At first, she thought she was seeing things and rubbed her eyes. His image seemed to blur until it was overlaid with another. For a brief moment, lion and man seemed to share the same space.
Hands and feet became large paws, thighs and biceps morphed into thick flanks. Fur grew from under his skin, covering him in a reddish brown coat with highlights of orange and blond. His hair fluffed around his face, encircling it in a thick mane. His features changed, flattened even more, the man taken over by the animal.
“This isn’t real.” Araminta sat back on the bed with a heavy thump, her hands twisted in the sheet covering her. She was losing her mind. There was no other logical explanation for what was happening. The lion was massive, much larger than a normal one. He looked as though he could eat her with one gulp.
He prowled toward her and she held out her shaking hand. “Nice kitty.” She should call hotel security. But what would she say? I have a lion in my room. They’d send for the men in white coats. She tried to swallow around the lump in her throat but couldn’t. The lion stopped in front of her, his face level with hers.
She could hear his heavy breathing, feel the warm puff against her skin. His teeth appeared even sharper this close up. His long golden tail with a black tuft on the end swished lazily behind him.
“I must be going crazy.” The words came out in a breathy rush, and she sucked in a lungful of air. Her heart raced and her stomach was in knots.
There was no other explanation for having a sexy stranger in her bed, one who could shift into a lion. “I’ve been doing too much research and writing. Maybe I’ve had a mental breakdown.” The words tripped out, one after another. She always talked to herself when she was nervous, and the fact she was on the verge of being eaten by a large lion was no reason to stop. In a weird way, it calmed and grounded her.
The lion grumbled and caught the edge of her sheet between its teeth. She clung to the thin fabric, refusing to let her only covering go. “Hey, let go. That’s mine.” And why was she arguing with a full-grown male lion? She’d truly lost her mind.
Leander growled again, but this time he sounded as though he meant business. The fabric ripped and she released it, afraid he might decide to chomp on her next if she didn’t. She pushed herself back onto the bed, but he caught her forearm in his powerful jaws. He didn’t hurt her, his teeth touching her skin but not digging in. She froze, afraid to do anything that might upset him further.
Oh God, what was she going to do? Nothing in her past had prepared her for such an event. She wasn’t an adrenaline junkie, a thrill-seeker. She was a homebody, living a staid, quiet life.
When she stopped trying to escape him, he released her and dragged his tongue over her arm as if in silent apology.
“This is unbelievable.”
He growled and shook his head as if to refute her words.
She licked her dry lips and tried to think logically. He hadn’t eaten her, hadn’t even done anything to harm her. That probably meant he wasn’t going to. Or at least that’s what she hoped it meant.
Tentatively, she reached out and touched his head. He gave a low purr of encouragement and she carefully scratched behind one of his ears. His fur was short and bristly and felt a lot like Percy’s.
“Okay, what if I agree that you are a shapeshifter and an ancient immortal warrior?” He gave a rumble of approval and she kept going. “What does that mean? And why am I suddenly living my book?” That was the weirdest thing of all. If he was real, did the people from the two books she’d already written exist? It was all very confusing. Could a dream be this real? She didn’t think so.
He suddenly pulled away from her and began to change again, this time going from animal to man. Skin replaced fur and hands and feet appeared, but the heavy muscle remained constant. The fur around his face receded until only his incredible hair hung to his shoulders. The tail seemed to be absorbed by his body.
She grabbed for the slightly tattered sheet, but he yanked it out of her grasp. Leander leaned over her, his knees on the floor in front of her, his hands pressed against the mattress on either side of her hips, effectively caging her in. He was so tall he was looking in her eyes even though he was kneeling on the floor and she was seated on the bed.
“You are the special woman who has broken my curse. Five of my brethren have been freed already. Mordecai, the serpent, joined Hades without a fight after slaying the woman who freed him. Phoenix and Stavros, the jaguar, disappeared with their women, never to be heard from again.” He paused and she felt his pain like it was a living, breathing entity. “Roric and Marko, the tiger and the bear, have found their freedom, and now it is my turn to do the same.”
