A very human giggle was rippling through her thoughts. This was fun, plain old fun with no other purpose than enjoyment. She was getting ready to pounce again when another butterfly passed her nose. She batted at it and snapped. It was wily.
Across the meadow, another butterfly flitted, and she took off after it, seeing the huge bulk of Jim’s furred form where she had just been sitting.
She chased butterflies around the meadow for an hour. Jim lazed on a warm rock in the sun, and she occasionally brought him flowers or grasses that she found interesting.
He covered his eyes when she carefully dragged a beaver over to him and it shifted form when she let it go. She sat and watched the man stalk back to the forest where she had caught him, and he returned to his beaver form.
Lee settled in the grass and sighed. The sun was warm, her body was tingling with the ability to run free, and Jim was watching over her.
She blinked and sat up when that thought occurred to her. She shook her head and looked warily at Jim.
He merely gave her a lazy glance and got to his feet. He left the warm rock, settled on the grass and curled around her.
She put her chin on his back and closed her eyes. There was time enough to examine her peculiar feelings for him later.
Chapter Six
“What the hell is this?” Jim was awake under her, his human body was pressed to hers and his hand was on her lower back.
“A scar. Well scars. It was my father’s favourite strike zone when I was shifted.” Lee blushed and then yelped as he sat up, flipped her so that she was lying across his lap and examining her back.
“He scarred you. Why?”
“To make us aware that we were his. All of my siblings are marked this way when we start to change. If we survive the infection, we know better than to show teeth around him. Come to think of it, that was the last time that I shifted fully.”
“There are three layers of claw marks here.”
She shrugged. “I suppose I was a slow learner.”
His fingers delicately traced her spine. “Your father does not deserve to be one.”
“I know, but at the same time, I am glad to be here.”
Jim sighed and continued to stroke her back, idly running his fingertips to her buttocks and back. She squirmed a bit and tried to leave. “Well, I think you have seen all there is to see.”
He sighed. “No, I haven’t, but it is enough for now.”
His erection was pressing against her belly, so she gingerly moved away from it before rolling in the grass to face him.
Jim was lovely as a tiger, but he was breathtaking as a naked male. Every inch was sculpted, honed and taut. She blinked, blushed and moved her gaze upward with a jerk when his cock flexed.
Embarrassed, she shifted back into her lioness and bounded across the meadow to the change rooms. Her bra fought her, the panties fought her, and by the time she had slithered into her jeans and shirt, there was a shadow waiting for her on the other side of the veil. Muttering under her breath, she stomped into her shoes and stalked toward the glittering expanse of the veil.
Jim was dressed and leaning casually against the wall. “Shall we continue the tour?”
Lee blushed. “Yes. That would be nice.”
He wrapped an arm around her waist again and pointed out the large houses. “Those are the homes where the majority of the staff at the Crossroads live. The B&B staff do the housekeeping. Since our hours fluctuate with the amount of clients here, we need someone to tidy up after us.”
Lee chuckled. “Men usually do.”
He shrugged. “Well, sleeping in the meadow and bathing myself with my tongue was considered gauche.”
She closed her eyes for a moment, imagining his rough tongue on her skin. She blinked and shook her head. “I can see their point.”
He chuckled. “We never did formal introductions. My full name is James Aloicious Barnes.”
She laughed. “Leandiir Aflai. The name was chosen so that I could not run and try to get a bank account on my own. It made it impossible to get any funding if I approached a bank.”
“Pleased to meet you, Leandiir. How did you manage to get an education if you couldn’t get a loan?”
Lee sighed. “It was a plan generations in the making. My great-great grandmother went to a seer and asked who would be able to break free of the prides, the name was produced, Leandiir Aflai. My great-great grandmother’s father set up the account. He set it up as a trust that would exist with that name on it.”
“He wasn’t a fundamentalist?”
“No. Great-great gran was stolen while her family was passing through on their way west. They looked for her, but her husband held her until she was pregnant, by which point, her family could no longer legally claim her.”
