BK 4 - Chapter 4 - Meeting A Lion
Jayce stared at Lisa, unsure of what to say. What was a werelion? Was it some kind of sorority? His heart rate sped up while she continued to wait for him to say something.
"What does that mean exactly?" Jayce asked cautiously. Lisa bit her lip nervously.
"It means that I can shift from human to a lion," She answered softly. Jayce started laughing so hard his sides hurt. However, when he looked and saw that she was on the verge of tears, he stopped.
"I don't understand. I thought you were joking." He felt bad when he saw the tears begin to run down her face. Lisa didn't seem to be the type of woman that cried often. Jayce wrapped his arms around her and held her tight as he tried to figure out what she was talking about. He suddenly heard a low rumble that sounded like a purr. When he pulled away from Lisa, he realized it was coming from her.
"What's that noise?" Jayce asked while trying to stay calm. Was she crazy? Maybe he shouldn't have been so quick to go to a remote location with her. He glanced around and saw they were completely alone.
"That's my lion, Aliyah. She's purring." Lisa studied his face to see his reaction. She took his hand and placed it over her chest so he could feel the rumble inside her.
"How are you doing that?" He asked, still not believing she had a lion inside of her.
"My lion's doing it. I can prove it to you if you'd like. I can shift into my lion, and you can see her for yourself." Lisa replied, still holding on to the hope he wouldn't reject her. Jayce looked into her eyes and nodded.
"Okay, show me your lion," He still didn't believe she could change into a lion, but he wouldn't judge until he saw what she would do.
"Let's go further down, away from the road. If anyone sees a large lion on the side of the road, it may cause a little unwanted attention." Lisa stood up and started walking, but Jayce grabbed her hand to stop her.
"Lisa, before we go down there, I want to do something." He said, pulling her until she stood in front of him.
"What?" Lisa was nervous he would do something outrageous, but he didn't. He cupped her cheek with his hand and gave her a gentle kiss on the lips. Lisa felt sparks flying around them. It wasn't a knee-weakening kiss, but it was enough to calm her nerves.
"I've wanted to do that since the first time I saw you," Jayce said, rubbing her cheek with his thumb. Lisa smiled up at him.
"Thank you. I was scared you thought I was insane." She said as they started walking away from the road and down the small hill toward the beach. Lisa looked around to make sure no one was there.
"I don't think that. I heard you purring, so I know there's something different about you." Lisa had him sit on a large boulder and took a few steps away.
"I have to take my clothes off so they don't shred. Can you close your eyes?" She asked.
"Sure," Jayce closed his eyes.
"When you see Aliyah, she's larger than most female lions, but she won't hurt you," Lisa said as she removed her clothes and laid them next to Jayce.
"Okay," He kept his eyes tightly closed, waiting for her to tell him he could open them. Jayce didn't hear a voice but felt hot air on his face. He slowly pulled his hands away and was face to face with an enormous lioness. He swallowed his fear as she laid her head in his lap. His first instinct was to scream and run away, but then she started purring.
Jayce slowly brought his hand to her head and started petting her. When he glanced to the side, he saw Lisa's clothes next to him. He couldn't believe it. She could actually change into a lion. He wouldn't think it was real if he wasn't seeing it for himself. The more he petted her, the louder she purred.
"So you're Aliyah. It's nice to meet you. I've never petted a lioness before. You're magnificent." Jayce jumped off the boulder to stand next to Aliyah. He ran his hand down her back. She laid down and nodded toward her back. He wasn't sure, but he thought she wanted him to get on.
He slowly got on her back and waited. She stood up, and Jayce grabbed her fur so he wouldn't fall off. She started trotting down the beach. Jayce laughed as she picked up speed and ran near the water. When she turned to go back to where they started, he was completely at ease. She laid back down, and he climbed off.
"That was amazing. Thank you, Aliyah." She licked his face with her large tongue, and he chuckled. Jayce noticed she sat and was staring at him. He assumed she was ready to return to Lisa, so he covered his eyes again.
