Panther Magic (6 page)

Having wrung out his own clothing
and scowled at his sodden and now completely useless phone, he went in search
of Kate’s dryer. He found it in the tiny annex next to her kitchen, and shoved
his clothes into the machine. He would need them in the morning after all, or
sooner, if the council came for him, too.
The fact that they
hadn’t already worried him a great deal.
What exactly had Zeb told them?
Zeb was the hothead, but being the grand total of five minutes older than Arran
he had also always assumed the role of Arran’s protector. So he wouldn’t put it
past his brother to take all the blame for the bloodbath they’d left behind on
his own shoulders.

Arran was halfway through a much
needed cup of coffee, when the pounding on Kate’s front door confirmed his
worst fears. With his clothes still drying, he grabbed the first thing he could
find to cover up, which happened to be a frilly pink apron hanging on the back
of the kitchen door. Arran made a face when he pulled it on, but at least it
covered the essentials, as long as he didn’t show anyone his ass.

Not that the enraged bear shifter
he sensed at the entrance would care about his state of undress, but he didn’t
want to shock any of Kate’s neighbors. Cole Jackson was making enough noise to
wake up the entire block of flats.

 
With a wary
glance in the direction of Kate’s room, where he sensed she was still out for
the count, Arran yanked the door open, and the head of Council Security stepped
through. His eyebrow rose when he took in Arran’s attire, and his grim features
quirked into a half smile.

“
Interesting outfit, Arran,” he said. “I didn’t have
you pegged for a cross dresser.”

Arran flipped him the finger, and
Cole laughed. A tense silence fell between them when Cole sobered, and sniffed
the air.

“
The human asleep?” he asked, and Arran nodded and
gestured for Cole to follow him in the kitchen.

Once they were safely inside
Arran sought refuge in his coffee cup again.

“
Want one?” he asked Cole. “You look as though you
could do with one.”

Cole gave a short humorless laugh
and ran a hand over his tired features.

“
You have no idea. The one night the cub finally
settles down, and I get time to play with my mate and I get called out to deal
with the aftermath of your brother’s mess.
Emmi
is
not happy with me, and as you’ll discover when your human mate isn’t happy,
then…” He let his words trail off, and murmured his thanks when Arran passed
him over a cup of the black stuff.

“
It’s not just my brother’s mess,” Arran said, and
Cole took a long swig and sniffed the air again.

“
I dare say it isn’t. You two are inseparable after
all, but he claims it was all his doing. We’ve got to the CCTV cameras for that
area, and I have folks looking at them right now, but that damn fool seems
adamant to take the blame for it all, and I’ve got to tell you, Arran, this
doesn’t look good. I can smell you’ve mated with her, but he hasn’t, so he has
no excuse for this.
None.”

Arran’s panther growled low in
his throat, and Cole’s bear showed in his eyes, when he stood up to put the now
empty cup into the sink.

“
Easy there, Arran. The council wants you in for
questioning, too. It’s only Zeb’s statement that has kept you out of it for
now,
and statement or not, if those cameras actually picked
something up, then it may well be your head they want, too.”

“
No.”

The soft gasp behind them made
both men spin around, and Arran groaned at the sight of his mate. Clutching her
bathrobe to her like a shield, and with her dark hair hanging in tousled
disarray around her far too pale face, she looked young and vulnerable. The
ugly bruises on her throat were clearly visible, her lip was swollen, and when
the shoulder of her robe slipped as she stepped closer his bite mark was
clearly visible, as was the thin gash made by one of the thug’s knives. It
reiterated more than anything what she had been through, and Arran’s panther
snarled.

Her eyes widened, but when Arran
held his arms out, she scooted into them without a moment’s hesitation, and his
agitated beast calmed instantly.

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 it, 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 yo
u
, Kat
e
. 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.”