A Total-E-Bound Publication
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Protecting His Pride
ISBN # 978-1-78184-435-9
©Copyright Amber Kell 2013
Cover Art by Posh Gosh ©Copyright July 2013
Edited by Stacey Birkel
Total-E-Bound Publishing
This is a work of fiction. All characters, places and events are from the author’s imagination
and should not be confused with fact. Any resemblance to persons, living or dead, events or
places is purely coincidental.
All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced in any material form,
whether by printing, photocopying, scanning or otherwise without the written permission of
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The author and illustrator have asserted their respective rights under the Copyright Designs
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of the artwork.
Published in 2013 by Total-E-Bound Publishing, Think Tank, Ruston Way, Lincoln, LN6 7FL,
United Kingdom.
Warning:
This book contains sexually explicit content which is only suitable for mature readers. This
story has a heat rating of Total-e-sizzling and a sexometer of 1.
This story contains 58 pages, additionally there is also a free excerpt at the end of the book
containing 9 pages.
Book seven in the Supernatural Mates series
When a bleeding lion shifter collapses in the alley outside his restaurant, Garret Halcon discovers the
one thing that’s been missing in his life is love.
Garret Halcon finds a lion shifter bleeding behind the alley of his restaurant. Unusually
attached to a complete stranger, he follows him to the hospital.
When Cesar runs into the problem of too many alphas in one town, he has to prove to Talan
that he can be a successful member of the pride without being a problem.
Will Cesar be able to complete a task set for him by the lion alpha or will he die for the sake
of his pride?
Dedication
For my fans—without your encouragement I wouldn’t have so many stories to share.
Trademarks Acknowledgement
The author acknowledges the trademarked status and trademark owners of the following
wordmark mentioned in this work of fiction:
Harley: Harley-Davidson, Inc.
PROTECTING HIS PRIDE Amber Kell
6
Prologue
They were after him. At least he’d been able to free the others. When Melissa had
ordered Cesar killed, she should’ve had them kill him at the lab. Having him transported had
been her first mistake. She’d foolishly thought the soldiers would be strong enough to stop
Cesar. However, even beaten and chained, he’d overpowered his captors and slashed both of
their throats. Staring into their empty, dead eyes would haunt his dreams for a long time to
come, but in a battle for survival there was no room for compassion.
Cesar’s inner lion refused to be controlled by these lambs any longer. He needed to save
his pride from more of the torture masquerading as scientific experiments. Killing to achieve
that goal only bothered his human half. To his lion, soldiers were expendable. They’d chosen
the wrong side in this battle and were paying the price.
Entering the control area of the compound had been surprisingly easy. Only three
guards had stood between him and his goal. With little effort he’d knocked them out and
reached the heart of the power room.
He flicked the middle switch. If he understood the diagram properly, the locks would
all now be disengaged. He didn’t dare tamper further with the electrical panel—it would
alert too many people that things weren’t going according to plan.
Besides, he didn’t know where that bitch Melissa had gone. For all he knew, she was
tucked away in a cosy room waiting for her next shifter to torment. That was one woman
who enjoyed her job. Several weeks ago, Cesar had stupidly agreed to walk into the lab on
his own. The ad had mentioned a blood experiment and a nice payoff at the end of the
program.
Cesar had been working in a kitchen and had needed the extra money to pay for
culinary school. After being kicked out of his pride for having too much alpha power, he’d
been moving from restaurant to restaurant, slowly building up his experience and skills.
Thoughts of his old alpha, Brell, caused anger to burn through his body, bright and hot
like a solar flare. Brell hadn’t even had the guts to take care of Cesar himself—too afraid of
losing in a fight between them. He’d had a pair of older lions toss Cesar out without even the
dignity of a challenge. Cesar knew he rivalled Brell in strength and could’ve taken out the
PROTECTING HIS PRIDE Amber Kell
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older man, but apparently the fact that he had no wish to be alpha hadn’t been weighed in
the decision to banish him.
Cesar had thought Brell a good alpha until he’d tossed Cesar away like trash.
Bastard.
“I’ve found the problem!” a man shouted nearby, alerting Cesar to the fact that he no
longer had the area to himself.
Damn.
He’d been so focused on freeing his small band of lab lions that he’d missed the sound
of the guard approaching. Stupid.
His low growl of frustration filled the air.
The guard shouted, “Don’t even think about it, freak!”
“You want to see a freak?” Cesar shifted his hands to claws and slashed the man’s face.
“Ahhh!” the guard screamed and dropped his gun as he grabbed at his bleeding
wound.
Cesar took the opportunity to punch him. With a satisfying crunch, the guard toppled
unconscious to the ground.
Knowing his time had run out, Cesar slunk around the corner, keeping an eye out for
more workers. He needed to stay out of sight of any guards who might come to investigate
the other soldier’s disappearance.
He wished he could run off and return to his old life, as if this had all been a horrible
dream, but first he had to free his friends. Turning down a familiar corridor, he caught sight
of the other lion shifters with some men he didn’t recognise. Cesar watched them willingly
jump into a vehicle and leave. His heart sank as he realised they must’ve thought he’d
abandoned them. Instead he’d escaped with the idea of coming back to free everyone. It
looked like some had freed themselves.
The important thing was that his lions were safe. Well, they weren’t really his lions. He
had to repeat that fact to himself as he watched them drive away to freedom.
“At least we still have one,” a hard voice said behind him.
A sharp, stabbing sensation pierced his back, a bullet no doubt. They often used live
ammunition to keep the shifters in line. With a bullet in their body they couldn’t transform to
their animal self in case the piece of shrapnel travelled to a more unwelcome place. The spine
PROTECTING HIS PRIDE Amber Kell
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and chest were the usual places they aimed for. A bullet in the leg or arm was too easily
dismissed.
Cesar turned to face his attacker. His lion half needed to see the face of his enemy.
The guard facing him was one of the few who truly enjoyed his job. Bill, if Cesar
remembered his name correctly, relished any opportunity to torment the shifters. Whenever
the scientists had caused them with pain, he’d always had a smile on his face.
“Stay still. Don’t come any closer,” Bill warned. He wasn’t smiling now.
“You know what they say, Bill…” Cesar said
Bill lowered his gun slightly. “What’s that?”
“Paybacks are a bitch.” With a loud snarl, Cesar leapt at the soldier.
PROTECTING HIS PRIDE Amber Kell
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Chapter One
“Garret, you need to stop scaring the help away.” Ellie Halcon scowled at her brother,
an odd expression on her normally sweet face.
Sweat dampened her brow as she stood beside him in the hot kitchen, tapping her foot
in an annoying rhythm. Garret’s sister worked as the manager of his restaurant and normally
kept the place running with an efficient hand. However, right now she was bouncing on
Garret’s last freaking nerve.
Garret shrugged, indifferent to her concerns. He’d been running the family restaurant
for ten of his thirty years and knew what staff they needed to succeed. There would always
be people who were willing to work for him. He didn’t have to put up with crappy
employees.
“I wouldn’t be compelled to scare them if they could do their jobs. Besides, if he can’t
deliver a plate to a table without spilling it on a guest, he doesn’t need to work here. We do
still have some standards, don’t we?” he snarled.
He wasn’t trying to be an asshole, but the waiter he’d fired had been completely
incompetent. Garret didn’t care if the human waiter wasn’t used to shifters and startled
easily. If the kid planned to live in a shifter town, he had to learn to adapt.
“What crawled up your tail feathers?” Ellie asked, tilting her head in a motion
reminiscent of her hawk form. “You’ve been cranky for the past month.”
“Nothing is wrong,” Garret snapped. “Now why don’t you head home and go
psychoanalyse your goldfish. I’m creating.”
He waved her away with an impatient motion of his hand. He didn’t need to chat or
discuss his feelings. He wanted to be left alone.
Garret returned his attention to his new pasta dish. If it tasted half as good as it smelt
they’d sell out the first night. After a few more minutes of trying to glare a hole through
Garret’s head, Ellie gave up.
“At least my goldfish is interesting!” Ellie shouted as she walked away.
PROTECTING HIS PRIDE Amber Kell
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The door slammed behind her as she left the kitchen. Garret knew she’d do a final pass-
through in the dining room and lock up on her way out of the front. She might be an
emotional, touchy-feely person, but she could be counted on.
Garret sighed and drizzled a bit of truffle oil across his pasta. No way would he admit
to being heartbroken. No one would believe he had a heart anyway. He still didn’t
understand how that little fox shifter could have fallen for a coyote. The look of adoration in
KC’s eyes while he dined with his coyote shifter mate had made Garret’s chest ache with the
poignancy of lost opportunity. He’d never even had the chance to ask KC out. At first his
schedule hadn’t allowed it, then the fox shifter had found his mate.
After finishing off his dish with a handful of fresh herbs, Garret filled a bowl with pasta
then snatched a fork off the counter before sitting down and taking a bite. The flavours
combined into an amazing medley in his mouth, but it might as well have been ash. He
poked his food around with his fork, unsatisfied. Moping about wouldn’t get him anywhere
except to make everyone else around him miserable.
“Maybe I need a vacation,” he muttered. He hadn’t found joy in any of his usual
pursuits even before KC had met his mate.
Garret polished off the rest of his food then dumped his dish in the dishwasher. After
pulling off his chef jacket, he dropped it in the laundry chute then snatched his motorcycle
jacket off the hook by the door.
In order to save all the parking spots for paying customers, Garret kept his Harley in
the alley behind the restaurant. He only parked out front on trash day.
Garret opened the back door. It slammed behind him with a thud. After checking the
lock and setting the alarm, he headed for his ride.
Maybe he wouldn’t come back tomorrow. He let the fantasy roll about in his head for a
moment. Surely his family could run things without him. Hell, the restaurant almost ran
itself. Garret needed a new challenge. The cold night air slid across his skin, a welcome relief
after the stuffiness of the kitchen. Maybe a change of scenery would solve the problem of his
stagnant, lonely life.
A soft, shuffling noise behind the dumpster had him spinning around. Maybe the alley
cats had returned. Damn things. He knew his cousin Markus sometimes left scraps out for
the felines. Markus’ soft heart melted easily over the homeless kitties. Garret just wished he’d
stop feeding them. He disliked felines. The small version tried to trip him on the way to the
PROTECTING HIS PRIDE Amber Kell
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dumpster and the big cat shifters came and ate everything in his restaurant. He’d finally had
to force them to make reservations or he wouldn’t have enough food when they came to
dine.
Movement behind the dumpster had him approaching more cautiously. Definitely not
stray cats. Anything large enough to move a trash container that large had to weigh more
than a few pounds. As he approached, someone tumbled from behind the dumpster then lay
still on the ground. Garret rushed over.
“Hey, are you all right?” he called out foolishly, as the man’s eyes were closed and he
wasn’t moving. The stranger’s golden skin had Garret suspecting lion shifter, but it wasn’t
someone he recognised. He knew most of the local big cats since they came into the
restaurant on a regular basis. This gorgeous man didn’t belong to Talan’s pride. Garret
hoped the unconscious shifter wasn’t an interloper hoping to challenge the pride alpha. So
far no one had survived any battle against the pride leader and if someone eventually did
beat Talan, they’d better sleep with one eye open. Talan’s sisters were scary.
The smell of blood coated the alley like sticky cotton candy, sickly sweet. Garret
dropped to his knees to get a better look. “Where are you injured?”
Not trained in medical care, Garret didn’t know what he could do, but the compulsion
to help in some way prodded him to investigate the shifter’s injuries. He pressed his fingers
against the man’s throat, letting out a sigh of relief when he found a steady pulse. Not a
super strong one, but a solid rhythm.
The man’s long golden lashes fluttered up revealing bright blue eyes—an unusual
colour for someone Garret suspected of being a lion. All the lion shifters he knew had golden
eyes. Garret wondered if his alley occupant was only a half-breed.
“Shot…” A rough, faint voice emerged from the man’s chapped mouth.
Garret snatched his cellphone out of his pocket and dialled the paramedics. Why he
hadn’t done that as soon as he’d scented blood he didn’t know. The sight of an injured man
in his alley had obviously scrambled his usual common sense.
“I’ve got a man, a possible shifter, with a gunshot wound!” Garret shouted into the
phone.
“Just a moment, I’m transferring your call,” the operator announced.
The man whimpered in pain.
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Garret’s gut twisted at the sound. He almost felt the man’s agony as if it were his own.
“Shh… Shh… Help will be coming soon.” He didn’t know why, but Garret knew he had to
help out the stranger. Previously unexplored empathy tied him up in knots. Damn, he
wished he’d taken his car this morning. No way could he get the gunshot victim to the
hospital on the back of his Harley.
When the emergency line picked up, Garret could barely get the words out.
“This is Garret Halcon. I’m in the alley behind my restaurant with a gunshot victim.
Come immediately!” He hung up not waiting for a response. They had all the information
they needed. In a small town, landmarks worked better than addresses.
The injured man raised his hand towards Garret. Instinctively, Garret grabbed it and
cradled the man’s palm against his chest. His heart hammered so hard he figured the injured
man could feel the beat in his fingers.
Garret had never had a compassionate moment before in his life, but right then he
wanted to hold the golden-haired stranger close and make sure he received proper care. Bile
rose in his throat at the thought of him dying.
“Where the fuck is that damn ambulance!” The hospital was only a few minutes away.
Luckily for them, as soon as he jabbed the first number on his phone to call again, sirens
echoed in the narrow alley. The town’s only emergency vehicle slid to a stop barely a foot
from Garret’s position on the ground.
The paramedics jumped from the vehicle and rushed to his side. Garret recalled their
names were Donny and Palmer, distant cousins and fellow hawks.
“Where’s his injury?” Donny asked.
“I don’t know. He said he was shot and I can smell his blood.” Worry and panic began
to take hold of him. What if the shifter died in this alley? “Why doesn’t he shift?”
Surely he would heal faster if he transformed into his animal half?
“If the bullet is still in there it could move to his heart if he shifted,” Donny explained.
“Crap.” He didn’t know much about bullet wounds, but he should’ve known that. He
definitely wasn’t at his best in this particular emergency.
“We’ll take good care of him,” Palmer assured him. “But we need you to get out of the
way.”
“No! Mine!” The injured man tightened his grip on Garret, his fingers digging bruises
into Garret’s wrist.
