by Kyle, Celia
“Is he going to be okay?” Bethy’s soft voice drifted through the motorcycle’s rumbling.
“Maybe.”
He felt her power rise, their mating allowing him to sense her feelings, and he detected her sliding into the pride’s Second. Grayson’s muscles relaxed a fraction, some of the tension lining his body easing and settling into a more natural position on the bike.
As quickly as it’d darted away, it came back to her, and he heard Bethy’s sigh. “He will be.”
His Bethy. Selfless. Protective. Dangerous as hell and that made his dick rock fucking hard. But also so damned caring it made his heart hurt. He’d never deserve her, never be worthy of her, but he sure as hell wasn’t letting her go. Ever.
Even with a foster family growing up, he’d been so fucking alone.
And now he wasn’t.
“Hey.” Wyatt grabbed a lock of her hair and lightly tugged until she looked at him. “Love you.”
Tears filled her eyes while her emotions bowled him over. The same feelings of unworthiness, happiness, and joy filled her and spilled onto him. “Love you, too.”
Fuck it. They had a family: each other.
The End
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By the way… here are some links to help you hunt up the rest of the Ridgeville series:
Ridgeville #1 – He Ain’t Lion (FREE) http://bookbit.ly/halare
Ridgeville #2 – You’re Lion http://bookbit.ly/ylare
Ridgeville #3 – Ball of Furry http://bookbit.ly/bofare
Ridgeville Series Volume One – Ridgeville 1, 2 & 3 http://bookbit.ly/rdg1are
Ridgeville #4 – Head Over Tail http://bookbit.ly/hotare
Ridgeville #5 – Fierce in Fur http://bookbit.ly/fifare
Ridgeville #6 – Deuces Wild http://bookbit.ly/dware
Ridgeville Series Volume Two – Ridgeville 4, 5, & 6 http://bookbit.ly/rdg2are
Ridgeville #7 – Sealed with a Purr http://bookbit.ly/swapare
Ridgeville #8 – Like a Fox (FREE) http://bookbit.ly/lafare
Ridgeville #9 – Big Furry Deal http://bookbit.ly/bfdare
Ridgeville #10 – Lion’s Honor http://bookbit.ly/lhare
Maya: Wisdom from the Queen (FREE) http://bookbit.ly/mayaare
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Part IX
Lion’s Honor
Sometimes the Queen of the Jungle needs to lean on her King. Okay, she’s really not the queen and he’s totally not the king, but damn it, they need each other.
Four years ago, werelioness Honor Mauer walked away from Ridgeville and hopped on a plane bound for London. She had college dreams and none of them included her pesky maybe-mate Grayson. (Even if he is the hottest thing to ever walk on two legs—and four.)
All is fantastically furry in London until she goes through her first heat. Then her world collapses, her bright, obnoxious eyes dim, and she runs home with her tail tucked between her legs. Too bad the London werelion who sent her scurrying home decides to show up just as she’s feeling a little less psychotic. Bastard.
Werelion Grayson got his curvy, luscious mate back on U.S. soil and he refuses to let her go. He knows there’s a lot of emotional work to do, but he didn’t become Ridgeville’s Second by turning belly up at the first sign of trouble. She’s his. The quicker she realizes that—and opens her heart to healing—the better. He’s got a plan for a life filled with love, laughter, and cubs and it sorta requires her cooperation.
Just when he thinks her recovery is around the corner, the male who’d hurt Honor shows up in Ridgeville. Which is a good thing, really, since it gives Grayson a chance to kill him. It’s like Christmas in July.
66
“I heard that fear eats the soul… As long as it doesn’t come after my ice cream, I’m cool with that. Who said I had a soul to begin with?” — Maya O’Connell, Prima of the Ridgeville Pride and woman who really does have a soul, but not much of one. She gave birth to the Devil’s spawns, after all. Er, she means her adorable, lovable, totally not evil twins, Easton and Weston. Right.
