Freeing A Lion: BBW Paranormal Lion Shape Shifter Romance (Sleeping Lions - Shifters Prime Book 2) (12 page)

“I don’t want us to go there,” Daniel said. “I was wrong.”

“I think you’re scared,” Lottie said.

“What if they blame me for Nora’s death?” he said suddenly.

“That’s not going to happen.”

“She was my mom’s best friend and she died. What if they blame that on me?” Daniel said.

“You’re being unreasonable.” She put her arms around him, leaning over the sleeping Lea. “You looked after Lea, you brought her here. I know you’re scared, but we are going to do this.”

“It would be easier to run.”

“I know, but these vagabonds need to put down roots. Lea needs a home, friends, school. She loved Daphne and Lance, she likes Frasier. How many more people is she going to meet and like and then have to leave behind? You and Lea are traumatised. I know you don’t see it, but you are, so we go to your pride lands and we give it a try. OK?”

“I’m scared I won’t be able to protect you, that we’ll let our guards down and something bad will happen,” he admitted.

“We can’t run forever. Meet your mom, and your brother. And maybe you’ll feel thankful you have a family. Because I know that I would give anything to see my mom and dad again, and Lea would too. To see her mom.”

“It’s just Frasier is so happy.” Daniel looked out of the window to where their guide was talking on a phone. “I feel bitter.”

“I know what you mean. After my parents died I got consumed with bitterness. But it eats you up. Coming home has brought it out in the open. It’s natural, it’s probably even good for you.”

He let out a long breath. “I’m so glad you’re here with us.”

“Me too. Now let’s go?” She phrased it as a question, not wanting to push him. He nodded and she called Frasier, who got back in the truck.

“We’re ready to go?” he asked.

“Yes. Let’s go,” she said, and held Daniel’s hand, giving him her strength as they drove the last few miles.

The hills rose up before them, and a nervous tension filled Lottie. This was it: they were about to meet his family, or what was left of his family. One more brother was still missing; that must be unbearable for Daniel’s mom.

“It sure is beautiful around here!” Lottie said. The trees were pine, rising up on the sides of the hills like guardians. “Do you live here, Frasier?”

“No, I live along the border. Or the frontier, as we call it. But I move around a lot. Kind of work for hire. And right now it’s Kane who is hiring me.” He turned a bend and began the steep climb up the hill, the trees making the road dark. Switching on the headlights, he suddenly slammed his foot down on the brake, making them all lurch forward.

Lea woke up, her hands going around Daniel’s neck, and she held him tight. Her face showed plain fear, a stark contrast to the happy girl from earlier. “What’s happening?” Lea asked.

“We’ve stopped. There’s something in the road,” Daniel said, his hands stroking her and comforting her.

“Just a fallen-down branch,” Frasier said, getting out of the truck.

“Do you need a hand?” Daniel asked, slipping Lea from his lap. “Stay with Lottie, it’ll only take a few minutes to move this out of the way.”

“OK,” Lea said, leaning against Lottie, still sleepy from her nap.

“Don’t worry, Lea, we’ll soon be there,” Lottie said, smoothing the girl’s hair. “You’ll get to meet Daniel’s family and I’m sure we’ll be able to sleep on proper beds.”

“I don’t mind being outside and sleeping on the floor.” She placed her hand on Lottie’s. “As long as you and Daniel are there, I don’t care where I sleep.”

Lottie kissed the top of her head. “I know how you feel, and you know we’ll always be there for you.”

But right then, as Lottie and Lea watched, a pack of hyenas emerged from the forest. And as Lea screamed, Lottie wondered if they were ever going to survive this ambush, or was this where they were all going to die … or worse.

Daniel lifted the end of the branch, with Frasier dragging the other, thicker end off the road. The bear’s expression worried him. “What’s up?”

Frasier looked up at the trees overhead. “Wrong kind of tree.”

“What do you mean, wrong kind of tree?” Daniel asked. In his mind his lion sat up, listening to something, leaving Daniel unnerved. “It’s a trap?”

“Looks that way,” Frasier said, although the words were lost as he shifted into his bear, swiping his great paws at a hyena as it leaped into the air, aiming for Frasier’s throat.

