Swallowing His Pride

by Serena Pettus

  “Okay.” When Dylan didn’t offer up anything further she let out a frustrated sound that was damn near a growl. “Would you please explain? You’ll have to tell me sooner or later, so spit it out. I’m starting to get a little pissed here.”

  It was a bit fun to watch, but then again that was the feline in him, so Dylan decided he’d better reign his kitty in. “Sorry. You need to keep in mind that, first off, our genes are dominant, and second, we are also feline. That means all children Samantha and I have will be shifters like me. With my genetics, they’ll also develop at the same rate that we do during pregnancy. Therefore, her term will last only twenty weeks instead of forty.”

  Lynn’s gasp gave voice to her surprise, but the look of absolute horror on her face had him looking over his shoulder in time to see an equally stunned Samantha standing just inside the doorway.

  Well, shit.

  Chapter Six

  Samantha had been all for a nice little nap, unfortunately her stomach was growling loud enough to wake the dead—or her anyway. Any other day, she would have ignored her grumbling belly in favor of a catnap, but with the baby to consider now, Sam figured she’d grab a light snack then crawl back into bed.

  Peeking out the window, she’d seen the bed of the truck and Liam loading up some shovels and empty pots. She hadn’t slept that long, maybe thirty minutes at the most, so surely they hadn’t gotten around to cutting the limbs yet.

  Trudging down the hallway, she’d picked up bits and pieces of the conversation between Lynn and Dylan in the kitchen. It was obvious they were talking about her, with the word “pregnancy” being tossed in with her name, but what was being said made no sense to her.

  Dylan was insisting her pregnancy wouldn’t be normal because of a shift or something like that. He also wanted her to see another doctor, besides Lynn, so she would have a safe pregnancy and delivery.

  Um, hello! Best friend with a medical degree, right here.

  Just when she’d been about to waltz in and point that out to him, his next words had brought her to a jarring halt.

  “Sorry. You need to keep in mind that, first off, our genes are dominant, and second, we are also feline. That means all children Samantha and I have will be shifters like me. With my genetics, they’ll also develop at the same rate that we do during pregnancy. Therefore, her term will last only twenty weeks instead of forty.”

  Twenty weeks? And what the hell did he mean when he referred to himself as feline and a shifter? Did they know she was here and were just playing a joke on her?

  Lynn caught sight of her, a look of fright crossing her face, and Sam felt her discomfort rise.

  “How much did you hear?” That was Lynn, direct as ever, and oddly enough, she sounded nervous.

  “Enough to know I need to hang around.” Turning her attention to Dylan, she asked, “Is there something—or a few things—you’d like to tell me?”

  Looking rather sheepish, Dylan gestured to the table. “I guess we all need to sit down. I had hoped to wait until you were feeling better, since what I have to tell you may be a little hard to take in.”

  “Well, you can start by explaining this whole ‘twenty weeks’ thing. The last time I checked, a pregnancy lasted forty.”

  “For full-humans forty weeks is normal, but for my kind the term is significantly shorter.”

  “So what? You expect me to believe you’re some kind of alien now?”

  Lynn snickered behind her hand and made a show of trying to cover it with a cough. “Sorry,” she managed.

  Dylan sighed. “No, I’m not an alien. Liam and I are shape-shifters.”

  Samantha simply sat there. What the hell was she supposed to say to that? The father of her unborn child was claiming to be some mythical creature, and she couldn’t help but feel as if she were about to be stuck in a bad situation once again, only this time there was a child involved. Hell, maybe he’d decided he didn’t want her after all, and—

  “Sam, I can see the gears turning in your head, but it’s true,” Lynn insisted. “I actually saw their friend, Jag, change from a giant black jaguar into a human. Up until that point, I thought they were all either playing some stupid joke or were just plain crazy.”

  Yeah, well Sam was still leaning toward them all being nuts, her friend included. It wasn’t until she looked back to Dylan that she noted his elongated pupils and the way the light seemed to reflect in his eyes just like—

  Samantha’s chair fell backwards with a crash as she jumped to her feet and took a hasty step back. “You’re serious?” she gasped, her eyes stinging as she refused to blink. “This is for real?”

