Lions and Tigers and Bears Read online

  She wanted to promise him that, wanted him to trust her always. Just right now she couldn’t. I promise I won’t get caught trying to find the real attacker. She brushed his knuckles a last time, and as the guard called a second “time’s up” headed for the door.

  Liddy, please…

  Liddy’s heart ached with the anguish behind Kevin’s thoughts, emotions pricked at the backs of her eyes. She refused to turn back, knew it would make her weaker if she saw his concern for her again. Without looking back, she sent a last I love you thought to him and disappeared through the door.

  Chapter Five

  Liddy should have accepted a ride back to the sanctuary from the police station with her mama. Only she couldn’t stomach the thought of seeing the disgust on Mama’s face again so soon. She knew Annette’s displeasure would have been voiced in further words, as well. Liddy would talk to her mama, make her understand this all somehow , but she couldn’t even think about doing so now. She couldn’t think period. And it didn’t help that she was sitting next to Tanner Riggs.

  The detective bothered her enough when they were within five feet of others. Alone in his police cruiser, the mass of negative energy he gave off made her feel physically ill. She’d tried reading his mind to see if it gave some indication as to why he affected her so badly, but she couldn’t get a single thought from him.

  It made sense, she supposed, for a man in a position of authority to be strong enough to keep his thoughts secret from others. Now if he would just keep his leering glances to himself…

  Tanner’s gaze moved from the road unwinding before them to give her what had to be the twentieth bodily assessment since they’d gotten into the vehicle. The sanctuary was less than five minutes away and Liddy had promised herself she would endure, but with every one of his looks, her skin itched a little harder and her temper riled a little further. Thank God it was winter and her body was fully covered.

  “With Montcalm going away the nights are gonna be a lot longer and cooler.”

  She should have ignored the words and whatever it was they hinted at, but her natural reaction was to look at him and snap, “What is that supposed to mean?”

  He pulled his attention from the road once again. A smile curved his mouth, this one apparently more genuine than any he’d given her in the past as it showed off his teeth and took up the better half of his face. It reminded her of Kevin’s smile.

  Liddy shivered at the comparison and how completely inaccurate it was, as the detective focused back on the road and said, “You’re an attractive woman, Ms. Freeman. It also looks like you might be an innocent one. Once this case is over with, I’d like to take you out. I know how the Mayor feels about you dating white men, but I’m sure between the two of us we could get her to come around.”

  Her shivers grew to all out shakes. To make it seem like her trembling was from the cold and not revulsion, she reached to the heater and turned it up a notch. She might have walked away from the police station today, but Kevin hadn’t. She had to at least attempt to be decent to Tanner. “I’m flattered, really, but no thank you.”

  “I saw the tears in your eyes when you left the cellblock. You know as well as I do that he’s not gonna get off. Better to move on now before saying goodbye to him hurts any more than what it already does.”

  “Kevin will get off, and I am not saying goodbye to him ever.” And even if she eventually had to face that horrific outcome, her answer to the detective’s date offer would still be a vehement no.

  He remained silent in response, and Liddy drew a breath of thanksgiving and then an even longer one when he reached the long, tree-lined driveway that led to the sanctuary office and heated viewing buildings.

  Tanner brought the cruiser to a stop next to her car. She reached for the door handle, eager to put this ride behind her.

  “You love the freak, don’t you?”

  The words reached her, thick with abhorrence, and her hand froze in the air, then curled into a fist. For her own sake and Kevin’s, she’d wanted to stay on decent terms with the cop. But she couldn’t stay on decent terms with any person who called a shifter a freak.

  The barb pricked deep and set Liddy’s temper to boiling. She turned back to the cop, teeth bared and the urge to use them on the man stronger than any she’d ever experienced. She wasn’t a violent person, but now she felt capable of anything. “Kevin is not a freak, and how I feel about him is none of your goddamned business.”

  Smirking, Tanner took her fisted hand in his and gave it a squeeze. “One date. You know deep down how good we’d be together.”

