Anna giggled, a lovely happy sound that thrilled him again. Sitting up, she looked down at him, and he marveled at how lucky he was to have such a beautiful, bright woman for a mate.
"Silly man," she said, leaning in to kiss him on the lips. "I'm sure there's a lot of stuff we'll have to do in the morning, but I meant, what are we going to do now?"
He raised a questioning eyebrow, throwing an arm around her.
"You said I'd need to get used to... being overwhelmed like that," she continued, a charming blush spreading across her cheeks. She didn't let it stop her. "I think you're right. I'm going to need a lot of practice..."
Her voice trailed off and she bit her lip, her hand caressing him lower, and Roman laughed. "And there's no time like the present to start, you mean?"
She nodded eagerly. Roman looked his mate and grinned his agreement. Tomorrow could wait. Tonight, all they needed was each other.
Epilogue
The Well of Fate opened before them, a deep dark drop into the waters below. Anna looked over the edge, holding onto Roman's hand for safety.
"Shouldn't we wait on your brothers and their mates?" she asked. Roman laughed and shook his head.
"None of them have found their mates yet, darling. If we wait for them, we might be waiting forever." He pulled her back from the edge, holding her back against his chest and wrapping his powerful arms around her. "And I think the country's had enough waiting for a new king. If it's my fate, better for everyone we know now."
Anna couldn't argue with that. Whatever one thought of the monarchy, it was better to have someone on the throne than to have people worrying and fighting about who should sit on it. Their adventures had been quite enough of that for her tastes.
Though at least that particular group of rebels was dealt with. After the revelation that they'd been working for a rogue royal, the fight had gone out of all of them, and Anna's father was in prison along with the rest of the inner circle that knew about Augustus. Victoria took up the leadership of the remainder, promising to form an opposition movement that pushed for reform through non-violent means. Anna wondered how well that would work — under the previous king, it would have been impossible, but with Roman or one of his brothers on the throne, things would be different.
All the more reason to find out if it's King Roman I'm mated to, she thought. The sooner there's a new king, the sooner reforms can start.
"So what do we do?" She snuggled back against him, reassured by his powerful body against hers.
"We need to spill a little of our blood into the well," he said, squeezing her tight. "Just a few drops, I promise it won't hurt."
Anna laughed a little at that, putting her hands on his and squeezing back. What were a few more drops of blood, compared to what they'd already been through? "I trust you."
Taking her hand in both of his, Roman reached out over the well. Extending a claw, he scratched across both of their hands, letting their blood mix as it dripped down into the darkness beneath them.
For a moment, nothing happened. Then there was a deep groaning sound from the waters, and Anna knew deep down that they had their answer. With a bone-deep certainty she knew that the throne wasn't what fate had in store for them.
"Thank God," Roman said, sounding relieved and happy at the answer. Her heart echoed that: being queen would have been too much. It was hard enough to accept that she was the mate of a prince.
Turning in his arms, she embraced him. "You're not disappointed?"
"No, not one bit," he said, laughing and hugging her close. "I love my country but one of my brothers can have the stress of running it. I've got my own business to attend to."
Looking up at him, Anna smiled nervously. Wherever he goes, I go, she told herself. "Are we going to have to leave Leotania then?"
She remembered the day they'd met, and how proud he'd been of his work. It might take them all over the globe, but she'd be happy as long as she was by his side. Even if it did mean leaving behind everything she knew. The country had a lot of painful memories for her now, but also good ones.
He laughed, shaking his head. "No, no. We're not going anywhere. Our country needs help with its infrastructure, and that's something I know how to build. Better phones, better internet connections, I've seen how much those can improve people's lives. They bring communities together, they let people talk, and Leotania has been stuck in the past for far too long. Whoever the King is, and whatever the future brings them, this is something which will help us all come together."
Anna smiled again, happier at that plan. She'd braced herself to leave, but staying here in her new home was much more appealing. And bringing people together was a lovely dream to work towards.
Maybe that's why fate put us together, she thought as he lifted her to him, kissing her firmly and carrying her away from The Well. Whatever the reason, I couldn't be happier that it did. Together we'll make the world a better place for our children.
The End
Thank you for reading The Lion’s Castle, I hope you enjoyed it as much as I liked writing it! I’d love to hear what you think.
Look out for The Lion’s Share, book two in the series.
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About the Author
LESLIE CHASE
I love writing, and especially enjoy writing sexy paranormal romance. It lets my imagination run free and my ideas come to life! When I’m not writing, I’m busy thinking about what to write next or researching it – yes, damn it, looking at castles and swords counts as research.
If you enjoy my books, please let me know with a review. Reviews are really important and I appreciate every one. If you’d like to be kept up to date on my new releases, you can sign up for my email newsletter by following this link.
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My books:
Guardian Bears
Ex-military bear shifters providing protection from the threats no one else can deal with. Each book is a stand-alone plot, as the sexy bears find their curvy mates.
Guardian Bears: Marcus
Guardian Bears: Lucas
Guardian Bears: Karl
Tiger’s Sword
A four-part paranormal romance serial:
Book One: Tiger’s Hunt
Book Two: Tiger’s Den
Book Three: Tiger’s Claws
Book Four: Tiger’s Heart
Also by Leslie Chase
Guardian Bears: Marcus
Fate has brought them together again … but can they survive it?
