A Cougar's Fantasy Read online

  A Cougar’s Fantasy: Book Seven of the Masters of the Cats Series ©Trinity Blacio

  All Rights Reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, without permission in writing from the publisher.

  This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places and incidents are the product of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously. Any resemblance to actual events, locales or persons, living or dead, is coincidental.

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  Riverdale Avenue Books

  Riverdale Avenue

  Riverdale, NY

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  Cover by Scott Carpenter

  Digital ISBN: 9781626015357

  First Edition, December

  

  Chapter One

  Abby Brimstone slipped out of the arena, hoping she hadn’t attracted the attention of the three bumbling fools who kept following her, claiming to be her mates. She was close to her heat, and Abby would be damned if she’d let them claim her yet.

  She had one dream left and she wasn’t about to allow anyone to keep her from it. She and her twin had planned their dream weddings since they were teenagers, and Abby would see their dream through since her sister was gone from this world now. No one would stop her, even if it meant finding a human man to help her with this heat cycle since he wouldn’t be able to get her pregnant.

  Her brother was safe and had been talking with the warriors who had captured her heart over the last six months since her sister’s murder. Each one had helped her through the difficult time.

  Abby stopped and looked back over her shoulder with the strap of her backpack clamped in her mouth. Her cat wanted to go back and allow her men to claim her as it should be, but Abby had promised Agatha the very day she had died that she wouldn’t give up on their fantasy.

  “And you won’t have to, my Abby.” His deep voice penetrated the silence of the night as he stepped out of the dark. Tattoos covered his arms, and both his earlobes were pierced. His gold-flecked gaze met hers. “We’ll give you your fantasy, but we cannot allow any other man to touch what is ours. Do you want a human’s death on your head, little one? Because I promise you, if anyone, warrior or human, touches what is mine, he’ll fry.” Fire danced around his head as Master Quinn stared at her, waiting while her other two warriors joined him. “My fire burns for you, little one. Come to me.”

  “I was wondering when you would show up. Where is Lan? And how is it that I have four men when everyone else has three? Have you spoken to Isaac or River yet?” Abby asked once more human with her backpack now clutched tightly in her hand as she inched back towards the woods, the spell she didn’t want to use on the tip of her tongue.

  “Don’t worry about that. I’ll take care of it. You’re not going anywhere Abby,” Quinn smiled.

  “I’m afraid you’re wrong about that,” she said as she spun to see Lan behind her, the words of her spell flying out of her mouth. The same words she had used to keep her family safe for so long, paralyzing anyone in close proximity to her.

  Not wasting time, Abby shifted and ran, knowing her crew had brought her sloop close to the docks, waiting for her. Checking her stride, she smiled as her cat waited for the one guard to turn the corner on his walk, just as he did every night.

  As soon as he had rounded the corner, Abby was up and over the wall of the compound that her family had chosen to live in, running. Finally, Abby would have her last adventure aboard her ship, The Purr-Fect Storm.

  Once they left the Great Lakes, Abby would guide the Purr-Fect Storm out into the ocean, where she and her crew would set sail for the Caribbean.

  She has only one lead for finding Maya’s sister, and just maybe some more of her family. Plus, the Caribbean and the sun would feel so nice this time of year, instead of the cold of the Lakes in the fall. Another good thing about being at sea, it calmed the mating urge.

  She snorted, kind of pissed off that her men actually thought she would really find a human male to stop the mating heat. There was no way Abby would allow anyone to touch her now that she had found the four men that had turned her body and mind into a jumbled mess. Another good reason to set sail--to think through what had to be done. Abby didn’t have three men. No, she had to have four. What did all of that mean? Why was Quinn different than the other warriors?

  After an hour of running, Abby shifted before anyone could see her, and dressed in her favorite jeans, sweater, and coat. She then stepped out of the woods, allowing her friends to see her. Oh, Maya and the other cats were her family and she loved them, but this group of ladies had been through hell and back with her. Not even her twin had known about the ship and her friends. Demons, cats, wolves--all women who had been hurt and stomped on.

  Abby stepped up the gangway. “Let’s move it now!” She yelled. “I want to be out of these waters by tonight!” Moving towards her quarters, as Tasmin, one of her best friends, stepped up to her. At six feet tall, Tasmin always seemed to make Abby feel small. Her friend was black as the night, but the fire inside her always lightened her steps.

  “Good to see you, my friend. Have the ladies watch the shores, my mates should be showing up here in about an hour.” Abby said.

  “I still can’t believe you have four men. How are you going to handle this? If they are like your sister Maya’s mates you know they will stop our journey.” A small puff of smoke came out of Tamsin’s nose.

  Abby stopped and faced her friend. “It is true, all four of them are mine,” she groaned, knowing Tasmin could sense things even when Abby couldn’t. “Nothing, and I mean nothing, is going to stop us. I don’t know why, but my sister is guiding me here. She came to me last night, Tasmin.” Abby smiled as a tear rolled down her cheek. “I miss her so much, but she’s moved on and told me I will have a very long life with my men.”

