“I’m a Lion.My brawn is bigger than yours.In a challenge, that’s always going to count for something.Back in the day, my mom had the strength to be a Leader, but women couldn’t lead—”
“The guys were telling me.Said that it made her really bitter.”
“Yeah, as well as very forceful where her ambitions for me are concerned.”He rolled his eyes.“That’s the major pain in the ass where I’m concerned.”
She snorted.“Your mom is one major pain in the ass all on her lonesome.She doesn’t need opinions to make her any worse.”
“True,” he conceded, shooting her an amused look because he liked that she wasn’t trying to hide her dislike of his mom.
Maybe that was backward coming forward kind of thinking, but she’d have been lying to him if she’d tried to make out that Leilani was in any way nice.His mother had done her level best to make El hate her from the start.
She’d be the one who suffered for it, though, in the long run.
They said tigresses were bad when it came to protecting their young… They’d never seen a Lioness at work.
Leilani wouldn’t be able to get near her grandchildren without having a pissed off Panther or Lioness baying for her blood
Still, that wasn’t his problem.That was the bed his mother had made for her foolish self.
“You were saying about the challenge?”
He nodded, reaching up to tuck a stray strand of hair behind her ear.It was rather like trying to lock the stable door after the horse had bolted—her hair was everywhere.Still, it pleased him to touch her, and in this, he could please himself often.
“As strong as she was, she couldn’t take on a leader.She likes to think she could, and gets herself whipped up into a rage over what might have been, but…” He shook his head.“No.Lionesses are brutal, don’t get me wrong.You ever watch another Lioness challenge another Lioness, you learn that.”He shuddered.“That’s why you scared the shit out of me at that dinner we had with her.I was relieved as hell when you got up and headed out of the restaurant.You were in no way prepared to challenge my mother, and she, because she’s a bitch who thinks she’s acting out of righteous love for her son, would have accepted the challenge.”He hissed out a breath.“She’s like that.She drives me insane.”
“What a pair,” she said sadly.“One mother who’ll kill to keep her child safe, another who will disappear for decades to keep hers out of danger.”
He threaded his arms around her waist and squeezed her.She nestled into him, nuzzling as she did.
“Yeah.A real pair,” he admitted.“But we’re loved.Even if it is fucked up.”
She snorted.“That’s remarkably undiplomatic of you.”
He laughed.“Haven’t you realized?That’s my kind of diplomacy.”
She rested her chin on his chest as she rolled her eyes at him.“You’re a nut.It’s probably a good thing I have the background I do.I can help out.”
He nodded.“Now you’re a Lioness too, without a doubt, you can help out.You’ll regret saying that because I will totally pass over some of the shit I have to do to you.”
She giggled, and the sound lightened his heart.“You’re such a doofus.”
“Nope.You are.You don’t know how much of a workload you’re about to receive.”
Her shoulders rocked as she shrugged.“I can deal with that.It’s not like I have anything better to do.”
“You been bored, baby?”he asked softly, hating that he hadn’t realized that.
“Yeah.So bored,” she admitted with a wry grimace.“I swear I haven’t read this much since I was in school.”She bit her lip.“Wouldn’t I have been able to help you if my Lioness hadn’t made an appearance?”
“No.”And her Lioness most definitely had.She might not have shifted, yet, but the way she’d stood up to him?Challenged him?
That was pure Lioness.
“The Pride would never have accepted your ruling.You could have worked in the background, but whatever you did would have had to be under my umbrella.”
“That sucks.”
“I guess it does, but it’s just how it works.”He shrugged.“There’s a lot of suckiness out there.”