A low growl came out of Jim’s throat. “How can you live in that situation?”
She stopped and forced him to a halt. “I
can’t
live in that situation. If Carloth touches me again, I will rip his throat out and my own people will put me to death.”
“I am sorry. My words were thoughtless.”
She nodded. “Yes, they were, but you have to understand that I have been taking every opportunity presented to me and making a few of my own in an effort to live my own life. In another six months, I would have had enough saved up to take myself and three of my sisters to a city, and in doing so, I would have given three more lionesses a chance at a normal life.”
“Why three of your sisters?”
“They are already adults. It will only take one of my father’s friends to ask for one or all of them and they will be trapped.” She sighed, turned away from him and walked back toward the café.
“May I ask you more questions?”
She blinked back tears of frustration. “Why?”
He grabbed her arm and turned her to face him. He cupped her jaw and wove his fingers through her hair. “I want to know what I am getting in to.”
Lee leaned up to meet him halfway, holding onto his shoulders as his lips tasted hers. She felt safe, warm and cherished as his lips stroked over hers slowly. She shivered and leaned into him, wrapping her in his scent.
He released her head, wrapped his arms around her and lifted her off her feet. Polite applause broke out, and it made Lee back her head away with a jerk.
The person applauding was Chuck, and he gave her a salute before he turned and walked off toward the bar.
Jim was staring at her, his eyes hot and the erection confined by his jeans pressed against her thigh. Her feet were dangling about a foot off the ground, and his height was far more obvious when he overlapped her on all sides. He licked her taste off his lips, and she felt a hot surge of something in her belly.
She mimicked him and watched his skin tighten over his cheekbones and his jaw flex. His cock tapped gently against her through the separation of their clothing.
He swallowed and sighed. “I think we need to get some lunch.”
Lee’s hands didn’t want to let him go as he slowly lowered her to the ground. The friction between them warmed her, and the gleam in his eyes told her it was not one-sided.
He held her tightly against him as they made their way back to the café and the lioness within her roared in triumph. He was hers now. They only needed to finalize the details.
“So, you like chasing butterflies?” Jim smiled as Nia bustled away with their order. His feet bracketed hers under the table.
“They are just so fascinating. I am going to have to find that beaver and apologize.” She winced and fidgeted with her cutlery until Jim grabbed her hand.
“Don’t worry about it. You were exceptionally careful with him. He was more inconvenienced than anything. Why did you grab him?”
She shrugged at him through her lashes. “It seemed like the thing to do.”
He stared at her before he chuckled. “I think you were bringing your
kills
to your alpha.”
Lee blushed. “I think I was, too. At this particular point and time, though, I will settle for a cheeseburger.”
His smile showed a bit of fang, and she suddenly realised that his lack of control over his physical appearance was probably his reason for being at the Crossroads. “That we can manage. So, where do you want to live? There are several homes here for staff members but not many of us are mated.”
Lee blinked. “Um. I hadn’t given it that much thought. What would I do here?”
He grinned, showing her that his fangs were growing exponentially. “Funny you should mention that…”
Chapter Seven
“A nursing station? You want me to run a nursing station at the Crossroads?” Lee couldn’t stop the laughter ripping through her. Nia slid her food in front of her and Lee went about the mundane tasks of putting ketchup in a puddle next to her fries and putting mustard on her cheeseburger.
“Yes. You are perfect for it, and it is the project that the beavers were working on this morning.” He smirked.
“You discussed this with someone.”
“Several someones. We have a ruling body here at the Crossroads. One representative from every establishment is on it, as well as one rep from the hostels and the other lodgings. We usually make do with medical treatment, but it would be much easier for all of us if there was a first aid station available that the patrons and locals could make use of for stitches and such.”
“You are serious.” She frowned and nibbled at a fry.
Nia paused on her rounds. “He is deadly serious. Last year, Tomas burned himself, and it was hours before he was able to get through the portal to a healer. Having a medic on hand that we would be able to locate in a hurry would be a very handy thing.”
