Read Online Fated for the Lion by Lyra Valentine - Free Book Online Page A

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    “Better?”
    Ethan watched her carefully, and she thought she could see
or smell nerves coming off him. She leaned on her lioness for the truth of it,
and the she-cat ignored her. Figures.
    “This is where the pride gathers, especially during the
weekend. Most of us have places in the city, too, but we need to be together as
often as we can.”
    She nodded. This was the sort of homey space she needed. She
needed life and wild decor around her. And lots of big, thick blankets to
cuddle in.
    “Kitchen is the opposite end. Upstairs are bedrooms. And our
room.”
    There was a tiny fraction of a question in his voice.
    He took her in his arms and danced them around a few spinning
steps. “Our room. Where we’ll live when we’re on the estate. How about it,
Queen?”
    She quirked her lips into a smile. “Queen, huh? I like the
sound of that.”
    “Queen. You’re mated to the Alpha, after all.”
    “So what does this mean?” She gestured at the scar on her
neck. There was no hiding that it was a large bite. Maybe she could tell people
she was attacked by a wild animal if they asked prying questions. It wasn’t
strictly untrue.
    “On the purely physical level: you’ve been claimed by
another. No other shifter will touch you. You belong to me.” He sounded fierce,
and gold leached into his eyes for a moment before disappearing. It sent an
excited shiver through her.
    “All shifters are different, but we lions have fated mates.
Sometimes they’re found, sometimes we settle for others. Our cats know a fated
mate when they scent them. It’s clearer as we get older and out of puberty.
There’s always the risk of rejection, just like any relationship, and those
mates are whispers of themselves after.”
    “Is that why you didn’t claim me when we were kids? Because
you thought you’d be rejected?” As if she’d ever say no to him. His lanky
figure influenced all sorts of puberty awakenings in her.
    Ethan’s eyes flashed gold again, and his arms tightened
around her. “I was warned away from you. My father was the alpha before me, and
he had strict rules against bringing humans into our pride. I couldn’t
challenge him. I would have lost, and it would have meant your life as well as
mine. I couldn’t let you die.”
    “Oh, Ethan.” She raised her hands to her lips. The easy
lifestyle she pictured for him didn’t sound like it had any basis in reality.
    He turned serious. “I’m sorry I didn’t explain everything to
you last night.”
    “You could have given me the choice, you know. Before you
got all…” She made fangs with her fingers and softly growled.
    “I won’t apologize for doing it. But I do regret not
explaining it.”
    She pressed her forehead to his chest. And gulped. He was
solid muscle. Her hands rubbed up and down. “This is all just so… fantastical.
I mean, just yesterday I was fired from my job. Now I’m Queen of the Sanford
lions.”
    “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