The Purrfect Predicament (Australian Shifters) (17 page)

Parking his car out of sight, he pulled on his gloves. This family reunion would be bitter and sweet. Sweet for him; no doubt bitter for his daughter. Bill checked his blades hidden under his coat before palming the small, sleek, black Glock. He wasn't getting any younger as he climbed out of his car. His breathing puffed as he hurried to the side of the house. He could smell meat cooking.

They had a little barbecue. How quaint. This will be easier than I thought
. Confidence building, it was time to do a quick scope of the house and situation before he struck. Just like the others, they wouldn't know what had hit them until it was too late.

~ * ~

Ted Stone watched Juniper hand him a cup of milky sweetened tea. She was lovely. Much of the gunk she'd used to keep her hair black had washed out, leaving it a pretty shade of brown with coppery red highlights. The Brown boys were lucky to have found her. He mused over the last conversation about finding his mate.

It will never happen
.

"So how does a lion end up in Australia?" Juniper cocked a curious eye brow at him.

Ted lifted his tea and took a sip, watching her fingers tremble and her side glances toward the window, no doubt worrying over her mates.

Ted knew talking would help keep her mind off them for a little while. "Immigrated like everyone else, my eldest brother took over the pride. As happens in the wild, there is often no room for a secondary male."

"So you came to Australia, why?"

"Too long a story, sweet, I caught a boat back in the nineteen thirties."

Her forehead scrunched in an adorable manner. "How old are you?"

"Hundred and thirty this year."

Her eyes widened. "This makes my head spin, that a shifter's life is so long. What I don't understand is why there are real wild lions, tiger, Panthers, and then there are shifters who are part human and lion, tiger, and Panther, etc..." She waved her hand in the air in a circle, before sliding onto a stool and sipping her own tea.

"Our history is long and clouded. Thousands of years ago, it was said there was a powerful Goddess, who loved cats and a man so much she decided to combine the two. The effects of her powers gave all shifters longer lives and more power than any human or animal. Let's face it; animals have shorter life spans than humans."

"True, so you have all the perks, long life, strength, and good looks, while we poor humans have to muddle along on our own." Her pretty rounded face and sweet lips turned down in a frown. "Does this mean Andy and Hamish will outlive me?"

"I'm going to kick those two when I see them again. Not giving you all the information about what being mated to a shifter entails, sweet. Something in our genetics transfers to yours. You get to live as long as they do. Plus, it's not all perks, we have to stay hidden, dodge hunters and watch humans we love, live their lives and die."

The fine hairs on the back of Ted's neck pricked up. His senses always attuned, he tensed knowing there was someone trying to sneak around, and it wasn't one of the town locals.

"I don't have any family left to—" He waved Juniper silent.

She swallowed. Her breathing increased as the fear made her eyes widen. He stood up and gripped her arm, tugging her off the stool and into his arms. She gasped in surprise but didn't fight him as he bent and placed his lips near her ear to explain.

"We're being watched, just play along, no doubt your boys have a trap planned for whoever's now out there."

"C'mon, baby, lets go watch some TV."

"Sure, Ted, I'd like that." She forced a smile and nodded.

He guided her into the Brown entertainment room and shut the door. Quickly he pushed her around a recliner chair.

"Stay." The order was harsh but he had to make sure she would obey. "He has to get past a heck of a lot of nasty cats before he can get in here, so don't worry your pretty head, I'm just doing this as a precaution."

She nodded. He didn't fail to note her trembling as she wrapped her arms around her waist and slid down the wall, out of sight.

Ted moved back to the door, half shifting to help enhance his hearing. His phone buzzed in his pocket. He yanked it open and frowned, staring at the number he didn't recognize. He hit the button.

"Yes?"

"Theodore, is that you?" The feminine voice from his past hit him like a stab in the gut, memories flooded his brain of his little sister, his family, the turmoil and pain they caused, so long ago.

"Chiku?"

"Thank the Goddess I found you, Theodore, we need help, something's happened to Terrell."

A growl worked its way up his throat as bitter anger swamped him. "Why should I give a fuck about Terrell?"

He could hear her starting to sob on the other end of the line. "A…a hunter shot him with something. He's turned feral, Theo. Please, we need your help, for all our sakes, you're still our brother, our family."

Turning feral was not good for any shifter. Reverting to and staying in your cat form all the time, letting your cat dominate over your human side, is what got you caught and often put down by other shifters.

If his brother was down, it made him responsible for his family. Something moved outside the door. He didn't have time for this.

"Chiku, I'll call you back in a moment, I'm right in the middle of something." Before she could reply, he flipped the phone shut.

The house suddenly plunged into darkness, a gruff deep male voice coming from the other room swore. Ted's eyes easily adjusted as he pushed thoughts of his sister and family out of his mind to focus on the task at hand.

A snarl sounded, followed by, "fucking holy shit!"

Ted slid open the door enough to see what was happening, Andy had leapt onto the man's back, pinning him to the floor. Hamish, still in human form kicked away the gun, before delivering a swift blow to the man's head, rendering him unconscious. Behind the twins stood five of the town's other male shifters; a Cheetah, a Snow Leopard, a Puma, and two Jaguars.

"We got the fucker, turn the lights back on and let's get him disarmed and tied up before the fucker wakes. I don't want him anywhere near our mate," Hamish called.

Ted heaved a sigh of relief, striding from the other room. Andy, still in Panther form, looked up at him, his claws embedded into the man's back.

"She's in there, safe, behind the recliner. As you've got this situation under control, I have to go deal with some personal matters which have come up."

