by Lilly Pink
Olivia’s face had to be on fire because she could feel the heat lighting up her cheeks. She was so embarrassed. Not only had Greg’s mother heard her thoughts, but apparently so had Greg and his entire family. That meant he had heard her entire jealous tirade when Olivia thought that his mother was some female encroaching on her man.
She nearly jumped when she felt Greg’s breath against her ear as he whispered, “Oh, I heard you alright, and I have never been so turned on in my life.” She could feel the proof of Greg’s words pressed against her back currently, and that only made her heat up for a whole new reason. “Good,” Greg whispered into her ear again.
Dammit, nothing was sacred apparently.
That was when something occurred to her and she turned around in a split second to face Greg, “Wait, are you telling me that you’ve been able to hear my thoughts this whole time?” She crossed her arms and waited for him to answer.
“No,” he said. “We can block it, and I do so normally. I only dropped the block once I shifted into my lion form so that I could properly react to your concerns or fears. When with my pride, we don’t have to keep the block up because we all have the ability to choose who we allow to hear our thoughts, so only those we want to communicate with will know what we’re thinking.”
While Olivia had to admit that what Greg was telling her was amazing, she was also upset that he hadn’t warned her. Maybe if he had done so she could have controlled her own thoughts a little better and saved herself the embarrassment in front of his family, and especially his mother.
“Olivia, try not to be too upset with my son. He is just so thrilled to have finally found you. We were all beginning to think he would never find his true mate, and had resigned ourselves to the fact that we would have to force him into an arranged mating. Anyway, your reaction to me was an instinctual one, and whether you had known about our mind reading abilities or not, you would not have been able to control those thoughts.”
Olivia had turned back to Greg’s mother when she started talking, and now she looked at the woman confused. “Mrs. Wilds, I’m sorry, but what do you mean it was instinctual? Greg and I aren’t together officially, and I really didn’t have any business being jealous even if you were a girlfriend. Jealousy is just a crazy human emotion, and one I am a little disappointed to have allowed to take hold of me so quickly.”
“First of all, you call me Jane, or Mom, since we will be family soon. You may not recognize your attraction to Greg for what it is, but it is your mate bond. That bond is what made you immediately go on the offensive when I, as an unknown female, showed Greg affection. You may not have agreed to the mating with Greg yet, but you will, trust me. The mate bond is too strong to be ignored by anyone. When I felt it with Greg’s father I couldn’t wait for him to make me his. Luckily for me, he felt the same way and we were mated right away.”
It might sound crazy, but Olivia believed what Jane was telling her. She could feel the bond between her and Greg growing stronger by the minute. After only knowing him for a couple of days, she already knew that she wanted him in her life, and she couldn’t imagine anything sadder than if that couldn’t happen. Greg wrapped his arms around her from behind and squeezed. Then he leaned down and kissed the side of her neck before he whispered, “me too,” in her ear. Damn, this mind reading thing was going to take a while to get used to, but at least she knew Greg felt just as strongly about her already.
Olivia assumed that Greg sent out a message to the rest of his family, or pride, because they all suddenly changed into their human forms right as Greg motioned for her to move forward towards everyone else. Greg introduced her to the rest of the pride and she found that she actually enjoyed their company. They all seemed to accept her, no questions asked, and were eager for her to join them as Greg’s mate.
They spent several hours together, just talking and getting to know her as she got to know them and Olivia had to admit that they all made her feel like she was already a member of the family. When they finally left that night, Olivia felt like she already knew Greg’s family better than her own estranged one, and she knew that she had some serious thinking to do. She was already certain that she wouldn’t be able to give Greg up, but she needed to find out what that meant for her back home. She had a feeling her life was about to change drastically.
CHAPTER FOUR
Greg
Greg and Olivia spent several weeks getting to know one another better. When they weren’t working, they were together, and they spent a lot of that time with his family on their pride lands. At this point, Greg knew that Olivia wanted to be with him as badly as he did her. The big obstacle that they faced now was the fact that their mating would mean leaving the human world, as they knew it now, in the past.
Once mated, they would be leaving their current human lives behind for good. Greg loved football, but he had always known it was something he’d have to give up one day. Olivia, on the other hand, had not had any preparation for leaving her life behind, and her job was not as frivolous as Greg’s as an NFL player. What Olivia did mattered; she made a difference in the lives of so many people who would have otherwise been left to fend for themselves. Without her help, Greg knew that there were a lot of children alive today who wouldn’t have made it on their own.
Today they were going to visit his pride lands so that Olivia could go out on a run with the whole family. It was something Greg would have preferred she waited to experience after their mating, when she too was a shifter, but once his cousin had planted the idea in Olivia’s mind, she wasn’t going to take no for an answer. He really hoped he could find some alone time for them tonight so they could discuss their mating in private.
He would mate Olivia right away if she’d accept, but he was giving her time to make arrangements for people to take over for her with her kids. She said that if she could at least make sure she found them someone worthy of their time, then she wouldn’t be as upset about leaving them.
He could tell that it still made her sad, but it would be easier for her to make the break now, than if she just up and disappeared from their lives after they were officially mates. Greg picked Olivia up right after she got home from visiting Jimmy in the hospital and they were on their way to the pride lands.
