Authors: Harmony Raines
Tags: #General Fiction
“Do you think this is far enough?” he asked.
After dumping their bags in the small cabin, Amara had been eager to get out into the foothills and help him release his lion. Kane wasn’t quite so eager. The thought of getting stuck as a lion and never being able to turn back into his human form was scary.
“Yes. I think so,” Amara said. They stood together, looking out over the valley below. The small group of cabins were hidden from view along the lower slopes, and in front of them all they could see was a vast plain, with animals dotted here and there. Some were lying in the sun, some running; they couldn’t make out what species they were, but by their movements he could tell they weren’t your usual cattle or sheep.
“They just go where they want?” Kane asked.
“Within reason. There are territories, pride lands, my pride has its own valley and plain, and if any other herd tried to take it, then our leader would fight for it. But mostly those things are in the past. Most people have settled down and are simply trying to make a new life for themselves and their families.
“So much to learn,” he said, feeling tired. “How am I supposed to go and take back my father’s pride lands if I don’t even know how everything works?”
“Your uncle gave you the basic knowledge, the life lessons you need. You will rule in the same way you run a company,” she said, reassuring him.
“Only I have to defeat a big old lion first,” he said. A thrill of excitement was beginning to grow inside him, at the thought that he was about to experience his own lion for the very first time.
“Yes, there is that. But first we need to find
your
lion,” she said, taking his hand and lifting it so they both looked at his bracelet.
“Do you think we should climb higher?” he asked. “Before we remove it.” He was still afraid he would hurt someone. Perhaps he would run back down to the cabins and kill everyone there. What if he was a man eating lion?
“No, Kane, this is high enough. We can climb higher when you change.” She stood on tiptoes and kissed him, her lips warm, giving him strength and courage. He didn’t care about this mate bond; he could easily just take her back to the cabin and make love to her now. But that was just him trying to avoid what had to be done. What was the point in giving up his old life if he wasn’t intending to embrace this new one?
“So what do I have to do?” he asked, resigned to his fate, even if that meant living with four paws and a tail for the rest of his life. And a mane. Would he have one of those bushy manes?
“Concentrate,” she said, her voice calm but firm. “Look inside yourself, feel what you are, who you are. This is you, Kane Reinier. When your lion comes out, he will feel like the true you, but you have to remember this person.”
She placed her hand on his heart as if anchoring a part of herself there. A shock of electricity made his heart jolt, and he felt the beat of it thrumming through his veins, pounding in his ears. Kane looked into her eyes, saw the fear there, and wanted to get this right for her so that they could be together. The look in her eyes and the touch of her hand promised so much.
“Are you going to take this off?” he asked, his fingers running around the cold metal of her collar.
“Once I know you are safe. I want you to change first, so I’ll stay like this until I know what’s happening,” she said, her lips pursed and a small sigh escaping as his fingers left the cool metal to run along the warm skin of her throat. He touched the place where her pulse crossed her collarbone, feeling it quicken.
“You are the most beautiful creature I have ever seen,” he said his voice thick with emotion. “Even without this bond between us, I would take you to my bed.”
“That’s because you are a playboy,” she teased. “Misty told me all the stories about the women you sleep with.”
“A man has his needs,” Kane said, and knew that fell too short of what he needed to say. “But I always moved on, because I knew there was one need they could never fulfil. I never loved one of them. Not one single woman in my past. Is this why?”
“You mean the bond?” She nodded. “Yes, like it or not, you are mine and I am yours.”
“I think I am going to like it a lot,” he said, pulling her close and letting her feel the length of his arousal. “Can’t we opt for sex first?”
“No,” she laughed, pushing him away. “I can see you are going to be a handful.”
“Want to see how much of a handful?” he teased, watching her cheeks flush a beautiful shade of pink.
“No. Now, concentrate.” Her smile slipped from her face. “It’s time.”
