The Lion's Shared Bride (13 page)

She had known without Aedan or Soren saying anything to the point that with the situation the way it was amongst the Pride, there was a strong possibility that she wouldn’t be able to go back if she wanted to. The fact that she knew the truth of their nature only made it more impossible for her to make any other choice. Nina had realized by the time her “weekend” with the two men was over, and Soren had asked her how she felt, what she thought, that she didn’t really have much choice in the situation. She had considered, a few times between when she had seen Soren transform and when the time came to make her decision, the possibility of running away. Of slipping out of the house, getting into her car as quickly as possible, and driving to her apartment.

But then
, she thought,
it would have been difficult to get out of the house
. Aedan or Soren would have heard her, probably at any time of the day or night she tried it. Even if she could, there was no guarantee she could get to her car. And if she managed to get into her car, she was fairly certain they could track her. Find her. If the members of their Pride had managed to catch her scent, then they could too. It was too dangerous for her to back out.

She wasn’t entirely unwilling—it wasn’t against her will that she had made the choice. There were plenty of benefits. Nina grinned, looking down at a pink crystal bowl her numb hands had unwrapped. The two men had made it abundantly clear that she was not expected to be some kind of domestic or sex slave—but they had also made their continually high level of interest in sex with her extremely apparent. She thought of how often she saw each of them—both of them—suppressing the animalistic arousal that her scent seemed to generate, pushing it aside and mastering themselves so as not to overwhelm her, so as to get something done. Nina had to believe that eventually the first high passion of their ardor would cool at least a little bit; she didn’t fear that either man would stray, but after three days of going from one pair of arms to another—of even being wrapped up between two bodies, both lavishing her with attention, touching and teasing her everywhere—she was starting to become sore in a less-than-pleasant way.

The issue lurking underneath all of her concerns was the situation with the Pride. Nina had accepted—with difficulty—the assertion that Soren and Aedan could keep her safe from those members who had risen up against them. As long as she stayed with them. The trip to her apartment had been bittersweet—there had been a brief feeling of freedom, but then she had realized that she couldn’t be truly alone, away from both men at the same time. One of them had to be watching. Someone from the Pride might choose to do to her what they’d done to Anna, Soren’s cousin.

Nina chewed her bottom lip, setting the box down on the floor at her feet.
You’re upset because you don’t feel like you have control. And, hell, you’re not wrong there,
she thought wryly.
So how do you fix this? You take control of the things you can. You got your space, you got some alone time.
Nina took a deep breath.
You’re going to have to come to terms with both of these men. You’re going to have to figure out what position you occupy, and then occupy the hell out of it.
Nina smiled to herself. After a week of not reporting to work—or nearly a week—without a very good excuse, she thought it would be likely she might show up on Friday to discover that she no longer had a job. At least she had plenty of support. She remembered abruptly that she was going to be expected to carry children for both men; well—at least in that case, she wouldn’t have to worry about maternity leave, if she was already unemployed.

She took another deep breath and stood. She smiled to herself, thinking of the ways in which she could take at least a little bit of her own control back. Digging through her drawers, she found one of the items that had taken Aedan’s particular interest. It was a slinky, light-weight negligee, with a soft floral pattern and a sweetheart neckline, complete with a light robe that went with it. Nina slipped out of her clothes, glancing at the door, wondering if the two men were listening for her. She got the impression sometimes that when she was alone—rare as it was—she was still somewhat under surveillance. “What should we have for dinner?” Nina asked her reflection in the bedroom mirror with a grin. She slithered into the lingerie she had brought with her and in the back of her mind, thought of the scenes she had seen—of lion tamers dealing with their animals, of the misdirection and confidence, the commanding presence. She could tame a couple of lions, if it came to that, she thought.