Lee paused with her next fry halfway to her mouth as the beaver shifter continued her busy work as the café was filling for lunch.
“Does everyone here know?”
Jim was tearing through his burger with his teeth back to human. “About the medical outlet? Yes. About me and you? Yes, again.” He waggled his eyebrows and continued eating.
Lee exhaled and answered her stomach’s growl. Shifting took a lot of energy, and it was part of a shifter’s life to keep her inner creature ready to emerge.
She watched the lithe form of an elegant woman as she entered the café. The woman came directly toward them with a smile. She stopped next to their table. “James, please introduce me.”
Lee’s senses were going wild. She had no idea what this woman was aside from a very powerful shifter.
“Of course. Dira, this is Lee, my mate. Leandiir, this is Dira the proprietor of the Open Heart Bed and Breakfast.” He was very formal when he said it, but Dira seemed to call for older formalities.
Dira extended her hand, so Lee quickly wiped cheeseburger off her hand and clasped it. “Pleased to meet you.”
“May I join you for a few minutes? I have an offer to make.” Dira smiled politely.
Jim shrugged and scooted over.
Dira sat next to him, but it was as if there was a wall of energy between her and everyone around her. Lee didn’t even feel a frisson of jealousy now that the woman was closer.
“What is it, Dira?”
“Well, the beavers have been after me for an expansion, and since you are soon to be the Crossroads most recently mated couple in residence, there is a need for you to be close to the new medical outlet. My plot is the closest, so I was wondering if you would like to move in after it is completed.”
Lee cocked her head. “Does it connect to the meadow?”
Dira smiled. “It does. The meadow will never be developed, it is too important to our society. Everyone needs a place to stretch out now and then.”
James chuckled and sipped at his lemonade.
“Be quiet, James.” Dira dismissed him like she would a naughty kitten. “Now, Lee, would you like to live in a new home with your mate?”
Lee blinked. “Yes, I would. This is all happening rather fast, I mean, we haven’t even…”
Dira grinned. “Something tells me that James will not let that state of affairs continue for very long. We are in the business of making matches after all. This is not the time for a slow courtship.”
Lee remembered the reason she was there. “You are absolutely correct.”
Jim perked up at that. “Really? I didn’t want to rush you.”
She remembered the feel of his body under hers as she woke in his lap. “Part of you did.”
He shrugged and finished his burger. “Don’t begrudge me my instincts. They turned you from prey to predator in an instant.”
“I think mine are doing the reverse.” She licked her lips and watched his pupils dilate.
Dira chuckled. “I will tell the beavers to get the house underway. They will get on it right after the medical structure is built. If you like, you can spend time at the Open Heart. The rooms are sound proofed and larger than your bachelor quarters, James.”
He nodded. “Yes, ma’am. We will be there the moment we have some spare time.”
Dira stood gracefully and moved through the café without speaking to anyone else.
Lee leaned forward and asked the question burning in her thoughts. “What is she?”
Jim chuckled and leaned back. “She is one of the great shifters, but that is all you need to know until she shows you herself. We don’t tell on our neighbours here when it comes to hidden talents. Simply know that she is a good person to count on, whatever she is.”
“She radiates power.”
“That she does.”
Lee shrugged and finished her meal. She was stuffed, but her belly was happy. “That was good.”
“The food here is all good, and the beavers even cheat by grinding vegetables in with the meat. They will make sure that us carnivores eat an omnivorous diet whether we want to or not.” He sighed happily and patted his flat belly.
“If they are prey species, it is in their best interest to keep us in instinct-neutral position. The fundamentalist lions control the females in the same way, limiting their access to meat. It keeps the females from becoming aggressive enough to fight their place in the pride. It also drives me fucking nuts.”
He nodded as if her words made sense. “It has that effect. The lack of protein makes you slower, dulls you. Since you have been able to eat what you wanted here, you have perked up tremendously.”
She laughed. “It’s the company.”