He held out his hand to her, and her fingers moved to the clasp of the bracelet that had kept his lion chained for so long. “Oh, wait. You should strip.”
He threw his head back and roared with laughter. “So you do want to see me naked? But I think we should go somewhere a bit more private. Or do you like sex in the open air?”
“Is that all you think about?” she asked, then jabbed him playfully with her finger. “Listen, buddy, unless you want to live the rest of your life butt-naked, you need to learn to shift with your clothes on. It’s easy enough once you have control. But today, you won’t have that control. Your clothes will tear and you will be walking back to the cabin
au naturel
.”
“Damn it. Is there anything else?” he asked, beginning to undo his shirt.
“No. I don’t think so,” she said, watching him remove his shirt and casting an appraising look over his toned chest and washboard stomach. At least he had kept in shape; his uncle had always encouraged him to swim and work out to keep his body fit. Now he knew why.
His hands went to his belt and she turned around to give him privacy. “What’s mine is yours,” he joked. “I like sex with the lights on, so you are going to see me sooner or later. Sooner, I hope.”
“Yeah, it just feels weird out here in the open,” she said, her foot jiggling nervously, her head tilted up to look at the sky.
Kane let his pants drop to the floor and then bent to pick up his clothes, then he approached her. “What do you want me to do with these?”
She turned her head, and looked down at his clothes. “I’ll look after them. When you learn to do this fully controlled you can shift with clothes. Or a backpack, as long as it’s not too big. It’s all about control.”
“I’m not sure I have much of that left,” he said as she took his clothes from him and placed them on the floor.
“I feel kind of inadequate next to you,” she said, trying to keep her voice light.
He put his arm around her waist and pulled her back towards him, her soft curves nestling against his hard muscles. His right hand ran up her body, cupping her right breast and squeezing it. She gasped, pressing back harder against him. “There is nothing inadequate about you, Amara.”
His mouth kissed her neck and he felt her tremble, her desire overcoming her. It would be so easy to tell her to forget this lion business and skip to the mating. “We should do this now.”
She pulled away, turning to face him, her eyes dilated with desire. “You’re right. Are you ready?”
“No.” He offered his wrist to her. “But I want to skip to the next part, so let’s do it.”
“Take a moment. Remember who you are.”
He closed his eyes, breathing in the scent of her, the clear mountain air waking his senses, and then he looked inside himself, trying to find the real him, the essence of him, and for once in his life he prayed, asking that he would find himself again.
“Do it.”
Her fingers were shaking as she released the clasp on the bracelet. It was stiff, and it took her a moment or two before she made the clasp move, and then it was gone. The thing he had worn all of his life in memory of his father was no longer holding him in. And the lion was unleashed.
It started as a ripple along his skin. Amara had seen it before so many times, but never the look of shock and terror that spread across Kane’s face.
“What’s happening?” he asked, sounding scared. “Is it going to just burst through my skin?”
“Something like that,” she said. “Try to stay calm.”
“Calm? I’m being torn apart at the seams,” Kane cried, falling to his knees while claws erupted from the ends of his fingers to replace his nails. Then things happened so fast, it was a blur of fur and claws and a deathly scream filled the air. Then he was there, a massive lion, shaking his head, his long mane shimmering in the air, before it settled around his large magnificent head.
She walked towards him, half afraid, would he have control, or would he eat her up for his first lion dinner? He lifted his nose and sniffed the air, his tongue coming out, as he licked his lips, showing her his long, deadly-sharp teeth.
“Good kitty,” she said quietly, as if singing him a lullaby.
The lion Kane stood still, his large amber eyes watching her intently. Feeling braver, sure he would have pounced by now if he planned to attack, she took another step forward. Her fingers inches away, she could feel the undercurrent of electricity coming from him. Then she made contact with that invisible force and the shock of electricity made her fall backwards.
She landed on her bottom, the big lion towering above her, reeling back from the shock. And then they encountered their first problem, as he tried to steady himself, he fell sideways, only just managing to steady himself before he joined her on the ground.
