Page 33 of Lucius

He nodded, his tail flicking in the tall grass.

“In the meantime, lemme get back to this sketch. You’re a freaking handsome lion, Lucius. Plus, you’re sexy as hell as a human.” She gave him a sexy smile before turning her eyes back to the sketchbook. “I can’t wait until you’re human again.”

He couldn’t either.

Sidney hadthe best time out in the paddock. She loved that it was just the two of them and that even though the paddock was a huge, open space, it still felt private. When she finished her sketch of him, she closed her book and put her things away, and then laid her head back against his chest and closed her eyes with a yawn.

“I’m laying against a lion,” she said with a snort. She opened her eyes and looked up at the impossibly blue sky and fluffy white clouds that were visible through the tree’s canopy. “I can’t believe how normal this feels.”

He purred and his body vibrated, which made her back tingle. Turning to her side, she stretched her arms over his chest and rested her head on his tawny fur. His mane was thick and the color of melted chocolate, and his eyes were a beautiful amber color.

She’d never seen a lion up close.

It was wild that she was hugging one.

Even if it was her boyfriend.

At dinner the night before, she’d told him so much about her life, but she started to share again now that it was just the two of them and she had him as a captive audience.

She told him about growing up in a home where the most important thing was the family business, and how everything got put on hold because of it.

“My dad loved my mom so much,” she said, rubbing her cheek on his fur. “He sacrificed a lot for the business so she could have her dream job. When he died, I knew my life was going to get infinitely harder because she had relied on him so much, and then she turned all that reliance on me. I don’t think she ever saw what she did as anything but appropriate, and if I ever pushed back, she’d guilt me and make me feel bad.” She mused on that for a little bit, thinking that her relationship with her mom had probably been heading toward Sidney simply taking off and going no-contact so she could get her sanity back.

“I guess I’m loyal to a fault, though. I could have left, I could have put my foot down and refused to work there. She wasn’t even paying me minimum wage, though, so I saved my money as best I could, but it was never enough for me to get a place of my own. I was screwed coming and going.”

He murmured sympathetically, and she smiled.

“We’re soulmates. It’s such a weird thing to say because it sounds like a fantasy. But I was immediately attracted to you, and I didn’t want to be anywhere but with you. It explains why I felt so drawn to you. Because we were meant to be together. The coupon was just the means to bring us to the same place.”

He growled softly in agreement.

“I think,” she said, “when you’re done being a lion for the day, that you and I need to talk about the park and your life here so that we’re on the same page. Then I’ll figure out how to deal with my mom.” She sat up and looked into his eyes. “You’ll help me, I hope?”

He nodded and pressed his cheek to hers with an answering purr.

She hugged him around his neck and buried her face in his mane, inhaling the sunshine and tall grass scent of him.

She wasn’t sure how long they’d stayed like that, but Jupiter appeared at some point and said it was time for Lucius to change back because the others were coming up for the tours.

She rose to her feet and grabbed her bag, stretching with a squeak.

“What do you think?” Jupiter asked as he walked with them back to the maintenance shed.

“About what?” she asked.

“Lucius, shifters, the park, everything.”

“Oh, I’m a smitten kitten,” she said with a laugh. “Lucius and I need to talk about a lot of stuff still, but I understand how awesome of a responsibility the secret of shifters is, and I’m honored to be part of it. It’s freaking fantastic, though. It feels like a dream.”

“Celeste said she felt the same way when we met, that she thought she was falling for me too fast but she couldn’t stop herself. Being soulmates makes us compatible on a level that isn’t the same for humans alone.”

“Thanks for sticking with us today,” she said. “Lucius is lucky to have you for a brother.”

“Hey,” he said, pulling the shed door open, “I’m lucky too. I get to be with my family at the park. There’s a lot of shifters who aren’t so lucky.”

She and Lucius walked into the shed after she picked up his clothes from outside, and Jupiter shut the door. He hurried down the steps and left them alone. She turned to watch Lucius shift. Seeing him return to human was just as amazing as seeing him turn into a lion.

She jumped into his arms and kissed him.

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