by R. E. Butler
He knelt in front of her, his face carved in worry. It was then that she noticed his eyes were amber, an enchanting whiskey color. “Let me see,” he said.
She raised a brow. “Did you really just ask me to stick out my tongue?”
“I nicked you. I just want to make sure it’s not bad.”
His concern made her stomach flutter. It was just so sweet.
Feeling totally ridiculous, she stuck out her tongue a little and ran her finger lightly over the place where she’d been bleeding. It didn’t hurt anymore, and her finger wasn’t tinged with blood.
“It’s healed,” he said.
“That’s weird.”
“Here, Celeste,” he said, cracking the lid of the water bottle and handing it to her. “I’m sorry for nicking you. I wasn’t paying attention.”
“Got some sharp fangs?” she asked with a chuckle before taking a sip of her water.
“Not normally like this.” He smiled lopsidedly.
“Guess I’m just a lucky duck today. Except for the tour thing, that was extra-strength strange.” She paused, and then said, “How did you know my name?”
His eyes narrowed slightly and he replied, “I was there when you told Caesar – my alpha – what your name was.”
“Um, no. Only Jasper and Evan were there.”
And that big lion.
Her mind went blank for a long moment as she stared into his amber eyes. This gorgeous guy, who had hair the tawny color of lion’s fur, and had the same name as the lion who’d tried to claw his way through the fence to get to her.
The water bottle slipped from her hand, cold liquid splashing on her, as the idea that she was looking at a man who had been a lion minutes before crashed through her mind.
She let out a half-scream, half-gasp as she pushed her feet against the floor to scoot the chair away from Jupiter.
He grabbed the arms of the chair and stopped her from moving far.
“Please don’t pass out,” he said.
“I’m not going to pass out, you loon, I’m going to call someone to help you because you’ve clearly lost your marbles.”
“I haven’t lost anything. I am what you think I am.”
“Crazy?”
He scowled. “I can see it in your eyes. You know exactly what I’m talking about.”
She shook her head. “No, you have no idea the ridiculous thoughts that are banging around in my skull. It’s the kind of thing that would make a good movie on a science-fiction channel, but not the kind of thing that makes sense in the real world.”
He inhaled and rolled his shoulders, then exhaled. The way his breath pushed out of his lungs sounded a lot like a growl, and as his lips parted she saw that he had fangs.
“Oh. I…that’s why…my tongue.” She stopped talking, since she wasn’t able to really form a sentence. She stood slowly, but he wouldn’t let her move the chair back, and that put her stomach right in front of him. He purred, releasing the chair and wrapping his arms around her. He nuzzled her stomach through her shirt, that crazy rumbling making her spine tingle.
“Fuck, you smell good. I scented you at the paddock and I couldn’t control my reaction. I would have torn that fence apart if my alpha hadn’t knocked some sense into me.”
Her knees went weak, and she had the urge to sink her fingers into his hair and find out how soft it was. So she did.
“What the hell is going on?” she whispered, testing the silky strands of his hair as he continued to purr against her belly, his hot breath making her skin goosebump.
“I’m a lion shifter, Celeste,” he said, looking up at her, his eyes an even brighter amber color. “My pride lives and works here in the park. I’ve been waiting to meet my soulmate, the one female in the whole world who’s perfect for me. It’s you.”
“We just met,” she said, even though there was something about his words that rang true.
“Doesn’t matter.”
“I don’t understand.”
He smiled, and her stomach fluttered. “We don’t have to rush anything. But you do have to keep the existence of shifters, and this park, a secret. I want you to stay with me.”
She arched a brow at him. “I have a life outside of this park, a job and friends. Oh! My friend Adriana was in the Jeep behind mine. She must be finished with her tour by now, and she’s probably worried about me!”
A soft growl rumbled from his chest and he stood, not letting go of his hold on her waist as he strode to one of the desks and picked up a walkie. He pressed a button and said, “This is Jupiter. I’m looking for a VIP guest named Adriana. She was in Jeep number four.”
There was static and then a voice said, “There was a problem at the gorilla paddock. Caesar is handling it because you’re busy.”
“What do gorillas have to do with my friend?” Celeste asked.
“Is the guest okay?”
There was a brief pause and the man replied, “Yes, she’s fine. She’s Zane’s soulmate. But we have a bigger issue that will have to be addressed with a meeting.”
He let out a short growl. “Fuck. Damn it.”
“No, not you,” the man said, “you’re out of things for now.”
“I want to be kept informed,” he said. “It’s important to my mate.”
“Will do.”
“What’s going on?” she asked as he set the walkie on the counter and turned to face her.
“I don’t know, but the important thing is that your friend is safe.”
She chewed on her bottom lip. “Are you sure?”
“First of all, she found her soulmate in Zane, a gorilla shifter, and he would rather die than let anything happen to her. And secondly, that was Xavier, a member of my pride, and he wouldn’t lie to me.”
“Why?”
His brows rose. “We value honesty, and I’m second-in-command of the pride. He knows he’d have a big problem with me, and the alpha, if he was dishonest.”
“And the big guy who pushed you away from the fence is your alpha?”