“What the hell!” Daniel exclaimed and then his lion took over, the beast tearing through Daniel’s skin, fur, claws, and paws emerging instantaneously, as the attack began.

He counted six, or maybe seven, it was hard to tell, they seemed to be everywhere, and he had to take his attention away from them for one moment to glance at the truck, where, to his horror, Lea was screaming and two more of the foul creatures were dragging their claws across the hood of Frasier’s truck.

There was nothing he could do for them right now, as two more hyenas came for him. He had to hope the truck held, or that Lottie, his mate, would be able to defend Lea from their attackers.

The smell of blood met his nostrils as he clawed the nearest hyena, the scent giving him a blood rage, or was it the fact that these dogs had come here to threaten those he cared about? Well, he wouldn’t let anyone hurt his family again. And they were his family—Lottie was more than a wife, and he was Lea’s guardian. And he would not fail her again.

Roaring, the sound loud even to his ears, he pounced at the next hyena, his teeth sinking into his neck, and shaking him with all his might. All the pent-up rage he had inside him unleashed now in this moment where their fates would be decided.

He glimpsed the bear pummelling one of their attackers with his giant paws, the creature hitting the ground. But then two more attacked, circling him, playing a deadly game, and he wondered if this would be the end of the big bear.

Then his thoughts returned to his own predicament as a hyena leaped onto his back, teeth scratching his flesh, a searing pain in his shoulder telling him his attacker had cut him. Daniel ran forward two steps and then stopped fast, trying to dislodge the thing on his back. It dug its claws in deeper, and Daniel roared in rage. Twisting and turning and then eventually lying down on the ground, rolling over, his big body threatening to squash his attacker.

The creature jumped off just in time, and then fell on Daniel, who was vulnerable on his back, but this lion was used to doing circus tricks and was lithe and supple, springing to his feet, and then slashing at the hyena with his front paws, while he sat firmly on his haunches. One swipe made contact with the dog’s muzzle and it fell to the ground, whining pitifully.

Daniel paused for one moment, catching his breath and weighing up the scene in front of him. Frasier was fighting the last of his opponents, the others lying bloody and broken on the ground. But over at the truck, the two hyenas had changed back to their human forms and were wrestling at the door with Lottie.

He leaped forward, changing from beast to man in mid-air, and ran to the truck, pulling the first guy off the door, and punching him in the face. The other guy jumped on him, raining blows down on his back. This wasn’t so easy, they were big men, not small pack animals. But the rage inside him grew. The sight of Lottie holding a sobbing Lea to her chest as they cowered in the truck was almost too much.

With one last effort, he used his strength to punch one guy unconscious and then grabbed the other by the shirt and hauled him over his head. Once he hit the floor Daniel kicked him viciously in the ribs over and over, until Frasier pulled him off.

“Enough. He isn’t getting up any time soon.” Frasier wiped his cut lip. “Damn, that was unexpected.”

Lottie slid over to the door and opened it, practically falling out into his arms. “I’m so sorry,” she said, sobbing as she repeated the same phrase until she became incoherent.

“It’s not your fault,” Daniel said.

“Why would it be?” Frasier asked. “You’re new in the Prime. They aren’t likely to be hunting you.”

“Are you sure? Are you sure they haven’t been sent from the other side of the border?” She lifted her head, her face red and swollen with tears.

“I doubt it,” Frasier said.

“I should go, just in case, I should leave you and Lea here to live in peace. I can’t be responsible for bringing danger into these pride lands.”

“Now, wait a minute. Before you go jumping to those kind of conclusions, let’s ask one of these animals,” Frasier said, lifting one of the guys off the ground and holding him up against the truck in his big bear fist. But before he could continue, there was a sound in the distance, and Frasier looked over his shoulder. “Cavalry’s arriving.”

“What do you mean?” Lottie sounded scared.

“We should go if more of them are coming,” Daniel said, not sure if he could fight through another wave of hyenas. Now the adrenaline rush had subsided he was tired and sore; his back was bleeding and his muscles ached.

“No, this is the good guys coming.” Frasier turned back and spoke to Daniel. “This is your brother coming to help.”

Daniel squared his shoulders. “I don’t need his help.” And then he realised that was what had been bothering him about coming here to the land of his pride. When he started this journey, he thought of himself as running away from danger, like running home with his tail between his legs. Now, he had proved himself, if only to himself; he had proved he could protect those he cared about. He was ready to go home.

