Panther's Claim (5 page)

“My house paid for this place so I
have every right to be here.” His gruff tone told her he was annoyed she dared
to ask such a question.

“The judge awarded me the house.”
She pulled the edges of the housecoat tighter around her. In her fury over his
intrusion, she had failed to change.

“I don't give a rat's ass what that
bitch judge said. The place was part mine, and I have come to collect my half
of the sale.” The look Cliff shot her said he was close to a violent meltdown.
She had experienced it a time or two before, and it usually meant she would be
nursing a black eye or busted lip by morning, but she was through being scared
of what he might do. He was no longer a part of her life, and if he'd come for
a fight, she would not stand by and take it this time.

“Where's your girlfriend?” Lyssa wondered
if the dingy blonde with an IQ smaller than her bra size was sitting out in the
driveway in the car.

“She's visiting her mother. I
thought I would head to Vegas for a few days, so I decided I should drop in to
see my little bank whore of a wife.” He used the heel of his boot to push her
coffee table back, smiling at the obvious scratches he left on the wood top.

Once
an asshole always an asshole,
Lyssa mused to herself as she
looked at her ruined furniture.

“Well I am not your wife and I'm not
giving you a cent, so you can take your sorry ass back down the road.” She
stood her ground as he jumped to his feet. His face was a mask of rage as he stalked
toward her with his fists clenched at his side.

“If you want to leave here alive,
you stop right there and take her advice,” Ren said from the front entrance
where the door stood open. His voice brought a bright smile to Lyssa's lips.

Cliff spin to face the man who
occupied nearly the entire doorway with his hulking size. “Who the fuck are you?”
Cliff asked with more than just a bit of challenge in his voice as he glanced
at Lyssa then back at the man who had now strolled further into his ex-wife's
house.

“Lyssa has no use for you or your
kind. Now take yourself back to your vehicle and leave before something bad
happens to you,” Ren told the arrogant SOB as he gave Lyssa a once over to be
certain she was unharmed. The look in his blue eyes told her if she as so much
as whimpered, he would kill the man where he stood.

Focusing his rage back toward her,
Cliff glared at her in disgust. “Is this who you're fucking now?” Turning back
toward Ren, who was only a few feet away now, he spit at the larger man's feet.
“She's a lousy fuck anyways.”

“Actually, she's a wonderful fuck,
but then again, only a real man could know such a thing.” Trey said as he
stepped through the door, walked straight to the end of the stairs, and wrapped
his arms about her waist. “Now as my brother told you, it's time for you to get
back to where you came from. Lyssa is no longer your concern.”

Cliff
gaped like a fish out of the water, his mouth opening and closing in panic, as
he stared at the room's other occupants. Gritting his teeth, he turned to glare
daggers one last time at her while he headed for the door, muttering under his
breath and stepped back across the threshold. “Whore!”

“How did you both know?” Lyssa asked
as she buried herself against Trey, thankful the whole event had not come to
blows. She didn't want to look for bail money for her men.
Your men? Now you're starting to sound like them.
She analyzed her
thought for a moment, as the two brothers discussed calling someone to be
certain Cliff left town.

“We saw the car in the drive and
something just didn't feel right.” Ren came forward to pull her away from his
twin and into his own embrace, which she readily returned.

“Well, thank you both.” She rose on
her tiptoes to deliver a tender kiss across Ren's lips.

“Hey, where's mine?” Trey whined as
he reached out and pulled her into his arms to press his lips to hers.

****

Lyssa stood staring at herself in
one of the large full-length mirrors occupying the master bath. Both men
insisted she remain inside the house until they were certain Cliff had left
town for good. This was perfectly fine with her. There was nothing over at the
small rental house she really needed, they had seen to every possible need she
might have, right down to nail polish for her toes. Now, as she stared at her
reflection, she found it hard to comprehend the person looking back at her.

Ren had spent the morning collecting
the things he said she would need for the ceremony they kept mentioning. It was
to take place at exactly midnight out on the massive rear deck. She pulled at
the hem of the dress once more as she worried her lower lip. The thin sheath
hung just long enough to hide her bare mound. It was gorgeous, made of a
sapphire blue silk with gold stitching along the edges. However, she didn't
know how she was supposed to walk anywhere in the garment without showing she
wore nothing underneath.

An older woman, who identified
herself as Ella, had come to the house earlier and done her hair up in an
elegant twist with loose strands curling about her face. She had hummed and
smiled brightly, telling Lyssa how honored she was to meet the bond mate of the
Lehner brothers, and she would be so pleased to see them finally mated later
that night. Evidently, there were to be plenty of witnesses to whatever this
bonding ceremony was tonight. This just made the length of the sheath even more
disconcerting.

The woman had arrived with Ren and
Trey's mother Elisa and their fathers, Arian and Aaron. It was obvious where
her mates had gotten their good looks. After a few minutes of talking, it was
also easy to see she had their mother to thank for their charming
personalities. She had been nervous to meet her future in-laws, or whatever
Lyssa was supposed to call them, but their quick acceptance and warm, heartfelt
embraces set her quickly at ease.

A yell from somewhere outside caught
the entire group's attention. “Lyssa, damn it, I said get your fat ass out here
and give me my money.” Cliff's obviously inebriated voice called, making her
cheeks flush with embarrassment. She wouldn't have been surprised if the family
asked her to leave at any moment. Certainly, the last thing they wanted was to
draw any unwanted attention by officials who might see them for what they truly
were.

“Perhaps I should go talk to him. Maybe
I can get him to leave.” She lowered her head in utter shame and disgust.

“Don't you worry about him, sweetie.”
Elisa handed her a glass filled with what looked like red wine. “We cannot be
responsible for all the assholes who move in and out of our lives. Anyway, Ren
has already called his cousins Robert and Eugene to escort that idiot out of
town or to jail, whichever one he chooses.”

