Fated for the Lion (6 page)

“Scent the air.” He urged. “You can tell if I’m lying to
you.”

“That’s the thing a liar would say.” She grumbled, but she
did inhale in a lungful of air. It was crisp and clean, like fresh laundry and
mountain air. Her lioness huffed in approval. Evidently that was what truth
smelled like. She didn’t want to know what lies were like.

“Will you stay?”

Lena couldn’t help but smile at the bright light in his
eyes. Her stupid eyes were watering from allergies. Definitely allergies, not
at all happy tears. “I’ll stay.”

A look of triumph entered his face, and his hands roamed
down her sides. He pressed her against him, and she caught a tangy smell of
male musk right before his hard cock pressed into her stomach.

“You’re going to be the perfect queen to my alpha.” He
trailed his lips across her jaw.

They were interrupted from doing any more exploring by the
first arrivals. Ethan groaned, and flipped her around. He still pressed against
her, and she felt heat slipping down her body. “Until later,” he whispered.

It seemed that everyone planned their arrival at the same
time. A huge rush of people threw open the front doors and streamed inside. The
number of people surprised Lena. She would need to ask Ethan later about the
shifter population. There were those rumors of a werewolf hoax on television,
but now she knew it had to be true. Just how many shifters lived among regular
humans?

One by one, the members of the pride walked by her and
introduced themselves. She wondered if she could order them all to wear
nametags until she remembered everyone. Then came the exchange of scents, where
they pressed their noses into necks and huffed deeply.

It was a decidedly odd experience. Ethan stood nearby, and
bristled anytime one of the lions lingered too long or gave her a lusty look.

“Down, boy.” She teased.

Ethan tensed. The lion nearest to her hurried on. “I can’t
help the possessiveness. The lion doesn’t like anyone unmated near you.”

“The lion, or you?” She quirked an eyebrow at him and he
shrugged.

Even for his possessive nature, Lena could see the pride in
Ethan’s eyes. These were his people, his pride of lions. She could see the care
he gave them. He didn’t take being alpha with a grain of salt. They were all
deserving of his care.

It filled her heart with something akin to love. Her lioness
chuffed and rolled on her back like a loon. It certainly wanted her to love
their mate, but Lena held back. She’d been through so much in the past day. She
needed at least one more day to process before saying the l-word.

She didn’t know if it was common practice, but she intended
to mark Ethan the same way he marked her. When she was ready.

After the meet and greet, everyone split into groups to
enjoy themselves. The new Sanford alpha wasn’t stingy with his money, and the
rest of the pride reaped the benefits. Booze flowed freely, and someone turned
on a stereo somewhere in the house.

Ethan left her side to help coordinate feeding all the
hungry carnivores, and Lena was left to her own devices. She wasn’t alone for
long, and suspected Ethan sent a group to keep her busy.

She chatted with those who came to her. Honestly, she was
grateful for the distraction. Her lion prowled in her mind. They were both
anxious to be alone with Ethan again, even if they were bonding with their
pride.

She tracked Ethan as soon as he came back into the living
room. He was in his element, and it was a joy to watch. He moved with such a
smooth grace that she didn’t know how she ever thought he was entirely human.
He met her gaze, and shot her a warm smile before turning back to the
conversation with Sam. She recognized him from throwing Ethan keys to his truck
earlier.

A woman slipped from somewhere in the house. She recognized
the blonde-bobbed receptionist from across the room. Lena frowned hard enough
to silence the lions around her. Emily, she’d been told her name. Emily hadn’t
been at her scent coronation. She felt snubbed.

Emily took Ethan’s hand and rubbed her cheek on his palm. Oh
hell no.

Her low growl cut off the man who cautiously tried to
continue his conversation with her, and he backed away a few steps. Lena
stalked forward, each step heavy with her inner cat. Emily didn’t notice until
it was far too late.

Lena yanked the other woman to the ground by her hair. Her
hands turned to claws and she dug into Emily’s arms. Skin and muscle parted
under her like butter. A new smell entered the air, and she recognized it as
blood. Her lioness licked her chops in excitement.

“Did you miss the mate mark?” Lena growled.

Emily squinched her eyes closed and madly shook her head.
“No, Queen. I’m sorry!”