Frasier put his free hand on Daniel’s shoulder. “No. But Kane might need your help. And your mom, she needs to see you, to know that you are OK. Although don’t let the tough new pride leader know I told you that.” Frasier winked at him with his one good eye; the other was swollen shut.

As the forest moved and about ten lions came charging through, Daniel let go of his past and his feeling of inadequacy. He had made it to his home lands, to the Talamo Pride Lands, and he was strong.

Lea came forward out of the truck, looking in awe at the pride of lions in front of her. “Wow, so many lions.”

And then one shifted, a man, so familiar it was as if Daniel had always known him, and maybe he had. They were brothers, after all, linked by blood and a bond within the pride. He only hoped it would go deeper than that: he was ready to be part of this family, part of this pride. If they would accept him.

“Know anything about these, Kane?” Frasier asked, indicating the hyena he was holding against the truck, who was still dazed, but slowly coming to.

“No,” Kane shook his head.

“I think they’re here because of me,” Lottie said.

“I doubt that,” Kane answered gently and then said to Daniel, “You must be my brother.”

She felt Daniel tense and placed a hand on his arm, squeezing it to give him strength.

“We certainly do look alike,” Daniel said, taking hold of Lottie’s hand and reaching for Lea, who slid over, eyes wide with fear.

“You have a daughter?” Kane asked.

“No. This is Nora’s daughter, Lea.”

“It’s good to meet you, Lea,” Kane said. “My mom has told me all about your mom. That makes you Daniel.”

“It does.”

Lottie held her breath during the strained exchange; it was like two big beasts circling each other. “Maybe we could continue this somewhere else?” she said, trying to break the tension.

“Of course. Frasier, can you drive and we’ll accompany you.”

“You think there are more of them out there?” Lottie asked quietly. “I told you I should leave.”

“You aren’t going anywhere,” Daniel said firmly. “We are in this together.”

“Lottie, I don’t know your story, but my guess is these vermin were sent by Serif, he used to run the Pride Lands. I thought we were finished with him now he’s in jail, but maybe he has a longer reach than I thought. We’ll find out, this one will tell us.” He turned to the other lions and said, “The sheriff will be on his way. Five of you wait here for him, the rest come with me.”

“Shouldn’t the sheriff do the interrogating?” Lottie asked, looking at the man Frasier still held in his grip.

“This one needs
medical attention
. We can patch him up at the house,” Kane said, and Frasier bundled him into the back of the truck. Kane jumped in and sat looking at him menacingly, and the guy cowered in the corner.

Tired and overwhelmed, Lottie climbed back into the truck, with Daniel and Lea, then Frasier drove on, taking them to what she hoped was safety, but she still felt responsible for the attack. She only hoped Kane was right and this Serif was responsible for the attack. She didn’t want to spend her life running, always looking over her shoulder; she simply wanted to rest somewhere safe and be with Lea and Daniel.

The sight of the valley bathed in the evening sunshine, even if it was so very beautiful, couldn’t cheer her up. The three of them, Lottie, Daniel, and Lea, were huddled together, needing to feel each other’s presence. Lea looked white, her face so pale that Lottie worried she might faint.

“Don’t you have a dolly?” Lottie asked, remembering how she used to have a doll for comfort when she was a child.

Lea shook her head. “They took it.”

“Well, I think the first thing we ought to do when we get settled is buy you a dolly,” Lottie said.

“I don’t think I want one,” Lea said quietly.

“Why not?” Lottie asked as they headed down onto the open grassland that led to a sprawling house.

“I just don’t.”

“Lea was very upset when they took it.”

“Who’s they?” Frasier asked, his voice tinged with emotion.

“We got captured,” Daniel said. “On the other side of the border, after Lea’s mom died.”

Frasier didn’t ask by whom. “What was your dolly like, Lea?”

“She had long yellow hair, and blue eyes. Her dress was long, like a princess would wear, and it was blue, with sparkly bits on it.” She smiled as she described it. “My mom got it for me.”

“I remember, we went to the store and you chose it because you wanted to be a princess, and blue was your favourite colour,” Daniel said.