The Lion's Castle (The Lion Princes Book 1)

by Chase, Leslie

  "Wuss," she said, not letting his squirming stop her from cleaning the wound thoroughly. "I thought you were a tough guy."

  "I'm not used to this bit," he said. "Usually the wounds heal without needing any attention. No one uses silver."

  Something he didn't recognize flashed through her eyes, a look of sadness and anger and something else that was quickly buried behind the determined look on her face as she started to wrap the wound in a bandage.

  "Well, you're lucky you don't need more help, but you really should get this looked at properly," she told him, sounding worried. "The bullet went straight through and it doesn't look like it damaged anything on the way, but I'm not a doctor."

  "I'm not about to go and let myself be immobilized in a hospital bed for a week or two, not when those hunters are after me. Once I can get back to the castle, I'll have the doctor look at it. Aside from anything else, he knows how shifter healing powers work. The hospital probably doesn't."

  Even in Leotania, where the lions had ruled openly for centuries, most humans didn't know much about them. And nowadays shifters were rare enough that the normal doctors wouldn't have any experience. That wasn't his main worry, though. No, being trapped in one place where the assassins could track him down was a bigger problem, especially somewhere like a hospital where he'd be surrounded by innocents who might get caught in the line of fire.

  "No, the hospital would be a bad idea," Anna agreed quickly. "But still, you need someone better than me to look at it."

  Roman wasn't convinced that there was anything more someone else could do, but he didn't argue. Anna finished bandaging him up, a fixed look of concentration on her face as she tied off the bandage, and then stepped back. Flexing his arm, Roman was surprised at how good a job she'd done. The bandage was tight but not too tight, and he could still move freely. It hurt, of course, but he could do it. This was far better than he'd expect from someone who'd just done a first aid course, and he looked up at her with a question in his eyes. She smiled a little sadly.

  "My father insisted we all learn this stuff," she said, looking away from him. "He always wanted me and my sister to be prepared for the worst."

  "I guess I owe him a debt," Roman said, grinning and hauling himself off the couch. He could feel his strength coming back quicker now the wound was cleaned and bandaged. Silver made the wound heal slower, yes, but a shifter was still remarkably resilient. "Not as much as I owe you, though."

  Stepping backward, Anna tried to wave that off. "No, no. You don't owe me anything, it was my fault you got hurt in the first place."

  Now it was Roman's turn to shake his head. "Nope. You were in trouble, so I came — that's not your fault. And then you saved me from being shot dead, and you bandaged my injuries. I owe you, and I mean to repay you. Right now."

  Catching Anna around the waist with his good arm, Roman pulled her close. He felt the tension melt out of her at his touch, replaced by a trembling desire that he shared. Both of their bodies hungered for each other as much as ever. More, perhaps. Surviving the attack made him feel so alive, so hungry for life, and he could feel that same fire burning in her too.

  "No debt," Anna whispered, almost too faint to hear, and then kissed his chest lightly beside the bandage. Roman didn't need any more encouragement to lift her and carry her off in search of a bedroom.

  16

  Anna didn't know what to think as he lifted her off her feet and carried her away. The easiest option was simply not to think at all — the fight, the narrow escape, the brush with death had all left her body craving life, craving experience, and craving his touch.

  So she let him take her where he wanted, forgetting about her problems for the time being. His heart pounded against her, and the powerful rhythm of it carried away her fear and her doubts, her guilt and her sorrow.

  I have to tell him the truth, part of her insisted, but she pushed it down ruthlessly. This wasn't a time for thought or for reason. Those could come later, but right now she wanted to surrender to her passions. She clung to Roman, feeling his body against her, his heat and his strength making her ache for him.

  He carried her through a doorway, and his hungry growl vibrated through her. He needed her as much as she needed him, Anna could feel it, and it made her breath catch. The animal desire for him that ran through her was like a wildfire, and his passion for her fanned the flames into an inferno. Anna clung to him, kissing his chest and groaning, letting that passion burn away all other thought.

