by R. E. Butler
Dylan was stretched out next to Hunter, his hand resting on Cris’s back. Hunter stared at nothing, but Chase could see he was deep in thought.
“I want to call my dad. Do you want me to ask him to keep it quiet so you can tell your dads on your own?” Chase whispered.
Hunter snapped out of his stare down with the wall and whispered, “You can tell all of them. Set up a time for them to Skype with us in a few days so Cris can meet them.”
Dylan nodded. “Tell my dad I’ll call him later.”
Chase looked one last time at Cris and left the room, closing the door silently. He went into his old bedroom and dialed his dad’s number. He made it a point to call his dad every week. As it was Sunday afternoon, his dad would be out in the garage working on his car. He was a diesel mechanic by trade and worked for a trucking company outside of King. Chase had many fond memories of weekends spent helping his dad in the garage.
“Hey, kid,” his dad said.
“How’s it going?”
He heard the familiar sound of a wrench turning. “Good. Can’t wait for spring so I can put the top down.” His father’s vehicular pride and joy was a BMW convertible.
“I bet.”
“When are you coming to visit?”
“Soon. Actually, are my uncles around? I want to tell you guys something.”
“Nothing bad, I hope?”
“Not remotely.”
Chase heard the creak of the door as it opened, and the squeak of that one loose floorboard. He’d wondered over the years why it had never been fixed, and his dad had told him that it helped them ensure no kids ever snuck out of the house through the garage. Chase had never actually snuck out of the house. Some of his human friends in high school had done that sort of thing, sneaking away in the middle of the night to go to a party or meet friends somewhere, but it had never appealed to Chase. Maybe because his dad trusted him, and Chase never wanted to do anything to lose that trust. Or maybe because he hadn’t had any reason to rebel.
“Chase wants to talk to us,” his dad said
“What’s up, Chase?” Uncle Tony said.
“Everything okay?” Uncle Steven said.
“You bet. I’m calling because Dylan, Hunter, and I have found our shared mate. We met her a week ago, and we knew the moment we all laid eyes on her that she was ours.”
A moment of silence passed, and then all three males cheered. Chase chuckled and rubbed at his eyes as happy tears stung them. He hadn’t realized how much he’d valued their approval. Whether they were happy or not with their mating wouldn’t have changed his feelings about Cris, but it sure did make him a hell of a lot happier knowing that they approved.
“What’s her name? Is she a shifter? Where’s her family?” his dad asked.
“Cristabel, but we call her Cris. She’s an African lion, and her dad is the leader of their pride. Her family’s in Kentucky, but she moved to Ashland for a job.”
“I didn’t think that lions liked to mate outside of their kind,” Uncle Tony said.
“Normally, they don’t. Cris’s family believes in arranged matings and not in waiting for their truemates. She just told her parents about us, and to say her dad was unhappy would be an understatement of great proportions.”
“That sucks,” Uncle Steven said. “I’m sorry to hear it. But you’ve got our approval in spades. We’d like to meet her.”
“We can come out to King, or you guys could come here.”
“Are you going to marry her too?” his dad asked.
Ever since Rue had mentioned that Lisa was the pride’s wedding planner, the idea had taken root in his brain. He and his cousins had discussed mating their sweetheart in the traditions of her people and then proposing, too. Knowing she would go into heat soon after their mating made him want to marry her quickly. He didn’t want her to have a cub before she had their last name.
“Yes. We’re still working out the details. We’ve only been together for a week, so everything is moving fast, but it still feels right.”
“I’m so happy for you,” Uncle Tony said. “You guys deserve to find love and be happy. Tell Hunter that I expect him to call me and tell me himself, anyway.”
Chase smiled. “I will.”
After Dylan’s dad insisted on a call from him, too, Chase said goodbye to his uncles and then talked to his dad privately for a few minutes more. “Is Cris upset about her parents?” his dad asked.
“Of course. I’ve never heard such an angry roar before. I think if we’d had the conversation with them in person, he’d have clawed our faces off in his rage.”
“I don’t understand a parent who would put traditions over his kid’s happiness, but there are some odd ducks out in the world.”
He was sorry that Cris had gotten the short end of the stick when it came to parental understanding, but he was thankful she’d found him and his cousins. If she’d never left home, they would never have known her. To think he might have spent his whole life without her made his cat snarl.
“So you’re going to do a ceremony for her this weekend?”
“I think that’s the plan. Before she talked to her parents, we weren’t sure if they’d be supportive or not. If they’d been supportive, we might have been heading to Kentucky to her home territory to perform her traditional ceremony there. After we mate her, then we’ll ask her to marry us and plan a wedding for whenever she’d like.”
“We’ll definitely come for the wedding, and help out with the cost, but if it’s going to be too far in the future, then we’ll come for a visit after your mating ceremony. I haven’t been out to Ashland yet.”
“You could always move out here, you know. The boarding house has empty rooms.”
“My home’s in King. I don’t think I’ll ever leave.”
He paused for a moment, and then asked the question that was on the tip of his tongue. “Do you think my mother was your truemate?”
