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

by Terry Bolryder

  She spread her legs wide, inviting him.

  He tore off his robe, baring himself to her. Beautiful, tanned shoulders and abs and hips and legs. All hers. He positioned himself and took a deep breath, as if he were as nervous about this as she was.

  They’d been together, but this time they’d be taking it to the end. She’d dig her nails into him and claim him. Lions didn’t have to, but she wanted to leave a mate mark. She knew just what she’d do.

  He pressed at her entrance, teasing her, and Lucy wrapped her hands in the sheets and pushed up against him, urging him in. As he started to enter, she wrapped her legs around his waist, pushing him inside and holding him there. She gasped at the feel of every inch of him settled inside her. She looked up into his eyes with shock, unable to believe he could fit like that and be this comfortable. It was still full. Pressure. But good. Like she never wanted him to pull out.

  He closed his eyes, and his jaw went tight. “I might not last long,” he said. “You feel amazing.”

  She wriggled slightly. “I don’t care. Whatever happens is fine by me. We’ll have forever to get it just right.”

  He opened his eyes, and his mouth quirked in amusement. “That’s true, isn’t it?” He shook his head. “I like that.”

  Then he began to move, and all logical thought left her head. All she could think about was the friction, hot, pleasurable, surging with every inch of him. The caring expression on his face and the quick build inside her leading toward something incredible.

  She wasn’t going to be able to last long.

  Lucy reached up and put her hands on his shoulders. “I’m already close.”

  He cocked his head with a grin. “You can go as many times as you like.”

  She writhed. “No. I just want to go with you. I’ll hold off.”

  Axel lowered his eyebrows and thrust into her again, and she squeaked and bit her lip. How could that feel so good?

  “Yes, look at me that way,” he said in a low voice. “Like you can’t believe how good I’m making you feel. I’m going to make sure you can only think of me for the rest of our lives.”

  “No problem,” she grated out, feeling her body start to kick over. She couldn’t hold it back and screamed out as waves of pleasure rode through her, pressing all around him, making her feel like she could explode into colored light.

  She kept her legs gripped around him, feeling the sensation fill all of her body, making her want to cry at how good it felt. She brought her fist up to her mouth and bit it, unable to stand how amazing it was.

  He looked down at her, and his eyes clouded. He began moving again in the aftershocks as she felt herself still twitching around him. She gasped as she realized she was already moving toward going again. The pressure was building. It felt little like flying into the air, pushed ever higher by an invisible force, and then, as he thrust hard into her and jerked with his own orgasm, it felt like she was free-falling. Her stomach jumped as another orgasm tore through her.

  She had no words as she reached up and grabbed his shoulders, pulling him against her as they both went, their bodies jerking together. It was perfect, better than she’d ever imagined.

  She could see everything. Their home. Their children. Her nails sank into the skin of his back, moving lightly, spelling a word.

  King.

  Hers forever. King because he’d become one with their mating. And she knew he’d do an amazing job.

  His arms were shaking as he finished, and his eyes were overwhelmed as he looked at her. He leaned forward, kissing her forehead, her shoulders, her lips, murmuring words of love. Promises of protection. Of forever.

  Lucy stopped him and just pulled him against her, hugging him tight, calming him. Enjoying the heavy weight of his body over hers.

  He finally pushed up above her and let out a long breath, looking her over. “Finally,” he said.

  Then he curled around her and wrapped his long, strong arm around her chest, pulling her in against him as he tugged the sheets over them.

  She pulled a pillow under her head to get comfortable and just enjoyed how warm and firm his body was. So appropriate that they would sleep together for the first time after mating.

  They wouldn’t have to leave each other after lovemaking anymore. Just like they wouldn’t have to leave each other in life.

  That felt amazing.

  She could see the first streaks of dawn creeping over the floor. How fitting the sun was rising now, just when they were starting their new life.

  It was something from a fairy tale. She’d never thought herself a princess, but she felt like one with her king.

  “I love you, Axel,” she murmured softly.

  “Love you, too, sweetheart,” he said, his voice sleepy, pulling her in against his chest.

  She rested up against his shoulder and sighed. She should sleep, but with everything that had happened, all she could think about was what she wanted to do when they got up.

  Show him his new mate mark. Eat breakfast in bed. Make love again. Get to work.

  She turned toward him and looked at his handsome, drowsy face. Even though she couldn’t wait to start, she’d let him rest for now.

  After all, Axel was officially the new king. The protector of the pride.

  It was an overwhelming prospect, until she reminded herself they could do it together. He’d protect the people, and she’d be there, always by his side, making sure to protect his heart.

  Epilogue

  Beau Hunt, Axel’s brother and famous rock star, strode into the castle he’d rarely visited since he’d left, marveling at how little had changed and yet how different it felt.

  The decor was lighter, there were flowers on the mantles and rugs in the main entrance. The drapes were back, letting light in though the many regular and stained glass windows.

  It was like a spell had been lifted that had been hanging over the house.

