Her Desert Panther Princes: Howls Romance

CHAPTER 1

Amy was pretty sure she’d been walking for hours. Maybe days. She’d started with trudging from one plane to another, and now from one opulent room to the next. An endless series of spaces draped in silk with touches of glittering gold.

From the corner of her eye, she studied the man beside her in his starched maroon uniform and wondered how long it’d taken him to learn his way around the sprawling palace. Months? Years? The question teased the tip of her tongue, but she managed to suppress the urge. Mostly.

Amy allowed herself to be distracted by her surroundings, the uniformed man leading her into a breezeway that lined a massive swimming pool, complete with Arabic archways and multi-colored lanterns.

I imagine you’ve seen many palaces in your travels, her escort’s rumbling voice cut through her thoughts.

She swung her attention to him, lips parting with her surprise. Until now, she’d assumed he was mute. After all, he hadn’t even bothered to greet her when she’d arrived. He’d simply taken her doctor’s bag and motioned for her to follow him. Not a word spoken until this moment. And it wasn’t like she was familiar with Adikar’s customs. For all she knew, cutting out the tongues of their servants was the norm in the secretive kingdom of Adikar?

Uh, she cleared her throat and finally found her voice. Yes, my job has taken me to some amazing places, but I’ve never been anywhere so magnificent.

And Amy had traveled a lot. As the pre-eminent shifter doctor—despite her humanity—she’d seen the inside of stunning Turkish bath houses, luxury skyscrapers in Dubai, and centuries-old castles in Europe. Yet none had left her feeling so… small. Between the soaring, arched ceilings and the stunning murals of mighty panther battles, Amy was a speck of sand in the sea of the impressive expanse.

Her escort grunted but otherwise remained silent. Okay then. Apparently, the pleasantries were over for the time being. Amy rubbed her dry, tired eyes and fought to put one foot in front of another. She followed him as they made yet another turn into a dark corridor. Deep shadows crowded the corridor and she imagined there were panther shifters hiding in those darkened corners, just waiting to pounce.

This is where I leave you, he murmured.

I’m sorry? What? Amy blinked up at him.

The remainder of royal family will be arriving soon, and I must help the staff prepare. The king and queen await you.

But I don’t— Amy didn’t get a chance to finish her objection. Not when the man dropped her bag at her feet, turned on his heel and disappeared through one of the many twists and turns that had brought her to that point. Dammit, she grumbled.

Amy groaned and looked back to the long hall, noting the doors that lined the hallway. She blinked into the darkness, willing her eyes to adjust to the dim lighting so she could make out which of the six doors in the hall seemed most likely to lead to the queen’s chambers.

She wondered if no one had told the guy that Amy was human. Did he expect her to put her nose to the tile and sniff out the royal family?

Guess I could play eeny, meeny, miny, moe, she huffed.

If the royal family had been desperate enough to send for Amy, one would have assumed they’d make sure she found her way to her patient. After all, it was the country’s heir on the line here. God forbid the doctor should actually be able to help.

Raising her finger, she counted off the doors, murmuring the childhood rhyme to herself as she went. Everything was going great too. At least until she got to catch a tiger. That was the moment bright yellow and decidedly feline eyes flashed at the end of the hall.

She stopped in the middle of the rhyme and squinted in an attempt to see through the darkness. She rubbed her eyes again and then looked up to find the yellow eyes had been joined by another pair which flashed a vivid green.

Ah, shit. Mentioning tigers in a panther compound probably wasn’t the greatest idea.

She suppressed the jolt of fear that speared her chest. One of the reasons she’d survived as a human doctor in a shifter world was because she avoided her patients when they were on four feet. When their animal sides had control and their human halves took a little nap.

Amy’s lips parted as she searched for the right words—hell, any words—that might prevent her from becoming kitty kibble. For some reason, she was pretty sure, Here, kitty kitty, wasn’t going to cut it. Before she could even catch her breath, much less scream at the top of her lungs, the beasts leapt forward, shadows in an already dark hall. She slapped her hands over her eyes. Whatever her fate was going to be, she didn’t want to see it coming. She didn’t need to see gleaming fangs just before they chomped her head and caved in her skull. She’d take a hard pass on that right there.

Just when she expected to feel fangs piercing her neck and razor-sharp claws tearing her flesh to pieces, she heard something she never expected.

Laughter. Deep, masculine, somehow alluring laughter.

We’re sorry. We didn’t mean to scare you. The voice was smooth and silky as the laughter died away.

Amy peeked through her fingers and discovered that the deadly panthers had been replaced by tall, dark, nearly identical men. The one closest to her crossed his arms and grinned at her, the scruff of a three-day-old beard a stark contrast to his perfectly straight, white teeth. The other—who could only be the first man’s brother—crossed his arms too. Though he appeared to be the more serious of the two. He was clean shaven, and his close-cut black hair looked nothing like the wild mop his brother sported.

She dropped her hands in relief. She wasn’t going to be today’s lunch, at least. Except just as relief took hold, she immediately regretted the decision to uncover her eyes. Really it was a combination of come to mamma and eep! because both men were naked.

Na. Ked. No clothes covered that fine, taut skin. Not a hint of fabric hid their muscled bodies or impressive… attributes.

As a shifter doctor, she’d become accustomed to the species’ penchant for nudity. As a medical professional, she knew the body was little more than an instrument for the mind.

