Claiming His Lioness (Shifter Wars)

by Kerry Adrienne

  He had her.

  She looked up at him, eyes wide, almost frightened.

  He paused, confused. “Are you hurt?” A heavy weight dropped in his stomach. He hadn’t meant to hurt her.

  “No.”

  She tried to hit him, but he grabbed her wrists and held himself off her, still pinning her with his lower body. She pushed against him, grunting as she shoved.

  Giving it everything she had.

  “Get this straight.” He blinked back the growing annoyance. “I do what I think’s best for the lions. So get off my back.”

  She stopped moving and stared at him, her eyes softening for a moment. She blurted, “I’m not on your back anymore.” She giggled and turned her head away, exposing the long line of her bare neck. Her chest heaved with repressed laughter though she tried to hide it. Her whole body tensed under his.

  He couldn’t help it. He laughed. They were being ridiculous. Two grown lions tussling like cubs on the forest floor. What would someone think if they saw the display?

  He was suddenly aware of how soft she was underneath him and how easy it would be to bend nearer and kiss her slightly parted lips. Aware that he wanted to kiss her. Her body, much smaller than his own, seemed to fit into the contours of his own so perfectly. Bits of dirt and leaves filled her hair, and her face was smudged. He could brush away the dirt with a wipe of his thumb...but...she’d probably kill him if he tried.

  He cleared his throat and pulled away, his mouth dry. What the hell was he thinking? From thinking of her as a cub to imagining her as a woman—he didn’t have time for thoughts like those. He sat back on his heels.

  She rolled out of the way, then got up on her knees. Her hair hung in long waves, messy and wild. The sunlight filtering through the treetops and onto the forest floor made splotches of gold around her and backlit her curvy form. He felt like he was in a fairy-tale movie—waiting on the birds’ cue to sing.

  And everyone to get naked. A very dirty fairy tale.

  Awkward. He caught himself staring again. That was at least twice in one day, maybe three times.

  Oddly, Lara didn’t have her signature smirk plastered on her like a mask. For a moment, he really did want to touch her cheek—see if it was as soft and smooth as it looked. As quickly as her mask had disappeared, it reappeared, and the harsh and tough Lara stared back at him.

  “Tell me.” Her chest rose and fell from the exertion, and the pink blush on her face had deepened.

  For gods’ sake, she wasn’t going to let the conversation go. If he had a desk in front of him, he’d beat his head on it. He’d always thought he was the most persistent lion in the pride, but he was wrong.

  “Fine.” He sighed. “I don’t want this getting out yet. As soon as we know the extent of the threat, we’ll tell everyone. For now, I want the pride to continue to heal. There’s no point in stressing them till we know what we’re facing.”

  “Continue.” Her eyes narrowed.

  “We think the humans are up to something. Something big.”

  “Humans are always up to something.”

  He shook his head. “This feels different.”

  “How? They’re always causing trouble. Like gnats, more annoyance than anything.”

  “We don’t know exactly. I do know that for the mental health of the pride, we need to find out the details before telling everyone else.” He took a deep breath. “I don’t want the lions worrying any more than necessary. Okay?”

  She wouldn’t tell the pride. If he knew one thing about Lara, it was that she was completely devoted to the safety of the pride.

  “Okay. What do you know about the humans?”

  “There are a lot of them coming into Deep Creek. Not the normal hikers and campers, but large groups that traipse through areas of the forest where they usually don’t go. Remote areas. We’ve seen a lot of footprints.” Mason shook the leaves and dirt out of his hair.

  “That doesn’t mean they’re up to something nefarious.” She slanted her eyes.

  “This smells like trouble.”

  “Why are the humans suddenly a problem?” Lara picked up a rock and hurled it down the path. It veered into the trees before hitting a tall pine with a ping. She wiped her hands together.

  “The numbers of them and the areas they’re exploring concern me. If they discover the Cave of Whispers, they’ll find a way to take it from us.”