  Certainly, with his mate Stacy on his arm, it felt like a happily ever after had happened.

  And as he looked up and saw his brothers standing at the top of the main stairs, chatting with their mates, he thought about just how different this all was compared to them growing up with their secrets and pressures inside the castle.

  Axel had just had his official coronation and they were having a private celebration here just for the six of them. It was everything they’d worked for over the years.

  Not that winning Stacy had been a chore. It had been a challenge, sure, but worth every second, an exciting chase for a woman that was everything he’d wanted. Like his brothers, he had known from the moment he saw her.

  As he came closer, he saw love shining in Axel’s eyes as he looked at his new mate. Lucy was just perfect for him, he could tell by the sassy way she interacted with him, the way she never let him get that stressed, gloomy look in his eyes. Even if this was the first time he was seeing them together outside of the coronation.

  Axel wasn’t wearing a crown. They didn’t do that anymore. It was more a ceremony with the oracle and the press than anything.

  “Beau!” Axel said, running down the steps to meet him and pull him into a hug.

  Was this seriously Axel doing this? Beau raised an eyebrow as they stepped apart. Axel motioned for Lucy to join him and put an arm around his mate. “This is Lucy.”

  Beau pulled her into a hug and looked her over. “You’re a brave woman,” he said.

  She gaped at him. “Beau Hunt. In person.”

  Axel twitched and pulled her back against him. “Don’t go getting all star struck.”

  “I won’t,” she said, swatting his arm but grinning at his protectiveness.

  Stacy cleared her throat and Beau stepped back to bring her in front of him, locking his arms around her and resting his head on hers. “You’ve met Stacy, Axel.” He turned to Lucy. “But you haven’t, have you?”

  “No,” Lucy said, pushing away from Axel as Stacy pushed away from Beau. They gave each other a long hug and then shared
a commiserating look afterward.

  Beau raised an eyebrow. “What’s going on?”

  “Oh nothing,” Lucy said. “Let’s go up and have lunch. Cain and Brenna are waiting.”

  They walked up the main stairs to where Cain was still waiting impatiently, wearing his leather as usual with dark jeans. His mate, Char, grinned at them, having already met everyone before. Cain was a frequent visitor to the castle, whereas Beau couldn’t get time off as often.

  They walked into the main dining room and all sat together at one end as chef began to bring dishes in.

  “The house looks amazing, Lucy,” Beau said. “I love what you’ve done with the place.”

  “I just wanted it to feel like home. For Axel, you know?”

  He nodded. It did feel like home. He looked forward to more visits. Gone was the gloom left behind from past tragedy. The loneliness. Now it seemed so hopeful for the future. “So, anything new I should know about for the country, now that I’m officially a prince?”

  Cain just laughed. “And you care why?”

  “Hey, I could be next in line if something happens to Axel.”

  Lucy whacked him in the arm. “Nothing’s going to happen to Axel.”

  “That’s true,” Beau said. “You won’t let it.”

  “Damn straight,” she said.

  “But yes, what’s new?” Stacy asked. “We’ve been so busy with touring, and we know you and Cain have had a lot on your plates. We are planning to be more involved. As much as possible.”

  “Oh, just the usual,” Axel said, poking his food. “Not enough dragons. Families wanting to start wars with us. Shifter uprisings being threatened at every turn. But now that we’re all mated we can focus on it.”

  “Glad to help,” Brenna said sardonically.

  Stacy laughed. “I think that came out wrong.”

  Axel frowned, paling slightly. “No, it’s just—”

  “We get it,” Lucy said. ‘You’ve done your duty, and it was onerous.”

  Axel leaned over and kissed her, surprising everyone. It shut her up immediately, and when the newlyweds pulled apart, she seemed to have forgotten what she was saying.

  Laughter tittered around the table, and Beau once again couldn’t believe how comfortable things had gotten, how much easier they felt.

  “I think finding the mates we have has been the best part of the whole thing,” he said. “I couldn’t have picked better for myself.” He kissed Stacy on the cheek.

  “Me neither,” Cain kissed Char.

  Axel looked at Lucy. “I picked mine, so…”

  Cain and Beau rolled their eyes but grinned. It had all worked out perfectly. Now they could all face the future together.

  “I hear there’s something new happening with the dragons,” Beau said. “Cain told me.”

  Axel looked up and everyone was rapt with attention. “I don’t know yet. It’s not final. And from what I’ve seen, it isn’t going that well.”

  “What isn’t going that well?” Stacy asked, glaring at Axel. “Quit speaking in riddles.”

  Axel pushed noodles around on his plate and Lucy put a hand over his, urging him to talk. “Fine,” he said, looking up at them. “They’re trying something new with some awakened dragons.”

  “Awakened?” Beau asked. “What the hell is that?”

  “Dragons that existed a long time ago. Dragons we woke up.”

  Beau scratched his head. He knew the oracle had created the current form of dragon society, but he didn’t know much about their history.

  “You know how the dragons work in pairs?” Cain asked.

  Beau nodded. “Yeah.”

