"I was the way I was at the start because it was taking all of my self-control not to take you then and there. It became calmer when you were around and we finally had physical contact but it still wanted you."
Cadence was staring at him like he had gone mad. He saw something flicker behind her eyes, as if she was happy that he loved her. But then it disappeared quickly and fear replaced it. She pulled her hand away and scrabbled away from him, shaking her head desperately.
"I can't be your mate. I don't want to be a mate to a lion. No!"
"Cadence..."
"No! I want to go home. I don't want to be here." Cadence shut her eyes tightly. "I don't want to be here!"
It was then that Jasper's heart cracked wide open. He had lost her. He had tried and he had lost her. He pulled away, putting on the facade he had put on when they first met, and reached for his jacket.
"Fine." He said gruffly. "I'll call Mattie. She can take you home."
"Mattie's one of you, isn't she? I don't want her near me."
Jasper growled. Rejecting him was one thing but being rude about his close friend was something else.
"It's either Mattie or you walk home." He snarled, not caring now that she was upset. "It's a long way to your apartment. Stop acting like a child and take the offer."
Cadence said nothing but her expression said it all. She didn't like it but she would take it. Jasper turned away, unable to look at her any longer, and dialed Mattie's number.
#
Cadence huddled in her seat, turning her body away from Mattie as she drove. She didn't want to be anywhere near her former friend. People she cared about had lied to her and she wasn't going to forget that lightly.
Mattie glanced at her.
"Are you going to talk to me?" She demanded.
Cadence stayed silent. Mattie sighed.
"You know why I didn't say anything. I'm still the same person you used to know. The only thing that's changed is I'm more of a lioness than you realized."
Cadence said nothing. She knew Mattie was trying to talk her round to it but right now she didn't want to think. Jasper had told her he loved her and she should have been jumping for joy. But he was a shifter and the one who had killed that man in front of her. How could she get over something like that?
"Oh, for fuck's sake, Cadence!"
Mattie's sudden outburst had Cadence jumping. She swung round.
"What?"
Mattie shook her head. Her mouth was tightened in anger.
"For a reporter you are so close-minded. I didn't think your prejudices would stop you have a life."
"Having a life?" Cadence couldn't believe what she was hearing. "I nearly lost my life because of shifters."
"One shifter and Jasper dealt with him. He explained that to you. You can't compare every other shifter to that man."
"Can I not?"
Deep down Cadence knew she was being petty but she didn't want to let go of what she had believed for such a long time. It was easier said than done to let go of something that had become gospel to her for sixteen years.
"And you can't compare Jasper to him, either." Mattie snapped. She was getting flushed in the cheeks, her anger rising. "The man saved your life. He loves you and you threw it back in his face."
Cadence knew that. She hated that she had had to do that. Jasper was a loving man and they were good together. But that obstacle of being a shifter was in the way and it wasn't moving anytime soon.
"Do you think I care?" She sneered.
"Yes! You're too stubborn to realize that love like yours doesn't come round very often and when it does you don't let it pass you by. I've been unlucky in that I've not been able to find my mate. Jasper thought he was going the same way and there's a lot of pressure on him to find his Regina."
"He's a handsome man. He'll find someone else."
But the thought of Jasper with somebody else had Cadence's stomach tightening. She didn't want him with anyone else. She wanted him with her.
"A mate happens once in a lifetime, Cadence. Shifters can have relationships but they have that one special person that they click with instantly. Jasper's not waiting around for the rare chance of it happening again when the first one's been within reach all this time."
Cadence felt the tears welling up. She hadn't dug that way into a shifter's lifestyle. They were like humans and had human relationships. But they had their own soul mates and they were only once in a lifetime, twice if they were incredibly lucky.
If Jasper was in his forties when he found his mate, what were the chances of finding another mate again? Especially being the pride Rex. They were always under scrutiny and it was expected of them to have children.
She hated the thought of Jasper having children with someone else.
"He didn't tell me." She sniffed and swiped at her nose with her sleeve. "He didn't trust me enough to tell me."
"With your hatred towards us, can you blame him?" Mattie shook her head. "He saved your life. The least you can do is thank him. If you don't you're the worst excuse for a human being I've ever met."
They were silent for the rest of the journey, finally pulling into Cadence's apartment complex. Mattie pulled up beside Cadence's car and stared out the windscreen.
Her jaw was tight and she was still flushed. Cadence had never seen Mattie like this before. Mattie was a docile, calm woman. Never before had she lost her temper.
Where had her friend gone?
"Mattie..."
"Get out." Mattie looked at her, the gold taking over her eyes. Cadence didn't shrink back this time. "If you shoved aside your so-called hatred you'd realized you love Jasper as well. But you're too thick-headed to know a good thing if it jumped up and slapped you in the face." She looked away, gripping the wheel tightly.
"You'd better decide if your crusade to tarnish shifters is worth breaking the heart of a man who has done nothing but love you in spite of yourself."
Cadence felt chastised. She knew Mattie was right. If she put aside what she had believed for so long she would embrace Jasper's love no matter what. But it was easier said than done.
