Chapter 10
Chapter Ten
Katrina
The first thing I see when he opens the door is a goddess.
An absolute goddess.
I mean, this woman is the kind of a goddess that makes bombshell movie stars seem plain. Think about the latest flavor of the month movie star tartlet, and you’re thinking of someone who can’t compare. Think about supermodels, but old school supermodels from the eighties and nineties, not heroin-chic weirdos like you see these days. I mean Christie Brinkley and Carol Alt. I mean Paulina Porizkova and Cindy Crawford. I mean Heidi Klum and…
What, a girl can’t really be into fashion even when she can’t afford it? The point is that this woman makes all of those supermodels go from cream of the crop to just above average.
“Delilah,” I say softly. If you can think of a more soul crushing thing than realizing your competition for the man you love—and yes, I have to admit that I love him regardless of how insane that is from a logical perspective—is so far beyond you that it can’t even be overstated… Well, if you can imagine that situation, you know how I feel right now.
She steps forward, smiles a little sadly, and extends her hand. “Hello. You must be Katrina.” Damn, the woman pronounces it as Kat-Er-Ina, and it’s so alluring and beautiful even I want to sleep with her. All right, that’s an exaggeration but you get the point. And then she does something impossible. She gathers me in her arms and hugs me warmly. “Thank you for rescuing us or, at least, thank you for trying.”
“Trying? Okay, I’ll leave.”
“Leave? What do you mean?”
“It didn’t work. So, you two will want to be alone now. Sorry about that. I tried.”
Delilah says, “We’re still not marrying. Being with him would be like being with my brother. But he has refused his parents. He has abdicated his throne.”
“Abdicated?”
“He refuses to submit to his mother’s will.”
“Abdicated… but…” And then suddenly I remember the conversation with his father. I was so overcome by him accepting me that I just glossed over the whole royalty thing. “You’re… you’re the crown prince,” I say.
He smiles and says, “I was.”
“I… Your father said being royalty impacted their decisions, and I didn’t know what he meant but… you… you’re giving up the throne?” I add at the end, “For me?” just because I have no idea at all if Delilah knows what we’re doing is fake.
“I would give up a thousand thrones for you,” he says.
“You don’t have to give up one damned throne!” The voice comes from his father, and I turn around to see him standing on the doorstep. “Your mother had no right to do any of this. By the king’s word! By my word, Delilah, you are free to marry whom you please, and should any of my subjects pressure you, they shall deal with me.”
She immediately falls to her knee. “Your majesty, you do me too much kindness.”
“The Hell I do. And get up.” She stands and he says, “You have one obligation, though. You’d damned well marry someone who makes you happy.”
Isaac’s father looks at me and says, “You must think poorly of my family now. Please understand there were limitations that were very necessary back in the old days before we became known to the world. And now, they aren’t. My wife has a harder time adjusting than most.”
“Thank you for telling me,” I say.
“Thank you for giving my son and Delilah a reason to stand up to us.”
I don’t know what to say, so I hug him.
That’s right, I hug a King.
And he hugs me back. Isaac comes up behind me and I sense a wonderful thawing of emotions between him and his father. Quite honestly, I feel kind of proud of myself.
“Son, I really think it would do all of us a lot of good to,” he gives me a look, “go for a run.”
Isaac laughs. “Remember, Dad, she knows all about us. No need to hide it.”
“Of course, of course. Well then, let us enjoy the night.”
We head out to the backyard. Isaac takes my hand and pulls me back. “I know he sounds like we’re all about to be vampires, but he really is trying to loosen up.”
“He’d make a great vampire, though.”
Isaac smiles. “A damn fine one.”
We all get outside and it’s getting darker by the minute. Isaac’s father and Delilah step out onto the grass and start undressing. I begin turning three different shades of red.
“Hey, once I’ve shifted, I’d really love to have you along for the ride. You can climb onto my back once I’m my panther.”
I turn away from the 70s porn shoot happening in front of me and stare at him. “What?”
“I will still be me, Katrina. I won’t harm you, none of us will. So, will you climb on board and go for the ride of your life with me?”
I nod and then to seal the deal, I give him a kiss.
He steps back with the others and quickly undresses. As always, I admire his body. Maybe that makes me an awful human being, objectifying another like that, but you probably haven’t seen a shifter in real life so don’t past judgement too fast.
Also, I’d rather focus on him than his father, and I definitely don’t want to dwell on Delilah. I glanced at her briefly and, well, she’s fucking amazing with or without clothing.
So, I watch Isaac and, holy shit!
One moment there are three humans standing there, and then everything seems to get blurry, like a wavy segue to the dream segment in a show except far faster than one of those segues. When it clears mere seconds later, there are three beautiful, huge panthers standing where they stood.
The biggest is where Isaac was. I stand frozen as it walks away from the other two and heads for me.
Let me just say, watching that huge cat pad over to me makes my heart beat so hard I figure he can hear it. There’s just no explaining how large and intimidating a shifter is in their animal form. No wonder they stayed hidden for so long. They would’ve been hunted and killed just for being so very frightening.
But I find him beautiful.
He stops in front of me and crouches down in front of me. It still takes quite a jump and some scrabbling to get on his back. I grip him hard with my thighs as he stands and walks over to his father and Delilah.
