Page 42 of Lion Conquers All
“You know how.” It was dark. No one was around. The snow made visibility almost zero. If he shifted, there was almost no chance of anyone seeing him. Even right in the middle of town.
“You can’t do that. What if someone saw you?”
“Connie, look around. No one is going to see anything. We can’t even see the front door of the MCC and we’re in the parking lot in one of the closest front spaces.”
She turned away from him and tried to look through the window. Then turned back to him. “I—are you sure?”
“I am quite sure. But it does my heart good to have you so worried about my well-being.” He got out of the car, into the blinding wind and snow and made his way around the hood to her door and opened it.
“Keep hold of the car,” he said, raising his voice to a shout above the wind. “I need you tonotbe afraid of my lion. I promise I won’t hurt you.”
She nodded.
Aarav took a couple steps back to give his beast room to shift. Even that much space would’ve made it difficult to see her and the car, if she didn’t have thesoul glowlighting her up like she was covered in bioluminescent paint.
Snow piled around his feet. The wheels of his patrol car were almost completely covered by drifts.
He bent down and called up his beast in the same breath. His paws struck the cold snowy fluff and he shook his mane. It’d been so long. It was good to stretch. So good.
“Fuck, you’re huge!”
His lion chuffed, amused by her statement. He was indeed much larger than she probably expected him to be. Lions on earth were small in comparison to his animal. He was longer than the patrol car and his shoulders stood higher than the roof of it.
He knelt down, giving her access to his shoulders.
“I can walk next to you. Grab some of your mane or something.” She took a step closer and touched him. Her fingers stroked through his fur and it was bliss. “You’re soft. I didn’t think your fur would be this soft, but I guess most cats have soft fur.”
Aarav chuffed again and pushed his shoulder against her hip.
“I can’t ride you. You’re not a horse.”
He pushed again. Stubborn woman.
She looked around. At nothing. It was swirling blackness all around them.
Mate.His beast purred and leaned against her again.
Sneaky lion.
It worked though. She leaned forward almost immediately, putting her cheek against his back and soaking up the vibrations. It was the one part of thesoul callshe seemed not to be able to ignore. She craved the connection as much as he did, she just didn’t recognize it for what it was.
He nudged her hip again, wriggling his body to try and force her leg up and over his back.
“Okay. Okay.” She clambered up, laying her body over his shoulders, and dug her fingers deep into his mane. She wrapped her legs around his sides and melted against him. “I’m good. I think.”
His lion never stopped purring.
He walked carefully through the parking lot, getting his bearings every so often, and followed the edge of the road. He moved slowly and methodically, counting street signs as he found them and buildings. He knew the way to her house by heart, but being in this storm was like walking blind. He needed to be careful or they could end up wandering the wrong way for hours and she wasn’t dressed to be in this weather for that long.
It took at least a half hour, but he made it to her porch. He breathed a deep sigh of relief and knelt again so climbing down wouldn’t be such a jolt. She slipped off into the snow and he shifted immediately, rising to stand next to her.
He followed her up to the front door.
She stood there, her hand with the key in the lock and didn’t move. He listened to her breathe in and out. Deep slow breaths like she was calming herself.
This was a huge step for her. And it had to be her. He didn’t want to ask her make this step for him. He stayed perfectly silent. Perfectly still.
You can do this. You can trust me.
