Claimed by Her Panthers (2 page)

Stephan
and Owen both nodded.
“Yeah.
I overheard my mum
talking to Dad about how they only had to worry about your father trying to get
in contact with you when you go back to school after the holidays.” Owen moaned.
“You might not like living here then. We have to get up an hour earlier than
you did, so we can catch the bus and be at school on time.”

Owen
knew his friend didn’t care about getting up early if his mum was okay. All
Joel wanted was to see his mother smile. He wanted his mum happy. This last
beating Joel’s dad had given his mum had put her into labor. Owen had been
impressed with how brave his friend had been. After Joel’s father passed out on
the lounge Joel had rushed to his mother calling his Aunt Stacey. Joel’s aunt
had gone to the rescue straight away with her new husband, a Shifter in their pack.
Owen wasn’t sure what else had happened after that, but the next thing any of
them knew Joel and his mother had been packed up and both of them brought up
the mountain.

Owen’s
mum came out with the phone to her ear. She beamed down at Joel. “Joel, you
have a baby sister. Your mother called her Angelica. I’m going to take you in
the morning to see them both.”

 
His friend nodded as she walked away.

“Whoa,
man.
A baby sister.
That’s going to be so weird,” Owen
said beside him.

“Yep.
Will you two
come tomorrow with me?”

“Sure,
man,” Owen said.

****

Stephan
glanced at his friend as he quietly walked into his mother’s room. Joel’s mum
looked tired and bruised all over. She held a tiny bundle wrapped in pink. She
smiled as soon as she saw Joel.

“Joel,
honey, come and
meet
your sister, Angelica. She’s my
angel.”

Joel
slowly walked to his mother’s side and peered down at the bundle. “She’s so
tiny.”

“Yes,
she is tiny, but she’s perfect. Hold her.”
 
Joel’s mother passed him his sister.

Stephan
could feel his panther standing up eager to have a look at the tiny bundle in
his friend’s arms. Walking over, he looked down at the sleeping baby girl.
Stephan’s panther purred, and he started to get a bit scared at his panther’s
reaction.

“Joel,
I have a favor to ask, honey.”

“Sure,
Mum anything,” Joel said his eyes darting from his mother back to his sister.

“Promise
me you’ll look after your sister. Don’t ever let her do what I did. Promise me
you’ll love her, like I love you with everything in my heart. Promise me you’ll
always protect her and keep her safe.”

Stephan
knew then, as he heard the last promise and his panther nodded, that this girl
was special to him and his panther would help look out for the girl. He would
protect Angelica with everything he was.

Owen
nodded his head also, and Stephan could see he felt the same as Stephan did as
they looked down at Angelica.

“I
promise, Mum.” Joel kissed his baby sister’s forehead and passed her back to
his mother.

****

Six years old

Owen
stared down at the chubby little girl as she pouted up at him. “But,
Owennn
,
Muma
is sick, and
Joely
said he had class and a test so he couldn’t miss it.
I know you don’t
got
a class. I
needs
to go to this party.
Jenika
is
my
bestest
friend in the whole wide world. Please.”

He
groaned, because he was going to give in. Owen couldn’t help himself.
Angelica’s big green eyes gazed up and him, and he was a goner. His panther
whined at him to say yes. “Okay, only because you said please.”

Angelica
squealed and pumped her little fists in the air before she jumped on him
hugging him. “You’re the best. I’m just
gonna
tell
Muma
.”

Owen
took Angelica to the party, and two days later her mother died of heart
failure.

Joel’s
Aunt Stacey wanted to take Angelica, but Joel wouldn’t let her. Joel argued
that she was his sister and his mother had made him promise to look after and
make sure Angelica was safe. Joel agreed to his aunt helping him out with
babysitting when he was working or in class, but he wouldn’t let her have full
custardy.

Owen
just wanted what was best for Angelica, and Stephan felt the same. They offered
their friend help whenever they needed them.

****

Sixteen years old

Stephan
glared at the fuckwit as he sat next them on the lounge looking uncomfortable.
Joel had his badge out along with his gun.

“Angelica
is to be home no later than twelve. If you bring her back at twelve o-five I
will find something to arrest you for and lock you up. Do you get it?”

The
teen nodded as he turned white.
“Yes, sir.”

“She
is sixteen and underage, so if I smell even the faintest smell of smoke or
alcohol…”

“Yes, sir.”

“
Joely
, stop
interrogating my friend.”
Angelica came down in a bright yellow
sundress, with white flip-flops and a backpack flung over her shoulder. “We are
going to a pool party. You know
Jenika
. It’s at her
house. Brenda and Emily will be there as well.”

“Cupcake,
I can drop you off. I’m heading over that way. The boy can meet you there.”
Stephan hated the idea of Angelica getting in the car with the horny teenager.

Angelica
shook her head and held the teenage boy’s hand. Stephan stood and went over to
her. Stephan wanted to rip her hand away from the boy and put her away
somewhere safe. He could smell the lust coming in waves from the boy. He narrowed
his eyes, and a growl slipped free.

“Stephan,
stop your growling. I’ll call if I need any of you.”

With
that she walked out the door, his panther growled inside his head unhappily. “I
can’t believe you’re letting her go out with that boy. What do you know about
him?”

Joel
scrubbed his face. “I did a check on him. He’s a jock, lots of sports and
friends. He does all right at school. He’s in his last year. His parents are
nice, and he doesn’t have anything bad on him.”

“I
don’t like him.”

Joel
chuckled. “Yeah, me neither, but Angelica is sixteen. I can’t lock her up.”

