When a Lioness Hunts (A Lion's Pride Book 8)

by Eve Langlais

  He shouted, and his hands automatically gripped her ass, digging his fingers in. She didn’t need much from him. She bounced, flexing and grinding, driving his dick deep inside, the channel of her sex squeezing him.

  She came quickly, and he followed, shouting as he spurted hotly. Knowing he was acting out of character. He’d forgotten to even slip a condom from his pocket, and she’d never paused. Surely, she took birth control.

  As for anything else…there were clinics for that. Not the sexiest thought, given she panted against him.

  She sighed. “Oh, that hit the spot.” Off she sprang, hitting the floor and tugging her panties back over her ass.

  “We should sluice off,” he said, knowing the scent of sex would cling to them both.

  The grin she tossed had a mischievous glint to it. “I don’t plan to, and take my advice; you’ll want the scent of me on you, too. It will prevent any misunderstandings as to your position.”

  “I fail to see what you could possibly mean.”

  “Trust me. You don’t want to meet Marney as a single man. You’ll get eaten up.”

  “So you’re going to have me pretend to be your boyfriend?”

  At that, she laughed. “As if Marney would believe that. You’re going as my boy toy. Lucky you, I have just the right outfit.”

  Chapter Eight

  The look on his face?

  Priceless.

  Especially when she found the leather-studded collar and asked if he wanted to wear it to complete his ensemble.

  “I am not going as some sex slave,” Theo hotly retorted.

  He looked so adorable with his tie slightly askew. Color in his cheeks, his lips…Mmm, the things those lips could do.

  “What about submissive? My love muffin? How about hot meat on a walking stick?”

  He glared, and her amusement only grew. In the end, he refused her offers to dress him so that he would fit in. Not the smartest choice. He had no idea he was about to enter a world that would eat him up. Literally.

  The guilt over what she planned bit her hard. Never mind her orders, she was walking him into a trap. He had no clue. It was bothersome enough she wanted to scream. Shake him a little and warn him to run far and fast. Not that it would matter. The pride hunters would find him.

  Knowing he was doomed hadn’t stopped her from having sex. She couldn’t help herself. Being with him ignited her mind and body.

  If only he were somebody else. A shapeshifter like her. Or someone that could handle the truth like Arik’s mate, Kira. But Theo was so damned rigid. He’d probably turn them over to his government pals, and then bad stuff would really happen.

  Such a shame he had to die.

  However, she wouldn’t make it easy. She would try and offer him some protection, and that started with the right outfit. She needed to convey a bad biatch on the loose vibe. A touch my man and I will rip off your arm and beat you with it kind of air.

  To that end, she wore ripped jeans, tight in all the right places, lacings keeping the seams shut on each side. A quick release if she needed to change shapes. A black tank top that would tear easily. No undies. Because if she had to shift, she’d rather they not get caught in her tail. She still remembered the fiasco that year she dressed up as a certain superhero. When it came time to shift, she got stuck in her fancy outfit. Luna loved to send her that pic every year to remind her.

  With any luck, there shouldn’t be any need for her feline tonight. When Marney demanded she leave Theo with them, Melly would agree and walk away.

  Rowr. Her feline side didn’t like that idea one bit. Odd how she seemed to really like the human. She blamed it on boredom. Her other half hadn’t been out for a run in a while. She sought entertainment anywhere.

  Soon, my sweet kitty. The full moon approached. While she could control herself, it would be harder if she didn’t soon blow off some lion steam.

  Strutting out of her room, she found Theo sitting on a kitchen stool. He pivoted when he heard her. The appreciation in his gaze almost made her delay again. What if the last time truly was the last time?

  Then she’d have obeyed her king.

  “I need a drink and so do you.”

  “Alcohol is probably not a good idea right now.”

  She tossed him a smile over her shoulder. “It’s always a good idea. Just one for courage.”

  “I’m fine.” As if to defy him, his body reacted, and he sneezed.

  She had something to fix that. She went to the cupboard and pulled out two shot glasses.

