Black Storm [Panther Key] (Siren Publishing Ménage Amour) (12 page)

Jake pulled her down onto his chest, and they lay there, panting as they spiraled down from their shared high. She hadn’t even realized how much she needed to feel Jake, to know he was really alive and was going to be fine. After being so afraid she was going to lose him so soon after finding him, she had needed to feel his strength inside her, to be immersed in it and surrounded by it. For the moment at least, she felt like all was as it should be.

Kate awoke in an unfamiliar bed. She looked around in confusion and then remembered they were on Panther Key now. She stretched and crawled out of bed, putting the short silk robe on that had been placed on the foot of the bed for her. Kate had been grateful and humbled by the generosity of her new family. When they returned from their time on the beach last night, they had found clothing that the women of the family had left for her to wear until she was able to have her own clothes delivered. The simple act had touched her heart, something that was happening more and more frequently over the last few days.

The rich aroma of coffee wafted through the air, and it drew her out of the bedroom and out into the open living and kitchen area, where her men were working on getting breakfast ready. They all turned to watch her walk into the kitchen and settle onto one of the barstools at the counter.

Blake brought her a cup of coffee and then snuggled his face into her neck and purred. The deep contentment that sound represented was something Kate knew she would never get tired of hearing. She arched into his touch and decided she could easily get used to this every morning.

After the run and frolic on the beach the night before, she had been nervous about going back to the main house and seeing the whole family. Fortunately, Blake had informed her that they owned a separate house on the island that would enable them to have some privacy.

It was a beautiful house befitting the natural environment of the island. Built on pilings and perched almost twenty feet above ground to protect it from tidal surges during hurricanes, the house was designed in classic Key West architecture. There was a wide porch all the way around the house, and the outside was painted a pale blue with white trim, which Kate at first thought seemed awfully frilly to be owned by such big, masculine men. One look at the interior of the house had completely dispelled that notion.

The floors were a dark polished mahogany that warmed the space and made it feel cozy, even though the house was quite large. The ceilings were eighteen feet high and were finished in whitewashed pine beadboard. Huge wooden beams that matched the floors stretched across the space. The furnishings consisted of oversized sofas and chairs, some made of dark leather and others upholstered in rich blue fabrics. There were thick white rugs on the floors and big windows that helped keep the space from seeming too dark. It looked exactly right for her men, and Kate loved every square inch of it.

She had found out last night there were four bedrooms, one for each of the brothers and another one they said was special. She was instructed not to go into it until it was ready. Kate wondered if it was a room just for her, but that seemed wrong to her somehow. If all four of them were truly going to be mates, she didn’t know that she liked the idea of shuffling back and forth between rooms. She had decided to think about that little problem later though.

Today, she had a much bigger issue that she would have to deal with. Brad had managed to get one of the clan elders to visit the island to discuss the legend that might hold her fate. He was expected to arrive midmorning, and Kate already felt the anxiety building up inside of her.

“Easy, sweetheart.” Blake wrapped his arms around her from behind and pulled her back against his chest. “We’re in this together.”

Kate walked with Blake, Drake, and Jake across the main yard toward the area the elder had set up to meet with them. Kate didn’t understand why they couldn’t just talk in the living room of the house, but apparently the elder preferred to stay outside.

A fire had been built in a small fire pit, and Kate saw a man sitting next to it. He had long hair that was mostly gray but still had streaks of black. He was dressed in jeans and a simple button-down denim shirt. Kate wasn’t entirely sure what she had been expecting, but she didn’t think this was it.

As they approached, the man looked up, and his eyes locked onto hers. His stare pierced her, and she felt like his almost-black eyes could see into her mind. Kate shuddered and came to a stop in front of him, waiting to find out what to do next.

“Come sit.” The man gestured to the ground around the fire, where several woven blankets had been laid. Kate and the men settled themselves on the ground with Kate directly across from the elder.

Kate looked through the smoke of the fire and found the elder looking at her intently. She felt the urge to hide from his gaze, but she squared her shoulders and stared back at him, refusing to retreat.

Finally, a smile broke across the old man’s face, accentuating the deep lines that were etched into his tanned skin. “It is my great honor to meet you, little cat. I am David, the great-great-great uncle of these three young cats here. I have spent my very long life hoping I would live to see you.”

Kate was taken aback by his welcome and wasn’t sure what the proper response was. “Um, it’s very nice to meet you, too. I’m Kate.” His smile let her know she was doing just fine.

“You are very rare, young Kate, but I assume you are already aware of that. It is important for you to know why you are so rare and what it means. But first, I have a message for your mates.” He turned his intense gaze to Blake then Drake and finally Jake.

Seeming to be satisfied with what he saw, his gaze settled back on Blake. “You are the eldest of your trio and bear the primary responsibility for your mating group. This you have always known. By taking a black panther as your mate, your burden is greatly increased, but so, too, shall be your blessings.”

David’s gaze then shifted to Drake and Jake as he addressed all three brothers. “It takes an extraordinary cat to attract a black panther mate. It is a great honor for you and should never be taken lightly. She will need your strength, your honor, and your hearts.”

Blake, Drake, and Jake all nodded solemnly once David was finished speaking to them. He continued to search each of their gazes and then nodded, apparently satisfied with whatever he saw in them.

Finally, his gaze again turned to Kate. “Now, little cat, you need to know what this mystery is about.”

Kate had to force herself to keep breathing as she waited to learn the cause and meaning of her unique condition.

