Quarterback Lion: A Paranormal Shapeshifter Romance

by Lilly Pink

  “Little queen,” he said to her. His voice wasp deep and raspy like he’d been smoking for thousands of years. When Olivia considered the fact that he had been living in hell for centuries, she concluded that her assessment of his “smoking” wasn’t too far off. “Thank you for bringing me to this plain. There is so much love and happiness here. I shall enjoy destroying it all and leaving this world full of so much hate that the people in it will willingly rip it, and themselves apart.”

  Olivia tried to yank her face away from him, but it was no use. Between the pain and her blood loss she was steadily growing weaker. If she wasn’t able to break free and escape soon she knew that she would pass out. If that happened, she was certain that she would never wake up again, and would die either at the hands of the Diochantis or a demon. She was fighting to stay awake with every bit of strength in her, but she could feel herself sinking.

  Diocholos shook her head when her eyes drooped, almost closing completely. “Now, now, little queen. Don’t give up on us just yet.” He paused and smiled at her. His smile was the single scariest thing that Olivia had ever witnessed in her life. It was sinister; pure evil. He motioned to the demons on either side of her before he went on. “We brought you a gift, and I would hate for you to die before you had the chance to see your gift and say goodbye.”

  When the demons walked back into the cave carrying Jimmy’s body, Olivia lost it. She had held strong, refusing to cry or show them her fear until now. At the sight of Jimmy’s limp body in their hands Olivia’s tears began raining down her face. He was just an innocent boy who had already suffered far more than his fair share in his lifetime battling cancer.

  Now, because of his relationship with her, Jimmy was probably going to be slowly tortured until he died.

  “I know you’ve been hoping for the chance to say goodbye to your precious Jimmy, so as a thank you for the gift of your blood I will allow you to say goodbye before we kill the boy. Don’t worry little queen, we will make sure you get to watch him die before we kill you.”

  Diocholos laughed at his own wicked decree, and Olivia thought she was going to be sick. She had to find a way out of this. She was going to get Jimmy away from them and get him to safety.

  Then there was a bright flash that briefly lit up the entire cave and involuntarily forced Olivia to look away and shut her eyes.

  When she opened her eyes and looked around the inside of the cave, it was filled with lions, panthers, and Whytes. Her eyes momentarily locked on Greg’s and then he was attacking anything in his path. She could see that he was trying to fight his way to her. Diocholos released his grip on her face and moved to where the Diochantis had laid Jimmy. He was incredibly fast, and he tore his claws through any shifter that stood in his way between her and Jimmy.

  She listened as her family and friends cried out in agony as the high demon’s claws ripped open their flesh, and she was certain that they too were experiencing the agonizing hellfire ripping through their blood stream. When he wrapped his clawed hand around Jimmy’s throat, that was the motivation Olivia had been waiting for to overpower their spells, and push her own weakness and pain aside to take action.

  Olivia felt the chains break away from her hands as if they were no more than dust. She shot her light out in all directions when she shifted into her lion form. When Olivia roared, it was so loud and commanding that the walls of the cave shook violently, and caused rock and dust to rain down from all around them. The Diochantis screamed when the power of Olivia’s light ripped through them. Many of them went up in flames and clouds of ash, while the others folded away in clouds of black smoke to escape death. Olivia turned to the demons on each side of her and ripped through their throats with her teeth. She shot her light into their wounds just as she had done with the demon who had attacked Greg days ago, and sent them both back to hell in clouds of ash.

  The shifters and Whytes who were still capable surrounded Diocholos, who was still holding Jimmy with his claw wrapped around the boy’s throat, threatening to kill him.

  “Put him down, demon!” Greg called out to Diocholos to release Jimmy, but Olivia knew that there was no point.

  This demon cared for nothing but death, destruction, and everything evil.

  She knew that Diocholos would gladly die before he willingly released Jimmy, just to experience the pleasure killing Jimmy would bring him. He would relish Jimmy’s pain, and her grief. Olivia knew that the only way Jimmy might survive the day would be for her to spare Diocholos’s life for the time being.