Ridgeville hadn’t changed in four years. At least, the airport hadn’t. The cracks in the tarmac outside Gate A were still present. A few weeds grew through the slender spaces and reached for the sun. A small dandelion peeked past the edge of one break, and Honor had the urge to pluck it from the ground and take it to Carly. The small wererabbit mated to Neal loved dandelions.
Of course, snaring the treat for the woman involved leaving the plane.
She wasn’t quite ready.
The scents of the pilot and flight attendant burned her nose, but they also intrigued her lioness. The man and woman were a mated pair, wererabbits from the Ridgeville Warren. But rabbits were not on the cat’s menu. That was a direct order from Maya, the pride’s Prima. And yet they still scented of prey and aroused the beast. The cat, still half broken and timid as hell, wanted to assert its dominance over those two. It wanted to be strong, able to care for itself.
Her cell phone rang, the soft song filling the Prime’s private plane while it also vibrated in her hand. She didn’t have to look at the caller ID to know who attempted to reach her. After sitting in the taxied plane for two hours and refusing to get out, she figured she should answer.
Honor swiped her thumb across the screen and brought it to her ear. “Hello.”
“Honor, how are you doing?”
She sighed and sank into the leather seat. Some of her tension, the worry and unease that’d chased her across the Atlantic, fled at the deep, masculine voice. “Prime.”
“Mm-hm. You feel like coming out?” Her Prime—Alex—sounded so calm. She wished she felt the same.
She swallowed and fought the rising panic in her soul. “I dunno.”
“Okay.” He paused. “Mind if I come in? We can walk out together.”
Now the panic shoved at her, pushed and struck her. “No.” She shook her head, even if he couldn’t see her. “No.”
“All right. Could you let the pilot and flight attendant go? Their kits are waiting for them at the sitter’s.”
She looked toward the small door at the front of the plane. The attendant had disappeared after Honor’s first snarl and flash of fang. The lion recognized them as delicious game, but she pushed down the need to chase them. They had children. Kits waiting on them, ones who called them “Mom” and “Dad.” She couldn’t tear them from the small ones.
“Yeah, okay.” She drew in a deep breath and cursed herself for the act. The rising fear from the pilot’s cabin teased the beast. “Lemme go in the bathroom first. Lock the door.”
“That sounds fine. Let me know when you’re there.” Alex didn’t seem the least bit stressed. He didn’t sound like a leader handling one of his edgy lions. A lion who was about to lose her shit inside his million-dollar private plane.
Honor rose and padded down the aisle, passing row after row of plush leather seats. All empty. It’d taken one call, a handful of sentences, and then her Prime sent for her. He’d facilitated her return to Ridgeville, and now waited patiently for her to deplane.
Alex generally wasn’t known for his patience.
At the end of the walkway, she grasped the polished handle on the bathroom door and turned the knob. She slowly stepped into the small enclosure, fighting her cat with every flex of muscle. It snarled and growled at her, shoving its instinctual need to dominate forward. After what they endured, they wanted power, control. The animal alternated between regret at its part in what happened months ago and the urge to assert its power over others.
She tugged the door closed and flipped the lock. Before speaking again, she flicked the toilet lid down and then lowered herself to the surface. She stared at the steel-reinforced panel that separated her from the r
est of the plane.
“Okay. Tell them to go ahead.” She swallowed the saliva pooling in her mouth.
Can’t eat the rabbits. Can’t kill the rabbits. Can’t eat the rabbits…
The hushed whispers of the mated couple reached her. She couldn’t make out the words, but a new wave of their fear assaulted her.
“Prime.” Her voice shook with the effort.
“You’re not moving. Do you hear me, Honor? You. Will. Not. Move.” The words were a harsh order, her Prime’s displeasure and power imbuing every syllable.
The lion reacted, responded to their leader’s command, and immediately whined. It eased away, softly crying as it was pushed to the back of her mind. “Yes, Prime.”