  “You will have a shot with me. And you will like it. Understood?” She pulled out a bottle of cinnamon Fireball that made even her eyes water, but it would mask any taste.

  She held out the small glass, and he hesitated before snatching it.

  She tapped hers against his. “Bottoms up.” She tilted it and, the moment it hit her mouth, quickly swallowed. It burned, her mouth caught on cinnamon fire. She gasped, certain she’d see flames.

  She blinked watering eyes to see Theo looking as calm as ever. A quick peek at his glass showed it empty.

  “Damn, Poindexter.”

  “If we’re done?”

  “Oh, I’m not done with you yet, but that will have to wait until later.”

  With lips painted a shocking red, she kissed him, leaving a visible mark that he didn’t know to wipe off. Her sweet geek had no idea how to handle someone like her. He’d never get the chance either if she didn’t take care of him.

  Surely there was a way to make Arik happy and keep Theo alive. She just had to think of it. She snared Theo by the hand and dragged him downstairs. “We’ll take my bike.”

  “That deadly crotch rocket? I don’t think so.”

  “Is that supposed to be a commentary on female drivers?”

  “No, it’s because I’m well aware of your driving record. Three fender benders and six tickets.”

  “The German autobahns don’t have speed limits.”

  “Because they expect people to use common sense. I wouldn’t recommend you move there.”

  Her mouth rounded as he managed a very good dig. “That was well done. But we’re still taking my bike.”

  “I can drive.”

  She shook her head. “Your car screams federal employee. All boring and shit. That kind of vehicle isn’t ever seen in the part of town we’re going. Besides, we won’t be riding for long. We’ll be parking the bike and going mostly on foot.” The underground tunnels weren’t exactly conducive to automotive travel. Although hoverboards and Segways were popular. She really should get one, or both. She and the other lionesses could have races. She’d always wondered if the boards would hover more than a few inches off the ground, say off the edge of a building.

  “I am not dressed to ride. I don’t even have a helmet.”

  “Don’t worry. I’ll protect that sweet noggin of yours.”

  He didn’t seem impressed when she borrowed the bright pink helmet belonging to Delaney.

  “I am not wearing this,” he flatly stated.

  “Is your masculinity threatened?” she asked sweetly, dangling it by one strap.

  “It says PMS Princess.”

  “More like rampaging diva. We were being polite when we got it for her birthday.”

  He crossed his arms and refused to touch it. “Find me something plain.”

  “Giving me orders? Who would have thought it?”

  “Just because I like cerebral things doesn’t mean I’m a pushover.”

  “I’ll be damned. You gave me shit, and yet did it in a sexy way. How can I resist?” She tweaked his nose. “Give me a second.”

  He accepted the simple blue helmet she found, and when he climbed behind her on the bike, she got a secret thrill at the feel of his arms around her. She’d never tell her friends. They’d mock her for sure.

  Theo was a fun partner in bed. An entertaining person, but she had to remind herself he was human, meaning fragile. Given his nature, he might not fit in too easily with the
rest of the pride. Especially given her role. The hunters couldn’t afford weakness of any kind.

  Pity. Because she really, really liked him.

  Theo held on tight as she sped them through the city streets. With the waning day, the traffic lessened in some areas, increased in others, but not where they were going. The only vehicles there tended to have noisy mufflers, souped-up frames and blaring music. The buses ran every hour, only because they had to. Rumor had it the drivers earned hazard pay. Not that it was truly all that bad, so long as you paid your dues and stayed on the Hyena Clan’s good side. Their matriarch ran a tight, laughter-filled crew.

  The lions tended to avoid them, but given Marney was only accessible via Hyena territory, an exception had to be made.

  The neon of the seedy motel’s sign flashed—three of the letters were burnt out or intentionally broken so that it went from spelling Slick and Buttery Hotel to Lick Butt Ho. It sold beds by the hour in an environment that even she would think twice about staying too long in.