He nodded. “Caesar. He’s my dad, too.”
“I’m…not sure what to make of all this. It’s impossible.”
He pressed his big, warm hand over her heart, which made it skip a beat. “In here, my beautiful mate, you know the truth. You can feel it, even if your head is telling you that it’s not possible. Don’t ask me to let you go, because I can’t, and I won’t.”
“So I’m a prisoner?” she asked, tilting her head and gazing up at him. His eyes flashed as his nostrils flared, and she saw the little bit of hurt that slid through his golden gaze.
“You’re mine. If not being able to let you out of my sight makes you think of prison, then I’m not doing a good job of making you understand what I am, and what we are together.”
“Mates.”
“Like husband and wife.”
It was her turn to raise her brows. “Normally I like to get to know a guy before I go making plans for the future.”
“Nothing about this is normal.”
She snorted. “That’s the understatement of the millennium.” Taking in a deep breath, she exhaled slowly and said, “I want to see you turn into a lion.”
He glanced at a clock on the wall and said, “I can’t shift for you out in the open until the park is closed.”
“Why not?”
“Because shifting’s a secret, remember?”
She blushed. “Oh, right.”
“I can show you my home, though, and shift for you there.”
“All right,” she said, taking his offered hand.
She followed him out of the security office. The moment her feet touched the concrete, his hand tightened on hers, and she had a feeling he was wondering if she was going to bolt. With a chuckle, she said, “I said I’d go with you, you don’t have to turn my bones to powder with your awesome strength.”
He glanced at her as they headed into the park. “It’s not that.”
“Oh, sure.”
“Well,
maybe part of it is, but mostly I’m concerned about all the unmated males around. I don’t like it.”
“Unmated like single?”
He nodded. “Makes me feel extra-strength protective.”
She hummed. “That’s weird and sweet. I’m not going anywhere. Even though I kind of feel like I’m dreaming, there’s something very right about all of this. I can’t explain it, but I’m curious and I want to see what you want to show me.”
“You’re very fierce,” he said.
“If you say so. Curiosity killed the cat, though, right? I should probably be careful.”
He snorted and then laughed. “You are too precious, Celeste.”
Chapter 5
Jupiter had a hard time keeping his cat in check while they walked through the park to the employee cafeteria. It wanted to pounce on Celeste and make her theirs permanently, and also tear apart every other unmated male in the vicinity. He didn’t think his human mate would appreciate seeing him maul a bunch of park visitors, so he kept reminding his cat that she needed time to get to know them. She’d agreed to see his home, and getting her to his pride’s territory underground would help him feel less like snarling at everyone.
Her hand was warm in his, which he took as a good sign that she wasn’t too scared. He didn’t know what he’d think if he was human and had no clue about shifters, only to be introduced to them at a zoo when he discovered one was his soulmate.
“Do humans have soulmates?” he asked.
“I guess there are people who believe in that sort of thing.”
“You don’t?”
She shrugged. “An hour ago, I might have said no. Now, I’m not sure what to believe.”
A part of him was bothered that she didn’t just fall into his arms, but he knew that was romantic thinking and not reality. She was wary, and he could understand that. “It’s easier for me because it’s how things are with our kind. Your people aren’t like mine.”
“But you still believe that we were meant to be together.” Her hand tightened on his reflexively.
“I do.”
He swiped his security card to unlock the door to the employee cafeteria. Once inside, he scanned the room and found it empty save for three wolf males who were eating their meal. They looked up at him, their gazes pinging to Celeste’s for the briefest of moments and then returning to their food. He led Celeste to another security door that led to a short hallway, with another secured door at the end.
“Why is everything locked up?” she asked as he swiped his badge and unlocked the stairwell door.
“To prevent park visitors from accidentally coming into our private living area. Underneath the park is where all the shifter groups live.”
“All?” she asked, arching a delicate brow at him.
“Lions, wolves, elephants, gorillas, and bears.”
“Oh man, I knew I wasn’t seeing things!”
“What are you talking about?”
“I could’ve sworn that one of the elephants waved at me. And I thought it looked like the animals were communicating with the guys from the Jeep.”
He smiled wryly. “They’re not supposed to be so transparent with their behavior.”
She shrugged. “I wouldn’t have said anything. So those were all shifters? Were the guys in the Jeep with me wolves?”
“Yeah, how did you know?”
“Because Jasper said that wolves were his favorite.”
He stopped in front of the security door that led to the pride territory. “What’s your favorite animal?”
Her cheeks flamed scarlet and she lowered her eyes, chewing on her lower lip. He cupped her face and lifted it until he could gaze into her pretty blue eyes. “Tell me,” he ordered gruffly.
Her eyes darkened to the color of a stormy sky and he could hear her heart quicken. “Big cats.”
He purred, and her eyes widened slightly. She planted her palms on his chest and rubbed them against his shirt, and he knew she could feel the vibrations. Using the keypad, he entered the code to unlock the door. He wasn’t sure if any of his pride members were around, but he suspected they were all dealing with whatever the issue was with her friend.
Pushing the door open, he said, “You’re the first human to come down here.”
“Do you mean for lions?”