  Dylan nodded but made no move to rise. It was a good thing too because Sam was ready to bolt.

  Liam burst through the front door, startling both Sam and Lynn, but Dylan remained unfazed, his sole focus on her.

  “What’s going on? Why is she so afraid?” Liam demanded, taking in the scene before him.

  “She knows what we are now,” Dylan answered, a hint of sadness in his response.

  “Oh.” Liam moved forward but stopped as soon as Sam took a step back. “Easy. I know it’s a lot to take in, but just think about things for a minute. Have Dylan or I done anything or said anything that would lead you to believe we’d hurt either of you?”

  “No.”

  “If he hadn’t been honest with you, do you think you would have ever known—well, if you hadn’t gotten pregnant anyway?”

  Okay, she hated to admit it, but Liam had a point. “Um, probably not.”

  “Liam,” Dylan growled, his eyes clearly saying stop.

  “No, she needs to know this, too,” he insisted. “My brother fell for you—hard—and was a class-A prick after you disappeared from the hotel. We both knew where you lived because of the description you gave him. Dylan here, even marked your property with his scent to warn away all other males in the area. However, he overdid it a bit, and that’s why Jag came around last night.”

  “That big cat I saw?”

  “Yes. He lives in the wooded area of our property, which is just beyond the creek. When he caught the Prime’s scent outside of the territory, he was curious because, well, we’re cats,” he shrugged.

  Samantha held up her hand. “Hold up a second. What is a ‘Prime’?”

  Both men eyed each other for a moment before Dylan gave a resigned nod and finally spoke. “The cat you saw last night was a jaguar, but the majority of our community are lions. Just like wolves have a leader they refer to as an Alpha, lions have a leader they refer to as a Prime.”

  “So if this is for real, you’re the leader?” Samantha asked, trying to keep from smiling as an absurd thought popped into her mind.

  “Yes, I’m the Prime,” was his cautious reply. “This amuses you?”

  “Sorta. So, if I need you, I just go over onto your land and tell the first person I come across, ‘Take me to your leader’?”

  Lynn and Liam both laughed along with Samantha as Dylan finally cracked a smile. Before, while he and Liam had been explaining things, he’d looked like a man about to be led to the gallows. Surely, he knew how shocking all of this was.

  Well, cats weren’t the only ones with a healthy dose of curiosity, and Samantha found herself eyeing both men as she tried to envision them as lions. The golden eyes and tawny skin helped, but still, she wondered what it would be like to touch a real lion. Would he have a big mane like the ones on the documentaries? Was their fur soft or coarse? And the question of the hour, did they purr?

  Her imagination ran wild, and it only slightly surprised her when, “I want to see,” flew right out of her mouth, unchecked.

  Liam looked to Dylan again, obviously deferring to him. “I can do it if you’d prefer. I don’t mind.”

  “Do you really think I’d be able to tolerate it if she wanted to touch you?” Dylan asked, and Samantha could have sworn she saw a fang in his mouth when he turned her way. “Just promise me you won’t freak out. It’s still me, and I’d
never hurt you.”

  “I’ll be fine. If all of this is going to be a part of our lives, of our child’s life, then I need to see and know what to expect.”

  Dylan smiled, obviously still nervous but looking more hopeful by the minute. “Okay then, you just have a seat in the living room, and I’ll slip down the hall to shift.” He must have seen the question on her face because he added, “I don’t think stripping naked in the kitchen is publically acceptable, no matter what your species.” With that, he gave her a wink and walked from the room.

  Liam offered a hand. “Why don’t we move to the living room where there’s more space?”

  “That sounds like a good plan,” Lynn agreed. “That Jag guy was huge as a cat, so I would imagine these two will be too. Plus, in your small kitchen it might be a little overwhelming.”

  “Let’s go then.” Samantha was ready to see for herself.

  She settled onto the couch, enjoying the way the overstuffed monstrosity seemed to envelop her in the large, pillowed cushions, and sighed. “You know, I can’t help but wonder if all of this is just some crazy, hormone-induced dream. I keep waiting to wake up so I can tell Lynn all about it and we can sit and laugh over a cup of coffee.”