  Roman dropped her onto a bed and she groaned as they parted, desperate for his touch. She looked up at him, eyes raking across his body, hungry for him. He towered over her, the tall and muscular man who'd risked his life to charge in and rescue her without question or fear. Who had taken a bullet for her and would have taken more if he had to.

  His body was perfect, powerful, sculpted like the greatest statue of a man ever made. Even the bandaged wound just made him hotter, a reminder that he was a warrior and a man of action. Someone who could take a hit and not let it stop him from doing what he needed to. He didn't just have the body of a hero, but the heart of one too, and that made her melt.

  But it was the look in his eyes that made him perfect. The hungry, eager way he looked down at her, the love and lust and anticipation shining in him. Anna couldn't deny the feelings that woke in her, and more importantly she didn't want to. His very presence made her ache for him, and she sat up, pulling him to her as he joined her on the bed.

  Their lips met in a passionate kiss which fanned the flames of her desire to an inferno. Pressing her down into the mattress, Roman's good hand slid along her body, unbuttoning her blouse and slipping inside. The feel of his fingers on her skin made her cry out, muffled by his mouth, and his growling chuckle sent another shiver running through her.

  Every touch was perfect, impossibly so. It was as though he knew her body better than she did, as though he knew exactly where to touch and how. In turn, she slid her hands across his sculpted abs and felt him respond with a groan. Instinct guided her touch across him, exploring him and finding the perfect places to touch. They were made for each other, and each knew exactly what they needed to do to please the other.

  Roman winced as he tried to lift himself on his injured arm, and then rolled onto his back, pulling Anna with him. She sat up, breaking the kiss long enough to pull off her blouse and bra, throwing them from the bed and looking down at him.

  His confident, proud smile drew her back down, pressing herself to his body, skin to skin. Between his legs, his cock stood hard and proud, and she blushed at the thought of it inside her. One hand stroked down to brush over it, the other running through his blond hair as they kissed again, and she knew that she wanted him more than anything else.

  The iron hardness in her hand told her that he felt the same way.

  Greatly daring, she kissed her way down his body, her lips tasting his neck, his shoulders, his chest. Roman slid his good hand down her back sending lightning flashes of arousal straight to her pussy as she made her way down his body. Breathing faster, his heart pounded loud enough for her to hear it as she kissed his chest and she grinned to herself.

  Then her mouth reached his cock, and she moaned as she saw it. God, he's so big, she thought, and so damned hot. Almost without thought, her tongue darted out to lick his shaft, tasting him and making him groan with delight. Anna didn't think she'd ever heard a sexier sound.

  Not content with that, she guided him into her mouth and was rewarded with a gasp. His body shuddered under her, his hips rising as she lowered herself onto him, and she moaned around his cock, her tongue dancing around it eagerly. She felt his hand in her hair, guiding her as she sucked, and she followed his lead.

  Roman swelled in her mouth, and Anna could feel that he wouldn't last long like this. She didn't care, she wanted to please him as much as he had her on their first night together. But before he came, he pulled her back, gently leaving her mouth. Anna moaned, disappointed and eager at the s
ame time, as he turned her face back up to him.

  His eyes were intense, and his expression indescribable. It mixed happiness and lust and need with so much more.

  "Come here," he commanded, and it was an order she was only too happy to follow.

  * * *

  Roman was overwhelmed with feelings as he lifted Anna to him, looking at the woman fate had chosen for him. Curvy and beautiful and wonderful, she was driving him mad with need for her body, and he wasn't going to let her get away with that.

  Pulling her to him, he kissed her hard, feeling her lips part under his tongue. The kiss seemed to last forever, their bodies pressed burning for each other as they kissed. It almost felt as though they were melting into each other, becoming one. Finally, their kiss broke, and he heard her moan his name as she pulled back. He lifted her, wincing at the strain that put on his injured arm but not caring one bit about that. What was a bit of pain compared to her? Anna squirmed against him, fumbling at the fastening of her skirt, pulling it off and throwing it aside.

