Daughter of Lions

by Banks, Catherine

  I sat down under my favorite cherry tree and smiled. “You like?”

  He nodded his head and sat beside me. “It’s perfect.”

  “Thanks. My mom doesn’t know about this part so I come here to think a lot. Or hide.”

  “Why did you show me?” he asked.

  “I figured you might need to change tonight or hide from my mom occasionally and it was a perfect place where you would not get noticed by others like you might in a park.”

  He looked at me a long moment and asked, “What abilities do you have?”

  I picked up a cherry blossom and twirled it. “All of the same as you only they are not as strong and I do not have the ability to change into a lion.” I looked up at the moon as I felt more tears coming. How could I have so many tears? Why did simply saying it hurt so much?

  “Victoria,” Brandon said softly, “I…”

  I stood up and brushed off my pajama bottoms. “I better go inside in case the delivery guy comes early. You can stay here as long as you want though.”

  I walked away from him and into the house. After sitting on one of the bar stools I let my head drop onto the countertop. I needed to stop opening up to him. My cell phone rang upstairs and I ran up to get it. “Hello?”

  “I’m sorry,” Mark said on the phone.

  I plopped down on the bed. “No, I’m sorry. I shouldn’t have reacted that way. I know you were only trying to protect me.”

  “Are you mad at me?” he asked.

  “No. I am more upset at Brandon than you, but he followed me all the way home so I kind of lost my anger.”

  Mark laughed. “He’s persistent and an amazing tracker. Victoria, be nice to him. He just doesn’t know how to handle you.”

  I scoffed at him. “Thanks. Mark, I love you.”

  Mark sighed happily. “I love you too, kid. Keep out of trouble, okay?”

  “Yes, sir. Tell Sarah and Sheila I love them too.”

  I hung up the phone and felt happier. I hated fighting with Mark.

  The doorbell rang and I ran downstairs to get it. I opened the door and the delivery boy smiled at me. “Hey, V.”

  I smiled back at Kenny, my usual delivery boy. He was average height, Asian and cute. “Hey, Kenny. You got double my order, right?”

  He smiled. “Yeah.” He walked into the house and set the bags on the kitchen counter. “Not sure how you can eat this all by yourself.”

  “She’s not by herself,” Brandon said from the back door.

  Kenny stopped moving and I saw his nostrils flare. “Oh crap,” he whispered.

  I stepped back from Kenny in shock. “What are you?” I asked, not sensing what I should have years ago.

  He swallowed nervously. “I’m no threat. I just deliver her food. I have known her for years, ask her. I wouldn’t hurt her.”

  Brandon stayed by the door looking menacing and ready to pounce. “Victoria, he ever touch you?”

  I shook my head. “I didn’t even know he wasn’t human.”

  Kenny frowned. “I thought you smelled like lion sometimes. Dang, I didn’t know you had a lion boyfriend though.”

  “He’s not my boyfriend,” I said angrily. “My Dad’s an alpha and he’s from the pride.”

  Kenny sighed. “Okay, look, I’m no threat. I swear. I only see her when she orders Chinese and I have been doing that for like three years.”

  “What are you?” I asked again.

  “He’s a werefox,” Brandon answered. “They’re harmless unless they get an urge to be mischievous.”

  Kenny smiled. “That only happens when a group of us gets together.”

  Brandon smiled, showing Kenny his teeth. “Just make sure you stay away from her when you get together then.”

  Kenny nodded his head. “Okay. Victoria, I’ll bill your mom’s card. Bye.”

  I watched him leave and then turned to Brandon. “You can’t scare away every guy that talks to me.”

  “He was a wereanimal and stronger than you. I didn’t know if he was a threat or not.”

  I waved at the food. “Here, the food came. I’m not hungry anymore.”

  “Victoria,” he said pleadingly as he grabbed my arm. “I’m sorry if I upset you, but I’m supposed to protect you.”

  “Only until your replacement comes,” I said and then walked up the stairs to my room where I stayed until the next morning despite my growling stomach.

