Page 6 of Loving the Lion

“Some are, some are not. I assure you my animal is magnificent.”

“Conceited much?” She grinned, and he was puzzled by how pleased that made him. He wanted to see that look on her face again and again—and be the one that put it there.

“No.”

The answer was given with what Sally had come to assume was Bachar’s natural arrogance. But, then, he was handsome as sin, and she was sure his animal was just as magnificent and beautiful as he claimed.

Oh, to have such confidence. But then he had the goods to back it up.

Sally looked at Bachar again, a puzzled expression marring her nearly perfect features. Others might see her as plain, but to him, she had that timeless beauty that would only grow more pronounced as she aged. She couldn’t be more than what, twenty-five, twenty-nine? Far too young for his old soul.

“But, if you’re a lion, why are you here? In the United States? Why aren’t you in Africa?”

“I am an American lion.”

“What?”

He sighed as if having to explain himself to a child. “I am from a lineage long since thought extinct. My ancestors crossed the Beringian Land Bridge and settled in North America. We are bigger and stronger than our African counterparts.”

“Naturally.” Another smile and Bachar was scrambling of things to say that would keep those appearing on her pretty face. “We are broader and faster. We prefer colder temperatures and hunt for our females, unlike our lazy cousins.”

“I had no idea that North America ever had lions. That’s fascinating. And not something we were ever taught in school.”

“There are many gaps in the human educational system.”

“Hey now. You’re human too. Didn’t you go to school?”

“Yes, to learn science and math, not about who and what I am.”

“You apparently had parents who cared then.”

“And you did not?” The thought of her having had an unhappy childhood was unsettling. Shifters always protected their young, taught them the skills they needed to stay safe and thrive. Before they announced their presence to the general population those skills included keeping the secret of their existence hidden.

She leaned back against the leather seat as if suddenly weighed down with burdens too heavy for her shoulders. “My parents were good people. It’s just…”

“They passed away while you were still young.”

“Yeah, that didn’t help.”

“How long have you been in charge of your brother?”

“I have been taking care of him since he was ten. When our mother passed away.”

“And your father?”

“He passed away two years before that.” She bit her lip, knowing she should tell him the truth now and not wait until later. She instinctively knew he did not like people who told lies or withheld the truth.

“And you had no other family members to look after him? Or you for that matter. You must have still been very young as well.”

“No.” The abrupt answer was not lost on Bachar. He had not known his little mate for very long, but he could sense she was not telling him the whole truth. Plus, there were things he already knew. Things she had no idea he knew.

“Why did he come here?”

“He wanted to see shifters.”

“We are not animals on display at the zoo.” His voice held a note of such icy disdain.

“I know that. He knows that. He meant no respect,” she hurriedly assured him.

“I am the leader of my pride, little one. Make no mistake about my superiority.”

“Oh, no one could escape your superiority.” She turned to look at the window and effectively ended the conversation.

Bachar tensed as she turned away, wondering what had happened. The hint of deceit still lingered in the air, and he realized that his guest, while not exactly lying to him, was withholding information that she thought would displease him.

Throwing her one last glance, he turned his attention back to the road, mentally gearing up. While the government had given shifters this area many years ago, there was still discontent within the local population. He needed all his wits about him at the moment.

He definitely didn’t need the complication of a mate right now.

Or ever, he growled at his lion as it started to protest yet again. The cat was becoming extremely annoying.