Then, the world rolls away. The wind bites at my face, and I press down onto the sleek coat and wrap my arms around the thick neck.Well, not all the way around but you get what I’m saying. There’s a gap in Isaac’s fence, and now I know why he’s never bothered to repair it. The three cats jog through and then increase their speed.
I can’t explain the feelings and sensations that rush through me as we go through the sparse trees that night. His moves are full of grace and elegance, but there is a joy and playfulness about all three of them that is incredible to watch. They are playful and beautiful.
They are panther royalty.What a… wow. They’re panthers and they’re playful and beautiful like… Yeah, I have no frame of reference to explain it.
We move pretty fast at first, and then we seem to loop out in a circle and slow down. With the darkness robbing me of sight, my hearing picks up. The night feels alive in a way that books and movies like to describe it.
That is the perfect way to think of this whole thing, I realize. It is a fascinating, unbelievable story that is real. All of it, real this whole time.We finally get back to the fence line and trot along until we make it back to the gap in the fence. I’m exhausted and exhilarated all at once.
Once we’re on the other side, I slide off his back and walk back to the patio. I know they’re padding behind me, but I hear nothing until Isaac calls me. “Go ahead into the house if you want. It’s a bit cold out here.”
I wave my understanding and head in. I’m pretty thankful I don’t have to see anyone naked again tonight. Of course, I don’t mind seeing Isaac naked, but you get what I’m saying.
A few minutes later, Isaac steps in fully clothed.
I watch him walk over and I’m hit by the realization that he’s probably about to thank me for releasing him from the obligation of marriage and going to send me on my way.
And I don’t want to go.
I don’t want to let this end between us. I really don’t.
I start to cry like a big baby.
Isaac’s big smile fades. “Katrina?”
“Oh God, I’m sorry. I’m so sorry.” I try to stop crying, but it’s a lost battle. “Isaac, I love you. I have to say it, I’m sorry, and I don’t expect you to reciprocate. This was just a ...”
He takes me into his arms and proceeds to kiss my tears away. “It’s a good thing we’re getting married, then, and hey, hey,” he tilts my head up and makes me look at him. “I didn’t even have to give up one throne, much less a thousand.”
“Wait,” I say, “I can’t… is this really happening or is this part of…”
He cuts me off with a kiss. I can tell you honestly it’s the second-best kiss of my life. The first best kiss comes from my panther shortly after we both say, “I do.”
That’s a much better kiss!
Did you enjoy reading Deadly Panther's Fake Fiancé ? I hope so. I really enjoy writing about the Company 417 firemen shifters. You already know that if you’ve read any of the other books I’ve written. I’m definitely a shifter-loving girl. I don’t just have book boyfriends. I have a menagerie full of them! I go on picnics with wolves, to movies with lions, and on vacations with dragons.
I wish!
I loved writing about Isaac, and I hope you found him as sexy as I did. Any girl can go for a firefighter, I think. At least, any girl I know! When he’s got the power and the grace of a panther, it’s even more irresistible, right? And he’s a prince! What a combination!
Naturally, I fell in love with Isaac while I wrote the book. That isn’t going to surprise any of you out there who’ve read my other Company 417 books. At the end of all of them, I just go on and on about how much I love the shifter men I wrote about. Well, maybe I fall in love with every sexy shifter leading man I write but can’t help myself! I always imagine I’m the lucky girl involved, and you better believe I imagined I was Katrina even though I can’t even design a room, much less a whole building.
Katrina got herself a sexy man, an incredible firefighter, and a strong and powerful shifter. She got the real deal, I think! I have a feeling that she’s going to spend the rest of her life head over heels in love with Isaac. I get the feeling she’s going to learn a whole lot more about panther royalty, too. What do you think?
Do you love these two together like I do? What do you like about the characters? Let’s face it. When it comes to shifters, I’m a hopeless romantic! How about you?
Anyway, I really hope you enjoyed reading about Katrina and her panther shifter lover. These two have a really tender and sexy life together ahead of them, don’t they?
If you enjoyed this story, then I think you’ll love the next tale of paranormal romance in the Company 417 Fireman Shifters series.
Ashlyn Brady won’t let life just happen to her. No way. She didn’t study her rear end off and then start her business empire to let life happen. No way. She’s going to happen to life, not the other way around. Of course, right now her business empire is just a small office building and a lot of ideas. But that’s all right because everyone needs to start somewhere. She just needs to keep taking the bull by the horns.
And then life happens to her.
And there’s no control at all.
In this case, life comes as an Earthquake that leaves her trapped in her building and then an impossibly attractive fireman who saves her in a way that seems almost miraculous. Firefighter Dalton Kelsey may be the most perfect man in existence, and Ashlyn doesn’t have time for any man at all, much less one that consumes her every thought!
What she doesn’t know is that Dalton isn’t just a sexy fireman. He is a dragon, the most elusive of shifters. And he has a destiny that must come to pass whether or not he falls in love with this incredible girl. Can these two find happiness or will they be crushed by the workings of fate?
Find out all about it in Dragon’s Destiny of Fire , the next exciting tale in the sexy, steamy age gap shifter firefighter romance series Company 417 Fireman Shifters !