  I messaged Sandy at one in the afternoon, when I finally crawled out of bed and told her I was home early. She promised to pick me up as soon as she was dressed. I finished putting my hair up and walked downstairs to find Brandon eating a bowl of cereal with my Dad.

  “Dad?” I asked in shock, not believing what I was seeing.

  He smiled. “Hey. I just came to make sure you were both still alive.”

  “Where’s mom?” I asked as I looked around. Knowing her she would have left as soon as she saw Dad.

  “She never came home,” said Brandon softly.

  Dad growled and then the doorbell rang. I opened it and Sandy jumped on me. “Victoria!”

  I laughed and hugged her back. “Hey.”

  She climbed off of me and then saw my Dad and Brandon. “Oh, um, hi.”

  I noticed her staring at Brandon and felt jealous. I grabbed her hand and pulled her towards the door. “I’ll be back in a bit.”

  “Mind if I come?” Brandon asked.

  “Yes!” I said.

  “No!” said Sandy at the same time as me.

  I punched her arm. “I thought we were going to catch up?”

  She shrugged. “Why can’t he come with us?” She asked as her eyes roved over his body.

  I punched her again. “You’ve got a boyfriend,” I whispered.

  She smiled and whispered, “Oh, I get it, you like him.”

  I rolled my eyes. “No, he’s just here for today. He’s one of my Dad’s friend’s sons.”

  “No wonder you like going to visit your dad all the time. Are they all as hot as him?”

  I punched her arm a little harder this time making her whine. “You can’t come, Brandon. Just stay here with Dad.”

  Brandon walked back to my Dad and sat down. “She’s crabby in the morning.”

  “I heard that!” I yelled.

  “You were supposed to,” he replied.

  I pushed Sandy out the door and slammed it shut. I pointed at her. “Not another word about him or I will break your nose.”

  She smiled and skipped down the walkway singing, “Victoria has a crush. Victoria has a crush.”

  “I do not have a crush on him. I’m going out with Sam tonight.”

  She stopped skipping and looked at me in shock. “You are?! Since when?”

  “He gave me a ride home last night from the train station and asked me.”

  Her eyes widened. “I need to hear this story! Come on!” She dragged me to the car and in two minutes we were on our way to the mall as I told her the edited version of the story which was suitable for human ears.

  She was speechless at the end of it which was a feat in itself. “Wow.”

  We walked through the mall as I tried to find an outfit to wear for the dinner tonight. I decided to get a summer dress and found one similar to the blue one I had tried on with Sarah.

  “You think he will be jealous of you going out with Sam?” she asked as we walked through the mall past booths of various items.

  I spotted Brandon about six people behind us and ground my teeth together. Of course he had followed me. “Of course he doesn’t care. I’m not his type of girl,” I said loud enough for him to hear.

  “So do you think Sam will kiss you tonight? You are way too old to not have your first kiss yet. God you shouldn’t even be a…”

  I glared at her to shut up. “I don’t know, but he did kiss my cheek last night when he dropped me off.”

  “Maybe you’ll go back to his place after dinner and you can finally lose your V card,” she said with a waggle of her brows.r />
  I pushed her with my shoulder and said, “Leave me alone.”

  She laughed. “I’m just saying you might loosen up a little if you got some.”

  I so did not want to have this conversation with Brandon within hearing distance. “Let’s go. I need to talk with my Dad before he leaves.”

  ***

  Sandy waved as she drove away and I stayed on the front steps, waiting for Brandon to show up. He came into view a moment later with a serious frown on his face. “I don’t like you following me around. I am perfectly safe at the mall.”

  “The Minters know who you are and they could follow you here,” he said as he walked past me into the house.

  I followed him in and set my bag down by the stairs before walking to my Dad who was lounging on the couch. I plopped down next to him and he squeezed my shoulders. “You have fun?”

  “I would have had more fun if he hadn’t been stalking me,” I said angrily.

  “He’s just protecting you like a good pride member should.”

  I sighed, knowing he was right. “When are you leaving?”

  He shrugged. “Late tonight.”

  Oh no. He could not be here when Sam picked me up. “How late?”

