Sasha's Lion (13 page)

“I took the rest of the day off to spend with you.”
He wrapped his arm around her not caring of the audience and kissed her. She
pulled away blushing as a voice broke in.

“That is the type of passion I want Sleeping Beauty and
her prince to have.”

Savron looked up to see Mrs. Sander, an eagle
shifter who’d been the drama teacher when he’d been at school ten years ago.
She was good friends with his mom, and she had been one of his favorite
teachers.

“Sorry to interrupt. I just came to pick up Sasha.”
He eased Sasha down and turned her around.

Mrs. Sander looked him up and down, and a gleam came
into her eyes. “Savron Pride, look at you all grown up.” She turned to the
students on stage behind her. “Savron used to be a star student of mine.”

“I didn’t know you taught that long ago,”
Zeck
grumbled behind him.

Savron forced his lion down and told him not to
react, but his eyes must have changed because Mrs. Sander shook her head.

“Savron, Sasha, why don’t you two show us how the
dance scene in the woods should go with Beauty and her prince?”

He felt Sasha stiffen against him. He didn’t want to
be here, and he certainly didn’t want an audience.

“How about a rain check?
I
didn’t come to perform. I just came to get my mate.” He deliberately said mate
even though Mrs. Sander should understand as she was a shifter and a friend.
Sasha had his mark and also smelled of him.

Mrs. Sander dramatically
sagged
her shoulders. “Fine, but I’ll hold you to it. You can take Sasha now. She’s
only working on props, and she did work back yesterday.”

Savron smiled. “Thanks.”

Sasha eased out of his hold. “Thanks, Mrs. Sander.”
She turned to him. “Let me just grab my bag.”

Zeck
and
Jess strolled by him and after Sasha. Savron stood alone with Mrs. Sander.
“Sasha is very social. I can smell you mated her, but haven’t taken her fully.
How’s that working? She is very popular.”

He closed his eyes and eased his lion, which was on
edge. “It’s hard. Sasha’s human, and I don’t want to push her.
 
But with it being really busy with the
creatures, it’s not easy to spend time with her.”

She patted his arm. “I will get the eagles to call
your father. We have been quiet, so we can send some help. I understand you and
the wolves section have been flat out.”

“That would be much appreciated. We could do with
some help.”

They stopped talking as Sasha came back.

“Thanks again, Mrs. Sander.” Sasha smiled as she
reached for his hand and held it. “Let’s go.”

They walked down the halls and he told himself to
let it go, but he needed to know who’d been taking her home. “Mac said he
hasn’t been taking you home. So who has?”

Sasha shrugged. “I’ve been helping with drama, so
I’ve been getting a lift with
Zeck
, Jess, and
Travis.”

He growled. He wasn’t happy
Zeck
was among the group.

Sasha stopped and stared at him. “You’re mad? Look
he’s my friend, and I haven’t been alone with him. I’ve been with Jess and
Travis. They know I’m with you.”

Savron sighed. He couldn’t stop Sasha from hanging
out with her friends because he wasn’t fond of them. He pulled her to him and
kissed her. “I’m not angry. I just like to know who you’re getting a lift home
with, so I know you’re safe.”

Sasha hugged him. “Okay, I’ll tell you who I’m
getting a ride with from now on.” She squeezed him tight for a moment before
she moved away and pulled him along like she was in a rush.

He slowed at the car. “What’s the rush?”

“Nothing, it’s just tomorrow I have the competition,
and I feel like I have barely seen you. I’ve been staying awake at night, but
most of the time I’m asleep when you get home. I have tonight off, so I’m good
and rested for tomorrow.”

Savron pulled her to him. “I’m sorry, gorgeous. You
moving in
was
supposed to help us be together and
spend time together. But I’ve been so busy at work, and all your spare time is
either spent dancing or studying.” He cupped her face. “I want to take you to
dinner tonight and then go to the movies. No dancing, no homework, no distractions.”
He pulled her up to him and brushed his lips over her mouth.

They broke away breathless. Savron eased away from
her and opened his car door and set her up in the passenger seat he when around
to his side and got in. “Come on, let’s go home. You can shower and get
dressed.”

****

Sasha tried to relax, and she told herself to think
of happy thoughts. She thought of last night, and for just a moment she closed
her eyes and remembered.
 
She and Savron
had gone to the early movie. Savron watched the romance/action film just for
her. Sasha could tell Savron didn’t enjoy it. Sasha thought the movie was okay,
but the looks and grumbles from Savron made the movie so much better. When a
scene that should have been action came on he’d groan and sigh “that couldn’t
be done by a human” or “even I couldn’t do that” and so on.

Sasha had liked his added commentary. She’d settled
herself against Savron as best she could and cuddled him just enjoying his
warmth and the undisturbed time together. No homework. No dance practice. No
work or fighting bad creatures. Every now and then she’d feel his lips on her
head or he’d squeeze her tighter, and she felt relaxed and content.

The restaurant had been a nice change from her
cooking or Savron’s attempt at cooking. They’d sat across from each other and
talked small talk. Nothing about his work, both jobs, and he asked nothing
about dancing or school. Sasha had told him about Australia and what she missed.
Her friends were a big subject, the beaches, the climate, and how even the
socializing was different.

Savron had told her about the
pride,
that
his father was the head honcho and his aunties, uncles, and
cousins, were all in the pride. Savron had told her that his family dated back
to the first lion shifters pride, and that was why they had Pride as their last
name.

Savron had reached across and touched her all the
time or held her hand. All night a body part of Savron’s had touched hers. It
wasn’t until they got home and got in bed that he had stiffened and turned from
her mumbling, “It’s getting really hard. I don’t know how much longer I can
last. I want you so bad.”