Finally, the noises of their departure eased, and she didn’t hear a single sound. She was alone. Alone and safe.
“Can you come to me?” The gruff tone was gone, and he was back to the soothing, cajoling pitch.
“Maybe,” she whispered and stood, taking a single step to the door. She stroked the lock, fingers gliding over the shined surface, leaving fingerprints in her wake. “You’re alone?”
“Not a soul is at the airport, Honor. I gave you my word.”
He had. He’d promised no one would be around when she arrived.
“Okay.”
“Open the door.”
She grasped the handle. A flick with her thumb disengaged the lock, and she turned the knob. The door swung open on silent hinges, and then he was there, Alex, her protector. “Prime.”
The cell phone slipped from her grasp, clattering to the carpeted floor. She didn’t hesitate, didn’t even pause for a moment. She wrapped herself around his massive body, letting him support her weight. He was the strongest, fiercest lion she knew, and he would keep her safe.
Tears, tears she hadn’t released since that week, coursed down her cheeks. She pressed her face to his chest, drawing his flavors into her lungs. Home. Power. Safety.
Alex rubbed his cheek across the top of her head, and she knew it was the move of a Prime reclaiming one of the members of his pride. He was transferring his scent to her, telling one and all she belonged to him, to the Ridgeville pride.
A deep, rumbling purr came deep within his chest and transferred to her, shaking her gently. Honor’s cat responded in kind, matching the tempo, the rise and fall of the rolling sounds.
Their embrace continued, gradually shifting from one of desperation to soothing comfort. For the first time in months, she relaxed. The hum of their cats eased, slowing until they were quiet.
“Are you ready?” Alex whispered.
“Yes,” she replied, the word soft.
Her Prime eased from her clinging embrace and gripped her wrist, fingers encircling her. He was showing her he was in charge. Showing her he was strong enough to control a lioness in his pride.
She needed that. Especially when the lioness alternated between cowering fear and the overwhelming need to dominate, to prove it was stronger than someone.
Honor followed him down the aisle and off the plane, not caring she’d left her phone. Her Prime didn’t slow as she rushed after him across the tarmac. His familiar SUV was parked near the building. She didn’t pay attention to where she planted her feet. She trusted him to lead her while she kept her gaze constantly sweeping the area. Her lioness hunted, sought out anyone nearby. No, hunted was the wrong word. Trembled and looked for any reason it should run and hide. It searched for others who could hurt them.
Alex tightened his grip, reminding her no one could injure her if he was close.
She was fine. Safe.
The Prime released her long enough to secure her in the SUV. He strode around the vehicle and climbed in, settling behind the steering wheel. The second his door shut, she engaged the locks. It wouldn’t be much to a lion determined to get at her, but it was something.
“I don’t need details, Honor, but I need to know who hurt you. Who made you this way?” His voice was rough, deep, tinged with more than a little of his lion.
He wanted to know who’d turned her into this trembling mess. Who’d transformed her from outgoing, obnoxious, smiling, sarcastic Honor to afraid of her own shadow Honor?
She rested her head against the window’s cool glass, turning her gaze from him. She willed back the tears and shoved away memories that threatened. “London. The London pride.”
She imagined Alex jerking his head in a quick nod, an action she’d seen a thousand times as she grew up. He started the engine and popped the SUV into gear. She followed their path with her eyes. The tarmac passed in a blur as they approached the fence surrounding the airport. The gates parted, granting them exit, and they roared onto the street.
Mile after mile passed, the SUV zooming along the barren road. “You really banished everyone.”
The Prime grunted. “When one of my lions asks for help, tells me what they need, I listen. You’re mine, Honor. That’s all it took.” If only more Primes held the same beliefs. If only more Primes didn’t have psychotic sons. “The streets will remain empty until we get to the pride house.”
Honor turned to him and whispered, “Thank you.”
“Don’t thank me yet.” He sighed and scraped his palm over his cheek. It was a move the Prime made when thinking about his mate, Maya. “I can command everyone in the pride but the Prima. She’s still at the pride house with the cubs.”