He hummed in surprise. “I don’t think so. I’ve seen how some of the males were with the females. I am certain that there were truemates among our kind, but without knowing that we could blood share and break the curse, the males were left to pine for females who had no desire to be with them. I liked your mother. She was so pretty, and she had a sharp wit that I enjoyed. When I could get her to let down her defenses, anyway. But after you were born, she never wanted anything to do with me, and my cat was okay with that. I think if she’d been my truemate, my cat would have railed against her leaving for Canada when the females split.”
“You could still find your truemate.”
“Maybe I will. But I’m content, and that’s enough for me.”
“I’m going to check on Cris. She was pretty upset about her dad.”
“Take good care of her and your cousins. And don’t forget to take care of yourself, too. Love you.”
“I love you, too, Dad.”
Chase ended the call and put his phone into his pocket. He looked around the bedroom that had been his since they’d moved to Ashland and joined the pride. It had felt like home to him for a long time, but now it didn’t. Home was where Cris was. She was the center of his world and the best thing that had ever happened to him.
* * *
Thursday evening Dylan stood at the window of the bedroom and watched as two black panthers padded by silently. They were almost invisible in the darkness, their shadows just slightly darker as they moved just outside of the boundary of the floodlights illuminating the boarding house. It had been a few days since the females’ plot to take him had been foiled. He was thankful that Cris had gone after Theresa. If the human hadn’t feared for her life against the angry lioness, they might not have discovered the truth. He would never have willingly gone anywhere with Theresa, but he didn’t think the females were above using any means necessary to get what they wanted. It’s also why he and his cousins were fairly sure it wasn’t the last they’d hear from them.
He saw Hunter pull up in his truck and his pulse quickened,
knowing that Cris was home now and they would have some precious time alone together. He darted downstairs to greet her, throwing open the front door and grinning as she got out of the truck and pulled her coat closer around her. “Hi, love.”
She grinned as their eyes met, and he gave a little wave to Hunter, ushering Cris up into the house. “It’s cold!” she declared as he shut the door. “I can’t wait for spring.”
“I don’t mind the cold because I can warm you up,” he said, hanging up her coat and hugging her.
She chuckled as she shivered. “I like the way you warm me up.”
“I have a special treat for you upstairs,” he said, taking her cold hand in his and leading her to the stairs.
“Is that what you call it?” she asked, her voice tinged with humor.
Laughing, he said, “No. Well, yes and no. I made dinner for us and thought we could eat upstairs so we can have some privacy. But I’ll totally call myself your special treat from now on.”
“You’re insatiable.”
“Only for you.”
He opened the bedroom door, and she walked in, pausing with a gasp at the picnic he’d arranged for them. It hadn’t been easy to find picnic supplies in the winter, but he’d finally found everything he wanted for her. A red and white gingham blanket had been spread on the floor, and a wicker picnic basket overflowing with classic picnic dishes sat on the blanket. Because neither of them were drinkers, he’d put a bottle of sparkling apple juice in an ice bucket. He’d wanted an outdoors theme without having to be out in the cold, so he’d hauled up the pride’s large plastic Christmas tree and put it in the corner of the room, plugging in the clear, white lights. The tree lit up the dark room, accentuated with the help of dozens of electric candles he’d set around the blanket.
“Oh, Dylan,” she said, her voice a sweet whisper. “It’s amazing.”
He turned the lock on the door and joined her, sliding his hands around to rest on her stomach as he pulled her against him. “You’re amazing. I wanted to do something special for our night together.”
She tipped her head back and kissed him. “You’re so sweet.”
“Just for you.” Leading her to the blanket, he stepped over the candles and watched as she removed her heels and joined him.
He opened his mouth to tell her about the meal when she kissed him. Her lips mashed against his with a purr as she wrapped her arms around his neck and tilted her lower body toward his. His body sprang to life as their tongues slid together, his cat rising to the forefront to join his purr with hers. He loved how she purred when she was turned on, as if she were just so happy she couldn’t contain it.
“Love,” he said, as she nipped his lower lip with a playful growl.
“Hold that thought,” she said, giving him a wink as she dropped to her knees and fisted the waistband of his jeans. She undid the button and lowered the zipper, spreading the material apart with a sultry growl. She pushed up his shirt, exposing his stomach to her gaze, and he took the unspoken request and tugged off the shirt, tossing it aside. Kissing the flesh above his waistband, she hummed softly and gazed up at him.
She stripped off her shirt, keeping her gaze locked with his. He hardly dared to breathe; he was so entranced with what she was doing. She wiggled her pants down to her knees and off her legs. She was on her knees before him again, her breasts covered with blue lace that matched her panties. He brushed his fingers through her hair while she tugged his jeans and shorts down his legs. He was certain he’d never seen anything sexier than the way she licked her lips as she gazed at him, her eyes full of love and heat.
He smiled at her, wanting to say a million things to her in that one moment. How much he loved her, how sexy she was, how lucky he was. Instead, he did what she always did when words weren’t enough. He purred.