Araminta wanted to touch him but was half-afraid to now that she knew he was more than a dream. “I don’t understand. Why did I dream about them? Why am I writing books about them?”
He shook his head. “I don’t know. Maybe it is a gift from the Lady. Maybe it is part of Hades’ plan.”
The mere thought that Hades might have been in her dreams gave Araminta the heebie-jeebies, and a shiver raced down her spine. If she believed that Leander was the real deal, Hades was also real.
“Please tell me you drugged me.” She was on the verge of hysterical laughter. This couldn’t be happening to her. She was a former librarian turned writer, for heaven’s sake. Not some sexy female adventurer from some movie or video game.
She reached out and grabbed him by the shoulders and shook him. “Tell me you drugged me. Tell me none of this is real.”
He shook his head and sadness filled his gaze. “I cannot.”
He offered no more than that, didn’t try to convince her it was real. That’s when she knew he was telling the truth.
“Oh, crap.” She tried to calm her galloping heart and her chaotic thoughts. She knew what the heroines in her books had gone through. She also knew that some of the earlier women, ones she hadn’t written about, hadn’t made it. This was truly a life-or-death situation.
“What do we do? I have to go home. Mary Jo said someone had broken into my house. Percy is okay, but I don’t know what might be missing.” Her mind clicked into gear. “Oh my God, do you think the break-in might have something to do with this?” She motioned to him and back to herself. “You know, the whole thing with Hades?”
Leander growled and leaned in until their noses were touching. “Who is Percy?”
“What? What does that matter?”
He growled again.
“He’s my cat.” The look on Leander’s face made her laugh. Her nerves were strung so tight, once she started laughing, she couldn’t stop. “You’re not my first cat,” she blurted out before going off into peals of laughter again. She really had to stop. The situation wasn’t the least bit funny.
Leander sat back on his heels with a slight frown on his face. He pounced faster than she could see, grabbed her legs and lifted them, causing her to fall back onto the bed. He parted her legs, shoved them over his shoulders and leaned inward. His massive shoulders pushed her thighs farther apart, opening her for him to see.
“What are you doing?” She swatted at his shoulders, but he wouldn’t be deterred. “Stop that.” She tried to close her legs, but it was impossible with his shoulders blocking her. Was it possible to die of embarrassment? Unfortunately, she didn’t think so.
“What am I doing?” he repeated. “I’m claiming what’s mine.”
Chapter Six
“He is free.”
Hades turned from the image in the mirror he was watching, a frown on his face. The Lady was closer to escape than he thought she’d ever get. Whenever he was distracted by more pressing business, she seemed to make headway.
“Good. We’ll give the lion time to bond with the female. It will make him more agreeable if he feels he has to protect her.”
“Are you sure? That didn’t work so well the last two times.”
Hades wondered why he put up with people doubting his strategy. It seemed that everyone arou
nd him was an imbecile. He understood these warriors and knew that their loyalty could be used against them. If they forged a relationship with their woman they would feel duty-bound to protect her. It gave them a weakness. One he could expose and manipulate for his own ends. “Are you questioning me?”
Luna shook her head and he could practically taste her fear. “No, my lord.” She bowed her head and stayed as still as a statue.
This was how it should be—all his minions fearing him, jumping to do his bidding. Soon the inhabitants of not only his world, but the earth as well would be his to command.
Luna stood before him, head bowed, looking every inch the seductive beauty. Only he could see the creature beneath when he chose to. Right now, he chose to see the image she projected and motioned her forward. “Come.”
Luna hurried forward and fell to her knees in front of him. Behind him and off to his left he heard Mordecai snort under his breath. He knew the warrior looked down on the other inhabitants of Hell and the way they bowed and scraped to Hades. The warrior was proud and thought himself above the other minions. That was fine, for now. When Hades was finished with him, he would make Mordecai bow and scrape and beg. It was something to look forward to.