“You must have missed it. You weren’t here to greet your Queen.
Too busy nosing in on someone else’s bedroom? Open your eyes!” Her voice was
lower than she expected, but full of command. She and the lioness were in
agreement.

Emily’s eyes eased open slowly. She tried to meet Lena’s
gaze, but slipped within seconds. She focused on the mate mark shining on Lena’s
skin and gulped.

Ethan lifted her off Emily, who took the opportunity to
scamper to the back of the crowd. Lena could smell the fear rolling off her in
waves. And something a little sullen. She was sure she’d need to be put in her
place a few more times before she got the picture.

Ethan pulled her close to him, and she could feel the heat
of his cock through their clothes. His very hard cock. She swallowed hard and
stopped struggling against him. His arousal fed into her own, and liquid heat
wet her pussy.

“Why don’t I show you the upstairs?”

It was the best idea she’d heard all day.

Ethan led Lena back through the house and to the staircase.
He caressed the lion banister almost lovingly. “My great-grandfather carved
them.” He explained.

As if she already wasn’t worried about his legacy. But he
looked eager to share pieces of himself with her, and she couldn’t fault that.
She wanted to share herself with him, too.

We waved at the various rooms they passed, just as he had
back at his penthouse. His mind was on one thing, and he didn’t have time to
open the doors and show her the decor.

“Guest bedrooms, bathroom. Room for our future cubs.”

That stopped her well short of the large, double doors at
the end of the hall. “Future cubs?” She raised an eyebrow.

He pulled her to him, and stroked his hand down her spine.
“You’re my mate. I want to see your belly swell with my children. It doesn’t
need to be tomorrow, but one day.”

Her inner lioness was happy with the sentiment. Lena got the
impression that the furball would be happy if it happened sooner than later.
She paced and stretched her claws before settling down with a contented purr.

She’d never really thought about children, other than
playing house in her childhood. As with everything else, Ethan made it all seem
so normal. She could see him bringing her breakfast in bed so she didn’t need
to waddle her large and pregnant belly downstairs before she was ready. Or
tossing the wild little kids into the air and catching them with sure hands.
“One day.” She answered.

“Now, our room.” He opened the door with a small flourish
and a bow, letting her skip inside before him.

It, like the penthouse, was definitely a bachelor’s domain.
He kept a similar heavy furniture style, but the room had more personal touches
than his city apartment. Large painted landscapes decorated the walls. His bed
was again impossibly large, and she was glad for it. She knew they’d use every
inch before morning dawned.

She turned to eye him up and down while moving backwards
into the room. She’d done her best to ignore his clothes when he changed at her
apartment, but now he had her entire attention. His shirt fit tightly against
his chest and arms, almost to the point where she could see the depressions
between the muscles of his stomach. His jeans did the same outlining trick with
his cock, and she could see the thick outline growing.

For her. All of it was because of and for her. He’d changed
her life the moment she met him in school. Then he’d done it again when she
happened upon him in the city.

She danced just out of his reach. No one else had ever made
her feel like a sexy temptress before. Ethan’s eyes heated as he prowled after
her, and she felt a thrill at being chased. She was a succulent treat that he
and his beast yearned to taste.

He caught her easily. His fingertips had sharpened into the
barest hint of claws.

“Don’t you dare rip my shirt,” she scolded, and tapped his
nose.

Ethan growled around a grin and pulled her shirt over her
head as he crowded her backward. She shivered as her back pressed into a cool
wall. He trapped both of her wrists in one of his hands and raised them over
her head. Her back arched, and pressed her breasts higher.
Ethan
licked his lips as he looked at her heaving chest.

“You’re perfect.” His hands ran over her curves and cupped
her breasts. “The most beautiful woman in the world. I want—
will
—be
with you forever.”

“Why, mate, I think you just told me you loved me.”

He growled into her neck, and his warm breath sent an
electric shock through her body. She’d never get tired of that.

“I love you,” he rumbled, “I love you, I love you, I love
you. Always have. I won’t be kept apart from you ever again. Damn anyone who
tries.”

Excitement pulsed through her veins. She could sense the truth
in his words. And under it all, a need to claim her and show her with his body.
Her heart pounded in her chest, ready for whatever he desired.

