Claimed by Panthers: A Reverse Harem Paranormal Romance (Panther Shifters of the Amazon Book 3) Read online

  Claimed by Panthers

  Laura Wylde

  Contents

  1. Tara

  2. Jabari

  3. Tara

  4. Jabari

  5. Tara

  6. Jabari

  7. Tara

  8. Jabari

  9. Tara

  10. Jabari

  11. Tara

  12. Jabari

  13. Tara

  14. Jabari

  15. Tara

  16. Jabari

  17. Tara

  18. Jabari

  Afterword

  Also by Laura Wylde

  Tara

  “Nice tee shirt.” The guy next to me on the plane commented with a knowing smile. “You one of those crazy cat ladies that my mother always warned me about?”

  I stroked the panther spread across my chest like it was a real pet or something. “Your mother definitely would have warned you about me… but not because of my love of cats.”

  “Uh huh, you one of those dangerous types? The law-breaking girls?”

  I narrowed my eyes at him. I could see what he was getting at. He thought my punky neon clothing and the bright purple streak in my ashy blonde hair meant that I was ‘up for a good time.’ Maybe I was, but not with a bland preppy guy like him. He wasn’t my type at all. I needed someone a little more… well, I wasn’t too sure what it was because I hadn’t ever found it in a guy before. That spark had never shone bright enough to keep me interested for longer than a few months at a time. But I would know it when I saw it, I was sure of it.

  “I’m too much for you to handle, sweet heart,” I told him, confidently. “Nice try, though.”

  “You don’t know.” He leaned closer, getting too far into my personal space for my liking. “You don’t know what I can handle; who I have been with. You shouldn’t underestimate me.”

  He was starting to piss me off now. Why couldn’t we just have a nice conversation without him getting all weird about it? It wasn’t necessary!

  “Well, perhaps you shouldn’t underestimate me.” I pulled back away from him. “I travel a lot and I meet idiots like you all the time. I don’t ever sleep with any of them.”

  “So, you aren’t up for joining the Mile High Club then?”

  I rolled my eyes at his sulky face. As if that was going to attract me at all. “Who said I’m not already in it? Like I said, I do a lot of traveling. Along the way, I’ve actually met some nice people. People I have an attraction to…”

  With that, I shoved my head phones on and focused on the tiny screen in front of me, not even caring what was playing as long as I wasn’t expected to engage in pointless conversation anymore. At twenty eight years old, I’d wasted enough of my life doing that. Now I was all about the big adventure, and I hoped that this one would be one of my biggest, and best.

  Brazil. Santarem. The mother land for me. The place where I really wanted to explore all the big cats. Panthers were my goal; I seriously didn’t want to die having not seen even one. My camera’s button had been worn down because I took so many pictures to capture my adventures, but that would be the best one. A real life panther on my screen, and I could die happy.

  “Okay, this room isn’t the best,” I commented as I snapped far too many pictures of my cramped corner room above a very noisy bar. “Prison is definitely worse, wherever I am.”

  I was a law breaker, just as my idiot plane friend predicted—thank God I managed to lose him rapidly after baggage claim, he was starting to give off creepy, stalker vibes—but not in what I would consider a bad way. Just because I believed in caring for the environment to try and reverse the damage that humans had done to it before it was too late and I would protest any corporations who didn’t give a shit, didn’t make me a bad person. It just meant I gave a shit, and let’s be honest, someone needed to. If we didn’t start caring for Mother Earth, the destruction of the human race would be upon us and those assholes who liked dumping waste and polluting would be the ones to blame. Just because it sometimes took measures that seemed extreme to others, didn’t make it wrong.

  “Broken desk.” I documented it like it was something I would always want to remember. “Springy bed. Communal bathroom. Not much room to move which I suppose is okay since I won’t exactly be dancing in here… yep, I think this will do just fine, thank you very much.”

  To be honest, it was the price I liked best. It was affordable, which made it perfect for me.

  It took me a couple of moments to connect to the shitty Wi-Fi, but as soon as I did, I sent off a couple of pictures to my friends. I had a few groups of friends to satisfy my erratic, energetic personality. Different people for different things, since I always needed to be on the go, exploring something new, but the group I shared everything with were my old pals from high school—Darla and Maz. Our lives had gone in completely different directions. To be honest, I wasn’t even sure how we managed to be friends for all those years since we were all so different—loners stuck together, I suppose—but I liked how we’d never lost one another. Technology had its good points.

  ‘Are you locked up again, you hardened criminal?!’ Maz messaged from her beauty clinic, making me chuckle. She honestly did think I was far worse than the truth.

  ‘Is that where you’re saving the rainforest from?’ Darla joined in. She was likely surrounded by all of her children. How many did she have now? Three? Four? I lost count somewhere along the line. Motherhood worked perfectly for her, but I couldn’t see that ever being the life for me. I was a free spirit who needed to be on the go, always. It would take some man to make me settle down and stay still. Not that I was in any hurry to look.