PROTECTING HIS PRIDE Amber Kell
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Garret gasped in pain as his fingers began to lose feeling. “Ow.”
“Sorry,” the stranger whispered and loosened his hold. “Don’t go. Stay with me.”
“I’m not going anywhere,” Garret promised.
The paramedics froze. “Do you know this guy?” Palmer asked.
Garret shook his head. “I just met him.”
“Sir, can you tell us your name?” Donny asked, taking the man’s pulse.
“Cesar. I-I’m Cesar.” He frowned as if he wasn’t completely certain of that information,
but it was all he had to offer.
“Cesar, where are you injured?” Palmer asked.
“Back,” he whispered.
Before they could ask any more questions Cesar passed out again.
“Good,” Donny said. “At least now we can move him without having to drug him for
the pain.”
“I’ll get the board,” Palmer said.
“You can probably go home now. I doubt he’s going to remember you once he wakes
up,” Donny told Garret.
“No. I can’t leave him.” Garret’s heart ached for Cesar’s suffering. “I’ll meet you at the
hospital.” He’d promised the damaged man he wouldn’t leave him and he planned to keep
his word.
Donny stared at Garret for a long moment. “We can’t tell you how he’s doing or
anything because
of privacy laws.”
“I understand.” That didn’t stop Garret from wanting to stay with Cesar.
“We should probably call Talan and see if he’s missing a lion. Maybe someone came to
visit and never showed up.”
“I didn’t hear anything,” Garret interjected. If there was gossip in town, Garret usually
knew it. Everyone chatted while dining and Garret’s servers loved to sit in the kitchen on
their break and jabber on about who was doing what in town. If Talan was expecting
company Garret would have known.
“Either way, you don’t bring a big cat shifter into town without telling the alpha.”
Donny gave Garret a disapproving look.
PROTECTING HIS PRIDE Amber Kell
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Garret knew Donny had a good point. None of them knew why Cesar had wandered
into town and to hold back that information from the pride leader wouldn’t reflect well on
any of them.
“I still want to go with you.”
“Follow us if you want, but like I said, we can’t tell you anything about his health
without his permission,” Donny warned.
“I understand, but I feel responsible for him. He was behind my restaurant. There’s
nothing wrong with me visiting him after the doctor checks him out, is there?” Garret asked.
The medics exchanged looks then Palmer shrugged. “Suit yourself.”
Garret watched carefully while Donny and Palmer strapped Cesar down and slid him
into the ambulance. His inner hawk tried to burst out, but Garret pushed it back down. He
couldn’t be aggressive towards the paramedics—they’d banish him in a second if he tried to
push his way into the ambulance.
“See you soon,” Palmer said cheerfully.
Garret waited until they had pulled away before straddling his motorcycle. He needed
to watch out for Cesar. The poor man lay helpless in a strange town. Garret would make sure
nothing happened to him. Why he thought it was his duty to protect a total stranger, Garret
couldn’t explain, but that didn’t make it less important.
His hands shook on the handlebars as he followed the ambulance to the hospital. If
Cesar truly was a lion shifter it had to be a serious wound to have weakened a werekin to
that degree.
Garret pulled into the hospital parking lot and slid his motorcycle into the spot closest
to the emergency room doors. He didn’t waste any time in rushing after the paramedics.
He came to a halt when he spotted Andrew Everett with his two wren shifters hovering
around him. He knew Andrew was staying in town to visit with his shifter son, James.
Andrew was trying to make amends for the damage his actions through the People Against
Werekin had caused. Not to mention the medication he’d inadvertently addicted his son to in
order to hold back his transformation. Andrew had had the best intentions when he had
started that agency, but it had been taken over by less discerning people.
“What are you doing here?” Garret asked.
He hoped Andrew wasn’t sick. Humans were fragile and easily susceptible to disease.
Garret knew Andrew from his visits to the restaurant for lunch. At least well enough that he
PROTECTING HIS PRIDE Amber Kell
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didn’t think the guy was gay despite what Chen and Marlen, the hovering wren shifters,
wanted to believe.
“He’s injured,” Chen said, touching Andrew on his arm, his wrist then his shoulder in
short, fluttery motions. Garret could almost see Chen’s need to shift just so he could flit
around Andrew.
Andrew blushed over all the fuss. “I cut my hand. I’m going to need a few stitches.
Nothing major,” Andrew downplayed the injury as he lifted his right hand, which he had
wrapped in gauze. Garret could see blood seeping through the bandage and hoped Andrew
would get help soon.
“Did you know humans don’t automatically heal?” Marlen asked, his eyes wide with
astonishment.
Garret’s mouth twitched. He tried not to laugh, but the bird shifters amused him. “Yes,
without a secondary form they can’t heal as quickly,” he agreed.
Chen wrapped an arm around Andrew. “He could’ve bled to death!”
Andrew rolled his eyes and gently tried to step out of Chen’s hold, but the wren shifter
would have none of it.
“What are you doing here?” Andrew said apparently giving up on trying to escape
Chen’s affection. Since the older man didn’t struggle too hard, Garret wondered if maybe
there was something going on between the trio, despite James’ assertion that his father liked
women.
“They brought in an injured shifter. I found him in the alley behind my restaurant. He
was shot in the back,” Garret explained, pointing over his shoulder.
“Do you want me to take a look at him?” Andrew offered.
“Do you work here now?”
Andrew nodded his head. “They hired me part-time in case more shifters come in with
drug allergies. I’m also a fully licensed physician. I can practise general medicine.”
“As far as I know, drugs don’t apply here,” Garret said. He doubted Andrew could do
anything about a gunshot wound that the hospital staff couldn’t. “I’ll keep you in mind,
though, if it turns out there are problems we didn’t know about.”
“Andrew Everett!” a nurse called out.
“I’ll be here for a little bit. Have them page me if you need anything.” Andrew raised
his uninjured hand in a gesture of goodbye.
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“Bye. Good luck healing.” It didn’t occur to him until the doctor had left that Andrew
might’ve been looking for a reason to escape the wrens.
Garret tried not to laugh at the bemused expression on Andrew’s face as he was rushed
away, but it was difficult.
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Chapter Two
Cesar woke up to an aching back and a headache that threatened to make him puke.
Light sparkled before his eyes. Blinking, he tried to bring the world into focus.
“Hey, you all right?” The voice soothed him deep inside, calming his initial panic.
He carefully turned his head to see a man with reddish-brown hair and matching eyes
watching him with concern. A deep sniff revealed the man was a hawk shifter.
“Who are you?” Another deep breath. “You’re mine.”
Mate!
His inner lion wanted to pounce, take the man down and lick him all over. His more
practical human half wanted to go back to sleep and wait for his head to stop trying to
explode.
The hawk shifter’s eyes glowed with amusement as if he could hear Cesar’s thoughts.
“I’m Garret. I found you outside my restaurant. I called the ambulance and they
brought you here.”
“I remember you,” Cesar said. With the rotting garbage in the alley he hadn’t scented
the hawk shifter, but he never forgot a handsome face. Cesar only had a hazy recollection of
his entire journey from the lab to Garret’s restaurant. He wondered how far he’d travelled.
“How are you feeling?” Garret asked. The hawk shifter put a hand on Cesar’s arm and
Cesar barely resisted embarrassing himself by purring.
Tall and lean, Garret oozed confidence. Cesar was a sucker for a strong man. “You’re
pretty and mine,” he blurted out, ignoring Garret’s question in favour of staking his claim.
Garret laughed, but it was pleased, not a mocking sound.
“You’re rather pretty yourself,” Garret responded, once again ignoring Cesar’s
statement about being his. “How did you get here?”
Cesar tried to sit up, but the world spun around him. He had come here for a reason.
Panic struck him. “I-I don’t know. I remember leaving the lab and heading towards
somewhere. I was delirious for a while. I think I was fighting back a fever.”
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He struggled to remember through the fog of his mind. Cesar’s heart rate increased and
sweat beaded across his forehead. Panic clawed at him. Pinpricks of pain stabbed his
fingertips. The beeping of the heart monitor grated across his nerves.
“Shh. Shh. It’s all right,” Garret soothed.
“It’s not all right. My fingers hurt. My back hurts. My head…” Damn he sounded
whiny, but he couldn’t stop. Everything hurt.
“I’ve got you.” Garret wrapped his right arm around Cesar, the contact between them
calming Cesar’s panic. He took a deep breath. Cloves and something wild and untamed
filled his nose. He pressed closer, taking a deeper sniff. Tension slipped from his muscles and
eased some of his headache.
“What are you doing with my patient?” A hard voice interrupted Cesar’s pleasure. He
growled, low and mean, and clutched Garret closer. Claws popped out of the tips of his
fingers and latched onto Garret’s thick jacket.
“Hey, easy, it’ll be all right. Don’t shred my favourite leathers,” Garret said.
Cesar pulled Garret closer, knowing he’d be safe if he could hold the man tight enough.
Garret would protect him.
“Shh, I’ve got you.” Garret murmured soft words of encouragement as he stroked
Cesar’s hair and chest in soothing strokes.
“I have to ask that you step away from my patient,” the annoying voice said.
Cesar growled.
“I don’t think I can do that right now, Doctor,” Garret explained. “He has his claws
out.”
Since the hawk shifter didn’t sound nervous, Cesar took another sniff to verify. Garret
didn’t have even a hint of fear in his scent.
A long sigh sounded loud in the room. “I hate dealing with mates.” He walked over to
stand on Cesar’s other side opposite Garret. “Hello, Cesar, I’m Dr Henrickson.”
Cesar cuddled Garret close. He didn’t like doctors. They poked and shot him up with
drugs until he couldn’t focus. Shadowy memories of men in white coats whispered through
his head and pierced his skull. “Keep him away from me!”
“Hey, babe, he’s only here to help,” Garret said, his voice calm.
Cesar shook his head from side to side. “Doctors hurt!” He knew that as a basic truth.
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“Not this one. Doc Henrickson is a good man. He’s a mink shifter,” Garret said. “He
won’t hurt you.”
Cesar peeked over at Henrickson. The doctor did have a nice smile. “I don’t remember
doctors being nice.”
“What do you remember?” the doc asked.
Searching his mind, Cesar tried to recall anything. “I remember my name. I remember
I’m looking for my pride. Well, they weren’t really mine. I sort of joined them in the lab.”
Cesar closed his eyes and tried to remember. “I can’t focus. I don’t know how I ended up
here or why I came here.”
The hawk shifter didn’t comment, but he slid a soothing hand over Cesar’s head.
“I’m sure it will come back to you. You had a bump on your head, which could lead to
short-term memory loss. It’ll probably clear right up when you shift. You might have just
been heading towards your mate. Instincts are funny things,” Dr Henrickson offered.
“Maybe.” Cesar didn’t think so, but it hurt too much to concentrate.
“If you want to shift now, it would be perfectly safe,” the doctor continued as if Cesar
had never spoken. “I removed the bullet.”
“I don’t know if I can,” Cesar said. He could feel the big cat just beneath the surface but
had no idea of how to shift. He knew it should feel natural, but somehow the path of
changing from human to animal remained a mystery.
“Why don’t I shift and maybe it will convince your cat to come play?” Garret proposed.
“It’s worth a try,” Cesar agreed.
Garret pulled off his leather jacket.
Cesar growled at the doctor, a low animalistic sound he couldn’t believe came from his
chest. Henrickson didn’t need to see Cesar’s mate naked.
“I’ll go…do something,” the doctor said. “I’ll be back in an hour to check on you.” The
mink shifter patted Cesar’s hand before fleeing the room.
Garret shook his head at Cesar. “You’ll find most shifters aren’t shy about nudity.”
“I don’t want other people to see you naked.” He didn’t know his opinion from before,
but Cesar didn’t think it was a ridiculous request.
Garret’s laughter told him otherwise. Garret stripped off his shirt.
Cesar sat up straighter as Garret kicked his boots beneath the visitor chair and peeled
off his jeans and underwear in one motion.
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“Oh.” Cesar’s heart rate sped up. Cesar licked his lips at all the smooth flesh revealed.
His cock hardened and tented the sheet at the sight of his naked mate.
Garret’s eyes glowed. “I see the attraction is mutual.”
Cesar nodded. He couldn’t muster any breath for a comment. “If you decide you’d
rather not shift, you can join me in bed. I’m feeling much better.”
Truthfully his head still pounded, but now his cock was hard, aching and leaking so
badly a spot of wetness had appeared on the sheet. Cesar’s hands twitched as he resisted the
urge to grab himself and get off on the sight of his mate’s bare skin.
Garret parted his lips, his eyes on the rising bed sheet.
“Will you change if you are going to? I can’t take you standing there naked much
longer,” Cesar snapped.
“Sorry.” Garret grinned, not appearing the least bit apologetic for his nudity.
One minute a man stood beside Cesar’s bed, the next a Harris hawk flapped his wings
on the back of the visitor chair.
“Wow!” Cesar gasped at the large bird fluffing its feathers at him.
The hawk gave a piercing cry.
“You’re pretty, aren’t you?” Cesar admired the bird’s wings. Garret ruffled his feathers
as if in pride over Cesar’s statement.
The hawk hopped off the chair and transformed back into a naked man.
“I think I like you better in this shape.” A jolt of desire rejuvenated Cesar’s erection.
He’d lost his high level of excitement when Garret had changed into a hawk.
“Mmm, I’m glad. I can’t enjoy you as well as a bird. I also can’t enjoy you if you’re
injured,” Garret complained. “Now change!”
Cesar groaned. “You expect me to concentrate on myself while you stand there naked?”
Grabbing his pants off the floor, Garret pulled them on. “Better?”
Cesar resisted the urge to whine as all the best bits of his mate vanished beneath the
treacherous fabric.
Garret gripped Cesar’s chin and forced him to meet his eyes. “Focus, babe. I need you
to concentrate on shifting. The pain will vanish once you shift. I promise.”
“Right.” Cesar needed to pull his head out of his ass and remember his goal. He closed
his eyes, trying to change into a lion, but the fog covered his thinking.
“Shift!” Garret demanded.
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Instinctively following his mate’s command, Cesar’s body twisted and crackled.
Frightened, he tried to make it stop. Garret gripped his head between his palms “Don’t give
up now. You can’t stop mid-shift! Think lion!”