Honor nodded. She knew it was a long shot to have the Prime, his protection, to herself. “I understand.”
Her lioness bristled at the presence of another female and cubs, of others who would distract the male who protected them, but she soothed the beast. Honor couldn’t be expected to claim all of his time when he had a family.
“I’ll”—the word cracked with a hint of a sob—“I’ll do my best to get over this, to move out as soon as I can.”
“You know your parents or Brute would welcome you.”
Honor shuddered. She couldn’t see her parents, couldn’t see their disappointment or hurt. As for her brother Brute… He was mated to a Sensitive, a lioness with the ability to slide into another’s mind, read their thoughts. Worse, she could manipulate that person. Make them do things, make them want to do things.
No, she didn’t want to be around a Sensitive ever again. Not after London.
“I know. But I need…” She needed to not be around others.
“And you’ll get it. You’ll have to suffer through the attentions of Maya, Easton, and Weston, though.” He chuckled, and her heart lifted a tiny bit. “I’m not sure who will be the worst of the bunch. Maya will want to feed you ice cream and wine. East will order you to feel better already, and West will spend just as much time yelling at East for being insensitive.”
The boys were so big now, so grown up. She’d forgotten life went on even while hers fell apart. The twins were six, one destined to be the Prime someday while the other would become his Second.
“As long as…” She licked her lips, wondering if her continued requests would push Alex over the edge and have him shoving back. “No one else will be there? Not…”
Not him. God knew she couldn’t deal with him. Not now that she’d endured her first heat. Honor suspected his scent would draw her lioness to the surface, and she didn’t think she could tolerate the animal rising that far. She wasn’t ready to face the truth, to face the fact that Grayson was something more than the Prime’s Second. She didn’t want to acknowledge the massive, domineering male was her mate.
“No one.” Her Prime’s assurance was final, solid and sure.
Good. That was good. Wasn’t it?
* * *
Grayson shouldered his carry-on bag and held his breath as he wound his way through the Ridgeville airport. It was filled with shifters, local and not. Ever since the town began hosting others for training as well as welcoming those harmed by Freedom, the place had become a zoo. Almost literally.
Freedom. His lion growled at the thought of the disbanded group. Alistair McCai
n was their leader. At least until one of their own females—Deuce’s mate Elly—shot him in the head. Freedom and Alistair’s illegal activities came to an end that instant.
He stopped short of running over a wererabbit kit who’d scampered into his path. Her sweet, clean scent hit him, reminding him of what he didn’t yet have.
Cubs.
His lion growled, annoyed they were being forced to endure so many scents at once. Then it snarled over the fact they hadn’t flown across the Atlantic and hunted their mate at any point in the last four years while she attended college. It wanted to start a family, wanted cubs.
Yeah, well, his human half wanted that, too. But he promised her parents and brother he wouldn’t force the issue. He vowed he wouldn’t chase her so he could be with her during her first heat. Whatever she did at that time was her own business.
He still wanted to kick his own ass about that.
A massive male trundled past him, and he drew in his scent, trying to figure out what type of shifter grew men so large. His lungs expanded, pulling air in. He almost coughed and choked on the perfume-laden flavors sinking into him.
Huh. The large man was human. Who knew they came that big?
Shaking his head, he kept moving, following the crowd toward baggage claim and his fucking ride. Then again, he shouldn’t take his anger out on whoever was unlucky enough to pick him up. That’d be saved for his Prime. Why the hell did he have to take a commercial flight?
Grayson finally emerged from airport hell and made his way out of the building and stood on the curb. A double honk of a horn drew his attention, and he moved toward a familiar grey truck parked nearby.
In less than a minute, he tossed his bag into the backseat of Ricker’s truck and then settled in the front seat. The massive, deadly tiger was on edge. The scent teased Grayson’s nerves, awakening his lion and putting it on alert.