Page 21 of Loving the Lion

Before she could get very far, a large, mutton-shaped hand closed over her shoulder. She shrugged it away and kept running. She felt herself being grabbed again and her luck ran out. Seconds later she was on her knees, the men circling around her like a pack of hungry wolves. She braced herself for what was about to happen.

“Let’s take her, boys.”

“No, wait!” Sally cried out, not ready to give up. Maybe she could bargain with them. While she knew nothing about Bachar and his pride, they didn’t know that she didn’t know.

The leader knelt in the snow beside her, his face pressed against hers, his breath so bad she had to turn hers away in order not to gag. He gripped her hair, making her face him again. He closed his fist so tightly against her scalp that tears came to her eyes. “Your mangy boyfriend isn’t going to come for you. And he for sure won’t want you once we get done with you.” He rose to his feet. “Get her inside boys. It’s time for some fun.”

Sally had no doubt what the man was saying was true. Bachar didn’t even know she was in trouble unless the desk clerk made a point of telling him. Was that the reason they’d kidnapped her? In hopes of luring Bachar to this remote spot so they could kill him? Now Sally had two reasons to try to get away. To save herself and to save Bachar. She went limp as one of the men tried to lift her to her feet. Her delaying tactic only earned her another slap across the face. She thought hazily that Bachar wouldn’t like their treatment of her. As another man helped pick her up, the sound of engines broke through the quiet.

“Somebody’s coming.” The men turned to look down the snow covered road leading to the cabin.

“Fuck,” the leader cursed, pulling a gun from the waistband of his dirty jeans. Her eyes widened in surprise when she realized not only was there a fleet of black vehicles coming down the road, but animals. There was no mistaking the lion leading the charge—Bachar, in all his golden glory. She was surprised by that, half expecting him to have a dark mane. Beside him was a black wolf that she instinctively knew was Tarek. Her eyes widened in surprise when she saw a massive Bengal tiger as well.

The hands on her arms loosened as the other men reached for their guns and she knew she had to do something. Running, she threw herself in the line of fire, screaming, “Don’t shoot! Please don’t shoot!”

The roar of the lion mixed with the sound of gunfire. It took Sally a few minutes to register the sharp pain that lanced through her shoulder at the surrealism of the moment. As she fell to the snow covered ground, she watched with fascinated eyes as the lion transformed in mid-leap, and Bachar landed in front of her.

“Sally!”

Her name had never sounded so desperate before, and no man had ever looked at her the way Bachar was looking at her now. Fear and vulnerability showed in the dark depths of his eyes. She reached for him before realizing her hands were still tied together. Not that they seemed to be working properly, she thought hazily as her vision started to fade.

“You came,” she whispered as she felt his arms close around her.

He was repeating one word over and over again. “Albi, Albi.”

Sally lost consciousness, making a mental note to ask him what that meant.