  He shrugged again. “I don’t know. I might stay until tomorrow morning.”

  Oh hell. “Oh cool,” I said trying to feign happiness.

  “You have plans tonight?” he asked as he watched the television.

  “Yeah, but it’s nothing big. I can cancel and stay home with you.”

  He smiled. “That’s sweet, but you don’t need to cancel on my part. I’m just going to be setting things up for the lion protecting you.”

  Crapola. “Okay.” What was I going to do? Should I cancel? Could I have him meet me down the street and sneak out? Oh no. Brandon. He was going to follow me on my date. No. No. No! I could not let that happen.

  I walked out the back door and headed to my spot. I stepped through the willow’s branches and stopped moving when I found Brandon there. “Oh, sorry,” I said as I turned to go.

  He grabbed my hand. “No, it’s your place. You stay.”

  I looked at our clasped hands and then up at his face and swallowed. “You could stay too.”

  He nodded his head and released me, sitting against a tree to the right of me, just out of my line of sight and yet still nearby. I sagged against my tree and looked up at the blossoms. What was I going to do? I had to think of some way to keep Brandon here.

  I looked around the trees and my gaze landed on the pile of ropes I had brought to construct my own tree top walk. I had never even started it since the trees weren’t big enough yet and the ropes lay uselessly there. They could be useful now though.

  I gasped as if in pain and double over, clutching my stomach. As expected, Brandon rushed over to me. “What is it? What’s wrong?” He scanned the trees for threats, finding none he squatted down next to me.

  I felt bad for what I was going to do, but it needed to be done. I smacked him on the back of the head as hard as I could, stunning him and knocking him to the ground. I grabbed the ropes and tied him up as tight as I could and used all three ropes so that even if he broke through one he would have two more to get through. It would not hold him forever, but it would slow him down.

  “I’m sorry, Brandon. I just can’t have you following me tonight. I have something I have to do.”

  He growled in frustration and tugged at the ropes, but they held. “Victoria, let me go, now.”

  I grabbed his t-shirt and tore a long strip off. “Don’t hate me for this.” As quick as I could I tied the fabric around his mouth, gagging him and preventing him from yelling for my Dad. “I just want this one night, okay? Tomorrow your replacement will come and you won’t have to see me until summer when I come to visit the pride and you can ignore me and hate me all you want.”

  He struggled and tried to yell around the fabric in his mouth. I waved and dashed into the house and up the stairs. I only had twenty minutes to get ready. As fast as I could I washed up, changed into my dress and combed out my hair. I would have liked to put make up on, but I did not have the time. The doorbell rang as I walked down the stairs. “I’ve got it!” I yelled to my Dad and hurried outside, slamming the door closed behind me.

  Sam stared at me in shock for a moment and then took in my dress and smiled. “Hey.”

  I smiled back, trying to calm my racing heart. “Hey.” I linked my arm through his and tugged him forward. I could hear my Dad walking towards the door so I pulled Sam faster. “Hurry! We gotta go now.”

  Sam frowned, but obeyed and we were rounding the corner when Dad opened the door. He couldn’t see Sam or me, only the back of the car so I hoped he would not follow. I also hoped he assumed Brandon was following us and did not go searching for him.

  I cringed as I thought of Brandon tied up in the back yard and gagged. He was probably going to hate me forever now.

  “Is everything okay?” Sam asked after a moment of silence.

  I smiled at him. “Yeah, my Dad’s just visiting and he tends to frighten guys away so I did not want you to meet him.

  Sam smiled. “I’m sure your Dad is not that frightening. He is just a man after all.”

  If only you knew he sprouted claws and fangs. “So, where are we going?” I asked to change the subject.

  “The China Empress. I have it on good authority that you love Chinese food.”

  I loved all food actually, but Chinese food was very yummy. “That sounds great, I’m starving.”

  “You look very beautiful tonight,” Sam said as we parked. He reached over and picked up a strand of my hair. “I like it when your hair is down.”

  I blushed and he smiled, apparently enjoying my reaction. We got out of the car and were immediately seated once inside. The hair on the nape of my neck was standing on end and I wondered if Brandon had already freed himself, or if my Dad had found him.