  “Give us the boy, and we will leave here right now,” she told Diocholos.

  “What?” Greg whipped his head around to look at her. “We have to send him back. He will destroy this world if we don’t.”

  “I have to save Jimmy,” was what Olivia sent through her thoughts for everyone to hear. Privately, she told Greg to trust her.

  “Alright,” he responded, “but I hope you have a really good plan; otherwise, you could be sentencing this world to hell.”

  Diocholos laughed. “Oh, little queen. I know you’re up to something, but I will play along. I find you entertaining, and when your plan to defeat me fails, I will take great pleasure in making you my personal assassin. Then, I will have you kill everyone you love yourself, starting with this puny human and your useless mate.”

  The cave was overrun with the sound of lions and panthers growling at the high demon’s threat. Diocholos sinister laugh was the last thing they heard before he threw Jimmy’s limp body into the crowd of shifters that were surrounding him. He threw Jimmy with such force it sent the shifters flying backwards into the cave walls, and then Diocholos was gone. Olivia was over Jimmy in seconds, with Greg at her side.

  Joseph appeared before her and placed his hand over Jimmy’s heart, then he looked her in the eyes and said, “The boy is very weak, your majesty.”

  “Joseph, can you send us back to our home using your magic the way you brought us all here?” Greg asked the Whyte leader and he gestured to Jimmy, Olivia, and himself.

  “Of course,” Joseph said. “I will send you three now, then the rest of the Whytes and I will gather our strength to return everyone else. Olivia, you will need to begin the healing process as soon as you arrive if there is to be any chance of the boy surviving.”

  “Yes,” she said, “thank you, Joseph.”

  Joseph nodded in recognition of her gratitude, then he muttered some spell, and the next thing Olivia knew they were all in her and Greg’s bedroom. Greg was human again, and he lifted Jimmy onto their bed so that Olivia would be able to lay with him, and use her light to heal his wounds.

  Greg must have sensed her worry because he took her head in his hands with his fingers tangled in the blood-soaked fur around her face. “He is going to be fine, Olivia. I love you and I believe in you.” Greg glanced back over at Jimmy, and then he looked back at her. “Jimmy is lucky to have you fighting for him. We all are.” Then Greg gave her a brief but tight hug, before he moved out of her way so that she was able to climb into the bed with Jimmy.

  Olivia wrapped her body around Jimmy, just as she had done with Jane, and let her light wrap around him. She could feel it as Jimmy’s wounds healed from her power. He was closer to death than anyone else had been when she healed them, and it was taking more power to heal him than she had used before. It wasn’t long before Olivia felt herself growing tired, but she wouldn’t let up.

  It was her fault that Jimmy had been dragged into this war with the Diochantis and she would give up her life if it meant Jimmy would live. Soon, Olivia passed out, still wrapped around Jimmy and her light slowly dimmed until it went completely out.

  CHAPTER TEN

  Greg

  Greg was pacing as he waited for Olivia to wake up. It had been two days since they brought Jimmy to their home and Olivia healed him. Jimmy woke up twelve hours later, but for some reason Olivia was still sleeping. Greg knew that she was alive. She was breathing, and her heartbeat was steady; he could see an
d hear that for himself, but she should be awake.

  Joseph had been checking on her once an hour since the rest of the shifters and the Whytes returned to the Wilds pride’s homes. He assured Greg time and time again that his mate was strong and healthy, and he had even suggested that he sensed she was growing stronger.

  “Greg, she will wake up when it is time for her to wake,” Joseph told him. “She grows stronger by the minute. I think that she may actually be going through some kind of change which is keeping her in this slumber. We don’t know much about your true queens and the powers they possess. She is still a new lion-shifter, which means she hasn’t discovered all of her abilities yet. I know that it is hard for you, Greg, but you are just going to have to be patient. She will wake when it is time.”

  Greg crossed his arms in defiance. He had already heard everything Joseph was saying over and over again. It didn’t change the fact that his mate was still unconscious after more than forty-eight hours, and none of them had any real answers which explained why.

