To Lie With Lions: A BBW Shifter Romance (Wolf Rock Shifters Book 4)

by Carina Wilder

  Again, the paper went down. Conrad Malcolm’s face took on an expression of sadness which he seemed immediately to correct into something approaching rage.

  “Who is he?”

  “He’s the son of the couple who own the ranch. He’s just finished a university degree.”

  “I don’t care if he has a PhD in astrophysics. You’re not going to be dating some rancher’s son. I raised you better than that.”

  “Yes, that’s right. You raised me to be a snob and to hate anyone who doesn’t have money growing out of their armpits.”

  “I don’t want to hear any more about it. If you want to ride, so be it. But no dating.”

  “No, of course not. Because I’m only twenty-three and can’t make up my own mind.”

  “Cecile, my patience is wearing thin. You know the consequences if you defy me.”

  “I’m not entirely sure I do, dad. But I’ll keep that in mind.”

  With that, she turned and left the room.

  ***

  Nash drove to the wolf pack’s cabin that afternoon, determined to find his way to the bottom of the attack. He’d met the alpha, Tristan, a few times, and knew him to be a good, fair and honest man. He was also immensely strong and his pack generally didn’t mess with him.

  When Nash arrived, he found the place all but deserted, though.

  The wolf pack’s residence was one of the few locations in Wolf Rock that never seemed to change. It had started out as a large log cabin and had remained exactly that; an organic, integral part of the surrounding woods. Even its occupants seldom changed; the alpha and his mate lived there and other pack members came and went according to need and duty. Most had a house or apartment in the town, but all were vigilant and ready to defend the pack and the town’s residents when needed. At least, that was Nash’s experience with them.

  He wandered in through the unlocked front door. Only a few men milled about, cooking and tidying up. No one seemed pressed for time or to have a care in the world.

  “Hi,” Nash said as he slowly made his way into the cabin. A man was lounging on the couch.

  “Hey.”

  “I’m Nash. I’ve come from the Richardson ranch. Do you know where Tristan is?”

  “He and Nikki are having problems with the baby; it looks like it’ll be premature. So they’re off in the city for a few weeks. They’ve left Dascha in charge. That, it turns out, wasn’t such a great idea.”

  “Why not?”

  The man leaned forwards in order to speak quietly. “He’s having some problems with a woman. Another shifter. She’s rejecting him and it’s making him a little nuts. To say he’s preoccupied would be the greatest understatement in history.”

  “Oh, Jesus.”

  “Yeah, it’s not pretty. The pack’s a little scattered at the moment. But I’ll call him down for you.”

  “Okay,” said Nash.

  “Dascha!” yelled the young man. “Someone’s looking for ya.”

  A tall, well-built man began to head down the stairs towards the living room. His forehead was beaded with sweat and he looked pallid and ill. Nash had seen this before; it was the result of incompatible attraction. Dascha’s body would be telling him he’d found his mate, but for whatever reason she wasn’t seeing it. It was enough to make a young male shifter lose his mind. The only cure was generally time or to have the woman come around, but either way, Dascha would suffer in the meanwhile.

  “What can I do for you?” said the man, wiping the sweat from his brow.

  “My name’s Nathaniel—Nash. I was out on a ride this morning when a wolf—a shifter—attacked a calf in front of me.”

  “Oh yeah? That seems unlikely,” said Dascha. “He can’t have been from around here.”

  “He was grey with the typical blue eyes,” said Nash. “Other than that he ran off too fast for me to notice any distinguishing features.”

  “Well, I don’t know him. There are grey wolves around, of course, but our guys wouldn’t do that. Never.” Dascha steadied himself by placing a hand on the wooden bannister at the base of the stairs.

  “Are you sure? So you’re saying he came from another territory?”

  “I’m saying he had to have done, because our pack doesn’t kill livestock.” The substitute alpha advanced now, looming in front of Nash in a manner that would have intimidated anyone but a lion shifter. The look in his eyes was that of a lunatic, and out of the corner of his own eye Nash saw the man on the couch rise as though to stop his temporary leader doing any serious damage.

