by Jane Jamison
“Are you sure you want to do this, darlin’? Here? Now?”
She nodded, yet had a thought. “Should I lock the door? What if someone else comes in?” But would she be locking herself in with dangerous animals?
“Good thinking.” Tonk strode over and locked the door. “Done. We’re good now, right?”
“Right,” she answered in a squeak of a sound. She’d face her fear, once and for all.
Concentrate on them as men.
They were magnificent. The word would seem outlandish if used for anything else, but it fit them perfectly. There was no other way to describe them. Their lean, hard, muscled bodies were tanned all over, leaving no white marks anywhere. Their legs were as thick as tree trunks and just as strong. Their arms were powerful sinewy things that rippled with each move. Every inch of them was more than any woman’s fantasy could ever have conjured.
“Remember. We won’t hurt you.”
She nodded at Tonk, although they needn’t have told her again. With her nod, she gave them permission to begin their shift.
At first, she thought her vision had grown blurry. Soon enough, however, she realized that it was their bodies that were blurring as the transformation came. Limbs broke—awful sounds—as they reformed going from human arms and legs into the shorter animal versions. Tanned skin was gone as fur spread over them. They dropped to the floor, landing on padded feet. Tails swung back and forth as majestic manes sprouted around their thick necks and traveled downward over their chests.
She blew out a breath and was thankful she was seated. If not, her legs wouldn’t have held her upright.
They’re lions. Real, live, gorgeous beasts.
A low growl rumbled out of Myler as he cautiously took a few steps toward her. Her first impulse, an impulse any sane person would have, was to run. Yet she didn’t. Hell, she couldn’t have even if she’d wanted to.
I’m not afraid.
The realization was enough to have her catching her breath.
Wow. I’m not afraid.
It was as she’d hoped. Even while in their cat bodies, she still thought of them as men. As her men.
If anything, she was excited, curious, and eager to feel their fur under her hand. Had she been preparing for this moment for most of her life? Had she somehow known, deep down, that the man—the men—she loved would be special, different, but nothing she should ever fear? Instead of running, she opened her arms.
They came to her, one at a time. First Myler, enormous and formidable came up to her. He stopped a foot away as though waiting for her to change her mind.
“Come here,” she ordered and giggled at the ridiculousness of her ordering a king of beasts.
He came, a purr flowing over her in a warm rush of air. Again, she picked up his scent, yet it was slightly different, the beast now mingling with the man. She tunneled her fingers through his mane and rejoiced at the softness that was still somehow coarse.
“You feel wonderful.” Laying her face against his wide forehead, she closed her eyes and committed the sensation of him against her to memory. Powerful. Strong. Animalistic. A hulking beast that could kill her with one easy stroke of his massive paw. And yet, she felt safe.
A growl rolled over them as Samuel padded to her then pushed against his brother. Although Myler complained, he gave way. Samuel touched his nose against her belly then flicked his tongue over her hand as she tested the feel of his fur against the memory of Myler’s.
“You’re as beautiful as your brother,” she murmured. “All of you are incredible.”
She didn’t hear the sound he made but felt it vibrate against her hand. He liked her touch as much as she loved touching him. “You’re all amazing.”
Tonk was by her side and placed his head on her arm. She laughed at his big black eyes as she imagined him begging her to stroke him, too. She did, luxuriating in the smooth fur and hard muscles of his back.
TJ will never believe me.
Or will she? If her men are shifters, too, then she will.
I hope they are.
But all that would have to come later. Right now, she would take the time to enjoy seeing her men in their shifter bodies.
She could’ve stayed there, her hands traveling over their bodies, discovering where their fur was softest, enjoying the feel of the pinker skin around their lips pressed against her palm and the human emotions she could still see hidden in the depths of their dark eyes.
Myler’s growl sounded like a human’s groan as he finally paced away then swung around—so graceful—to face her again. He began the transformation, his body once more blurring. She clung to Samuel and Tonk, keeping them with her a minute longer. But Myler was right. They needed to change back into men before someone wanted inside the pool room.