  I tried to dismiss the feeling and focused on Sam. “So, have you figured out what you are doing this summer, yet?”

  Sam nodded his head. “I always visit my cousins in Minters.”

  Minters? “Oh, really?”

  He smiled. “What about you?”

  “I spend the summer in Canaville with my Dad.”

  “Maybe we could hang out over the summer then?” he asked hopefully. “Minters and Canaville aren’t that far apart.”

  No way in hell! One visit to my Dad’s place and I would never see him again. “Maybe,” I said with a smile.

  The waitress took our order and we discussed the latest school gossip. I didn’t really care for any of it, but Sam knew almost everything about everyone. “You, I don’t hear much about,” he admitted once he had finished.

  I shrugged. “Well that’s because I have never dated anyone or had a friendship problem.”

  “Why haven’t you dated anyone at our school? No one there you like?” he asked with a smug smile.

  That smile used to make my knees wobble and my breath release in a sigh of want. Now, it just made him look like a cocky jerk. I reigned in my anger and smiled. “There’s one I like, but he hardly notices me. In fact the first time we talked was the last day of school before break.”

  “Why haven’t you talked to him?” he asked softly.

  I shrugged. “I can be shy at times. I don’t make it a habit to go up to guys I don’t know well and talk to them.”

  “You should. How else would a guy know you are interested in him?”

  He would know because he would hear my rapid heartbeat or see the way my body went rigid every time he was near. I frowned. No, no human guy would notice any of that.

  “I guess you’re right,” I said softly. I looked up at him and smiled. “I never really thought about it before.”

  Our food came and I ate happily, enjoying the many flavors and seasonings of the food. Sam watched me with a strange curiosity and I realized that I was probably overeating for a human girl. I always ate a lot and my f
riends were used to it, but he wasn’t. I stopped eating even though I was still hungry and leaned back, trying to smile at him. He gossiped more and I tried to feign interest, but I just did not care who was dating who or who got caught kissing who.

  He paid for dinner and drove me home in silence. This was an awful date and I knew it, but I didn’t know how to make it better. Sam parked in front of my house and despite my objections, walked me to the door. “Thank you for going out with me,” he said with a smile.

  I smiled back. “Thank you for asking me.”

  He bent to kiss me and I realized that I did not want his kiss. For two years I had fantasized about it and now I realized that he just was not what I wanted. I took a step to the side, avoiding his kiss and turned the doorknob, trying to pretend I had not seen or realized he was trying to kiss me. “I’ll see you at school,” I said in a chipper voice, hoping he would just leave.

  Sam grabbed my hand and pulled me into him. I was too shocked from his abruptness and boldness to push him away. He dipped his head and would have kissed me if Brandon had not pulled me out of Sam’s hold.

  Sam glared at Brandon. “What the hell?”

  “She doesn’t want you to kiss her and you are not going to force her to kiss you just to mend your hurt pride.”

  Sam took a step closer, puffing himself up. “She didn’t say no and besides, I paid for dinner and I should get something out of it.”

  “You are not getting anything from her except a kick in the butt,” I said angrily. “I thought you were nice, but apparently you are just chauvinistic.”

  He looked from me to Brandon and smiled. “Oh I see. He likes you. That’s sweet, dude, but just a word of advice, she’s got no experience and is probably a lousy lay.”

  Brandon was about to punch him when my Dad opened the door and grabbed Brandon’s wrist. “You have two seconds to get to your car before I pummel the stupid out of you,” Dad warned.

  Dad could be the scariest person on the planet and if I had been the one who he was looking at like that I would have wet myself. Sam on the other hand just met my Dad’s gaze. “You must be the Dad who abandoned her here with her deadbeat mom.”

  Before either Dad or Brandon could react I punched Sam in the jaw. He stumbled backwards and fell on his butt in the grass. “No one talks bad about my Dad.” Sam rubbed his jaw and I smiled. “You forgot that I could fight, didn’t you? I’m surprised since it was your brother Tim whose arms I broke after he broke my collarbone.”