Loving the Lion Read online

  “How did you know I drove?

  He raised one of his dark brows at the suspicious look on her face. “What other way is there into my territory?”

  Well, he had her there. Although she was certain she’d heard a helicopter earlier as she’d driven up the steep mountainside. No doubt the shifters had some type of air transportation being so far away from any major city. It was probably reserved for their special guests. Guests, she thought with a frown, who wore high-heeled shoes and short skirts in the middle of winter.

  Another short space of silent and then he asked, “Would you mind pouring me a cup?”

  He leaned back against the chair, waiting. She hesitated only a moment before complying with his request—or should she say order. She doubted he’d ever made a request. What choice did she have? This man was the key to finding her brother, so she supposed she needed to be nice to him. Channeling the lessons she learned by reading Miss Manners as a teen, she took a deep breath and tried to erase the image of her hurdling the white ceramic pot at his chauvinist head.

  Leaning forward, she used her right hand to lift the pot. It was so heavy, she had to use her other hand to steady it. She appreciated the larger than normal cups the hotel had provided as it made it much easier to fill them. Once she had filled two of the mugs, she lifted one and handed it to the man who held her and her brother’s future in his large hands. She took hers and cupped her hands around it, savoring the warmth. The hotel was large and spacious and somewhat drafty. Looking at the two men before her, she remembered that a shifter’s body temperature ran higher than humans. Seeing them perfectly comfortable in their sweaters, she thought that might be true. Despite the warm coat she was wearing and the heat from the fire, she was still cold.

  Or maybe she was just tired. It had been a grueling two days on the road and before that she’d been on the verge of exhaustion. Between her brother and her job, there had simply been no time for rest. For living.

  Taking a sip, she savored the sweetness of the drink. It was the perfect balance of milk and chocolate. She watched as Bachar took a large swallow of his, the muscles in his throat fascinating her. She was surprised he would enjoy such a drink. He looked more like a black coffee drinker to her.

  Just to prove she was not completely enthralled by him, she looked at the man standing so silently by his side. “Would you care for some hot chocolate?” She made her voice as pleasant, okay, even downright sexy, as she could. Why? Because she wanted to wipe that superior look off Bachar’s face.

  The man gave a small start. She was rewarded for her daring behavior by the quick glance he gave her and the stiffening of Bachar’s body when he realized his guard was looking her over.

  Bachar drained his mug and tried to tell himself that this woman with her round body and soft white skin was no different from any other woman. But his hand shook when he set his drink down, and his muscles tightened with the need to touch her.

  And he’d be damned if he’d sit here and watch as she made time with another shifter.

  “Khalas.” Bachar’s lineage did not originate in the middle-east, but he found using parts of the language stress relieving. He slammed the mug down on the table, glaring at the man who stood beside him. “You are not here to flirt with my men, Miss Wilder.”

  Sally took a sip of her hot chocolate. He thought that was flirting? She studied him before she spoke again. “So, will you take me into the mountains?”

  “Yes.”

  “Bachar.” Tarek started to interrupt him, and Bachar knew exactly what he was about to say. There was no need for the woman to travel into shifter territory. If her brother had not already been found and taken into the care of a shifter, he no doubt would be as soon as Bachar put the word out. And he would now fall under Bachar’s direct protection so no harm would befall him until he was returned to his sister.

  “So you will take me?”

  “Yes, I will find your brother.” Thankfully, humans couldn’t detect lies. Well, not exactly a lie, but certainly an untruth.

  “Thank you.”

  “Don’t thank me, Miss Wilder. I’m not doing you a favor. The mountains, especially now, in the dead of winter, are a dangerous place to be. There are times when the temperature will drop below freezing, and it’s so cold it hurts to breathe. The snow will fall so fast and so furious that you won’t be able to see two inches in front of your face.” He leaned forward. “And let’s not forget about the animals. They’d just as soon eat you as look at you. You have entered shifter territory, Sally Wilder. You best tread lightly.”

  “Or what, a lion will eat me?”

  “No doubt.”

  For some reason, that comment didn’t have the desired effect he thought it would have on her. Instead of the smell of fear he’d expected, a wave of desire flooded the air. Had her thoughts turned naughty as his had done as soon as he’d said the words? He heard the soft grunt Tarek gave and couldn’t blame the wolf shifter. She smelled damn delicious.

  Mine, his inner lion roared, wanting to warn off the other male. Mine.

  She placed her drink on the table and leaned forward, a look of courage and determination in her beautiful brown eyes. “I don’t care. I need to find my brother.”

  He had to shutter his expression for fear of giving away his feelings. Feelings that he was determined to keep to himself. He could not take a mate now, especially not one who looked as soft and fluffy as the snow that had begun to fall outside. “I hope, Miss Wilder, you do not come to regret those words.”

  It took only an hour for Bachar to make their—or rather his—travel arrangements. She would go only so far up the mountain. When she met him at the door of the hotel as he’d instructed, he frowned, seeing the small backpack she carried. “Is that all of your luggage?”

  Sally gripped the shoulder strap in her hand and tilted her head up. “Yes, I have everything I need.”

