Claiming His Lioness (Shifter Wars)

by Kerry Adrienne

  Lara’s hair was around her shoulders in soft waves and the smile on her face was as genuine as he’d ever seen. What a blessed man he was. He couldn’t wait to make Lara his wife.

  A bright white bubble floated in the distance, over the water, its iridescence almost blinding.

  Shoshannah.

  She’d said she wouldn’t miss the wedding for the world.

  Surrounded by friends, with Deep Creek on its way to a safe and clean future, he’d take care of his lions and he and Marco would do justice to Max’s legacy. He’d have been so proud to know that his sons had reunited the shifters of Deep Creek and found love among the trees.

  * * * * *

  To find out about other books by Kerry Adrienne or to be alerted to new releases, sign up for her monthly newsletter at http://eepurl.com/1T6PX.

  Keep reading for an excerpt from Taming the Lion by Kerry Adrienne, now available at all participating e-retailers.

  Acknowledgments

  Thanks to my agent, Marisa Corvisiero, for all her hard work, and to the Carina Press team (Angela and Deb especially) for helping bring my vision of Deep Creek to life.

  Now available from Carina Press and Kerry Adrienne.

  Read on for an excerpt from Taming the Lion.

  Chapter One

  “Let’s do this.” Alicia wiped the sweat from her forehead, tugged her medic pack higher on her shoulder, and trudged deeper into the forest, away from the cave.

  Every muscle burned and her head throbbed. Surely she’d found all the wounded bears by now.

  Can’t take a chance I’ve missed anyone. Too many lost already.

  Once she was positive all bears were accounted for, she’d collapse into bed. But until then, she’d search. The air hung heavy with the dank odor of battle, dried blood, and the ghosts of violence. A full day had passed, but Deep Creek was forever scarred from the agony that had ripped shifters apart on its forest floors.

  Healing would take more than bandages and incense.

  Damn lions. Always looking for a fight. The bears wouldn’t forget the day the lions attacked.

  “Alicia?” The voice sounded from behind her, a hint of agitation in the tone. “Where are you going?”

  She paused, steeling herself, and then turned.

  Derek.

  Concern clouded his face. Rarely one to show stress, the battle had shaken him profoundly, and deep hollows had formed under his eyes. Shell-shocked, yet still the strong alpha always concerned about those he cared about. Bria was fortunate to have such a powerful protector as mate.

  “I’m checking for wounded.” Alicia pushed a lock of red hair behind her ear and cinched her ponytail. The after-battle taste of nausea and heat burned her throat and sat in her stomach like a rock. She didn’t need to hear Derek’s speech, but she knew it was coming.

  “Alone?” He put his hands on his hips.

  “I’ll be back before dark—there are several hours of daylight left.” A tingle of dread traveled up her spine. Though she loved being a medic and healer, battlefield trauma treatment was a bit beyond her training.

  “You shouldn’t be by yourself. The lions might be prowling around looking for their own wounded. Or a stray bear to ambush.” Derek’s hair hung loose and limp around his shoulders. His beard was scraggly and he had a dark bruise over his eyebrow.

  She’d never seen him look so rough.

  Of course he’d try to stop her. He wasn’t being bossy. He worried. “I need to check thoroughly. Just in case.” He wasn’t the only one who worried, but she’d never forgive herself if she missed a wounded bear.

  He tromped toward her, his steps heavy with exhaustion. “I’ll help. We’ve lost too many friends and family already. I’m not losing you, too.”

  “There’s nothing you can do to help.”

  He stared into the forest and sniffed the air. “I can shift and we can cover more ground.”

  “Go back to the cave. I’m sure Bria needs you right now. She’s been exposed to so many new things, some violent, in a short amount of time. I know she’s a strong woman, but it’s a tremendous amount for a human to process. She’s been thrown into the middle of this war, unprepared.”

  Derek scowled. “I know.”

  She touched his shoulder and looked into his eyes. “She needs you by her side, not left alone with a bunch of grumpy and wounded bears.”

