Black Storm [Panther Key] (Siren Publishing Ménage Amour) (14 page)

“They’re trying to spear you and drag you to them!”

Jake’s alarmed thoughts set off every warning bell Kate possessed. She heard her men urging her to turn and run to the tree line with them, but she stood rooted to the spot. She felt outrage boil inside of her toward the monsters on the boats. Some of them might have been the ones who’d murdered her father. And now they were here, trying to see if they could penetrate the defenses of this island and kill her. She didn’t think they would stop trying. If they somehow got through, would they kill her mates as well? She knew without question they would fight to the death to protect her. The thought of her mates being killed sent Kate into a rage like she had never known, and her instincts took complete control.

Somewhere in the back of her mind, Kate became aware of a great source of something, some type of power she had never felt before. She reached into her mind and tried to harness it, to call to it so she could somehow use it to defend her mates and herself. It was elusive, as though it was blocked from her, and she was being prevented access to it. She instinctively knew this was the power the elder had spoken of, but she couldn’t access it because she wasn’t a triplet. She growled in frustration and concentrated harder, determined to grab hold of the force that seethed just beyond her reach. She still couldn’t quite get a handle on it, but she did feel like she could just barely skim across the surface of it. She pulled at the surface with all of her willpower. Some small part of that power broke away from the rest and raced through Kate’s mind, filling her with raw energy.

Without really understanding what she was doing or how she was doing it, Kate focused that power out across the water and let out an ear-piercing yowl. A tremor shook the beach where she stood and raced outward across the water, sending rippling waves speeding toward the boats. When the ripples reached the boats, the passengers grasped their heads and shrieked in pain then crumpled to the decks, groaning and cursing.

After a few minutes, some of the vampires recovered enough to steer the boats away from the island, still cursing and yelling vows to return. Once they were out of sight, Kate felt the power drain from her, and she slumped to the sand. Her vision and her mind went black as she was swept into darkness.

Kate opened her eyes and was immediately aware of two large and very concerned men hovering over her.

“Oh, thank God! Darlin’, are you all right?” Drake’s voice sounded desperate with worry.

“I’m fine.” Kate sat up and looked around, suddenly afraid. “But where’s Blake? Is he okay?”

“I’m okay, sweetheart.” Blake emerged from the bathroom with a bloody towel pressed against his hip. “I told you it’s just a scratch.”

Kate wasn’t buying it. “Let me see.” She scrambled off the bed and dropped to her knees next to where he stood. She carefully moved the towel away and gasped in surprise. The bloody gash she remembered was now just an angry pink line in his flesh. She reached up and lightly touched the almost-healed wound with the tips of her fingers then looked up in wonder at Blake.

“How?”

“It’s all part of the panther magic. We heal fast, and it takes a hell of a lot to kill us.” Blake reached for Kate’s hands and pulled her up off her knees. He wrapped his arms around her and looked into her eyes, his awe clearly apparent on his face and through their link. “You were amazing, sweetheart. I’ve never seen anyone able to do what you did out there.”

Kate shrugged. “I don’t really even know how I did it. I just got so mad, and I…I don’t know…it just happened.”

Drake chuckled as he came up next to them and brushed his fingers across her cheek. “Remind me never to make you mad.” He winked at her and flashed her a stunning grin. The black band around Drake’s wrist caught Kate’s attention, and she ran her fingers over it.

“These bands. They stayed on when we transformed, but it was like they were part of us.”

Blake held her wrist in his hand and raised it to his lips, kissing it again like he had during the ceremony. “They are part of us, Kate. These bands were forged with clan magic. If we were not meant to be mates, we would not have been able to transform while wearing them. We will always wear them as the symbol of our mating.”

Kate gazed in wonder at the band on her wrist, admiring the magic and the symbolism of it. Then she gradually became aware that she was pressed up against Blake’s hard body, and they weren’t wearing anything. She had been so concerned with Blake’s injury it hadn’t registered until now. Standing in Blake’s arms, however, she could feel every inch of him and was aware of just how much it was affecting him, as evidenced by the hard bulge pressing into her abdomen.

