by Jana Leigh
Quin was Alpha, and his power was true. He would not have been Alpha of the Denver Pack without it. But he could see the sparks of power beneath the surface waiting to get out. When they did become a complete Council, there would not be much that could stop them. Thank the Gods their hearts were true and their loyalty unwavering.
The girl bothered him. She was in trouble, but did not know it. Blaine leaned back on the head board and looked around their temporary room. It was comfortable, but right now he was feeling hemmed in. The vision was giving him an itch to do something. He just was not sure what.
Kira rolled over, put her hand on his chest, and rubbed gently. “Hey, what’s wrong?”
“A vision.” Blaine said simply and Kira sat up. Dalton stirred and groaned.
“Do we need to help you?” Dalton asked and wrapped his arm around Kira and put his hand over hers.
When the three of them joined, they were able to focus and see the vision together. Kira gasped when she saw the small woman. She was tied to a bed, beaten and bloody. A strange man was pacing and yelling at her. Kira looked closer; she was not one of the Chosen so why would they be having a vision about her. And where was she?
“I can’t tell where she is or what she means to the Council.” Dalton said.
“Me neither.” Kira said. “Maybe we will need to have another vision?” Kira said.
“Yeah, but we have not been graced with them. We can’t force it.” Blaine said and then thought about what they saw.
“Maybe she is the mate of a Chosen. That is why they are showing us this. She needs help. What do we have on the rest of the missing Chosen? Maybe we can put things together.” Kira said.
“Wait, Ryan said there was someone who was coming to the Council to talk. Someone from the Southern Pride. Maybe it’s one of the Chosen. We need to talk to Ryan and Ariel.” Dalton said.
Kira laughed and said. “Honey it’s the middle of the night. I don’t think they would like it too much if we went pounding on their door. I think we’ll have to wait until morning.”
Dalton shrugged and then settled back down in the bed and snuggled up to her back side. “Fine, but now I’m awake, and have nothing to do.” He whispered in her ear.
Blaine rolled his eyes and laid back down facing his two mates. There was nothing they were going to be able to do until morning. He watched as Dalton began kissing his way down their mate’s throat. He wished it were time to have them claim him. That he was sure about, he was going to have to wait. The Gods had already shown him when the time would be right, but it did not make sense. Although the time was drawing closer, Blaine could see what would happen if they claimed him too early. All would be lost, and that was not acceptable.
Chapter 9
Skye sat back in the truck and watched as they approached a gated community. Wow, these houses were beautiful. She looked at the tall trees that hid the wall and wondered how large the cult, oops, community was. The trees went as far as the eyes could see. When they approached the gate, Argus rolled down his window.
She leaned forward curiously and saw a small gatehouse. A man stepped out and she gasped. “Hey, that’s the guy from my room.” She said indignantly.
The man looked at her sheepishly and nodded. “Sorry.”
Jacob chuckled and said. “Skye, this is Warren. He is one of our Warriors. When we discovered that you were our mate, we just wanted to make sure you were safe. So we sent him over to the room to check it out. He was not going to take anything. I guess since he was arrested and taken out by your purse, he has been busted to gate duty.”
Argus actually smiled and said. “We should be safe as long as no one is going to come to the gate wanting to do laundry.”
Skye snorted and folded her arms across her chest. “Assholes.” She muttered.
Warren stepped forward and said. “I am sorry if I frightened you. I swear I was just trying to make sure our lead Lioness was safe. You don’t know how long we have waited for you. I am at your service. I hope when you pick your Warriors you would consider me.”
She looked at him out of the corner of her eye. Who the hell were these people? They did not know her, why would they want to accept her as some kind of leader. She was not qualified for that role. “Uh sure.” She said and looked ahead again.
Argus chuckled and she elbowed him in the side. “Ass.”
“Yep, I’ll take that sweet little ass baby.” He said quietly and kissed her on the forehead.
She sprung back in surprise. It was the first time one of them had kissed her. It felt right, and she smiled. What was happening to her? She felt like she was coming home as they drove past the large gates. They had hypnotized her, she was sure of it. Maybe their plan was to hypnotize her and bring her back to the cult, where they would finish brainwashing her, then use her as a sacrifice.
Shit, what the hell was she thinking? Her imagination was working in overdrive. But it was better than accepting the reality. If she did, then she was going to become a lion and be the mate to these two handsome men. Not like it would be a chore, but it was a fantasy.
Skye settled back again and watched as they drove past huge homes and bright gardens that were obviously taken care of. She couldn’t see a central meeting place where they would have an alter, but that did not mean it wasn’t there, she thought.
They drove for a few miles deep into the gated community and she was surprised that it was so large. When she commented on it, Jacob said it was so they had wide open areas they could run, away from humans. She laughed and patted his leg. The padded room was going to be such a shock for him.
