Fated for the Lion (5 page)

“You’re my mate, Lena.” He hoped if he kept using her name
it would draw her human side back out. “We’re meant to be together. We’ve
always been drawn together. Shift back, sweetness, and I’ll explain
everything.”

She hadn’t moved an inch, so he moved closer to her. He
walked on his knees, then settled at her side. She growled low in her throat,
but didn’t move away when he dropped his hand on her back and touched her
golden fur for the first time.

He could see her eyes slip close, and he felt his shoulders
relax a fraction.

Her eyes opened and were Lena’s true grey. Seconds later,
the sounds of bones popping and muscles shifting filled the air. The tingle of
magic surrounded her, and it left a distinct taste on his tongue. It raised goose
bumps on his arms, but he kept his hands still. He didn’t want to startle her
back into her lion form.

Soon, she lay naked on the floor. Her chest heaved with hard
breaths, and her jaw worked. His cock jerked in his pants at her naked form. He
couldn’t get enough of her curves. He risked a look up the stairs. With the
door firmly closed, maybe he could sneak in a quickie...

“You sonovabitch!” Lena spat and scrambled to her feet.
“What the hell did you do to me?”

Ethan suppressed his chuckle. It wouldn’t do well to let his
mate know she sounded like a scaled cat. “Lena…” He started.

She picked up the nearest object and chucked it at his head.

“The first time we see each other in years—
years
!—and
you turn me into a lion?” She roared.

Ethan’s ears rang. He winced and glanced upward. Hopefully
the ceiling was thick enough the patrons above didn’t hear one very pissed off
lioness.

Lena was furious. No, that didn’t even begin to describe it.
She was filled with rage. She was
pissed
.

She grabbed for anything else to throw at him. They were in
a freaking kitchen storeroom; why weren’t there more loose items sitting in
arm’s reach? Her eyes flicked to a shelf of cans, and she stalked over.

“Technically a lioness,” Ethan offered.

She threw a can at him. The bastard had the nerve—the
nerve
—to
dodge out of the way. The can crashed into the wall behind him and spilled
beans on the floor. A part of her wanted to laugh. He better start spilling the
beans, because she had more ammunition to throw his way.

She clenched her fists at her side and tried to take stock
of the changes in her body and emotions. So she could change into a lion, err,
lioness now. The inner cat purred at her correction, and swished her tail while
eyeing Ethan.

She couldn’t decide if she wanted to tear off a piece of
Ethan, or stuff a piece of him in her.

At least Ethan had the good sense to keep quiet. If he
wasn’t begging for her forgiveness, he shouldn’t even be looking at her.

She took a deep breath and tried to calm herself. She pushed
her words out through clenched teeth. “Did you maybe forget to clue me in on
the fact that super-hot coercive sex with you had some strings attached? And
not the usual sleep with me for a job strings? The kind of strings that turned
me into a damn big cat!”

She was back to yelling by the time she finished, but she
didn’t care. Ethan had some explaining and groveling to do. Before she started
throwing things again.

He raised his hands and a stubborn look entered his eyes.
“Whoa, whoa, whoa. You accepted the job before there was even a hint of sex
involved.”

“Not the most important matter at the moment, Ethan!” She
stomped her foot on the ground, and he had the grace to look chastised.

“I’m sorry, Lena. Truly. I planned to tell you everything
this morning, but you were gone when I woke up.”

“Don’t you dare turn this around on me.” She tossed another
can in her hand to get the feel of its weight. Her cat snapped inside. At least
her new furry friend was on her side.

He dropped his hands and his shoulders. “You’re right.” He
sounded like a sulky child. “I couldn’t resist. I kept away from you in high
school because you were too tempting. There was no holding back after I caught
your scent yesterday. I had to make you my mate.”

Lena shut her eyes against the sudden tears that threatened
to spill over. She thought he hated her. He had avoided her as much as possible
to protect her from himself. It was sweet. Not that she forgave him so easily.
She couldn’t trust any of her emotions. Not while she was on a hormone rollercoaster
from hell.

“I bet you say that to all the girls. Just like the blonde
bimbo who was in your penthouse. She was sure cozy. How was your morning
coffee?” She bristled.

“No!” The passion in Ethan voice made her look at him. He
took the steps between them and took her into his arms. He stroked her hair as
he softly spoke. “Emily should not have been there. She will be punished for
it. I was so worried to find you gone.”

The damn lioness rolled on her back and exposed her stomach.
It freaking purred! Good to know one of them believed everything pouring from
Ethan’s lips.