  The door opened behind them and a female voice said, “What’s going on here?”

  Nash turned to see a redheaded young woman standing in the doorway. She had the eyes of a shifter, though not a wolf. And her curves only confirmed it.

  “This guy says a wolf attacked a calf,” said Dascha, his voice hoarse as new sweat beaded on his forehead. “He thinks it was one of us.”

  The woman stood for a moment, examining Nash.

  “I see. You didn’t see his human form?” she asked.

  “No.”

  “Okay. Well, it probably wasn’t one of us. I’m sure Dascha’s told you that we don’t go in for that sort of thing. By the way, I’m Zoe.” She extended a hand towards Nash, deliberately pulling him away from the temporary alpha.

  “Nash.” He shook her hand firmly.

  “Nice to meet you, Nash.”

  “You too. Are you a part of the pack? You don’t look…” He stopped himself, worried that he’d say something offensive. This was a habit that he was trying to break. It was a slow process.

  “I’m sort of an adopted member, but I’m not a wolf. I check in a lot, especially with Nikki and Tristan out of town. I promised to keep an eye on things, if you know what I mean.”

  “Ah, okay. Well, I guess I’ll be going. If you hear anything, would you let me know? I’m at the Richardson ranch.”

  “Sure,” said Zoe. “Here, listen, I’ll walk you out.”

  As she closed the door behind them, Zoe said, “A friend of mine has seen your wolf.”

  “What? Where?” Nash asked, attempting to keep his voice down.

  “Kyla, a member of the wolf pack. She has visions. Sometimes she sees things that are happening before they happen, that sort of thing. Anyhow, she saw your grey wolf—yes, she said he was grey—in her mind’s eye.”

  “And do you know who he is?”

  “I don’t. He’s not a member of the pack. But that doesn’t mean the guys here don’t know anything.”

  “What do you mean?”

  “Dascha is power-hungry. He’s always wanted to be the alpha. It’s possible—I’m not saying that it’s probable—that he’s in on the game. We’ll keep an eye on him. But whatever happens, I suspect this isn’t the last we’ve seen of this wolf, and I’m a little worried that things are going to get complicated. Unfortunately, Nikki picked a hell of a time to give birth.”

  “What can I do to help?” asked Nash.

  “Keep an eye out. Give me your cell phone,” Zoe said.

  He handed it to her and she dialled her number. “Save that, and use it. If you find out anything, let me know. If there’s some kind of corruption in the pack I want to avoid letting them in on everything. It’s dangerous, and we need to only talk to people we trust.”

  “Okay, I got it,” said Nash. He trusted this woman, though he wasn’t sure why. She seemed somehow to be more concerned with the welfare of the pack than Dascha did, whether because of his sexual preoccupation or something else.

  That evening, Nash’s father received a phone call from the ranch next door. When he finished the conversation, he sat down with Nash and his mother, a concerned look on his face.

  “It seems that someone came by Frank’s ranch house today,” he said. “They told him they could protect him from harm and further attacks. For a fee.”

  “But that’s extortion!” said Mrs. Richardson.

  “Yes, it is. It doesn’t sit well with me. It’s
like all of a sudden the mafia has come to Wolf Rock.”

  “Who is it who came by? Was it a shifter?” asked Nash.

  “Yes. A sort of weedy little man, he said. Not a powerful one, at least not physically. But he had a sort of a brute with him, I suppose to intimidate anyone they came across.”

  “So he doesn’t know what their animal forms were?”

  “No. But they weren’t wolves, at least he didn’t think so. It’s possible that they genuinely want to offer security. But what I’d like to know is, how did they know about the wolf attack? It’s not exactly common knowledge.”

  “No idea,” said Nash. “I went to the wolves’ cabin today but none of them seemed to be aware of it, and they’re all convinced it wasn’t a member of their pack.”

  “That’s all well and good,” said Mrs. Richardson, “but what are people like us supposed to do? What if they come for the horses?”