THE FINAL
CHAPTER

Aedan stood as still as jangling nerves would allow, watching as the members of the Pride arrived at the site of the monthly hunt. A few feet away from him, Nina stood, her eyes like saucers but her pheromones mostly under control; a steady undercurrent of anxiety trickled through the warm spicy sweetness, mingled with his own musk scent and the sharper, slightly more vegetal scent-mark from Soren’s body. As members arrived, Aedan saw them sniffing the air, scenting the mood of the group as a whole; some of them sidled and slunk, casting furtive glances at Nina.
One thing we forgot to tell her,
Aedan thought, with a stab of regret.
On the off chance Soren doesn’t win, she’d be a prize for whoever in the Pride is able to grab her.
The animal in him rebelled at the thought; if Soren didn’t put down this rebellion, he was going to snatch Nina away and take her with him—whether or not he could keep Soren from being killed.

He was glad—for Nina’s sake—that the Pride had a rule that they would all arrive at the hunting site in their human forms. While the site of a group of lions didn’t bother him any more—having grown up with that sight until he was expelled from his own Pride—he knew that Nina was still shaky on the realities of living with were-lions, and the sight of about fifty lions advancing towards her might have thrown the whole situation to the dogs.

Aedan smiled privately to himself, remembering the change that had come over Nina a few days before; after he and Soren had given her some space, knowing that she needed to adjust, needed to cope with the fact that her entire life was uprooted, Nina had come out of her bedroom dressed in a deliciously skimpy negligee and robe combination, in a fabric that simply begged to be touched, that clung to the full, lush curves of her body perfectly. She had forestalled the leap that Soren and Aedan were both prepared to make to grab her, holding up her hands, and announced that she was going to make dinner, that they were going to have to decide between the two of them who was going to wash the dishes, and that they would have no say in what she prepared.

It marked a transition—and one that Aedan was pleased to see. Nina was assuming an active role in the relationship. She had clearly decided that after days of letting herself be persuaded and lightly manipulated, she was going to not only stick with her choice, but enforce her ability to choose. Aedan had worried, for a while, that she was going along with him and Soren a little too readily, that she had given in with less fight than her feisty, charismatic demeanor had originally suggested.

Aedan took a deep breath as the last members of the Pride appeared, slinking out of the darkness, their other natures obvious in their body language. Alex moved forward, his gaze on Soren at all times, leaving the group behind him—both his supporters and those who were still on Soren’s side. Alex assumed the demeanor of a challenging male, and Aedan heard Nina’s sharp intake of breath—smelled the scent of her subtle fear pheromones intensifying. But he couldn’t look at her. Not now.
Now for a little bit of theatre,
Aedan thought drily.

Before Alex could issue the challenge, Soren raised his hands, calling for the attention of the Pride as a whole, standing up a little taller, moving forward in almost-imperceptible steps. “I am aware that Alex is interested in challenging me for the leadership of the Pride,” Soren said, raising his voice, projecting as if he were on a stage. “But first I must make two announcements.” Aedan suppressed the smile that threatened to form on his face at how well Soren was performing, at the calm, dominant confidence in the Alpha’s demeanor. “The first is that Aedan has fulfilled his obligation to find a mate, in order to remain with the Pride.” There was a flicker—a brief ripple of tension through the ranged Pride standing around. “Because Aedan has found a mate, I would like to take this opportunity to welcome him into our Pride as a full member.” Soren glanced at him.

“Who’s the human?” Someone—one of Alex’s confederates—called out. Soren turned his attention onto the lion in question, his face barely changing expression, but his body language altering entirely.

“The human is Aedan’s mate. She is also my mate.” Another murmur—almost subliminal—through the waiting, anticipating Pride. “That is correct; Aedan and I are sharing a mate. Nina has agreed to be shared by us. She will bear children by both of us, increasing the diversity of the Pride. Some more of you—unattached males and females alike—will need to find human mates as well. We will discuss that another time.”

Aedan glanced at Soren’s challenger; Alex was furious, barely containing his change. It was easy to see that this solution robbed Alex of most of his support. Some of the people on the fringes of his support network started to seep away, moving towards the slightly separated group that supported Soren. Aedan shook his head ever so slightly to himself. A were who couldn’t control himself completely—whose face and hands started to shift into his animal form without his conscious choice, simply because he was angry—was not a good potential Alpha.

