by Amy Sumida
Everything came into sharper focus as scents bloomed in my nose like music. I knew the exact direction our farm was in; I could smell the animals. I also knew where the largest herd of antelope were, out across the grasslands to my right. But the most important scent that hit me was that of my husband. I breathed deeply of Kirill's lion musk; a blend of something woodsy like sawdust and something sharp but sweet like citrus. It registered in my leonine brain as MINE.
I lifted my head and roared; a celebration of all I was and all I had.
Kirill roared with me, the sound resonating through my flesh and stimulating primal needs. I swung my head toward him and just stared a moment. My beautiful black lion. The only one in existence... for now. Lesya was following in her father's footsteps, her cub's fur darkening as she aged. I hoped that her pelt would match Kirill's someday; that there would soon be two black lions in our pride. Kirill's fur was such a rich black that it glinted blue in the sunlight, matching his indigo eyes. So beautiful. He padded over to me on massive paws and nudged my head with his, marking me with his scent. That intoxicating aroma sank into my fur and dug deep. I nudged him back, merging my scent with his. Yours. Mine. Ours.
Then I was running. My legs stretched out and the ground blurred beneath me; muscles lengthening luxuriantly and breath expanding my lungs. My tongue lolled out to taste the air; the herbal flavor of grass, the mineral tang of soil, and a hint of moisture. I panted joyfully, sprinting through the tall, swaying grass with my mate close behind. Birds took flight and animals scurried away, leaving the acid sharpness of fear in their wake. Even that gave me pleasure. I ruled my world as a lion is meant to do.
We raced across Pride lands until our sides heaved and our breaths came in heavy pants. Then we collapsed within the cover of the sweet, golden grass. Kirill tumbled onto me, and we rolled together, swiping at each other playfully. He nipped my rump, and I snapped at his ear. Growls and snarls rumbled through our chests. Happiness burst in my blood. Then, when the grass was flattened from our play and the scent of it tinted the air along with our musk, we laid together within the nest we'd made and just soaked in the late-afternoon sun.
Kirill shifted back to man and pressed against my back, stroking my fur with long motions. I enjoyed his touch as a lioness for a few minutes then shifted as I turned into his embrace. With a smooth movement, Kirill leaned down and met my lifting lips. Still so close to our beasts, we growled into each other and undulated into an intimate embrace. Every sensation felt magnified; the slide of my leg over his, the scent of his skin, and the taste of him on my tongue. Kirill settled himself between my thighs, his torso pressing me down, and rubbed his thick erection over my sex. I reached down and helped him breach my body.
Kirill thrust deep with a conquering groan and started a slow rhythm. My hands moved on their own, sliding over his broad shoulders and around his biceps, too wide for me to circle. I traced the curves of his smooth chest then slid my hands around his trim waist to move them back and down over the glorious curves of his ass. I reveled in the feel of him clenching beneath my touch and then grabbed him there to pull him even deeper.
“No demands,” Kirill growled in my ear as he snatched one of my hands and then the other, setting them on the ground above my head. “Here, you are mine, Lion Goddess.”
Kirill pulled his long braid forward and wrapped it around my wrists. He held the end of the braid, pressed down beneath his palm beside my face. Above me, his body rolled sensuously, his hips pressing my thighs wider apart so he could sink even deeper.
“I'm yours no matter where we are,” I purred. “And I'm bound to you even without your pretty chain.”
“Not like zis,” he insisted. “Not completely. Here you are only mine. I can bind you with my body and hold you down for my pleasure. Here, on our land, it's just you and me.”
“It is. And I want more of you.” I lifted my hips to emphasize my point.
“You have all I am, Vervain. You always have.” Kirill lowered his lips to mine again.
The kiss was gentle at first—a sweet reminder of who we'd been and how far we'd come together—then it rolled upward, gaining heat as it went. Kirill's tongue became a whip, forcing mine into surrender, and his cock a stake shoved deep to claim his territory. His chest lowered to mine, pressing me into the grass so that I was surrounded by Intare magic. It thrummed around me; the power of my territory and that of my husband. Kirill drove it into me with his body and breath. He moved the magic through me with sure strokes of his hand; sweeping along my jaw, my arms, and my thighs. My body lost the sensation of boundaries, merging with Kirill in pleasure and power. The world seemed to tilt around us, bowing to its rulers; the King and Queen of the Intare. So much pleasure; I had to release it.
I expected my love magic to rise, or perhaps lust, but they bent to the will of my lioness. She was recharging herself with the land and her lover, and no other magic would interfere. So, instead of a glittering red haze, a climactic roar rumbled out of me. I struggled against Kirill's bindings, thrashing my hands within the thick cord of his hair and thrumming my body between the earth and him. Kirill held me firm, my breasts pressed tightly between us, and his shaft filling me perfectly.
“Vervain,” Kirill panted. “My mate. My wife. My goddess. I love you.”
