The lion didn’t have a problem with me. It was the men. Rightfully so. He knew the difference between a challenger and someone who would only respect his wildness and beauty.
The mystery that rested beyond the forest seemed to be solved. Luca kept a lion beyond the confines of his “village” to use for his own purposes. War and punishment came to mind. If feelings could turn into actions, I almost wished he would attack Luca for keeping him in a place where he didn’t belong.
Was the lion feeling that way? Was I feeling him? His wants?
He deserved to be set free, to live in a place that was his own.
And if Luca kept a lion in the heart of this land, what else was he keeping secret?
More men arrived, and the lion started to become agitated. He paced in a circle, lifting his face, letting out a roar. It seemed to reverberate in his throat, smoke purling from the heat of his mouth and the clash of cold. Remnants of his last meal dripped from his mane, dotting the mixture of ice and dirt on the ground with blood.
It was clearly a warning. The strength of it vibrated in my veins.
“Make them go away,” I whispered. “Now.”
Luca snapped off a sharp command and the men retreated. The lion stood on guard until it was only the two of us in this moment again. Men were still around, though, standing behind Luca. I heard him order one of his men to retrieve the lion’s tamer orshoot the fucking beast!
“No,” I said, as firmly as I could. “Don’t hurt him.Please. Don’t. Get his tamer. He’s not hurting anyone.” Tears ran down my cheeks, warm against the cold, until they stuck.
My heart had surrendered to the overwhelming need to make sure this beautiful creature left here unharmed, but my body succumbed to the great shock and undiluted fear.
My knees buckled underneath the strain.
The lion came closer to me. We were almost eye to eye. A puff of blue reflected in his golden eyes—me.
I could smell carnage on his breath, but I only felt peace in his existence.
Reaching out a tentative hand, I made contact with his head. I heard a noise from somewhere in the distance, one that reflected despair, but it didn’t come from me or the lion.
Fear is a strange thing. All this time the tremble had refused to leave me, but in this moment, my hand was as steady as when reaching out for my husband’s.
The lion’s head came down and he allowed me to run my hands along his mane.
This close, seeing with eyes that were more curious than shocked, he was even more gorgeous. Almost spellbinding in color. A paler shade of gold. He had almond-shaped eyes that filtered the sun through the honey irises like exotic jewels. His chocolate-colored nose was as big as my hand alone. His mouth stood open, breathing in and out, his bottom canines on clear display.
I froze when he nudged my hand, but he made no move to hurt me. He wanted attention. He reminded me of Ruby when she wanted me to pet her more.
Speaking in soft Italian, I wasn’t even aware of the words that had escaped my mouth, but they were few. I was a better listener.
I opened my heart, like an ear, as we sat on the ground, snow drifting around us, while we waited. His emanating warmth kept the freeze at bay.
Time seemed to have stopped during our moments, and life came back to me in a series of actions and words as his tamer made her, yesher, way from the depths of the men.
The lion recognized her right away, but he didn’t move. Neither did he show any of the tension he had displayed when the men attempted to encroach on his territory. His tamer was dark to his light, with long, midnight curly hair, as wild as the lion she tamed, and light-brown skin. Around her neck, she wore acornicello, the Italian horn.
“You are a brave woman,” she whispered to me, setting her long fingers in the scruff of his mane, roughing him up a bit. He turned over on his side, relaxing, his eyes blinking in reaction to the snow. She put her hand in front of his big mouth, and he stuck out a long, pink tongue, cleaning her palm. “Grazie, leonessa.”
Thank you for saving him, her unfinished thought seemed to filter into my own.No trouble, I longed to say.I have one of my own that needs to be saved.
“What’s your name?” I asked her.
“Naomi,” she said.
“Youare a brave woman,” I said.
She shrugged. “He—” she nodded toward the lion “—is nothing to tame compared to thesemen.”
“One in particular?”