“He’s doing so much better than the doctors had anticipated,” Olivia said. She was telling Greg about Jimmy’s treatment plan. “They’ve seen significant improvement, and the doctors think that this particular chemo might be the one that finally puts Jimmy in true remission.”
She was so happy, Greg thought, she was going to bounce right out of the car in her excitement. He couldn’t blame her, though. Jimmy had been very sick just a couple weeks ago, and the doctors didn’t seem to have high hopes that the treatment would work. Greg was happy for Jimmy; he was a good boy, plus it had been Jimmy’s love for football that lead to Greg and Olivia’s first meeting.
Greg smiled at Olivia. “That’s great news, babe,” he said when Olivia finally took a breath.
She squeezed his hand in response. After a brief moment of silence, Olivia turned to face him again. “I am excited about tonight’s run with the pride,” she said.
When Greg furrowed his brows, trying to think of something he hadn’t already tried to convince her that she should wait, she held up her hand and placed a finger over his lips to silence him.
“I’m going, Greg. We have already discussed this enough, and it isn’t up for discussion anymore. I’ll have you and the whole pride there to protect me. I couldn’t imagine being any safer than that.”
When Olivia smiled, he held his own smile back. She was so beautiful when she genuinely smiled, and he was a sucker for her bright smile and she knew it.
When they had made it as far as possible by car, Greg got out and shifted into his lion so that he could carry Olivia to the pride lands. He didn’t waste any time getting them there, and Olivia hopped off as soon as he came to a slow walk. She had grown quite close with his mother and his
cousin Jessica, and she ran over to the two of them and gave them each a hug around the neck before she rubbed behind their ears. Greg laughed to himself at her gesture. Olivia had been terrified the first time he showed her his true self, and now she was petting several of the lions in his pride like they were regular house cats.
They didn’t waste much time before they all gathered together to go for their run. Everyone congregated around Greg and Olivia, who was once again on his back, and they took off exploring the pride lands so that Olivia could see the beauty that awaited her once this became her home, too. Greg could hear her thoughts as they ran through the lush wilderness and she took everything in.
“Greg, it’s beautiful. I can’t believe you ever left here. I think if I’d grown up here I wouldn’t have been able to leave.”
Greg let out a low growl with the nod of his head acknowledging Olivia since she did not have the ability to hear his thoughts, yet. Once they were officially mated, she would become a shifter like him, and then she would share in all of the abilities he possessed.
They ran until they reached a nearby waterfall where they could all take a break and grab a drink. Greg had made sure the pride brought Olivia to see the waterfall because it was the most beautiful spot in the pride lands, in his opinion. The sound of the water crashing into the river below was soothing to him.
The mist created by the impact of the waterfall created an ethereal look that made Greg feel like he was in a magical place, and there was a perpetual rainbow that shined through the mist and spanned from one side of the river, up over the top of the waterfall, and back down on the other riverbank.
“Wow,” Olivia said in a hushed tone. Greg could hear the wonder in her voice and he wasn’t surprised. Even after a lifetime spent visiting this very spot, the beauty of it was not lost on him. That beauty was only made better by Olivia’s presence. “Greg, it’s so beautiful. I feel like we just stepped into a fairy tale dreamland.”
Wanting to share this moment with her, Greg shifted back into his human form so that their communication wouldn’t be so one sided. “I’ve always felt like it was a magical place. You see that rainbow,” Greg pointed to the bright rainbow in front of the waterfall, “it never goes away. You could come here a million times and that rainbow will always be there.”
He watched as Olivia’s eyes lit up with wonder and excitement as she looked upon the rainbow and waterfall. Greg took a seat in the lush grass around the riverbank and pulled Olivia down to sit in his lap. He wrapped his arms around her waist, and was pleased when he heard her sigh in contentment.
Sitting there, holding Olivia in his arms, and surrounded by the beauty and magic the water emanated, Greg was suddenly overwhelmed by his feelings for Olivia. He knew she might not be ready to say the words to him, but he couldn’t let such a perfect moment go by without telling her how he felt.
He bent his head down and lightly kissed the base of her neck where it met her shoulder, then he whispered in her ear, “I love you.”
Greg heard her inhale sharply and when she turned to face him her eyes were roaming his face, searching for something. Figuring she was trying to decide if she had heard him correctly, Greg repeated himself. “I love you, Olivia.”
She smiled brighter than he’d ever seen and before he knew it, she had him shoved to the ground, her lips on his, and her hands buried in his hair. She took his breath away, and the way her body was pressed against his naked one was nearly more than Greg could handle. At least not while they were surrounded by his entire pride.
Shifters may not be modest about their nudity, but he’d be damned if he let anyone else watch when he made love to Olivia. That was something sacred, and private, even amongst the wildest of his brethren. He didn’t have to wait long to find a way to distract his body from the feeling of Olivia’s pressed against him because a loud boom suddenly rang out around them.