  “These ones don’t.”

  “Ah, old school dragons.”

  “Awakened dragons,” Axel corrected.

  Beau put his head on his hand and sighed. “Same diff, dude. So have you seen them?”

  “I fought one,” Axel said lightly. “When he kidnapped Lucy.”

  Beau’s jaw dropped. “What?”

  “The oracle has been up to all kinds of shenanigans,” Axel said. “Luckily, we’ve put all of that behind us, as of today.”

  “Great,” Beau said. “But how was it? Fighting that dragon?”

  Axel shook his head. “Unreal. And the thing is, he had some sort of collar inhibiting him.”

  “So he could have been even worse?”

  “Much worse,” Axel said seriously.

  “Sounds like a recipe for disaster,” Beau said.

  Cain cocked his head thoughtfully. “I don’t know. It could be just what we need to bring things into balance. Strike some fear into the factions causing so much trouble for the dragons right now. Maybe just knowing they were out there would make the wolves decide to behave better.”

  Axel shrugged. “It’s something we’ll figure out with time. Just another adventure to look forward to, I guess. I’ll let you know when the oracle starts involving me.”

  “You think she will?” Cain asked.

  “Yes,” Axel said. “All the current dragons report to me in some way or another. Or to their leader who reports to me. I imagine this will be no different, once it actually happens. If it actually happens.”

  “No matter what, we’ll all handle it together,” Beau said, looking at him steadfastly.

  “Yes,” Cain said.

  “All of us,” Stacy said, and Lucy and Brenna nodded.

  Beau put his arm around Stacy and hugged her close as he watched Axel and Lucy kiss again and Cain and Brenna clasp hands.

  This was it, their tight little team. Three lions and their perfect mates, ready to protect the future, no matter what it threw at them.

  Thank you so much for reading Axel and Lucy’s story! I hope you enjoyed reading it. If you did, I hope you’ll leave a review to help other people find and enjoy the story as well! It really helps us as authors.

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  King of Rock (Beau’s story)

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  Mountain Bear

  Shane McAllister sat on one of the large, cool rocks at the edge of the small, private lake where he and his brothers liked to fly-fish whenever they got a chance.

  Well, he and Jesse at least. Maverick had his own means of fishing he preferred, most of which utilized claws rather than rods and flies.

  Shane checked his hook and then whipped his arm back and lazily let it fly forward, landing in a plop on the mildly rippled water in front of him.

  It was an overcast day, cloudy and cool, the perfect day for thinking through the silly ultimatum from their late father. One that could change all their lives.

  Like all of his brothers, Shane was in love with the land around them. The soaring mountains, the thick trees, the little paths throughout the acres that only the three of them had fully explored. They’d grown up here on this wild, private land, and he wasn’t going to let a few wildcats take the place he’d been all his life.

  He slowly reeled his line back in as he thought dreamily about options. Then he cast his line again and again, in a slow, poetic repetition that put his mind at ease but didn’t help him come up with any solutions to their problems.

  It made no sense that their father could give away the land. He and his brothers had made it great. His middle brother, Jesse, had started up a restaurant chain where they used the fresh beef and buffalo meat they raised. His youngest brother Maverick had built a successful trail-running business, where he took busy city men on quiet tours through the rugged west on vacation.

  And Shane himself ran the ranch. Hired the employees. Ran the lodge where guests sometime
s stayed when looking for a Montana adventure. Made sure things ran smoothly and money from the ranch was reinvested in the right ways. For a few years, he’d left the ranch and gone to college to study finance. It had been torture, wearing stuffy clothes, interacting with people every day.

  The bear in him had hated that.

  He supposed more than most bear shifters, he and his brothers had been spoiled. They’d been able to spend almost more time in bear form than human form. As a result, Shane understood many valuable things. How to hunt, how to fish. How to track a man or animal anywhere.

  But not how to woo a human female. And ironically, that was the only thing that would save their land.

  The quiet footsteps and the piney scent in the air signaled the approach of his younger brother. Jesse was just a couple years his junior and had long, golden-blond hair that grew effortlessly and was tied back in a loose ponytail. And pale blue eyes.

  His coloring couldn’t have been more different from Shane, who had dark hair and piercing dark-green eyes.

  Jesse looked relaxed in their typical uniform of worn, sturdy denim and a hardy work shirt, unbuttoned at the top to show impressive muscles.

  All three of the brothers made their living with their hands, and their bodies showed it. Combine that with being bear shifters with extra height and the ability to build strength easily and they were a sight to behold.

  Shane wondered if that would be an advantage in winning a woman. He honestly had no idea. They rarely came to the ranch, and he didn’t remember one ever wanting to work there. Except for their funny, plump housekeeper who was more of a surrogate mother than anything else.

  Fanny had occasionally bemoaned the lack of female company but kept the men in control well enough. Shane wondered if she would have any ideas about how to go about catching a mate.

  “Thinking over our recent predicament?” Jesse asked quietly, situating himself cross-legged on a rock a few feet away.