Cesar tried to remember the lions he’d seen on television with their big puffy manes
and long tails with the little fluff at the end. Fur sprouted across his arms and hands. His
hands turned into paws. The bed beneath him shook. Cesar jumped down off his perch. He
didn’t like the flimsy surface. Tossing back his head, he roared.
“Aw, look at you, all growly and stuff!” Garret’s delighted tone had Cesar turning to
face him.
Yum.
Cesar trotted over to get closer to the amazing-smelling man.
“Hey, no crotch sniffing—that’s supposed to be for the dogs!” Garret protested.
Cesar rubbed his cheek across Garret’s leg and purred.
“I don’t think lions are supposed to purr,” Garret said, scratching Cesar in the perfect
spot behind his ear.
He let out a chuffing sigh. Rubbing his cheek against Garret’s other leg, he covered the
hawk shifter in his scent, a not-so-subtle warning to others to stay away. Cesar didn’t know
who else might be in the town, but the mink doctor could keep his distance.
Thinking of the doctor, Cesar assessed his injuries. Good. He felt good. His back didn’t
hurt, his headache had vanished and the only thing bothering him was his craving to pounce
on Garret.
He needed to be human. Focusing inwardly, he tried to imagine fingers and toes.
Nothing
Cesar whimpered.
As if sensing his distress, Garret dropped to his knees. “Shh, it’ll be all right. You’re just
remembering how to shift. It might take a little longer to change back. Stay calm.”
Garret’s touch, the scratch behind the ears and his soothing manner took the edge off
Cesar’s panic.
“Cesar?” A deep voice broke into Cesar’s calm. He knew that voice. A growl rolled up
his throat. Cesar leapt for the speaker and took him down. Baring his teeth, he snarled at the
evil human. He was the reason Cesar had bled.
“Hey, release him!” a different male voice demanded.
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Cesar had the human beneath him. The stench of fear burned his nose. Something about
the man triggered Cesar’s cat. The need to defend Garret against this human clawed at him.
Ow!
Tiny bird beaks pecked at him viciously. He batted at them with his paw.
“Hey, stop that!” The crackle of electricity beside him alerted Cesar to another shift. The
piercing sound of a hawk call stabbed through his skull.
Cesar growled at the evil wrens.
“What’s going on here!” a voice thundered above them.
Cesar flattened his ears at the sound of authority. He wouldn’t give up his human. He
wouldn’t! The evil human might hurt Garret. Must protect mate.
The wrens’ pecking stopped and the hawk hopped up beside Cesar.
“Garret, you shift back and tell me what happened. Who’s this strange lion in my
territory?”
That had Cesar looking up…and up. The biggest human he’d ever seen towered over
him. One wren shifter dangled from each of the man’s hands, now in their human form. Fear
reeked from them both, but they still struggled to escape.
“Stop it.” The newcomer shook the wrens. “Why is Andrew under a lion?”
“Andrew wanted to check on his injury and he attacked him,” one wren shifter said.
“He can’t hurt Andrew,” the other wren insisted.
“Cesar, let me up,” the man beneath him whispered. “I never meant for anyone to be
hurt. I’m sorry.”
The despair in the man’s voice sank through Cesar’s anger. He took a sniff. The one
they called Andrew no longer smelt of fear. Instead he emitted sorrow.
With an irritated snort, Cesar stepped off Andrew.
“Good lion,” Garret said, leaning down to pet him.
Cesar licked Garret’s cheek.
“Eww, no kitty kisses,” Garret complained. “Change back, love. I’m not hurt.”
Cesar eyed the other lion man, who kept a firm hold on the bitchy wrens. Focusing on
his human form, Cesar shifted back to his human form.
“I thought they’d killed you,” Andrew said.
“No, I escaped. Melissa told them to kill me, but I beat them up and ran.” Cesar didn’t
know if the guards had survived his thrashing and he didn’t overly care.
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He grabbed the sheet and wrapped it around his waist. He didn’t want to appear
vulnerable before the strangers. Without his lion he had no teeth and claws.
“Hey, I’m here.” Garret stepped up to Cesar. “If everyone will excuse us I’m going to
find Cesar some clothing so he can go home.”
“Where’s home?” Cesar asked. He probably didn’t have an apartment anymore. Before
his captivity he’d been living month to month and he’d lost track of how long he’d been
gone. His old landlord had probably already sold all Cesar’s belongings and he hadn’t had
much to begin with.
“You can come stay at the pride house while we figure out where you’re from,” the
strange lion shifter said.
“Thank you for the offer, Talan, but he will be staying with me,” Garret said firmly. “I
found him—he’s my responsibility.”
“Can’t he talk for himself?” Talan asked. The lion shifter stepped into the room but kept
a respectful distance between himself and Garret and Cesar.
“He’s my mate,” Garret explained.
Cesar grinned at Garret’s statement. He’d hoped he wasn’t the only one feeling the
mate bond.
“Is that true?” Talan asked Cesar.
“Garret is mine,” Cesar agreed.
“Staying with Garret is understandable, then. If you like, I can find out if you’re part of
a pride. My mate can do a search and see if someone might have reported you missing,”
Talan said.
Unspoken was that Talan couldn’t let an unaffiliated lion stay in his territory.
“No. My memories have mostly returned. I’d already left my pride before my capture
and for the past few years I’ve only been working in areas where prides weren’t established.”
Another reason he missed the small group of lab lions he’d grown close to.
“I was told he volunteered,” Andrew said from the doorway. Talan must’ve released
the wrens. They were dressed and stood on either side of their human. They both took turns
glaring at Cesar who returned their stare with one of his own.
“In the end, none of us volunteered for what they did to us.” Cesar’s memories rushed
to the forefront as days of shots and jolts of electricity whipped through his mind.
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“They were only supposed to take some of your blood and that of the other lions then
set you free,” Andrew explained.
“Why were you taking their blood?” Talan asked.
“For James. I was using Cesar and the other lions to test for ways to suppress James’
shift,” Andrew said.
“Why would you do that?” Horror filled Cesar as he thought of a poor boy who
couldn’t shift into a lion.
“He had problems as a half-shifter. When he was a teen he used to get caught mid-shift.
I thought he couldn’t handle being a lion so I tried to find ways to suppress his DNA. It
ended up being a big mess, but now he can do a full and complete transformation with little
help,” Andrew assured him.
“Good. So if you were supposed to let me go after you took my blood, why did I get
shot?” Memories of escaping a lab and a guard shooting him while he passed flashed in his
mind. “I remember guards.”
Andrew shook his head. “I let Melissa take over and she made some horrible changes.
Some shifters were tortured to test their pain tolerances and others were given drugs that
prevented their shift back to human. I’ve been working to fix the mistakes that were made.
However, some shifters I was unable to save. The rest of the lions are at Talan’s manor.
They’ll be happy to see you.”
Joy filled Cesar to hear the lions were safe. Apparently there was more than one reason
he’d ended up in this town. “I’m glad to hear they got away safely. I saw them get a ride
with someone, but I worried they’d been foolish in accepting it. I would love to see them but
give me a day of rest first.”
“Why don’t we give Cesar some space,” Garret said. “Let him settle in and get used to
things before bringing in other lions.”
“I’d appreciate a follow-up on how you’re doing,” Talan said. “I might not be your
alpha, but you are in my territory. By rights you can stay here for ten days with my
permission. After that you’ll have to make other arrangements.”
Cesar nodded his agreement. He had the feeling Talan wasn’t quite the laid-back lion
he appeared.
“Let’s have the doctor sign your release papers and I’ll take you home,” Garrett said.
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Chapter Three
Garret closed his front door and let out a breath. He had a mate.
What the fuck do I do now?
He watched Cesar take a deep breath and smile. “It smells like you.”
Garret shoved the lion shifter deeper inside the house. “Of course it does. How else
would it smell?”
Cesar shrugged.
Sighing, Garret regretted his behaviour. He grabbed Cesar close and wrapped his arms
around him. “Sorry. I’m not used to being nice to people. I’m a right bastard.”
Cesar snuggled in closer. Even though the lion shifter stood a few inches taller than
Garret, he shrank until he was the one being snuggled around.
“I’m so confused. You’re the only thing I have to focus on,” Cesar confessed, his eyes
suspiciously shiny.
Brushing back Cesar’s hair from his eyes, Garret pressed a kiss on his mouth. “We’ll
settle in for the night. Tomorrow we’ll go see Talan. Maybe seeing your lion friends will help
you settle in. We will need to decide what you want to do about possibly joining the pride.”
“Okay.” Cesar nibbled his lip as he looked around Garret’s house.
Garret stared into the lion’s blue eyes. “It’s better not to anticipate the worst.”
“What if they aren’t happy to see me? They probably think I abandoned them.”
The hurt on Cesar’s face gripped Garret’s heart. “Hey, babe, we’ll find out the answers
tomorrow. I don’t know about you, but I’ve had a long day. Let’s go to bed.”
Cesar nodded. “Okay.”
The lion shifter rubbed his face against Garret’s, one side then the other.
“Now that you’ve marked me with your scent, ready for bed?” Garret asked, more than
a little amused.
Cesar followed Garret to his bedroom. He made soft sounds of happiness along the
way. “I like your place.”
“Good.” If Talan wanted to make things difficult, he could force Cesar to leave before
the ten days were over. Talan’s lion could easily overpower Cesar. Garret had seen both men
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in their lion forms and the pride alpha was at least a head taller than Cesar and probably
twice as strong. There was a reason Talan remained alpha of his pride and it wasn’t only
because his sisters would slash the throat of anyone who dared to challenge him.
Not sharing his worries, Garret helped Cesar out of his clothes before stripping his own
off and climbing into bed. He motioned for Cesar to join him when the lion shifter merely
stood there shuffling his feet.
“Are you sure?” Cesar asked. “I don’t want you to feel pressured because we’re mates.
We still barely know each other.”
Garret pretended to consider Cesar’s point and resisted the urge to jump the suddenly
shy man. “True, but we aren’t going to get to know each other better with you standing way
over there. Come to bed. Tonight we’ll sleep. Tomorrow we can see where this might lead.”
Cesar climbed onto the bed then slid beneath the sheets. He stayed on his side of the
bed, not touching Garret.
That couldn’t be allowed. Garret scooted over, hooked his right arm across Cesar’s
chest then pulled him closer.
“I didn’t know if hawks were cuddlers or not,” Cesar said. He sighed at the contact.
Garret had never been someone who liked to hold his bed partner before, but
something about Cesar’s vulnerability called to him. He wanted to make the lion shifter as
comfortable with him as possible. They weren’t going to become familiar with each other by
sleeping on opposite sides of the bed.
“Shh, go to sleep, my little cat.” Garret rubbed his hand across Cesar’s smooth chest.
“We can talk in the morning.”
A low purr rumbled in Cesar’s chest.
Garret fell asleep with the sound vibrating his ear and a sense of coming home sinking
into his bones.
* * * *
He woke up with a tongue bathing his erection. Garret’s eyes snapped open.
“Oh, God, that feels amazing.” Cesar’s rough tongue lapping at his balls almost had
him orgasm at the first lick. “You are so good at that.”
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Garret’s hawk half grumbled at the amount of skill Cesar showed. If he ever caught
anyone else enjoying Cesar’s mouth he’d kill him. Cesar wasn’t just another bed partner
whom he’d kick out of the door as soon as the cum started drying on the sheets. Cesar was
his forever. He couldn’t use the same standards when dealing with his mate as he could with
a quick fuck.
Garret gripped the covers, trying to gather his senses as his cock hardened and all his
blood pooled south.
A low growl vibrated his body. “Oh, fuck,” he whispered. He’d never had sex with a
lion shifter before. He hadn’t known what he was missing.
Cesar crawled up Garret’s body, licking and nipping with his sharp fangs.
“Where’s your lube?” Cesar asked, his eyes glowing like sapphires in the early morning
light.
Pointing spastically at the side table Cesar indicated the drawer. He didn’t need a
condom, not with another shifter and especially not with his mate. From the size of the
erection rubbing against his thigh, lube couldn’t be optional—ever.
Cesar pounced to the side and grabbed the container of lubricant out of the drawer.
“Got it! Do you want to top or bottom?”
“Are you certain you want to be claimed?” Garret asked. He wouldn’t mark Cesar as
his own unless the lion shifter was certain.
“I’ve always just wanted to belong to someone.” Tears filled Cesar’s eyes. One dripped
down his cheek.
“Oh, babe, don’t cry.” Garret brushed back the wetness on Cesar’s face. “Come here.”
He pulled Cesar down and held him close to his heart where he belonged.
“I’m sorry I’m such a mess,” Cesar sobbed.
“Shh, it’ll be fine. You’ve been through a lot in the past few days.” Garret reminded
him. “Everything will be fine.”
“O-okay,” Cesar said. He nestled in like a kitten seeking reassurance.
“Come on, babe, let’s get dressed and I’ll make you some breakfast,” Garret said.
“I thought…” Cesar trailed a hand over Garret’s erection.
“Later. I don’t want to take advantage of you. I think we should wait to bond until
you’re ready. There’s no hurry.” Garret refused to take advantage of the sweet kitty in his
care.
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“Can I suck you?” Cesar asked.
“Yes.” Garret said. He couldn’t refuse the wistfulness in Cesar’s eyes.
The word barely left his lips when Cesar dropped the lube and slid down Garret’s body
faster than a snake. Cesar’s mouth, hotter than a human’s, swallowed him down.
“Oh crap,” Garret groaned. Cesar had absolutely no gag reflex. No other lover had ever
taken Garret all the way to the root before. Warm moisture surrounded his cock and he
couldn’t stop the babbling praise that poured out of his mouth for all the money in the world.
His balls tightened and a hawk cry burst from his lips as he came down his mate’s
throat.
Cesar licked his lips, satisfaction glowing in his blue eyes. He slid back up and kissed
Garret on the cheek.
“Did you get the cream, kitty?” Garret teased.
Cesar laughed. “I definitely did.”
The lion shifter’s stomach growled loudly in the quiet room. Garret slapped Cesar on
the ass. “Let’s take a shower.”
Cesar’s erection bobbed as he leapt to his feet. He wrapped his hand around his cock
but Garret smacked it away. “That’s mine. I’ll take care of it in the shower. We don’t want to
get cum on the carpet.”
He knew from experience how hard that was to clean.
Cesar all but ran to the bathroom with Garret fast on his heels.