"We're here if you need anything," Hamish told him as he strode by them and the unconscious hit-man.

He nodded his thanks before leaving. His mind turned back to the call, he pulled out his phone while walking back towards his house. He flipped it open, seeing incoming calls, and hit the call back button.

"Alright Chiku, where is he?"

~ * ~

Guilt consumed Juniper as she sat frozen in the corner. Fear made her breathing accelerate and her heart pound.

Past nightmares, from the night Bill had come with a knife and gun, swamped her. He had slaughtered the detectives in front of her, before aiming the gun at her, smiling as he pulled the trigger.

She slapped her hand over her mouth to stop the scream swelling and breaking free of her throat.

I am a coward! How can I let the men I love die for me?

Swallowing, she pushed aside her fear and moved onto her hands and knees to crawl forward.

Purring made her lift her head as a Panther appeared around the side of the recliner. Tears slid down her cheeks.

"Andy?" She squeaked out, blinking rapidly. She'd witnessed Hamish and Andy's transformation many times now. Enough times to be able to distinguish them apart in Panther form. She launched herself forward wrapping her arms around his neck. He purred soothingly, letting her hug him.

She pulled back. "What's happened? Is everyone alright? Don't keep me in the dark!"

He pulled from her arms, giving himself enough space to shift. She watched, always awe struck with how his paws morphed into hands and feet and the way the Panther fur receded into his body. Soon his black hair fell around his shoulder and the cat face was replaced with his handsome one, smiling at her with a crooked grin.

"Everything's fine, sweetheart. What did I say about shifters being faster, stronger and able to handle things the cops can't?"

Andy was naked, but she didn't care as he stood, pulling her with him and wrapping her tightly in his arms. "It didn't take us long to jump on the fucker and Hamish knocked him out. Forrester has already hauled his arse out of here and is taking him to a holding cell so the detectives can take him away. It's over Juniper; you don't need to be afraid anymore."

"Hey save some of that lovin' for me, baby girl." She glanced over Andy's arm to see a clothed Hamish, walking with a satisfied twist to his sexy lips.

A floodgate of emotions, fear, relief and love swamped her. She hadn't known how much she loved them, until faced with the reality of losing them. Juniper burst into tears, her chest wracked with sobs. Hamish and Andy surrounded her, stroking her, holding her tight, as she clung to both of them.

"It's over, love," Hamish said, pressing against her back.

"I...I just remembered when…he killed the others… I don't want to lose you, either of you…ever." She managed as her sobs slowly died.

"You'll never lose us, baby girl. We're here for you through thick and thin, for the rest of our lives," Hamish murmured and kissed the side of her neck.

"Take a heck of a lot to get through us. You need to let go and trust us to always protect you from everything. We love you, sweetheart, and like lug head said we're in it together, forever."

"I love you, Hamish, I love you, Andy."

"We won't let you forget it, sweetheart. Now as I'm already naked."

Hamish moved from her back as Andy moved to lift her up in his arms. "I suggest we all get the same way, I think our girl needs some serious reassurance of our love, Bro."

"I couldn't agree more. I'll get the locks and meet you there." Hamish hurried off.

"Good, I'll get to the serious stuff of making sure she's naked." He headed towards the stairs with her.

Juniper giggled, as her tears subsided. She loved how they always had the ability to turn her woes in to laughter.

Bill was behind bars. They were safe and sound, and eager to make love to her. What could be more purrfect?

Chapter Fourteen

Melbourne bustled with its usual ebb and flow of people. It had been a few years since she'd been back here when she'd had to leave, in a hurry, injured and in pain.

Now she walked in safe confidence between her two men as they strode down one of the main streets in the city Central Business District or the CBD. Her head held high and a smug smile on her face, she caught jealous glances from women they passed. Seeing one gorgeous man with his arm around her waist and the second one holding her hand.

That's right, they're both mine bitches.

Her hair hung just above her shoulders now. Being mated to two Panther shifters had its advantage, helping her hair to grow a little faster than a normal human's would.

It had taken six weeks for the officials to set the court date and prepare for it. Bloody Bill had been remanded to custody; no bail set while he awaited trial for first degree murder of three police officers, and attempted murder of her, and several other murder related charges.

The prosecutor for the case, Mr. Prescott visited her and her men several times to get official statements and records of her accounts of what happened on those fateful nights. To them it was a watertight case. She'd witnessed everything clearly, first hand, and couldn't be swayed from the facts, no matter how the defense may try to twist things.

River Black had his hands full with his adorable twin baby boys, Rio and Tor. Juniper questioned River and Storm on their choice of names. River explained because of their South American origins, it seemed fitting. Rio meaning River and Tor was short for Tormenta, meaning Storm. Although not identical, both babies easily captured the hearts of the whole town.

River was more than happy to hand over the reins of the company to his cousins, and his brother took on River's town Alpha duties while he helped to care for his wife and sons.

Her men kept her busy in and out of home. When not working at the Earth moving company, they were finding delightful naughty ways to tease and pleasure her, in every corner, and on every surface, vertical or horizontal of their home.

Two weeks after capturing Bill, her men had presented her with the most beautiful ring of entwined Panthers, with diamond set eyes, asking for her hand in marriage. Officially, she was engaged to Hamish, being the older of the twins. Andy liked to tease her by saying he was her 'bit on the side.' Unofficially she would marry them both in an upcoming ceremony she was planning back in Black Town.

They arrived two days early, her men spoiling her with shopping, sightseeing and fine dining. Although she now had her own bank card with almost unlimited funds, she was happy to be earning her keep working in the Black Earth Moving office, helping keep all the paper work and files in order.