Traitorous she-cat. Didn’t she know it was time for
righteous indignation?

The door at the top of the stairs squeaked open, and Jessa
poked her head inside. Once she saw there were no large lions ready to pounce,
she rushed down the stairs and took Lena in a huge hug.

“Jessa!” Her hands flew to her mouth and stealthily checked
for fangs. She sighed when she just found regular teeth.

Her skin flushed when she realized she was still completely
naked. She saw tatters of her dress on the floor, and guessed she’d ripped
everything off when she unexpectedly shifted into the she-beast.

“Here you go.” Ethan held out a diner shirt and apron. She
could at least cover her bits. She was pleasantly surprised that they were
clean. She looked behind him and saw a locker door hanging from its hinges.

“Thank you,” she said quietly. Jessa unharmed did a lot to
calm her anger. Even though it was Ethan’s fault her friend had been in danger
in the first place.

“Jessa, I’m so sorry for trying to eat you.” She said as she
stuffed herself into the provided shirt and wrapped the apron around her waist.
“It, uh, seems there’s more to the world than we thought.”

Her eyes shot back to Ethan, who edged closer to her. His
shirt curtained his glorious chest. She could get lost trying to count all the
muscles on him. And they all shifted when he moved. She licked her lips and
dragged her eyes away from him. Her furry friend wanted nothing more than to
rub all over her sexy mate.

Huh. That word again. It held a deep significance that
scratched at her mind. She’d have to ask Ethan about it when they were alone
again. She did not want to talk about shifter things in front of Jessa after
almost eating her.

“Tell me about it.” Jessa rolled her eyes. “We’ll talk about
that later. Your ride is here. Some tall drink of water calling himself Sam?”

***

Ethan lit up the cat signal for the pride to assemble, but
she made him take her to her apartment before the pride was scheduled to arrive
at the pride house. She dug through her closet and found a wide necked shirt.
Ethan stuck his nose into her neck when she donned it, and let his tongue trace
over the still pink mate mark on her skin.

If she was going to be the big lioness, she was going to do
it right. And that involved looking better than a sack of potatoes when she
played hostess to the entire pride for the first time. Ethan, of course, was
prepared with an extra change of clothes in his truck. He changed into a tight
fitting tee and jeans while she still hunted for the perfect outfit.

They drove straight to the Sanford family home after. Lena’s
jittery nerves and insecurities came rushing back as soon as they turned down
the driveway. It was much too long, and spoke of too much land for one home.
Manicured trees and other landscaping made her own flaws that much more
apparent, and she crossed her arms over her round stomach.

Butterflies took flight in her when they rounded a curve and
the house came into sight. She’d only seen the outside of the large home.
Mansion, she corrected.

It looked like a small castle. The rough, brown stones that
lined the outside could have been taken from any fairytale book from her
childhood. Towers rose up at either end of the home, and a covered porch curved
around three sides. An extension shot out from the fourth side, and she saw it
was large enough for vehicles to drive under and drop off guests. Big windows
opened up the house, with frames of dark red. She spotted grey roofs that
matched the main house in the distance, and guessed they were guesthouses or
garages or whatever else rich people needed.

The Sanford family made certain their son had only the best,
and that included friends. The Jeffries were not among approved guests. Her
father taught at their high school, and certainly didn’t meet the criteria of
success for the Sanford inner circle. His daughters were even less welcome. Not
that she ever felt invited. Ethan did a good job keeping her at such a distance
she thought he hated her.

He parked under the overhang, and she was surprised no one
rushed out to take his keys and park his truck in an approved space. She didn’t
wait for him to open her door; she was no damsel needing a knight to do
everything for her. She got a better look at the truck as he walked around to
her. It was dirty enough she could write on the door if she wanted. Maybe she’d
draw a big dong on it later, depending on how much he pissed her off.

The lion chuffed in her head. Lena could get used to having
someone always think she was funny.

She scuffed her shoes on the ground and dug her hands into
the pockets of her pants. She felt small and nervous. She didn’t know which
extra silverware to use for fancy dinners, and she definitely didn’t have linen
napkins in her apartment. She didn’t belong in his world. The point had been
driven home again and again in her youth, and again in adulthood. She was from
one side of the track, and someone of Ethan’s status lived far, far away on the
other side.

Ethan’s arms wrapped around her waist. He buried his nose in
her neck and sniffed her. She wiggled away from him when she felt his tongue
lapping at the mate mark he’d branded her with. It sent an electric shiver down
her spine, but it didn’t do much to assuage her insecurities.

