Protector of the Pride (Lions of Pride Island Book 3)

C
opyright
© 2016 by Terry Bolryder

All rights reserved.

No part of this book may be reproduced in any form or by any electronic or mechanical means, including information storage and retrieval systems, without written permission from the author, except for the use of brief quotations in a book review.

A
xel looked
over uneasily at Lucy, trying to gauge her mood. His new secretary had been driving him crazy ever since she came to work with him.

Mainly because of his attraction to her, an attraction that was completely unwelcome, given that Axel wouldn’t have a choice as to whom he’d be required to give his heart.

As the oldest prince in the reigning royal family, Axel would be expected to take the mate chosen by the oracle, and then he would take his place as rightful king of the small island of shifters, where many policies that affected the entire shifter world came into being.

If he failed at his task, humans, shifters, and the entire balance of the world could be in jeopardy.

Which was why it was important that he stopped looking at Lucy’s rounded ass or thinking her crooked half smile was adorable or wondering how her curls would look spread out over his pillow.

He didn’t understand it.

He’d always been controlled. All work. Never distracted. Never letting his eyes or thoughts wander in the direction of a woman. And he’d worked with many directly.

But something was different about Lucy. Maybe it was those piercing green eyes, contrasting her dark hair and deep-olive skin. Maybe it was the clothing she wore, tight designer skirts and blazers with sky-high heels that did barely anything to elevate her short form.

At least compared to him.

And then there was her attitude. No matter how much crap was thrown at her—and working with him meant there was a lot—she never seemed to lose her cool.

In fact, the more stressed out Axel became, the more amused she seemed to be in response.

He appreciated her keeping her cool, but sometimes he wished she would actually listen and take him a bit more seriously.

“What are you worrying about over there?” she called out from her desk, eyeing him as he leaned against the door of their shared office. He’d just come in from lunch and a call with his brother. And despite the short break away, he still felt just as overwhelmed in her presence.

“I’m not worrying,” he said flatly.

She grinned up at him. “Yes, you are. The line between your eyes is going to split your face in half if you aren’t careful.” She stood and pulled a napkin out of one of her pockets and walked over to him. When she reached him, she stood on tiptoes to dab at the side of his mouth, and he jerked back.

She was close. Far too close. He could smell her scent, floral and distinct. Violets. Lilacs. Sex.

Maybe he was making up the last part. Maybe that was just her effect on him.

He yanked the napkin out of her outstretched hand and turned away from her, dabbing the sides of his mouth just in case.

Then he turned back. “Happy?”

She nodded, full lips turned into a pretty little grin that sent chills down his spine. “Yes. Now tell me what’s worrying you.”

He walked over to his own desk in the corner and slumped into his chair, putting a hand over his head and leaning forward. “What isn’t worrying me?”

“That’s nothing new,” she said. “Is it the delegation to the dragons next month? Or the new program the oracle is announcing?” Her green eyes grew shrewd. “Or perhaps that you still haven’t heard who your mate is yet?”

Axel looked up at her. “I don’t get it. My brothers went
bam, bam
. One after the other. And I’m waiting and waiting for my life to take shape, and she shows no sign of giving me direction.”

Lucy plopped on the edge of his desk. Bad idea. It put his eyes level with her incredible hips. Huggable. Touchable. He bit back a groan.

“You know, maybe it’s because you aren’t ready. Have you thought about that?”

He shook his head. “I’ve been waiting my whole life to be king. I’m already doing the job. Of course I’m ready.”

She sighed in annoyance. “Not ready for the
job
. Ready to be a mate.”

He shrugged. “As ready as I can be, I think.”

“You’ve never dated anyone, Axel.”

“How do you know?” he asked.

“Your brother was talking about it when he was here last. Cain.”

Axel muttered something under his breath.

“What was that?”

“Nothing,” he retorted. “But of course I’m ready. Whoever is chosen will hopefully be happy to be the fated mate of the king, and I’ll do my best to give her the life she deserves.”

“Ouch,” Lucy said. “I feel bad for whoever that is.”

He glared up at her. “Three months with me and you’re already saying that?” He sighed. “Maybe I am hopeless.”

She laughed and patted his arm, and he winced at the thrill she sent through him. He was the ruler of a country, and she made him feel like a schoolboy with a crush. “Nothing I don’t think can be fixed.”

“How?” he asked.

“You could have dated,” she said. “Your brothers had the same deal with the oracle, and they never took a vow of celibacy.”

“I don’t have time,” he said. “I’ve had responsibility they haven’t.” Sure, back in school, he’d had flings. He wasn’t a complete idiot when it came to a woman’s body. As a royal, he’d been chased by groupies, especially when young. But all of that had changed when his dad had died and he’d been forced to take on the mantle of responsibility far too early.

“I wasn’t exactly in a place where I could play around,” he said.

“I know,” she replied, flicking back a stray lock of dark hair. “You took over early. I’ve heard about it.”

“You spend most of your time gossiping or actually working?” he grumbled.

She folded her arms “You tell me.”

“Working,” he said in resignation. “It’s been much better since you’ve been here.”

“I almost didn’t take this job,” she said. “When the oracle came to our agency, I was shocked. But I’d heard about your reputation for being a difficult employer. She came to us because no one else would work with you anymore. I don’t know why, but I felt I was up to the challenge. And now this is the thanks I get?”

She glared at him, and he tried not to be mesmerized by the deep green of her gorgeous eyes.

“Um. Thanks?”

She laughed. “I don’t think you’re that difficult anyway. A bit of a control freak, but other than that…”

“Maybe I just didn’t have anyone I could trust before,” he muttered.

She stopped at that. “Axel, was that actually a compliment?”