* * * *
Garret whipped a bowl of eggs as bacon sizzled in the pan and a cookie sheet of
vegetables roasted under the broiler. He hadn’t considered cooking a sexy activity before but
his opinion changed with a hot lion shifter watching him as if he were the best entertainment
ever. From Cesar’s intense expression, a bystander would be justified in thinking Garret was
dancing in a G-string and spinning about a pole instead of dressed in a pair of loose sweats
and a plain green T-shirt.
“Do you do all the cooking for your restaurant?” Cesar asked, his voice low and
rumbly, sending a direct message to Garret’s cock.
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If this kept up he’d never be able to finish a meal with his mate in his direct line of
sight.
It took him a moment to recall Cesar’s question. “I’m the head chef. I plan the menus
and supervise the kitchen,” Garret answered.
“Oh! I was trying to save enough money to go to cooking school when they imprisoned
me. I’ve worked in a lot of kitchens.”
“I guess in this case we are compatible in more than one way. Next time I’ll have you
help cook.”
“I would’ve offered, but I didn’t want to get in your way. You seemed to have
everything under control. Are you a good chef? I-I mean of course you are.” Cesar’s blushing
and stammering made Garret laugh.
“I can confidently say I’m the best chef in town. I’ve heard Talan’s mate is a great baker,
but none of the lions can cook very well. On the plus side they do keep us in business even if
I have to triple my supply order when they come to eat,” Garret said.
“Us?”
“My family runs the restaurant with me. I own the largest percentage, but the others
have helped keep my business afloat.”
“Do you think they’ll like me?” Cesar asked.
Garret spared a glance at his mate to see Cesar biting his lip and watching Garret with
wide, anxious eyes.
“It doesn’t matter if they like you or not. You’re my mate and I’m not giving you up.
They will just have to get used to you.” Garret didn’t really care what the others thought. If
they did one thing to hurt Cesar, he would make them pay in one way or another. No one
hurt his mate. He shook his head at his foolish thinking. How could anyone not love the
adorable lion? His grandmother would’ve said Garret was borrowing trouble.
A knock at the door pulled Garret’s attention from Cesar. “Can you get that, babe? I
can’t leave the food right now.”
“Sure.” Cesar rushed off to answer.
Figuring it was probably his sister, Garret starting plating the food, keeping enough
back to serve to a guest.
“Cesar!” A loud squeal pierced the air.
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Garret quickly snapped off all the burners and rushed to the door. Five lion shifters
surrounded Cesar.
“Can I help you?” Garret recognised the lion shifters as visitors to Talan’s pride but
only temporary members until they decided if they wished to join or not. As far as Garret
recalled, they were about at the end of the lion visiting stage. They’d have to declare their
pride affiliation soon.
“We heard Cesar’s here.” One of the female lion shifters stepped forward as if to hug
him.
Cesar stepped back.
“I thought you’d be mad at me,” Cesar said.
“Why would we be mad? I’m glad you were able to get away,” a male spoke up.
“I went back for you. I’m the one who released the locks, but when I finally got inside to
fetch you, you’d already been saved.”
“I knew you wouldn’t leave us.”
Garret didn’t know which lion had spoken but they all nodded their heads in
agreement.
“What are you doing here?” the same female asked. She appeared to be the
spokesperson for the group.
“Cesar is my mate.” Garret stepped forward and wrapped his arm around the lion
shifter’s waist.
“How did you end up here?” a male lion asked Cesar.
“Why don’t you come in and introduce yourselves. I have a feeling we’ll be seeing you
around a lot. I found Cesar shot and bleeding in my alley,” Garret said.
A female shifter stepped forward. “I’m Jane. This is Danice, Liza, Arturo and Rickey.”
She motioned to each of them by name and they waved when mentioned.
Arturo stepped forward. “Last we saw you, you were challenging Melissa’s authority.
James killed her a few weeks ago when she went after his mate. After you stood up to her
that last time and we didn’t see you again we thought you’d been killed.”
Cesar leaned against Garret for comfort. A reassurance Garret was more than happy to
provide. “They did take me out to kill me, but I escaped. It took me a while to make it back to
the lab to shut off the power. I’m sorry I left you guys alone for so long.”
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“Would you like to come in for some breakfast? I have enough for everyone?” Garret
would have to add some more eggs, but he had plenty of the rest.
“Thanks, but we’ve already eaten,” Danice spoke for the group. The other lions nodded
and cautiously entered the house.
“How about some orange juice?” Garret offered. He would’ve mentioned coffee, but
caffeine and perky lions seemed like a bad idea.
“Sure.” Nods all around had him grabbing his pitcher out of the fridge and a tray full of
glasses.
“So you’re bonded with a bird, huh?” Arturo asked Cesar.
Garret motioned for Cesar to sit in the dining room. He retrieved their plates and set
one before his mate. “Eat up.”
His animal half enjoyed providing sustenance to his mate.
“Why don’t you all come sit down while Cesar and I have breakfast.” He motioned the
lion shifters closer and placed a glass before each setting.
The lions settled around Garret’s large table. Entertaining for the kettle of hawks
usually ended up at Garret’s house. Everyone enjoyed coming to his house for food and his
yard was large enough for the birds to easily land without running into each other.
Garret rubbed Cesar’s back. “Hey, it’ll be all right.”
“How did I ever lead anyone? I’m a mess,” Cesar whispered.
Not wanting to undermine his lover’s confidence, Garret didn’t agree. However,
privately he wondered where Cesar’s alpha tendencies might have gone. The man falling to
pieces beside him didn’t scream alpha. How far had his personality changed since the
accident? Had the hit on his head changed him that much?
“The eggs are really good.” Cesar hummed with appreciation as he ate another forkful.
“I’m glad you like them.” A warm glow filled him over pleasing his mate.
“Cesar used to work in a kitchen,” Danice offered. “He was a sous chef in a café in
Oregon.”
Garret smiled at his mate. “We’re compatible in many ways.”
Arturo snorted. “I don’t think we want to know how compatible.”
“Fair enough.” Cesar grinned, looking completely comfortable with the other lion’s
teasing.
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The group ate and chatted about the weather, the town and the food. None of them
touched on anything important until Cesar and Garret had finished eating and they’d
cleaned the kitchen.
Cesar sat back at the table with the others and Garret joined him. He took Cesar’s hand
between his own in a show of support.
“I’m sorry I wasn’t able to get you out earlier, but I didn’t want you guys to think I’d
left you.” Cesar’s sincerity poured out of him. The lion shifters stared at him with adoration.
“I knew you wouldn’t abandon us,” Jane said, batting her golden eyes at Cesar.
Garret made a growling noise not unlike a lion.
Arturo snorted, quickly covering his laughter with a coughing sound. “Sorry, I didn’t
know birds could make that sound.”
“It’s true. Cesar protected us all. Whenever Melissa tried to punish one of us, Cesar
always interceded.”
“That’s true,” Rickey who’d previously remained silent added. “Cesar always stood up
for us. That’s why we made him our alpha.”
“What do you mean you made him alpha?” Garret asked. “I thought lions fought for
the alpha spot.”
“Not always,” Arturo said. “Sometimes alphas are chosen for things besides strength.
It’s not really common, but sometimes alphas are chosen for their ability to take care of the
pride. We chose Cesar because of his bravery. The rest of us were scared, but he stood up to
Melissa and refused to let her bully us until they brought in guards and locked us up.”
“Where did you go?” Rickey asked Cesar.
“I don’t know. I just remember trying to come see you and being shot. When I woke up
I was with my mate.” Cesar got a faraway expression in his eyes as if he were trying to
remember. “Melissa had sent her goons to take me out. When they tried to get rid of me
permanently, I escaped. It took me a long time to make it back to the lab. I wasn’t your alpha
before we got there, right?”
“No,” Danice said. “We all met at the lab.”
“Then there’s no reason to continue to follow me. You can go live your lives, you don’t
need me,” Cesar said.
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Garret caught the pained expression in Cesar’s eyes but didn’t comment. This wasn’t
his battle. Cesar needed to do this on his own. If he wished to be an alpha, Garret would
support him, but this puzzled man with his own issues didn’t appear willing to take charge.
“You don’t want us?” Danice asked, hurt reflecting in her eyes.
Cesar sighed. “It’s not that I don’t want you. I just don’t think I can lead you. Talan
seems like a good alpha. I’m sure he can lead you more effectively than I ever did.”
Garret squeezed Cesar’s hand in support. He could tell the lion shifter didn’t like letting
the other lions down. The lions agreed with varying degrees of enthusiasm. Disappointment
showed on their faces, but Garret knew Cesar had made the decision. The lion shifter needed
to heal before he could lead anyone.
“What are you going to do now?” Cesar asked the question Garret had wondered
about. “Will you return to your regular prides?”
“No.” Jane’s eyes trailed over Cesar with wistful intensity. “My family didn’t want me
enough to hunt me down. I’m not going to return to people who didn’t bother to try to find
me.”
The others made agreeing noises. Tension poured off Cesar. Garret could tell he wanted
to jump in and help. Cesar clenched his hand beneath Garret’s fingers. “Did you all join
Talan’s pride?”
Rickey shook his head. “He’s mated to a wolf. That’s too weird for me.”
Cesar raised his eyebrow.
“I mean,” Rickey backtracked. “I don’t care if you’re living with a hawk. You were a
good alpha. You protected us when we needed it and frankly I don’t trust my old alpha
enough to go back to my pride. I think he sold me when I showed interest in his daughter.”
The fear in Rickey’s face showed that he really believed his words. He did think his old
alpha had sold him.
“Why would he do that?” Garret asked. “Why wouldn’t you be a mate candidate?”
Rickey shrugged. “He had another guy picked out—the alpha of a neighbouring pride.
The guy already has two wives and a lot of land, but I think my leader was planning on
trading his daughter for some hunting territory. Thing is I doubt she would’ve objected. She
would probably prefer being the third wife of an alpha rather than the only wife of a lesser
lion.”
“Do you love her?” Garret asked.
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Rickey shrugged. “I liked her a lot, but we were only friends. I liked his son a lot more,
but he insisted on being straight.”
“Talan won’t tolerate me being here for long. I can’t be in his territory without joining
his pride,” Cesar said.
“We can go elsewhere,” Jane said enthusiastically. “We can start our own pride.”
Cesar shook his head. “I’m not strong enough to be a territorial alpha. Besides, Garret
can’t just up and leave his own restaurant.”
Garret gripped Cesar’s shoulder. “I can do whatever you need, my mate.”
His heart bled for Cesar. The poor lion shifter wanted to do what was best for his
friends. “Why don’t you talk to Talan about your problem? He’s not unreasonable. He might
have some ideas for you.”
“That’s true,” Danice said. “Talan has been great to us—we just don’t belong in his
pride. He has all his sisters and his pride’s mates. There isn’t really room for us.”
“We’ll go talk to him,” Garret said. “First I need to finish my shift at the restaurant.
Cesar, you can come along and show me what you know.”
“We’ll meet you guys at Talan’s tomorrow morning,” Cesar said. “Could you let him
know we’ll be there around ten and have him call if that isn’t convenient?”
Garret watched with interest as the lions all stood up at Cesar’s dismissal and headed
for the door. He stood quickly to walk them out.
At the entry way they paused. Danice peered around Garret’s shoulder back towards
the dining room. “Is he going to be okay?”
“I hope so,” Garret said.
“We need him,” Rickey said.
“Why?” Garret knew lions preferred to be in prides, but why would they need Cesar?
He didn’t exactly exude powerful lion, not like Talan.
Jane spoke up for the first time. “Cesar isn’t all strong he-man like Talan, who’s a good
alpha, don’t get me wrong, but Talan’s like my old alpha and I’m tired of being pushed
around. Cesar guided us when we needed it and protected us because he cared. It was like
having a big brother who always had your back.”
Garret took in the earnest expressions on the lion shifters’ faces and finally understood.
Cesar didn’t have to prove his might because these shifters would follow him anywhere.
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“We’ll see you tomorrow,” Garret reassured them. He felt the weird need to protect
them like baby chicks. Shaking off his strange impulse, he ushered them outside then closed
the door behind them.
He returned to find Cesar standing in the living room and staring out of the window.
“Come on, love, let’s get changed and go to the restaurant. Even though I’d much rather strip
you naked and take you over the couch.”
“I don’t think we have time for this. Do we?” Cesar asked.
“No.” Garret moved away reluctantly. “Let’s get dressed and off to the restaurant. I
promise it’s better than the alley indicates.”
“I’m sure. I wasn’t exactly in a great position to judge it last time,” Cesar said. He kissed
Garret on the nose and walked off to the bedroom.
Smiling, Garret followed his mate to the bedroom to get dressed.
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Chapter Four
“Hey, I’m Markus, Garret’s brother,” a brown-haired man with golden hawk eyes
interrupted Cesar’s concentration on cutting vegetables for the evening side dish.
Cesar nodded. “Nice to meet you. I’m Cesar.”
“Yes I know.” The hawk shifter must be younger than Garret. His waiter uniform fitted
a body that hadn’t quite reached adulthood. He hopped up on the table beside Cesar’s work
area.
“Get off the counter,” Cesar scowled.
“I’m not in your area,” Markus argued.
Cesar growled.
Markus hopped down.
“Sorry. I didn’t know you were going to be snarly, kitty.” He laughed. “Garret must
really love that.”
“Love what?”
“You being a cat. He hates cats,” Markus said casually as if he hadn’t just filleted
Cesar’s heart with a dull knife.
Cesar set down his blade. “What?”
“Markus, back to the dining room,” Garret snapped. He’d stepped out to check on
something. Cesar had never been so happy to see his mate even if his stomach swirled
uneasily.
He waited until the cheerful hawk had pranced out of the door before he asked, “You
hate cats?”
Garret paused a moment before he continued his walk towards Cesar. “I used to. Let
me say I’ve seen the error of my ways.”
He settled his hands on Cesar’s hips, ignoring the rest of the kitchen staff bustling
around them. Garret kissed Cesar as if he’d die if he didn’t get to taste him. His fingers
cupped Cesar’s cheeks in a gentle brush of the tips.
His eyes remained locked with Cesar’s. “I hate to admit I’ve had lamentable taste in my
past.”
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A laugh quickly changed to a passable cough by a nearby sous chef.
“That’s a pretty line by a pretty bird. Now go away, I’ve got to finish my work, I hear
the head chef can be a real bastard.”
