The Lion's Castle (The Lion Princes Book 1)

by Chase, Leslie

  He squeezed her hand and Anna felt her heart beat faster. Roman's smile was sad, and it made her think. This wasn't the tyrant she'd been warned about. The sincerity in his words was unmistakable, nothing like the selfishness she'd been raised to expect from a shifter.

  The feelings he caused, the doubts and confusion, whirled inside her, and she could see Roman was starting to notice them. Hurriedly trying to head off any awkward questions, she spoke.

  "What do you do then? Some kind of charity?"

  "Something like that. My family had enough contacts that I could get some investments, and there are a lot of places on Earth that need infrastructure work done. Dams and bridges and wells, phone networks, internet, that sort of thing. The things that get torn down in wars, that warlords want to control — it can be a challenge to get everything up and running. But building up places so the people there can support themselves lets them build better lives for their children, and that is worth the risk."

  And with that he was off. Anna found herself tuning out the details. They were far too technical for her to follow, but his passion was infectious and she couldn't help smiling as he told her about how much he enjoyed seeing the work of his company helping people. When he told her about the first time the lights came on in a third-world village because of a hydro-electric dam he'd helped finance and build, his amber eyes fairly glowed with the joy of it all.

  He didn't dwell on the risks of his work. Anna didn't think he considered them that important, which was all the more impressive when he was talking about facing down a warlord and his men. What mattered to Roman was the end result and the lives saved, not the dangers he faced to get there.

  Can this really be the man my father hates so much? Anna couldn't keep her mind still, couldn't work out what to think. Even if he did start that company with our money, he's been doing good work with it. Helping the poor and helpless, even if it risks his own safety. And the way he tells it, most of the money is from his own work, or from investors he talked into helping.

  She reminded herself that he wasn't devoting everything to helping the less fortunate. They were both, after all, flying first class at his expense. He had made enough money for his own lavish lifestyle too, but if he was this good at making money, was that really a bad thing? Guiltily, she tried not to think about the fact that her father lived on the money he raised to support the cause. Or that he spent most of his time trying to raise support and money from donors opposed to shifters.

  * * *

  Roman let his enthusiasm carry him away for a while. Talking about how much he liked his work was better than dwelling on the past, and his parents' deaths. If he ever caught up with whoever had arranged their assassination, he'd show them just how dangerous angering a lion shifter could be, but the trail was cold and he had no idea how to track down whoever was responsible.

  Eventually, he realized that Anna hadn't said anything for ages. He trailed off with a small smile and shook his head.

  "I shouldn't go on like that," he said.

  "Don't be silly," she protested, smiling up at him. Something in her eyes told him that she hadn't been entirely focused on what he was saying, though. "You care about people, and that's great. More than I'd expect from..."

  She trailed off there, and he sighed. I guess it was too much to hope for. "You know who I am, don't you?"

  Anna nodded, blushing faintly, and drew back her hand from his.

  "Do you mind keeping it to yourself for a bit," he said, sighing again. "This is the last time for a while that I can be myself, just Roman Alexander and not Prince Roman. Hopefully, I'll be free again soon."

  He watched confusion and something else pass behind her eyes. Whatever she felt was too mixed up for him to identify, though he felt a shadow of it through the link between them. There was too much going on for her to be sure what she was feeling, let alone him.

  "I'd have thought that you'd want everyone to know who you are," she said after a moment. "That you'd make a big deal out of coming home. There'd be a, I don't know, a party or something wouldn't there? You're one of the heirs, after all."

  "Don't remind me," Roman groaned at the thought, putting his hands over his face theatrically. "I'd rather be getting on with my life, but I have to go home for the funeral and then if fate chooses me, I'll never be able to leave again. Let one of my brothers have it. I'm too busy."

  The confusion in Anna spiked at that, and he dropped his hands again to see her looking at him, doubt written across her face.

  "Come on, are you telling me you don't want to be King?"