“How so?”

“You trust me?” she asked.

He snorted and leaned back in his chair. “Of course I trust you. I give you more responsibility than I’ve ever given anyone else. Even family.”

She nodded. “Darn straight. I can handle it, too. You aren’t my first high-profile client.”

He nodded, ignoring the jealousy there. How anyone else had ever let her go he didn’t know.

“I’m still surprised she went so far as to get me an assistant,” he said.

“I’m not. She probably knew you needed someone to take some of your workload or you’d have no time for dating.”

He frowned. “What do you mean dating? I’ll be matched and that’s that.”

Her face fell. “Oh, poor thing that gets matched with you. That’s tragic.”

“What’s tragic?”

“You think some poor woman is just going to fall in line because the oracle says so?” She shook her head at him warily. “Nope, Axel. In fact, I hope she’s someone who doesn’t. I hope she’s someone who has a heart, who can teach you to use yours.”

“I have a heart.”

She laughed. “Not romantically, you don’t. It’s true, you care for your people and your family and your kingdom, maybe too much. But if you seriously think you can mate a woman without dating her, simply because an oracle said so, you really don’t understand women. Or romance.”

He hmphed. “I don’t have to. I just have to do my duty.”

“You’re going to lose the country thinking like that,” she said. “Because any female chosen is just going to take one look at you and walk away. Any smart one, that is.”

“What if she doesn’t? What if just being my queen is good enough for her?”

Her expression softened. “I truly hope she’s not that kind of woman, Axel. For your sake.”

He blinked. The woman made no sense. Why wouldn’t he want someone who could make things easy? Who prized country above all else, as he did?

Lucy made no sense. And the more he thought about it, the more it bothered him.

But he couldn’t think about letting her go. She was helpful, she was kind, and she was the only person he could sort of relax around.

And most of all, he’d miss her.

“Wish I could hear what’s going on in that stressed-out noggin of yours,” she said, cocking her head at him as she stood and strode over to her own desk. “But I guess I better stop trying to figure it out and get back to work.”

He frowned as she left his space, taking her delicious scent and gorgeous smile with her.

But as he leaned back in his chair, he knew he had bigger problems. Lucy had brought up something he’d never thought of before. Something that could throw a wrench in everything he’d worked for, everything he’d sacrificed to make sure people and shifters were safe and in balance.

What if, once the oracle picked someone, he had to actually win her over, and he had no idea how to?

He’d been so busy running the government that he’d never thought about actual courting. He hadn’t thought it would be necessary with matchmaking. He was the
future
king
after all.

He scratched his head for a moment and let out a low growl as anxiety began to build in him, making his heart pound the way it always did when his stress began to reach a critical threshold.

He was already worried all the time. That rival families would stage a coup, that dissatisfied citizens would believe odd rumors, or that widespread destruction would break out from another shifter species, like the barely-holding-it-together wolves on the mainland.

Something had to give in the shifter world, and he wasn’t sure what.

But he hoped securing a mate and solidifying his family’s power would help somewhat.

He picked up a pencil and tapped it on a pad of Post-its, trying to remember what he’d been planning for the afternoon.

But somehow, nothing in his long to-do list seemed to mean anything as he pondered his flaws as Lucy had raised them.

No heart? No romance?

She was probably right. The problem was, what did he do about that?

* * *

L
ucy watched
Axel stew in his seat, clearly stressing over what she’d said to him.

She knew he already struggled with anxiety, and she really hadn’t meant to add to that, but she’d been aghast at his comments about his future mate.

No woman in her right mind would just walk into this situation without any effort on his part.

Axel might be a king, but he was a stressed-out, uptight, stick-up-his-butt, walking cloud of worry and problems.

What woman would want to sleep with that at night?

At least he had his looks going for him. Lucy had to admit he was the most beautiful man she’d ever laid eyes on. The lion in her growled every time he shifted position, drawing her gaze to his perfectly formed, tall, and muscled body.

It didn’t hurt that most of his attempts to destress happened in the gym, which gave him incredibly toned and large muscles that barely fit into the suits he was always wearing.

His sharp, short hair just drew more attention to his incredible face. Large, soulful eyes when you could get them to stop squinting in stress, perfect, arched brows in dark blond, high cheekbones leading to a strong, masculine jaw. A nose so straight you could have drawn it with a ruler.

He was aristocratic, handsome, and a total basket case.

And he kept sneaking looks at her when he thought she wasn’t looking, a deep scowl on his face.

“All right,” she said. “What did I say that bothered you?”

He folded his arms, and she tried to ignore the powerful muscles flexing there as he squirmed uncomfortably in his chair. “You say I’m not equipped to court a woman. Well, fine. Maybe I’m not. Maybe I’m better at ensuring world peace. Maybe I forgot to learn the rest. But what do you expect me to do about it now?” He ran a hand through his short hair, making it stand in different directions as much as was possible.

She wanted to feel it, tuft her hands in the varied gold strands and feel the thickness there. See if it was long enough to pull on during sex.

Hey, a woman had needs.

Glad her complexion hid her blushes, she gave him a bold grin. “Never too late to learn.”

“Right,” he said sardonically, his perfectly carved lips turning up at one side in a way she found unfathomably sexy. “Because with our world at a critical tipping point in terms of safety, I should just go out and get dating lessons.”

The lioness in her growled as she looked down his body. An idea formed in her head. A stupid one she knew, but an idea nonetheless.

For the past three months, she hadn’t been with anyone. She was starting to need someone. No, if she were honest, she was starting to want her employer. In a way she knew could never go anywhere.

Any day now, the oracle could walk in and pick a mate for him, and the odds of it being her were astronomical.