  She didn’t want to confess that once she’d discovered her brother had run away, she’d simply thrown in a change of clothing and taken off like a bat out of hell to follow him. The rest of her clothing she was wearing, including the completely inappropriate tennis shoes. They provided no warmth against the cold mountain temperature. Besides the clothing, the small bag contained toothpaste and a toothbrush along with some deodorant and a hairbrush. She prayed the man she was about to go traipsing into the mountains with was more prepared than she was.

  She had no idea what to expect. She assumed they would travel by car, but she also knew some of the area was completely inaccessible by anything other than foot. No doubt, shifters had no problem traversing the rough terrain in their animal forms. She, however, wasn’t so fortunate. All she had were two rounded legs that were weak from lack of any real exercise. She walked about a mile a day along a well-kept walking path near her home, but that was it. “Yes. I don’t need much.”

  Bachar stared at her with those dark eyes that made her tremble. After a moment, he motioned for the man who had stood guard beside him earlier. They stepped aside for a brief conversation. They kept looking back at her, and she had the horrible feeling they were discussing her in some very unflattering way. She straightened her spine, steeling her resolve. She could, and would do this. She had no other choice.

  Nick was all the family Sally had. As she had told Bachar, he was sixteen years old. What she hadn’t told the imposing man was that she had raised him single-handedly for nearly ten years. Ever since she was sixteen. She’d managed to keep the fact that their parents were deceased hidden from the authorities, afraid they would take him away from her. And once she discovered he was a shifter, she’d been even more terrified. She knew nothing about raising a teenaged boy, much less one that turned into a wolf.

  After another few moments, the two men stopped talking, and Bachar stepped forward. “We will leave now.”

  A valet delivered a large four-wheel drive vehicle, but Bachar made no effort to take her bag or open the door for her. He simply strode to the drive
r’s side to engage in conversation with yet another man. Sliding the strap from her shoulder and preparing to open the door herself, she wondered briefly if he was just an ass or was there something more. He carried with him that sense of power that she naturally associated with shifters. The one that said, I’m a big bad animal, and it is to your detriment if you mess with me. But his power seemed deeper, more ingrained. She had no doubt he was an alpha, but an alpha what? Whatever, or whoever, he was, he was definitely arrogant.

  As her hand reached for the handle of the back passenger door, a strong masculine one reached for her bag. Without a word, he guided her to the front of the vehicle. He opened the door and waited for her to get inside. When she hesitated, he looked down at her, his gray eyes curious. “Do you require assistance?”

  “Yeah.” Sally rolled her eyes, his complete ignorance of the embarrassing situation she found herself in, overriding said embarrassment. “The seat is like three feet off the ground.”

  He looked over at Bachar as if seeking permission to help her and she gave another roll of her eyes. Could nothing be done without the great man’s approval? “Oh, never mind,” she said, trying to push him aside so she could get to the ‘oh shit’ handle. So what if her climb into the oversize vehicle wasn’t going to be all grace and beauty. Nothing about her was graceful or beautiful. She’d long ago accepted the fact that she was a plain, chubby girl with little to offer the male population.

  Just as she stepped on the running board, she felt a large hand cup her ass and lift her onto the seat. “What the hell?” She turned around immediately, sending a killing glare the other man’s way.

  His expression remained blank as he spoke. “You said you needed assistance.”

  She opened her mouth to speak but closed it. What could she say? She had needed help, and his touch hadn’t been sexual, just a little inappropriate. “Well, next time, just take my arm, okay?”

  She settled into the seat, giving a soft sigh at the warmth of the heated leather. Now, this was luxury she thought. She waited for the man to close the door.

  “What?” she asked when he just continued to stand there with the door opened.

  A look of indecision crossed his face. A look she was sure was not common for him to have.

  “Be careful of him, Miss Wilder,” he warned. “We shifters love women, especially women as plump and lovely as you are. Bachar is no exception; you may find him even more of a challenge than finding your brother.”

  CHAPTER TWO

  BACHAR WATCHED AS Tarek helped the woman into the front seat of the vehicle that would take them up the mountain. He had dismissed the driver, deciding to make the long, sometimes treacherous trip behind the wheel. Why, he did not know. Usually, he spent the time in the back seat immersed in the hundred and one things he needed to accomplish to keep the pride running smoothly.

  “Is your seat belt on?” He climbed into the large luxury vehicle, put it in gear and started forward.

  “Yes.”

  He gave a short nod but kept his attention on the road leading away from the hotel. The hotel was one of three that were scattered throughout this part of shifter territory. There were more hotels and attractions to the east and west. The rustic hotel was not usually his preference when he was away from his home. He preferred the more luxurious one further up the mountain. He’d been tired last night and had decided to stay there. Now he knew why.

  Fate.

  The silence was strained as they drove, but Bachar did not want to engage the woman in conversation. The less he knew about her, the better. The sooner he found her brother, the better.

  He was sure Tarek would find a lead, probably even the boy, by nightfall. His pride shared the mountain with numerous other prides and packs. The core of his pride were lions, but he’d taken in other shifters. Shifters, like Tarek and Keair, that had either been about to turn rogue or whose original pride or clan had been killed.