He claimed her lips in a powerful kiss. He nipped and bit at
her lower lip, laving over the small hurts before catching her lip between his
teeth again. The sweet flavor of him burst over her tongue, pulling a moan from
deep within her. He slipped his tongue into her mouth with a growl that made
her knees weak. He stroked and tangled with her tongue, demanding and giving
pleasure as one.

Lena panted when he released her. He nuzzled her neck, and
planted his lips across her jawline and just below her earlobe. The soft
touches made her squirm against him, and her nipples hardened against her bra.
They rubbed against the fabric, ratcheting her arousal higher with each rough
pant he lured from her lungs.

He settled his teeth against her shoulder, sharp fangs
barely grazing her skin. She knew the light touch could quickly turn to deadly
force, or be used to mark her as his. Desire or death, each brought its own
thrill. She whimpered against him, and felt liquid heat dampening her panties.

His free hand tore her bra from her body and freed her
breasts for his perusal. He dipped his head with glittering eyes, and rubbed his
cheek against the full globes. Her nipples tightened into sharp buds that
pouted for his attention.

Ethan laved his tongue over the pink buds, leaving a wet
trail from one to the other. His hand massaged at her flesh, rolling and
pinching her delicate nipples between his fingers. She moaned as the pleasure
notched higher and higher into the territory of pain. Her pussy throbbed as he
pinched sharply. He released her when she thought she could handle no more, and
his tongue immediately replaced the pain with pleasure.

Her lioness growled with pleasure. She appreciated his show
of dominance. She craved to be marked by Ethan, for all to scent her and know
she belonged to him.

“Tell me what you want.” His voice was thick with his
possessive lion. He pressed his hips close to hers, and she gasped when his
hard cock jolted against her clit.

She shivered as his words stroked over her. Every nerve
strummed alive. Goose bumps dotted her skin. She was eager and desperate for
him. She wanted him to take her and fill her.

“I want your body. I want you to make me cum with your
fingers, your mouth, your cock. I want to feel your lips all over me.” She
licked her lips, feeling her new canines descending. The lioness spoke through
her. “I want to sink my teeth into your shoulder and claim you as mine.”

She strained to get closer to him. He kept her pinned, only
touching her where he choose. Over her breasts, down her sides, squeezing her
ass. It overwhelmed her and denied her.

“Fuck me.” She whined. She tried her hand at being the sexy,
domineering one. He’d requested it before and followed through. She groaned
when he didn’t immediately obey. He’d pay for that.

She tugged at her hands trapped in his wrists, but he
refused to budge. He licked and sucked at her nipples with her stretched out
for him. His free palm slid down her chest and over her stomach. She let out a
moan each time he pressed his length against her, and a fresh rush of heat
slicked her for him.

Finally, after he had enough of tormenting and torturing
her, he released her hands. His hands settled on her hips, and he hooked his
fingers into the hem of her jeans.

“Yes,” she panted. He could tear her clothes from her body
then, and she wouldn’t care. Her lioness rode her hard, and they were both
desperate for their mate to claim them.

He slid his hand into her jeans. The flat of his palm rubbed
at her clit while his fingers parted her slit and settled just above her wet
heat. He stroked her softly, dragging his finger over her folds, circling her
clit, then pressing back down again. He toyed with her, not quite entering her.
“You want this?”

Lena and her lioness snapped at the continued tease. She
pushed at Ethan’s chest. He chuckled and fell back a few steps, his eyes almost
glowing with the desire of his human side and the power of his lion. He flicked
his tongue against his teeth and lips and raked his eyes over her body as she
pushed her jeans and panties further down with each step.

The weight of her lioness entered each step. She would claim
her mate on her terms. She scented the air and caught the rich, musky smell of
his arousal. It only drove her on. Dark hair tumbled over her shoulders as she
fixed her eyes on him and stepped forward. He toed off his shoes as she stalked
him across the room.

He sank down on the edge of the bed and reached behind him
to tear off his shirt. Lena licked her lips at his perfectly sculpted chest.
She stroked and rubbed over his tan skin, amazed at how tiny her hands looked
against his broad and muscled body.

She knelt between his thighs and hooked her fingers into the
waist of his jeans. His cock sprang free after the first lowered inch of his
zipper and smacked thickly against his stomach. He moved up the bed, and she
growled when she needed to follow him. He stopped as soon as she wrapped her
hand around his shaft, and pumped him from body to tip, squeezing just below
the tip and welled a drop of precum in the slit.

