with her trainer clad foot.
“Bleugh, that stinks, and you need to eat. I’m not leaving until you have and I’ve talked some sense into you.”
“The fuck you will.”
Kate flinched at his harsh reply, and his panther whined when she took an involuntary step away from him, when he advanced toward her.
Shit, he was scaring her, but his panther was in charge and he wanted, needed, to get close to his mate to reassure himself that she was okay. Her eyes widened and she backed up against the door she’d just come through when his animal roared at the sight of her hurt lip. Her throat, too, looked bruised and sore, and Zeb knew he sounded more animal than human when he forced the words out of his throat.
“I’m going to kill them all over again.” Kate flinched when he moved to grasp her chin. He swore and clenching his fingers into a fist let it fall next to his thigh. He couldn’t help but lean in more and sniff her, however. The sweet scent that was his Kate soothed his agitated panther somewhat. It was underlaid with the familiar musk of his brother, and he could just about see the edge of his brother’s mark on her shoulder, thanks to the low neck line of her shirt. Arran had mated with her then. Jealousy tore a hole in his gut, even as he told himself this was a good thing. Claimed as she was no other fucker would dare lay a hand on her.
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