****

Eighteen years old

Owen
got another beer for Joel and listened as he told them about Angelica begging
to spend the whole week at
Schoolies
, a graduation-themed
event held after seniors left school at the end of their final year, on the
Gold Coast. Joel had caved. She was going with her group of friends.

Stephan
was shaking his head at him. All the bad
supernaturals
went to that event. Demons and Wraiths were the most common. Owen’s cousin said
Schoolies
was their busiest time. They got overrun
with the wrong kind of
supernaturals
, and people went
missing and things happened that the Vampires and Shifters, even working
together, couldn’t control.
 
Joel couldn’t
allow Angelica to spend a week at
Schoolies
.

“I
think it is too dangerous to let her have a week away with her girlfriends. I
know she’s celebrating finishing high school, but you’re a cop. Think about
what goes on.”
 

Owen
hoped getting Joel to think about what he dealt with on the force would help
him change his mind without him or Stephan having to tell him more about
supernaturals
. Joel knew about Shifters, but he hadn’t been
told about the other creatures. Wraiths, Demons, Trolls, and Ogres, they were
the ones you avoided. They were the ones the Shifters kept under control and
killed. The Pixies and Sirens were on the border. You never knew how they would
be or what kind you’d get. Fairies, Mermaids or Mermen, Witches and Warlocks
were all pretty cool, and they were on a truce with Vampires, who were finding
it hard to adapt to the new world.

“I
can’t tell her
no
now. She’s eighteen.”

“Tell
her you need her at home,” Stephan suggested.

“I
can’t do that because she knows I don’t. I trust her, and she will be with a
group of friends. I’m letting her go.”

“How
about we fly Angelica and her friends to
Schoolies
for
the weekend? Stephan and I will stay and watch out for her.” Owen hoped Joel
would take this. His panther was pacing inside, frantic at the thought of
Angelica getting taken by a Wraith or talked into something by a Demon.

“I
think that’s a bit much. Angelica will be fine. I have to let her go at some
stage.” Joel sounded resolved. There was no way to get what he wanted without
telling Joel something.

 
“Joel, Stephan and I didn’t tell you
everything about the supernatural world. Shifters aren’t the only beings. There
are other things, and they’re not so nice. We Shifters help control and protect
people from them, but
Schoolies
is swarming with
these deadly creatures, and we don’t want Angelica anywhere near them.”

Joel’s
eyes
widened,
and he chugged the last of his beer
down. “Okay, Angelica is only going for a weekend, but I want you two there
when I tell her. Maybe she won’t get as upset in front of you.”

Owen
nodded, and his panther calmed. They would watch over Angelica. Nothing would
happen to her.

****

Stephan
relaxed back into the sofa, and Angelica laid her head on his shoulder as she
watched the movie. Joel had called them over after Angelica had come home
crying. She’d broken up with her boyfriend, and Joel needed help to cheer her
up. So he and Owen had come over to help Joel.

Angelica
had spent the first hour of them arriving telling them that she was an idiot
and she shouldn’t have broken up with him. Then she’d cried for the next going
on about how she never felt anything for him and maybe she was frigid. Joel had
paled and walked away when Angelica had started talking about that. Then she
got angry at her best friend for moving away to do her university degree, and
crying over the phone was different and not as good. Now Angelica had calmed
and was watching a whole heap of girlie movies. She’d somehow gotten him and
Owen to agree to watch them with her.

Stephan
wasn’t watching the movie, but he was enjoying the cuddle and relaxation time.
His panther was purring, which was strange. He’d had a busy week, and being
with Angelica always calmed him. Angelica always had a soothing effect on him,
and Stephan could see she did the same to Owen, who at the moment had her feet
on his lap massaging them.
   

****

Twenty-one years old

Owen
wasn’t happy. He sat on the chair with his fist clenched as Angelica blew out
the candle and kissed her boyfriend, Brad, Bret, or something that began with b,
as they cheered around him, “Happy twenty-first, Angelica!”

His
mind flashed back to the day before. Yesterday had been her actual birthday,
and he’d come around to celebrate with Joel, their aunts, uncles, and cousins.
Angelica had come over and given him a hug and peck on the cheek, and his
panther had screamed in his head.
Mate.
Mate her
.
She can be ours now
.
Mate her
.

Owen
had been momentarily stunned. He had breathed in her fresh scent of mango and
peaches.
Mmm
.
She smelled like she always did, just better.

“Owen,
are you all right?” Angelica asked, interrupting his thoughts. She looked him
over like she was scared of the answer he’d give her.

“Sure,
sweetheart, I was just woolgathering.”

Her
lips curled in the corner, and her eyes sparkled. “A sign of old age.”

He
gave her a mock growl, and she laughed.

When
Stephan cornered him an hour later, Owen wasn’t surprised. “We need to talk. I
saw Angelica yesterday and was blindsided by something, but I didn’t know how
to tell you. She’s my mate. It explains a lot, like why I could never say no to
her and how I have always wanted to be there to keep her safe.”

Owen
snarled. “Angelica is my mate, too. I worked it out yesterday as well.”

“Fuck.”

“Yeah,
I know.”

Stephan
sighed. “What are we going to do?”

“I
don’t know. I really don’t know.”

Chapter One

Present Day

Owen
watched as his and his best friend Stephan’s mate, Angelica, ground herself on
a dead man. Well at the moment he was breathing, but if he touched their mate
one more time he would kill the sorry son of a bitch. Owen had had enough. He
was sick of watching his mate carry on with one man or another and doing
nothing about it.