She felt Jake come up behind her, and she shuddered as he ran his hand lightly down her bare back and cupped her ass in one hand. “I think it’s time we show Kate what we’ve been working on, brothers.”

Blake smiled down at her with his toe-curling grin. “I couldn’t agree more, Jake.”

Drake went to a drawer and pulled out a long black scarf then returned to her side and handed it to Blake. She watched warily as Blake raised the scarf to her face, and then she couldn’t see anything as he placed it over her eyes and tied it securely around her head.

“Is this really necessary, guys?”

She felt warm breath at her ear and shuddered. “Trust us, sweetheart. This will be a very good surprise.” Blake’s whisper sent shivers across her skin that seemed to travel directly to her clit. If he kept doing that to her, he could keep her blindfolded as long as he wanted.

Blake chuckled softly. “I heard that, sweetheart, and I’ll keep it in mind.”

Kate gasped. “I thought we could only hear each other when we’re in our panther forms!”

“So did we. But it seems you’re full of surprises.”

Blake moved behind her, placed his hands on her shoulders, and then he led her forward. Kate couldn’t see where she was going, but she knew they were leading her to the room they had been working so hard on. He maneuvered her through the house until they finally came to a stop. Kate suspected they were standing in front of the double doors that led into the mystery room. She heard doors being opened, and then she was led forward a few more feet before the doors were closed behind her.

She was extremely curious about this room, but she had been growing nervous as well. She didn’t know how she felt about having a room of her own, which was what she strongly suspected this was. She didn’t need a place to shut herself off from her men. She did truly appreciate the hard work they had put into it, though, so she would be grateful regardless.

She felt the blindfold being untied, and then it fell from her face. She opened her eyes slowly and gasped in surprise. This was absolutely not what she had expected.

The first thing that caught her attention was the huge four-poster bed in the center of the room. It was massive, probably twice the size of a normal king-sized bed. She walked to the corner of it and ran her hands up the posts, awed by the figures of panthers that had been intricately carved into the dark wood. It reminded her of the bed in Blake’s bedroom at the other house. She saw the same figures had been carved into the headboard to create a scene of four panthers stalking through trees. An enormous comforter—the kind that made her want to run across the room and jump on—adorned the bed in black silk. Kate looked closely and saw that the thin golden trim near the edges was actually small paw prints embroidered into the fabric.

She tore her gaze away from the bed to explore the rest of the room. There was a thick gold rug covering much of the dark hardwood floor, and a dark leather sofa along one wall. Two comfortable-looking overstuffed chairs upholstered in black velvet sat opposite the sofa.

Kate felt a huge relief as she slowly realized this room wasn’t meant just for her. It was meant for all four of them. As her gaze encircled the room, she came back to the bed, and this time noticed the large painting above the headboard. The painting depicted a stunningly beautiful black panther with emerald green eyes. Three muscular golden panthers stood proudly in the background, their eyes seeming to glow as they gazed at the black cat.

“It’s us.” She looked at each of her men and back to the painting. “It’s beautiful.” Kate felt tears leap to her eyes as her heart swelled with the love she felt for these men. This was her family.

She turned to face them. “I love you. All of you. And it’s perfect.”

Blake wrapped her in his arms and then swept her off her feet, cradling her to his chest. “We love you, too, sweetheart. But we still have more to show you.”

Blake carried her toward another door, and Drake opened it for them to go through. Inside was the largest bathroom Kate had ever seen, even bigger than the one at the other house. There was a huge black granite vanity with two sinks. The floors were black marble that gleamed in the soft light of candles that had been placed around the room. In the corner was a huge black marble shower that had so many spray nozzles in strategic places on the walls that Kate didn’t even try to count them.

