Trained by Three Panthers [Caves of Correction 3] by Cara Adams

completely as she did. He had to speak with his brothers. All of them had to agree about a mate. It was very much an all-or-nothing deal. As far as he could see both his brothers liked her and wanted to be with her.
    Colter was always so determined and very much the bossy older brother. Yet with Kenz he’d been almost gentle. Declan was such a fun guy, yet his jokes around Kenz were almost tender. That had to mean both of them saw the promise of a connection with her, if not the whole deal.
    Once they’d left Kenz at her guest cottage, changed places in line, and picked up the damn inflatable boat again, Asher said, “We need to talk.”
    “Agreed,” Declan grunted, shifting the nets more centrally into the boat, which was half tipped on its side to fit through the narrow gap between the bushes.
    At least the sun had burned off the water on their leaves, and they were standing more upright than when he and Colter had taken the boat up to the lake. Even though the extra space was only a hand’s breadth of inches, it was a genuine help.
    “Not until we get home. She can pick locks remember,” Colter said.
    Asher laughed and then looked over his shoulder, but no one was following them. “So from now on if we want to talk privately we’ll have to sit with our backs together, watching out for her to appear,” he joked.
    Although he was certain asking her nicely would likely work better than trying to cut her out of the loop. However, this conversation did need to be private. His brothers had to answer freely. No panther mating was legal unless all the parties involved agreed to it of their own free will. There was no divorce under shape-shifter law. Once the mating vows had been taken there were no second chances. That meant the vows had to be seriously considered and everyone had to consent.
    He and Declan returned the boat, the paddles, and the nets, putting them all away in their correct paces. Most of the property on the island was communally owned, and the panthers took pride in sharing fairly and equally, looking after everything so it might serve others as it had served them.
    By the time they returned home, Asher could hear the shower on the first floor running, and knew Colter had reported their news to the Alpha and beaten them home. He was cold and wet and hastily removed his saturated clothing, dumping it in the laundry hamper before grabbing some old newspapers, scrunching them up, and then shoving them inside his boots to help them dry in shape.
    Declan had beaten him into the bedroom-level shower, but Colter was fair-minded and showered fast, not making Asher wait very long for the shower. By the time Asher was dressed in dry clothing, Colter already had coffee percolating and bacon and eggs frying in separate pans on the cook top, and Declan was placing cutlery on the table. It wasn’t exactly a lunch menu or an afternoon tea snack, but he was hungry, and it worked for him.
    There was complete silence as they inhaled the rich aroma of the coffee and the tantalizing scents of the hot food, and then sat and ate. Finally they sat back in their chairs and Declan laughed.
    “Dammit we almost did that in unison like on some kind of TV show.”
    But Asher didn’t think it was surprising. They were brothers, all very different in many ways, yet they had an underlying sense of belonging to each other and of commitment to the same goal, the well-being of their family and their community.
    Feeling warm and fed, he suddenly remembered Kenz. “Dammit we need to feed Kenz. We were hungry again, and she will be as well.”
    “I organized a hot snack to be sent to her when I was at the big house,” Colter said.
    “Ah, good.” Asher smiled at Colter. Sometimes it was very useful to have him so bossy and dominant.
    “The Alpha said all four women visiting us would be invited to spend an extra week on the island at no extra charge. We’re to tell them tonight, and tomorrow they’re to go to the office and contact