This morning when her alarm had gone off at five A.M.
she’d awoken to find herself draped over Savron, one of his hands up her shirt
cupping a breast the other down her pants resting on her
arse
.
The heat from his touch was sending delicious tingles through her body. She
could see his morning delight and knew she needed to get up and out of bed
before she gave in to the heat, and gave her body and Savron what they
wanted.
 

Her body started to heat at the memory of Savron’s
touch. She opened her eyes and hoped Britney kept Savron away. He got jealous
way too easily, she thought.
 
Britney had
explained it was an alpha mate thing, and Sasha added it to her list of
frustrating finding out about the real world things that she had to come to
terms with.

Sasha didn’t mind the jealousy so much. It was the
trust thing that got to her, and the fact that sometimes
him
assuming that every guy was in love with her or wanted her got tiring. She
tried to see it from his perspective, especially when he explained what a mate
was. But Sasha had never been in this situation before, and everything at the
moment felt so overwhelming. She was only eighteen, and being told you’re the
love of someone’s life, the only person they could have children with and share
their soul with, was a lot to take in.
 

She took a deep breath and let it out slowly as she
got herself worked up. Sasha was starting to fall for Savron, and that scared
her the most. Yesterday, she’d admitted to Jess and
Zeck
what he was to her. She’d told them what a lucky girl she was. Sasha did love how
he let her have his car whenever she asked. How Savron helped with homework or
listened to her to see if things sounded right. Sasha loved how he rang if it
wasn’t too late to see if she wanted anything when he came home from work.
Savron seemed happy enough to lie on the sofa and watch a movie or TV. And the
nights he was late as he got busy with work and she fell asleep he picked her
up and brought her to bed and kissed her. Or if she was already in bed he’d
pick her up and lay her so she cuddled him. She didn’t think she could sleep
through the night without him now.

 
Crap!
She already
loved him.

Sasha looked out at the huge crowd and the cameras
and told herself not to run, that Jason needed her, was counting on her. It was
just that Sasha felt sick. Jason’s and her solo was coming up, and it was the
second time she would be on stage. The first had been for the Latin America
section, cha-cha, jive, and samba. They’d placed fourth, which she was really
proud of, Jason not so much. Sasha had been so nervous that for the first dance,
the cha-cha, she’d stumbled, which had knocked their total down.

Hands rubbed up and down her arms. “Don’t worry.
Stop looking out at everything that’s going on. You’re stressing yourself out
more.” Jason turned her to face him. “Pretend it’s just you and me at practice
in the studio, and just focus on me. If we do this as perfect as we do this at
practice, we have this competition in the bag.”

Sasha rolled her eyes because she knew she and Jason
were good considering they’d only been dance partners for about six months, but
they were not like the people competing today, who were awesome. They looked
like they belonged in movies and probably were used to all the cameras and
attention. In Australia the dance scene hadn’t reached what it had here in
America.

Their names were called, and she took a deep breath
and walked out to the dance floor hoping that Britney kept Savron away.

****

Britney had been distracting him all day. Savron had
been busy with his club all morning and finished early so he could go watch
Sasha. He entered the venue with Britney. Even with the packed venue he could
smell that his parents and Brandon were here.

Savron went straight to his family, who had front
row seats. He sat in one of the spare seats next to his mother.

“Our girl is doing
good
. They’re
coming up next doing a salsa samba solo.” His mom sounded so proud.

Britney whispered something into their dad’s ear.

“Holy shit, Britney!
You should
have told us.”

He glanced at his father for a moment only to turn
to the stage as the announcer said. “Number fifty-three, Jason Stag and Sasha
Brentno
.”

Jason came out with no shirt and black pants and
shoes. Sasha followed behind him in a two piece glittering white and black tiny
outfit. Her breasts were pushed up in the tight barely-there top. Sasha’s hair
was curled and fell down her back. The skirt she wore was strips of shiny
fabric, and she had black undies on underneath. Her high heeled shoes shone
with diamantes.

He stood, and two sets of arms came around him.

“Don’t, son.” His dad murmured into his ear.

Savron watched as the music started. Sasha stood
behind Jason’s back then dancing around to his front. Jason crouched down and
held one of Sasha’s hands. She raised one of her legs up, and Jason held it,
spinning her. He spun her closer to him until she stopped against his chest.
Jason let go of her leg, and she straddled his leg.
 

Savron snarled and tugged at the hands holding him
back.

Sasha’s hand came up, and she elaborately stroked
his face and down Jason’s chest. As the music picked up he flung her out. Holding
her hand he rose up, and she danced back and Jason followed. They danced some
fancy footwork, and he pulled her to him and gripped her with both hands. She
slid back and forth under his legs then came out, and he brought her close so
her back was against his chest like they were
hugging,
and they danced. Jason flung her out as the music came to a dramatic close and
she spun back to him, and he leaned down and flipped her into his arm and then
up to end the routine so she sat on the side of his shoulder, straddling his
face almost, with her hands up in the air.

The crowd went wild, and Sasha, with the help of
Jason, flipped down landing on her feet, her faces inches from Jason. They spun
and bowed and walked off stage.

“Sasha did warn me, but
wow, that
was hot.” Britney turned and winked at him. “You did well, bro.”

Savron glared at Britney, and his father and Brandon
let go. He sat in the chair behind him. So Britney had been with him to distract
him from seeing that.

“Sasha told me the competition wasn’t supposed to be
this big. She’s been really nervous about it and worried the last couple of
weeks about how you would react to the routine. You two haven’t been together
for that long in the human world, and it takes a long time to change routines
and get them perfect. That’s why she kept the routine she just did like that.
Sasha knew you wouldn’t like it, so she asked me to help keep you distracted, but
it didn’t work. You were determined to come here.”