Page 38 of Pleasured by the Panther (The Monstrum Kindred)

MIRANDA

The backyard looked lovely, just as she and Hanna had planned.

Round tables draped in white linen filled the lawn, each set with little bouquets of flowers and the painstaking favors she and her daughter had spent hours making.

Lanterns swayed gently in the trees, and fairy lights twinkled over the small dance floor in the center.

The scent of cut grass mingled with lemon from the caterer’s pitchers of water, and the sound of laughter floated on the warm evening air.

Miranda slipped into her chair just in time to watch Hanna and her new husband cut the cake at the head table.

They looked radiant—just the two of them, their bridesmaids, and the groomsmen sharing the spotlight.

Miranda’s own seat, however, was at a round table for six.

Unfortunately , it was the same one Martin and Jolene had claimed.

Martin kept giving her sideways looks as though he didn’t quite believe what he was seeing, while Jolene —very pregnant and flushed—looked about ready to pop.

Her makeup was running, and she dabbed at her face with a crumpled napkin.

Still , when the server brought slices of cake around, she couldn’t resist a dig.

“Oh no, serve her first,” she said, nodding at Miranda with a little smirk. “ After all, age before beauty.”

Miranda lifted her chin and ignored her. She had no interest in sparring with Martin’s new wife, not tonight.

At least she wasn’t alone with her ex and his wife. Aunt Marge was at the table too. Great -aunt Marge was ninety-one and half-deaf. She was always convinced she was whispering when she was really bellowing.

Now the old lady leaned toward Miranda and asked—loud enough for the entire table and the one beside it to hear?—

“Is that the little whore Martin left you for?” She nodded toward Jolene .

Miranda nearly dropped her fork.

“Aunt Marge ! Shhhh !” she hissed, but it was no use.

Jolene’s eyes went wide with outrage as Aunt Marge plowed ahead, her voice booming.

“Look at how pregnant she is—you know she was spreading her legs for him a long time before he left you! What a little slut!”

“Shhhh! Aunt Marge , please!” Miranda begged, horrified. “ You can’t say things like that!”

“Never mind, honey,” Aunt Marge went on, loudly. “ You look a thousand percent happier since you got rid of that dead weight! I never liked him—such a scrawny little man. And so full of himself!”

Martin’s face turned brick red. His fists clenched on either side of his cake plate. But what could he say? Aunt Marge was an old woman—it wasn’t like he could threaten to punch her, though that was clearly on his mind.

But Aunt Marge still wasn’t finished. She turned her attention back to Miranda , squinting critically.

“What did you do to yourself, anyway, Miranda ? You look thirty years younger!”

“Well, I —” Miranda began, but her great-aunt wasn’t finished.

“Did you find some nice man to finally give you some good loving in the bedroom?” she bawled. “ I know Martin couldn’t have been too good at that. Didn’t you say his man parts were too small to satisfy a fly?”

To Miranda’s agonized embarrassment, the old lady’s voice carried through the whole backyard.

The entire reception went silent, then broke into a wave of snickers and whispers.

Miranda wanted to sink under the table. All eyes were on her—and Aunt Marge —who was still shouting, blissfully unaware of the tumult she was causing.

“Why, I bet she only married him for his money!” she practically shouted, nodding at Jolene again. “ Wasn’t it a good joke on her when you got the house and half his paycheck in the divorce!”

And that was when Korrath strolled casually into the reception.

Miranda was desperately glad to have a distraction from her great aunt, and the big Monstrum certainly made an entrance.

He looked devastatingly handsome in his Monstrum uniform—a long-sleeved red shirt, tight black leather trousers, and tall black boots polished to a mirror shine. His broad shoulders filled out the shirt and his emerald eyes gleamed in a way that made Miranda’s heart skip a beat.

He came straight to her table, sat down beside her as though he belonged there, and slipped an arm around her shoulders.

“How are you, my lovely one?” he purred. His deep voice rolled through her, intimate and rich. “ I hope you don’t mind that I came to see you— I couldn’t keep away from you any longer.” He bent and pressed a kiss to her cheek.

Miranda’s breath caught in her chest. The big Monstrum’s touch steadied her even as Jolene’s face soured and Martin’s jaw tightened further.

“Oh, so that’s your secret!” Aunt Marge bawled delightedly. “ No wonder you look thirty years younger— I’ve heard those Monster Kindred are amazing in bed! Tell me, is he twice as big as Martin down there or three times as big?”

Miranda blushed scarlet, but she couldn’t help the flicker of laughter she felt when she caught the look of pure fury on her ex’s face.

“Aunt Marge , meet Korrath —my date to the wedding,” she said firmly, refusing to discuss his size.

