Page 12 of Lion's Legacy of Flame

“They were going to hurt you.”

“Yes! I’m not a child.” She stares angrily at me for a moment. “Yes, they were going to hurt me, and you stopped that, and I’m grateful. But there are still four dead bodies! There are four…” Her anger disappears and then she starts laughing. “Holy crap!”

“Are you okay?” I’m not sure if I can step closer or not right now.

She laughs louder. “I’m screaming at the thing that killed those four! I weigh a hundred and twenty-two pounds soaking wet and I’m screaming at you!”

“I think you might be in shock.”

She stops laughing but she’s still mirthful as she says, “Oh, shut up pussycat. I’m fine. And I’m pissed because I lost inventory and I’m pissed because I need to get things cleaned up, and I’m pissed because we’ve only known each other a few weeks but I’m so fucking in love that I can’t even… I mean, I should be running from all this craziness but I can’t.”

“Did you just say that you…”

She laughs loudly again, and says, “I can’t even be angry that you didn’t tell me you were a shifter. It’s like every single day with you is Christmas morning. I just… there’s something new.”

“Would you like tomorrow’s present right now?” I ask.

She looks at me and rolls her eyes. “Sure. Why the hell not, right? Go ahead. What now?”

“Marry me.”

She stops laughing and stares at me in shock. I get that. I’m in shock, too. What I just did is a very un-lion thing to do. “What did you just say?” she asked.

“You heard me,” I say, “and you better answer quick because I have some calls to make to clean up the mess out there.”

She starts laughing again. “Merry Christmas!”

Chapter Ten

Two Months Later

Claire

There are a whole lot of things on my bucket list. See, I heard the phrase when I was nine and so I wrote down a list right then. That was close to fifteen years ago, so you can imagine how much has been added. I mean, of course, a lot has been done. When you’re nine, you write things like having your first kiss or getting a puppy and stuff like that. Anyway, what I’m trying to say is that I have a robust number of things I want to do in life.

But there’s one thing on my list that sure as heck should have been there. That’s riding a lion as though I’m riding a horse.

Holy wow!

I don’t think there’s anything I can do to explain it to you. I might just write it on my list just so I can cross it off. This is the most wonderful experience of my life! We’re in a forest I didn’t even know was so close to the city. Maddy is mindingMEALTIME at the moment because I’m on vacation and I made a deal with Tiger Treasures to help them with some food needs.

Anyway, I don’t think I can describe how amazing this feels. I’ve seen the terrible destructive power of the lion beneath me. I’ve seen what it can do, and it almost feels like that power pulses beneath me and just flows through me as I hold tightly to Brady’s mane and he runs. I have to admit something, too. Uh… I’m really getting turned on. The reason that’s a little embarrassing is because it’s physical, not emotional.

What I mean is that I’m not on a saddle. I’m bareback and Brady’s muscles and movement are essentially stimulating me through my jeans. The stimulates me enough that it’s fair to say I might end up having an orgasm if he keeps it up!

That makes me giggle a little as we run through the forest. That’s okay. There has been a whole lot of laughter on this ride. There has been a whole lot of laughter since what happened at Mealtime. I guess now I understand why this man seems like so much more than a man, right? What a crazy set of circumstances, and what a wonderful life I get to lead.

Suddenly, the trees give way to a little rise over a beautiful little pond. The lion sits and I slide off his back. I walk around and hold the giant head in my arms. He’s so beautiful and so huge! I tell you, he’s bigger than the lion in the movies about the wardrobe and the evil witch. He’s a lot more savage, though, I can tell you.

I mean, don’t get me wrong. He’s so kind and gentle when he’s a man but the wild power of his lion will never leave my mind. I can promise you that. I’m not afraid of him but I saw what he can do. I don’t know why I’m not terrified of him. Well, sure I do. I’m not terrified of him because he’s Brady, and that means that I’m safe even if he’s an apex predator wild animal. Hell, I think I feel safer because he is one. He’s not just a badass lion. He’s my badass lion.

All mine.

“Be you again for me, Baby,” I whisper and instantly, my arms aren’t cradling the giant lion’s but instead are against his thick, muscular chest. I lift myself immediately to kiss him, and even though I say this almost every time, it’s the best kiss of my life. His hands come around me and I press myself against him. I guess I’ll seem pretty dramatic but…

Well, how the hell am I supposed to not be dramatic? Seriously. Give me an answer to that one. My fiancé is a lion! He’s a giant fucking lion! If you can come up with a way for me to not be dramatic when I’m marrying a god of a man who turns into the biggest king of the biggest jungle that ever existed? I’m getting married to a freakin’ lion shifter!

Okay, I needed to get all that out of my system. In all seriousness, though, can you imagine anyone being all prim and proper about something like this? I mean, seriously, can you imagine that? Tell me you’re not that much of a silly fuddy duddy.

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