But as a woman…

Her gaze drifted down their long, lithe bodies, the sharp planes of their chests, the abs that looked like undulating sand dunes, the deep Vs that led to…

Amy dug her nails into her palms and dragged her gaze back up to meet their stares. She willed herself to remain cool and professional. On the outside. On the inside, she wondered what they’d taste like. Of course, they both could probably scent her desire, the dampness that pooled between her thighs. Still, she clawed at the shreds of her dignity to hold on to the tiniest scrap.

You didn’t scare me, she said as coldly as she could manage.

The scruffier of the two quirked one brow. We didn’t?

No. You didn’t. She let the lie roll off her tongue. I’ve worked with all types of shifters. If you think a panther scares me—

Then you’d be a smart woman. The tidy brother’s silky voice soothed her jangled nerves. "And from all my research, I know you’re a very smart woman."

It was her imagination that he purred the word very. It had to be.

While she’d focused on Mr. Tidy, Mr. Sexy Scruff had stolen the moment to duck into a nearby room. By the time Mr. Tidy finished speaking, his brother had reappeared, clothing in hand. Both brothers made quick work of dressing and she fought the need to whine an objection as inch after glorious inch was covered.

Then Mr. Tidy extended his hand and she reflexively slid her palm against his. Her skin tingled as it caressed his warm grip, and she suppressed the shudders threatening to overtake her.

"I apologize for the… unusual introduction. We were enjoying some time in our fur and didn’t intend to frighten you. He pressed his free hand to his chest. My name is Tahvo, the king’s younger brother. He then gestured to Mr. Sexy Scruff. This is my twin brother, Shon."

Amy looked between the men, allowing her hand to linger in Tahvo’s, unwilling to break the connection. Twins? You look like brothers, but I wouldn’t have pegged you for twins.

Thank the gods for small favors, Shon said as he winked at her, sending trills of delight up her spine and straight to her nipples.

Get a grip!

Jerking her hand out of Tahvo’s, Amy suppressed her attraction to the two men and smiled coolly. So, you know I’m Dr. Amy Sullivan.

Tahvo nodded. We recognize you from your photo.

My photo?

In a medical journal. I researched you for my brother and sister-in-law. The best of the best, they say.

Amy was grateful for the dim light so neither of them could see her blush. I’m happy to help. Now if I could just find my patient… She raised both eyebrows in question as her voice trailed off.

The men smirked at each other and then Shon nodded to the door directly behind her. She turned and reached for the knob, but before her fingers wrapped around the massive brass orb, strong fingers seized her shoulder. Swiveling back to face the men, she looked from one to the other until Tahvo spoke.

We were out of town when Nabila fell ill, and we rushed back as quickly as we could. I hired you because you’re the best of the best, and nothing less will do for our sister.

Amy frowned. I thought you were the brothers of King Zafar, not Queen Nabila.

We are, Shon said. But we love Nabila as if she is our blood sister. If anything were to happen to her…

He let the subtle threat hang in the air between them. It wasn’t Amy’s first rodeo though, especially with protective family members. Once, an overly distraught sloth shifter in Papua New Guinea actually held a machete to her neck and told her to say goodbye to her head if she didn’t save his unborn son’s life.

Obviously, she did.

Gentlemen, I’m going to do everything in my power to ensure Nabila gives birth to a perfectly healthy baby. As I’m sure you’re aware, it’s my specialty. My calling, really. That’s why I founded PCA in the first place. My mission statement is in the name—Prenatal Care for All. That includes poor wallabies and wealthy panthers. Now, if you’ll excu—

Shon stepped forward, all trace of humor gone from his eyes. Doctor, you know her history. I don’t think she’ll survive another miscarriage. Emotionally at least. Neither will Zafar. He’s had to mourn two sons. He won’t be able to handle a third.

The distress in the men’s eyes was profound and sincere. They clearly feared for their sister-in-law, who also just happened to be their queen. Amy had learned many techniques for keeping shifters calm in the uncertainty of a prenatal episode and wasn’t afraid to use them.

I understand, but Nabila and Zafar won’t have to go through that again. We’re all going to walk in there and find out what’s wrong, so she can grow healthy enough to deliver a healthy baby. Sound good?

Hope flickered in their eyes—which Amy noticed with a start had turned nearly black in their human forms—so she turned and walked through the door.

And into total chaos.

An unsettled woman lay on the bed writhing. A tall man, as dark and handsome as the two behind her, paced by the bed. His hands were buried deep in his thick black tangle of hair, growling and moaning. When he spotted the trio, he rushed toward them. Obviously, King Zafar. Amy barely had time to catch the slightest glimpse of her patient before he shoved his beet-red face into hers and roared.

Where the hell have you been! His flashing black eyes shifted from her to her escorts. What took you so long!

A scowl furrowed his brow, cutting into a massive brown scar that spanned the width of it. Amy had been met with many reactions over the years—panic often being one of them—but she’d never been accused of dragging her feet when a patient’s life was at risk.

Zafar, Tahvo started, but the king cut him off by screaming at Amy again.

I demand you tell me why you didn’t get here sooner!

Amy opened her mouth to explain that she’d just traveled for twenty-four hours nonstop, but before she could utter a word, Shon stepped forward. Brother, you know better than anyone what it takes to travel to our country.

And now she is standing here doing nothing! Zafar snarled.

Nabila moaned, and they