She was still thinking about that as she climbed out the car, Mattie tearing away before she had barely shut the door.
#
Jasper had a bad night. Drinking himself into a stupor when shifters weren't capable of getting drunk wasn't in the cards for him so he had gone to bed early, dismissing Mullen and letting him have the next few days off. He tossed and turned, unable to think about anything other than his last few moments in the car with Cadence.
He couldn't forget the fear, the horror, the hatred. Everything he had hoped he would never see in her face thrown back at him. Even when he admitted that he loved her Cadence had pushed him away. Her hatred of shifters was obviously a lot stronger than her feelings for him.
Well, she could have those beliefs if she chose to. He wasn't going to hang around waiting for her to realize that she had lost something. He would just have to go it alone, even if it pained him and he would have to step down as Rex. Thinking about take a Regina simply for having children didn't appeal to Jasper. It was either Cadence or nothing.
He preferred nothing.
Jasper had no idea when he fell asleep but he woke up to smell bacon and eggs. His nostrils flared and his stomach growled. Glancing at the clock, he saw that it was after eight. Laurent was late.
Then he remembered the day. It wasn't Laurent's day to come in. So who was...
Jasper sat up and sniffed the air. He caught a scent he knew all too well and realized that the person he had been thinking about was in his house right now.
He bounded out of bed, suddenly not sleepy, and hurried downstairs in just his pyjama bottoms. As he neared the kitchen, Jasper suddenly slowed.
He realized what he was doing. The woman he wanted was here, why he had no idea, and he was acting like a giddy teenager. She had hurt him; she didn't deserve his eagerness.
Schooling himself to be calm, Jasper entered the kitche
n. And stopped short. Cadence was at the hob, pushing a spatula round a pan that sizzled. She was wearing a white halter top and bright blue shorts that emphasized the curve of her hips and her ample backside. He had never seen her wear shorts other than in bed, and even then not often; he preferred they slept nude.
He swallowed.
"Cadence?"
Cadence spun round. Her hair was down, brushed back behind her ears. Her breasts strained against the halter top, her hardened nipples telling Jasper that she wasn't as calm as she looked. She smiled nervously.
"Hi. Sorry, I didn't want to wake you just yet." She turned back to the stove. "I wanted to bring you breakfast in bed. I think I've remembered how you like your eggs. I hope this is okay."
For a moment, Jasper didn't know what to say. He was stumped. Cadence was here, in his house, acting like nothing had happened. He didn't know what was going on.
He went round the counter and took the spatula off her, putting it to one side, and turned off the hob.
"What are you doing here? I thought you didn't want to be near me."
Cadence turned to him. Jasper saw the shimmer of tears in her eyes but she met his gaze without flinching.
"I came to say I'm sorry." She took a breath. "Mattie was right. I've let the fear of one shifter ruin my opinion of all the others. I've been too immature about it."
Jasper was floored. She was sorry? He wanted to kiss her right now, tell her that she was forgiven. But he held himself together. He needed to hear Cadence out.
"I'm glad someone's words got through to you." He grunted.
"Mattie talks sense."
"That she does. She's been talking sense into my ear for years."
Cadence's face fell and she bit her lip.
"You and her...you've never..."
Jasper knew what she was thinking and shook his head.
"Mattie is Regina material but she's not interested in me. We've known each other since we were children and she's a close friend."
Cadence relaxed. Evidently that mattered to her. She closed her eyes and a tear trickled down her cheek.
"I think my trust for you was running it a little. My running away last night." She admitted. She opened her eyes. "You didn't tell me what you were and that hurt. I had to find out the hard way."
Jasper couldn't help himself. He reached out and touched his fingers to her cheek, brushing away the wetness.
"I never wanted to hurt you." He said hoarsely. "But how would you have reacted if I told you what I was?"
"I would've run the other way screaming."
"Exactly. I was in love with you." Jasper swallowed back his own tears. "I didn't want to lose you."
He had nearly lost her the night before. Now it seemed he was getting a second chance. Either that or Cadence was playing a very cruel joke on him.
"You were in love with me? As in past tense?" Now the tears began to fall. "Am I too late to mend the damage?"
Jasper realized what he had said and pulled her into his arms, kissing her forehead and stroking her hair.
"I still love you, Cadence. I'm just relieved you came back." He rocked her as Cadence clutched onto him. "I don't want you to run away from me again."
"I don't plan to." Cadence looked up. The tears were glistening but she was smiling. "I fell for you a long time ago, Jasper. Walking away from you once I pushed my shifter fear aside hurt the worst. I'm so sorry."
"You're forgiven." Jasper clasped her head in his hands, pressing his forehead to hers. "Just don't leave me again."
"Like I said," Cadence ran her hands up his chest to his neck. "I don't plan to."
Jasper couldn't hold back any longer. He kissed her, long and hard. Cadence responded and scrambled in his arms, wrapping her legs around his waist. Jasper growled and turned, propping Cadence on the edge of the counter.
Pushing her legs apart, he shifted his nails into claws and shredded her shorts. She wasn't wearing underwear underneath.
