The Sea Dragon's Lion (Fire & Rescue Shifters: Friends and Family)

by Zoe Chant

  Reiner’s fingers closed over hers. He’d moved so fast, so smoothly, with the effortless grace of a hunting shark. She could feel the coiled power in his body.

  But for all his strength and speed, his touch was gentle. His fingers lay light around her hand; not squeezing, not trapping, just enfolding her in warmth. He held her with exquisite care, and she never wanted him to let go.

  “I…” She could barely get words out, her entire body trembling just at that tiny touch. “I’ve been looking for you for a long time.”

  His voice came out hoarse, as though he too was shaken to the core by the contact. “I think I have been looking for you for my entire life.”

  Joy broke over her in a glittering, thunderous wave. He knew her. He was a shifter, albeit of some kind foreign to her experience. He recognized that they were fated mates. Everything would be all right—

  “Daddy!”

  A small boy charged out of the crowd. As he pelted toward them, he tripped on a pebble, stumbling.

  “Danny!” Fast as an eel, Reiner dropped Jane’s hand. With that breathtaking speed, he lunged to catch the boy before he could fall.

  “There you are, Daddy!” The boy beamed up at Reiner, not at all fazed by his near misadventure. “Mommy sent me to find you. She says you need to come and—”

  The boy stopped, catching sight of Jane. His eyes widened. They were exactly the same shade of golden brown as Reiner’s. “Oh. Hello.”

  The world dropped out from under her.

  She had found her mate.

  And he was already claimed.

  Chapter 2

  What on earth had happened?

  Reiner couldn’t understand it. One moment, Jane had been aglow with joy, gazing at him as though he was the answer to her every prayer. Now, she looked like he’d ripped some precious treasure from her grasp and cast it into the deepest abyss.

  The naked devastation on her face made his lion roar in protective fury. He wanted to reach out to her, to hold her and ask what was wrong, but his hands were still full with Danny.

  Danny.

  Of course. He could have smacked himself on the forehead for being so dense. Danny had run up burbling about Mommy, so it was understandable that Jane might have jumped to the wrong conclusion.

  “It’s all right,” he said quickly, eager to rekindle that joyous spark in her eyes once more. “I’m not…”

  He stalled, searching for a word that she’d understand. What he knew about sea dragons could fit in a thimble, but he was fairly sure they didn’t have the human concept of marriage. He’d seen for himself how utterly flummoxed John Doe had been by Griff and Hayley’s wedding ceremony.

  (Which had certainly been eventful, as it turned out. Reiner still considered it a minor miracle that it had gone as well as it had, even with the unexpected arson and incidental giant shark.)

  He obviously wasn’t mated. Jane couldn’t possibly be thinking that, given that she was his true mate. She must just be afraid that he was in a casual relationship. All he had to do was reassure her that he wasn’t attached to another woman.

  Except… he was attached, he realized. His relationship with Danny’s mother Hayley wasn’t a romantic one—it never really had been, even before she’d met and mated Griff—but their lives were inextricably bound together by their son.

  There was a lot of history there, most of it bad. Reiner didn’t let anything show in his face, but inwardly he winced at the prospect of telling Jane that story.

  He would have to, of course. He didn’t want to conceal anything from her. But there was a difference between sitting down to have a difficult but honest conversation with one’s mate-to-be, and vomiting out every past sin at first sight. As a romantic memory to be treasured forever, it was not exactly ideal.

  “It’s complicated,” he finished, lamely. “I can explain, but this isn’t the right time.”

  He wasn’t sure she’d even heard him. She was still staring at Danny with unmistakable horror.

  “You…” Jane’s throat worked. “You have… a child?”

  Reiner froze.

  A child.

  Not a partner. She hadn’t asked if he was married, or not free to mate her. It was Danny himself that was the problem.

  Did… did she not like children?

  Of course she does, Reiner’s lion growled. His animal pushed at him, not understanding what was wrong. She is our mate! She will love our cub as we do, as if he was her own. And there will be more! More cubs for the pride, each one as strong and beautiful as their mother!