  “If they do that, mom, I’ll protect us,” said Nash. “Don’t forget, we’re lions.”

  “I know. But I haven’t fought anything since I was young. Neither has your father.”

  “Well, I’ll look after the place. Don’t you worry. I’m pretty good at fighting, in case you don’t remember.”

  “Yes, Nash, so every administrator at your college has let us know again and again. Well, this is the one time I wouldn’t mind if that temper of yours flared up like a case of herpes.”

  “I’ll keep that in mind, mom. And maybe pick a different analogy.”

  “Gonorrhea, then.”

  “Much better.”

  Nash phoned Zoe that evening and told her about the neighbours’ visitor.

  “This isn’t good,” she said. “Thanks for the heads up though. Tell me, do you know Conrad Malcolm? The mogul who just moved here?”

  “I don’t. But I’ve met his daughter. She’s…nice,” said Nash, his mind filling with the image of Cecile’s full, rounded body on that saddle, and his mouth wanting to emit words like “incredibly sexy, rideable, edible and doable.”

  “Do you think you could get close to her?”

  “Not sure. Why?”

  “Just a hunch. Nothing concrete, but I wonder if maybe he engages in some less than savoury business practices.”

  “I’ll see what I can do,” said Nash.

  “Be careful.”

  “I will.”

  Nash hung up and tried to figure out how he could get Cecile back to the ranch.

  He didn’t have to think too long, though. The following morning she phoned early and said she wanted to come riding again.

  “I need to clear my head,” she said.

  “Okay, come by anytime,” said Nash.

  “I’ll be there in half an hour.”

  Cecile arrived, dressed in much the same way as the previous day. Nash’s parents were in the stable, mucking out stalls and tending to the horses so he invited her into the house.

  He handed her a cup of coffee and the two sat on the couch in the living room, in front of a roaring fire. Nash took in Cecile now, his face breaking into a smile as he did so. She really was gorgeous. And something about her bee-stung lower lip made him want to bite it.

  “Have you heard anything more about the attack?” she asked.

  “I have,” he said, hesitating. “But I’m not sure how much I should tell you.”

  “Nash,” she said, laying fingertips on his thigh. This move caught him off guard and caused his cock to twitch and he wanted her, suddenly, to keep her hand moving.

  “You can trust me,” she added, seemingly unaware of the effect she was having on his anatomy.

  “If you keep touching me like that I’ll tell you anything,” he said. This was the opposite of what was meant to occur. He was supposed to be interrogating her, and yet she was weaving a spell on him.

  Cecile pulled her hand back, laughing. “Sorry,” she said. “I didn’t mean to be so forward.”

  “That’s quite all right. It’s not like I wasn’t enjoying it.”

  By now he was telling his cock to calm itself as it strained against his jeans. Damn it, why did he have to be at his parents’ place? It was time to consider renting his own apartment.

  “Anyhow,” he said, “someone showed up at the ranch and offered them protection. For a fee.”

  Cecile seemed to go white and the hand that was holding the coffee dropped suddenly, nearly spilling it.

  “Sorry,” she said. “Damn it, I’m a klutz.”

  “It’s okay.” He handed her a napkin. “Jesus, just tell me, Cecile, what do you know? It’s obvious that something’s going on in your mind.”

  “I don’t…I don’t know anything, not really. But I’ve heard of these protection rackets. It’s an easy way for shifters to extract money from people. Humans and weaker shifters tend to be fearful enough to just want to be left alone.”

  “What I’d like to know is where it’s all coming from,” said Nash. “Who the boss is.”

  “Do you have any leads?” asked Cecile.

  “No, though the wolf alpha’s out of town for a while and I don’t think his replacement is the most trustworthy guy.”

  Cecile breathed a quiet sigh of relief, hoping that Nash wouldn’t read her body language. If they thought the replacement alpha was a suspect, that meant that her father was most likely not being considered.

  “Well, I hope we can sort it out before anyone gets hurt,” she said, putting the coffee down on the table in front of her. She moved closer to Nash, looking into his eyes, and put her hand on his thigh again.