  He pulled away. “But she’s safe in the cave. You aren’t.”

  “Seriously?” Alicia crossed her arms and formed the sourest face she could fake. “You really think I can’t take care of myself? I’ve been doing it a long time.”

  “It’s not that.”

  “Then what? The lions have gone home with their tails between their legs.”

  “I worry about you.” His voice softened.

  “I know you do, and I appreciate it. I’m going to check the brush on the way to the creek then I’ll be back. I won’t be gone more than an hour or two.”

  His scowl deepened, and he chewed his lip hard, annoyance flashing in his features. “You’re so stubborn.”

  “Your mate needs you. Go.”

  She almost smiled, but held back. It was easy to see why Bria was attracted to Derek. He’d always been a good friend, looking out for Alicia as they grew up together in the clan. Sometimes he was overprotective, but she understood why most women swooned over him.

  Who didn’t want a giant bear hug from a good looking and sweet man?

  He sighed and kicked at the ground.

  She knew she’d won. “I want to get this over with. I’m tired.” If she hadn’t been tending the wounded at the cave all morning, she’d have started her search sooner.

  “Fine.”

  She met his gaze. “I’m not a pigtailed schoolgirl anymore. I’ve grown up and I have my own job. Let me go do it.”

  “I know.” Derek’s shoulders sagged and he pivoted to scan the forest around them, cocking his head to the side to listen. When he seemed satisfied, he relaxed. “I realize you can take care of yourself.”

  “I’ll be extra careful.” She nodded. “Always. Grandmother Tawodi has taught me well.”

  “Yes, she has.” He sniffed the air again, turning in all directions. “Don’t smell any lions but they’re out there.”

  “I know.”

  She hugged him and he kissed her on the top of the head.

  “I’ll come looking for you if you aren’t back within a reasonable amount of time. I mean it.”

  “Go.” She shooed him away.

  He walked toward the cave, kicking up dust and dirt in his wake.

  Alicia watched him for a few moments, then yanked her kit higher on her back. Derek was the older brother she’d never had. Including the annoying parts. Thank goodness he’d not been killed in the battle.

  She moved deeper into the forest, all senses on high alert to pick up anything out of the ordinary.

  The forest, quiet in the aftermath of the battle, was as familiar to her as her own hands. Yet an unease wended its way through the trees and settled around her. If the lions could attack unprovoked, what might they be planning now?

  Lions had always been the enemy. The bane of the bears. Even the annoying wolves didn’t come close to being as dangerous.

  Derek had saved her from lions before, and had since made it his duty to watch over her. The memory still stung. She and her best friend, Ria, had wandered away from the other cubs on an outing to the grassy meadow where a beautiful waterfall splashed into a pool with droplets and spray as bright as cut crystal.

  The lions had been there, too. Ria hadn’t survived the attack. The cold crush of guilt and grief washed over Alicia, as fresh as that spring day so long ago. She hated the lions for taking away her best friend. If she never saw one of the mangy creatures again, it would suit her fine
.

  She closed her eyes to calm her nerves. Grandmother Tawodi had always told her not to let her emotions take over when danger lurked. She blew out a long breath, calling on her muscles to relax. Deep Creek might be bear territory, but the lions had proven they could encroach right up to the Cave of Whispers.

  Solstice would be forever remembered not as the day of longest light when summer broke through the veil of seasons, but as one of the darkest days in Deep Creek’s history.

  Sneaky bastards.

  The wind picked up, carrying the acrid odor of death, tingeing her nostrils with an unforgettable tang.

  She veered right, toward the creek. Though she usually thought of herself as an optimist, she couldn’t see many positives from the battle that had sent too many souls to the starry ether.

  Sweat trickled down her back as the summer sun painted its glory on her damp skin. She trudged the narrow path between large oaks, an abandoned game trail to the creek. Once a favorite spot, now the branches seemed to bow under the forest’s grief.

  Her temples throbbed and she paused to take a gulp from her water bottle. She listened for any sound, however faint, that might be a sign of life in the underbrush or off the trail.