  Delaney had gotten fleas from a date she had with a married guy at this hourly rental. Fleas which spread. Before they contained it, too many of them got itchy bites. But the embarrassing part was running out of the topical solution and having to wear those stupid white collars for a week while they fumigated the condos.

  Theo let go of her and got off the bike, pulling the helmet off. He didn’t look half as disheveled as he did when they were making out. It was a source of pride.

  “This is where we’re meeting your contact??” he asked, looking around. He set the helmet on the seat of the bike.

  As if it would stay there. Already she felt the eyes watching them. Coveting her things. Her gaze slewed from her motorcycle to Theo.

  My things. Time to make it clear who the bike and the man belonged to. With her back to Theo, Melly snarled at the shadows, letting the glow in her eyes shine, her teeth show. Letting them know what would happen if they messed with her. She’d eat them to prove a point and protect Theo. And who cared what Arik wanted?

  Her gaze froze on Theo, and she frowned. The instinct to guard him seemed unusually strong. She didn’t usually have heroic tendencies for those outside the pride. She also tended to avoid dragging most people along when she went to meet dangerous arms dealers.

  Yet he’d left her no choice. The deal to get her and the other biatches out of trouble was too good to pass up. Not her problem if the feds went after Marney for taxes and other stuff. The dealer had been asking for it of late anyhow. Dealing in things other than arms.

  Lab-produced drugs were bad. Why couldn’t people just be happy and mellow smoking weed?

  By the end of today, either Marney would be dealing with the IRS or Melly would be having a drink, toasting the geek she used to know.

  Melly led him inside the motel, wishing she could have dressed him so he wouldn’t stick out. Then again, maybe he’d be fine. This was a place where even the uptight in their nice suits came to indulge in their vices. They were easy to spot as they arrived, nervous and twitching.

  Not Theo, though. He had a stiff yet prideful posture to him, and he took in entirely too much. What did he think of the walls with their stains and marks of violence from the years?

  What of the person behind the reception counter with their rainbow-tinted hair, heavily done eye shadow, and pouty lips? They didn’t even look at Theo and Melly as they passed by.

  Melly opened a door marked utility. Metal stairs creaked as they went down, leading into a room filled with machinery, pipes, and wires. There was a surprising lack of debris and cobwebs. Probably because the metal hatch in the floor provided entrance to yet another level below.

  “How far down are we going?” he asked, a hint of caution in his tone.

  “Hard to say in feet, but it’s deeper than this. There are tunnels under the city. Some of them current. Some of them old. All of them interconnected.”

  “And that’s where this Marney person lives?”

  “I don’t know if they live there, but Marney definitely only does business in one of their lairs.”

  “Implying more than a few. How many are there?”

  She shrugged. “I’ve seen two. Josee says she’s seen three, and one of her meeting spots doesn’t sound like any I’ve visited. So who knows really?”

  “How do we know where Marney is then?”

  “Because we’ll have an escort of course. Surely you didn’t think they’d just let us walk in.” The moment she said it, they hit the last step and heard the click of guns.

  She knew to raise her hands, but Theo looked around like he was at some meet-and-greet. “Hello, I’m here to make a purchase.”

  He couldn’t have sounded more like a narc if he tried.

  The girl with the pink and green ponytail nudged him with the tip of her gun. “What the fuck? Did you rat us out to the popo?” she accused.

  Since lying would only get him killed, Melly went with the truth, just because it was so bloody strange. “This is Theo. He works for the IRS. He had questions about some of my receipts.”

  Shania, of the colored hair, snorted. “Bullshit.”

  Dumbass still thought he was dealing with people who played by the rules. “I assure you, it’s quite true. I work for the Internal Revenue Service. I have proof. Let me show you my badge.” Theo went to reach for the wallet.

  “Keep your hands where I can see them!” Shania barked.

  Even he understood that command. He raised his arms. “You can look for yourself if you’d like. Back pocket.”

  The offer resulted in Shania pawing at Theo, who did nothing to evade the groping. Melly scowled rather than do what her lioness suggested, whacking those straying hands away from Theo.