  “So listen,” she said. “I have to come clean: yes, I would have loved to go for a ride today. But I came here, really, to ask you something. I was wondering if you’d go out with me sometime.”

  “Oh, man.”

  “Is that a no?”

  “I’m just not used to being touched and asked out by a woman like you. You’re so…”

  Before Nash could finish the sentence, Cecile had put a soft hand around his neck and was pulling his face to hers. Her swollen lips made contact with his, sending electrical jolts from his brain down to his cock, which seemed to want to defy the laws of physics and make its way out of his pants before they were undone.

  Nash kissed her back, his hand reaching around her, pulling her onto him so that her thighs were on either side of his hips. Oh, God, yes. This was what he’d wanted when he’d watched her astride the horse.

  He felt her ease onto him, pressing herself into his pelvis, rubbing her body into his, slowly and deliberately. She was delighted, he knew, to make him grow for her. She was the sort of woman who would revel in that feat.

  “Cecile,” he moaned between kisses.

  “Mmm?”

  “I will happily go out on a date with you. And let’s face it: I would happily tear every bit of your clothing off and…make love to you right here.”

  “Would you?” she asked, her voice sultry.

  “Except that my parents will come in any minute now.”

  “Well then,” she said, kissing his neck, “We’ll have to find somewhere else to go on our date.”

  “Fuck,” he said. “You’re killing me.”

  “I know. If it makes you feel any better, you’re killing me too.”

  She sat back and looked at his body, her legs still around him. Nash’s form was perfection, even clothed, and Cecile could feel his firm, pronounced muscles under the hands that had wrapped themselves around his arms. She let her eyes glide down his torso, stopping when they arrived at the bulge in his pants. Nash watched her full lips curl up in a smile.

  “Yes,” he said, “You did that.”

  “Well, I’m very pleased with myself.”

  “As well you should be.”

  She leaned in and kissed him again, their tongues mingling in perfect synchronicity. God, she tasted good.

  “I want you,” she whispered when they’d stopped.

  “I want you too. Hell, I’ve wanted you since the moment I laid eyes on you
.”

  “Where can we go?”

  Nash reached a hand out and with his fingertips he caressed her breast, feeling the hard peak of a nipple grow still harder through her sweater.

  “Let me think about that. For now we might have to go for coffee like civilized people. Shifters. Cats. Animals.”

  “Aw,” said Cecile, a mock pout on her face.

  Nash leaned in and kissed her breast to make up for her disappointment.

  “I don’t think anyone’s ever turned me on like this,” she laughed. “I’m not usually so aggressive, I swear.”

  “It’s okay. I like it. A woman who knows what she wants.”

  Cecile thrust her hips into him again, her body rubbing up against his swollen shaft.

  “I want this,” she said. “I want your body.”

  Nash’s fingers were around her waist now, stroking her curves through her clothes.

  “I think you know by now that I want yours, too.”

  “Well, we’re in agreement then. You call me later and we’ll meet up somewhere.”

  “I will,” replied Nash. “Jesus, I feel like a high school kid trying to figure out where to make out.” He leaned forwards and said, “And ‘make out’ is nowhere near what I want to do with you. There is no word in the English language for what I want to do to your body.”

  “No? How about ‘fuck?’”

  “That doesn’t begin. I want to be part of you. I want to consume you. I want to engrave my signature into your flesh.”

  Cecile allowed her eyes to lock on his. The intensity of the glacier-colour of hers seemed to penetrate him to the core.

  “You, Nash, are hereby invited to carve your first, middle and last names into me wherever you see fit. Just maybe not the face.”

  “Okay. Fair enough.” Nash kissed her one last time.

  Her tongue was silk. His cock was stone. He was in Heaven and Hell at the same time.

  Cecile dismounted his lap just as they heard the front door open. By the time Nash’s parents were inside, she was standing, ready to greet them with a smile while their son tried to calm the throbbing erection between his legs. Then again, there was nothing like one’s parents entering a room to soothe one’s arousal.