Murmurs filled the air, and Aedan scented the pheromones swirling around them all; he could smell fear, anticipation, anger, relief. Near him, Nina was containing herself. The scent markers on her—his and Soren’s both—made Soren’s assertion that she was their shared mate indisputable. Whether the Pride agreed with the decision was moot. “Humans don’t belong with us!” one of Alex’s last supporters cried out.

“Ask the Breeding Mistress,” Soren said, his voice taking on a leonine growl. “She was the one who instructed me to find a human mate, to bring in new blood. This solution brings Aedan into the fold, and it provides for the future of the Pride as a whole.”

“This is a petty power-play,” Alex finally spoke, and Aedan wanted to roll his eyes. “You knew that you would be challenged, so you rushed a make-do into place; it’s destined to fail. No woman could bond equally to two lions. No two male lions—especially a lone male—could share a mate!”

“You can smell both my and Aedan’s scent marks all over her. We have shared her. We will continue to do so. It has been settled among the two of us.” Aedan wanted to clap, to applaud Soren’s demeanor. As he responded to Alex, his gaze was switching amongst the defectors, shaming them, imposing his will as the Alpha. “I name Aedan my secondary.”

“Elevating a lone male to the second-in-command the moment he’s in the Pride?” There was an angry growl amongst the Pride. Aedan knew that keeping him almost-but-not equal to Soren would make waves. Nina glanced at him, fear in her eyes for the first time that evening. Aedan made a sound in his throat, soothing her.

“It is my decision,” Soren said firmly. Aedan watched as most—not all, but most—of the tension in the group began to dissolve. Soren was the leader. He was the man in charge. “Now, I believe we can come to the issue of you, Alex.”

“I challenge you,” Alex shouted. “I challenge your leadership; I challenge your right to be Alpha of the Pride.”

Soren smiled slightly.

“Under normal circumstances,” he said, and Aedan appreciated the weight of the other man’s words, “due to the fact that you have murdered a member of your own Pride, you would be ineligible for any kind of challenge to my authority as an Alpha.” Aedan suppressed a smile as he noticed Soren’s gaze taking in Alex’s co-conspirators. “In fact, the punishment for murder in this Pride is banishment.” Soren turned his attention back onto Alex. “But I will allow this challenge to stand.”

Soren moved forward, and Aedan closed the distance between himself and Nina, pulling her away quickly. It would be far too easy, in the heat of the fight, for Alex to attack Nina instead—directing his fury at the cause of his sudden loss of popularity, and removing Soren’s current strength. Away from the center of the fighting, Aedan could, as Nina’s mate, defend her if the necessity arose. He held her arms to her sides, stopping a few feet away from the gathered Pride; Aedan knew that he was not yet fully accepted, and that if things somehow turned out against Soren, he would have to leave his new Pride just as he had left his original one.

Aedan leaned in close to Nina’s ear. “This is going to be brutal. Just remember—neither Soren nor I will ever let anyone harm you, and we will never harm you ourselves. You are safe with us.” He watched as the two combatants moved into position, slipping their clothes off quickly as each sank down into a crouch.

Nina tensed under his hands as the transformation began. Aedan watched intently; Soren’s change was happening much more rapidly than Alex’s, his face changing shape, his body shaking as the sound of hard chunks being stirred in viscous liquid—like pebbles in a cement mixer—filled the air. Groans turned into growls, into roars, and Aedan watched as fur slithered out seemingly from somewhere inside of Soren. He was used to this sight—he knew it well, had seen it as one of his earliest conscious memories. But by the way that she trembled in his arms, he knew that Nina still had not yet fully accepted the reality of their natures.

Where two men had been a few moments before, Aedan’s eyes took in the sight of two lions; he compared the Alpha and the challenger, his heart beating faster in instinct. Soren was just slightly taller in the shoulder, rangier of build, less deeply muscled than Alex, but his mane was thick and impressive, his paws broad, his body bearing the hallmarks of an animal built for speed. Alex had a deeper, broader chest, though a smaller head and smaller jaws. It was hard to say, on paper, comparing the two, which one was more likely to win; then again, Aedan knew, it was not as straightforward as it might appear.