  “With the bears in charge of the cave, I’m surprised it’s still a secret.”

  Mason ignored her jab. “We need to investigate.”

  A lone bird sang, its warble trilling somewhere deeper in the woods. Mason listened for a reply, but none came. With sunset approaching, he needed to get home so he could meet Marco and figure out what to do next.

  Lara nibbled her lip, eyes glazed in thought. Was she worried about the humans, too? Or still worrying that he and Marco were keeping something from her?

  “Yes, we do.” Lara paused. “I did see a lot of footprints around Rockglass Lake.”

  “Did you see humans there?”

  “I was on the opposite side of the lake, but a group was camped on the far shore. Several pitched tents and a campfire. I didn’t think much of it at the time and I didn’t get close because I didn’t want them to see me.”

  “When was that?” Mason’s heartbeat quickened. Groups of humans never camped at Rockglass. Occasionally a lone hiker or couple did, but it wasn’t exactly a site for a group because the forest was so dense in that area and there weren’t any drive-in trails. Only game trails wended through the trees. Most people who weren’t familiar with the park would never realize there was a lake there unless they flew over in a helicopter.

  “Yesterday.”

  “I bet it’s some of the same group I smelled.”

  “Maybe so.” She chewed her lower lip. “What’s going on?”

  “I don’t know. But something is wrong in Deep Creek and we’ve got to find out what it is before it’s too late.”

  Chapter Three

  Lara studied Mason. She’d be lying to herself if she said the tall and muscular lion wasn’t handsome. The dark lock of hair that fell over his forehead when it was tousled, the eyes that shifted from green to brown—giving his intentions away—almost everything about the lion screamed sexy. She scowled.

  Even his bossy attitude drew her in. She pushed the thought away.

  The last thing she needed in her life right now was a man. Especially a man like Mason. Tall, dark and dangerous—no way she would invite that into her life.

  “What do we do?” She searched his eyes for any hint of deceit. “How can we stop the humans?”

  If he was telling the truth and the humans were moving into Deep Creek with some frightening purpose, she wanted to help. Deep Creek was one of the few things she felt a true affection for, and there wasn’t anything she wouldn’t do to save it. The park was one of the few things that hadn’t betrayed her. She blinked back the sting of tears.

  Deep Creek accepted her, despite her secrets.

  Lara stole a glance at Mason. His hands on his hips, he stared at the sky. She marveled at the way his abdomen slimmed from wide shoulders. Narrow hips and long legs. He was a runner. She licked her lips.

  She could look all she wanted. Anything beyond that was off-limits.

  He tilted his head. “We don’t do anything. Marco and I will find out what’s going on.”

  “But—”

  “When we know, we’ll tell all the lions. If the humans are a threat, we need to all be on the same page at the same time and Marco and I will develop a plan. Until then, we don’t freak out the others with tales. We need the truth.”

  “I want to help.” She stepped closer. She couldn’t let it go. If something happened to Deep Creek, she’d never be able to forgive herself. “I’m pride Enforcer. It’s my jo
b.”

  “Why can’t you just do...” Mason trailed off, his eyes flashing green.

  “Womanly things? Is that what you were going to say?”

  “Not exactly.”

  “Let’s get it out in the open, Mason. I’m tired of you treating me like less of a lion because I’m female.” She pushed down the rage that bubbled in her gut. “You’ve had a problem with me since your father made me Enforcer. Admit it.”

  The urge to tackle his ass to the ground again was difficult to control, but she set her jaw and stared him down. He didn’t blink.

  “Not because you’re female.” He crossed his arms.

  “Don’t lie to me. That’s exactly why. And it’s maddening. I can do most things you can and some things you can’t.” Her voiced raised, she stepped back.

  Keeping her temper under control was something she had to learn to do. Not for Mason, or Marco. Not for the lions. For herself. She didn’t like the way she felt when her anger raged. Losing control was a lost battle. She closed her eyes and counted.