  Usually a good sharer, Melly would loan her last clean pair of undies, split a decadent caramel sundae, even let a biatch drive her bike, but she couldn’t help a low rumbling growl as Shania touched the man bearing her scent.

  If you wanted to make things clear, you should bite him. The suggestion from her feline side had her blinking in shock, and thus she only barely registered Shania’s next words.

  “Holy shit, he does have a badge.”

  Shania squinted at the emblem before handing it to Jenny. Jenny bit into it as if she could tell if it was legit. Whereas Barney ignored them all while he played on his phone.

  “You’re fucking the IRS,” snickered Shania. “I guess that’s one way to pay less taxes.”

  “Actually, Theo and I met because of a certain issue with my annual return,” Melly hedged.

  “And now you’re dragging him into a life of crime. How romantic,” Jenny said with a sigh.

  Less romantic and more crazy. Why had she agreed to this?

  Oh yeah, wiping the slate clean at the government bureau.

  Apparently thinking everything was chunky-cheese perfect—the curd kind, warm from the vat, being the best—Theo thought he’d just put that other foot in his mouth. “Now that you’re satisfied as to my credentials, I am formally requesting in my capacity as an agent for our federal government to meet the person who allegedly sold Ms. Goldeneyes military grade armaments.”

  “He’s requesting.” Jenny almost choked. The laughter was well deserved.

  Whereas Shania narrowed her gaze. “Whatever Ms. Goldeneyes is claiming is false. No military weapons here.”

  He eyed the gun in Shania’s hands. “Really?”

  “Have you actually seen these supposed guns and stuff the feline ho bought?” Shania slipped, or didn’t. The “didn’t” part being of more concern, as it meant she knew Theo wouldn’t be walking out of there alive.

  “As a matter of fact, no, I didn’t,” Theo admitted. “But despite the irregularity of the invoice, there appears to be some truth in her claims, because here you are. Doing your best to avoid answering questions.”

  “What questions? You haven’t really asked any yet,” Shania taunted.

  Melly craved some buttered popcorn as she waited for th
e next stupidity to come out of her strait-laced Theo’s mouth. He took “by the book” way too literally.

  “Are you or your employer selling weapons and other accoutrements? And if yes, have you been submitting the proper taxes for the revenues collected?”

  “You’ve got to be joking.” Shania’s jaw dropped. “No one is that dumb that they would…” Her voice trailed off, and her gaze narrowed, suspicion spiking in her. “You’re wearing a wire, ain’t you?”

  “I watched him dress. He doesn’t have one,” Melly stated, knowing and not liking where this was going.

  Shania knew it, too, damn that twat. “Says you.” Shania poked at him with the barrel of her gun. “I wanna see and make sure. Strip and hand your clothes to Jenny.”

  Melly moved toe to toe with the hyena girl in barely a heartbeat. The scent of Shania’s amusement surrounded her in a musk, which enflamed.

  Her lioness paced within, demanding they make the woman pay for her insolence. Disrespecting her was an insult to the pride.

  Theo placed a hand on her arm. “It’s fine. I can show them I’m not wearing anything.” The bastard, obviously eager to strip for an audience, slipped off his coat then his shirt while Melly tapped her foot and crossed her arms in agitation.

  There was much ogling of Theo’s upper body. For a human, he had a more-than-fine physique.

  “Keep going,” Shania ordered.

  Melly’s jealously coiled her hands into fists, and she rocked up onto the balls of her feet. She would deal with Shania first, then Jenny, leaving Barney for last.

  Never mind her orders from the king. The need to protect Theo overwhelmed everything.

  When Theo’s hands went to the waistband of his pants, Barney finally stepped in. “Keep the pants on, bud. You aren’t wired, and even if you were, it’s not like anyone can hear the signal. Where we’re going, no one will find you.”

  The annoyance in her eased as Theo dressed, calm as could be, which made no sense. A man like him—nerdy, in a suit and glasses, a pencil pusher by trade—should have been shaking in his loafers.