“I am certain those young men will
put some fear in his step and he'll never bother you again,” Aaron added as he
leaned down and planted a tender kiss on his wife's cheek.

Lyssa smiled in relief. It felt nice
to have people who supported her despite the bad decisions and problems she
might bring to their doorstep.

“Now, you go along and get ready for
the ceremony and don't worry about what happens to that moron.” Arian took the
glass from her hand and shooed her out the door. Lyssa though perhaps the three
of them had other things on their minds besides the coming event, and when she
heard a deep moan echo from the room as she proceeded up the hall she knew she
was right.

“You look beautiful,” a sweet,
feminine voice said, and Lyssa looked up to see a shapely female with black
hair hanging down to her waist. “I'm Ally, Ren and Trey's sister.”

“Hello, I'm Lyssa. But you probably
already knew that. Everyone else seems to.” Lyssa sighed as she looked again at
her reflection. She would bet Ally would not be so self-conscious in this
getup. Hell, the girl looked like she had just walked off the catwalk at some
high fashion photo shoot.

“Yes, I'm afraid that's one drawback
of living in such a small, controlled community.” She moved to up alongside Lyssa
and looked her up and down with a pensive expression that made her look much
older. “I bet Ren picked this out.” She grinned.

“It's a little short.” Lyssa returned
her smile and relaxed just a bit. At least she wasn't the only one who thought
it a bit too revealing.

“Yeah, which is why Mom made certain
she called Clara over at the alteration shop and asked her make one that should
fit a little better. I laid it across the bed, along with a few gifts from the
guys.”

Lyssa was pleased to discover the
second sheath, a nearly exact replica of the first, hung to right above her
knees. It would make things a whole lot more comfortable in front of a bunch of
strangers. The gifts Ally had mentioned were a panther medallion with diamond
eyes that hung on a silver chain and a matched set of diamond earrings. They were
exquisite. Sitting on the edge of the bed while Ally fastened the chain around
her neck, Lyssa took a deep nervous breath.

“So did anyone mention what would be
happening tonight? The details?” The younger female slid forward to take a seat
at Lyssa's side.

“Not a word,” she responded, as she
looked at Ally hopefully and waited for some answers.

****

There had to be at least thirty men
and women in the back yard as Lyssa peeked out one of the large windows
overlooking the area. Her hands were trembling so hard, if Ally hadn't been
there, she doubted she would even have been able to turn the handle on the
door. She saw both Trey and Ren standing in the center of the deck, both
bare-chested, each wearing only a pair of dark leather pants.

“Just relax.” Ally put her small
hand on Lyssa's shoulder in a show of solidarity and comfort. “The only people
out there are family, and they've waited a very long time to see my brothers
finally brought to task. Of course, that will be a full time job.” Her new
friend's bit of humor made her smile and gave Lyssa enough courage to step out
the door into the crisp night air.

All eyes turned to her as a cool
wind picked up and danced about her legs, carrying little bits of autumn
leaves. Both men smiled broadly as she came to stand between them and placed
one of her hands into each of theirs.

“You look wonderful,” Ren whispered
low so she and his twin were the only ones to hear him.

“Yes, you do,” Trey agreed in the
same hushed tone as they raised their joined hands high for all to see.

Both men began to chant in unison to
the crowd in a language she could not understand. The group gathered around
them would respond in periodic breaks using the same strange language. Trey
released her hand and took her by the shoulder, turning her to face his brother
while he pushed one of her shoulder straps down.

“I, Ren of the Pantera, claim Lyssa
as bond mate and swear before this astute council to honor and protect my mate
and my genus from all that may threaten them. I hold all this to my soul on this
holy night and swear it before the moon.” As he spoke, Lyssa saw a change grip
him, starting first with his eyes, which shifted from sky blue to gold and
black. As he finished the short vow, she saw his incisors lengthen to cat-like
fangs.

“Relax, Lyssa, I promise he will not
hurt you,” Trey whispered as he slid up against her back to prevent her from
stepping away.

Ren reached forward and pulled her
tight to his chest, tilting her head for access to her shoulder as he did so.
With a deep, throaty growl, he bit down into her flesh, and she screamed in a
sudden stab of pain. The sting of his bite lasted only a brief moment, quickly
replaced by a hot, liquid sensation that traveled from the site through her
entire body and pulled in her groin.

The moment Ren released her and
stepped back, Trey spun her around to face him. Taking both her hands in his,
he smiled as Lyssa heard a strange popping sound and growls coming from where
she was certain Ren stood. “I, Trey of the Pantera, claim Lyssa as bond mate
and swear before this astute council to honor and protect my mate and my genus
from all that may threaten them. I hold all this to my soul on this holy night
and swear it before the moon.” He slid the strap from her other shoulder as he
spoke, and she watched his eyes change in the same way his twin's had moments
earlier. She held her breath as he came forward, and she stiffened in
preparation of his bite.

Again, pain shot through her as
sharp teeth bit into the flesh of her shoulder, but this time the feeling that
followed was different. Unlike the hot sensation she had previously,
experienced, this one was a cold, chilling flow that wrapped about her body and
mingled with the other in her female core. A sudden twisting ruptured up
through her chest, and Lyssa felt her own teeth begin to lengthen as her vision
shifted. Someone, Ally she thought, came behind her and lifted the thin sheath
up and over her head as she went to her knees. Pain moved through her joints
and muscles as she changed and shifted. Black hair began to flood across her
skin in waves, and she had the sudden desire to vomit.

Moments passed and her breath slowed,
the pain dispersed, and she shook her head and looked around through eyes that
could pierce the darkness. A nudge to either side from two large male panthers
had her stretching her own body and roaring her newly found freedom as a
panther.