Taming The Lion: BBW Paranormal Lion Shifter Romance (Gray Bears Book 5) (8 page)

Winston kept his arms around
Kaylee, unwilling to let her go.

He had just found his mate,
and he had so nearly lost her.

He stood reluctantly when the
paramedics and officers pounded up the stairs. Winston took less
than a minute to brief his officers. His deputies, Aidan and Rico,
nodded. They could handle the dead wolf. They would inform the
Sheriff of Red Creek and the Alpha of the Redmoon pack that they had
taken out the trash.

Holding Kaylee's hand,
Winston climbed into the ambulance and accompanied his mate and Lorni
Jones to the hospital.

CHAPTER
TWENTY

Kaylee turned just as Winston
stepped into the pub. Even now, just looking at her mate made her
heart skip a beat. He was so strong, sexy and sweet, and she loved
him so much. Winston smiled as he made his way to her.

“What can I get you,
Sheriff?” she purred.

“There's only one thing
I want,” Winston answered and pressed his lips to hers. He
ignored the wolf whistles and heckling around them, and gave his mate
a long, sensual kiss.

He finally released her and
grinned at Gramma and Ne-ma, who were gyrating to the loud music.
They sloshed beer all over the floor when they raised their frothing
mugs to him.

It was Witchy Wednesday at
The Round Table, and the first twenty witches who came up to the
bartender and gave him a kiss enjoyed free flow of beer the whole
night.

Gramma and Ne-ma had muscled
and elbowed their way to Gareth and kissed him noisily on the cheek.
They had started dancing around the bar and telling naughty jokes
after their second mug of beer.

Kaylee tut-tutted as she
grabbed a mop and mopped up the spilled beer quickly before someone
slipped and fell. “Just how many beers have you had?”

Ne-ma held up four fingers
and slurred, “Just...two! And didn't you just ask me that five
minutes ago?”

“No, I asked you an
hour ago,” Kaylee huffed.

“Ask us again one hour
later and our answer will still be the same!” Gramma cackled.

Kaylee shook her head at them
and went to clear the tables. Gramma and Ne-ma were having a great
time. They laughed and chatted with anyone and everyone. At the
moment, they were inching towards Lorni and Sam.

Kaylee glanced at Lorni and
smiled. Lorni and Sam were huddled in a booth, sharing a drink, a
laugh and quite a few kisses. Kaylee was so happy for Lorni. Sam
was a sweet, gentlemanly vampire and he was attentive and protective
towards Lorni. Lorni told her that she liked Sam a lot, but she
wanted to take things slow.

Gareth was at the counter,
pointing at the glass case on the wall. The jeweled dagger was back
in the locked glass display.

“Yep, that's the one,”
Gareth was telling a voluptuous witch who was leaning over the
counter and hanging onto Gareth's every word. “My
sister-in-law saved Lorni Jones's life with that dagger. And my
brother slayed the rogue wolf with it!”

Winston chuckled and pulled
Kaylee to him. “He's using our family heirloom to pick up
chicks,” Winston grumbled in her ear.

Kaylee laughed. “Well,
he's proud of his big brother, the good, brave Sheriff!”

“He's proud of you
too.”

“I know.” Kaylee
grinned as Gareth scored a big, wet kiss from the busty, sexy witch.

Kaylee turned and saw Gramma
and Ne-ma whispering and giggling as they approached the bar counter.

“Thanks for the drinks,
Gareth,” Ne-ma grinned.

“You're welcome! Are
you leaving now? The night's still young, like you!” Gareth
grinned back.

Gramma and Ne-ma tittered and
winked at him. “Goodnight, Gareth. You're such a nice boy,
so...you're next!”

“Next? For what?”
he sputtered.

Gramma and Ne-ma simply waved
and waltzed out of The Round Table. Ne-ma poked her head in one
second later and shouted, “What time is dinner tomorrow?”

“Seven-thirty,”
Kaylee answered laughing.

“Okay, see ya!”

Gramma, Ne-ma and their
grandsons, together with their mates and cubs were all coming over to
their place for dinner tomorrow. Gareth had agreed to close the pub
early so they could all have dinner together. It was a very special
dinner.

Ne-ma might have forgotten
her own birthday, but Kaylee hadn't. She could remember her
grandaunt's birthday very well. It was exactly one month before
hers.

Gareth eyed Winston and
Kaylee suspiciously. “What are you two grinning about?”

“Nothing!”

“Gramma and Ne-ma said
I'm next. I think you know what they're talking about.”

Kaylee laughed. “I
have a pretty good idea.”

“Are they going to cast
a spell on me?” Gareth shuddered.

“Something like that.”

“What kind of spell?”

“The kind you read
about in fairy tales.”

“I don't read fairy
tales! I only know that fairy tales all end with 'happily ever
after'. Oh, wait.” Gareth's eyes became as round as saucers.
“They're going to cast a happily-ever-after spell!”
Gareth gulped audibly. “Gramma and Ne-ma's spells don't always
work...”

Kaylee smiled. “It
worked for me and Winston.”

Gramma and Ne-ma had indeed
cast a happily-ever-after spell, for Winston. If his true mate made
a wish to find true love, then their paths would cross and their
fates and their lives would be linked. Kaylee was Winston's true
mate, and she had made the wish. She had made the wish just before
she turned her car towards Shadow Point and drove right into this
small town and into the life she'd always wanted.

Kaylee felt Winston's strong
arms circle her waist from behind. She leaned against her mate and
tilted her face to him. “Now let me get my man a beer,”
she whispered against his lips.

Winston chuckled and gave her
ample rump a loving squeeze.

As Kaylee flitted through the
crowd with her tray, she caught Lorni Jones's eye and flashed the
girl the thumbs up. Sam was a good guy, and Lorni looked so radiant
and happy.

Happily-ever-after came only
at the very end in fairy tales. But Kaylee knew that in life,
happily-ever-after didn't just happen at the end.

It happened every day.

Kaylee smiled as she gazed
around the busy little pub. She saw Sam and Lorni, her friends and
neighbors, and her family. She saw Winston and Gareth laughing
together, and when Winston's eyes met hers, she knew without a doubt
that her happily-ever-after was happening right now, right here.

~
End
~

About the Author

Natalie Kristen is a writer
who enjoys mixing the sweet with the spicy, the light with the dark,
the possibilities with the unimaginable. She enjoys exploring
paranormal and dystopian worlds, deep desires and inspiring romances.
She is hopelessly addicted to coffee, chocolate, reading and
writing. She loves to hear from readers so please feel free to
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