  "I absolutely am," he said, shaking his head. I guess that bit does sound weird to an outsider. "Oh, it's an important job, and someone has to do it. I wish him luck, whoever gets it. It's a lot of work, though. I'd rather be doing something more useful with my life. I have better things to deal with than trade deals... foreign affairs."

  He'd nearly said something about shifters there — the King of Leotania wasn't only influential inside the country, after all, he traditionally dealt with matters of importance to all shifters. And wouldn't that be a headache for whoever took the job? It seemed that every year there were more and more issues plaguing their community, and trying to deal with them was like herding cats. Big, dangerous cats. I'm well out of that, he thought.

  But if he mentioned that, he'd have to tell Anna about shifters. With her Leotanian family she might or might not know something already, but it wasn't a topic to broach in a public place like this. If she didn't know about them already, that would be awkward to say the least. It wasn't as though he could prove that he could shift, not on an airplane, at least.

  He'd clearly said something right, though. Anna was smiling at him, her eyes shining and happy. He didn't know what she liked about his answer, but he'd take it. Her small hand took his again, squeezing, and the connection flashed through them like lightning burning through his nerves.

  Relaxing, Roman let himself go with the moment. Leaning towards her, he reached across with his fee hand and cupped the back of her head, pulling her gently towards him. The touch of his mate's skin was too much to resist, and he'd had enough of rational thought. Anna gasped, blushed, but didn't pull away as he brought his face down to hers. She turned her face upwards, her lips parting slightly, and Roman smelled the sweetness of her perfume as he kissed her.

  He hadn't decided to, hadn't thought about it before he did it, but as soon as he moved toward her it was an inevitable moment, an irresistible draw that pulled him to her. The pull of fate.

  Their lips met and it was as though his nerves had been set alight with flames of joy. A faint tremor ran through her body as she felt it too. Passion engulfed them as they held each other, Roman feeling Anna's hand slide into his blond mane of hair, pulling him closer. He brushed his hand up her arm, feeling the smooth softness of her skin, and she moaned into the kiss.

  His lion was fully awake now, purring inside his soul as Anna held him tight. Leaning over her, he pressed her into her seat, the kiss all he was aware of, all he could think about. Their lips parted for a moment and he heard himself growl with a hungry possessiveness that made her shiver. Roman grinned at that, feeling her respond, and leaned in again.

  Anna's hand rose between them, touching his lips and holding him back. The lion in him snarled, but he pulled back looking into her eyes to see what was wrong.

  The confusion he'd seen before was back, and stronger than ever. She was shaking, not just with passion but with a host of other feelings that burst forth from her heart. Guilt, fear, joy, pride, and many others he couldn't identify, warred for her heart as she pulled back from him.

  "What's wrong?" he asked. Whatever it was, he knew he could help, knew he could overcome it if only she'd tell him what battle needed to be fought. There was no challenge he wouldn't meet for her.

  "I - I'm sorry!" Anna's voice was full of stress, almost at the edge of tears, and so quiet he could barely hear her. "I can't, I just can't do this! I've go
t to go!"

  Her hands fumbled off her seatbelt and she leaped to her feet. Startled, Roman took a moment to respond before he caught her arm. She looked back, tears welling in her eyes, and tugged at his grip.

  Roman let go and held up his hands. He could hold her in place, but what would that achieve? There was nothing to gain from pushing her, whatever the problem was, and there was no way it would lead to anything good, not if she wanted to leave. I have to trust fate, and her, he told himself. It wasn't easy.

  "Here," he said, quickly grabbing a card from his pocket. "Whatever is wrong, we can deal with it, I promise you. If you want to leave now, I'll respect your choice — but when you want to speak with me, this is my number."