  Tasmin wrapped her arms around her, hugging her tight. “Nester came to me last night. He too urges me towards our destination.” She stepped back and glanced behind her. “It would seem that most of our loved ones visited us, saying goodbye and guiding us towards our destination. Let’s make this journey a good one and make our families proud of us,” she said. Abby turned to see her crew nodding, tears in their eyes.

  “Let’s move ladies, and watch for the warriors, you know how they feel about us traveling anywhere alone,” Abby said, heading down the stairs to her room, her personal space that only a few had ever seen.

  “You know, Tasmin, this is home. Sure, the place that Maya made for us was great, and you could relax, but this is me. I don’t feel like I have to hide here.” She threw her backpack on the chair and glanced over her shoulder. “The sea is where I’ve always felt at peace. Maybe that is because of my father.” She shrugged her shoulders. “I loved the little trips on his boat he took me on.”

  “My brother and I used to go sailing off the coast of Florida.” Tamsin said. “We would take off for weeks at a time. I think each of us has the sea in us. It’s what drew all of us here. But your leadership smarts, is what has kept us going. Are you sure Maya and Lacey will welcome all of us?” her friend asked and Abby could hear the nervousness in her voice.

  “Tasmin, if you or the others are not welcomed than I am not welcomed. You are as much my sisters as they are. I wish I could have met your brother as I could have shared this with my sister.” Abby headed towards her shower. “I’ll be above in , and Tasmin, make sure everyone keeps an eye out. All we need is to be attacked by actual pirates.” Abby snorted. “Oh, have one of the girls check the Foremost Mast. It didn’t look right when I was coming towards the ship.”

  �
�Do the others know you have four mates and not three?” Tasmin asked as Abby pulled off her jeans.

  Abby sighed. “With all that they have been going through, no. Plus, I wasn’t sure till tonight, but there’s no denying it any longer.”

  Abby glanced over her shoulder. “My sisters have done so much for me, especially Lacey and Maya.” Abby sat down on her bed. “They are better than before, not fighting, but the closeness isn’t there anymore like we used to have. When Lacey and Dan were hurt, it screwed up our family big time. I want to bring my family back together, especially now that my brother is back. I really think this place we are heading is going to be the place where Maya’s family was taken and hopefully mine, too.”

  “And you believe that saving her family will help the tension between them?” Tasmin asked. “I really don’t think anything can repair that all the way, Abby. From what we heard, I have to say I don’t blame Lacey one bit. That kind of scar is deep, I know.”

  “I know Tasmin, we all have those scars because of life circumstances. In some ways, I wish Lacey and Maya could be here with us for this big adventure, but with Lacey about ready to pop and Dee now pregnant again…” Abby smiled. “If I didn’t know better, I’d swear their mates were making sure…They wouldn’t, would they?”

  “What?” Tasmin frowned.

  “Make sure that they stay pregnant, so they won’t take off. Do what we were meant to do, help others,” Abby said, heading to the shower, needing to cool down and all of a sudden really pissed. No doubt her mates were thinking along the same lines, but she wouldn’t get pregnant anytime soon, that Abby would make sure of.

  Maya and Lacey might be backed into a corner right now, but she wouldn’t be. Abby turned on the shower and stepped in, allowing the warm water to wash away all thoughts about her mates as she started running things in her mind about what she needed to be done.

  * * *

  Quinn stared out at the water where his woman’s scent and tracks ended. He and his mates had been knocked out for a good minutes before they could start their search for their runaway mate.

  Isaac, Talhrn and his father River stepped up to him, surrounding him. “What is going on? Why are you just now learning that there are four of you mated to Abby?” Isaac asked.

  “It was only right Abby would be told this before anyone else. You, of all of us, should know how these women hate when they are lied to.” He glanced over at Talhrn. “I will be taking my leave. My mates and I need to follow her,” Quinn said, giving the king his due, but in his heart knowing he didn’t have to since he was only part of their kind. The other part was hidden for now and when it was time to reveal what he truly was, he would.

  “There is no need to hide what you are, Quinn. As soon as I arrived here, I knew. But I am surprised that a human is your woman and that three of our finest warriors are also yours?” River said, turning his gaze on him.

  He turned to see his three mates staring at him. Even they hadn’t been informed of what he really was. Lan stared, frowning at him. “It’s time to explain to us what is going on, Quinn. I’ve held off, but we need to know. Is our woman in danger?” Lan snarled.

  Quinn sighed, knowing he wouldn’t be able to leave until he explained or showed himself to them. “My birthplace was Atlantis. Not only are there warriors all over this planet, but some live below in the waters. Where I come from it is quite normal for there to be one woman to four or five males, since there are not that many left in our city.” Quinn informed them, showing each of them a little bit of what he was, only releasing a small part of his powers.

  What he wasn’t expecting was for River to throw his head back and laugh. “What is so funny?”

  River smiled. “When we first visited here so long ago, we knew of your home, but we didn’t explore it as we should have, obviously. You are truly far from your world.” He frowned. “The Gwelings came from your world, didn’t they?” River snapped all serious in seconds.

  Quinn didn’t deny where they came from, but he also refused to get into it right then and there when their woman was getting away. “I’m sorry gentlemen, but we must get going if we are going to catch up with our woman.”