Once they’d returned to their human bodies, they stayed where they were, three incredible men lined up as though ready to provide for her sexual entertainment. She hungered to have them again. Ached to feel their smooth manly flesh beneath her fingers again.
“Are you all right?” asked Tonk. “You’re not afraid, are you?”
“Did I seem afraid?” She’d been anything but afraid.
Myler chuckled. “No. No, you didn’t.”
“I know what I saw, but I think my brain’s still trying to process it. You’re lions.”
“Werelions. Don’t ever forget we’re men first and animals second.”
She studied Myler. “Are you? Aren’t you really both?” Yet she had her answer. If they’d been more animals than men, she would’ve run.
“Yes, but we like to think we’re more man than beast,” added Samuel, somehow sharing her thoughts.
“I think you’re lucky.”
“Lucky?” he asked. “How?”
“To be both.” She could only imagine what a thrill it would be to be able to change into a lion. “You have the best of both worlds.”
“Yeah, I guess you’re right,” answered Myler. “But without our mate, we’re only half of what we could be.”
She smiled at Samuel’s and Tonk’s quick glances at their brother. Obviously, they weren’t used to having Myler speak in such romantic terms. “So you really want me as your mate?”
“Huh? I would’ve thought we’d made that clear enough.” Tonk shot a quick glance down her body. “Maybe you should get undressed and we’ll make sure you understand this time.”
The heat of lust seared through her. She wanted to strip off her clothes, but there were still things that needed to be said. “You want me to be your mate.” Saying it made it seem more real. “Does that mean you want me to come and live with you on the ranch? You want me to move to Lonesome?”
“Exactly. We know it’s asking a lot of you,” said Samuel. “We’re asking you to leave your job, your home, your friends, everything behind and be our woman.”
If anyone else had asked her, she might’ve said no. She’d always prided herself on being independent. Yet, with them, she sensed she would always have her independence. “Does that mean I’ll be able to change into a lion?”
She almost laughed. She’d been afraid of big cats, disliking even smaller, domesticated ones. The horror of the past might still haunt her from time to time, but knowing that her men remained her men even while in their lion bodies, gave her a different way of thinking about cats. Now she couldn’t wait to become one.
“If you want us to change you, we can,” answered Myler. “But it’s up to you.”
She laughed as her gaze slipped to their crotches. Their interest in her was undeniable. “I’m not sure I can have this discussion while you three are still undressed.”
Tonk took hold of his cock. “Why? Is something distracting you?” he quipped.
“You could say so.” She skimmed her hand over her breast. After all, she could tease them, too.
A low rumbling sound came from both Samuel and Myler. “Stop, darlin’, unless you want to take this further.”
Samuel gritted his teeth. “We ne
ed to get dressed. Things have to be said first.”
“Then say it, Samuel, so we can get on with the rest.” She ran her hand between her legs. Without doing anything more, she tempted them, simply by leaving her hand resting there.
Samuel cleared his throat. “Look, I know it’s not what every girl wants to have in the men she’s going to spend her life with.” Samuel’s amber-flecked eyes were grave as they lifted from between her legs to her face. “But the main point to remember is that we love you. We have from the first moment we met you.”
They loved her. Yes, that was all she really needed to know.
Or was it?
She sat up as doubt filled her. She’d been right before. There were things that needed to be said. Answers that had to be given first.
“But how? Is that what lions do? Do they fall in love at first sight?” The looks they exchanged worried her. She didn’t know how she knew, but she did. They were still holding something back. “Well, do they?”
“Sometimes. But not every time,” admitted Tonk as he picked up his shirt yet didn’t put it on. “But we did. Like he said, we knew you were the one for us from the get-go.” He hurried on as though not wanting to give her time to think. “And you fell in love with us, too.”