“Much more than your date, I hope, lovely one,” Korrath murmured, nuzzling her cheek. Then he rose halfway and bowed gallantly over Aunt Marge’s hand. “ Greetings . I’m pleased to meet any relative of my beloved.”

At that moment, the bride and groom began making the rounds to greet each table. Hanna made a beeline straight for Miranda .

“Mom—what’s going on?” she whispered urgently, her eyes darting between Miranda and Korrath . “ Are you with Korrath now? Like really with with him?”

Miranda lifted her chin.

“Yes, I am, sweetheart. I hope you’re not upset I brought him to the reception.”

Hanna shot Martin a look, then gave Jolene a much more unfriendly one. Her lip curled—she had never liked the woman who broke up her parents’ marriage. Jolene was pouting, her arms crossed tight over her full belly, her bottom lip thrust out.

Hanna turned back to Miranda .

“I’m happy if you’re happy,” she told her mom.

“Thank you for allowing me to share in the joy of your Joining day,” Korrath said courteously to Hanna .

Hanna gave him a long, appraising look, then nodded.

“That’s all right—as long as you make my mom happy, you’re welcome in my life and welcome in our family.”

She moved on to the next table, leaving Miranda and Korrath to their own devices. People were still looking at them and whispering behind their hands, but Miranda didn’t care—she was just relieved her daughter was happy.

For his part, the big Monstrum seemed utterly relaxed and unbothered by the whispers. Miranda gave him a bite of her cake, and he ate it with relish, murmuring about how delicious it was.

At that point, it seemed that Jolene couldn’t be quiet any longer.

“So—how did a big handsome guy like you end up with Miranda ?” she asked, leaning across the table to put a hand on the big Monstrum’s wrist in a flirty way.

Miranda felt her heart kick in her chest—this was exactly the way she used to touch Martin , back when they were just working together and he told her all the time not to worry about his young coworker! And then look what had happened!

But she shouldn’t have been worried about the big Monstrum . He made a look of distaste as he withdrew from Jolene’s overly familiar touch.

“Miranda is my Fated Mate — I dreamed of her,” he said pointedly.

“You dreamed of her?” Martin sounded incredulous as he stared at the big Monstrum . “ You dreamed of Miranda ?”

His tone made it clear he couldn’t believe anyone could think much of her—plain old Miranda , just the worn-out, used-up wife he’d left for a younger, more attractive model.

Korrath gave him a steady look from his emerald eyes.

“You must be her ex-mate—the one who abandoned her,” he growled. “ I would call you out to fight for her honor…except I must thank you for your foolish actions. Without your stupidity, I would never have had a chance to Claim her as my own.”

“Why…you… I …” Martin stammered—clearly at a loss for words.

“You must feel foolish now—seeing her looking so radiantly beautiful,” Korrath went on. “ But it is too late for you, human. I have Bonded her to me. You have lost any chance to be with her ever again.”

Just then, the DJ started the dance music and he turned to Miranda and put an arm around her waist.

“Come, my lovely one—let us dance,” he purred. “ The company at this table bores me. Other than your older relative, of course,” he added, nodding courteously at Aunt Marge , who was laughing as she ate her cake.

He drew Miranda out of her chair and onto the dance floor in the center of the lawn.

“You didn’t have to say all that,” she sent through their new link as he pulled her close, his chest solid against hers, and they began to sway together.

“Oh yes I did. I saw many times in my dreams how badly that ex-mate of yours treated you. And besides, nothing I said was untrue. You are mine now—and he can never have you again. Imagine how foolish he must feel.”

Miranda thought that Martin probably did feel foolish. But more because of the loud remarks Aunt Marge had made about the size of his equipment—which he had always been touchy about—than the fact that he had lost any chance of getting back with her.

Still, she couldn’t deny that the big Monstrum’s words and the way he was looking at her made her feel beautiful and valuable in a way she hadn’t felt in years.

As they moved together to the music, he purred low in his throat.

The sound rumbled through her body, easing the tension and social anxiety knotting in her stomach.

“Everyone is looking at us,” she whispered in his ear.

“Let them,” he rumbled back. “ They’re just jealous I can claim the most beautiful woman here as my own.”

“You don’t have to say that,” Miranda protested softly.

“Yes, I do,” he murmured, his eyes glowing down at her. “ And I will show you later, lovely one, when I take my time to rebond you to me all over again… but slowly this time.”

At his deep, purring words, heat surged through Miranda’s belly and between her thighs.

She closed her eyes and let herself lean into his strong arms, knowing she’d be more than eager to Bond with her Monstrum warrior again very, very soon.