“We don’t have contracts,” he said.
“You mean that isn’t why you were at the circus? I figured that you owed a debt and that you were working it off,” she said, shocked.
“No, we got sucked in. They offered me a job, and I accepted. But really they just wanted a freak-show lion.”
“And Lea.”
“They used her as leverage,” he said roughly.
“That’s so wrong,” she said quietly. But if Lea wasn’t his sister, what hold did the young girl have over him?
None of your business, she said to herself. Daniel looked as if he was the kind of man who would not have let anything happen to a child, even if she was a complete stranger. He was a protector.
She felt a pang of jealousy, which she quickly swept away. There was nothing to be jealous of, these two people would be out of her life soon enough. There was nothing good to come out of hankering for a bond, another person to share her life with.
However, her heart ached with a longing she had shut away for so long. That longing wasn’t just for a man, it was for a sense of belonging, it was for a family she had lost, and the loneliness crowded in on her.
Chapter Six – Daniel
They reached her house and she drove into the garage. Daniel hated it when the doors shut behind them, making him feel trapped again. He took a deep breath and let it go. They were free.
“What’s your name?” he asked, realising he had no idea who she was and whom he was so indebted to.
“Lottie,” she said.
“I want you to know that I think you are very brave, Lottie,” he said and he was sure she blushed. This confused him, had he said something stupid?
“Anyone else would have done the same thing,” she said, trying to play it down.
“No, they wouldn’t. People like to walk on by, not caring to see what is in front of them.” He sounded bitter. But it was true. Even if he was just a lion, the circus was cruel and degrading for a wild beast. To be made to do tricks… He let it go. There was a lot he was going to have to let go of if he was ever going to be happy again.
She opened her door and got out. He did the same, going to the back door and peering in at the frightened Lea. He should have sat in the back with her, should have comforted her, but he wanted to be up front so he could watch for danger. He was not going to let Lea fall into the hands of the circus again. If they came for them, he would beg Lottie to take Lea and run, then he would allow them to take him, in the hope they wouldn’t bother about a little cub like Lea.
“Come on, Lea, let’s go inside,” he said, undoing her seatbelt and lifting her up into his arms.
“Can’t we run. Just a bit further,” she said quietly, her eyes darting around.
“We’re safe here. You can have a bath and Lottie is going to get us some clothes, then we can head for the border. You know how your mom wanted you to have the chance to live in Shifters Prime? Well, we might just get there.”
“What about you? Will you be safe?” she asked.
“I’ll take us somewhere no one will ever know us. No one will ever know who we are, two lions, we can just disappear.” It was his dream, now they were free; it was his dream to cross the border and live freely. “Vagabonds.”
She smiled. “Vagabonds.”
It was game they played when they were close enough to talk. Two people able to go wherever they wanted, and he had described to her all the places he had seen while he was growing up with Nora as his mom. They’d seen mountains and beaches, swam in lagoons, travelled paths few men walked. She had educated him in the ways of the natural world, with all the sad dignity of a woman in mourning, but who went on for the child she had pledged to raise and keep safe.
“This way,” Lottie said and he carried Lea through a doorway and up a couple of steps, into the kitchen. A kitchen! He looked around, trying to remember the last time he had been in anything resembling a house, and he couldn’t. Not because his memories had faded, but because those memories were too painful. It had been at the time Nora died, and he had been left alone in a world he didn’t belong in with a six-year-old child.
“Can I get you anything?” Lottie said, playing the nervous host.
“Food,” he said simply. “Anything you have.”
“Let’s see,” Lottie said and began opening cupboards, and then she went to the freezer and brought back some steaks. “It’ll take about half an hour, do you two want to go and wash up?”
Daniel looked down at himself. He was dirty, and he bet he smelt horrendous too. He had got used to living in squalor. Now in this clean kitchen, he saw the state he and Lottie were in. “Thanks, want to get cleaned up, Lea?”
She wrinkled her nose. “Will it hurt?”
He laughed, a sound so foreign to him. “No, not much.”
“Through there and up the stairs,” Lottie said, pointing to the hallway. “First door on your right.”
“Thanks,” he said and held out his hand for Lea. She took it, a sideways glance of mistrust aimed at Lottie as they left the kitchen.
“I don’t like her,” Lea said as they reached the top of the stairs.
“Why not?” he asked, finding the bathroom and going inside, shutting the door.
“She’s too nice,” Lea said.
“I like that she’s nice,” Daniel said, putting the plug in the bathtub and switching on the taps. He put his hand under the running water to check it wasn’t too hot. “Let’s get these clothes off.”
“I can do it,” she said firmly.
“OK. Look, you have a bath, scrub all that dirt off. Here, you can even have bubbles,” he said, picking up the bottle and taking the top off. He smelt it. “Roses.”
“I hate roses,” she said.
“You don’t even remember what roses look like,” he said, and wished he hadn’t because her mouth turned down and she looked close to tears. “Hey, when we got to the Prime, first thing we’ll do is go and find some roses to smell. Might even be able to pick you one.”