  He’d found most of the shifters in the area loyal and extremely family oriented, despite the media which made them out to be outlaws and rouges determined to seduce human women. He snorted slightly to himself. That was the last thing most shifters wanted. Most wanted a mate with whom to start a life, create a family lineage.

  He stole a look at his silent passenger and discovered she was doing the same. It amused him when her cheeks turned red. It pleased him when she didn’t look away. She had spirit and sass. “Why do you study me? Do you not find my look pleasing?” He meant it as an arrogant statement, knowing his looks and coloring were quite pleasing to females.

  “Oh, yes, quite pleasing.” A small smile curved her lips as if she’d guessed what he’d been up to. He was sure if she had known how seductive that smile appeared she would have immediately resisted the urge. She continued to stare at him, biting her lip as if wanting to prevent herself from speaking.

  “You have a question?”

  “I don’t want to appear rude.”

  He shifted in his seat, allowing his body to relax for the first time since they had begun their journey. Surprisingly, her presence was soothing to both the man and the beast that lived inside him. They still had more than an hour before they reached their destination. “You may ask me.”

  His continued arrogance did not escape her, and she showed her displeasure with a tightening of her full lips.

  “What type of shifter are you?”

  “What type do I look like?”

  “I would say a wolf, based on your coloring and strength. But, you have more of an, um, attitude about you that doesn’t scream wolf to me.”

  “And you have known many shifters? Many wolf shifters?”

  She shifted in her seat, and for a brief moment, he thought he smelled the hint of deceit on her scent. Then it was gone, fleeting at best. It did make him frown. Was there more to her story than a runaway brother? Was she a woman seeking a shifter for her bed?

  The thought of her with another man, any male, made his lion sit up. The animal did not like the idea. Neither did the man.

  “Your guard is a wolf, isn’t he?”

  “Yes. And you are to stay away from him.”

  “Really? That’s strange because he gave me the exact same warning about you.” She turned towards him in her seat, the movement stirring up the air around her again. And again, her scent filled his senses, and his animal roared inside his head.

  Mate. Mate.

  No, no mate. He could not take a mate. Not now. Perhaps never.

  “Perhaps it is best that you heed both of our warnings.”

  His words made her expression fall, and he instantly wanted to put that look of mischief back on her face. “I will answer your question now. I am a lion shifter.”

  Her eyes widened, and he felt the heat of her gaze as it traveled over him. His pants suddenly became restrictive, and he wanted nothing more than to rip away his clothing and shift, showing her his animal.

  “I would never have guessed. It’s your coloring. I would have thought a lion shifter would have been blonde and golden in their human form.”

  “Some are, some are not. I assure you my animal is magnificent.”

  “Conceited much?” She grinned, and he was puzzled by how pleased that made him. He wanted to see that look on her face again and again—and be the one that put it there.

  “No.”

  The answer was given with what Sally had come to assume was Bachar’s natural arrogance. But, then, he was handsome as sin, and she was sure his animal was just as magnificent and beautiful as he claimed.

  Oh, to have such confidence. But then he had the goods to back it up.

  Sally looked at Bachar again, a puzzled expression marring her nearly perfect features. Others might see her as plain, but to him, she had that timeless beauty that would only grow more pronounced as she aged. She couldn’t be more than what, twenty-five, twenty-nine? Far too young for his old soul.

  “But, if you’re a lion, why are you here? In the United States? Why aren’t yo
u in Africa?”

  “I am an American lion.”

  “What?”

  He sighed as if having to explain himself to a child. “I am from a lineage long since thought extinct. My ancestors crossed the Beringian Land Bridge and settled in North America. We are bigger and stronger than our African counterparts.”

  “Naturally.” Another smile and Bachar was scrambling of things to say that would keep those appearing on her pretty face. “We are broader and faster. We prefer colder temperatures and hunt for our females, unlike our lazy cousins.”

  “I had no idea that North America ever had lions. That’s fascinating. And not something we were ever taught in school.”

  “There are many gaps in the human educational system.”

  “Hey now. You’re human too. Didn’t you go to school?”

  “Yes, to learn science and math, not about who and what I am.”

  “You apparently had parents who cared then.”

  “And you did not?” The thought of her having had an unhappy childhood was unsettling. Shifters always protected their young, taught them the skills they needed to stay safe and thrive. Before they announced their presence to the general population those skills included keeping the secret of their existence hidden.

  She leaned back against the leather seat as if suddenly weighed down with burdens too heavy for her shoulders. “My parents were good people. It’s just…”

  “They passed away while you were still young.”

  “Yeah, that didn’t help.”

  “How long have you been in charge of your brother?”

  “I have been taking care of him since he was ten. When our mother passed away.”

  “And your father?”

  “He passed away two years before that.” She bit her lip, knowing she should tell him the truth now and not wait until later. She instinctively knew he did not like people who told lies or withheld the truth.

  “And you had no other family members to look after him? Or you for that matter. You must have still been very young as well.”