Garret kissed him on the cheek. “Yeah, I’ve heard that too.” He slapped Cesar on the
ass, quickly dodging Cesar’s retaliatory swipe.
Laughing, Garret scooted out of reach. “You be good. I’ve got to go over the accounts.
Do whatever Perry tells you to.” Garret pointed to the sous chef. “He’s been here longer than
the rest, except for my parents and they retired to Florida. If you see them you have bigger
problems than whether you cut the vegetables properly.”
“Will do,” Cesar said. He pushed away the thought of facing his in-laws for later. He
didn’t need to borrow worry.
* * * *
“I don’t know what kitchens you worked at before, but you did a good job,” Perry said,
nodding approvingly.
They’d finished the evening meal without any great catastrophe happening, which
made Cesar happy.
“Thanks,” Cesar smiled at the praise.
Markus passed them with a bowl of meat scraps.
“Where are you going with that?” Cesar asked.
Markus just smiled and continued out of the back door.
“He feeds the strays outside. It drives Garret nuts, but he does it anyway. Privileges of
being the owner’s brother, I guess.” Perry didn’t sound bitter about it, more amused.
“Cats?”
Cesar followed Markus out back. As he entered the alley, a rush of memories assaulted
him. A pair of concerned golden eyes in a handsome face staring down at him, incredible
pain, followed by the sensation of coming home.
“Hey, you okay, dude?” A touch on the arm snapped him back to the present.
Cesar shook his head. “Yeah, sorry. I was remembering when your brother found me.”
“Aww, how romantic,” Markus gushed.
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That didn’t mesh with Cesar’s memory of lying, bleeding to death in the alley, but he
didn’t want to break the news to Markus. The young hawk shifter stared up at him with big,
dreamy eyes.
Cesar resisted the urge to roll his eyes. “The cats?” he motioned towards the collection
of six felines meowing and circling Markus’ legs.
“Oh sorry, little fellas,” Markus knelt down and started dropping bits of food.
Cesar watched for a moment until a tiny orange striped cat joined the group. It must’ve
been the runt of the litter with fluff coming out of its ears and the smallest meow of them all.
Cesar bet it wouldn’t get much bigger.
“Aren’t you a tiny little tiger? Where’s your mama?”
Markus shrugged. “I don’t know where they came from, but they don’t like it when you
try to pick them up.”
He was still talking when Cesar scooped up the little tabby. “Who’s a cutie, huh?”
The deep purr from such a little creature made Cesar smile.
“I guess like calls to like,” Markus teased. “Felines sticking together and all that.”
The back door banged open.
“Oh no,” Garret stared at Cesar in horror. “I am not getting a cat.”
Markus snorted. “Don’t you already have one?”
Garret crossed his arms over his chest. “I don’t have to worry about litter box training a
lion.”
“Pumpkin can be housebroken too,” Cesar insisted.
“You’re not naming it Pumpkin!” Garret shouted.
Cesar scratched the small feline beneath its narrow furry chin, causing another rolling
purr.
“I mean it, Cesar,” Garret insisted.
Cesar rubbed his cheek across the top of the kitten’s head purring back at it. His heart
squeezed with love for the little beast.
“Oh crap. Fine. But only one! Don’t you dare pick up another,” Garret snarled. He
marched back to the restaurant service entrance and slammed the door after him.
“Wow! Mate power. Way to go, dude!” Markus lifted his hand for a fist pump.
Cesar tapped it with his right hand while he cuddled the kitten with his left.
“I have to agree with Garret on one thing, though,” Markus said.
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“What’s that?”
“You need a better name than Pumpkin. That’s a fierce little kit.” Markus spread the
rest of the meat around the alley, patted Cesar on the back then returned to the restaurant.
Cesar sighed and lifted up the kitten to stare into its eyes. “You’re a pretty little girl.
Garret would probably explode if I named you Princess. How about Buttercup?”
The kitten snarled at him showing cute little fangs.
Cesar smacked a kiss on the feline’s head. “We’ll think of something. Maybe I’ll let
Garret name you.”
Laughing, Cesar carried the kitten around the building. He didn’t dare take him in
through the kitchen. There was only so far he was willing to push his mate. Bringing an
animal through the kitchen would’ve been a step too far.
* * * *
“You’d best get your furry butt off of my counter.” Garret eyed the kitten sitting on the
clean granite now marred with bits of cat fur.
He received a soft meow in reply.
Garret folded his arms over his chest. “No, Cesar isn’t going to save you. He’s still
asleep. Now down!” he pointed to the floor.
With an angry meow, the kitten jumped to the floor.
Garret smiled over his victory.
“Who’s a fluffy kitten?” A deep voice spoke behind him.
He scowled as the kitten lapped up Cesar’s attention. The little feline hadn’t left the
counter because of Garret’s demands but because she wanted Cesar’s attention. “I’m losing
control of my own house.”
“Would you like me to move? So you can enjoy control of your house?”
Crap.
Garret walked over to his mate. He slid his hands up Cesar’s biceps. “Sorry, love, I’m
cranky this morning. I hate cat fur on my counters.”
“Stay off the counter!” Cesar ordered the kitten before setting her down. She scampered
away, probably to shed on Garret’s clothing in retaliation. “I’ll keep her off the counters.”
He sighed as Cesar pulled him closer. “Thank you.”
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“Now why are you so grumpy?” Cesar asked.
Garret didn’t want to share his concerns over meeting with Talan. What if Cesar
decided he preferred living with the big cats instead of with Garret? Surely staying with a
pride would be more interesting than living with one cranky hawk with kitten issues.
“I don’t want to lose you!” Garret confessed.
Cesar pulled back, confusion on his face. “Why would you lose me?”
“I don’t have a pride.”
“Don’t be silly, you have enough pride for ten people,” Cesar smiled.
“Oh you think you’re funny, don’t you?” Garret grinned.
“I know I am.”
Garret caught sight of the clock. “Oh crap, we’ve got to get dressed and go. I told them
we’d be at Talan’s at ten.”
“I was hoping to spend the morning doing other things,” Cesar said.
Garret almost gave in. The pull of their bond tempted him. He shook his head. “No. We
need to talk to Talan. If there’s a way to get him to let you stay in the area permanently we
need to find out.”
Cesar’s eyes glowed with appreciation as they raked Garret’s body. He sighed. “Fine,
but I want it on record I’d rather spend the morning in bed with you.”
“Noted,” Garret said.
* * * *
The drive over to Talan’s pride didn’t take as long as Cesar had hoped. His stomach
swirled with butterflies as big as hawks zooming and flitting about. They both stared at the
mansion through the windshield, neither of them rushing to leave the safety of the vehicle.
Despite Garret’s scolding, Cesar noticed the hawk shifter wasn’t exactly flying out of the car.
“Are you worried about Talan?” Garret asked.
“Maybe. He’s kind of intimidating.” Cesar sighed. He really didn’t want to go and talk
to Talan. He wanted to hide in Garret’s bed and wallow in his mate’s attention. Instead here
he was at the pride house. His hands shook with nerves. He definitely wasn’t portraying the
right kind of confidence to make Talan think he’d be a productive member of his pride. He
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needed to stay. It wouldn’t be right to make Garret leave his home. Whatever Talan needed,
Cesar would do.
“Hey,” Garret slid his fingers between Cesar’s. “It’ll be fine.”
Cesar took a deep breath and held it before letting it out in a fast rush. “I know. I mean
Talan doesn’t seem like the type to attack first.”
“He’s not. I’ve never known him to go after anyone unless they try to touch his mate,
and I don’t think you’ll try to go after Adrian.”
Cesar shook his head. On the way over Garret had explained about the wolf shifter.
Talan’s mate actually sounded scarier than the big lion.
He almost jumped out of his skin when his door abruptly swung open. “Come on,
Cesar,” Liza said. She grabbed his wrist and dragged him from the car. Good thing his
seatbelt had already been released. He had a feeling she wouldn’t care about a little detail
like a restraint.
“Okay, I’m coming.” He yanked his arm out of her grip, annoyed that he’d been caught
hesitating.
The rest of his lions came outside to flank him as he approached the house. For a
moment there he felt like a visiting alpha instead of the poor sucker he was who would do
anything for his hawk mate.
Over a dozen lions were sunning themselves on the porch. Huge lions. Even the
females were enormous. He thought they looked close to his size in lion form.
“Am I that big when I change?” he asked Garret as his mate stepped up beside him.
“You’re bigger. Much bigger,” Garret assured him.
Cesar laughed. “I wasn’t asking for reassurance of my size. I just wondered.”
In his previous pride he’d been kicked out before he had reached full maturity. When
he’d left, most of the female lions were still bigger than him.
Lions stood up to block his way across the porch. They didn’t growl. Instead they
formed a blockade to the front door where a slim, dark-haired man stood watching the entire
event with a slight smile.
If his instincts were right, the man by the door was Adrian, which would explain the
lions’ protective stance.
“I’m here to talk to Talan, not cause any trouble,” Cesar told the lion directly in front of
him.
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“Let him up, Tia,” the man called out.
After a soft cat snort, the lioness stepped to the side, clearing their path to the front
door. It only took a few steps to reach the cute guy in low-slung jeans and an unbuttoned
shirt. As Cesar had suspected, the guy smelt of wolf and lion. The scent of lion almost
masked the man’s natural wolf smell. Apparently Talan didn’t do things by half-measures
when he marked his mate.
“Hi, I’m Adrian, Talan’s mate. Nice to meet you.”
They shook hands and Cesar was proud that his fingers didn’t tremble.
Cesar had expected to be nervous around Talan, but his mate was an entirely different
level of scary despite the affable expression. A feral wolf watched him behind those human-
shaped eyes.
“Nice to meet you too,” Cesar said politely.
“Garret.” Adrian nodded to the hawk. “Why don’t you both come in?”
They followed Adrian inside, the lions trailing behind.
Adrian led him to a large room where Talan sat behind a wooden desk tapping fiercely
away on his computer.
“I brought you some visitors,” Adrian said.
The wolf shifter kissed Talan on the cheek before perching on the edge of his desk in a
smooth move that showed familiarity. Cesar guessed Adrian usually perched on the edge of
Talan’s desk.
Talan stood and walked around the desk to shake Cesar’s hand. “Thank you for not
making me come get you. The rest of you besides Garret and Cesar are dismissed—you’ve
already shared your thoughts about Cesar joining the pride.”
Cesar saw their hesitation. He made eye contact and nodded to each of them. Silently
the five lions departed. Turning back to face Talan, Cesar swallowed rapidly, trying to get
moisture back into his suddenly dry throat.
“I’m sorry about being in your territory, sir.” He tilted his head submissively. He didn’t
know what the alpha lion’s triggers might be and he didn’t want to be on the wrong side of
this massive man. Some alphas didn’t take it well if visitors didn’t show immediate
submission.
Talan patted Cesar’s neck in an acceptance of his submission. “I understand it isn’t your
fault. You weren’t in control of where you decided to wander while dealing with a bullet
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wound. I suspect you were subconsciously following your pride. Now that you’re awake and
in my territory do you plan to challenge me for the alpha position?”
Talan didn’t appear overly concerned at the prospect and Cesar didn’t blame him. He
didn’t have a fraction of Talan’s power. Adrian’s snort of laughter drew Cesar’s attention.
“Now, love, you of all people shouldn’t judge someone on appearances,” Talan scolded
his mate even as he kissed Adrian’s cheek in a loud smacking embrace.
Adrian shoved him away. “True. I apologise, Cesar. Talan is right—looks can be
deceiving.”
Cesar had a feeling they were both referring to Adrian more than him.
“I have no wish to challenge you for your alpha spot,” he rushed to reassure Talan.
“Your little group of lions have a different opinion,” Talan said.
“What do you mean?”
“I mean they’ve each indicated their wish for you to continue as their alpha. What do
you think about that?” Talan folded his arms over his chest as he regarded Cesar as if he
were a puzzle he’d like to rip apart just to see if he could get the pieces back together again.
“I don’t know what to say.”
“Do you want to be their alpha?”
That was the crux of the problem. Cesar had become used to leading the small band of
lions or at least protecting them. Being a pride leader, even a poor one, was something
difficult to break. Not to mention his alpha lion half yearned to be in control.
“Yes. However, I don’t want to leave your territory or my mate.” Best to get it all out in
the open.
Talan rubbed his chin with his fingers. “Then we have a problem.”
“What about if you have, like, a separate branch? He can be a sub-alpha,” Adrian
suggested.
Talan frowned. “You mean a beta lion. We don’t work like that. I would be seen as
weak since I let him have his own pride in my territory. I already allow more males in my
territory than any other pride.”
“What’s another gay lion?” Adrian said with a wave of his hand, dismissing the entire
issue as he peered at something on Talan’s computer.
“But the others didn’t bring their own pride with them,” Talan argued. “Not to mention
lions are more likely to be bisexual.”
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“Bisexual, not gay,” Adrian argued. “Unless there’s something you’d like to share with
the room.”
Cesar wouldn’t have liked to be on the other side of that glare.
Talan approached his mate carefully. “Now, darling…”
“Don’t you darling me.” Adrian’s frosty gaze narrowed on his cautiously approaching
mate.
“What if I prove my loyalty?” Cesar interrupted. He didn’t want this discussion to fall
apart while the lion and the wolf shifters had a domestic dispute.
“How?” Talan asked.
“I’m sure there’s something you need done,” Cesar said.
It wasn’t completely uncommon to allow another pride close to yours if they were
granted a boon. What the hell he could do for a lion of Talan’s stature, he didn’t know, but if
the lion alpha wished to be accommodating he’d take any advantage he could.
“How about this? Adrian’s brother, Kade, leads a wolf pack down south. He thinks
there might be hunters in his area. Unfortunately with his wife in the late stages of her
pregnancy he’s nervous about leaving her unprotected in order to go investigate.
“If you’re willing to check out his property, possibly fight some hunters, I will consider
it a show of support and grant you a position in the pride. I’ll even allow you to carve out a
small bit of land, but I will restrict you to only six lions under your command and those in
your pride who mate will have to go to their mate’s pride unless there are extenuating
circumstances,” Talan said.
Cesar thought that was a fair offer. No one else would ever give him such a break. “Will
I be considered under your pride’s protection?” If stronger lions came into the territory he
didn’t want Talan to sit back and let them take over.