The two lions circled each other, and Aedan knew that Nina was watching even more intently than he was, that she was taking it in as the curiosity of a lifetime. Alex sidled and slunk, obviously working up his courage, and Aedan knew that the only reason that the challenge would progress was because if Alex backed off—as would happen, usually, in nature and even often in the Pride—he would be subject to justice for what he had done to Anna. If Alex somehow managed to win, defeating Soren, his murder would go unpunished, and those who had helped him carry it out would never see justice either.

Aedan easily saw the desperation in Alex’s body language as the younger lion launched himself at Soren; the circling had finally gotten to be too much, coupled with the Pride’s intent watchfulness. Soren batted and kicked the other lion away from him, knocking him to the dirt. The first act of battle had taken place; in between one heartbeat and another, the two were growling and lunging at each other, feinting away from blows, each trying to get the advantage. Alex tried to move fast—but Soren was faster, knocking him again and again to the ground, not quite pinning him down. Aedan knew instinctively that the battle would be to the death; Alex could not—would not—face being banished to the lonely, precarious existence of a lone male lion.

Both combatants began to tire, though Aedan’s practiced eye noted that Soren was still fresher, still had more energy coiled in his rangy muscles. Alex’s fur was flecked with blood where Soren’s teeth had caught him, where blunt claws had come down in force to rake along his side, not quite puncturing the organs, but leaving him wounded. Soren himself had a few spots of deep red against the tawny brown-gold of his fur, where Alex had managed to land one or two hits. As they circled each other again, Aedan knew that the battle was coming to a close. He pressed his lips to Nina’s ear. “It’s almost over, love,” he murmured as lowly as he could; he could hear the soothing purr in his voice, a reaction to the wash of fear emanating from his mate.

Soren knocked aside Alex’s last, desperate lunge, throwing the other lion onto the ground and holding him there pinned, his mouth wrapped around Alex’s throat. Aedan noticed that Soren’s gold-shot eyes went to the assembled Pride, his body language showing his dominance over them all in the form of this one challenger. Aedan covered Nina’s eyes with his hands, even though he knew that she would hear the sound that came next. In Alex’s failure to submit, to yield to his Alpha, Soren had no choice; Aedan watched as Soren’s jaw muscles rippled, heard the sound of flesh tearing and bones crunching as the Alpha bit down, killing the challenger in one sharp movement. The battle was over.

*

Nina lay curled on the couch, thinking about what she had witnessed. After the battle between Soren and Alex, Aedan’s hands had relaxed on her slightly, and she watched in curiosity and confusion as Soren resumed his human form, standing before the entire Pride as naked as the day he was born. She hadn’t been able to make sense of the sentences he had passed down—knowing only from the slinking, the downcast eyes and backward steps, that several members of the Pride were exiled. Several more were, as Aedan had explained, leading her to the car, banned for several consecutive hunts. It was the equivalent of probation, a punishment that was not so permanent, but which would still sting for communal animals such as the were-lions were.

Aedan had instructed her carefully to drive back to Soren’s place. “You’re not in any real danger anymore,” he told her. “The worst agitator is gone for good, and the others wouldn’t want to risk worse happening to them by coming against you.” Nina had asked why she had to leave then. “You don’t want to see a Pride full of lions hunting; I don’t think your stomach is up for that just yet.” She couldn’t help but agree with that assessment.

It occurred to her more than once on the drive home from the nature preserve where the Pride met for its hunts that she could easily go back to Soren’s house, gather up her things, pack them up in her car and return to her normal life; from what Soren and Aedan had said on the few occasions when they had discussed the hunts, the pair would be away for several hours. But as she neared the house, Nina had realized that not only did she not want to go back on her word—and certainly she didn’t want to endanger either man by abandoning them, which she was sure the result would be—she actually liked both of them. She wanted to be with both of them.
Yeah, so they’re weird shapeshifting freaks who turn into lions,
she had thought, pulling into the driveway.
But apart from that, I couldn’t find a better living situation or romance situation if my life depended on it.