“Leave us.” Hades waved a hand at Mordecai. The warrior had enough sense to bow and back out of the room. He was too smart not to pay some lip service to his new master.
When Mordecai was gone, Hades motioned to Luna. “Come here, my pet.” He motioned to the thick bulge in his pants. “I have a slight problem and you have such a talented mouth. When we’re done, you can tell me everything you’ve learned about the warrior and the writer.”
Luna’s hands were eager as she pulled down his zipper and released his cock. Then she closed her hot mouth around his thick shaft. Hades gripped her head and thrust deep, making her gag as she took his entire length. She made a slight sound of pain, which only served to fire his blood. He liked some pain with his pleasure, as long as it was his partner’s pain. He pulled his cock back and drove deep again, fucking her mouth hard and fast.
Leander didn’t like seeing Araminta upset, but there wasn’t anything he could do about it. He considered himself lucky that she wasn’t screaming for help or calling the authorities. Not that he could allow her to do either, but it was a sign of her courage that she did neither.
Her skin was so soft, her body conforming to the much harder lines of his as he leaned forward. He could smell her arousal, but it was tinged with the bitter scent of fear. He gave a low growl and nuzzled the curve of one of her spectacular breasts.
Her hands were on his shoulders, but they weren’t pulling him toward her. They were trying to push him away. He swallowed his disappointment and raised his head.
Her lips, swollen from his earlier kisses, were damp where she’d licked them. Her eyes were wide and slightly glazed with passion.
Leander gave a growl of pleasure and started to lower himself again. Settled between her thighs as he was, he could feel the dampness of her pussy against his chest. His cock was harder than a metal spike. One touch of her soft hands and he would come.
“Wait.” She pushed again and he growled louder. She quivered beneath him and fear filled her eyes. He wanted to roar his displeasure to the world.
“What is it?”
She licked her lips again and he almost pounced on her. If she did it again he wouldn’t be responsible for his actions. The animal within him was riding too close to the surface. The lion wanted to claim his mate and so did Leander.
“We shouldn’t be doing this.”
“Why not?” A horrible thought occurred to him. “Do you have a mate?”
“What?” Araminta appeared confused and she shook her head. “No. I don’t have a husband.”
He gave a purr of satisfaction, leaned forward and nuzzled her exceptional breasts again. “Then what is the problem?”
She grabbed him by the hair and tugged until he looked at her again. He sighed and resigned himself to talking when he’d much rather be stroking her silky skin and tasting the sweet cream between her thighs. He raised an eyebrow in question and waited.
“Shouldn’t we be going? I mean, Hades and his minions are probably here in the hotel. I don’t want to be a TSTL heroine.”
He frowned, trying to understand what she was saying. “TSTL?”
“Too stupid to live.” She gave an exasperated sigh. “You know, the heroine in a novel who takes the time to make love to a total stranger even though the devil himself could come through the door at any moment.”
Totally chagrined, he leaned back. The worst part was she was absolutely right. They needed to get out of here as swiftly as possible. “I could make it quick.” He couldn’t quite squelch the hopefulness in his voice.
Araminta burst out laughing. “You are totally incorrigible.”
“Two minutes,” he promised. He was so ready to come it wouldn’t take any longer than that. “I’ll take much longer next time.” His voice became a low growl. “I promise.”
He reached between her spread thighs and lightly brushed her clit. She almost shot off the bed.
“You’re close too. I can make you come.” He pulled back and buried his face between her thighs, not wanting to give her time to think, to object.
His roughened tongue found the sweet bundle of nerves at the apex of her sex and curled around it. This time, when she tugged on his hair it was to pull him closer. He wanted to roar with pleasure but settled on teasing the sensitive nub with his tongue, licking it, flicking it.