  Its hunger for a large, thriving family was an echo of his own deeply buried desire. Just like his lion, he’d always secretly longed for a whole brood of cubs to love and cherish.

  Now, Reiner’s lion was filled with masculine satisfaction, certain that long-held dream would now come true. His animal simply couldn’t imagine that their mate might not want more children.

  Or even one child.

  “Daddy?” Danny was looking between them, picking up on the tension above his head. “What’s wrong?”

  Jane was his mate… but Danny was his son. He had to protect him at all costs.

  Reiner drew Danny closer to his side, turning his own body to shield him from Jane’s aghast stare. He forced a calm, even tone.

  “Nothing, Danny.” He locked eyes with Jane as he spoke. “Nothing’s wrong.”

  If a kid was an absolute deal-breaker to Jane—for whatever reason—Danny must never, ever know. He couldn’t even discover what Jane meant to Reiner. Danny was old enough to know that only something truly terrible could keep a shifter from claiming his mate.

  And from there, it would be all too easy for Danny to work out that he was the problem.

  Reiner couldn’t risk his son coming to such a devastating conclusion… even if it was accurate. He held Jane’s gaze, willing her to understand, and play along.

  Please, he silently begged her, though without a mate bond she couldn’t hear his telepathic plea. Not here. Not now. Not in front of my son.

  Jane’s eyes flicked from him to Danny. To Reiner’s relief, her face smoothed into a polite, only slightly strained mask.

  “There is no need for concern, little one. I was just greeting your father.” She stumbled on the last word, her melodic voice cracking. She turned aside, hiding her face. “Do not fear. I will not keep him from you any longer.”

  “No, wait!” Reiner’s lion was nearly frantic in his soul, driven by nothing but primal need. He took a deep breath, wrestling his beast. “Danny, could you please go back to Mommy and Griff?”

  “But I wanna meet your cool friend!” Danny protested. He’d gotten over his initial shyness and was now gazing up at Jane like she was Spiderman and Santa combined. “Please let me say hi, Daddy? Pleeeeeeeeeease?”

  How could anyone resist such adorable enthusiasm? Perhaps he should let Danny stay. Jane might be horrified by the abstract prospect of a child in her life, but surely her resistance would disappear once she got to know Danny himself.

  Yes. Danny was adorable enough to melt the hardest of hearts. Of course, all parents thought that about their children, but their offspring were not Danny. Even impartial observer would conclude that he was the most charming and delightful child in the entire world.

  “Danny, this is Jane.” Reiner stepped back, so that Jane had an unobstructed view of Danny’s overwhelming cuteness. He was certain she was already softening. “Jane, this is my son, Danny.”

  “Hi, Jane!” Danny thrust out a small and—Reiner noticed a fraction too late—regretfully sticky hand. “You are a sea dragon, right? You’re really tall! Though not as tall as Sir John. But you’re a lot prettier than him! Are you a knight too? Do you have a sword? Can I see your sword? Can I hold it? I promise I’ll be real careful.”

  On second thought, maybe it hadn’t been the best of ideas to enlist a six-year-old as part of his seduction strategy.

  To her credit, Jane clasped Danny’s hand without hesitat
ion, though she looked a little dazed by the torrent of questions. “Ah… no. That is, if I had a sword I would be very happy to show it to you, but I don’t. I am not a knight. Just a dancer.”

  A dancer. Of course. Jane’s every movement was pure grace. Involuntarily, Reiner found his gaze traveling down her body. Jane’s brief, sleeveless silk dress clung to the generous curves of her hips, ending high on her thighs. Her legs were long and powerful, with muscled calves sweeping to strong ankles. He couldn’t help imagining what it would be like to have those incredible legs locked around him, clenched and trembling in ecstasy, urging him deeper--

  With an effort, he wrenched his gaze back to safer zones. Not that there were any parts of Jane that didn’t stir his blood. He longed to gather up the thick mass of indigo hair that tumbled down her back; to bury his face in the graceful curve of her neck and learn the softness of her skin. From the arches of her feet to the tip of her nose, she was sheer, sexy perfection.

  None of which was making it any easier to control his lion.

