In fact, it was so not great that Aoife very suddenly had to pee very badly, and wanted nothing more than to run very far away, very fast. She scooted her foot forward some more, until she was stretched out so much she actually had to move her back foot or she'd fall over, and all of a sudden she was walking like it was something she'd done her whole life.
It was half an hour before the park opened to the public, and more than that before she had to meet her tour group. Aoife veered away from the lion's den, and, trembling, went to talk to the boss.
Dr. Maureen Kelly was a tall,confident woman with a square jaw, short hair, and an endless well of patience for the vagaries of running a wildlife park. Despite that, she also looked wary when Aoife knocked on her office door and stepped inside. "What can I do for you this morning, Aoife?"
"Did you know there's a—" Motion outside caught her eye, and Aoife stopped mid-word, watching someone she'd never seen before walking by the boss's window. Tall, with a lot of long dark brown hair, sun-bleached at the ends, wide shoulders, and a confident stride. She stood up to get a better look without meaning to: he was that good-looking, even at a glance. As if her movement had caught his notice, his head turned toward her and a dazzling grin flashed through the window.
Dr. Kelly said, "Aoife?" again, as if unsure she wanted to.
Blushing, Aoife sat down. "Sorry. I saw somebody new. Visitors don't usually get back here into the weeds where the offices are. I didn't mean that in a bad way!" she added hastily. "It's just, you know, it's a bit of a trek from the main park to get here. Look, Dr. Kelly, did you know there's alionin the spare enclosure?"
"Ah. Yes. I?—"
"I'm sorry to be bothering you, but I don't understand and it's sending me around the bend. The bears last summer. The orangutans. Theelephant, Dr. Kelly. And now a lion in the empty enclosure? That's not safe at all. It was terrifying, to tell the truth. I thought it would jump out and eat me."
Dr. Kelly drew a deep, deep breath, like she was about to say something she really didn't want to. "I can assure you that you're in no danger from the lion or any other temporary residents of that enclosure, Aoife. Or our occasional visitors to the plains, for that matter. I can't explain why in greater detail, but I'd like you to trust me on this matter."
"With all due respect, ma'am, even if I wanted to trust you, and I do, I don't see how you can askthe publicto take your word for the fact that a dangerous predator is being kept in an inadequate enclosure. That lion got up and looked at me like I was lunch not ten minutes ago, and I at least have the wit to not run from…immortals," Aoife finished with a sigh.
The park director blinked at her, clearly bewildered, and Aoife sighed again. "'Don't run from immortals. It attracts their attention.' It's a line from Peter Beagle'sThe Last Unicorn. I'm sure it also applies to lions."
"Oh." Dr. Kelly's cheek twitched like she was trying to hide a smile. "Yes, I see your point. Aoife, all I can tell you is?—"
She cut herself off as the door opened, and the good-looking guy from outside the window poked his head in. On secondglance, Aoife upgraded him fromgood-lookingtoabsurdly handsome: he was square-jawed, brown-eyed, and even in just glancing around the door, had an inquisitive, open air that somehow combined with a sharp, almost predatory awareness of the space around him. He looked, Aoife thought,corn-fed, ifcorn-fedwas also a look that had teeth.
He stopped looking quite so predatory as he got the lay of the room and offered a huge, bright smile. "Dr. Kelly. Hi. Just wanted to introduce myself! And to you too…?" He had an American accent that went with the corn-fed look, the dark eyes he turned on Aoife were full of hope.
Aoife's mouth went dry and she immediately forgot her own name.
"Aoife Gallagher," Dr. Kelly said after a moment, her tone trying to contain her amusement. "Aoife's our second in command for Education and Outreach, although I'm beginning to think she has ambitions to be our facilities manager."
Aoife made a faint spluttering sound that wasn't entirely disagreement, but before she could speak, the extremely fit man strode over to her and offered his hand. "Aoife, hi, it's great to meet you. I'm Elliott Harkness, the lion on loan."
CHAPTER 2
There were moments in a man’s life when he knew he’d made exactly the right choices. Elliott had felt that way about coming to Ireland for the first time. It was exciting, it was new, it was different, but even more than that, it wasright. He’d felt that way about volunteering for a week at the Shamrock Safari Wildlife Park, too. It was a great program, designed to raise awareness about endangered species, give them a safe haven for breeding—the re-introduction to the wild process was terrific—and also a genuinely fun day out for anybody who liked zoos. Having an African lion on display for a week or so was a solid fundraiser, and Elliott was happy to help. Especially because it saved on hotel costs for that week.
It had also been unquestionablyrightto hop out of the enclosure he was lounging in to follow the woman who’d stopped there. It would not, he knew, cause panic amongst the park's visitors. Mostly because the gates weren't open yet, it was true, but also because he had a man’s mind in his big lion body and had the good sense to look around and make sure there weren’t any park employees in eyesight, either. So a graceful leap out of the enclosure, risking nothing, had beenright.
The woman was alsoright.Elliott knew it instantly, totally, and deeply. With confidence and conviction, he bounced over the enclosure wall, shifted to human, and ambled after her. She’d moved with a purposeful stride that gave her hips an enticing sway, and he'd followed far enough behind to go unnoticed.
Even from the distance, she was solidly built, with thick thighs that looked like they were all muscle. She was definitely short: short legs, short waist, short hair. Strong shoulders, big ribs, wide hips. Possibly she hated being called cute. A lot of short women did. But he'd gotten a glimpse of a pug nose and a square jaw and great huge dark eyes, and suspected that she probablywascute. He couldn't wait to get a better look at her to see for sure. That felt right, too.
She marched herself across the park and straight into the administrative area. Elliott had been there earlier, introducing himself before he went to check out his digs for the week. If he'd known she was heading there, he never would have left. Then again, if he hadn't been in an enclosure obviously unsuitable for a lion—he had, after all, actually jumped out of it, which would be a real problem if he wasn't a shifter—then probably she wouldn't now be bearing down on the director of the park's office. So even that had beenright.
All of it had been right.Definitely, purely, fullyright.
The expression currently on Dr. Maureen Kelly’s face right now, the expression that directly followed his cheerful explanation that he was the lion on loan…
…was not right.
In fact, if Elliott had to put a single word to the look on Dr. Kelly's face, it would be 'despair.' If he had some extra words to apply, 'horrified, appalled,' and 'distressed' would probably come into play. And, gradually turning his attention toAoife Gallagher’s expression, which could best be described as 'bewildered,' Elliott began to understand.
Aoife had no idea shifters existed. And he'd just opened his big mouth and told her.
Not in a way that made sense, obviously. 'I'm the lion on loan' was a truly baffling sentence, to someone who wasn't in the know.
Elliott had just sort of assumed everybody at the parkwasin the know. He'd been careful leaving the enclosure anyway, of course, but that was a matter of long-term personal safety. There always might have been some random kid who snuck into the park early or something, after all.