  Lynn came over and sat down, patting Samantha’s hand. “I’m right there with you, honey. This is all still sinking in for me too, and I’ve seen proof already. I just want to make sure you and the baby don’t get too stressed with all of this.”

  Samantha placed her hand over her stomach. The thought of a baby resting there was so surreal, so frightening, that she felt her stomach roll again. “I originally came into the kitchen because I was hungry, but now, I’m so nervous I think I might be sick if I try to eat anything.” Shaking her head, she looked to Liam. “So, how long does it take to change into a lion?”

  His eyes darted to the hallway. “He’s already changed, but he’s waiting until you’re calm enough that he won’t scare you.” Liam’s face took on a mischievous expression. “Since he can’t tell me not to share, and I know he would never growl or roar at me since it would likely terrify you, I’ll share something with you. He’s already made your bond permanent. Now, don’t panic until you hear me out.” He waited until they both nodded before going on. “That night in Vegas, he marked you. It was a bite, likely on your shoulder, and it’s how we claim our mates. This lets any other shifters know who you’re with. It’s like the equivalent of a human marriage, but there’s no divorce among our kind, and for a very good reason.”

  There was a low rumble from the hallway, and Samantha jumped, startled by the sound. “So by your standards, we’re as good as married? It’s not the typical Vegas marriage scenario, but okay. Please finish explaining.”

  Liam nodded but cast a cautious glance towards the hall once more. “Our animal sides are present even when we are in human form. Sometimes, the lion comes closer to the surface than we would like, especially when emotions are running rampant. Fear, nervousness, excitement and love are all enough to bring the cat to the forefront. Usually when this happens, our eyes will change. Sometimes, our nails will grow into sharp claws. That night you two spent together, his inner lion recognized you as their mate.”

  “How? We hadn’t even known each other very long at all?”

  “It has to do with your scent. That morning in the gym, Dylan lost his concentration the minute he caught a whiff of you as you walked by. He described it to me, saying that you smelled like catnip. It was driving his cat crazy, and he’d never experienced that before. The more he got to speak to you and learned about you, the more he realized you were special. Hell, the man has been out of his mind since he came back. He’s slept outside your house as a lion every night to watch over you since you live way out here all alone. You see, even though he thought you wanted nothing more to do with him, his first instinct is to protect you and see that you’re all right. It will always be that way, whether you accept him as your mate or not.” Liam smiled, his tone so utterly sincere she couldn’t help but believe everything he said, even when he dropped his final bomb. “He loves you.”

  Tears streaked down her cheeks, and she swiped at them with the backs of her hands. He loved her? She’d thought the feelings she’d developed were one-sided for so long. It had been in the hotel suite she’d first admitted to herself that she was falling for him. Now to learn he had been right there with her was a revelation that had her grinning from ear to ear.

  With Lynn sniffling softly next to her, she knew her friend understood when she admitted, “I was already falling in love with him before I even slept with him, but I thought… Well, we know what I felt that last day, but now, we can move forward, and that’s all that matters. The past is done.” Turning toward the hallway, Sam took a fortifying breath and called, “Please come out, Dylan. I want to know all of you, even your cat.”

  Both she and Lynn seemed to hold their breath as they waited for Dylan to emerge. The first thing she saw was the massive paw that stepped out into the room, followed by an enormous mane that stood out, framing the strong visage of the lion’s face. He moved slowly, carefully, into the living room, watching her as he took each step. No doubt if Sam showed any sign of fear, he would stop his approach, but instead of fear, she felt an overwhelming urge to touch him. He was huge! A single paw was the size of her head, his back probably reached her chest if she were to stand, and that meant that he could easily look her in the eye, even as a lion. He seemed to realize his size might intimidate her, because he stopped and slowly lay down on the floor, resting his head on his front paws and rolling his eyes to look up at her.

  Lynn giggled. “He looks like a sad little puppy when he does that. Kinda hard to be afraid of something that looks so adorable, even if it’s as big as he is.”