“Many, many thousands of generations ago, before the shifter clans came to these lands, there were black panthers who roamed our ancient homelands. They held great power and were revered by the shifter clans. There was another group, however, that envied the powers of the black panthers. They captured many and tried to bend the panthers to their evil uses, but the will of the panthers was strong and could not be broken. Instead, the black panthers turned their powers on their captors and cursed them with darkness, preventing them from traveling during the day. Thus, the captors became the clan of the Night Stalkers. While their progeny can walk under the sun, the original captors must always live in darkness. As revenge, the Night Stalkers destroyed all of the black panthers in captivity.”

David’s eyes grew sad as he continued. “Their revenge was not satisfied, and bitterness and hatred grew and festered. They hunted and killed the black panthers and their families until no black panthers survived. Only a few of their kin escaped, and they hid their heritage, but they always believed the black panthers would return through their line and that those new panthers would be stronger than any who had come before. But the Night Stalkers hunted still, until they finally tracked down the remaining clan members and exterminated the last of the bloodline. Or so it was thought.”

He stopped talking and gazed deeply into Kate’s eyes, a spark of defiance and pride evident in his eyes.

“And now a miracle has happened, and the great black panthers have returned. Once your siblings are returned to the clan and their panthers are revealed, your powers will join, and together you will be bring new light to all the shifter clans.”

Kate froze, puzzled by something he had said. “Wait. Siblings? But...I don’t have any siblings.”

“Black panthers are always born in threes, always females. There are no exceptions.”

Kate shook her head. “Well, then maybe this is the first time because I am definitely an only child.”

David looked into her eyes for a long time. “When the time is right, all will be revealed. Until that time, you must take care. You will not be able to draw on your full powers until the black panther triad is complete.”

David stood up, and Kate guessed that was the signal the meeting was over. Blake stood up and helped her to her feet. David bowed his head solemnly to each of them and then turned toward the direction of the dock, where Kate could barely see the outline of a boat.

“Where is he going?”

Blake put his arm around her and began to lead her toward the main house. “He lives on another island. He rarely leaves it, but he was willing to come to meet you.”

“I don’t understand what he was talking about. I don’t have any sisters. He must be mistaken. Or maybe I’m just the exception to the rule.” Kate huffed to herself. So not only could she not be a normal panther, she couldn’t even be a normal black panther either. Typical.

Blake kissed her on the top of her head. “Don’t worry about it, sweetheart. It doesn’t matter to us. Keeping you safe is the only thing that’s important to us.”

Kate was grateful for their support, but she couldn’t help but wonder what would have happened if she really hadn’t been an only child. She sighed. No use wondering about something that could never happen.

The next few days flew by in a blur of family gatherings. Apparently, finding a mate was a big deal for the shifter clans, and they liked to celebrate—a lot. Kate had met Owen, her new—what? Father-in-law? She shook her head, deciding she would have to figure out if that was the correct clan terminology later. She’d met more cousins, aunts, uncles, grandparents, nieces, and nephews. The list was huge, and there was no way she would ever remember all of them. To Kate’s relief, most of them didn’t actually live on the island. Only a handful, including the cousins who had come to their rescue, lived full time on Panther Key. Apparently the clan was spread out over much of the Keys and south Florida. A traditional clan ceremony was planned for that night, and people had been arriving from all over to share in the official welcoming of their newest clan member.

Kate still didn’t quite understand how she had tripped into this bizarre world, but she had found herself surrounded by a massive and boisterous family that welcomed her with open arms and accepted her for who she was. It was the first time in her life she really felt as though she belonged somewhere. And she had no doubts that this was where she did, truly, belong.

After months of sealing her heart away and grieving for her mother, Kate felt alive and loved again. They hadn’t told her in so many words, but she could feel it every time one of her men looked at her. It flowed from them and wrapped her heart and soul with a warmth she had never experienced before. She knew her heart had already given itself to them as well, though she also hadn’t actually told them. But she planned to do just that. Tonight.

The guys had been very secretive about the extra room at the house and had spent all their spare time there. Kate had been officially banned from that side of the house and wasn’t even allowed to walk around the outside of the house where that room was located. The mystery was making her a little crazy, and she would be glad when they were finished with whatever they were doing. Not only was her curiosity about to get the best of her, but she also had other things she would like to do that involved her men. Unfortunately, there had been blasted little of that over the last few days, and she was ready to rectify that unacceptable situation.

Something else had bothered her since the confrontation with the strangers before they’d come to the island. She had been too afraid to ask who—or what—they were, and no one seemed very inclined to discuss it. She had her suspicions, but they seemed too far-fetched to be real. Although, considering she could turn into a panther, it probably shouldn’t surprise her if creatures from her childhood nightmares and old horror movies really did exist.

Since their meeting with the clan elder, Kate had been kept very busy meeting family, helping with meals, and making sure her cat got plenty of exercise. She had the suspicious feeling that they were trying to keep her occupied so she wouldn’t have time to dwell on the things the elder told her.

But Kate was tired of being kept in the dark. She wanted—no, she needed—answers, even if she wouldn’t like them.

Blake was pleased with the room. It had been a lot of work in a short amount of time, but the results were well worth it. They had never planned to bring a mate to the island house on a permanent basis. They had always thought that, if they ever found a mate, they would remain on their land in central Florida, where a room had already been prepared, the room Kate had slept in. As soon as he and his brothers had seen Kate shift for the first time, however, they knew staying on their farm would be impossible. This island was the only place they could guarantee her safety, and she would need to remain within its protection.