  ‘I will save the planet somehow, even if it’s only a little bit. You’ll see!’

  I was confident in my assumption. I was pretty sure that some of the protest rallies that I’d been involved in had helped a little bit, but I knew for sure that it was my destiny to do something alone, something bigger. Sure, I probably wouldn’t find it out here while I was hunting big cats, but needs must. I just had to lay my eyes on some exciting creatures. That was my destiny too.

  “I will go cat hunting,” I told myself. “Just as soon as I have had a nap.”

  I’d learned the hard way that after a flight, a nap was essential for me. I’d tried to immediately do things before because of excitement, such as the time I went looking for a cougar in Canada. It wore me out and ended up taking two days off my trip. Much to my disappointment, I didn’t get to see the cougar either, so it was a bit of a wasted trip.

  I did meet some cool people and ended up in a rally against a factory tipping waste into the river, but that was it. I’d learned from that mistake, and wouldn’t make it again. I was going to see one of the awesome Brazilian panthers if it killed me.

  There was some research that I wanted to do before heading out as well. I was pretty excited to learn about the history of the jungle cats at one of the local museums that specialized in it. For this trip, I had even done some research in advance. Mostly because I stumbled across a legend which told of the first panther who could also turn into a man. It was a sweet little myth, but it explains why some people still think of the animals as almost God-like now.

  Maybe not the most useful way to spend my time, but hey, I was interested! Anyone who liked cats as I did was alright in my book. I figured that I might even meet some like-minded people when I was there—people who could tell me more about all of this, and who I could have a few adventu
res with along the way.

  I didn’t even bother to open my case; I didn’t need clothes to sleep in. The heat and humidity in this room was absolutely intense, plus my precious cat tee shirt had started sticking to me on the flight anyway. I peeled everything off, stripping down to my underwear and tossing my clothing everywhere as I did.

  A weariness overcame me as I slipped into the cool sheets. I guess I was much more tired than I thought. This was why a nap was essential… I was becoming wise in my old age. Despite the noise coming from the bar down the stairs, it didn’t take long for sleep to come for me. A black, dreamless sleep as my body prepared itself for the adventure of a life time!

  As I walked through the picturesque town, soaking up the beautiful Brazilian sunshine, I was acutely aware of everyone’s eyes upon me the whole time. I already knew that I was going to stick out, but I didn’t realize quite how much. The brightness of my purple hair and my neon spaghetti strap vest top teamed with some blue hot pants made me epitomize the tourist I was.

  I’d been many places and I hadn’t ever been the sore thumb I was today.

  Still, I was drawing nearer to the museum and I couldn’t wait to get there. Feeling refreshed and excitable was all I needed to keep me going right now.

  “Wow,” I gasped as I stepped in to the slightly crumbly building. It was old, probably protected because of the age of the building, and to me that made it more beautiful than anything else. The orangey painted bricks and arch way windows were the sort of architecture I loved.

  “Boa tarde,” the small, dark haired lady sitting behind the slightly scruffy desk said.

  I spoke the basics of a lot of languages; I’d picked it up along the way, but Portuguese wasn’t one that I was up on, so I only had one reply. “Você fala inglês?”

  “Ah, you are American.” She smiled and nodded. “Yes, I speak some English.”

  “Perfect, that’s wonderful. Sorry I don’t speak much Portuguese, I feel bad. I don’t think that it’s acceptable when people go to a different country and just expect them to speak their language. You should at least know the basics, right? But today, I’m the guilty one…”

  I’d lost her while going on my rant. I was speaking too fast, like a crazy person. It had just been such a long time since I spoke to anyone normal. The guy on the plane definitely didn’t count!

  “Anyway, sorry, how much is it to visit the cat museum?”

  She gave me a price and I handed over the money before she indicated for me to step inside. Immediately, the air whipped from my lungs as I saw all the images of the big wild cats. Photographs were by the locals according to the captions, which was incredible. To be able to get that close to one of those animals and be safe… they must have been so amazing.

  “I want to see one,” I groaned to myself as I ran my fingers over the image.

  Actually, I wanted to own one. I wanted one all for myself, but of course that wouldn’t ever happen. They were the sort of animals who needed space to run free… a little bit like me. Maybe there was a part of me that was a little bit panther. Perhaps, I had been one in a past life.

  “He is beautiful, isn’t he?” The lady made me jump as she spoke to me again. “He is the leader.”

  “The pack leader?” My eyes popped with excitement. “Oh, is there a pack of them around here? Do you have animal experts who study the pack or something, because I would love to talk with them? Maybe find out the best way for me to see them myself.”

  “You could ask him.” She tapped the picture hard.

  “What do you mean?” Was this a miscommunication? “Ask the panther?”

  “He is not always a panther. Sometimes he is a man.”

  Ah, the legend. The myth, that was what she was talking about. Even though it was a little disappointing to not get any answers that I could actually use, I followed her over to the book shelf and took the dusty old text that she handed me.