  The only thing she knew deep down was that if he didn’t get his hand off her this instant, he was liable to lose it.

  Liddy jerked her hand from his grasp, for once not bothering to hide the fact she was stronger than any normal woman could be. “I would rather be the real attacker’s next victim, then be seen anywhere with you by choice.”

  The smirk vanished from his face as cold hardness settled in his eyes. They were no longer the dark blue that she’d once thought of as being similar to Kevin’s, but near black and deadly. “Well now, Ms. Freeman, that might just be possible to arrange.”

  *

  Kevin lay back on the lone bed in his cell. Apparently between believing he was a killer and knowing he was a shifter, the cops had been afraid to lock him up with anyone else, or allow him access to a visitation room. He’d been surprised they’d even allowed Liddy in to visit him in the jail cell for the short while they had this morning.

  Liddy. If she did something to risk her life to try to save his… He shut his eyes against the many possible outcomes from Liddy attempting to find the real attacker. All of them ended with her in trouble, too many of them ended with her in pain, dying.

  Shit.

  He’d been so afraid of the people of Hanover learning his real identity and how the truth would affect him from a business standpoint. Now that his shifter side had been revealed, he couldn’t give a damn about what it would mean to him professionally. All that mattered was getting out of this jail cell and getting to Liddy before she did something that couldn’t be undone.

  While the last day had dragged by as one of the longest of Kevin’s life his watch revealed it was almost nine in the evening. He wouldn’t be getting out of this cell tonight. The best he could do was attempt to get a solid sleep that would leave him clear minded and ready to face whatever tomorrow might bring.

  *

  Liddy tossed her car keys on the end table in the living room, unsurprised to have found her sister’s car missing from the driveway. Friday nights were not meant to be spent at home in Chenille’s mind, and since the last thing she wanted to do was talk to another person about Kevin being locked up and accused of murder, Liddy couldn’t be happier.

  She’d spent the day secured in her office, calling every shifter contact she had and could trust, in the hopes one of them would know something about the unfamiliar lion that had shown up at the pride gathering earlier in the week. For a moment, when she’d been in the police cruiser with Tanner and he had turned uglier than she’d ever seen him, she’d nearly dismissed the lion as having anything to do with the attacks. She’d nearly pointed that finger at the detective.

  Then she’d remember the DNA left behind on the last woman’s body and the report the first three, still-living victims had given of their attacker. All of them had said it was a lion, not a person. That ruled out Tanner. Obviously he’d only turned ugly because she’d injured his ego by refusing his date offer.

  Shrugging out of her winter coat, Liddy laid it on the back of the couch and headed for her bedroom. She didn’t want to think about Tanner Riggs another second. Since she’d worked late trying to get information on the unfamiliar lion and had come up empty-handed every time, she also didn’t want to think about him. She sure as hell didn’t want to think about her rift with her mama. All she wanted to do was sink into a hot bubble bath and doing some closed-eye praying that somehow
everything would work out. Kevin would be let off, the real attacker would be found, and Mama would change her narrow-minded ways and do her best to see the rest of the city did the same.

  Liddy went to her dresser for clean underwear and noted the blinking red light on the phone base next to her bed. Whoever it was could probably wait, but on the very off chance Kevin had managed to get to call her, she hurried to the base and pressed the message button. The first message was what sounded to be a long-winded speech from her mama, so she quickly skipped it. The second message was a man informing Sierra of an emergency gathering tonight.

  Liddy had long ago requested all messages about the pride be directed to Sierra, so if her sister overheard them she would assume that they were a wrong number. Up until now the request had never needed to be followed, as Kevin conducted all pride dealings via email for security’s sake. Whoever had organized this meeting using the telephone had clearly done so because of its urgency. The gathering was scheduled for tonight, and in less than a half hour from now. So much for the bubble bath and prayers, but maybe this meeting could accomplish more than prayers ever could.

  Holding tightly to that thought, Liddy returned to the living room, gathered up her keys and coat and hustled to her car. The gathering place was less than a mile from the sanctuary. It was far less risky to park her car there and shift in the safety of the woods.