"Okay, you can open your eyes," Lisa said nervously. She was wringing her hands when he looked at her. "So, do you believe me now?"
Jayce didn't say anything. Instead, he walked over, leaned down, and kissed her. Not a soft, gentle one like before. This one felt like he was staking his claim on her. When she felt his tongue touch her lip, she opened her mouth to allow him access. He massaged her tongue with his. Lisa moaned in pleasure at everything he was making her feel. When he pulled away, she was breathless and a little weak.
"I don't just believe you. I think you're incredible." Jayce said as he wrapped her in his arms. He was slightly jealous that he couldn't shift into a large lion. It would have helped when he was growing up.
"Really? I was so scared to show you. Breanne doesn't even know. I have more to tell you about other shifters and my family. Also, I need to tell you what it means to be a shifter." Lisa said, hoping he would be just as excited when she told him they were mates.
"I want to hear it all. How about you let me cook you dinner? We can go to my apartment so you can talk while I cook." Jayce asked, putting his arm around her shoulders and leading her to the truck.
"You can cook?" Lisa asked doubtfully. He started laughing at the look on her face.
"Yes, I can cook. I've been taking care of myself for a long time, and I get tired of always eating takeout. Are you willing to give my skills a try?" He asked, helping her into the truck. Lisa pulled him to her before he could walk away.
"Yes, I'll eat dinner with you. Thank you for not running away from me." She said softly, running her fingers through his thick black hair. Jayce smiled and kissed her.
"Lisa, I won't run away from you." He said, kissing her one last time before walking around the truck to get in.
He drove to a market not far from their building. Jayce bought everything he needed to make chicken alfredo with broccoli. When they returned to the truck, Lisa looked at her phone and noticed several messages from Alex and Breanne. She replied to them both, telling them she was with Jayce.
He parked in the parking lot behind the building, and Lisa followed him to his apartment on the second floor. It was a one-bedroom, but it was still nice-sized. There was dark blue furniture in the living room with a wooden table. A small kitchen with a table and four chairs.
"This place came furnished, so please don't judge me based on the furniture." Lisa laughed as she sat in one of the chairs at the kitchen table.
"Our place was furnished too. You're making your own alfredo sauce?" Lisa asked, watching him mix ingredients together after putting the chicken in the oven.
"Yep. The stuff in the jar can't compare. So tell me about these other shifters." Jayce said as he put the noodles on to boil.
"My brother Alex is a werebear. A grizzly, actually." Jayce stopped what he was doing to look at her.
"Is that why he's so large? I figured he was a football player." He asked.
"Yeah, that's one of the reasons. Alex doesn't play any sports. His major is art. My mom is a werelion, and my dad is a vampire." Jayce set his bowl down and walked over to her.
"Okay, so not only are shifters real, but there are vampires too?" He asked, and she nodded. "Wow, what else?"
"Witches are real. We actually have a really sweet one that helps at the group homes I was telling you about. Her name is Vilma. My grandma Cat has group homes for humans and shifters. She's a werelion but was human before she mated with my grandpa Trey." Jayce was watching her intently.
"So humans can turn into shifters?" He asked.
"Yes. Shifters, vampires, and some witches have mates. It's the one person who is their other half. When they mate, they mark each other, and that connects them to each other forever. Humans would see it as their soulmate." Lisa watched his expression to see what he thought about mates. To her surprise, she saw anger in his eyes.
"So when you find your mate, you'll mark him?" Jayce felt bitter thinking about Lisa with someone else. He was falling for her fast. Werelion or not, he couldn't imagine being with anyone else.
"I will if he accepts me. I've already found my mate Jayce," She stood up and walked over to him in the kitchen. His face fell, and he turned away from her.
"That's nice. So has he accepted you?" He asked, feeling like his heart was being crushed.
"So far, he seems to be taking it all pretty well. Jayce, look at me." When he turned, Lisa saw the pain in his eyes and smiled. "You're my mate."
