Page 9 of Her Lion Lover

Lily slammed down the spun-sugar cocktail like it was a vodka shot. It wasn't until she'd swallowed that she felt the burn that told her that sticky sweetness was more potent than she'd first thought. Good thing she wasn't driving tonight.

She shivered a little, wishing she'd thought to bring a wrap. Not that she owned anything grand enough to go over this gown.

Moonlight turned the lawn silver, but it only highlighted the shadows where the grass ended in dark forest. She expected it to be quiet out here, after the noise and bustle inside, but the forest seemed to be having its own party in the darkness. Anything could be hiding in those trees.

Engineer that she was, Lily couldn't name a single creature that lived in the local forests, except maybe some sort of owl. Diana would have known, being a qualified veterinarian and all, but she wasn't here. Off on her honeymoon with the man she'd fallen for at first sight. The stuff of fairytales.

The sound of flapping made her turn toward the forest again. Owls were supposed to fly silently, weren't they? Whatever it was, it looked pretty big for an owl. Maybe an eagle of some sort, though it was hard to tell in the dark, especially as it was flying up toward the tallest tower. Probably hunting prey or admiring the view from up there. Lily envied it. Down here, she got the distinct feeling of being prey, not hunter.

She snorted. She was an engineer, or she soon would be. Cold, methodical and logical. Certainly not fanciful. Even if she was here to have fun, she had no intention of letting her imagination run wild. No, she wanted to let her mind switch off for a few hours, and surrender control to her body. To dance to the music, if the interminable speeches would ever end and...ah, there it was. The beating heart of a bass line. Lily took a deep breath, closed her eyes, and began to dance.

And for a time, everything else went away. It was just her, and the beat.

Time meant nothing. It might have been minutes or hours, before she got that feeling again. The unfamiliar instinct that someone was hunting her.

She raised her eyes to meet the gaze of none other than Leo bloody King. Pimp suit, lion headdress and all.

His eyes widened.

Prey.

Who was the hunter now?

King held up a glass topped with spun sugar. "I thought you might like a drink."

Lily stalked forward. To his credit, King didn't back up. Ignoring his cocktail, she grabbed his glass of water instead, and downed the contents.

If there was one thing she loved about Scotland, it was the water. As cold and pure as fresh glacier melt. Hea Sanctuary might find its power requirements tricky as it reached capacity, at least until the miraculous battery system was revealed, but it would never run short of potable water.

"I feel like I should recognise you from somewhere," King said, his eyes narrowing. Then he shook his head. "But I don't think we've ever met. I'd remember." He stuck out his hand. "I'm Leo King."

Lily inclined her head. "I know."

"Please, if you'll come inside with me, I could get you another drink. We could..."

Lily shook her head. "I'm not going up to your room with you so you can prove to all of them in there that you're not gay."

His eyes widened. "That's not what I...I want..."

"Go back inside. There are a hundred Mirror Academy girls in there who would fall over themselves to be your conquest tonight. To give you a very happy birthday. I'm not here for you."

"Why did you come to the ball, then?" he challenged.

Lily raised her arms. "To dance, of course." As if on cue, the next song began.

"Can I dance with you?"

Normally, she and Diana and Arwen would have laughed and shaken their heads, telling the hapless boy he couldn't keep up with them.

But something told her King wasn't the type to grope and grind. Besides, if he really was gay, he was probably a better dancer than she was. Maybe her father had been wrong about him. Not a tom cat...more of a pussy cat.

"If you can keep up," she said.

King knocked back his cocktail, then wiped the fairy floss off his upper lip. "You're on." He stalked down the steps, stopping within arm's reach of her. "Let's dance."

Within a minute, Lily found herself laughing with delight. She could barely keep up with King, and she loved every minute of it. It was like he could read her mind, reacting to her movements before she made them. Matching her so perfectly, it was almost a pity he was gay. Because a man so in tune with her body when he had his clothes on would be an absolutely divine lover later...

A later she'd never know, because the last coach left at midnight.

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