  "I need you, Anna," he said, his voice rough. It was true, and not just in the obvious, physical sense. He needed her in his life as well as in his bed, he needed her to be his. And she needed him, he was just as sure.

  Right now, more than anything else, he needed to be with her body and soul. He needed to fill her, to be gripped in her tight embrace.

  Pulling her down on top of him, he brought her to him, their bodies pressed together. His left arm shook as he held her close, injured flesh trying to keep up with his desire. His right cupped her ass, squeezing and pulling her against him. His mouth found her breasts, kissing and gently biting, making her arch against him as he sucked on her nipples. Breathing quickly, she threw her head back, her hands in his hair pulling him to her.

  Feeling her body's response to his touch only fed Roman's need for her, his desire to take her and make her his. Impatient, he grabbed at her panties, tearing them off her one-handed, the force of his movement making her gasp. Guiding her downward, he positioned her over his cock, pressing himself against her.

  She gasped, and he could feel the heat of her, the eager wetness between her legs against his cock. Her eyes were wide, her mouth a perfect 'o' of desire, her breath ragged.

  For a moment they were still, looking at each other, holding onto the anticipation of the moment. Then he thrust, pulling her down onto himself as he pushed his cock into her, burying himself inside the tightness of her pussy and feeling her squeeze him.

  She screamed, a cry of pure pleasure which filled the chalet, her fingernails digging into his shoulders as he filled her perfectly. The shout gave way to panting as he began to move, drawing back to thrust again and again, each harder and deeper, each a little faster.

  Anna trembled in his arms and he knew that neither of them would last long like this. His own breathing was ragged, and his body shook. His lion roared in triumph at the sight of his mate writhing passionately and gasping for air. Roman felt his body responding to the animal within, his teeth sharpening and senses clearing as Anna shuddered beneath him. Every detail of Anna's body was clear to him, her beautiful curves, her full breasts, the scent of her, the sound of her heartbeat. All of it his, all of her an extension of him just as he was an extension of her.

  They melted together, moving as one, driving each other onward. Each guiding the other, perfect for each other.

  "Roman, oh God Roman," she gasped, her eyes shining. Her fingers tightened as he reached up to cup her breast, feeling her nipple hard against his palm, the soft, delicious flesh so tender under his touch. "Please!"

  "Yes," he growled back, arching and thrusting deeper still. "Yes. Yes! Yes!"

  The walls of her pussy tightened around him, milking him and drawing him to his release. Holding back with pure willpower, he held her tight. He wanted to come with her, to share the moment with her in perfect unison.

  The roar of his inner lion escaped his throat as he gripped her tight. Her eyes widened at the inhuman sound of his cry, but there was no fear in her eyes. Only wonder, and joy, and need.

  * * *

  Anna couldn't think, could hardly breathe. Her body shook with the power of Roman's thrusts, and his hands drove what little rational thought remained fleeing to the corners of her mind. The waves of pleasure he sent through her were enough to drown out any other thought, any feeling.

  And the waves were building, crashing over her with greater and greater intensity. Inside her she felt him swell, stretching her. It was almost painful, it should have been, but not with him. Never with him. Roman fit her perfectly, in a way that no one else could.

  Gripping him tight, Anna rocked on his dick, taking him deeper and deeper and squeezing him as he stretched her. His growling, half-human voice pushed her to the brink of orgasm as they shuddered against each other, and she brought her lips to his, kissing him.

  His teeth felt sharp against her tongue, and his arms tightened around her. He pulled her up and then slammed her down onto his shaft, thrusting harder as he did so, and her body began to shake uncontrollably.

  Nearly there. Nearly. Nearly.

  So close to the edge, she could feel him ready inside her. Her chest heaved against his, his tongue pressed against hers, and each movement sent pleasure shooting through her. Through them, she could feel the pleasure echo through his body too, as though they were one flesh, one body, one soul.

