Page 4 of Loving the Lion

“So you will take me?”

“Yes, I will find your brother.” Thankfully, humans couldn’t detect lies. Well, not exactly a lie, but certainly an untruth.

“Thank you.”

“Don’t thank me, Miss Wilder. I’m not doing you a favor. The mountains, especially now, in the dead of winter, are a dangerous place to be. There are times when the temperature will drop below freezing, and it’s so cold it hurts to breathe. The snow will fall so fast and so furious that you won’t be able to see two inches in front of your face.” He leaned forward. “And let’s not forget about the animals. They’d just as soon eat you as look at you. You have entered shifter territory, Sally Wilder. You best tread lightly.”

“Or what, a lion will eat me?”

“No doubt.”

For some reason, that comment didn’t have the desired effect he thought it would have on her. Instead of the smell of fear he’d expected, a wave of desire flooded the air. Had her thoughts turned naughty as his had done as soon as he’d said the words? He heard the soft grunt Tarek gave and couldn’t blame the wolf shifter. She smelled damn delicious.

Mine, his inner lion roared, wanting to warn off the other male. Mine.

She placed her drink on the table and leaned forward, a look of courage and determination in her beautiful brown eyes. “I don’t care. I need to find my brother.”

He had to shutter his expression for fear of giving away his feelings. Feelings that he was determined to keep to himself. He could not take a mate now, especially not one who looked as soft and fluffy as the snow that had begun to fall outside. “I hope, Miss Wilder, you do not come to regret those words.”

It took only an hour for Bachar to make their—or rather his—travel arrangements. She would go only so far up the mountain. When she met him at the door of the hotel as he’d instructed, he frowned, seeing the small backpack she carried. “Is that all of your luggage?”

Sally gripped the shoulder strap in her hand and tilted her head up. “Yes, I have everything I need.”

She didn’t want to confess that once she’d discovered her brother had run away, she’d simply thrown in a change of clothing and taken off like a bat out of hell to follow him. The rest of her clothing she was wearing, including the completely inappropriate tennis shoes. They provided no warmth against the cold mountain temperature. Besides the clothing, the small bag contained toothpaste and a toothbrush along with some deodorant and a hairbrush. She prayed the man she was about to go traipsing into the mountains with was more prepared than she was.

She had no idea what to expect. She assumed they would travel by car, but she also knew some of the area was completely inaccessible by anything other than foot. No doubt, shifters had no problem traversing the rough terrain in their animal forms. She, however, wasn’t so fortunate. All she had were two rounded legs that were weak from lack of any real exercise. She walked about a mile a day along a well-kept walking path near her home, but that was it. “Yes. I don’t need much.”

Bachar stared at her with those dark eyes that made her tremble. After a moment, he motioned for the man who had stood guard beside him earlier. They stepped aside for a brief conversation. They kept looking back at her, and she had the horrible feeling they were discussing her in some very unflattering way. She straightened her spine, steeling her resolve. She could, and would do this. She had no other choice.

Nick was all the family Sally had. As she had told Bachar, he was sixteen years old. What she hadn’t told the imposing man was that she had raised him single-handedly for nearly ten years. Ever since she was sixteen. She’d managed to keep the fact that their parents were deceased hidden from the authorities, afraid they would take him away from her. And once she discovered he was a shifter, she’d been even more terrified. She knew nothing about raising a teenaged boy, much less one that turned into a wolf.

After another few moments, the two men stopped talking, and Bachar stepped forward. “We will leave now.”

A valet delivered a large four-wheel drive vehicle, but Bachar made no effort to take her bag or open the door for her. He simply strode to the driver’s side to engage in conversation with yet another man. Sliding the strap from her shoulder and preparing to open the door herself, she wondered briefly if he was just an ass or was there something more. He carried with him that sense of power that she naturally associated with shifters. The one that said, I’m a big bad animal, and it is to your detriment if you mess with me. But his power seemed deeper, more ingrained. She had no doubt he was an alpha, but an alpha what? Whatever, or whoever, he was, he was definitely arrogant.

As her hand reached for the handle of the back passenger door, a strong masculine one reached for her bag. Without a word, he guided her to the front of the vehicle. He opened the door and waited for her to get inside. When she hesitated, he looked down at her, his gray eyes curious. “Do you require assistance?”

“Yeah.” Sally rolled her eyes, his complete ignorance of the embarrassing situation she found herself in, overriding said embarrassment. “The seat is like three feet off the ground.”

He looked over at Bachar as if seeking permission to help her and she gave another roll of her eyes. Could nothing be done without the great man’s approval? “Oh, never mind,” she said, trying to push him aside so she could get to the ‘oh shit’ handle. So what if her climb into the oversize vehicle wasn’t going to be all grace and beauty. Nothing about her was graceful or beautiful. She’d long ago accepted the fact that she was a plain, chubby girl with little to offer the male population.

Just as she stepped on the running board, she felt a large hand cup her ass and lift her onto the seat. “What the hell?” She turned around immediately, sending a killing glare the other man’s way.

His expression remained blank as he spoke. “You said you needed assistance.”

She opened her mouth to speak but closed it. What could she say? She had needed help, and his touch hadn’t been sexual, just a little inappropriate. “Well, next time, just take my arm, okay?”

She settled into the seat, giving a soft sigh at the warmth of the heated leather. Now, this was luxury she thought. She waited for the man to close the door.

“What?” she asked when he just continued to stand there with the door opened.

A look of indecision crossed his face. A look she was sure was not common for him to have.

“Be careful of him, Miss Wilder,” he warned. “We shifters love women, especially women as plump and lovely as you are. Bachar is no exception; you may find him even more of a challenge than finding your brother.”