  One, two, three, four...

  A deep breath, and the world didn’t seem quite as red. Another breath. Don’t let him get to you.

  “Women have roles and men have roles.” Mason cleared his throat then narrowed his eyes. “Not better or worse. Different.”

  “This isn’t the Middle Ages.” Her voice was calm. Soft but firm.

  “I know. Women have babies. Men fight.”

  “Wow, seriously? Women have babies and fight. You saw how much help the lionesses were at the cave. We’d have lost a lot more lions if we hadn’t been there...to fight. We weren’t there to nurse cubs.” He was getting to her. She kicked at the leaves on the ground.

  Only an hour or so till dark. The faint strains of sunset were already slanting through the trees, painting an orange glow to the surroundings, and the forest sounds were shifting to nocturnal melodies.

  “You helped a lot and I appreciate that. My point is, why not let the men take care of you now? We aren’t in desperate need of your help like we were at the cave, so why not let us protect you?”

  He really didn’t get it. Lara started to speak but paused. What could she say to make him understand? Did he really think women had roles that were so defined, they couldn’t do other things, too? Or did he feel that it was his role to make sure women were safe and secure?

  Regardless, it was obnoxious. And a prime example of how tall, dark and dangerous wasn’t enough.

  “It’s noble of you to want to protect the women.” She chewed the inside of her cheek, trying to maintain her calm and phrase things in a nonconfrontational way. No point in having him dismiss her thoughts because he felt intimidated. “But you don’t need to protect us unless we ask you to. We can protect ourselves. You should accept the help or you’re going to have a lot of pissed-off lionesses. Trust me, you don’t want that.”

  Mason looked deeper into the forest, his shoulders bunched with tension. His back, broad and sloping to a muscular ass, filled his black T-shirt perfectly. Wrestling with him wasn’t so bad, was it? It other circumstances, it could be a lot of fun.

  She might even win.

  She fought the urge to run her hand over his shoulders to comfort him and satisfy her craving. Yank his T-shirt off and press herself against those muscles. They were definitely hard. She’d felt them when he lay across her on the ground.

  No. She shook her head.

  Mason was off-limits.

  The fantasies needed to stop. She wasn’t desperate and he’d never want her if he knew the truth—a truth that kept her from being completely honest with him and the other lions. Her last boyfriend, a human, hadn’t known either, but he’d only stayed around long enough to get her into his bed. Then he’d stopped answering her texts. So glad I didn’t tell him.

  No one would ever truly want her as a lifelong mate. She was damaged. Different. For that reason, among others, she had to stop thinking about Mason. Heartbreak was assured if she didn’t.

  Mason turned to her. “I’m sorry, Lara. I’ll try to do better.”

  “Good. Thank you.”

  “I don’t mean to come off like a chauvinist. My father clearly respected your ability and I will try to be more like him. I don’t think women are lesser...just different. But I see your point about how it sounds.”

  “It’s all I ask. That you try. I have a lot to offer, and I want your respect.”

  He gazed at her, his pupils dilating. “And I want yours.” He paused, then stepped closer to her, bending to whisper. “Can you take me to where you saw the human encampment? If they’re still there maybe we can gather some intel on what the hell they want with Deep Creek.”

  She nodded, relieved that the conversation had turned back to the humans. She took a step back to get Mason out of her personal space. He smelled like the deep forest—a mixture of pine and heady scents. It wasn’t from being wrestled to the ground. Either he had a great cologne or he naturally smelled divine.

  She wanted to revisit that memory. Feel his hard body pressed to hers again. This time not stopping.

  No.

  Getting bogged down in emotions and fantasy wasn’t the smartest thing and she knew it. Facing reality, like always, was what she needed to do. Besides, to give in to temptation was a sign of weakness.

  She wasn’t weak.

  “Let’s go.”

  “Yeah, we need to hurry.”