  I handled it carefully, taking great care with every page as I looked at the wonderful drawings inside. Artists had taken a great length of time to depict what they thought happened as panthers turned into men and women. Jaguars too, although they didn’t look so stunning. More terrifying, like they were the bad ones from nightmares. I didn’t spend much time looking at them.

  “These are lovely,” I murmured, quietly.

  “I know. There were no cameras then.”

  “Hmm, I see.” I couldn’t look at her as I asked this question. I didn’t want to seem like I wasn’t respecting her and her faith. “And are there any photographs of this happening?”

  “Oh, no.” She shook her head hard. “The panthers have all had to go into hiding since then. Shape shifters are not accepted in this day and age.”

  “Yes, I see. Of course, they aren’t.”

  “But that doesn’t mean they aren’t here anymore. They are all over Brazil.”

  “They are?”

  “Of course, they are. A legend doesn’t last this long if it isn’t based in truth. There have been many sightings, and a lot of the photographers and painters here say that they have seen the panthers as they become men.”

  “Not women?” I pointed to one of the paintings in the book. “There are women here.”

  “There are many theories relating to what happened to the women, but no one is sure. There don’t seem to be any female panther shifters in the country anymore.”

  “So, how do they keep on going?” Her story was falling apart. I didn’t want to keep poking holes in her faith, but I needed to know. “Don’t they need women?”

  Instead of answering me directly, she smiled serenely at me. “They have their ways.”

  “Hmm, I see. They have their ways. Right.”

  My eyes drifted across to the paintings. This woman was amazing, she’d been kinder to me than anyone else had since I arrived here, but I didn’t want to get all lost in fantasies of shape shifters. I knew what my imagination was like and how easily I could disappoint myself if this wasn’t real.

  My English teacher at high school once told me that I could be a writer because my head was in the clouds, but at the time I paid no attention. I was too wrapped up in a naked march coming up that weekend to protest the use of fur in a high end fashion store.

  Maybe that was something I could pursue while I was here. I would much rather write down my fantasy of meeting a shape shifting panther to make money rather than taking a dish washing job to fund my trip… but that was something I would worry about in time. Even as the story formed in my brain taking on a bit of a haphazard shape, I let it flow through my brain without getting too caught up in it. I much preferred to live mindfully, focusing on the here and now.

  I snapped a few photos to send to Darla and Maz as the lovely woman continued to tell me about the lore relating to the panthers, some of which I had already read and other bits I didn’t know so I assumed was a local’s only type of deal. They wouldn’t get it, I doubt they would even be interested, but I needed to document all my life.

  Especially, as this was the trip where I was really going to see the big cat up close. Seeing these images just confirmed everything. I could get close to them, there was proof, so I would. Hey, maybe I could even sell my amazing photograph to one of the magazines and make some cash that way. Brazil had a lot of opportunity for me. I just had to make the most of it.

  ‘Where the hell are you?’ Darla messaged. ‘Looks weird.’

  ‘It’s amazing! You would love it here… well, you probably wouldn’t, but I love it.’

  ‘You have a great time,’ Maz replied to me. ‘And when you get back, we need that reunion.’

  Ah, the reunion. The one we talked about all the time but would never happen. Still, it was nice to keep the dream alive.

  Jabari

  “You know that you need to keep focus, Tony,” I growled as we all dusted down our human bodies. “And that means all the time. I don’t know how you get anything done.”

  “We’re all still here, Jabari.
” I could feel him rolling his eyes behind me even if I couldn’t see it. My fists immediately balled up in temper but uncurled just as quickly when the newest scar across my fingers started to pinch. “No one is hurt. We’re all good, buddy.”

  “Buddy? I’m the leader of this pack.” My lip curled up in a sneer. Any minute now, I was really going to lose my mind with him. It had been a long ass day. “Jakar and Javier put me in charge.”

  “Because you’re their cousin, not because of your capabilities… woah!” He held his hands up in a surrendering gesture as I span to glare at him. “I’m just kidding.”

  “Are you hungry?” Ramon dragged his fingers through his pure white hair before slapping me on the back. “You sound hungry, boss. Let’s go eat already.”

  I shot Tony one more irritated glance before nodding to agree with Ramon. I didn’t really want to get too pissed off at Tony, even if he did wind me up. We needed him. He came to us as an Italian loner who didn’t have anywhere else to go as the feline shape shifters were all but killed off in his home country a few hundred years ago. But even before that moment, he didn’t really have anywhere that he fit in. His relatives were mostly mountain lions and bobcats, so it was quite obvious to everyone that there had been an indiscretion in the family line.

  He was nothing more than a blip in his family history, an embarrassment, until he followed a rumor to Brazil and found his own family of other panthers. We took him in with ease.

  Ever since that day, he was fiercely protective of us all. Sometimes too much because he didn’t want to be considered as the outsider any longer—not that any of us saw him that way aside from him—which was the exact same reason for him constantly trying to get rid of his Italian accent.