  “Thank you, Joseph.” Greg sat down on the bed beside Olivia as soon as Joseph moved out of the way.

  His mother was standing at the end of the bed with her arms crossed as she watched him. “Greg, I understand how upset you are, darling, but you have got to eat something.”

  Jane had been trying to get him to eat something since yesterday afternoon, but so far the most he had been willing to do was drink some water.

  Greg couldn’t think about food while his mate, the love of his life, continued to lay in bed unconscious and unresponsive.

  “Look son, you don’t want to weaken yourself by not eating. When Olivia wakes up, you will wish that you had listened to me so you’d have the strength to show her how much you love her, and how much you have missed her while she slept.”

  Greg shot a wide-eyed gaze at his mother. “Mom, please tell me you aren’t seriously referring to my having sex with my mate.” Greg could barely get the words out. There were some things a mother just shouldn’t be allowed to give her son advice about, and sex was definitely at the top of that list.

  Jane shrugged her shoulders at him, “Look, all I am saying is you might not be able to perform to your best ability if you don’t keep up your strength.” Now she was smiling. His mother could be wicked when she was determined to get her way.

  Greg shuddered, “Fine, fine! I’ll eat, just stop talking.”

  Jane’s smile grew wider when he finally gave in. “Great. It is about time you listened to me. Mother always knows best, after all. I will bring your food in here. I am not naïve enough to assume you would agree to leave this room before Olivia is able to leave it with you.”

  Greg relaxed, glad she was off the topic of his sex life, and he was also relieved that she wasn’t going to fight him about eating in the dining room with everyone else.

  “Thank you, Mom.”

  ***

  At some point Greg must have fallen asleep, because he was woken up in the middle of the night when he felt Olivia shift in his arms. Along with not waking up, she had also remained in her lion form since healing Jimmy. When Greg opened his eyes, he was no longer wrapped around a giant female lion. Instead, he was holding a naked woman, and his mate smiled at him when their eyes connected.

  “You’re okay,” Greg said while he continued to stare at Olivia. He was trying to make sure that he was really awake and not just dreaming. His voice was barely louder than a whisper; thick with emotion. “I was so worried …”

  Olivia placed her finger over his lips and silenced him before he was able to say anything more. “Greg, I am fine, honey. I feel great.”

  When she removed her finger from his lips, Olivia gave him a soft kiss.

  “I shouldn’t have let them take you. I should have found a way to stop them.” Greg was rambling. He was so sure he was going to lose her when she agreed to trade herself in order to save his life, and he had been too weak to stop her.

  “Shh,” Olivia said and she placed her finger back over his lips once again. “Greg, I don’t want to talk about that right now. Right now, I just want you to make love to me. Okay?”

  Greg wrapped his arms around Olivia and held her tightly to him. “I love you, so much, baby.”

  “I know you do, and I love you,” Olivia replied, then she placed her hands on either side of his face. “Now, shut up and kiss me.”

  Greg smiled and sealed his lips to his mate’s. Somehow he just kept getting lucky when it came to this woman. When Olivia opened her mouth to allow access for his tongue, he caressed her tongue with his in a deep, passionate kiss until they were both moaning into each other’s mouth. He pulled his mouth back for just a moment and said, “I love you,” again, before he rolled them both over and made sweet love to his mate all through the night.

  The next morning Greg woke up when Olivia was trying to sneak out of the bed. He sat up and wrapped his arms around her waist, and pulled her back down onto the bed with him with her back pressed against his front.

  “And just where do you think you’re going?” he asked Olivia playfully. He placed soft kisses just behind her ear after every word, and enjoyed the feeling of her body moving against his as she squirmed against him.

  Olivia laughed and wiggled away from him. “I think three days stuck in this bed without getting up at all is long enough, don’t you?” She was out of the bed and had her hands on her hips staring at Greg. He leaned back on his elbows and ran his eyes up and down her body and when he met her eyes she raised an eyebrow at him.