Her eyes darkened to the color of denim, and she answered his purr with her own as she lowered her head slowly and grasped his cock with both hands. She licked her lips once more and then kissed the head, just a soft brush that made everything in him quiet. She opened her mouth and took him in agonizingly slow. She rubbed her tongue on the underside, caressing that thick vein and exploring the head with slow strokes. She sucked on him, just hard enough to make his eyes cross with pleasure.
And she purred again.
He felt the vibrations all the way to his spine, his body stiffening and jerking as the pleasurable hum caressed him from the inside out. He’d planned to let her do whatever she wanted for as long as she wanted, but the pleasure crested in him so fast he couldn’t stop himself from enjoying the hell out of the love of his life sucking on him like he was her favorite piece of candy.
One hand slipped under his dick and cradled his balls, and he groaned as she undid her bra with her other hand, letting her breasts free as she wiggled the lace away from herself.
“You’re so fucking sexy,” he growled, cupping the side of her face. She rolled her gaze up to his as her cheeks hollowed as she sucked, her massaging fingers driving him wild in the very best way.
“Gonna come soon,” he said, grinding his teeth to try to prolong the pleasure.
Taking him deeper into her mouth, she purred again, her hands grasping his hips and holding him close. Her head tilted slightly, and she took him a little deeper into her mouth, her gaze dragging up to his with a look of utter happiness in the dark blue depths. He wouldn’t have been able to stop coming with a gun to his head. It was just that fucking good.
His head dropped back as he shouted her name, his cat roaring in happiness as their mate took care of them. She let him slide out of her mouth as slowly as she’d first taken him in, and he watched her as she smiled. Her lips were swollen and glossy, and she licked them. He dropped to his knees and slid his hand into her hair, fisting it lightly as he kissed her and slid his hand down her stomach and inside her panties. Her pussy was scorching hot and drenched, and she tilted her hips as he pushed his fingers into her and then drew the soaked digits over her clit. She cried out against his lips as he worked her clit hard and fast, stretching her out on the floor and fingering her pussy as she came. Her pussy clenched around his fingers tightly, and he played his thumb over her swollen clit, drawing out her climax as she shuddered and moaned, writhing under his attentions.
He was not the aggressive male in their mating, but he’d been unable to stop himself from making her come, watching her skin flush as the passion overtook her and knowing that it was him who’d made her that happy. He nuzzled her throat and kissed the mark he’d made, and then he slid his hand from inside her panties and sucked her dewy wetness from his fingers.
“I love to watch you do that,” she said in a husky voice.
He wiggled his brows at her. “You taste so good. I wouldn’t want to waste your sweet pleasure.”
“You taste pretty good, too,” she said. “I hope I didn’t spoil your picnic. I just wanted to do that to you.” She cupped his head and drew him to her mouth, kissing him tenderly. “You take such good care of me. I worry about not being enough for you, because you have to share me.”
He shook his head. “Put the thought far from your mind, love. You are more than I could possibly hope for, and everything I need.”
“You’ll tell me if you ever feel differently?”
“I won’t feel differently, but I promise to be an open book.”
“Good,” she cupped his cheeks and smiled. “I love you, Dylan Hall. I’m head-over-tail in love with you.”
“I love you too, Cris. I’m so glad you’re mine.”
Chapter 13
Cris stared out the passenger window of Chase’s sedan as he drove her to Lily’s apartment. It was their official mating day, at least official by her cat’s standards, and Lily had offered to make them a special cake.
Lily had been upset to learn that Cris’s parents hadn’t reached out to her again. Hell, it had upset Cris, too. She’d hoped that her mom would at least call, but in spite of staring at her phone nearly constantly over
the last week, she’d heard nada from either parent.
She hadn’t been surprised, really, by her dad’s reaction, even though a small part of her had hoped that he wouldn’t be a judgmental dick and shut her out of their lives.
Hunter leaned forward from the backseat and put his hand on her shoulder. “Are you okay?”
“I’m just thinking about my parents.”
“Maybe in time they’ll come around,” Dylan said.
“It’s a nice idea, but I don’t think it will happen.” She shook her head, rubbing the space between her eyes with her thumb. “I never used to be such a pessimist.”
“It’s okay to be disappointed by their response, but it doesn’t have to change anything about our future.” Chase reached for her, covering her hand with his, making her feel both cherished and protected. “Today’s our mating day.”
She lifted his hand to her lips and kissed the top, closing her eyes for a brief moment and exhaling slowly. “What did I ever do before you guys came into my life?”
Hunter said, “I wonder that about myself all the time. You’re the best thing that ever happened to me.”
“Me too,” both Dylan and Chase said simultaneously.
She kept Chase’s hand pressed to her face and looked at her other mates. “I’m the luckiest lion in the world.”
“Not as lucky as us,” Chase said.
The rest of the short drive was silent. Her mates seemed to understand that she needed a little time to think over everything that had happened. Even though she’d known deep in her heart when she first left home to go to college, determined to make her own way in life against pride traditions, that her parents wouldn’t be happy with her choices, she’d still held onto a thread of hope. Maybe they’d love her enough to look past what they viewed as disobedience and disrespect. Maybe they’d welcome her and whoever her heart chose into the pride with open arms.