Not a question. Just a simple statement. “Yes.” The truth was, after all, the truth. “But I’ve never believed in love at first sight. Never.”
Yet she’d fallen for them fast. Very fast. Strangely fast.
She leaned back. “Why did I fall in love with you so fast?” If they hadn’t reacted, if she hadn’t seen a flash of something in their eyes and faces, she might’ve accepted their love-at-first-sight explanation. “You know why, don’t you? Tell me.”
Was what they had real love? Or something else?
* * * *
“It’s called The Allure.” John Abraham hadn’t finished speaking as he walked in on the Conway men with Julia. He wasn’t exactly sure what yet. But judging by the fact that the men were naked—they’d probably shifted—he knew the shit would start flying soon enough.
“What the fuck are you doing here?” Myler’s mouth pulled back into a snarl. “And how’d you get in? The door was locked.”
He shrugged. “The lock was easy to jimmy.” His attention fell on Julia. She was even sexier than he remembered. “Hey, Julia. You’re looking really pretty today.” It was an understatement, but it still earned him a soft smile.
The Conway men whirled toward him, changing into lions as they did. He’d known they would and was ready for them. He shifted, tearing his clothes as the transformation took him. Within a minute, he was on all fours and ready to do battle. It wouldn’t be a fair fight, but he’d go down doing his dead-level best to take at least one of them with him.
The world changed to amber as he shifted into his lion body. One lone lion, no matter how strong, wasn’t a match for three. He waited as they approached, crouching low, ready to pounce.
“Stop it!”
They froze at the sound of Julia’s voice. He waited, his breathing hard as he watched her stride to the door, close it, and push a chair under the doorknob. Not that it would do much good if anyone really wanted to get inside.
“Change back. All of you!” she demanded.
Damn, but she was sexy. Even hotter when she was angry. He vowed to get her angry often just to see the flames in her eyes.
Still, he waited. Let the Conway men change back before he did. Once he did, he wouldn’t have much clothing to cover his body, anyway.
They shifted back, the anger in their eyes the only thing that didn’t change. Snarling as humans now, they glared at him, daring him to make the first move and give them permission to strike.
“Get dressed, you three.”
John Abraham, now back in his human form, managed to hold back a chuckle. He couldn’t, however, hold back a smirk. Still, he managed to not say anything as the Conway men pulled on their clothes.
His glee, however, was gone the moment Julia thrust a finger at him. “You! Tell me what you mean and don’t make it sound flowery and nice. Just tell me exactly the way it is.”
Well, shit. That’s not how I wanted this to go down.
He’d blurted out “The Allure” the moment he’d swung open the door, and now he regretted it. Unless he told her in the right way, she could take it wrong and they’d all, including him, be in a pile full of shit.
But he had no choice. No matter how much the Conway men scowled at him, he had to tell her flat out. “It’s called The Allure.”
“I heard that. What does that mean?” She crossed her arms when he reached out for her.
“Werelions have a scent about them. It’s in our breath. When a male wants a female, a woman, to be attracted to him, he lets her breathe that special scent. That scent is called The Allure.”
She frowned, obviously doing her best to understand and not quite getting it. Or, worse, she probably understood, at least instinctively, but didn’t want to believe it.
“It’s not a bad thing,” interjected Samuel. “We use it to keep you close by until we can get to know you.” He turned toward John Abraham, his lip curling up into a snarl. “It’s supposed to keep other males away from you, too.”
“That’s right,” admitted John Abraham. “Once I figured out that they were after you, that they’d given you a hint of their allure, I should’ve backed off. It’s the customary thing to do. The right thing to do.” He shrugged, unwilling to be apologetic. “And I tried to go away. I tried to leave you alone, but I couldn’t. You were too much for me to leave alone.”
“I don’t understand. Or, at least, I don’t think I do.”
He caught her eye, silently questioning whether she understood or not. She darted her gaze away.