  River glanced back at the river. “She’s on a ship?”

  Quinn smiled. “Her ship is called, The Purr-Fect Storm and it is all manned by women. I’ve come across the ship before, but didn’t realize the captain was my woman,” he laughed. “Our Abby is good at what she does, but so am I. Lan, Ramiro, Cedric let’s go. We have a ship to overtake.”

  “I hope Abby sinks your ass,” Lacey growled, coming towards them with Maya and Dee.

  Quinn bowed to Lacey. “I owe you an apology for what happened that night so long ago. It wasn’t you that I was scenting, it was Abby and it was driving me insane. On one hand, I thought you were my woman, and the next I knew you couldn’t be. So, please excuse my rude behavior, even though there was no excuse for it.”

  “What behavior?” Isaac asked, reaching out and pulling Lacey into his arms.

  “It was a long time ago and I accept your apology, but I’ll be watching because if you hurt Abby, I’ll tear you apart,” Lacey said.

  “And I’ll be right behind her,” Maya snarled.

  He nodded before he walked quickly down towards the end of the dock where his ship would soon be approaching. “Have the three of you been on a ship before?” he asked.

  “No, and how do you know you can track her in the water?” Lan asked, coming up to his right side, while Cedric was to his left and Ramiro behind them.

  “I’m of the water. Believe me, if I wasn’t, we’d be screwed. My crew is from our city below.” He stopped and turned to Lan. “I’m not going to lie to you. I want to take all of you to my home where I know it’s safe from those things.”

  Lan frowned. “But she has a home, there with her sisters?”

  “Our woman has two families. You will see when we catch up with her. I believe this is another reason she has been so torn as to what to do. Her crew depends on her and are tied to her. She loves the sea as I do. To deny her this is to put her in a prison, but all three of you will see this when you witness what I have seen.” He smiled. “I have to tell you she is smart when working her ship.” He looked to the end of the docks knowing his crew was coming closer.

  “We have something that must be settled before we go anywhere,” Lan said and before Quinn knew what was happening, Lan had Quinn on the ground. For a quiet man, Quinn had underestimated his mate. It would seem he wasn’t the Kith of their unit, but that didn’t mean he had to give in so easily.

  Lan laughed and jumped off of Quinn. “You, my weru, are a stubborn one, but come on, show me what you have before your ship docks.”

  Quinn didn’t wait for another invite. He ran right at Lan, but at the last-minute Lan was gone. “Damn it, Lan, that is not right,” he snarled and spun around, smelling him.

  “What isn’t right, is the fact you didn’t inform us of what you were? Or the fact you know these little facts about our woman and didn’t share them with us?” Lan stepped up to him, glaring. “I expect, no demand total truth in our Kith and there will not be withholding back anything again Quinn. While we catch up with our woman you will explain what you are. I want to know everything.”

  A shiver went down Quinn’s spine and for the first time, he could see the leader in Lan. His cock hardened as they stood there so close, staring. Lan didn’t flinch or move, just waiting. Quinn could do no more and stepped back. “I can show you now, here, all three of you, if you would like?” he asked.

  “How? Blood bond?” Lan asked.

  He shook his head. “No. I don’t need a blood bond to show you. You are part of me, at least that is what happens with my mother’s side of the family. The three of you should slowly start to take on a few of our traits as the bonding starts.”

  “Show us now?” Lan said.

  “I should warn you, it will be a rush,” he informed them, but connected to the three of them a
t once, opening his mind to each of them. The rush of information swarmed all three of them and each of them stumbled a little, shaking their heads.

  “Damn, you weren’t kidding,” Ramiro said.

  “Ramiro,” Lan snapped, smacking him on the head. “You almost got our woman hurt. You should have closed the link.”

  “What?” Quinn asked.

  “Sorry, It’s just natural for our connection to be open,” Ramiro mumbled. “Abby has a bond connection to each of us. I was worried, so I had been trying to connect with her when you sent what you did. She was on top of what is called,” he frowned. “It’s not the Crow’s Nest, but she was up high working on one of the masts, I think that is what you call them. Anyway, she got what we did and almost fell. Now, I have another thing to make up to our woman.”

  Quinn frowned and glanced at Lan. “I don’t understand, make up to her?”

  Lan moaned and ran his hand through his black hair. “Your ship is here. I’ll explain on the way.”

  “If you will allow me, I can search your memories and see?” he asked as the four of them once more started to move down the dock, leaving the others behind them.

  “I have nothing to hide, search,” Lan said, but Quinn was surprised at how much he truly needed to learn about the warriors and what they had had to endure over the years. Yes, their race was different but so very powerful.

  Chapter Two

  “What happened?” Tasmin scanned around for any threat, but Abby knew she wouldn’t find any.

  “Relax, it would seem my other mate, Quinn, did some sharing with the others and his sharing poured though me at the wrong damn time,” Abby growled. “Lucy, put the speed on now. It would seem my mates are determined to stop us and I want us as far from them as we can get before, they even board Quinn’s ship, the Fish King.” Abby rolled her eyes. “Fish King, my ass,” Abby mumbled.