  Grandmother Tawodi had shown her the ways of empathy and herbal healing, and even though some of the bears teased her, she knew better than to cross her adopted grandmother. With a name meaning Hawk, her grandmother’s tenacity was only surpassed by her compassion for other living creatures. Tawodi had taken Alicia under her wing at a young age, when Alicia’s parents had disappeared.

  Tawodi was the closest thing she had to family. True family.

  Alicia stepped over a limb, crunching a smaller one underfoot, and the snap jolted her senses. Looking behind her to check to see if she was being followed, she relaxed when she confirmed she was alone.

  Her uncanny perception was part of what made her rise above the other bears who’d trained in first aid and traditional medicine.

  They also didn’t have Tawodi’s guidance.

  She closed her water bottle, slipped it into her pack, and moved more quickly as the path widened. The rush of the creek was faint to her human ears and she followed the sound.

  So far, so good. No wounded bears.

  Tawodi had told her that her gift of empathy was not to be squandered and Alicia tried to always be aware. She experienced other creatures’ pain deep in her spirit, just as her grandmother did. The first time she’d felt another’s pain, she’d almost passed out. Ria. Alicia had felt everything. The pain. The fear. She blinked back the sting of tears. Gift or curse, she would not leave an injured animal to suffer.

  She stuck her water bottle back in her pack.

  The hill to the left rose tall, the deep green grass flattened from the hand-to-hand combat between the lions and bears. A rusty bloodstain near the path had almost turned brown in the heat, but she knew.

  A lion had fallen in that spot, his neck snapped by a stronger bear.

  She wrinkled her nose and reached for her own neck. The image burned in her mind, as clear as a color photograph. Pain and death would linger in the summer grass for weeks, and in her mind forever.

  Chin up, she held back the threatening tears but they surged anyway and a single drop traced her cheek, followed by the trails of a few more. She wiped them away. The final death toll hadn’t been tallied, but the bears would be burying a lot of friends and enemies in the Cave of Whispers over the next few days. Many tears would fall in Deep Creek over the coming weeks.

  Shoshannah was already preparing the final resting places for the physical bodies as the dead’s souls marched through on their way to the river of stars.

  Right now, saving others was a way to honor Ria’s death.

  I couldn’t save her but I can make sure no one else dies in the forest today.

  The damp heat of the day slithered through the arched curtain of trees that wilted in the humidity. Summer in Deep Creek had always been one of her favorite seasons, but today, it was the basis for a terrible memory.

  Maybe it was lack of sleep, but right now, she longed for snowy winter’s long naps and warm dens. The mewling of cubs wouldn’t even bother her. Though the bears of Deep Creek didn’t truly hibernate, they slept a lot during the cold months. And sleeping meant forgetting painful memories. She glanced up at the spots of blue sky visible through the branches.

  Plenty of daylight left.

  A fly buzzed near her face, and she swatted it away, stopping to check the dense brush at the side of the trail more thoroughly. She sniffed the air and stilled her mind, reaching out and feeling. Listening. If anyone was close enough, she should sense them.

  No one.

  Derek was right. Shifting would help her cover more ground in a shorter amount of time, and her senses would be heightened. She’d have trouble carrying her pack of medical supplies, but she could leave them and come back for them if she found anyone. Shifting also made her more vulnerable to being spotted. It was a tradeoff she couldn’t risk.

  A chipmunk scurried across her path, flicking its stubby tail and pulling her from her memories. She pushed on, nearly to the copse of trees at the edge of the deeper forest.

  She shaded her eyes and zeroed in on the low bushes that lined the perimeter of her vision. No sign of movement. She almost wished she’d taken Derek up on his offer to help her search.

  The endless forest sprawled in front of her in a maze of trails and trees. Another third of a mile to check before reaching the creek. She yawned. Got to keep going. A few hours could mean life or death to a wounded bear that dragged itself out into the woods to hide. Not much of a chance any injured animal would’ve crossed the creek, since it would know it would be hard to track, so that was her search boundary.