“Yes,” Talan nodded his agreement.
“What do you get out of this arrangement?” So far Cesar didn’t see any benefits for the
pride leader. He wasn’t an idiot. No one did anything for nothing.
Talan’s wide smile sent a wave of foreboding through him. “We get a standing
reservation at your mate’s restaurant and extra protection for the pride.”
“How did I not see that coming?” Garret grumbled.
“Why would you need extra protection?” Cesar asked. Talan had the strongest pride
he’d ever seen.
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“The rest of my sisters are going to start to breed soon,” Talan said.
“Won’t their mates protect them?” Cesar asked.
Talan laughed. “You don’t know my sisters. They aren’t going to let some male tell
them where they’re going to live. They’ll breed with them, but they might not keep them.
We’ll need extra protection for the cubs.”
Cesar thought over the deal. He could watch over some babies and check on a few
hunters. “That sounds more than fair,” he agreed.
After all, Talan could just banish him and tell him to stay out of his territory. Most
alphas would threaten him or sentence him to a battle to the death. In order to keep his mate
it was a small price to pay.
“But you’re still recovering,” Garret argued.
“No. I-I’m fine,” Cesar argued. “I can shift a few more times and be completely healed
before we go.”
He didn’t dare show weakness before the powerful alpha no matter how affable he
appeared.
“Why aren’t you sending your other lions?” Garret asked. The hawk shifter wasn’t as
easily persuaded as Cesar. “Surely if it’s your brother-in-law he’d want your help.”
“First, because Kade has enough pride for an entire group of lions. It’s one thing to have
his brother-in-law bail him out, but another to allow his territory to be a testing ground for
another lion’s loyalty. He’d accept my help for his wife, but this way I get to help him and he
gets to pretend he’s doing me a favour. Wolves are tricky creatures,” Talan finished with a
sly look at his mate.
Adrian rolled his eyes.
Cesar smiled. “Glad I could help.” Helping out a man with a pregnant wife was a way
better test than a bunch of others Talan could have assigned him.
“I’ll email you the details. Adrian’s sister-in-law is a few days from giving birth to the
next leader of the pack. The wolves have rallied around, but if there is even a hint of hunters
we want them protected,” Talan ordered. “Take your lions with you—it’ll keep them out of
my hair. They’d be impossible to live with while they waited for you to get back.”
“Yes, sir. I won’t let you down,” Cesar promised. He wanted to do what was best for
the pride. He hadn’t come to disrupt things. Now that he had people to look after he didn’t
want to disappoint them, especially not his mate.
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“What happens if there aren’t any hunters?” Garret asked. “Will he still be able to stay
if he doesn’t find any?”
“Yes,” Talan nodded. “If he makes a good effort.”
“How will you decide if he’s tried or not?” Garret asked.
“I will ask you. I can tell if you lie.” Talan’s confidence didn’t leave any room for doubt.
Before they left, they told Cesar’s lions what was going on and, if they wanted to come,
to be ready to leave the next day. They all insisted on going along, which was good because
Talan wanted them out of there.
They left Talan’s and drove in silence for a bit.
“Do you think you can do that?” Garret asked once they were back on the road.
“Do what? Hunt down human hunters?” Cesar asked, pulling his attention from
looking out of the window.
“Yes, do you think you can kill someone?” Garret scowled at the innocent road as he
drove them back to his house.
“Yes,” Cesar said. “Men who kill women and children just because they can don’t need
to live.”
“I’ll be there with you too,” Garret said, squeezing Cesar’s shoulder. “Ellie and Markus
will want to come along too. We can do aerial searches for you.”
“You have your own job to do. I don’t want to have you lose money to come and help, I
can go with the other lions.” Cesar didn’t want Garret there. He’d rather fail with fewer
witnesses.
“You’re not going anywhere without me.” Garret’s tone didn’t allow any room for
misunderstanding.
“How am I going to prove I’m an alpha if my mate has to be there to hold my hand?”
Garret’s grip tightened on the steering wheel until his knuckles turned white. “If Talan
finds out I went to help you, it would more than likely be an asset in his eyes. He wants
strong lions in his pride—but not too strong, if you know what I mean.”
Cesar nodded. If he had to depend on someone to help, it would be better to rely on his
mate. The others might turn on him if they thought he was weak, but no one would bat an
eyelash at Garret assisting his mate. “Okay, you might have a point.”
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“How about we drive down tomorrow afternoon? We can get a hotel down near the
pack. We won’t want to stay with them. They aren’t overly fond of hawks,” Garret said with
a wry smile. “I’ll call Ellie and Markus and see if they want to come. They’ll be angry if I
don’t at least ask.”
“We wouldn’t want that.” Cesar could imagine Garret’s siblings would be mad if he ran
off without them. He offered his mate one last chance to back out. “You don’t have to come,
you know.”
“Are you trying to get rid of me?”
“No…of course not,” Cesar stuttered out. “I just didn’t want you to be uncomfortable. If
the wolves don’t like hawks, I don’t think you should have to participate, that’s all.”
“I’d be more uncomfortable if you were to wander into a strange wolf’s territory
without me to watch your back,” Garret said. He took his gaze off the road long enough to
meet Cesar’s eyes. The hurt in them punched him in the gut.
“I just… I don’t want you to see me fail,” Cesar confessed.
“Oh, love, I don’t care if you fail. I care if you don’t try. I only want to help you so you
can stay with me.”
The soft desperation in Garret’s voice told him how much it meant to the hawk shifter
that Cesar stay. He reached over and patted Garret’s hand. “Hey, I’m not leaving you. Ever.”
Truer words had never crossed his lips.
They pulled up in front of Garret’s house. They got out and were immediately
surrounded by the other lion shifters who’d followed in their vehicles.
“I think they’re following you home,” Garret whispered to him.
“Can I keep them?” Cesar asked fluttering his lashes.
“No. I say we do a tag and release programme like researchers in the wild.”
Cesar laughed. “I don’t think they’d appreciate the radio chipping.”
“We can hear you, you know,” Arturo said, folding his arms across his chest.
“Why did you come here?” Garret asked the lions as they surrounded the couple in a
semicircle. “Did Talan kick you out?”
“No.” Danice spoke for the group as Cesar noticed she tended to. “We were hoping
Cesar would come run with us.”
Cesar’s inner lion roared his approval. He turned to Garret.
“Go play.” His mate made a shooing motion towards the lion shifters.
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With a grin Cesar stripped off his clothes. He couldn’t remember the last time he had
run as a lion.
Unlike the last time he’d shifted, this time Cesar transformed seamlessly. One moment
a man, the next a lion. Watching the people around him change, he tilted his head back and
roared. These were his people—his responsibility.
All of the rest of the lions took quite a bit longer than Cesar, making him impatient to
begin running. He waited, though. Part of being a leader was having patience with your
pride. In his lion form he could feel the mantle of leadership settling around him like a
comfortable shoe. Unlike his uncertain human half, his lion knew he needed to protect his
small pride. He would kill to protect the ones he claimed.
Scanning the area, he didn’t spot any predators or scent any dangers. He roared again
before rushing across the meadow. Submerged in his beast, Cesar chased the other lions back
and forth across the grass, tussling with the males and watching the females hunt down
bunnies and dandelions. The bunnies were more catch and release, but sadly no dandelions
survived the great hunt.
After several pounces and one slight mauling of Arturo when he got too rough with
Danice, Cesar rushed back to his mate.
“Are you done playing?” Garret asked.
Cesar licked Garret’s cheek.
“Stop that.” Garret shoved Cesar away then wiped his cheek while laughing. “Now
shift back—I have plans for our evening.”
That was enough incentive for Cesar to change.
He plunged his fingers into Garret’s hair, yanking his mate close. Cesar devoured
Garret’s mouth, lapping and biting at his lips, trying to merge with his mate as closely as he
could.
“Get a room, you two,” Rickey called out.
“Excellent idea,” Garret said. “I have just the one picked out. See you later.”
“We’ll see you tomorrow!” Danice shouted.
Garret waved but didn’t stop as he dragged Cesar behind him.
* * * *
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He couldn’t take it anymore. His mate strutting around naked before the other lion
shifters had snapped his last nerve. He’d never thought twice of changing in front of other
shifters before, but now there needed to be new rules. Like no one got to see his mate naked
except him.
He didn’t care that the others hadn’t leered at Cesar or even let their eyes trail down his
body. Cesar was his!
“I will come willingly, you know,” Cesar said. “You don’t have to drag me.”
“That is the least of what I’m going to do with you. I’ve changed my mind—you do
need to be claimed.” No way would he let Cesar wander into a pack of wolves without being
marked as his.
“Are you sure?”
Garret stopped in his tracks. “Why? Aren’t you?”
Cesar made a soft noise of disgust. “Yes. I’m sure.”
Garret smiled. “Good.”
Relief rushed through him as the last barrier to bonding with Cesar vanished. Garret
pulled Cesar inside after him. He slammed then bolted the door behind them. Turning, he
gasped when Cesar pushed him against the wall and kissed him. Moaning, he melted
beneath Cesar’s touch.
“I’m not the only one who needs to be claimed,” Cesar growled.
Garret had never appreciated felines before, but he had to admit his lion shifter pushed
all his sexual buttons. “You can do whatever you want,” he promised.
“Excellent.”
An unmanly yip jerked out of him as Cesar lifted Garret clear off the ground and tossed
him over his shoulder. Garret had never seen his apartment upside down before.
“I can walk,” he protested.
“Uh-huh,” Cesar said with no concern as he continued down the hall with Garret slung
over his shoulder.
Luckily it wasn’t a long walk because Garret’s stomach didn’t like Cesar’s hard
shoulder blade pressing into his gut. The world spun as Cesar neatly laid Garret down on the
bed.
With swift efficient motions, Cesar stripped off Garret’s shoes and every item of
clothing off his body.
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“You’re good at that.”
Cesar smiled. “I’d like to say I’ve had lots of practice, but I was a late bloomer.”
“Hmm, well you only get to practise on me from now on.” He didn’t want Cesar to
think they had an open relationship. He’d heard that some lion prides were more liberal-
minded when it came to mating. “I’m only into the one-on-one mating experience. No
others.”
Cesar paused after he had tossed Garret’s underwear over his shoulder. “Got it. No
others. Now that you’ve laid out the rules, do you want to claim me first or can I fuck you?”
Garret dug in his heel and propelled himself farther up the bed. “How about you ride
me and I’ll bite you?” he proposed.
For a moment he thought Cesar wouldn’t go along with his idea. The lion shifter tilted
his head as if he had to give the idea a great deal of consideration. “Hmm, I suppose I can go
for that. After all I still get to top.”
His delighted smile had Garret laughing. He didn’t know what he’d ever done to
deserve his sweet lion mate, but he’d do it all again if it got him the same results.
Cesar grabbed the lube from the side table and prepped himself with enough skill that
Garret had no doubt his lion knew what he was doing. Using his lube-covered hand, Cesar
slicked Garret up until his cock all but gleamed in the dim lighting like a homing beacon.
“Damn.” To Garret’s amusement Cesar’s lower lip pushed out in a pout.
“What’s wrong?”
“I should’ve sucked you before I added lube.” He wrinkled his nose. “I hate the taste of
that stuff.”
“You can suck me later after a shower,” Garret assured him. He had no doubt Cesar
could get him hard again. The man could breathe and make Garret ache with need.
“Deal,” Cesar said.
Before Garret could say anything more Cesar swung his leg across Garret’s thighs until
he was in a good position. Garret gripped the base of his cock to steady himself as Cesar
lined up and accepted Garret into his body. Garret moved his fist so Cesar could slide all the
way down at his own pace.
“Careful, love,” Garret said. He didn’t want Cesar to hurt himself.
Cesar smiled. “I am.”
When Cesar’s body swallowed him up Garret sighed. “You feel amazing around me.”
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“I hope so. If I couldn’t make you feel good, I’d be a poor mate,” Cesar said.
“Well then, I can attest you’re an amazing mate,” Garret pushed his fingers through
Cesar’s hair and yanked him closer. He’d never get enough of Cesar’s mouth. The lion shifter
tasted like every wish Garret had ever made had been granted—sweet, spicy and his.
Cesar lifted up then slowly slid down again. Garret gasped at the sensation as he
wrapped his fingers around Cesar’s hips, holding him firmly as his mate clenched around
him.
“I’m not going to last long if you keep that up,” Garret groaned.
Cesar smiled. “You don’t need to last. You just need to enjoy yourself.”
Garret smiled. “Good. I am.” With a surge of power he flipped them around and took
control.
Cesar wrapped his legs around Garret’s waist. “Change of plans?”
“You did say you wanted me to enjoy myself,” Garret reminded him.
“So I did.”
It only took a few more thrusts before Garret’s orgasm shook him and he poured his
release out into his mate. Garret lifted his right hand. With a thought his fingers transformed
into talons and he slashed Cesar’s neck with one nail.
He changed his hand back before wrapping it around Cesar’s cock. He pumped his
mate’s erection while he lapped at the cut. For a proper mating exchange, he needed to fill
his mate with his seed while taking in Cesar’s blood.
The connection between them snapped together. Emotions swirled between them.
Cesar’s lust and growing affection rippled through him. He tightened his grip, careful to
keep his touch pleasurable instead of painful.
“Harder,” Cesar insisted.
Garret continued pumping Cesar until he gasped and came. Cesar’s mouth opened
with lust. Unable to resist his mate’s soft lips Garret dipped down for a kiss. They tangled
tongues, sharing breath as Garret absorbed the flavour of his mate. He could live for a
thousand years and the taste of his beloved would still be imprinted on his mind.
“I believe you owe me a shower,” Cesar said panting.
Laughing, Garret pulled carefully out of his mate. “As usual you’re right.”
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Chapter Five
The wolf lands were larger than he’d expected. Garret examined the enormous forest
around them. Kade, the wolf alpha, looked eerily like his brother Aiden. He wondered if the
shifter alpha was as deadly.
“I appreciate you coming and helping out like this,” Kade said after introductions had
been given all around.
Garret was surprised that the lions let Cesar speak for them. Apparently before another
alpha they played the obedient pride. Only when they were alone with Cesar would they
share their true thoughts. His own siblings stood silently to the side, keeping a wary eye on
the wolves. This group seemed less hateful than other packs they’d encountered in the past.
“My family is also ready to give assistance if necessary,” Garret offered.