Heat rushed through her at the display. All for her.

“You want this?” She repeated his words back to him, and didn’t
miss the groan that escaped his lips.

She leaned forward and caught his scent. Baked earth and
open fields and pure male. It drove her wild with possessive need. She swiped
her tongue over his tip. “Mine.”

He settled on his elbows and watched with eyes transfixed on
her lips. She lapped at him, reveling in the salty taste of his maleness that
topped his head. She traced her tongue over the bulging vein, and flicked
against his sensitive skin just under his tip.

“That’s it, Lena. Suck my cock.” Ethan groaned hoarsely.

She moaned against him as he slid past her lips and into the
warm depths of her mouth. Another moan vibrated her tongue against him as he
gently dug his hands into her hair. She paused, unsure if he’d push her down,
but he contained himself and let her keep control.

She squeezed his shaft with her hand as she took more of him
in her mouth. Further down she pressed, until the tip of him touched her
throat. She rose and fell along his length, sucking at him with her mouth and
following with twists of her hand.

He surged forward and ran his hands over her bottom. A swift
smack made her groan around his thick shaft. He smoothed over the stinging skin
and reached around her until he found her slick pussy. He pressed a digit
inside her, curling his finger and brushing against her G-spot.

“Mine.” He growled.

She flicked her eyes up to his. Gold had leached into them,
and it made her pussy pulse around his finger. It urged him on. He growled and
purred as he pushed inside her again, dragging his finger slowly out of her.
“Mine.”

Lena rose up for air, and wrapped her hand around his cock.
She stroked him up and down, and licked him from sac to tip. “Mine.” She
mouthed against the throbbing vein on his underside.

She slid her wet tongue along his length again, and noticed
how his hips shifted with her, pushing in and out of her mouth. His groans of
pleasure mixed with her muffled moans, and he twitched against her lips.

His hand tightened in her hair, and he lifted her from his
cock. His eyes still locked with hers, she flicked her tongue out to lap at the
droplets of precum that collected again at his tip.

“Fuck, Lena. Need you now.” He growled, sounding more beast
than man. She could feel prickles in the air, and knew his lion prowled just
below the surface of his skin. He closed his eyes hard, and only green remained
when he opened them again. He walked a thin line of control, but he still kept
the lion at bay.

It excited Lena to know she frayed him so much. She settled
over him, feeling his thickness nestled against her sex. The lioness wanted to
throw back her head and roar at being denied. Lena only felt a thrill build in
her core.

God, she was anxious to feel him pushing his way inside her.
Had been since the diner. She planted her hands on his chest, and slid her hips
forward and back, delighting in the feel of his hard, veined length stroking
against her sex lips.

She rocked forward, coating his length with her cream. Her
body shuddered as she dragged along each silky inch of him.

Ethan settled his hands on her hips, and his fingertips
pricked into sharp claws. He was close to losing control again, and he set his
jaw hard. A muscle jumped at the corner, and Lena leaned forward to gently lick
at the jerky muscle.

Her nails turned to sharp claws as her lioness pushed
forward, lured out by the bite of Ethan’s hands into her hips. She dragged her
hands down his chest at the same time she rolled her hips along his cock.

“Lena!” Ethan’s eyes flashed to gold again.

The scent of blood entered the air, from the pricks of
Ethan’s claws on her skin and where her own had pierced his chest. She pushed
forward again, stroking him with her pussy, and lapped at the tiny drops that
dotted his chest. The flavor of him burst along her mouth, more intense than
just from a kiss. She shut her eyes against the dizzying pleasure that raced
down her spine and settled in her core.

Unable to wait any longer, Ethan reached a hand between them
to wrap around his cock and placed the head at her opening. Slowly, achingly
slow, she pressed back down, surrounding him in her wet heat.

She met his gaze and watched the passion play out over his
face. His features sharpened and became more angular, but his eyes glowed with
need and desire. Inch by inch, she slid down his veined length. He stretched
her, widening her to fit his thick size. Her body shook as she filled to the
brim with him. As before, nerve endings she didn’t know existed sent pleasure
burning through her veins.