  “A dancer?” Danny did not seem quite so impressed by this. He squinted up at Jane, as though trying to picture her in a tutu, and his expression shifted to concern. “Are you okay? You look kind of funny. Sick funny, not ha-ha funny.”

  Jane finally managed to extricate herself from Danny’s vice-like grip. She did not immediately take to the sea, but Reiner had a sinking feeling that was only because several dozen shifters and most of an ambassadorial delegation were blocking the way. “I assure you, I am quite well.”

  “You don’t look well,” Danny informed her, with a six-year-old’s blithe disregard for polite lies. “Maybe you need a juice box. That’s what Daddy gives me when I feel bad.”

  “What a good idea, Danny,” Reiner interjected, somewhat desperately. He pointed in the direction of the buffet table. “Why don’t you go see if Ms. Rose brought any?”

  “Okay!” Danny said, making absolutely no move to leave. “What kind do you like best, Jane? Apple or orange? Apple is my favorite. Oh! Do you want some cookies too? You look like you could eat a ton of cookies.”

  “Danny!” Reiner hissed, mortified. “That’s not a nice thing to say about someone.”

  “Why not?” Danny looked wounded. “I wish I was really big.”

  “Tall,” Reiner substituted hastily. “He means tall.”

  “And squashy,” Danny clarified, not at all helpfully. “Just like Mommy.” He looked thoughtful for a moment, then added, “Though her tummy is big because she’s got babies in it.”

  Yes, Reiner’s lion purred. And soon, so will our mate.

  Jane now had the glassy-eyed look of someone in a hostage situation. As demonstrations of the joys of parenthood went, this one was likely to have her running off to book an immediate sterilization.

  Reiner was now wondering whether his mate would think better or worse of him if he body tackled a small child in front of her. Danny was sturdy for his age, but still small enough to be bundled away like a football.

  He made one last-ditch attempt at subterfuge first. “Danny, I think Mommy’s calling you.”

  Unfortunately, Danny’s shifter-sharp hearing was just as good as his own. The boy cocked his head for a second, then shrugged.

  “No, she isn’t,” Danny said. He brightened. “But I can hear the ice cream truck coming. Oh! Jane, you’ve never eaten ice cream, have you? Sir John told me you don’t have it, way down at the bottom of the ocean. You have to try it, it’s the best thing ever. Daddy, can we all get ice cream?”

  Yes! Gather the pride! Hunt and feast together, so that all may welcome our mate! Reiner’s lion fully endorsed Danny’s plan in essence, even if its version differed in some key details. Offer her the choicest entrails as a sign of our admiration!

  Oh, how he wanted to take Jane for ice cream. He could imagine all too well how she would look, licking at a cone, making little sounds of pleasure…

  Reiner shoved his lion back down, wishing that he could do the same with other parts of himself. Thank heaven he hadn’t let Danny persuade him to wear swim trunks to the beach. At least his tailored pants were cut well enough to hide the direction of his thoughts.

  He cleared his throat. “Not now, Danny. It’s not snack time, and you don’t want to spoil your appetite for the big feast.”

  “But later?” Danny pressed, detecting a chance for negotiation. He beamed his adorable gap-toothed grin up at Jane, clearly seeking an ally. “You want to get ice cream after dinner, right? With Mommy and Da too? I want you to meet the rest of my family!”

  “I…” Jane let go of Danny’s hand. She backed away, for the first time moving with less than total grace. “I am sorry. I can’t. I can’t do this.”

  “Hey, wait!” Danny called, but Jane was already pushing her way through the crowd. He turned round, worried eyes on Reiner. “Did I say something wrong, Daddy?”

  The need to chase after Jane was a physical force, but Reiner took a second to give his son a quick, hard hug. “No, Danny. Go find Mommy, all right? I’ll join you all as soon as I can.”

  Danny sniffed, wiping his nose on Reiner’s arm, and nodded. “Okay. Tell Jane I’m sorry if I made her mad.”

  “It wasn’t you. Don’t worry. Everything’s going to be fine.” With a last squeeze, Reiner released his son. “I promise.”