  For a moment he thought that she wouldn't take it, and the thought frightened him more than any of the dangerous situations he'd found himself in over the years. I can't lose contact with her, he thought, his lion wanting to simply pounce and claim her rather than let her go. He forced that impulse down with pure willpower, meeting Anna's eyes. After a second that felt like an eternity, she snatched the card from his hands and turned to flee towards the economy section of the plane.

  She will come back. The thought was both a certainty and a prayer. He was certain she'd felt the bond between them as much as he had, and that she couldn't reject it. Could she?

  5

  Anna stumbled back towards economy class, tears in her eyes. She wasn't sure if she was doing the right thing, but she knew that if she stayed with him after that kiss she'd never leave him. She had to think, to get some time to herself.

  The stewardess intercepted her, concern clear under her professional calm as she asked what was wrong. Anna couldn't explain, not in any detail, but after a few teary attempts, the stewardess nodded and shot a glare back at Roman.

  "Let me show you to your seat, honey," she said, her voice tight with suppressed anger. "And don't you worry about that man. Someone better will come along, you'll see."

  Anna sniffled and nodded, grateful for the sympathy. She resisted the urge to defend Roman — he really hadn't done anything wrong, after all. She'd wanted the kiss as much as he had, maybe even more.

  That was the problem. She wanted him, and that was something that she couldn’t deal with. Not now, and probably not ever.

  I hope she's right, Anna thought as she buckled herself into her new seat. I hope there's someone else out there who'll make me feel like that. Someone who isn't a prince, or a king, or any kind of royalty at all.

  The seat was a familiar kind of uncomfortable, too narrow and without enough leg room for her. That was good, it felt normal, removed from the strangeness of the time she'd spent at Roman's side. And the discomfort was a distraction from her feelings.

  She needed that, badly. Her thoughts were all over the place, racing from her father to Roman, from the plan to that kiss. She tried to focus on her duty, on the job that her father had given her, but it was impossible to forget the magnetic attraction that Roman had for her.

  Even now she felt it, as though she was on the end of a line pulling her towards the lion prince. When she'd been able to see him, it had been almost irresistible.

  Maybe father is right, maybe he is some kind of demon, she thought. That always seemed unlikely to her, and meeting Roman had made it seem ridiculous. He was a man — maybe not quite human, but not a demon.

  Squeezing shut her eyes, she concentrated on ignoring the pull of him. It wasn't easy to stop thinking about him, but it was possible. And it wasn't a magical pull she felt, she was sure of that. He's just that good looking, she told herself.

  I don't have to put up with this for long. Just until we're off the plane and I can tell father where Roman is.

  She frowned at that and shook her head, focusing. I mean the target. Not Roman. I tell father where the target is when he arrives, and whatever the plan is, I'm out of it. It's only a few more hours.

  Pulling on her headphones she settled in to try and ignore the feeling of Roman's presence on the plane. Music would help, and she could try to stop herself from thinking about what Roman — no, the target — was walking into.

  It was going to be a long flight.

  * * *

  Somewhere over the Atlantic, Roman dreamed. He hadn't intended to sleep, but without Anna by his side, he had nothing to stay awake for and after a while he'd decided to close his eyes and rest a while.

  And then he found himself back at the mountain chalet where his family used to holiday. High up in the mountains, alone and away from the pressures of state, not that he really understood them yet. He was, after all, only twelve. For him and Gabe and Matt it was a chance to spend time with their parents, to swim in the cold lake water and chase each other. To play.

  The night had drawn in and brought with it a chill that didn’t bother the family at all. They were all lion shifters, after all, and while they preferred the heat, none of them would be fazed by a cold breeze. Mom lay by the lake in her lioness form, Matt lying back against her as she told him a story of the glory days of their family. Next to him, listening with rapt attention, was Sophie. There weren't many humans who could understand a shifter in animal form, but Sophie was one of them. She had the advantage of having been raised around shifters, after all. As the daughter of the King's chief secretary, she'd been brought along so that the boys had someone their own age to play with.

