Page 10 of Her Lion Lover

Right on cue, the clock tower began to chime...

ELEVEN

Leo had never enjoyed a ball this much in his life. He'd danced with a lot of women, having to force himself to remember the steps and how to make polite conversation without stepping on her feet, whilst wanting nothing more than to walk out of the event altogether, but dancing with the Silver Lady was almost...effortless. Like his feet had wings.

Nor did she require small talk. No, it was all about the ballet of bodies moving so in sync with one another, it was like there was some sort of quantum entanglement going on. Of course, he hadn't done physics since high school, and it had hardly been his favourite subject, so he wasn't even sure how two bodies could be quantum entangled. He hadn't even touched her, so there was no way any parts of them could have tangled, though he wouldn't have complained if they had. And the more he danced with her, the more he became aware of his desire for her.

Several times, his suit pants had grown so uncomfortably tight that he'd had to excuse himself, telling her he was going to fetch them some drinks. The row of empty water jugs on the railing told the tale of how long they'd been dancing, but he just didn't want to stop. Nor did she, it seemed, though she did pause every time the clock struck the hour. And why wouldn't she? The loud, discordant notes from the centuries old clock tower drowned out the music they were trying to dance to.

This time, he'd just poured her the last glass of water as the bells began to toll.

"Is that...?" she asked.

Leo nodded. "Midnight. The witching hour." He wanted to say something about how she'd bewitched him, but that seemed too trite. If anything, it would break the spell of this enchanted evening. He held out her glass as he raised his. "To a magical night," he said.

Her fingers touched the glass, but it slipped right through, smashing on the ground, sending water and glass shards everywhere.

"I have to go!" she cried.

"Stay right there. I'll get your shoes," he said, crossing the grass to where she'd kicked them off.

But when he turned, shoes in hand, she was already sprinting away.

Leo wasn't sure what came over him. One moment, he was holding her shoes. The next, he was fully shifted, chasing after his prey. Prey he would not allow to get away.

TWELVE

Midnight already? Where had the time gone? She heard King say something to her, but she couldn't hear him over that bloody clock. She wouldn't hear the coach leaving, either, and she needed to be on it. Her shift started at nine tomorrow, and she'd need some sleep between now and then.

Thankful she'd kicked off her heels earlier in the evening, Lily flew across the lawn, her feet too cold to feel the gravel crunching beneath them as she leaped onto the coach steps, just before the door shut. She shoved her way in, though the door tried to close on her, before collapsing on the nearest seat.

Everyone else looked as exhausted as she felt. Well, they'd all been dancing all night, too, though they likely hadn't had her enthusiastic dance partner.

Rosalind's carefully coiffed ringlets now hung in sweaty tangles down her back and shoulders, picking up stray bits of gold glitter from her dress. Sienna looked particularly pale, now her signature red lipstick had worn off. Too many cocktails, or too much kissing? Given her gown didn't look any more mussed then the moment she'd zipped it up, Lily's bet was on her spending the night drinking, or trying all the food. Sienna wasn't into dancing.

Auren looked as fresh as a freaking daisy, but her attention was fixed on her phone, and all the beautiful photos she'd taken at the event. Candace fancied herself a social media influencer, but Auren was the queen of every platform she posted on. Every picture, every post was pretty and almost perfect, but in such an authentic way that you couldn't possibly doubt they were her work, her thoughts, her everything laid bare for the world to see. Then Auren's eyes widened, as she pressed her phone to the window. "Are you seeing this?" she asked, pointing.

Lily cupped her hands to her eyes and peered out. There was a hulking shape in the forest. Like a pony or something, but with a huge...

"Is that a lion?" Lily gasped out. She and Auren watched, wide eyed, as the enormous cat bounded out of the shadows and right up to the bus. Claws raked the window and they both screamed, but the coach driver just kept going, accelerating away. The lion gave chase, but soon fell behind.

Hunter. Prey. If Lily had known a real, live lion lurked in the woods, she never would have stayed outside. What if it had attacked her and King while they were dancing? She'd known it was there, watching her. She should have listened to her instincts and left then. If she hadn't made it to the coach in time...who knew what might have happened?

"Damn. I didn't get a clear picture of it. Just the claw." Auren held up her phone. A massive paw with claws as long as Lily's fingers filled the screen, stretched across the bus window. Something that big could have taken her head off with one swipe. Auren let out a shaky laugh. "Well, that's one photo from the ball I won't be posting. I should delete it altogether, so it doesn't give me nightmares. I wanted to be a travel blogger when I was little, until I realised how many dangerous wild animals live in the prettiest wild places. Lions. Wolves. And bears! All sorts of things that could eat me alive." She shuddered. "Well, I guess I won't be going for a walk in the grounds until the zoo catches that lion."

Lily nodded, making a mental note to tell the headmistress or at least the coach driver, before she went to bed, so everyone was safe. She might not like Candace, Elsa or Anna much, but no one deserved to be mauled by a lion.

THIRTEEN

The moment Leo scented his mate, madness overcame him. That's the only explanation he had for his animal behaviour. Chasing after the coach like a dog pursuing the postman. When all he had to do was pay a visit to Mirror Academy, the nearby college that owned the coach, and ask to meet his mate.

Even better, he could say he was returning the shoes she'd left behind. He might not know her name, but her shoes carried her unmistakeable scent, and he'd know her by it anywhere, masked or not.

Tomorrow, he'd pay the school a visit. In the afternoon, when they'd all had a chance to get a good night's sleep. He wanted his mate wide awake and well rested when he proposed to make her his partner for life.

Meanwhile, he should probably take a moment to interrogate Tremotino, or at least get some information from him. Leo might not want to work with the man on any of his projects, as the questionable legality of his methods left a sour taste in his mouth, but if he could find out what the holdup was with Tremotino's latest development, then maybe he could help Hea Sanctuary get closer to being more of a reality than its currently delayed construction, stuck in the planning stages.

Leo headed for the nearest door to the castle, so that he might sneak in unnoticed.

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