“I don’t need roses,” she said petulantly.
“Hey, what’s wrong?” he said. “I thought you’d be happy.”
She looked up at him, her big eyes full of fear. “This is scary. What if you find someone you like more than me?”
“Is that what you’re worried about?” He knelt down in front of her. “We’re a team, Team Vagabond, right? Forever.”
“Is Lottie part of Team Vagabond?” Lea asked.
“I think that once we get to the border and we cross, Lottie will go back to her normal life.”
“It’ll just be me and you?” she asked.
“I will never leave you, Lea,” he said. But part of him wanted Lottie to be part of Team Vagabond. He wanted it very much, but he had no idea why.
Chapter Seven – Lottie
“Anything else you need, help yourself,” Lottie said as she gathered up her keys and purse. “I’ll be back in an hour or so.”
“OK,” Daniel said, through mouthfuls of food. “This is good.”
“Glad you like it,” Lottie said, smiling at their table manners. Then her smile faded. These two people had been kept like animals. She wanted to ask him all about it, but it wasn’t the time; it was best if they stayed here and ate, and she went to get clothes to cover his wonderful body.
She cleared her throat, chasing away all thoughts of his body, which was wrapped in one of her bath towels, slung around his hips making him look a little like Tarzan in a loincloth. Damn, she would like to see his loins.
“I’ll be back as quick as I can,” she said, mentally noting the size of him so she could get some clothes that fit. She thought Lea might be about eight years old, but was about the size of a six-year-old. “You will still be here when I get back.”
The sudden thought that they might run out on her, maybe steal her stuff to fund their journey, hit her. But immediately she wanted to take the words back. Daniel stopped eating and looked up at her. “Of course we will. We don’t ha
ve anywhere else to go. And I have no clothes.”
She smiled. “No, you don’t.” Reassured, she went out to the garage and got in the car, reversing out of the garage and onto the road. Taking it slow, she headed to the store, all the time checking that no one was following her. There was still some unease in her mind about the lion tamer, would he just let his prize act go?
He could never track her; too much time had gone by. They were safe. She would get them some clothes, they would all get some sleep and tomorrow they would be back where they belonged, running free in Shifters Prime. Lottie would feel good about herself and then go back to her old life, but she would no longer shut people out.
Parking outside the store, she headed inside, going to the children’s department first. There she chose some jeans and T-shirts, plus some pretty sweaters. And a dress. She was sure Lea would deny the need for a dress, but she bought one anyway.
Shoes were a problem, and she settled for some sneakers, a size bigger than she thought, but they could be padded out with socks. That reminded Lottie, Lea would need underclothes too.
Finding it more fun that she thought she would, she headed over to the men’s department, and chose some jeans and T-shirts. By the time she had finished, her trolley was full, and she was feeling happier and more relaxed, as if this was normal, shopping for her family.
There was a small queue at the checkout, and as she waited her eyes were drawn to the TV on the wall. There was no sound on, but the images on the TV looked familiar somehow. Then she realised why, it was a picture of the circus, and the headlines said something about a break-in. She strained her eyes to see what the captions said, something about a reward for information, and then to her horror, her own face flashed up.
She nearly ran from the store, but she didn’t. Her hands gripped the trolley tightly and she kept calm. Her eyes flicked up to the screen, trying to figure out if the picture was clear enough for anyone in the store to make a connection. She didn’t think so, but still it felt like an eternity until it was her turn to be served.
Smiling, she chatted with the checkout girl, and didn’t draw attention to herself. It took an endless time to get out into the parking lot, where she headed for her car, walking fast, but not running. Only once inside the car, did she let her panic take hold. What had she done?
After all the time and effort she had spent inventing Lottie Harrop, a girl with no past, she had blown her cover in one night. How was she supposed to tell the two people who sat in her kitchen that they were in much more trouble now than they had thought? Because of her.
Wait, calm down, she told herself. Just because her picture was on the news didn’t mean they would find her. Not everyone watched the local news, and the picture was grainy, and she was two years older. And the men she had testified against were in prison.
She had time, at least enough to get Lea and Daniel to the border. Then if she had to run, if she had to start a new life, she could do it. She had done it once and she could do it again. But the thought of starting again made her weary. Damn it, she was so stupid.
Yet as she drove home, she knew that no matter what the consequences, she would do the same thing again. No one deserved to be kept prisoner and beaten like the lion tamer had beaten Daniel. And the trauma Lea had gone through must have been terrible. Lottie knew enough about trauma to know it was not a thing you got over quickly.
Pulling into her garage, she shut the door and decided that tonight she would make sure the house was extra-secure. She also decided she wasn’t going to mention this to Daniel; they had enough to worry about without her putting her troubles on them. One problem at a time, that was what her dad used to say.
Although when she got inside, she found her first problem asleep on the sofa. Daniel had his arms wrapped protectively around the small, sleeping form of Lea. They looked so peaceful and her heart ached, remembering the times her mom had held her the same way when she was sick as a child. She missed her parents so much.