  “Human form or lion?” Her duty was to help the lions and she would always fulfill duty over personal needs or wants. Even those of the tall, dark and dangerous type.

  Mason scanned the horizon. “I think we can make it by dusk if we walk quickly. If they’re hunters, we don’t want to present a target as lions. They might shoot us.”

  “Agreed. I don’t want to be shot.”

  He laughed. “Nor do I. Especially after hearing what Marco went through.”

  “True. Follow me. I know a shortcut down into the valley.”

  Not waiting for an answer, she headed toward the rocky path near the patch of gooseberry bushes. She’d taken it many times to get down to the valley below and knew it by heart, though she was usually running through as lion, not human. Parts of the makeshift path were covered with a layer of fine gravel. One slip and anyone could take a trip down the mountain the fast and painful way. She’d slipped more than once.

  “Be careful of the loose rock. It’s slippery.”

  “I will.”

  Hopefully, Mason wasn’t afraid of heights because the trail was narrow in spots and the slope was steep.

  She giggled, covering her mouth to try to hide it. She could imagine the muscular lion clutching her as the trail thinned.

  “What’s so funny?” Mason called from behind.

  “Nothing.” Lara stepped over a small rock embedded in the dirt, then pushed aside an armful of gooseberry branches and stepped through.

  She let the branches go and they whipped backward with a whoosh.

  “Ouch!” Mason yelped as they smacked into him.

  “What?” Lara turned to see Mason fighting with the long tangle of branches, the greenery coming off by the handfuls. “Oh, sorry. I’m used to traveling alone.”

  Mason pushed through, his mouth in a line. “Try not to kill me, please.”

  She nodded, afraid if she said anything, she’d burst into laughter. Seeing the pompous lion in such a predicament was funny. Served him right. She made her way to the edge of the path down the embankment. From her vantage point, she could see most of Deep Creek spread below. The lake lay at the bottom of the valley, maybe a mile away. It shone red in the lengthening sunlight, and the dense forest around it obscured the trails and creeks that filled the area.

  Mason came up beside her. “That looks like a campfire.” He pointed to the east shore of the lake, where wisps of gray smoke
punctuated the deep green landscape.

  “Yeah. That’s exactly where I saw the humans before. They must still be there.”

  “Let’s get going then.”

  * * *

  Cara wiped her face with the wet washcloth, then flung it at the pile of dirty clothing in the corner of the tent. Damn, she was tired of camping. Tired of AllOil. Tired of everything.

  The job she thought was going to help the animals had turned out to be the opposite, and she wasn’t sure how to handle the situation. Part of her wanted to simply walk out and never look back, but AllOil would replace her and nothing would change. The shifters would still be at risk.

  She’d figure something out.

  She slid her glasses back into place, the thick rims sitting heavy on her cheeks. Deep Creek wasn’t her idea of a landscape she wanted to spend a lot of time around, much less live in for weeks at a time. But she had a job to do and it wouldn’t be like her to not do it.

  Driven was her middle name and No Camping was her tagline.

  She glanced in the mirror. Makeup was still in place but the dark circles under her eyes had expanded beneath her glasses. The deep smudges, almost like bruises, were visible even in the yellow lantern light. If Dan didn’t break camp soon, she was going to have to come up with an excuse to leave.

  She had to figure out how to get out of the mess she’d gotten herself into. Somehow. AllOil wanted the animals that were a risk to the project gone. The shifters were the main threat, though AllOil didn’t know of their existence. The oil company was aware that larger animals could threaten their people and project, and beyond that, they didn’t care about conservation and habitat. Even in a national park.

  Cara wiped at her nose. The smell of lion and bear and wolf was rampant in the depths of the forest—all of it reminding her of her task.

  Her betrayal.

  Not one animal had been around that posed a danger, unless squirrels were the vicious creatures they’d been told to expect. She grinned and tucked her light hair behind her ear. Getting her men to set the bear traps was the next step, though she dreaded the blasted things. They could be brutal, even deadly.