The main feature of the room, however, was the raised tub that occupied the far corner. Set into a platform that stood a couple of feet off the floor, the tub could easily hold all four of them at once. Kate felt her face flush when she realized that was probably the point. The tub was filled, and strong jets were swirling the water around.

Blake carried her to the tub and lowered her into it. The pulsing jets massaged her body, and she purred contentedly. Bath oils had been poured in the tub, and the pleasant smell of honey and orange blossoms rose from the tub, surrounding her in a heady aroma.

She watched with growing excitement as Blake stepped into the tub after her and lowered himself into the water. He pulled her toward him, and she wrapped her arms around his neck. His lips descended on hers with a fierce passion, and his tongue delved into her mouth with eagerness. She felt Drake and Jake join them, and then hands were all over her, moving up and down her back, cupping her ass, teasing her nipples.

She pulled back from the kiss and gasped as the pleasure of having all of their hands on her at once raced through her. Her blood seemed to boil in an instant, and she needed release now.

Blake reached one hand between them and found her sensitive and throbbing clit. As he stroked it hard with his thumb, he plunged his fingers into her. She came almost immediately and cried out as her walls contracted around his fingers. She collapsed onto Blake’s chest, panting as she recovered.

Blake moved her so that she was sitting astride him, and he leaned her back so Jake could wash her hair. He used a shampoo that matched the scent of the bath oil and lathered her long hair then reached for a shower attachment connected to the side of the tub and rinsed it with warm clean water.

Kate kept her eyes focused on Blake as Drake reached for a washcloth and began washing away the remaining sand that still clung to her body. Drake’s soft strokes rekindled the fire that had been momentarily sated by her orgasm. Judging by the intensity of the heat she felt, she didn’t think she would be so easily satisfied this time.

Blake must have picked up on her growing need. Once Drake and Jake finished their ministrations, he stepped out of the tub and then reached down and lifted Kate out. While Drake wrapped a big fluffy towel around her, Blake lowered his mouth to hers and kissed her softly. The gentle touch was enough to inflame Kate’s passion, and she pressed her body to him. He deepened the kiss, and she shivered as his tongue entered her mouth and slid over her tongue. She felt breathless and dizzy, and she didn’t ever want the kiss to end.

Kate was vaguely aware of hands drying her off, but her mind and body were completely absorbed in Blake’s kiss. She wanted more of him, needed him inside of her. She groaned into his mouth and could hear her own desperation in the sound. Blake swept her into his arms and carried her out of the bathroom and over to the big bed. While Jake tossed the comforter on the floor, Blake lowered her onto the bed without breaking their kiss. He lowered his body over hers, wrapped his arms around her, and then rolled with her so that she was on top of him. Kate knew what she wanted, what she needed. She rose up and reached between them then wrapped her hand around his hard cock and guided it to her entrance. She watched his eyes as she lowered herself onto his shaft, shuddering at the feel of him sliding inside of her.

She started to rise up to rock against him, but he gripped her hips in his strong hands and held her still. She was momentarily confused until she felt Drake move up behind her, and his fingers brushed against her back opening. Having never experimented with anal sex before, she froze and panic welled up inside of her.

“It’s okay, darlin’.” Drake’s whispered words in her ear sent tingles down her spine. “We’ll make sure you’re ready.” Drake’s reassurance wasn’t enough to get her over her fear, and her body remained tense.

“We need to join at the same time to complete our mating ritual, sweetheart, but we want to do it, too. We’d like to do this a lot in the future. Just relax and let us do the work.”

She looked into Blake’s eyes for a long moment. She knew in her heart that she trusted these men completely and that they would never do anything to harm her. She closed her eyes and then let out a long, slow breath before nodding and letting her body relax against him. She felt fingers against her rear opening again, along with something slick, but she forced her body to stay relaxed. Unfortunately, that only lasted for a moment. Sudden and sharp pain caused her to tense up again.