Fighting to stay in control of her emotions, she went to her bedroom and fetched a quilt to cover them. Placing it over them, she was pulling it upwards when his hand reached out and grabbed her wrist, making her cry out.
“Sorry,” he said immediately, releasing her wrists as his eyes opened warily. “I didn’t hear you come in.”
“That’s OK. I startled you, it was stupid of me,” she said, ignoring the urge to rub her sore wrist. “You both must be exhausted. Why don’t you sleep in my bed, I’ll take the sofa?”
“No, we’ve put you to enough trouble,” he said, and she wanted to tell him it was no trouble at all, and that she would happily stare at his just woken up face, with his tousled hair that definitely needed a cut, but was a whole lot better now it was washed, and oh, how she wanted to run her fingers through it…
“Don’t worry about it,” she said, the words sticking in her throat. She coughed, trying not to wake Lea. “It’s good to see you both safe. And tomorrow you can try on the clothes I bought. Then we can head to the border.”
“Thank you,” he said again. “But if at any time we put you in danger, I’ll understand if you want to leave us.”
She smiled, feeling fake. The chances were she might be the one putting them in danger, but he didn’t need to hear that. “Get some sleep. Tomorrow is going to be a long day.”
“Goodnight,” he said, and put his head back down onto the cushion.
“Night. Sweet dreams.” She left the room and went to her bedroom, slowly going through the motions and trying not to think of what would happen if the men whom she had hidden from for so long actually caught up with her.
But as she lay down, the picture of her parents lying dead on the floor of their house, blood spreading from the wounds to their heads, filled her mind. Screwing up her eyes, she tried to get rid of them. What if she was bringing the same fate down on Daniel and Lea? What if by helping them she was actually going to end up getting them killed?
It had to be better than living in a cage, though. Surely? Lottie drifted off into a troubled sleep, wishing she had Daniel’s arms around her, that he held her protectively while promising to keep her safe.
Chapter Eight – Daniel
He lay awake, listening to the small sounds of her house. He heard her stirring, restless in her sleep, while next to him Lea slept peacefully: no nightmares tonight. He went over the events that had brought them here, and still couldn’t quite believe it. He kept thinking Trevor would jump out and tell him it was all some big setup, just to mess with his head. Just as the job they had offered him at the circus had been a setup to pull him in.
They had trapped Lea and then made him do as they wanted. He kissed the top of her head and sighed; he needed to sleep. Tomorrow was going to be a big day and he had to be strong. They were going across the border no matter what happened, no matter what he had to do and who got hurt in the process.
As long as it wasn’t Lottie.
***
“It’s time to get up,” she said, as if she had invaded his dreams.
“Already?” he asked.
“Yes. I think it would be a good idea to get out of the city early. It means when you cross the border you’ll still have enough daylight to get somewhere safe for the night.” She pulled out a roll of bank notes. “Here, I took this from the ATM this morning. If we get separated for any reason, there’s enough to get you across the border.”
“I can’t take it,” he said, getting up, slipping out from where Lea had been lying on him. Lea was oblivious to his movement, still asleep under the warm, safe quilt.
“Yes. You can. There’s no point you getting this far and then being stuck on this side of the border,” she said, pressing the money into his hand and then looking down to where the towel was still slung around his hips. Her eyes were appraising and he had to consciously make himself not get aroused by her. It was inappropriate, but he struggled. There was something about her that appealed to him, and in the back of his mind someth
ing stirred; his lion, the thing that had been his captured companion, looked on approvingly.
“Thank you.” He took the money and then said, “Do you have those clothes?”
“Oh, yes. Of course, they are in my bedroom. There’s clothes for Lea too. I’ll lend you a backpack to put everything in. Maybe I should pack some food too.” She went to the kitchen and began to rummage in the cupboards. “Mostly junk, I’m afraid, but I can make some sandwiches.”
“Anything you have will be great,” he said. “I’ll go change.”
He headed to her bedroom, trying not to notice the bed with its rumpled sheets. For some reason he wanted to be the one who had messed up her bed, to have taken her here, made love to her in her bed, and listened to her come while he thrust inside her. And made babies with her.
No way. Procreation was the last thing on his mind; he had no way to support her. What was he thinking? By this evening they would be on separate sides of the border, and he was never coming back this way. Ever. Not even for her. Not even for his mate.
Daniel shook off that thought and cursed his lion for putting the idea in his head. She wasn’t his mate. But the lion, so quiet while the collar was round his neck, said differently.
Going back into her living room, he woke Lea gently. “Hi, Vagabond. It’s time to hit the road.”
“Really? We’re really going?” Lea asked, her eyes heavy with sleep.
“We really are. So let’s get you dressed and then we’ll leave.” He took her hand. “Want to see the clothes Lottie got for you?”
“Maybe,” she said.
“Come on, she’s gone to a lot of trouble for us. So be grateful and say thank you.”
“Why?” Lea asked, standing on legs that were too thin and pale for a child her age.
Freeing A Lion: BBW Paranormal Lion Shape Shifter Romance (Sleeping Lions - Shifters Prime Book 2) Page 3