  God, she was beautiful. Greg smiled back, and Olivia just laughed and shook her head.

  “You are incorrigible, Mr. Wilds, but I am starving, so I’m going to take a shower, then head downstairs to have some breakfast.” She turned around and walked into the bathroom. The door was almost shut when Greg heard her say from the other side, “Of course, if you’re up for it, you could always get in the shower with me.”

  Greg didn’t need any more encouragement than that, and he was out of the bed in a flash. The day was certainly starting off in the best way, and Greg prayed it would stay that way.

  When they finished their shower and went downstairs, Jimmy ran and threw himself into Olivia’s arms. Olivia hugged Jimmy and looked over his head at Greg with confusion in her eyes. He reached out and ran his hand down her arm and let it rest at the bend of her elbow. “You healed him, remember?”

  “Well, yes,” she said, “but I thought that I only healed his wounds.” Now Greg was the one confused.

  “I don’t understand. You did heal his wounds.”

  “Greg, Jimmy could barely stand the last time we saw him, and he hasn’t been able to run like that in years because of the toll the cancer took on his body and lungs.” She pulled Jimmy back and looked him over. “Jimmy, are you alright? How do you feel?”

  Jimmy smiled brightly. “I feel great, Olivia. I honestly cannot remember the last time I felt this good. All of the constant aches and pains I’ve dealt with since they first found my cancer have gone away. Maybe you numbed the pain somehow.”

  Olivia opened her mouth to say something else, but Joseph beat her to it. “No child, she didn’t numb your pain. She took it away completely.” Joseph smiled at Jimmy before he looked back at Greg and Olivia. “His cancer is completely gone. You healed him in every way, Olivia.”

  Olivia’s eyes welled with tears and she pulled Jimmy back in for another hug, and then Greg wrapped his arms around both of them.

  “Could that be why she took so long to wake up?” Greg asked Joseph.

  Joseph nodded. “Yes. It is highly likely that the extra energy Olivia exerted to heal the cancer that was so widely spread throughout Jimmy’s body is the reason behind her needing extra time to build her strength back up.”

  “I suppose that makes sense,” Greg said, and he placed a light kiss on the top of her head.

  Greg, Olivia, and Jimmy separated and were making their way to the table to eat when Joseph spoke again.<
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  “Or, I suppose it could also be because of the pregnancy,” Joseph said.

  The room went silent, and Greg and Olivia froze in place. All eyes were on them, waiting for them to say something about the bomb that Joseph had just dropped.

  Olivia was the first one to say something when she turned back around to look at Joseph. “What do you mean, the pregnancy?”

  “Well, when a female is pregnant she can often times need more rest to recover from extraneous activities.”

  “I’m pregnant?” It was barely a whisper when Olivia asked the question and Greg reached for her hand and squeezed while they waited for him to respond.

  Joseph laughed. “Well, of course you are pregnant. I’ve known it since we first met. Greg, you should have been able to smell it on her right away.”

  Greg inhaled, and Joseph was right. He could smell the difference in Olivia’s scent as clear as day. “He’s right. I guess I have just been distracted with everything that has happened.”

  Greg wrapped his arms around Olivia and she looked up at him with tears shimmering in her eyes, but the smile on her face told him that they were not sad tears.

  “We’re going to have a baby,” she said, and he squeezed her tight and kissed her.

  “Yes. We are going to have a baby.”

  “Babies!” Joseph called out from where he was now sitting across the room. “Twins, actually.”

  Olivia and Greg stared at the little Whyte for a moment, and then looked back at one another before they both bent over in laughter. Greg was so happy. He never knew that he wanted children, hadn’t considered trying for them for years to come, but knowing that his mate was pregnant with his children was the greatest feeling Greg had ever known, outside of Olivia agreeing to be his in the first place. He pulled Olivia in for a big kiss.

  “I love you,” he told her when he pulled away.

  “I love you too. We’re going to be parents!” Olivia’s voiced was high pitched with her excitement and when they made their way to the table, finally ready to eat, everyone took turns offering them their congratulations.