Page 70 of Wedding the Werepanther

I throw my arms around his neck and enjoy the smooth power of his movements, the effortless way he sprints while carrying me. The show of strength does dangerous things to my girl parts, which are already happy to be this close to him.

It’s too bad we can’t do something about that.

Or can we?

Skye’s idea echoes through my mind. If we have sex here where Victoria can’t feel me, would she even know?

Before I can bring it up with Shadow, we burst out into the real world, color and smells and sounds and the pulsing thrum of magic surrounding me in a dizzying rush. We move through a heavy forest of deep-green evergreens and beautiful blue birches. The rich scent of pine and loam fills the air. Instead of birdsong, a deeper sound comes from ahead, almost like…

“Are those cats purring?”

Shadow grins and slides to a stop in a clearing dominated by a large rock face. A zigzagging crack runs down its center, widening into a large triangular cave entrance at the bottom. Soft green moss covers the open ground, painted with diagonal gold bars of slanted evening sunlight filtering through the surrounding trees.

There’s no one else in sight, but the purring gets even louder. One by one, smiles appear, hanging in midair, followed by the rest of the panthers. Because that’s what they are—full-sized panthers, with long, silver-tipped black fur.

One strides out of the cave with slow dignity, a sprinkling more silver dusting their snout. “Shadow, you have returned,” says a lovely deep alto voice.

“Mother, I thank you,” he says, his tone formal. He sets me on my feet. “This is Kayla. Kayla, this is Moonlight, alpha of our pack, and my mother.”

His mother! An icy spurt of anxiety goes through me, and my heart starts to race. Why didn’t he tell me I’d meet the parents? I would have worn something nicer. I tug at the bottom of my T-shirt, which says:I’m not always sassy. Sometimes I sleep.At least it’s not the tits one.

“Welcome, human witch.” Her green eyes turn to Shadow. “Son of mine, we welcome you with the harmonizing.”

Shadow yanks his shirt over his head. His boots and jeans quickly follow, and he’s naked for a split second before magic ripples through the air, and he shifts into a panther.

He’s a good four feet tall and six feet long, not counting his tail. Shadow must weigh almost two-hundred pounds, which makes him far larger than any Earth panther. He’s an apex predator in his prime, easily one of the largest cats here.

I should be terrified.

But I’m not.

Those green eyes of his look at me with familiar warmth.

Then he dips his head to his mother. “It’s good to be back.”

She walks forward and rubs cheeks with him, and when she steps back, it’s as if a dam breaks. All the other panthers come forward to greet him the same way, never stopping their purrs.

Shadow joins them, a deep rumbling purr pouring from him. I want to bury my hands in his fur and lean my head against his side to hear that comforting sound reverberate through me.

When they’re done, he sits with his long-haired tail wrapped around his feet and leans against my legs. It’s only a fraction of his weight, but it almost knocks me over, so I drop to themoss-covered ground, leaning into him, feeling his purr vibrate through me.

The deep hum of their combined purrs throws me into a peaceful, transcendent state that calms the last of my anxiety. Maybe this is what meditation is like? Only I wouldn’t know, because this girl has never been able to meditate, no matter how often a therapist suggested it.

Caught in this magical moment, I’m not sure how much time passes before the sound fades away.

Three tiny black balls of floof barrel out of the cave, darting straight toward us.

“Uncle Shadow!” “Uncle Shadow!” “You’re home!”

They careen into him, and he lets out a theatrical “oof” and flops onto his side. “You got me.”

“Of course we did!” “We’re almost hunters now!” “Rawr!”

The kittens clamber all over him, and he scoops them up one by one with a paw as big as they are and brings them to his face to lick each little one’s head.

I laugh—I can’t help it. He’s so adorable with them!

“Who’s that?” “It’s a human!” “It’s not Naomi!”