“Yes. There are some human mates who live here, but they’re in the older generation.”
She didn’t say anything for a long moment as she followed him into the pride territory and the door shut and locked behind them. She stopped at the edge of the wheat-colored flooring and looked around the vast area. She turned to face him, her arms folded.
“Did you guys send the VIP tickets?”
“It was a joint effort by all the shifter groups. The zoo is run entirely by shifters. We not only pose as the animals in the paddocks, but each group handles a different aspect of the park. Lions are security, wolves are tours, and so forth. There are normal, non-shifting animals like deer and buffalo within the park; they’re dealt with by the elephants.”
She clicked her teeth. “What was the point of the tickets?”
“It was the hope of the group leaders that if we sent out tour tickets to eligible people in the area, some of our people might find their soulmates.”
“Are there other parks like this in the world?”
He nodded. “I’m originally from California. My dad, brothers, and our small pride came here twelve years ago. My mother is at another zoo in California.”
“Your parents are divorced?”
“They weren’t officially mated. They lived together for several years, but they weren’t soulmates. She opted to mate with another male and left me and my brothers with my father. I was eighteen when we came here.”
“Are there girl lions?”
“Just one here. Her name is Jenni.”
“Why only one?”
“There aren’t as many females born as males to shifters, so our numbers are always uneven.”
She exhaled slowly, and it sounded a little bit like a growl. “I’d like to see you shift now. Unless this is just a big trick you’re playing on me, trying to get in my pants.”
He made a face. “I’m not trying to do that.”
Her brow arched so high that he was surprised it remained on her head. “Liar.”
It was his turn to blush, something he couldn’t ever remember doing before he met her. “Okay, I am trying to do that, but only because my cat is clawing in my head to mate with you. I’m the luckiest fucking cat on the planet to have found you.” He pulled her in, drawing her flush against him. “You’re gorgeous. When I look at you I picture our children, with your pretty hair and lovely eyes.”
She huffed. “You haven’t even bought me dinner yet and you’re talking about kids? Geez.”
He wiggled his brows. “There’ll be time for dinner later. Now you wanted to see me shift, so I’m going to do it.”
Stepping backward, he kept her close as he moved them toward his home. When he stopped moving, he cupped her face and gazed down at her, absorbing everything about her in that moment – the flecks of gold in her blue eyes, the soft curve of her upper lip, the feel of her lush curves pressed against him – and then he kissed her. Stepping away, he unbuttoned his shirt.
“Will you…regret that I’m not a lion?” she asked. Her gaze latched onto his chest as he shrugged out of the shirt.
“I know this is weird for you, but you’re meant to be mine. I’ll prove it to you.” Although he had no idea how to do that. He undid his utility belt, placed it gently on the ground, and then unlaced his work boots. He stepped out of them and undid the button on his trousers. Her gaze slid down his torso and was now glued to his waist. As soon as he dropped his pants, she’d see his raging hard-on.
She was suddenly in front of him, her hands resting on his as she looked up at him. Her fingers slid inside the waistband, moving around his hips to his lower back, her nails scraping lightly against his spine as h
er lips parted and she panted softly for breath. With a nudge, she encouraged him to lower his pants, and he did, stepping free of them. He forgot everything else as her body connected with his and she rose on her toes to kiss him.
She whispered against his lips, “I can’t.”
He wrapped his arms around her. “Can’t what?”
“Can’t keep my hands off you. Why?”
“Because you’re mine and I’m yours.”
“This is nuts.”
He chuckled against her lips, nipping the lower swell. “The best things usually are.”
“Are you still you when you’re a lion?”
He kissed her once more. “I’m still me. I know that I’m not doing a particularly good job of controlling my cat around you because all he can think about is mating with you, but I’m still me, even in my shift. You don’t have to be afraid.”
“I’m not afraid. Part of me feels like I should be, but the rest of me is certain that this is where I’m supposed to be.”
“Whatever happens, you’re safe with me, Celeste. I swear on my life.”
Taking a few steps back, he let go of his hold on his cat and shifted. His cat was anxious to check out their mate, its eagerness forcing the shift to happen far faster than it usually did. Between one heartbeat and the next, he was on four paws, his tail whipping back and forth as a growl rumbled in his chest.
Celeste gasped, and the acrid scent of her fear was so strong that his cat chuffed in worry, concerned she would pass out. But then, just as swiftly, her scent changed. She dropped to her knees and cupped his head with her hands. Their gazes locked, and he was in awe of the courage he saw in those blue depths. She was as fiercely unafraid as any lioness he’d ever met. He sat on his haunches as she stared at him, her eyes wide with wonder and a tiny smile curving the corner of her mouth.
“Damn, you’re gorgeous. When I saw you in the paddock, I knew there was something special about you. Big and golden and…all mine.” She pressed her forehead to his, sliding her fingers through his mane and fisting the thick strands.
He lifted one enormous paw and rested it lightly on her back. She released her hold on his mane and settled against him, her face buried in his neck and her arms around him. With a loud purr, he closed his eyes and absorbed the feeling of rightness that settled over him. This was his soulmate, and he would never be the same.