An unexpected reunion …
Lisa Kyle runs the general store in Coldwood. She’s stayed in town to take care of her mother; the only man she ever loved left years ago. But now he’s back -- and mixed up with a notorious criminal organization, the Serpent motorcycle club.
Her shock doesn’t change the electric heat between them. The boy she loved is now a dark-haired tower of a man, and his intense blue eyes are irresistible. Lisa knows she should stay away … but she can’t.
A dangerous longing ...
Growing up with no parents, Marcus Harrow didn’t understand his bear shifter identity. Now he does -- and he also knows that blonde, curvy Lisa is his fated mate. But that only makes things more difficult.
He can’t tell her that he runs the Guardian Bears agency with two of his ex-Special Forces bear shifter friends ... or that he’s gone undercover to infiltrate the Serpent MC gang and put a stop to their use of dark forces.
The only way to keep her safe is to keep his distance. But how can he do that when both man and bear want to claim her forever?
A deadly deception
When the gang grows suspicious of Marcus, Lisa and her mother are in the crosshairs. Can he rescue them without blowing his cover? And if he succeeds, will Lisa acce
pt both sides of his nature, or will his deeper identity drive them apart?
***Guardian Bears: Marcus is a steamy standalone novel with a HEA and no cheating.***
Guardian Bears: Marcus
* * *
Guardian Bears: Lucas
Fate brought her to him … now it’s put her in the crosshairs.
His job is to guard her … not claim her.
Bear shifter Lucas Barns, one of the partners in the Guardian Bears Agency, is frustrated that the woman he’s protecting won’t tell him what she’s running from. What did Emily Shaw witness?
Even worse than her keeping him in the dark is the fact that the curvy blonde is his fated mate. Getting involved with a client would be completely unprofessional … but that doesn’t stop both man and bear from roaring to make her their own.
He’s her only safety … and her greatest temptation.
Emily can’t tell Lucas what she saw -- he’ll think she’s crazy. But she’s determined to stay alive, and she trusts him to protect her while she figures out what to do.
Her ex-Special Forces bodyguard is a giant of a man, often angry and clearly dangerous. He should terrify her. Instead, she wants to wrap herself around his muscled heat and never let go.
Now time is running out for both of them ...
When Emily is attacked, both she and Lucas must reveal their secrets. After a deal to ensure her safety ends in a double-cross, Lucas needs all his strength and skill to keep his mate safe.
Can rescue Emily in time? Or will Lucas and the woman who’s become his heartbeat lose their chance at a lifetime together?
***Guardian Bears: Lucas is a steamy standalone, full-length bear shifter romance with a HEA, no cheating, and no cliffhangers.***
Guardian Bears: Lucas
* * *
Guardian Bears: Karl
She’s destined to be his … but is he destined to destroy her?
A dangerous hunt ...
Polar bear shifter Karl Werner is on the trail of a “werewolf” -- a wolf shifter who’s lost control of their animal. Since shifters who reach that point can’t be rehabilitated, his grim task is to execute whoever it is before they can expose shifters’ existence to the wider world.
The job takes him to Mayfair, a town on the edge of the desert. The climate makes his bear miserable … but when he finds his fated mate, it generates a whole different kind of heat. If only the curvy, green-eyed brunette weren’t so standoffish.
A terrifying suspicion ...
Allison Lewis has never responded to a man the way she does to Karl. The ex-Special Forces man is huge and muscled and fills her with longing -- but the reason why he’s come to Mayfair chills her to the bone.
The nightmares she’s been having all point to one horrifying conclusion: that she’s the “monster” he’s hunting. How can she trust the man who’s been sent to kill her … let alone give in to the fire between them?
An agonizing dilemma
When Karl realizes the truth, Allison runs away -- but she’s got human hunters after her. Karl has to find her before they do, and then accomplish what’s never been done: teach an out-of-control shifter how to unite with her wolf. Can he pull off the impossible ... or will he be forced to destroy his mate?
***Guardian Bears: Karl is a steamy standalone, full-length bear shifter romance with a HEA, no cheating, and no cliffhangers***
Guardian Bears: Karl
* * *
Tiger's Hunt
Book One of the Four-Part Tiger’s Sword Series.
Lenore Kimble’s life is about to change forever. The curvy admin assistant feels like a fish out of water when she has to attend a fund raising gala for the museum where she works, but being there puts her in the path of the handsome and secretive billionaire Maxwell Walters.
Maxwell isn’t just a billionaire, he’s also a tiger shifter of ancient heritage, and he’s not at the party for the fun of it. He’s there to retrieve an artefact from the collection, and he isn’t the only one interested. Meeting his fated mate along the way wasn’t his plan, but when he sees Lenore, he knows that she’s the one for him.
Can he risk bringing her into his life, while there are people hunting him and his family?
Part one of a four-part paranormal romance story – the story is completed in part four with no cliffhanger and a happy ending. No cheating.
Book One: Tiger’s Hunt
Book Two: Tiger’s Den
Book Three: Tiger’s Claws
Book Four: Tiger’s Heart
The Lion's Castle (The Lion Princes Book 1) Page 18