He ignored the fact that Myler and Tonk had moved closer. He ignored Samuel’s growl. Whatever they wanted to do to him no longer mattered. All that mattered was that Julia understood. And she did. He’d bet anything she did. She just didn’t want to. “Yes, you do.”
She grimaced, confusion in her eyes until, at last, she gave in. “So a lion”—she gave each of them a look before continuing—“every lion has this allure thing. And when he wants to attract a woman, he breathes it into her. Am I getting this right?”
“That’s about the gist of it.” He hurried on. “But no self-respecting lion would put his allure on a woman unless he thought she was his mate. We have an instinct about that. About whether or not she’s the one for us.”
“No self-respecting lion would interfere with other lions’ allure.” The tips of Tonk’s fangs showed.
“So, it’s like a drug?” Disgust and something akin to horror filled her expression. “You put me under a spell to make me love you? Like hypnotizing me?”
“No, no,” answered Samuel. “Not a spell. And it doesn’t make you love us.”
“Then what does it do exactly?” She turned back to John Abraham, as though only he would tell her the truth.
“It attracts you to us, but it doesn’t make you fall in love. It only”—he struggled for the correct word—“facilitates the love.”
“The Allure can make you want a man,” added Myler. “But only you can choose to give him your heart.”
John Abraham had to admit Myler had said it better than he could have. “He’s right. The Allure drew you to us—all of us—but it didn’t make you fall in love with any of us. Or us with you.”
“With us.” Tonk’s eyes blazed with amber flecks. “Not with you. She’s our mate, not yours.”
“That’s for Julia to decide. Not you or your brothers. Hell, not even me.” As much as Tonk and his brothers had a right to be furious at him for giving her his breath and drawing her to him, as much as it was wrong for him to have done so, he wasn’t about to back down. She was his mate as much as she was theirs. He just hoped that she didn’t tell them all to go to hell.
Her anger was still there, but it was her pained expression that cut through him. S
he was trying to get past what they’d told her, but could she?
“Julia, the thing to remember is that we love you and you love us.” Myler started toward her, but she backed him off, lifting her hands to ward him away.
“Do I? How do I know that what I’m feeling is love?” Unshed tears sparkled in her eyes.
“Because you just do,” said John Abraham. He was rarely without the right words, ready on the tip of his tongue. But right then, he had no more to give. “Don’t try and analyze it. Just feel it.”
“I don’t know what I feel any longer. Is it love? Or sex? Or something else?”
“Please, sugar,” begged Tonk. “Don’t think of it that way. You’re our mate. Does it matter how it happened as long as we’re together?”
She stared at him. “Stay away from me.”
“Baby, no.” Samuel started toward her, but she stopped him, too. “Don’t let this ruin our future. We were meant to be mates. Not because of The Allure but because of what we feel in here.” He made a fist against his chest. “I love you. We all do.”
John Abraham wasn’t about to ask if Samuel was including him. Instead, he simply nodded, once more frustrated by not being able to find the right thing to say.
She jerked the chair away from the door then took hold of the doorknob. Her shoulders lifted as she drew in a deep breath then twisted back to look at each of them one at a time. “I don’t know anything anymore. Just leave me alone.”
She was gone before any of them could react.
He sensed the fist headed his way a moment before it connected with his head. Pain splintered through his jaw and into his skull. Although he did his best to stay on his feet, he was down on his knees before he finished groaning. His lion roared inside him, insisting that he fight fang and claw instead of hand to hand. But the Conway men didn’t give him a chance to shift. Instead, they surrounded him and began to wail on him.
A kick in the gut brought bile to his throat. Another fist to the back of his head left his vision blurry. More strikes pummeled his body, but he could no longer keep track of where they landed. Doing his best to fight, he somehow got his back against the nearby wall. He swung out, connecting with one of them, and gloried in the ensuing curse from Samuel. Every time he managed to get halfway on his feet, another punch would send him back to the floor.