“I love you too. You hold me together, Kirill. I can't be me without you.”
Kirill lifted his head and roared his release across our kingdom.
Chapter Five
Kirill and I languished in our little haven all day; making love as humans and lions, playing, and talking until the sun went down. Then we strolled back to the palace hand-in-hand, relaxed and blissful. We were nearly there when a rustling caught our attention. We went still as the grass came alive around us. Animals burst through the brush and went barreling past. Several were critters I didn't recognize but I did recognize a few such as the aardvarks, porcupines, and...
“Is that a honey badger?” I asked Kirill as a black animal with a gray and cream stripe down its back scrambled by.
“Vell, it's not a skunk,” he said in amazement.
“We have honey badgers?” I asked him, just as amazed.
“Evidently.”
You'd think that I'd know all of the beasties in my own territory, but I had left the land alone when I remade the palace. Whatever Niyarvirezi had put in the savannah was still there... flourishing, it seemed.
“What in my name is going on here?” I gaped at the parade of critters.
Kirill lifted an amused brow at me.
“What? I'm a goddess, I can take my name in vain.”
Kirill rolled his eyes, grabbed my hand, and started toward the palace at a run. We swept alongside the hilarious herd and followed it into the palace and up the stairs, past a crowd of Intare who lined the walls and filled the corridors to watch the parade move steadily upward. Kirill and I continued to follow them up flight after flight until we reached our suite on the top floor. There, in the main bedroom, we found Viper, Re, Lesya, and Vero standing amid a tide of creatures that covered the floor like carpet.
“What the furry freak show is this?” I demanded.
It was obviously a hypothetical question; no one knew what was going on.
Re and Viper looked lost. They just stared at me blankly as the animals came to a stop and sat on their haunches. Lesya couldn't have been more delighted; she squealed and crawled among the beasts, petting as many as she could. But Vero... he stood at Viper's feet with his hands extended and his honey-eyes, so like his father's, glowing with magic. And the animals stared straight at him as if waiting for his command.
“Vero,” I whispered, “what are you doing, honey?”
“Mama, I bring na'nimals to me,” Vero said solemnly.
“Sweet sunshine,” Re murmured. “The wolf pup is doing it.”
“Uncle Re, my brother speaks to animals,” Lesya said proudly. “He's like Doctor Doolittle but better.”
“Doctor Little-Wolf,�
�� Viper murmured.
“Yes, I see that, sweetheart,” Re said to Lesya as he stared at me with wide eyes.
“He calls the night creatures,” I corrected Lesya as I went to my son, tiptoeing carefully around his menagerie.
Vero is a miniature version of Trevor; dark curls, honey eyes, and a lopsided grin that will break your heart. But he has my sense of humor. He toddled forward on his chubby legs, tapping each animal's head as if playing a game of Duck, Duck, Goose, and as he did, they bowed to him. Some even rolled onto their backs and exposed their bellies. Maybe not so much a game then but more like a king knighting his soldiers.
“Good kitties,” Vero declared. “Good kitties.”
“Baby, those aren't kitties.” I started to reach for him when I saw him go for a porcupine, but it laid its needles flat just before Vero tapped its head. “Those are... I think they're African animals.”
“Night na'nimals,” Vero said and giggled. “I like night! Feels good!” He made a little rumbling sound.
I laughed in delight and stood back, letting my baby rule his court. “Yes, and night likes you, Ro-Ro.”
I motioned the men back, and we moved to the kitchenette, getting out of the way of the animal pilgrimage. The intercom near the door buzzed, and I stepped around a bushpig to answer it.
“Yeah?”
“Tima?” It was Aidan. “Is there a reason why half of the grasslands are infiltrating the palace?”
“Vero called them.”
“Right. Sure. Of course. Your son called the rodents of the wilds to attend him. What could be more normal than that?”
“I don't think these are rodents.” A rat ran by me. “Correction, there are rodents among the non-rodents.”
“Tima, what the hell is going on?!” Aidan screeched, losing his cool utterly.
“My son is learning to control his magic,” I said calmly. “He's the God of Moon and Wolves, you know? I gave him control of the night creatures. And you need to get that screeching under control, Aidan. You're an Intare, remember?”
“Ha-ha,” Aidan huffed. “Fine, I'll tell the others to relax. But this better not become a nightly thing.”
The line buzzed dead.
“Um, why is our son petting a parade of porcupines?” Trevor asked as he climbed over animals to get into the bedroom.
“Daddy!” Vero cried delightedly as he waved his arms outward.
The animals pulled back, commanded by Vero's motion, forming an aisle from him to his father. Trevor's eyes went wide as he stared from side to side then hesitantly strode down the aisle. Animals chittered and sniffed the air as he passed then went back to doing what they'd been doing before his arrival; either coming in toward Vero or going out after receiving their head tap.