  Samantha had to agree, but she still wanted to be closer, so she carefully scooted to the floor and inched her way over until she was right in front of him. “Can I touch you?”

  “Honey, I think he’d let you ride him if you wanted,” Liam drawled. “Just think of him as a seriously overgrown kitten, because that’s just what his lion will be around you.”

  Swiping her damp palm down her pants leg, Samantha reached out and ran her fingers through the long, slightly coarse hair that stood out around his face before moving down to the shorter hair just above his eyes and around his mouth. “You’re face is so soft,” she whispered. When he tilted his head into her hand, she couldn’t help but laugh. It seemed he liked being petted.

  “Why don’t you give him a scratch behind his ear?” Liam suggested, and Sam watched as Dylan’s long tail swished across the floor. She knew enough about cats to know that they did not wag their tails when they were happy. It looked as if Liam was picking on his brother again.

  “I can only imagine what the two of you must have put your mother through while growing up,” Samantha chuckled, then had to cover her mouth as a big yawn overtook her.

  Dylan huffed and looked up at her. Samantha could have sworn he frowned, and when her stomach growled, he rose and walked back down the hall. She watched him go, wondering if she’d done something wrong. Liam once again held out his hand to help her rise.

  “He’s just shifting back. It’s obvious you’re tired, and I think folks in town just heard your stomach growl,” he kidded. “You should grab something to eat and rest. He’ll more than likely insist on that when he gets back. Just remember, if he seems to be a little overzealous or demanding in regard to taking care of you, it’s because he cares and wants you to be happy, healthy and well taken care of.”

  “Thank you, Liam. I know you’ll probably catch hell for telling me all of that before, but I appreciate it.”

  “Well, I know my brother, but I also know a woman needs to know where she stands with a man. I don’t want to see another misunderstanding or lack of communication cause any more trouble between the two of you.”

  “I appreciate that.”

  Dylan sauntered into the room, coming right to her side
and hugging her tight. “I do too, even though I’ll still probably kick your ass for the way you did it.” His tone said he was kidding, but his body was still tense, so Sam rose up on her toes and gave him a quick kiss on the cheek. “What was that for?” he asked.

  “For trusting me enough to let me in. I want us to be completely open with one another so we can make this relationship work. No secrets. Can we do that?”

  “Sweetheart, I’ll do anything for you.” His lips quirked up as her stomach issued another grumpy sound, and she blushed. “Let’s get something in there before your stomach decides to eat itself,” he joked, tugging her toward the kitchen.

  Behind her, she heard Lynn sigh as they all moved to the next room. “I need to find a guy. There aren’t many of the good one’s left though. They all seem to be gay, diseased or married, and none of those are what I’m looking for.”

  “So,” Liam jumped in, “just what are you looking for?”

  “I want a man who knows how to take charge and do what needs to be done. I don’t want a playboy who checks out other women while holding my hand, nor do I have any interest in a man who would hit on me while wearing his wedding band.”

  “So you prefer he takes it off first?”

  “No, smartass. I don’t want a man who thinks nothing of cheating on a woman. Is it so hard to be faithful nowadays? Why can’t guys be happy with the woman they’re with? I mean, if you don’t like her, break it off and move on. Don’t keep stringing her along, letting her believe there’s a chance for something more.”

  Liam’s eyes lost their playful glow as he looked to Lynn. “Someone really hurt you, huh?”

  Lynn just shrugged, trying to downplay it as always. “Not as much as I hurt him. But yes, he hurt me in more ways than I care to discuss right now.”

  A low growl had both women looking back to Liam as he asked, in a voice gone low and deadly, “Did he ever hit you?”

  Samantha knew the answer to that. In truth, the bastard had nearly killed Lynn, but she rarely talked about it. Hell, if it hadn’t been for one really long drinking binge, Samantha may have never known about it either. Lynn had just come out of a lousy relationship, and they’d celebrated that douche being out of her life with a bottle Jack Daniels, as she’d proceeded to list all of her previous boyfriends and the reasons for their ex status. The details of that particular relationship had stunned Samantha but made her understand Lynn’s personality a little more.