She rolled her hips toward him and tightened her thighs around his head. “Leander.” His name on her lips almost made him come right there and then. He knelt on the bottom of the mattress and lifted Araminta, sliding into her in one quick stroke.
Her pussy clamped around his cock and she screamed. Her vaginal muscles rippled around his shaft and hot, silky cream bathed him as she orgasmed. Leander gritted his teeth, pulled back until only the head of his cock was barely inside her and drove inward again. She felt better than anything he’d ever experienced.
He wanted it to last forever but knew he was done for. Two more strokes and he came.
His orgasm started low in his balls, shot up through his shaft and out through the tip. He bit his bottom lip to keep from roaring with pleasure. That would probably wake everyone on the hotel floor and bring someone, probably hotel security, knocking on the door.
He didn’t know how long the pleasure lasted before he collapsed on top of her. He’d never felt so content in his life. He nuzzled Araminta’s neck, smelling himself on her. Possessiveness rose within him like a great, roaring beast and he knew in his soul there was no way he’d ever be able to let her go.
Araminta lay there, totally stunned and too spent to move. Leander hadn’t been kidding when he’d promised her it would only take two minutes for them both to come. Normally she was lucky to have an orgasm after a lot of foreplay, and then it wasn’t always a guarantee. Two minutes was a personal record.
She shivered as she remembered the sensation of his tongue lapping at her clit. It was rougher than a regular tongue, like very fine sandpaper. It didn’t hurt, but it was certainly stimulating.
Her orgasm had hit so quickly she hadn’t had time to worry about whether or not they would even fit together. Leander was rather large, in all ways, and though intellectually she knew her body would stretch to take him, in reality she hadn’t been at all that certain his cock would fit inside her. But he’d slid into her like he was made especially for her. He’d filled her completely, stretching and dominating her in one stroke, her body teetering on the edge of pain. But she’d adjusted quickly and her twinge of fear and discomfort had quickly turned to pleasure.
His heart pounded against her chest and his breath fanned hotly over her neck. It was pleasant to lie here, spasms of pleasure spilling through her, their bodies still joined. But it was also stupid. They needed to get packed and get out of here.
A slow trickle
of liquid rolled down between her butt cheeks and another worry shot through her. He hadn’t used a condom, and she hadn’t thought to ask him, her common sense lost in a fog of sexual excitement.
She’d just had unprotected sex with a complete stranger. An immortal warrior, if she believed him. Could this night get any more bizarre?
Yes, it could.
If he was telling the truth, Hades and his minions could find them at any minute. She shoved on Leander’s shoulders. “Get off me.”
He raised his head and his sleepy smile turned to a frown. “What’s wrong? Did I hurt you?” He gently eased himself off her. Without him covering her, she was totally naked and felt exposed and vulnerable.
She jumped out of bed and raced toward the bathroom. Before she could make it to safety, he was on her. He caught her shoulders and whirled her around. His eyes were filled with concern. “Araminta, did I hurt you?”
She shook her head, not wanting to discuss what had just happened. He’d rocked her world, shaken it to the very foundations. It wasn’t fair, really. He was only here for a day, and only if they both survived the next twenty-three or so hours. She had no idea what time it was.
“TSTL remember? I don’t want to be caught naked if anyone comes after you.”
He frowned and slowly released her. In the blink of an eye, he went from naked to wearing leather pants and boots. She knew she should be freaking out, but she simply didn’t have the energy. What was one more totally impossible thing after the night she’d had? And the night wasn’t even over yet.
“That’s a cool trick. But you’ll need a shirt too.” No way was he going through the lobby with his chest bare. They’d probably think he was one of the cover models from the convention, and perversely, she didn’t want any other women ogling him.
“I have to get dressed.” She backed away from him and hit the edge of the doorframe before slipping into the bathroom. She shut the door and fumbled for the light. It was too bright after the darkness of the bedroom and it took a moment for her eyes to adjust.
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