Page 28 of Lucius

Did she believe in soulmates? Maybe she hadn’t really until she’d come to the park. But she couldn’t deny that she’d felt drawn to the park once she was there, and after meeting Lucius, she hadn’t wanted to leave his side. She’d nevereverjumped into bed with a guy the day she’d met him, but it had seemed right and she had no regrets about that.

Shedidregret waking up with him as a lion and also passing out when her overactive imagination had her picturing the wildest scenarios of her being locked in a cell because she now knew the truth of shifters.

Lucius had assured her that wouldn’t be the case. They weren’t going to keep her locked up, they just didn’t want her leaving the park until they knew she could be trusted. Since she was a virtual stranger, it wasn’t like she could just tell them to trust her, she had to prove it. But how could she prove that she wouldn’t tell a soul?

Because she wasn’t going to.

Not that anyone would believe her anyway.

But even if she was positive the whole world would believe her, she didn’t want to put Lucius in danger. Or his family and friends.

“I can’t tell my mom.”

“No, I’m sorry.”

She gave him a curious look. “The apartment? You don’t really live there.”

“No, they were built so that we had a place to bring our soulmates before we told them the truth. It would be hard to bring someone home with us when we lived in secret, you know?”

“That makes sense.” She stared at him for a long moment, trying to remember what it looked like when he turned from a lion to a man. She’d been so freaked out she hadn’t believed what she was seeing. “You really are a lion.”

“Yeah.”

“Can I see it again?”

“You want to watch me shift?”

“Yes.” She nodded decisively.

“Okay. We can do that. I can take you up to the paddock and shift for you. I’ll be stuck in my shift for a few hours, though, so maybe I can invite my brother and his mate Celeste so you can meet her and you can have someone to talk to.”

He straightened and helped her sit up. As they got off the bed, she said, “Wait. The paddock. Where the animals are? Does that mean there aren’tanyreal animals in the park at all? They’re all shifters?”

“Yes and no. Most of the animals in the paddocks are shifters—lions, bears, wolves, elephants, and gorillas. The other paddock has regular animals that we callnorms.”

“Tank is a norm?”

“Yep.”

“That would be weird to be able to be a moose.”

“I suppose,” he said with a chuckle. “Although since our people keep to themselves normally and it’s rare for so many groups to live together like this, it’s possible there are moose shifters out there somewhere. There are polar bears, owls, red foxes, and panthers that we know of. Who knows what else can shift into something we’ve not come across?”

She let that roll around in her head for a bit. “Okay, so I want to see you shift, but I’m starving. Is there food here, or do you just eat raw steaks?”

He laughed and put his arm around her, pulling her close. Her hands landed on his pecs and she loved how warm his skin was.

He stared down at her for a long, quiet moment. “Are you really okay, Sidney?”

“I am,” she said. “It’s fantastical, like the craziest thing ever, but I did see you turn from a lion to a human, and knowing that shifters have a soulmate and you felt a connection to me immediately helps me make sense of why I felt so connected to you. It feels extremely fast, but it also feels right.” She pursed her lips and then said, “I’ve never done that before, gone home with a guy after the first date. I just wanted you to know that it was special for me.”

“I’ve never done that either, sweetheart. It was very special for me too.” He tucked a lock of hair behind her ear and she shivered. “Do you forgive me? I keep asking you to, but you keep dodging the question.”

“I do,” she said. “Are there any other big secrets I should know about?”

“Nope,” he said. “But I’ll tell you all about myself and being a shifter and my people, and I promise not to keep secrets from you.”

“I promise to keep your secret. From my mom, from everyone. I don’t want to put you or your family and friends in danger. I can see how dangerous it would be for the public to know about shifters. I know your people don’t trust me yet, and that’s okay. It’s all so new and everything, but I’m promising you that I’ll keep your secret in my heart and not tell a soul.”

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