  Ten minutes later, she pulled into the empty sanctuary lot. With a surreptitious glance around, she started for the woods. She kept a small box just inside of the woods to store her clothing in after she transformed. Tonight, she barely noticed the cold air or the icy nip of snow beneath her feet as she stripped and deposited her clothes and boots inside the box. All thoughts were of Kevin and what would need to be done to free him as she quickly shifted and then sprinted through the woods to the gathering place.

  There was no moon tonight, but that wouldn’t have stopped her from being able to see the pride of lions on the snowy clearing ahead when she crested the ridge directly before it. There wasn’t another cat in sight.

  The hair on the back of her neck rose as she slowed her pace to make her way into the clearing. The threat of danger danced through her mind. She scented the air, but came back with no smell worthy of fearing. There was no reason to be nervous, she was early is all. The others would be here soon.

  Seconds ticked past. Then minutes.

  Liddy attuned her ears to the night, waited to hear the near silent brush of paws against snow. She didn’t realize how madly her heart was beating until finally the sound of fast falling paws came. Her nose conveyed it was another lion. The anxiety that had filled her from first finding the clearing vacated turned to relief.

  And then icy dread as the lion stepped into the clearing. From his splotched yellow-gold fur to the feral gleam in his eyes, Liddy recognized the cat as the unfamiliar one from earlier in the week. Panic slid through her body and into her limbs. She stood her ground, raised her head high and snarled, What are you doing here?

  The male advanced, his mouth tugging back into a welcoming smile while the gleam in his eyes softened. I came for the gathering, just as you did.

  Where is everyone else? They should be here by now.

  The lion came closer, moving in a half circle around her. His gaze roamed over her body, then flicked to her face. Maybe they don’t think their ruler’s life is worth their time.

  The tension that cloaked her, head to toe, suggested it would be wise to act nicely around this lion, but she couldn’t allow him to think badly about the pride’s faith in Kevin. No! You’re wrong. They respect him, revere him. They will be here.

  He moved closer still, circling again, this time all the way around her, as if stalking her. Maybe we should use the time until they are arrive wisely. You are a beautiful cat, Sierra. I will be king soon and I want you to be my queen.

  Liddy fought off the impulse to turn with him. It might make her seem weak to expose her back, but it would make her seem afraid if she spun back on him now. She was afraid, desperately, and growing more so by the moment, but she couldn’t allow him to know that. How do you know my name?

  I heard you sharing it with Balendin.

  Balendin, Kevin’s feline name. Any cat from his pride would know it, but this male shouldn’t know it any more than he should have known hers. You were already gone by then, she pointed out, struggling to keep her thoughts even, her paws planted firmly.

  The lion rounded to her front side, his face mere inches from hers. Cold amusement glimmered in his eyes. I came back. I saw you give yourself to him. I heard the way you roared when he was fucking you. You were so hot for him, but you’ll be even hotter for me.

  The amusement bled into his mouth as a chilling smile of razor sharp teeth. Liddy’s panic arced. She couldn’t stop from taking a step back. There is no gathering, is there?

  Sure there is, between you and me.

  The male was on her in a high-pitched hiss of laugher and a flurry of yellow-gold fur. He knocked her onto her back and pinned her with his large, powerful body to the snow beneath them.

  The automatic urge to pound her fists into him slammed into her. She realized the ridiculousness of that thought immediately. She was a lioness, not a woman. She had no fists to fight with. No knees to bring up against his balls. Not even paws to swipe at him with, as he held her legs captive with his own. She had only her strength of mind and her mouth to defend with.

  Struggling to pull herself from beneath his massive weight, she growled, Get off of me, you bastard!

  He lifted from her, and for an instant, she thought he had given in to her command. Then he rolled her onto her belly and lunged on her again. Hot, stale breath rolled along her ear and the hard length of his cock cradled against her ass, making her stomach quiver. I don’t think so, Liddy. Not until you give me what I want.