  Arching her back, she pressed herself down onto him, matching his rhythm as he pounded into her. The waves of pleasure whipped up into a storm of ecstasy, one starting before the last had time to subside, and Anna found herself on the edge of coming. Roman roared again, an animal sound that echoed inside her, and he rose up to bite her hard, his teeth digging into the flesh of her shoulder and giving her the final push she needed.

  Her whole body convulsed around him, and he was all she could feel. His arms around her, his hands clutching her. His shoulders under her hands, his flesh giving as her nails dug in. His cock inside her pussy.

  Anna cried out, white light filling her senses. Inside her, she felt Roman's control relax, felt him come, his cum filling her as they shuddered together in ecstatic joy. And then she lost even that sense, lost everything to the blinding storm of joy that carried her off.

  It was better, more powerful, than anything she could have imagined. Even the pleasure he'd given her the night before paled in comparison. She shuddered and gasped for breath, feeling him fill her, and feeling his teeth in her shoulder. Mine, a voice said in her mind, clear and powerful. A claim staked. An undeniable claim.

  She wouldn't have argued if she could. She was his mate, and she knew it. Yours, she answered silently. God yes, yours, always and forever. Their eyes met and she saw the claim in his gaze, the desire for her. The power of it pushed her back to the brink, and over into another orgasm that rocked her to her core.

  Finally she could take no more pleasure and collapsed against him. Her arms wrapped around him and they clung together, their bodies shaking and their souls exhausted with shared bliss.

  * * *

  The two of them lay in each other's arms, Roman cradling his mate against him as they recovered from the intensity of that shared moment. It had been so much more than he'd expected. Stupid, he told himself, grinning a foolish grin. You knew how powerful it would be after last night.

  But comparing last night to this was like comparing a candle to the sun. Nothing could have prepared him for what they'd just experienced. If things keep getting more intense like that, our passion will be melting the mountain before the end of the month!

  Roman chuckled to himself at the thought, stroking Anna's hair and sighing to himself happily. To say that there were problems with his return to Leotania was an understatement — two attempts on his life, not to mention the fact that he might still end up stuck with the job of King! — but it would all be worth it, to have found his mate. To have found his perfect Anna.

  As though she heard his thought she stirred in
his arms, pushing herself up and looking at him. A slow, satisfied smile spread across her face, lighting up the room for Roman. He couldn't have stopped himself from smiling back if he'd tried.

  "Welcome back, sweetheart," he said, pulling her close and planting a kiss on her lips. "I love you."

  He could no more have held the words back than he could have resisted the smile. It was a simple truth, an irresistible one, and he caught the spark of joy in Anna's eyes as he said it. But that spark was fleeting, washed away by a wave of other emotions which darkened her gaze as she sat up abruptly. Guilt and fear overwhelmed her happiness, and she pulled back, sitting up and wrapping herself in a sheet.

  "What's wrong?" Roman asked, taken aback by her reaction. Shit, what have I done? He sat up, wincing, and watched Anna as she pulled away. Tears brimmed in her eyes, and he tried to think what might have spoiled the moment and came up empty.

  He reached out for her, wanting to comfort his mate, but she stood and backed away from the bed. She looks scared, he realized. Scared of me? How could she possibly be afraid of me?

  He'd rather cut his own arm off than hurt her, and she knew that. The connection between them was stronger than ever — there wasn't any way she could think he intended her harm. And through that same connection he felt her pain grow. She wasn't afraid of him, he realized, at least not directly. It was a fear of how he'd react.

  "I— I can't do this," she said, finding her voice at last. "I can't do this to you!"

  To me? Everything she said just confused him more. "What are you talking about, darling?"

  Anna hugged herself, tears on her cheeks, and sat at the foot of the bed.

  "There's something I have to tell you," she said.

  17

  Anna felt as though her soul was being torn apart, as though there were a dozen voices arguing inside her. I can't tell him, one said. I can't live a lie like this, another replied.