  Roman and Gabe had no time for stories, though. They were too busy with their own war, fought with sticks and laughter as they chased each other around, while their dad watched with amusement and vocal encouragement. A servant stood next to him, looking nervous — old Rikard always looked that way when they played, though. Roman was sure if they hadn't been princes, the old man would have pulled the sticks out of their hands and given them a stern talking to at the very least.

  He still might have, if their dad hadn't been watching. Rikard didn't seem to understand how quickly a lion shifter could heal, and his devotion to the family was absolute. He'd never let the children take risks, even if it wasn't really a danger.

  Children being what they were, that spurred Roman and Gabe to play that much rougher when he was watching.

  Distracted by a glance at Rikard, Roman didn't quite manage to dodge fast enough, and Gabe's stick caught him solidly in the leg. Howling in outrage more than pain, Roman grabbed his brother as he fell to the grass. Together the two boys tumbled over and over, wrestling and laughing until their father's shadow fell over them.

  "That's enough, boys," he said, proud and amused at the same time. "Don't wear yourselves out."

  "But, Dad," the two of them protested in unison. He chuckled and separated them.

  "No arguments," he told them. "You two are going to have to start paying more attention to your mother's lessons. After all, one of the three of you may be King someday."

  Roman crossed his arms, frowning. He knew how this worked, and that day would be a long, long time in the future. There'd be plenty of time to learn the business of kinging, and in the meantime he and Gabe had battles to fight! But a look into his father's eyes warned him not to push the issue.

  Sighing, the two boys pulled themselves to their feet and headed over to the lake shore. As they went, a servant emerged from the chalet and spoke to their father in hushed tones. Roman strained to overhear, his sensitive ears just barely able to pick up the words.

  "Sir, your brother is here," the man said. "He has urgent news, he says. Something about rebels."

  "Tell Augustus I'll be right there," Roman's father answered, sounding exasperated.

  Something made Roman turn back. He never knew what it was that made him worry, but he knew that this wasn't right. His dad was walking towards the house, and Roman tried to call out to him, to tell him not to go. But he couldn't change the past — his younger self turned away, and he found himself helplessly following Gabe towards their mom.

  The majestic lioness looked up at them with a tolerant indulgence in her eyes, pausing her st
ory long enough for them to sit down by the lakeside. Just as she drew breath to carry on, something caught her attention and she looked towards the house, her tail lashing. Whatever she'd heard, it was too quiet to catch in human form, and Roman craned his neck to see what was going on.

  Matt yelped a complaint as their mother stood suddenly, dumping him and Sophie to the ground without ceremony. Before he could ask what was happening, Roman saw a flash of light through the window of the chalet, and the crash that followed was loud enough for all of them to hear. Someone falling? Roman wasn't sure, but he braced himself to go and back up his father.

  A giant paw blocked his way, and his mother growled.

  "Rikard, keep the children safe," she growled. The old servant nodded, and before he could respond a mighty roar split the air.

  Roman shivered at the sound. It was unmistakably his father's voice, rage and pain and fear mixed in it. Not fear for himself, but for his family. And then the sound of wood breaking joined in, along with many voices shouting.

  The world dissolved into chaos around the children. Suddenly, engines roared on the narrow road, shots rang out from the chalet, and they had no idea how to react. Roman turned to his mother to ask what he should do, but she was already bounding up the path to the chalet. Her normal graceful elegance became a terrifying charge as she bore down on whoever had harmed her mate, vengeance incarnate. Roman leaped forward to follow, to help, but Rikard's hand caught his collar and yanked him back.

  "No, no, young prince," the old man said, quick and quiet. "You must leave, and quickly. Come! This way!"

  Reluctantly, the four children followed him around the lakeside toward the trees. Rikard hurried them along, urging them to move faster, but everything seemed to be moving in slow motion for Roman. Behind them, gunshots echoed and lions roared challenges. There were words too, but through the confusion and noise, Roman couldn't make them out.