He smiled down at her, and laced his fingers through hers.
“C’mon. Let me show you the house. Everyone should be here soon.”

She took a deep breath and let him lead her into the belly
of the beast.

He opened the double doors at the front of the house, and took
her into the foyer. Hardwood floors stretched further into the house, and it
made her feel more at ease. Wood floors creaked and showed wear and tear. They
made the mansion feel like a home.

To either side were immaculate rooms. One was a formal
dining room that went on and on. A huge table divided the room, and a
chandelier with multiple tiers of dangling crystal and light fixtures was
centered above the table.

The other room was some kind of sitting room. She thought
she could easily stand inside the fireplace at the end of the room. There were
no electronics she could see, and the furniture all looked ancient and never
used.

She felt a high-pitched whine coming on. There would be no
stopping the sound of her discomfort.

Ethan’s arms were around her again. Between his arms and her
lioness’ urging, Lena felt a spark of calm. “Formal occasions only. Pride
business, receiving alphas from other groups.” He murmured reassurance into her
ear.

He walked her out of the foyer, and they passed a staircase
that would rival the Titanic. The railing curved on either side, and she
thought multiple lions could walk shoulder-to-shoulder without feeling crowded.
The banisters had carved lions sitting on the top, and they looked well worn
with generations of hands touching them.

Past the stairs, they entered the main body of the house.
She could see why Ethan kept rooms off limits at the front of the house. She
wouldn’t want to be responsible for keeping the main room clean.

Another fireplace centered against the far wall, even larger
than the one from the front room. Mounted above it was a large television, like
the one he had in his penthouse. Sofa and couches and overstuffed recliners
were scattered around the room in clusters, and each one looked frequently
used. The wood floor creaked under their feet, and she felt another bit of her
relax. This was a lived in space.

“Better?”

Ethan watched her carefully, and she thought she could see
or smell nerves coming off him. She leaned on her lioness for the truth of it,
and the she-cat ignored her. Figures.

“This is where the pride gathers, especially during the
weekend. Most of us have places in the city, too, but we need to be together as
often as we can.”

She nodded. This was the sort of homey space she needed. She
needed life and wild decor around her. And lots of big, thick blankets to
cuddle in.

“Kitchen is the opposite end. Upstairs are bedrooms. And our
room.”

There was a tiny fraction of a question in his voice.

He took her in his arms and danced them around a few spinning
steps. “Our room. Where we’ll live when we’re on the estate. How about it,
Queen?”

She quirked her lips into a smile. “Queen, huh? I like the
sound of that.”

“Queen. You’re mated to the Alpha, after all.”

“So what does this mean?” She gestured at the scar on her
neck. There was no hiding that it was a large bite. Maybe she could tell people
she was attacked by a wild animal if they asked prying questions. It wasn’t
strictly untrue.

“On the purely physical level: you’ve been claimed by
another. No other shifter will touch you. You belong to me.” He sounded fierce,
and gold leached into his eyes for a moment before disappearing. It sent an
excited shiver through her.

“All shifters are different, but we lions have fated mates.
Sometimes they’re found, sometimes we settle for others. Our cats know a fated
mate when they scent them. It’s clearer as we get older and out of puberty.
There’s always the risk of rejection, just like any relationship, and those
mates are whispers of themselves after.”

“Is that why you didn’t claim me when we were kids? Because
you thought you’d be rejected?” As if she’d ever say no to him. His lanky
figure influenced all sorts of puberty awakenings in her.

Ethan’s eyes flashed gold again, and his arms tightened
around her. “I was warned away from you. My father was the alpha before me, and
he had strict rules against bringing humans into our pride. I couldn’t
challenge him. I would have lost, and it would have meant your life as well as
mine. I couldn’t let you die.”

“Oh, Ethan.” She raised her hands to her lips. The easy
lifestyle she pictured for him didn’t sound like it had any basis in reality.

He turned serious. “I’m sorry I didn’t explain everything to
you last night.”

“You could have given me the choice, you know. Before you
got all…” She made fangs with her fingers and softly growled.

“I won’t apologize for doing it. But I do regret not
explaining it.”

She pressed her forehead to his chest. And gulped. He was
solid muscle. Her hands rubbed up and down. “This is all just so… fantastical.
I mean, just yesterday I was fired from my job. Now I’m Queen of the Sanford
lions.”