He ground against her, watching with satisfaction as Cadence's eyes dilated and pushed back against his cock, which strained against his bottoms. He dipped his head and tasted her neck, running his tongue along her pulse. Cadence shuddered under his touch.
"Bite me, Jasper." She gasped, arching her neck towards him and clutching at his head. "Make me yours."
Jasper smiled against her skin. He didn't need to be asked twice.
"As my Regina wishes."
Releasing her a moment to push his bottoms down his legs, kicking them away, Jasper slipped his hand between them and found her clit hidden in her curls. Cadence gasped and arched against him, her fingers clutching at his hair. Jasper couldn't wait any longer.
Pulling her against him, his other hand still on her clit, Jasper willed his fangs down and bit down into Cadence's shoulder at the same time he thrust his cock into her pussy.
Cadence screamed, momentarily in pain, before the pleasure overtook and she shuddered in his arms. Jasper began to thrust hard into her, withdrawing his teeth and licking over the wounds. They would heal in no time. But now Cadence carried his mark. She was his now.
Straightening up, Jasper couldn't take his eyes off her as he jackhammered into her. Her head was tilted back, mouth open and eyes closed, the flush of an orgasm already across her cheeks. She clutched onto him as if he was a lifeline, her moans turning Billy on more than he could imagine.
Then she was climaxing again, bucking her hips against his, her walls squeezing Jasper's cock so hard he lost himself, releasing his seed into her with a triumphant shout.
He grasped onto Cadence as he filled her, his heart hammering in his chest. It had never felt like that, not even after the first time they made love. Mating really did make things spicier.
Cadence rested her forehead on his shoulder, her fingers tracing paths across his back. His muscles twitched under her fingertips.
"I take it you don't want any breakfast now." She murmured.
Jasper laughed and stepped back, taking Cadence with him. His cock hardened as Cadence wrapped her arms round his shoulders, laughing as he walked her out the kitchen.
"I take it that means no."
Jasper growled and kissed her again. It was a while before they got up to the bedroom.
***
BONUS BOOK
STRANDED WITH THE LION
ASHLEY HUNTER
Copyright 2016 by Ashley Hunter
All rights reserved.
No part of this publication may be reproduced
in any way whatsoever, without written permission
from the author, except in case of brief
quotations embodied in critical reviews
and articles.
This is a work of fiction. Any resemblance to any
character, person, living or dead, events, place or
organizations is purely coincidental. The author does not
have any control over and does not assume any responsibility
for third party websites or their content.
First edition, 2016
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Great, Turn The Page!
Chapter 1
When Indrid Liander was six years old, she had witnessed a terrible event in front of her own home. While—at the time—domestic disturbances weren’t out of the norm and even common in the area she grew up in, the situation was permanently glued to her mind.
Memories of red and blue lights flashing through the curtains of the living room, the sounds of screaming, the eventual silence before hours passed and the matter was all but gone. Ingrid’s mother had told her specifically to stay inside and not interfere, and obedient, Ingrid did as she was told.
The event concerned some of her neighbors. A man and a woman whose screams often woke up their fami
ly in the middle of the night. Some people just fight a lot, her mother had explained, even though it had become a nuisance. It had escalated that day, to the point where their screams took them outside the house and the sound of shattering glass and wood followed hard enough to spark alarm.
The man had struck the woman hard enough that she bled. This Ingrid has seen through the window. She may have been ordered to stay inside, but she couldn’t help her curiosity to see what was going on.
She had peered out the curtains and pressed her nose flush against the cool glass to see a police officer pull the woman away by her arms, blood poured from her forehead and down her face, and she struggled and screamed herself hoarse.
Ingrid could never forget the sight of so much blood, the wild feral look in the woman’s face as she shouted at the man. The man was eventually handcuffed, dragged away, and the lights flashed and faded away. Not long after, her mother returned through the door of their house, looking somber and exhausted.
Ingrid had approached her with slow caution, wide eyed and hoping for answers she knew she might not receive.
When she had meekly mumbled out a small, “Mommy?” her mother glanced at her with a soft smile before crouching down and pulling the young girl into her arms.
“There are always two sides of a story, Ingrid,” her mother had said into her ear after a long while. Ingrid was confused but listened anyway.
“Remember that, alright, sweetheart? There are always two sides of a story… you must never judge or take sides until you’re sure you know both sides of the story.”
Why her mother had said that, Ingrid didn’t know and she never really found out.
Years later, the event had become a simple recount of something common that occurred where they lived and Ingrid moved on with her life.
Yet she never forgot her mother’s words and as she grew, she was able to understand what her mother had meant with her words and the lesson she was trying to teach.
The words had shaped Ingrid for most of her adolescent life, allowed her to enter adulthood with an understanding mind. She wasn’t fond of confrontation and because of her desire to find out both sides to stories told, Ingrid became specialized as a small town advocate for wrongfully imprisoned people.
Romance: The Lion's Chosen Mate: BBW Lion Shifter Romance Standalone (Hunky Shifters Book 1) Page 8