  The compulsion to rear away from his appalling touch died as the name he called her sank in. He’d called her Liddy, and that meant he knew who she really was. Wh-who are you? What do you want with me?

  The male’s tongue lolled along her neck and up her cheek. He thrust his hips forward and the head of his cock pushed against her anus. She pressed her lips together to hold in her whimper. She was stronger than this, so much stronger.

  My name is Hidari, and I want you, Liddy. I want you as my queen. I want your help in proving to all the others what a failure Kevin is at leading this pride. He’s afraid to show anyone other than his own kind what he is. Afraid to show the people of this city what they have to truly fear in shifters. He was never meant to be ruler, Liddy. I was. Everything of his should have been mine. You should have been mine. I’ve already started showing the people of Hanover what they have to fear from me, from us. Now I’m ready to take what is mine, starting with you, right now.

  *

  Kevin woke from a nightmare to the sound of Liddy’s terrified roar. He jerked to a sitting position and quickly remembered where he was, in prison and the sound of Liddy’s roar had to have been part of his nightmare.

  Oh God, Kevin. I’m sorry. So sorry for not listening.

  He shot to his feet with the thought. Liddy’s thought.

  The roar hadn’t been part of his nightmare, it had been real and she was in trouble. She was also almost fully his mate now, that their thoughts could be so perfectly clear to one another while miles apart. Where are you, Liddy? What’s the matter?

  Gathering place. Hidari—the lion from the other night. You were right. He’s the attacker…he’s trying to claim—

  Her thoughts were cut short by a keening wail that twisted at Kevin’s heart.

  Now what the hell to do? He had asked her not to go after the real attacker and she had done it anyway, and now that lion was touching her, hurting her.

  He would not kill her!

  Kevin rushed to the cell door, grabbed hold of the bars and shouted, “I need out. Now! Someone is going to die if I stay in here another second.”

  The first o
f the night guard’s laughter echoed off the walls. “Right buddy. We let you out of there and all that’s gonna happen is a whole lotta people are gonna die.”

  Kevin turned to the second guard—a blond man who looked to be in his late twenties. He’d come on shift before Kevin had fallen asleep. Two guards had been assigned to watch him since he’d been brought in this morning, and each new guard was filled in on his being shifter and his supposed murderer status. Unlike the other guards, the blond hadn’t looked at Kevin with disgust, or tossed degrading words his way with the news. The blond had looked at Kevin with something closer to empathy.

  Earlier he’d taken it to mean the guy simply believed in the words “innocent until proven guilty”. Now, he prayed otherwise. Now, Kevin implored to the guard with his mind. Please, if you are what I think you are, let me out of here. I’m not the real attacker, but I know where the real attacker is, and right now he’s trying to kill my mate. Your future queen.

  “What if he’s serious, Jack?” The blond’s gaze nervously shifted from Kevin to the other guard.

  Jack snorted. “‘Bout as serious as all the other bozos we get in here, trying to say they’re innocent. Don’t listen to a word he says.”

  Liddy’s shrill cry rang through Kevin’s ears and he forced himself to concentrate on the blond, on the fact the man had heard his last thought. Don’t listen to what I have to say then, listen to what’s in your mind. I’m your ruler, your king. I can prove it to you. I can shift into my lion form if that’s what you want. I am not a killer, not unless you make me stay behind these bars while my mate dies.

  Sweat beaded on the blond’s forehead as his gaze shifted again, several times. Finally it landed on Kevin and turned accepting. With a nod, he turned back to his partner and raised his gun. “I’m sorry about this, Jack, but I don’t have a choice.”

  Jack’s eyes went round. He reached for his gun, then paused at the click of the other man’s. “What the fuck are you thinking, Dillion?”

  “That he’s innocent.” He waved his gun toward the corner, and used his free hand to pull the key ring from where it hung at his side. “Move over there while I let him out.” Jack looked from Dillion’s gun to the corner, and Dillion roared, “Do it already!”