The taste of him was overwhelming, and the noises she made would have been embarrassing, if an intense light hadn't pierced her closed eyelids.When his lips left hers, Lola opened her eyes to be met with Callon's golden gaze.The beams of light around them were blinding, but it was the lightning in her chest that had her squeezing her eyes shut again.She felt a tug from deep within, like a seam being sewn together with invisible thread until it was sealed tight.As soon as the connection was finished, the pulling stopped, but the feeling of completeness lingered.Whatever had been joined would never be separated.
Callon’s forehead pressed against hers, and his lips tenderly kissed her eyelids, then the bridge of her nose, her cheeks, then down her neck to her collar bone.He paused above her heart.His warm breath tickling her skin made her yearn for him to finish what he had begun.Then she felt his mouth touch the spot on her chest where the lion tattoo proudly graced her skin.
When she felt his weight shift off of her, she opened her eyes.His body was pressed against the side of hers, his head propped up by his elbow and hand.The fingers of his other hand ran through the strands of her hair, sending a shiver through, as even her scalp was sensitive.Her chest rose and fell briskly as she stared up at him.His lips were swollen from kissing her and his face seemed flushed.She felt lust, love, yearning and contentment, course through her.Shemade him feel that way.
“Now you’re stuck with me,” he told her, his tone deep and possessive.“I’ll never let you go.Not even if you begged me to.”
“What if I need to use the restroom?Or the shower?Or what if I have to see the female doctor for my yearly check-up?”She couldn’t help but grin up at him, most likely looking like a love-sick fool.
His lips lifted into a crooked smile.“Always with the questions.”
Her smile dropped away as she reached up and touched his cheek.Her finger ran down his chorded neck to his very naked chest and she stared at the lion that was no longer black ink, but a gold that shimmered.She pressed her hand to it and felt it heat against her palm.“Does this mean you can shift?”
“I—” he started, but in a blur of movement he moved up and off of her as she heard her bedroom door hit the wall.She quickly jumped to her feet when she saw a massive lion standing in front of her.
“Callon,” she breathed out.Guess that answers that.
A roar burst from him so loud and ferocious, she was sure the walls shook.Lola slammed her hands over her ears in an attempt to keep her eardrums from bursting.When the sound finally died down, Lola heard a voice she recognized.
“Lola?”
“Maddie,” Lola tried to move around Callon’s huge form, but he shifted, and kept her blocked from her friend.
“Callon, move,” she said, not even thinking about how she was talking to a lion that could kill her with one swipe of his huge paw.She knew he’d never hurt her.He’d sooner kill himself.
“He’s not going to move until we leave,” Roan’s voice came next.
“Okay, who all is ‘we’?”Lola asked.
“Roan, Bane and Me,” Maddie answered.
Lola’s stomach twisted as she heard her friend's voice shake.But it wasn’t in fear.That was the sound of Maddie’s voice when she was pissed.“Where’s Katy, Mads?”
“Callon,” Roan said, his voice calm and even.“You need to shift back.”
Callon snarled and she saw one of his paws swipe out.
“Son of a–” Roan snarled.“I like this shirt!”
“God save me from stupid men,” Maddie said and then yelled, “Katy was abducted by Antonio.At first Roan thought he was going to sell her for sex, because I called Antonio a gigolo, but then I straightened out that mess, and Bane went after them, obviously, didn’t find them because his cat nose isn’t as superior as a canine nose, though he did say that she was in the possession of the KOV, whoever the hell that is.Now, can you please tell your man to turn his ass back into a human, and help us get our best friend back.”
Lola was breathing hard and knew she was on the verge of tears.She pressed her hand to Callon’s side.“Please,” she said softly.She saw one of his ears twitch back.“Callon?”She felt confusion coming from him, and rage.
“Why isn’t he turning back?”Lola asked as she ran her hand along his side moving towards his head.He felt safe enough that he didn’t have to stand directly in front of her anymore, though once she reached his front, he ducked his head and gently nudged as if to say, ‘No further.’
Roan’s gaze bore into Callon, his hands on his hips and his jaw clenched tight.“You bonded.”
Why was he stating the obvious?Was he in shock?
“Lola,” Andi's voice came from down the hall.
Lola’s eyes got huge as she looked at Callon and then Maddie.Maddie wiped her eyes.“I got it,” she shoved Bane and Roan inside, and pulled the door closed behind her.
“How is she going to explain a freaking lion roar to my mom?”she asked the perplexed, and frustrated-looking Roan.
“I made it sound like emergency vehicles.”
She jerked back.“You can do that?”