  He plunged after Jane. She wasn’t hard to follow. Her distinctive scent hung in her wake; a unique, enticing feminine fragrance that Reiner could have tracked in his sleep.

  “Jane. Jane!” He scrambled up the last slope of the beach, catching up with her where the pebbles turned to scrubby salt grass. He caught her arm, hauling her round to face him. “Please, stop!”

  She stiffened at the touch, shooting him a shocked, wide-eyed stare. To his horror, Reiner realized he was growling under his breath; a lion’s fierce, possessive snarl. He choked it off, jerking his hand away again.

  “I’m sorry.” He pressed the heel of his palm against his forehead, pain splitting through his skull as his feral beast fought his control. “I didn’t mean—please, don’t go. We need to talk.”

  “What is there to say?” Jane shook her head, the charms braided into her waist-length hair swinging with the motion. “The situation is clear. You have your life, and there can be no place for me in it.”

  “That’s not true.” He could barely get human words out. “Please, at least give me a chance. There must be a way we can be together. We are true mates. I know this isn’t what you wanted, but—”

  Jane laid two fingers on his wrist, light as a butterfly landing. The shock of the contact stopped all thought. Her turquoise eyes met his; bright with tears, but steady.

  “Do you regret having your son?” she asked.

  There was plenty to regret. Thanks to his own stupidity, he’d missed out on Danny’s earliest years. Reiner’s own father—his old alpha, and a hidebound traditionalist obsessed with protecting the ‘purity’ of the bloodline—had been horrified that one of his sons had accidentally fathered a child on a ‘mere’ human. He’d issued a flat ultimatum—Reiner could continue to be a proud member of the Ljonsson clan, enjoying all the privilege and power that entailed… or he could have his shameful, half-human bastard.

  Reiner had made the wrong choice.

  He would always regret that. Even more, he regretted—with a piercing, burning shame that would never fade—his actions when it had turned out that Danny was a shifter after all. He’d been so certain that Danny belonged with him that he’d tried to claim sole custody. He’d come perilously close to ripping apart his son’s entire world, all in the misguided belief that he knew what was best for him.

  It had taken a miracle to make him open his eyes and see how utterly wrong he’d been. To finally realize that a family could be bound together by love and mutual respect, rather than brute force and cold tradition. To break the cycle and become a better man, for the sake of his son.

  Reiner regretted what he’d done, and what he’d
tried to do. He regretted the person he’d been. He regretted the hurt he’d caused.

  But Danny himself?

  Never.

  Not even if it cost him his mate.

  Jane must have seen that in his face, because she nodded, lifting her hand from his wrist. “I would not either. You are a good man, Reiner. I will not ask you to betray your honor. Please, allow me the same kindness. Let us make a clean cut now, that the wound might heal faster.”

  She was right. There was too much at risk.

  By a grace he hadn’t deserved, he had a place in Danny’s life. He could never make up for all the time he’d missed or the hurt he’d caused, but at least he’d made sure that Hayley never had to worry about finances. They’d slowly built a respectful, practical co-parenting relationship, united by their mutual love for their son.

  Reiner even had a pride, of a sort. It was a bit hard to tell. He was used to alphas who enforced authority with their claws, but Griff never so much as raised his voice. Still, Reiner’s lion seemed to think that they had a place in the griffin shifter’s pride, even if they had no submission scars to prove it.

  It had taken a lot of time and hard work to achieve that delicate harmony. How could he even contemplate risking that by introducing a new person into his already complicated life? Let alone a woman who didn’t even want kids? How would Danny feel, having to share Reiner’s time with an interloper?

  He couldn’t do it. He couldn’t risk hurting his family.

  Not ever again.

  This is wrong! Reiner’s lion rattled the cage of his mind, amber eyes furious. We can have our cub, and our mate, and our pride. We can have everything, if we fight for what is ours!

  But he’d thought that before.

  Ignoring his lion’s cry of protest, he made himself take a step back. “You’re right. This isn’t going to work. I have to put Danny first. I’m sorry.”

  “Do not be.” Jane turned away, and this time he let her go. “Take joy in your son, Reiner. Live, and be happy. For both of us. You will not see me again.”