Page 5 of Loving the Lion

CHAPTER TWO

BACHAR WATCHED AS Tarek helped the woman into the front seat of the vehicle that would take them up the mountain. He had dismissed the driver, deciding to make the long, sometimes treacherous trip behind the wheel. Why, he did not know. Usually, he spent the time in the back seat immersed in the hundred and one things he needed to accomplish to keep the pride running smoothly.

“Is your seat belt on?” He climbed into the large luxury vehicle, put it in gear and started forward.

“Yes.”

He gave a short nod but kept his attention on the road leading away from the hotel. The hotel was one of three that were scattered throughout this part of shifter territory. There were more hotels and attractions to the east and west. The rustic hotel was not usually his preference when he was away from his home. He preferred the more luxurious one further up the mountain. He’d been tired last night and had decided to stay there. Now he knew why.

Fate.

The silence was strained as they drove, but Bachar did not want to engage the woman in conversation. The less he knew about her, the better. The sooner he found her brother, the better.

He was sure Tarek would find a lead, probably even the boy, by nightfall. His pride shared the mountain with numerous other prides and packs. The core of his pride were lions, but he’d taken in other shifters. Shifters, like Tarek and Keair, that had either been about to turn rogue or whose original pride or clan had been killed.

He’d found most of the shifters in the area loyal and extremely family oriented, despite the media which made them out to be outlaws and rouges determined to seduce human women. He snorted slightly to himself. That was the last thing most shifters wanted. Most wanted a mate with whom to start a life, create a family lineage.

He stole a look at his silent passenger and discovered she was doing the same. It amused him when her cheeks turned red. It pleased him when she didn’t look away. She had spirit and sass. “Why do you study me? Do you not find my look pleasing?” He meant it as an arrogant statement, knowing his looks and coloring were quite pleasing to females.

“Oh, yes, quite pleasing.” A small smile curved her lips as if she’d guessed what he’d been up to. He was sure if she had known how seductive that smile appeared she would have immediately resisted the urge. She continued to stare at him, biting her lip as if wanting to prevent herself from speaking.

“You have a question?”

“I don’t want to appear rude.”

He shifted in his seat, allowing his body to relax for the first time since they had begun their journey. Surprisingly, her presence was soothing to both the man and the beast that lived inside him. They still had more than an hour before they reached their destination. “You may ask me.”

His continued arrogance did not escape her, and she showed her displeasure with a tightening of her full lips.

“What type of shifter are you?”

“What type do I look like?”

“I would say a wolf, based on your coloring and strength. But, you have more of an, um, attitude about you that doesn’t scream wolf to me.”

“And you have known many shifters? Many wolf shifters?”

She shifted in her seat, and for a brief moment, he thought he smelled the hint of deceit on her scent. Then it was gone, fleeting at best. It did make him frown. Was there more to her story than a runaway brother? Was she a woman seeking a shifter for her bed?

The thought of her with another man, any male, made his lion sit up. The animal did not like the idea. Neither did the man.

“Your guard is a wolf, isn’t he?”

“Yes. And you are to stay away from him.”

“Really? That’s strange because he gave me the exact same warning about you.” She turned towards him in her seat, the movement stirring up the air around her again. And again, her scent filled his senses, and his animal roared inside his head.

Mate. Mate.

No, no mate. He could not take a mate. Not now. Perhaps never.

“Perhaps it is best that you heed both of our warnings.”

His words made her expression fall, and he instantly wanted to put that look of mischief back on her face. “I will answer your question now. I am a lion shifter.”

Her eyes widened, and he felt the heat of her gaze as it traveled over him. His pants suddenly became restrictive, and he wanted nothing more than to rip away his clothing and shift, showing her his animal.

“I would never have guessed. It’s your coloring. I would have thought a lion shifter would have been blonde and golden in their human form.”