Then she saw them. Skye had to hold back her scream when she saw the menagerie of animals that were running next to the truck. When had they gotten there, and where had they come from? They were smaller, and she realized that they were cubs. Ohh, how cute. There was a lion, a cougar, a wolf, and what looked like a leopard. She laughed as they bounced and jumped to the side of the truck as they drove slowly.
She saw a huge house looming before them and she stared open mouthed as they pulled up front. This was where the crazy men lived? She thought. Well at least they will be able to get the best care.
Skye turned to get out of the car, Jacob was holding the door open for her, and she heard Argus telling the small animals to go home to their parents. Wow, wild animals trained. Nice, it was like living in an animal reserve of some kind.
She looked around and smiled. It was so beautiful, she really wished that she did live here, she would never leave. The house overlooked the entire community she realized. There were a lot off houses scattered across the valley. She could see a small lake that was surrounded by trees and pathways that appeared to lead from one house to the next.
It was like a small oasis in the middle of Texas. It was green and gorgeous. The houses were all stucco and multicolored. Most of them at least three stories. She turned and looked at the mansion that was behind her. It had three pillars in the front and a large porch area that held chairs and tables, like it was a meeting place. The doors were large and looked like solid oak. They had ornate carvings on them and she squinted a little to see what they were. Skye almost rolled her eyes when she saw that lion’s heads were the door knockers.
Jacob put his hand on the small of her back and pushed her forward until she was next to Argus. They looked at the house and Argus said. “Welcome home baby. We are keeping this whole place as a vacation home for when we want to get away from the snow in Colorado. All the families have agreed that they want to have a place to go when they want to get away. The houses in Colorado are going to be similar. We have gotten a parcel of land by the New Council compound. The Pride will remain here until we get the houses done. This is our Pride home; it is also, where Jacob and I live. His parents and family have houses in the back as do mine.”
“What, you have parents?” She squeaked. She had not thought about that. Were they all crazy? Did it run in the family? Hell, it had too; they had wild animals as pets
around here.
“Of course we do, and both of our mothers are gonna love you.” Jacob said and pushed her to the doors.
“Sure.” She said and looked to the door as it opened. A tall older woman came out and smiled at the trio, Skye could not help but smile in response. She looked like a grandma.
“Skye, this Sierra, she runs this great monstrosity I call a home. Without her I would be lost.” Argus said, and let go of her long enough to lean over and kiss the older woman who came out. The woman rubbed her cheek under his chin and Skye smiled at the affection they showed. “Sierra, this Skye our mate.”
“Hello dear, welcome to the Pride. I am sure you will make a wonderful lioness. And so beautiful, you will make wonderful kits.” She said and walked to her and enveloped her in a hug. Skye was so much shorter; the woman had to practically bend over in half, to embrace her. She felt the woman rubbing her cheek against hers and smiled. What a strange thing for her to do.
“Thanks, but uh, I’m just visiting.” Skye said and stepped back. The older woman raised her eyebrows at Argus and Jacob and they shrugged. Skye rolled her eyes.
“We’re going to show her the house; we will have a late lunch in my quarters.” Argus said and then put his hand on her back where Jacobs already rested.
They propelled her forward she did not resist. She wanted to see the inside of this place, to see where these two men called home. She was attracted to them, she could not deny that. If they were not crazy, she would have been all over them like white on rice.
Argus pushed into the opening of the home. The foyer was huge. She looked around with wide eyes trying to take everything in. The long stair case in front of her was right out of the movies. To the left, a large living area that was full of couches and chairs. To the right another room, that looked like an office.
They pointed out the paintings on the wall explaining each of them. A Pride member took them. They were beautiful landscapes, obviously somewhere on the grounds. The lake with the sun setting behind it, and rows of trees. They showed her a large dining area in the back of the house that held the largest table she had ever seen. Against the far wall, they were two glass doors that led to the patio. It was covered and screened off. The perfect place to curl up with a book, she thought. The furniture looked fluffy and comfortable. It had pretty shades of purple and blue, she was sure that Sierra had picked out these colors.
They had a pool that was large with two different hot tubs situated on the back side, one of them screened in with what looked like tables surrounding it, while the other was in the open. The flower gardens were beautiful. She was sure whoever planted them loved gardening. Skye always dreamed she would have a house with a garden she could look after. Of course, she had given up that dream long ago when she realized that she was not the type of girl who attracted steady guys.
They showed her the rest of the main floor. They had a kitchen any chef would be proud to work in. It was all in black and white with gray marble countertops and glass cabinets that held stacks and stacks of dishes. She wondered why two men would need so many, but then frowned. They probably held a lot of parties. They were too handsome not to.
Finally, they came back to the large staircase in the foyer and Jacob pressed his hand once again on the small of her back and pushed her forward.