“I appreciate all of your help. When I told Adrian about my troubles I didn’t think he
would send in the cavalry.”
“I don’t know your brother very well, but I got the impression he wanted us to do
whatever necessary to make sure there weren’t any hunters in the area,” Cesar said with
more diplomacy than Garret had known his mate was capable of.
“Thank you all for your support,” Helen, Kade’s beautiful mate, said. She rubbed her
enormous belly as she greeted them.
“We are honoured to do what we can to help,” Cesar replied gallantly.
“I thought I spotted people on the north side of our property, but when I sent my
wolves out there they had vanished. We didn’t smell anything, but good hunters know how
to mask their sent,” Kade said. “We can’t afford to spread ourselves out too thin and leave
Helen unprotected. I can send half a dozen for back-up but I want to keep the rest here for
protection.”
“Sounds good. Garret, could you take your hawks and do a fly-over and see if you can
spot anyone?” Cesar asked.
Garret nodded. Maybe it was his memory returning but Cesar had a take-charge air to
him that Garret hadn’t seen before. Even in the bedroom Cesar had let Garret be in control.
“If you’ll excuse us we’ll go get started now,” Cesar said with a nod to the wolf shifter.
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“That would be most appreciated,” Kade replied with an answering nod, one alpha to
another.
Garret’s chest puffed with pride. He was happy to be a partner to his lion mate.
The lion shifters stepped outside and stripped down before transforming. No matter
how many times he watched Cesar change into a lion it didn’t get old. He wondered if he’d
still feel that way in a few dozen years.
Shrugging off his daydreaming, he stripped off his clothes and transformed. His change
from human to hawk took seconds. He called to Ellie and Markus then with a flap of his
wings he took flight. He loved being a bird. Soaring through the air he headed north, his
siblings flying beside him. He soared over the lions running across the ground. Buzzing
down low, he gave a piercing scream.
Cesar led the others, his mane ruffling in the breeze. After checking that his mate was
fine, Garret flew into the trees. At first he didn’t spot anything despite his acute hawk vision.
Gliding in closer he landed on a branch and settled in to watch.
Nothing.
Absolutely no sound.
Garret turned his head back and forth, trying to spot other birds of some kind. He
hadn’t been there long enough to scare that many away. Closer examination was needed.
Garret hopped down to a lower branch.
There.
He watched as shadows separated from the base of the trees. He had to give them
credit, the hunters blended in well. A chill went down his feathered back as he realised these
weren’t amateurs bungling about. They were experienced predators with guns.
Garret checked in with his siblings.
“Report.”
“I think there are six of them.” Markus’ voice entered his mind. Garret agreed.
“I see three more over here,” Ellie communicated.
“Nine total then. Let’s go back and tell the others.”
Once he was certain the hunters were looking away he swooped down and flew away
back towards the lions. They needed to know what they were up against.
He spotted the small pride in the distance. Catching a breeze, he glided and changed
mid-flight to land beside his mate.
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“I see nine hunters. They look professional. If the wolves couldn’t scent them, I think
we should check out other locations. Hunters threaten everyone. We can’t have them take
out the wolves because that would just be the start,” Garret said.
“And because it would be wrong,” Cesar said, shaking his head at Garret.
Markus laughed.
“Oh shut up.” Cesar nudged him in the side.
“It looks like your conscience has claws and sharp teeth,” Ellie teased.
Garret rolled his eyes. “Can we focus on the hunters instead of my love life?”
“But he’s so cute!” Ellie protested. “And he’s way more interesting than the guys I
date.”
“You’re not allowed to date. You are supposed to die a virgin,” Garret scolded.
Ellie smirked. “Mom and Dad don’t even believe that.”
“I can help you with anything you might need,” a dark-haired wolf shifter told her.
Ellie’s interested gaze made Garret snarl.
“Now, now, love, they make a cute couple,” Cesar said.
Garret decided to worry about Ellie later.
“Let’s return to Kade and get his input,” Cesar said. “He’ll know best how we should
coordinate with his wolves.”
“Good thinking,” Danice said.
The lions all made sounds of agreement.
Garret shook his head at the lions. They would do anything for his mate. Cesar had an
undeniable magnetism. He didn’t have to be loud and roar a lot. Instead he used gentle
persuasion to get his way.
After getting all the intel, Kade quickly organised the group into hunter teams. With
Cesar leading the lions, Garret the hawks and Brian, the shifter who had flirted with Ellie,
assigned to lead the wolves.
“Be careful,” Garret told Cesar. “Don’t take unnecessary chances. If it looks like you are
outnumbered, call out and whoever is available will come to you.”
Cesar smiled. “Mate, we’ll be fine. I know how to fight.”
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Memories of fighting for most of his childhood filtered into Cesar’s mind. His pride had
been a vicious survival of the fittest situation where nurturing didn’t occur between
members of the pride. Talan’s group had a feel-good vibe in comparison.
Garret kissed him hard on the lips. “You’d best come back to me, my love.”
“Always.” Cesar kissed him back then shifted into a lion. With a loud roar he headed to
the north. Let the hunters fear for their lives—the real predators were coming.
After his warning call, Cesar crept through the grasses in a silent prowl, his fellow lions
sneaking along beside him. Pride puffed out his chest at the quiet approach of his small team
of lions—barely a grass bent beneath their silent walk.
A dark shadow moved and Cesar pounced. He ripped out the hunter’s throat without
remorse. The men were a danger to his mate. They couldn’t be allowed to live.
Cesar’s lion half didn’t like the men who thought they could come into shifter territory
and harm their families. They didn’t deserve any mercy. They would happily kill every
shifter in the world and sleep like babies.
He didn’t hesitate to kill the next hunter who came to save his buddy. Between Cesar
and the other lions they quickly took care of the invaders before they had a chance to kill.
They swept the area twice. They found one that had stupidly climbed a tree. Cesar jumped
up and grabbed the hunter’s foot and yanked him down. Danice ripped out his throat in one
smooth movement.
Cesar growled his appreciation.
A piercing cry caught his attention.
Garret!
Cesar let out a roar, turned then raced towards the south where Garret had flown to
check for additional hunters. Abandoning stealth, Cesar tore across the ground. Dirt flew
beneath his claws as he raced to get to his mate.
He came to a skidding halt when he reached the spot where the hawks were supposed
to be hunting. Garret lay on the ground in human form. Markus held his brother’s hand
while he cried silently.
Cesar shifted and dropped to his knees beside his mate.
“Hey, darling, what happened?”
He kicked the body of the dead hunter out of his way.
“A hunter shot him,” Markus said through his tears.
PROTECTING HIS PRIDE Amber Kell
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“Is the bullet still inside him?”
“I-I don’t know!” Markus shouted.
“Hey.” Cesar cupped Garret’s face. Sweat coated his skin. He let Cesar turn his head,
but his eyes were unfocused. “Remember when you helped me?”
Garret nodded. “We can’t seem to stay out of trouble.”
Cesar kissed Garret’s forehead. The clammy touch of his skin scared Cesar, but he
didn’t let it show on his face. “I’m going to look for an exit wound. It’s going to hurt, but we
need to see if it’s safe for you to shift.”
Garret nodded. “Okay.”
Cesar skimmed his fingers across Garret’s shoulder and found the bullet wound. He
didn’t know what calibre bullet the hunter had used, but he’d meant to blow off Garret’s
head.
“I hope the bastard who shot my mate is dead!” Cesar’s lion rose to the surface to
vibrate his voice into a low growl.
“I killed him myself,” Markus said over his shoulder.
“I owe you.” Cesar slipped his hand under Garret’s shoulder. His breath caught in his
chest when blood coated his fingertips. “The bullet went through.”
He stood up and stepped away from Garret to give him room.
“I can’t shift,” Garret’s faint voice barely reached Cesar.
“You will shift!” Cesar crouched down beside Garret. He did the one thing he had
thought he’d never do. He imposed his will on another. One of the signs of being an alpha is
the ability to pull another shifter through his change. Cesar had always thought it a horrible
ability, to take away someone else’s choice. He didn’t hesitate to use it now. His mate had to
change.
“I can’t.”
“You will now!” Cesar pressed his power into Garret.
Garret screamed. His body glowed as he fought the change.
“I will not lose you!” Cesar let out a roar and shifted, pushing out his will as he
transformed.
Garret’s human scream changed to the cry of a hawk. In the place of the man lying on
the ground stood a beautiful bird. He called out again before taking flight.
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Cesar held his form, afraid that if he changed back he’d pull Garret back to his human
shape with him. He’d never changed someone before and didn’t want to send his mate
plummeting to earth.
“Holy fuck,” Markus whispered beside him. Cesar turned his head to see Markus
watching him with a shocked expression. “I’ve never seen anyone do that before.”
“It’s because he’s an alpha,” Danice said proudly. “He only exerts his power when
necessary.”
Cesar turned to watch the hawk circling above. After a few minutes Garret landed in
front of him. He let out a soft chirp. Cesar growled back then shifted.
He knelt on the cool grass as his mate turned back to human. “You saved me.” Garret
cupped Cesar’s face then kissed him, a soft gentle brush of lips as if he were savouring the
taste. When he released him Cesar had to fight his instincts to pounce and devour his mate.
Not here, not in a cold, grassy field with the bodies of their enemies littering the ground like
macabre Halloween decorations.
“I told you I would always be there for you.” Cesar stood and offered Garret his hand
up.
The two men turned and faced the carnage. “Do you think they’ll be back?” Garret
asked.
Cesar shrugged. “If they are it will be a while.”
A radio crackled nearby. Cesar and Garret exchanged a look before heading towards
the noise.
“This is alpha one, repeat. This is alpha one. Could someone tell me what the fuck is going on?”
Cesar grinned and grabbed the radio off the dead hunter. “Alpha one, this is alpha two.
They are all dead. Repeat everyone is dead.”
“There is no alpha two. Who is this?”
“Oh, but there is and we’re coming for you next!” Cesar let out a lion roar into the radio
then snapped it off.
“Really? We’re coming for you? I think you’ve seen too many action movies, mate.”
Cesar grinned. “Maybe, but I thought the roar had a nice effect.”
Garret patted him in the back. “I’ll give you ten out of ten for the roar—it was one of
your better ones.”
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The pair transformed into their animal forms. Cesar picked up the radio in his mouth
and carried it back with him. Maybe someone could trace the radio transmission to its owner.
It was time to take the hunt to the hunters. The shifters weren’t going to sit around and be
picked off one by one anymore. Now was the time to act!
Cesar’s mind spun with ideas. He’d meet with Talan tomorrow. He knew the alpha lion
would listen to his ideas. Optimism grew as he ran towards the wolf pack headquarters.
Everything would work out. It had to. He had a family to take care of now.
Also available from Total-E-Bound Publishing:
Thresl Chronicles: Politician Won
Amber Kell
Excerpt
Chapter One
Flowers perfumed the air and music scraped across Zander Elios’ nerves like a scratchy
lullaby. Depressed over the entire situation, he tried to keep his face relaxed and neutral. It
would be just his luck if a reporter took a picture of him scowling at the king’s wedding. His
father would probably have an embolism. Hmm…that might make the bad press
worthwhile…
“Behave!”
The word whispered across his mind with warm amusement but did little to lighten
Zander’s mood. He dared to flicker another glance at the caramel-coloured Thresl sitting by
his side. However, the cat shifter didn’t spare him so much as a flicker of attention from his
golden eyes.
Damn beast!
This time the thought was entirely his. A flick of the tail showed him his Thresl had at
least heard him even if he didn’t respond mentally. Zander knew he should be happy for his
friends finding each other, but his own love life lacked any sparkle or even hope of future
improvement unless some major changes happened. The one creature capable of spicing it
up insisted upon keeping his fur.
He sighed as he considered what to do about his problem. There were really only two
alternatives—to either pass his Thresl on to someone else or to convince the creature to
transform and become Zander’s perfect other half. With no sign of impending
transformation, Zander was beginning to lean towards the former option. Maybe he just
wasn’t the right human for this Thresl.
Thresls only converted when they found their mate. After two years of living with and
being the intended bondmate for a Thresl, Zander wondered if he’d ever reach the level of
commitment shown by his friends. He turned his attention to the men at the front of the
room.
The grooms stood on a dais facing each other, their eyes focused exclusively on each
other. After watching them for a bit, Zander wondered if the pair even noticed they had an
audience. The thrum of love vibrated the air around them and sizzled along Zander’s spine.
His cock hardened from the sexual energy pouring off the royals. He bit his lip to hold back a
curse at his mother. If he hadn’t inherited her empathic abilities the wedding would have
been so much easier to get through.
He took a slow deep breath to get his feelings under control. Focusing on the ceremony
instead of how hot the men looked would probably be a good first step. Traditional Thresl
wedding suits of creamy silk with black lapels wrapped both rough-edged men in previously
unseen elegance. Kreslan tugged at his jacket only a few times, showing more restraint than
Zander would’ve expected from his volatile friend.
I won’t cry! he silently vowed.
The couple’s love for each other had people all but holding their breath as the pair
exchanged vows. Zander’s damn watery eyes apparently hadn’t got the notice about drippy
noses, red eyes and photographs not mixing well. His family would kill him if he appeared
in the media looking less than his best.
There wasn’t anything inherently sweet about the marriage between King Vohne,
leader of the Thresls, and his mate, Kreslan Piers. Not even when King Vohne handed
Kreslan a ceremonial dagger for his wedding present and Kres kissed his cheek. In Zander’s
opinion, the romantic music added unnecessary drama to the tender sight of the two men
legally binding together.
Zander knew Kres thought the event a waste of time since the couple were already
soul-bonded and had reincarnated together many times over the past few centuries.
However, the king had insisted that the Thresl people needed to see their king marry his
mate in order for them to feel settled as a species. If their ruler was happy then they were
more likely to feel confident in the future of their race. Kres had eventually given in to his
mate’s opinion, though with little grace.
Zander privately thought Vohne just wanted to marry his beloved human again and
didn’t really care who attended their wedding. King Vohne had a surprisingly large romantic
streak and indulged in it whenever he could, despite his abrasive mate’s negative opinion
towards what he considered mushy extravagance.