“I guess this is easier to control when you learn as a child,” she said. “OK. I’m going to change and then I’ll try to teach you what I know.” She stood up, her hands going to the collar around her neck, and with a tug she opened it, and cast it aside.
So many sensations flooded her brain. Only with the collar gone could she understand how much it had taken away, how much she had become accustomed to her dulled senses. First was the air: she could smell the sage bush that grew by a big boulder about twenty feet away. She could hear the buzzard high in the sky as it patrolled the ridge about a mile away, and she could sense Kane on a level she had never experienced.
He watched her and she smiled, reaching out to him once more. This time there was no shock, so the collar was responsible for that. Now they were free, nothing to contain their innate natural powers. His big, long lion tongue licked her, rough against her palm and she stroked his massive head, before leaning down and kissing him. A deep rumble in his chest told her his feelings for her, and the sudden need to be one with him took over her. But in her head, her lioness growled and paced her mind, coming to the forefront so she could see her.
Tears sprang to Amara’s eyes. This beautiful creature had been caged for too long, now was the time for her to have her freedom.
Gathering her thoughts, she allowed her lioness to come forth. Slowly, she shifted, her body changing from human to lion, fingernails growing into claws, sandy fur sprouting through her skin. Amara dropped down to her knees, her legs changing, muscles lengthening, bones shortening as human morphed into beast.
This was what pure humans were scared of. If only they knew!
She stood, all powerful, all lion. Her head lifted to the sky and roared, her joy at life filling every part of her body, from the tip of her cream whiskers to the end of her tail, which swished with the need to run. But first she had to help their mate.
Kane stood looking at her, his eyes glowing as he took in his female. With bared teeth, he looked as though he was grinning at her—and so he should, her lioness was stunning, even if she did say so herself.
Positioning herself by his side, she pressed her body against his, letting her warmth transfer across to him, to reassure him. Then she placed her right front paw in front of her, and nudged him to do the same. It was like helping a giant cub to walk for the first time. He copied her, and then she moved her next foot, and one step at a time he learned to walk, without the weight of his tail overbalancing him.
That was the easy bit. Now she had to teach him to run, and jump. Slowly, they climbed the mountain, Kane becoming more confident in his new body until he was able to leap from boulder to boulder, clearing fallen trees in one leap, with only the occasional slip of a paw which would send him sprawling to the ground, when he would immediately get up and try again until he had perfected the move.
As the time wore on, Amara knew they had to try to reverse the process. He had become one with his lion; now he had to come back to his human form. If he could.
She stood on a large outcrop, taking in their surroundings. Frasier had told her there was a cave they could go to, where they would be shielded from sight while he tried to return to a human. There they would have no distraction, and they could take their time.
Amara shook her head. She had to stop thinking about what else might happen in private, once he was back to being human. Would he feel the mate bond as strongly as she did?
She turned and nipped his legs, pushing him away, and then leaped past him to race down the side of the mountain. Her sense of direction was keen, and she headed south and then dipped down into a small valley. There, a wall of rock towered above them. Following it along, they came to a waterfall that dropped down by their feet, disappearing into an underground cave. They both stopped and drank their fill. Kane couldn’t resist flopping down in the small pool and soaking his coat, flicking water up at her with his enormous paw.
She shied away and then pounced, splashing water in his face. He got up, shook himself, and then wriggled like a cat about to pounce. She turned and ran, leading him away from the water and towards the place where she hoped the cave was. The sun shone down into the sheltered valley, warming her cream coat as she ran headlong across the rough terrain, and then she saw the dark shadow against the rock face and knew they were at the cave. This was it. Although what she would do if he couldn’t change back into a human, she didn’t know.
Nudging him again, and pushing him, she guided him to the cave, although he held back. They had to do this now. So she allowed her human form to come and take over her body, standing in front of him with her arms folded across her chest.