  What would she do if she ran into a lion? Though she was confident in her abilities, running into a vicious lion was more danger than she’d faced alone. After what happened to Ria... She jerked her head around at the slight sound to her left, her heartbeat surging.

  A small animal rustling in the leaves, nothing more.

  I can do this.

  Heading east toward the creek, the sun would be at her back as it began to set in a few hours, keeping the glare out of her eyes. She’d be long finished searching by dark.

  The rain overnight had cooled the air and filled it with moisture, but now the day was hot and muggy. She trudged over knotted vines and fallen branches and kicked old toadstools, sending up puffs of spores from the flying caps as they bounced across the ground. Almost there. She slid down a short embankment, careful to not fall.

  The air stilled and the woods went silent, as if someone had turned off the low hum of a station-less radio. Pressure filled her ears.

  What?

  She gripped the strap of her pack. A squirrel scurried in the leaves nearby, chattering its distress at her invasion of its territory. She swallowed down the lump blocking her throat and sniffed.

  Something isn’t right.

  A faint tang rode on the waves of clean air and forest pine, threading it with metallic thickness. A heavy, sharp scent that indicated one thing.

  Pain.

  The odor drifted from nearby, yet she hadn’t sensed it before she slid into the shallow gully. The ribbon of pain threaded through her mind, faint and not totally familiar. Where? She peered around the area. Nothing out of the ordinary. Moving closer, the smell grew stronger and blurry images, blazing red, flooded her mind.

  Something was suffering, and it wasn’t a bear. Her pulse thrummed in her ears at the realization. A loud screech sounded above, and she looked up to see a giant hawk circling. It soared over an area not too far ahead, bobbing on the currents of wind high above the trees.

  Tawodi. Grandmother.

  Warmth and strength rushed through Alicia’s veins, and she clenched her pack tighter. Always nearby whe
n she sensed trouble, yet never interfering, Tawodi gave guidance by her presence alone. Alicia smiled. Tawodi was leading her to the injured animal.

  “Thank you, Grandmother.” Alicia scrambled over the loose pebbles, her boots slipping on the dusty rubble and her ponytail sliding along the ground as she caught herself. She stabilized herself and stood, then brushed off her elbows. A scrape reddened with blood, but it wasn’t bad. She’d put a Band-Aid on it later.

  Haste makes waste. Tawodi’s voice echoed inside her head.

  Alicia moved in the direction of the injured creature, her pack rubbing against her aching lower back. Deep green briar bushes filled with tiny white flowers lined the gully pathway like drops of snow on a field of dark green. The foliage grew denser as she maneuvered closer, and twisted briars tore at her clothing.

  “Shit.” A thick, ropy branch lashed across her legs, and she tugged it free, then the offending thorn. She held the pointed spike up in the air. Nearly an inch long and about as wide. Massive and old, the vine had probably been growing in Deep Creek for as long as she had.

  Dangerous.

  A flutter trilled her heartbeat. She wouldn’t let anxiety get the better of her.

  She almost wished she carried a gun like the rangers did. Who was she kidding? She’d never needed a gun. A battle had not happened in her lifetime, and hopefully never would again.

  She continued to pull the thorny branches from her clothing as she wove among the tangle of vines, seeking the source of the odor. She stopped to hold her head in her hands as her eyesight clouded. First a tingle, then a full-on burn inflamed her eyes, and a vision flashed, clearer this time with much more detail.

  A gunshot. Searing hot pain oozing down a shoulder like molten metal. Melting the skin and stripping the bullet hole to the bone. Torturous pain as muscle liquefied. An outcry, then silence.

  She shivered and rubbed her shoulder, feeling for the muscle she knew to be there. Where was the animal? It needed her, and it wasn’t going to live much longer without care. She tasted its injury, its fear. She scanned the forest ahead, sticking her nose into the air again, hoping to differentiate the animal’s scent from everything else in the area.