Page 32 of Lucius

“Did you tell her that we have really good hearing?” Jupiter called through the shed doors.

“Oh crap,” Sidney said. “Sorry!”

“No worries,” Jupiter said. “It takes getting used to.”

“I just want to point out that I wasn’t eavesdropping,” Celeste said.

“Throw me under the bus, why don’t you, woman?” Jupiter said with a growl, and then Lucius heard the distinct sound of his brother and his mate making out.

Good grief.

He stepped close. “I’ll definitely, happily, and eagerly give you a repeat of last night.” He whispered in her ear, “You taste amazing and I love how you sound when you fall apart.”

She bit her bottom lip. “You better shift, Lucius. You’re too tempting like this.”

“As my soulmate wishes.”

He stepped back and stripped, a little sexier than necessary to give her a good show, which he could tell she appreciated because he could smell how turned on she was. When he’d put his clothes to the side of the shed, he let his shift come over him, going from two legs to four paws.

He stretched fully, his claws sinking into the dirt and his tail whipping back and forth as he yawned.

“Oh.”

He froze mid-yawn, jaws wide and fangs surely gleaming in the sunlight. Was she going to pass out?

“You okay out there, Sidney?” Celeste called. “It’s okay, he’s still himself, just furry.”

The shed doors opened and Sidney looked back at them, and then at him.

“I was just shocked to see it happen. It’s one thing for the lion to become a guy, but a totally different experience the other way around. I wasn’t sure I believed my own eyes last time, but I sure as heck do now. Holy crap. You’re a lion!” She dropped to her knees and held out her hands, and he moved slowly to her, lowering his head so she could pet him.

She sank her fingers into his thick mane, then scratched his ears. He rolled to his side and she stroked her hands down his side with a smile.

“My boyfriend is a lion. Or wait, I guess the right word is mate.”

“Yep,” Celeste said. “But we don’t use that word when we’re away from our people, so boyfriend is fine. Or husband, when the time comes.”

“You guys get married?”

Sidney stood and Lucius rolled to his feet.

“If the couple wants to,” Jupiter said. “You two can discuss that when you’re ready for it. For now, how about we walk around the paddock and you can ask us any questions you’d like. Then I heard you wanted to sketch for a while, so there’s a great shady place under that tree by the pond that you can hang out with Lucius until he’s done with his shift.”

“Sounds perfect,” she said.

He walked with her, occasionally bumping against her as they made their way around the large paddock. She asked Jupiter and Celeste questions about being soulmates and having a baby, about what it was like to be a shifter, and some of the dangers that they’d faced in the park.

By the time the two of them were settled under the tree in the shade and Jupiter had excused himself for a bit to take Celeste back to their home for a nap, promising to return before eleven when he needed to shift back to human, Lucius was positively falling for Sidney.

She was inquisitive and sensitive, and she clearly was open to learning about him and his people. He loved how her mind worked and how concerned she was that the park and its shifters were safe.

She sat a few feet from him and sketched him as he lounged near the pond, the sun dappling his fur with gold and shadows from the tree above.

“I had the best time this morning,” she said as she sketched. “Thank you for this. Thanks for taking the time with me to help me understand how serious everything is here. I don’t feel like a prisoner, I feel like I’m being brought into the most special,secret group on the planet and that I’ve been given a tremendous opportunity to find my soulmate and make a life with him.”

She smiled at him, and he purred loudly.

“When you’re human, I’d like to talk to you about the future, okay? I have some questions, especially about how you can’t live anywhere but here.”

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