Olivia jerked up, and Greg was right there with her pulling them both up to their feet. The whole pride was now up and standing at alert as they all scanned the area surrounding them looking for the source of the noise. When another sound boomed through the air around them, Greg quickly turned his body towards the sound, and placed himself in front of Olivia so that he was blocking her from whatever it was that was causing the unseemly disturbance.
Greg felt a charge in the air just before fire broke out all around them. Just on the other side of the fire stood at least twenty of the Diochantis. Greg’s mother and Jessica flanked him and Olivia and he turned to Jessica.
“Jessica, stay with Olivia,” he commanded. “Don’t let any of those things near her.”
Jessica let out a small roar of acknowledgment then presented her back to Olivia to climb on.
“What is it, Greg? Who or what are they?” Olivia asked glancing at the Diochantis.
Greg lifted her onto Jessica’s back as he said, “They are devil sorcerers called Diochantis. I don’t have time to go into detail now, but just know that they are evil and won’t hesitate to kill. Please, just stay with Jessica so I know you’ll be safe.”
Olivia nodded and gave him a quick kiss. Jessica took off, with Olivia in tow, and moved to the center of the pride so that there were completely surrounded by lions. Greg didn’t waste another minute and shifted into his lion form.
“Kill as many as you can, and whatever you do, don’t get caught. You know what they will do if they get away with one of us.” Greg sent his command out to the all of the lions present, and then he led them in the charge on the Diochantis.
The sorcerers possessed great magic that made them formidable opponents, but they did not possess the sheer strength and speed that Greg and his fellow shifters had. Greg didn’t fail to notice that they seemed to be concentrating their efforts on him, as several Diochantis came after him at once.
“Oh, the master will be very rewarding if we can bring in the king of the pride,” said one of the creepy creatures.
The Diochantis looked just as evil as they truly were. They were what nightmares were made of, with their green skin, black eyes and teeth, and a stench so bad it could drive away the most disgusting creatures.
“Your master won’t be making it to earth to reward any of you!” Greg sent mind speech to the creatures right before he began ripping them apart, using his teeth and claws. Greg had killed four of the sorcerers when he heard Olivia scream.
He turned to see Jessica rip the throat out of an approaching Diochantis. In that brief moment of distraction, more of the sorcerers must have sneaked up behind him. Greg felt a sudden, sharp pain in his back, as one of them sent a spell hurtling at him that ripped through his flesh. He let out a loud roar as the pain sliced through him.
“Greg!” he heard Olivia scream his name, but he couldn’t afford to allow himself to get distracted again. When he turned back towards the Diochantis, three more of sorcerers were running towards him and conjuring up new spells to hurtle at him. Greg charged forward, and ripped each one of them in half before they had the chance to release their magic upon him again.
When he turned back around to check on Jessica and Olivia, he was not happy to see that Olivia had jumped down from Jessica’s back and was nearly to him with Jessica right on her heels.
“Stop her Jess!” he sent the command to Jessica with such authority he could feel the power charge the air around him.
Jessica roared in response and grabbed Olivia up by the back of her shirt to stop her in her tracks. Olivia immediately began kicking and screaming as she tried to escape Jessica once again. Greg looked around quickly to see where his help was needed, but he was pleased to find that everyone had taken out the Diochantis around them. He caught his mother’s gaze, and she nodded as she sent him confirmation of the sorcerers’ defeat.
“They’re all dead, son. Take care of Olivia now. I will make sure any injured lions are taken care of.”
He nodded and ran over to where Jessica stood with Olivia’s shirt still grasped between her teeth.
/> “You can release her now, Jessica. They have all been eliminated,” Greg informed his cousin and she gently placed Olivia down in front of him.
Greg barely had a chance to look at her before Olivia had jumped up and wrapped her arms around him as tightly as possible.
“Greg, oh my God! You’re hurt!” Olivia was crying and nearly hysterical as she clung to him.
He nuzzled her face with his, then licked her face in an attempt at getting her to release him for a moment. When she dropped her hands to wipe his saliva from her face he gave her the equivalent of a lion smirk. When she glared back at him, he quickly shifted back into his human form. He wrapped his arms around her and her momentary anger seemed to be forgotten as she returned the gesture.
“I’m alright,” he told her when she looked up into his face. “Supernatural lion-shifter, remember?” She nodded slowly, but he could see uncertainty in her eyes. “We have the ability to heal extremely fast,” Greg told her. Then he released Olivia and pulled her hands down from his neck so that he could turn around and show her his back.
Greg felt Olivia’s hands roam over his back searching for the wound he knew was already closed up by now. He turned back around to face her and took her hands in his.
“Now, let’s get out of here. We need to get back to the caves so that we can get patrols set up to make sure the Diochantis are not stalking us to our homes. Plus, I am sure that everyone could use some time to rest from the fight.”
Olivia just nodded her agreement.
Greg could tell that she was still in shock from what had just taken place and he didn’t blame her. Sure, she had seen violence in the human world, and even rescued helpless kids from violent situations, but none of those situations included sorcerers and black magic. If there was a way that Greg thought he could bear to give her up, then he would. He would let her go and save her from the evils of his world, but he was too far gone. There was no way he could let her go now, his inner lion would never allow it. So, he would be selfish, and continue working to make Olivia his in every way possible.