“Son, what is this about?” Trevor crouched beside Vero, cocking his head at him, and my heart did a little skip.
I loved seeing them together; so similar in looks but different in personalities. Vero was Trevor and me combined in one little person. What a miracle. A common miracle, but a miracle nonetheless.
“This!” Vero declared. “This is me! Vero!” Vero laughed in delight, and the animals made happy noises with him.
Trevor looked over at me with his lopsided grin. “Our son has come into his power.”
“So it seems,” I agreed.
“Well done, my boy!” Trevor ruffled Vero's curls, sounding and looking a little like Fenrir.
“Daddy.” Vero grinned lopsidedly.
“Yep, Daddy's proud of you.” Trevor hugged his son and then stuck a hand out to stroke the animals as they approached.
A honey badger hissed at Trevor, and Vero hissed back. The badger immediately bowed its head to Vero's dominance, and Trevor chuckled as he gave the animal a quick pat. No hard feelings.
“Naughty,” Vero chided the honey badger. “Be nice to Daddy.”
“And Lesya,” Lesya said as she joined them.
“And Lesya,” Vero repeated solemnly.
Lesya giggled, and Vero smiled at his sister in that honest way children do. Pure, untainted joy. Then Vero went back to tapping heads, blessing all of the night creatures of our territory as the rest of us watched in wonder. Lesya plopped down on her butt to pet everything that would let her, but Trevor stood up and backed out of the horde to join us in the kitchen area.
“You didn't want to stay with him?” I asked in surprise.
“This is Vero's magic.” Trevor stared at our son with a flash of the Wolf in his eyes. “His moment. He needs to do this on his own.”
I took Trevor's hand, and he used it to pull me into his side. I leaned against his chest, and we watched our son wield his magic for the first time. Yes, I missed some baby time that human mothers get, but moments like these make the sacrifice worthwhile.
Chapter Six
The next morning, Brahma and Sara returned. I was having breakfast with my men, children, and some of my lions when they walked in with Sin in tow.
“Look at you; all domestic and stuff,” Sin—technically pronounced Seen, but he goes with Sin because the ladies love it—drawled as he strolled toward me.
Sin's name fit him; both pronunciations. With midnight hair and silver eyes, he made a sexy moon god who was hard to ignore. Those metallic eyes could glow like the moon they mimic, hinting at pleasures better performed in the dark. With the backdrop of his desert-dark skin and the border of long lashes, they appeared even brighter. A pair of full, pouting lips and a firm jawline didn't hurt either. He had the strut of a playboy and the body to match—athletic and covered in an expensive but casual suit. The shadow of a beard told me he hadn't been home for breakfast.
“Sin,” I said with a wide grin as I stood to greet him. “It's good to see you.”
I hugged him tightly, and he folded his lean body around me. His lips brushed my cheek casually before he let me go.
“You too, sweetheart,” Sin said softly. “How are you?” He glanced at my men, his eyes widening when they landed on Viper. His voice changed entirely, going up in pitch with his surprise, “You're still here?”
“I am,” Viper said simply.
“And I'm good.” I drew Sin's attention back to me. “But I've heard that situation might not last.”
“Yeah, my pantheon isn't happy with you, starshine.” He tapped my nose.
“You eat yet?” I asked as I waved him toward the table. “Want some breakfast?”
“I'd love some; I'm starving. Your friends pulled me straight from Sikaru,” he confirmed my suspicions.
“We wouldn't mind breakfast either,” Brahma said pointedly.
“Brahma, you're family. You're always welcome. Just make yourself a plate.” I waved him back into the kitchen.
“All right, your rudeness is forgiven.” Brahma chuckled and pulled a chair out for his wife before he headed into the kitchen to get their food.
“How was Bahrain?” I asked Sarasvati.
“Lovely,” Sara said, smiling until her husband was gone. “Ugh; it was dry and desolate. I don't understand why any god would choose to live there.”
“For all the extracurricular activities, of course,” Sin winked at Sara.
“Sit down, Sin,” I interrupted before he got himself in trouble. “I'll go make you a plate.”
“I've got it, Minn Elska.” Trevor stood up and waved Sin toward the chair he'd vacated. “Please, have a seat.”
“I'm Sin.” Sin offered his hand.
“Yes, I know.” Trevor smirked as he shook the Moon God's hand. “I recognize you from Bahrain... when I saw you fighting beside my wife.”
“Right.” Sin looked around the table. “I suppose you're all familiar with me.”
“You're welcome here, Sin.” I resumed my seat and waved to the one on my right. “Sit down, I need to talk to you.”
Sin sat. “I'm already in a bad place with my pantheon for siding with you, Vervain. I hope you're not about to ask me to dig myself deeper.”
“I expected as much
. If you're in danger, you're welcome to stay here.”
“I can handle things as they are.” He shook his head. “But I don't think I can reason with them on your behalf.”