However, it wasn’t the glamorous audience or the beautiful decorations around the
palace that made the ceremony special, but the look in Kres’ eyes and the love all but pouring
out of the Thresl king. Zander’s heart melted as he watched the ceremony. He’d never seen
two people so devoted before. He wished to find that same bond with his own Thresl
someday, but so far he couldn’t even get his cat shifter to change to a man, much less pull
total devotion from the beast.
Despite his heavy heart and the low-grade headache poking at the edges of his
subconscious, Zander had to smile at the overabundance of trimmings. Not a single space
lacked the presence of a bloom or a bow or some sort of decoration. The staff had gone all out
to make sure no spot had escaped their attention. Kres must be finding it maddening. As far
as Zander knew, the ex-soldier didn’t have a romantic bone in his body.
Glancing down at the Thresl sitting at his feet, Zander tried to imagine his beast in
human form. What would his Thresl transform into? Would he be completely human or
something other? Zander had only heard of one Thresl becoming something other than a
two-legged shape because its bonded had lived in the sea. Since Thresls were supposed to
become the perfect counterpart for their mates, they tended to be of the humanoid
persuasion once transformed. Sadly, once they changed into the ideal companion for their
mates they ceased to be a cat. Zander would miss his furry friend, but he damn well wanted
the improved version. Not to mention that he could then have sex again. He really missed
sex.
A low snarl had Zander smiling. His Thresl often picked up his thoughts. The beast
didn’t like the idea of Zander being intimate with anyone. Tough.
“If you don’t like it, shift.” Zander gave a Thresl-worthy mental snarl of his own.
Although he was generally known for his patience, Zander had run out. Now he
yearned for his other half.
Zander wondered what his ideal match would be like. What did he subconsciously
desire? From his extensive research into the Thresls, he knew people didn’t always get the
transformation they expected, but they always received the mate they truly needed.
Over the years he’d certainly sampled quite a few men to try to determine his favourite
type, but generally he went by personality rather than specific body style. Nothing came to
mind when he tried to imagine his perfect mate. For Zander, personality had always
trumped perfect appearance. He chose lovers for their smile, their touch or the way they
treated other people.
How could a Thresl interpret his desires if Zander didn’t even know?
Once again his mind circled back to his original dilemma. If the beautiful caramel-
coloured animal at his feet truly belonged to him, why hadn’t the beast shifted yet? The
Thresl turned his head and examined Zander with his golden eyes for a long moment before
turning back to the ceremony.
“Relax.” The word reverberated through Zander’s brain.
Zander sighed. He had long ago figured out that he and his Thresl had different
priorities. He loved his cat, but if the Thresl didn’t shift soon and bond with him, Zander’s
father had threatened to take the shifter back. Zander would never let that happen, but he
didn’t need more friction between himself and his parent. They had never seen eye to eye.
Zander being gay had oddly been one of the few things they hadn’t argued about. His father
didn’t care who Zander slept with as long as he married well and brought esteem to the
family name.
Some days he wondered if his father hoped they would fail to bond so he could sell the
Thresl off to someone who could help his father’s political career. Come to think of it, his
father sort of hoped to sell Zander off too. He might have completely ignored his parents’
hints about marriage, but he truly wasn’t as stupid as they thought. Zander had a real
concern that if his Thresl didn’t shift soon they’d both be shipped off to other people.
He refused to contemplate that line of thinking for long. He couldn’t lose his Thresl.
Most days his furry friend was the only thing that kept him going. Giving off an air of a
politically savvy wheeler-dealer, while privately wishing to hide in his rooms and be alone,
took a toll on his emotional well-being. Zander enjoyed people, but he’d have never entered
the diplomatic corps if he’d been given a choice. However, in his family everyone became a
diplomat. No other career field had ever been discussed in Zander’s house while growing
up.
A brush of soft fur sliding beneath his fingertips calmed his worries. The Thresl had
lifted its head enough to give a reassuring rub against Zander’s skin. Zander blinked,
keeping his resolution to not shed any tears.
His father had been furious over Zander’s invitation to attend the ceremony when one
hadn’t materialised for either of Zander’s parents. The lack of a senior diplomat attending
such a prestigious event had irritated the heads of the diplomatic division. However, they
couldn’t exactly demand a representative be allowed to attend. Zander’s invitation had been
viewed as an olive branch between the Thresls and the diplomatic corp. Zander knew it was
no such thing, but he didn’t share that opinion with the higher-ups. Vohne didn’t give a crap
if the bureaucrats were happy or not—he had just wanted Kres to see a friendly face when he
looked out into the crowd.
Vohne had only invited him because he’d connected with Kres through their Thresls,
otherwise he wouldn’t have been included either. Kres had told him before the wedding how
much he’d appreciated Zander’s words of advice when Vohne and Kres had first struggled
to understand each other. Zander had been happy to help the confused soldier who’d
wanted to do the right thing for the beast who’d claimed him.
Although Zander didn’t think he’d done anything special, he knew sometimes the little
things made all the difference. In diplomacy, learning the rules wasn’t half as important as
being in the right place at the right time. Zander had happened to be around when the Thresl
king had found his mate in this incarnation and had stepped in to help Kres understand how
things were supposed to work between humans and their shifter friends.
Unfortunately, his father’s illustrious connections meant little to the Thresl king.
Glancing around, Zander spotted several high-ranking dignitaries seated around him, kings,
emperors and several transformed Thresls and their mates. To be at such a historic event
elevated any attendee’s reputation as being someone in the know. As the wedding wrapped
up, Zander smiled in relief. He’d avoided crying or embarrassing himself in front of the
others. He wasn’t a particularly teary-eyed individual, but weddings always brought it out in
him.
After the ceremony, Zander joined the reception line to give his congratulations. Even
though the pair had always been fated to be bonded, apparently finding each other was a
trick they had failed to successfully pull off in the past. From what Zander had heard, they
still weren’t completely certain who had prevented them from finding each other during
their last reincarnation.
Zander wondered what it would be like to know deep down that you were meant to be
with someone. Few people had sought Zander out for himself—even his childhood
playmates had been handpicked by his family as appropriate companions. His one love affair
had ended badly. Years later, his family still complained over how things would’ve gone
better if they had chosen his lover for him.
Kres had been another of the few exceptions to his family’s handpicked friends rule.
Only because they hadn’t known about him until he’d already bonded with the Thresl king.
Royalty always fell into the acceptable category. Kres, as a single lowly soldier, would’ve
been quickly shuffled off to some backwater planetary outpost where he couldn’t have
contact with Zander. They were determined that Zander wouldn’t be contaminated by
contact with commoners. Zander wished his parents had had more kids so he didn’t have to
carry the family name on alone. Maybe they should focus on that instead of trying to drive
him insane.
Finally reaching the front of the reception line, Zander grinned at the handsome
newlyweds. He hoped they couldn’t tell how much he had to force the expression as envy ate
away at him. He’d be lying if he didn’t wish he’d been the one in front of the audience
swapping vows with the love of his life.
“Congratulations, you’ve brought honour to your people and gladness to their hearts,”
Zander greeted them with the standard wedding acknowledgement from his home world.
Kres grinned. “It’s good to see you too. I don’t know about honour, but I couldn’t see
any way of getting out of it.”
Zander smiled back. Despite his secret envy of his friend, Zander had enjoyed seeing
the two men formally bond, completely smitten with each other. There was something so
right about them intertwining their lives that it brought hope to Zander’s heart and optimism
that one day he might be able to have that same level of devotion directed at him.
Even though the king’s mate had gained a fierce reputation for his ruthless streak, Kres
kept the respect of the Thresls through his unwavering devotion to their king.
Adoration for Kres poured through the room and sank into Zander’s soul. Having a bit
of an empathic streak helped Zander with his diplomatic duties.
“I was happy to be here,” Zander said smoothly.
“We were happy to have you.”
Zander allowed Kres to pull him into a hard, sincere hug. He politely pretended he
didn’t hear Vohne’s annoyed snarl or Prince Bleine’s laughter.
“Oh hush, Vohne. If he wanted to drag me off he had plenty of opportunities before,”
Kres scolded his husband.
The narrow-eyed glare the king gave him had Zander laughing. He knew Vohne was
only posturing. The Thresl king had no doubts over the depth of his mate’s affections. Any
idea that Kres would ever choose anyone over the Thresl king was clearly preposterous.
Zander ignored Kres’ wicked grin. He knew his friend needled his mate for the sheer
fun of hearing him snarl. Their combative relationship suited them both. They appeared to
enjoy the snap and sparkle from poking at each other. Zander sighed over his lack of a
relationship. Although the constant friction the pair before him had wouldn’t suit Zander,
he’d like to have someone to go back home to. He gave Kres a wistful smile.
“Hello, Thresl,” Kres greeted Zander’s companion with a short bow towards the beast.
Kres received a purr and a tail flick for his response. Zander knew he was the only one
who had heard the beast murmur a mental hello to the newly mated royals.
As far as Zander knew, Kres was the only human who acknowledged a Thresl in both
forms, before and after transformation. Off the Thresl home planet, many Thresls were
considered the property of their bondmates and were ignored unless introduced by their
owners. Zander had always thought of his Thresl as a friend and companion so he
appreciated Kres’ attitude.
Kres passed Zander off to Vohne. Zander gave the Thresl king a bow before accepting
his hand. “Congratulations on your wedding.”
“You sound surprised.” Vohne eyed him with amusement.
“I didn’t know if you were going to be able to get Kres to an official ceremony,” Zander
teased.
“I see you understand my love well,” Vohne replied. The king leant forward, his wild
scent filling Zander’s nose and awakening his libido. His cock hardened in his pants at the
sexy man’s nearness.
Yum.
Vohne smelt delicious. Taking a deep breath to regain his composure didn’t help the
situation since in the process he inhaled more of Vohne’s amazing fragrance. Zander barely
resisted sliding closer to the royal for a better sniff. After all, Kres did have the knife his mate
had given him for a wedding gift. Friend or not, Zander had no doubt that Kres would stab
him if he made a move on his husband.
His Thresl growled where he stood pressed against Zander, vibrating with irritation
against Zander’s leg. Apparently the Thresl didn’t approve of the change in Zander’s scent.
He undoubtedly reeked of desire. The king politely didn’t say anything.
Zander clenched his fists in order to resist reaching out and pulling the monarch closer.
What in the universe was wrong with him? He’d never been attracted to Vohne before. He
breathed through his mouth to prevent the king’s pheromones from affecting him.
“We would like to speak with you tomorrow at noon. We need your help with a
project,” Vohne said quietly in his ear. The king’s warm breath slid across Zander’s skin,
spiking shivers of desire down his spine.
Against good sense, his cock hardened more. If Vohne didn’t stop breathing on him
he’d come in his pants and reek of it during the rest of the celebration. Not an act he wanted
on his résumé since any person of Thresl blood would be able to smell his ejaculation.
His cheeks burned as he quickly nodded his agreement before stepping back as fast as
he could without stumbling. It had obviously been far too long since he’d had the company
of anything other than his right hand. If Vohne were available he might not have resisted.
Damn, he really needed to get laid.
“Mine!”
Sharp claws dug into Zander’s leg, piercing through his pants with painful precision.
The fog of lust clouding his mind dissipated beneath the sharp nails stabbing into his skin.
“Ouch!” Zander glared at the Thresl.
The Thresl bared a fang at Zander in retaliation before lifting his paw away. Zander
checked quickly for injury to his clothing and possibly rivers of blood.
“What is your problem?” Zander snapped. In his irritation he didn’t even try the mind-
to-mind link he generally used while talking to his Thresl. He didn’t know why the beast had
turned evil, but the puncture in his leg stung. Although not deep, the injury still hurt. Zander
didn’t appreciate the Thresl’s newfound aggression.
“I think someone is feeling a bit territorial,” Kres offered, smiling.
Zander sniffed. “That was completely unnecessary.”
So what if he might have leaned closer to smell the king? He hadn’t pounced on the guy
or anything.
He granted his furry companion another narrow-eyed glare. The beast returned it with
a purr, showing not an ounce of remorse for his actions.
Zander turned his attention back to the king. “Where shall I meet with you?”
Curiosity nibbled away at him like a hungry Thresl kit. What could they possibly want
him for? Last he checked he didn’t have any skills a newly crowned Thresl king could need.
“Meet us at my office tomorrow morning. I’ll send a page to fetch you,” Vohne replied.
His golden eyes reflected the amusement of his mate. Everyone apparently found his Thresl’s
attack funny except Zander. He glared down at the creature by his feet. The Thresl flicked an
ear in his direction.
“Mine,” the Thresl repeated.
“So I heard.”
With a nod to the newlyweds, Zander left their side to clear the way for others to
approach. He didn’t want people gossiping over how he’d taken up all the royals’ time.
Never give the masses anything to talk about was his family’s motto—one of many instilled
in his head while growing up. Zander preferred to work behind the scenes, unlike his glory-
seeking family. He’d rather quietly negotiate a treaty then stand in front of a bunch of media
hounds and announce what he’d achieved. Sadly, he was the minority among his relatives
and often the source of ridicule for his unassuming ways.
About the Author
Amber is one of those quiet people they always tell you to watch out for. She lives in
Seattle with her husband, two sons, two cats and one extremely stupid dog.
Amber loves to hear from readers. You can find her contact information, website and
author biography at
Also by Amber Kell
Supernatural Mates: From Pack to Pride
Supernatural Mates: A Prideful Mate
Supernatural Mates: A Prideless Man
Supernatural Mates: Nothing To Do With Pride
Supernatural Mates: Talan’s Treasure
Supernatural Mates: More Than Pride
Cowboy Lovin’: Robert’s Rancher
Dangerous Lovers: Catching Mr Right
Dangerous Lovers: Accounting for Luke
Yearning Love: Taking Care of Charlie
Yearning Love: Protecting Francis
Planetary Submissives: Chalice
Planetary Submissives: Orlin’s Fall
Planetary Submissives: Zall’s Captain
The Under Wolves: A Gamma’s Choice
Mercenary Love: Testing Arthur
Mercenary Love: Teasing Jonathan
The Thresl Chronicles: Soldier Mine
The Thresl Chronicles: Prince Claimed
The Thresl Chronicles: Politician Won
Heart Attack: My Subby Valentine
Scared Stiff: Protecting His Soul
Unconventional at Best: Convention Confusion
With RJ Scott
End Street Detective Agency: The Case of the Cupid Curse
End Street Detective Agency: The Case of the Wicked Wolf
Total-E-Bound Publishing
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