Argus began to explain. “So the bottom floor is the Pride compound meeting areas, which is why everything was so big and holds places for so many people. I would say that daily everyone from the Pride wanders in to check in and talk. Some of the older members like to sit on the back patio and play chess and checkers. You have to watch out for Roy, he is a hustler in checkers. The next floor is where all the offices are. There are the security offices where they monitor the gates and any problems the Pride has. Ari and Warren are the highest ranking Warriors along with Cedric. You will meet them all soon. As Warren said, you will have your own personal guards because you are the Pride lioness. It is a tradition the lioness picks her own Warriors in a ceremony. It is an honor to be chosen. Whomever you pick will protect you with their lives. Then there is my office, down there, and Jacobs across from mine. Sierra has one, as does the financial manager. Then there is our private residence. It is on the third floor. Let us show you.”
Sky looked around wide eyes; it was like its own little community. She felt her nipples tighten when Argus said they were going to their private rooms. Until now, she had not been completely alone with them. At the motel Ari had been standing outside, she knew he was, which made her feel comfortable. The rest of the time with the exception of the ride in the car, they had been in public.
They climbed the stairs and entered in a large door. It was beautiful. Creams and green decorated the living space. It held a huge big screen television and media center. She laughed to herself, boys, and their toys. The coffee tables were glass and solid oak with vases of colorful flowers that looked like they came from the garden.
The back wall was full of pictures of various animals in the wild. She smiled when she saw the lions; there was a picture of two of them at play. They showed her their kitchen that was similar to the one downstairs though not as large. She smiled when she saw notes on the counter from Sierra with directions on how to cook things.
Then they entered the back part of the floor where the bedrooms were. She counted four doors and looked around. The first one was a guest room, which was tastefully done in blue, with a rocking chair on a small balcony. There was a small bathroom in the corner that matched.
The second one was Jacobs; it was decorated in tastefully in blacks and reds. The comforter was silky and beautiful; she could see a small bathroom attached that looked like it connected with the next room. He had a desk with a laptop and she smiled when she saw the television with the gaming system attached to it.
Argus led her to the next room that was his. It was done in deep greens and browns. More sophisticated than Jacobs. But there was no desk or computer in here; it looked like he used his room as a reading room because the walls were covered with book cases full of books. She saw one whole shelf with books that had soft leather covers, they looked like journals. In the corner, was a large recliner and table with a lamp that he obviously sat in to read?
Then they were standing in front of the final door. She felt something momentous was coming, the men were tense, yet expectant, like her opinion was going to be the most important thing.
Argus said. “This is the Master bedroom. It will be yours. We have not occupied it until we found a mate. Anything you see can be changed, but since we are moving, we might hold off. This will be your room if you need space, we will move our clothes and stuff in here, but if you want a night alone, this is your room and we will use our old beds.”
Skye looked at him in surprise. He was talking like it was a done deal. She just nodded and thought that he would have a surprise when she left. Jacob bent over and whispered in her ear. “We’re gonna make you so happy though you’ll never want us to leave.” Then kissed her ear.
She shivered and then almost groaned when her pussy contracted a little. The men raised their heads and smiled at each other like they knew of her arousal.
Argus swung open the door and Sky gasped. The room was huge. It the middle of the far wall was the largest bed she had ever seen. It was done in the rustic wood with large pillar headboard. The comforter was a pretty shade of yellow with other colors swirled in and so many pillows, Skye was sure she could bury herself in them. They were all pastel colored and looked so inviting. There was a dresser with a mirror, that matched the bed, and then two other tall bureaus, that sat next to it on one side of the room. On the other side, there was a sitting area with recliners, and a television, as well as a few book cases, that made it look like someplace she would love to sit. The master bath was something out of a magazine, the huge tub could fit at least five people, she thought and the shower was the largest she had ever seen. She saw the doors that lead to a balcony that had chairs and flowers. I
t was a small version of the garden that she had admired out in the back. If she did not know better, she would have thought she was on the ground floor because the balcony was so large. Then she stepped out, she realized that it had a view of the entire gated community. She could see houses and people wandering around. Argus and Jacob came and stood next to her as she watched the children playing by the lake.
“Watch.” Jacob whispered and she gasped when the children took off their clothes and shifted into small cubs. She could see the wolf, cougar and tiger clearly. She blinked her eyes and then looked at Argus and Jacob with her mouth open.
“Baby, we told you we were shifters. This community welcomes any shifter. We’re not like many of the communities that only have wolves, or cats. We have a mixture, because that is the way that the Gods intended for us to live together. The cubs that are out there are mostly hybrids, which is why they can shift so young. Each species is different though. We have just fewer than two hundred members in our community. It is growing everyday as shifters hear about our place. We were not lying when we said you were our mate.” Argus said.
