Chapter 49 - Becoming a Lioness
Trey and Cat ordered pizza when they got back home. He thought about the best way to explain everything that would happen once he marked her.
Cat watched Trey's facial expressions while they ate, and she almost laughed. She could see the wheels spinning in his head as he was lost in thought. She was ready for their talk and hoped he would go into more detail about the changes she would experience once he marked her. Cat didn't care what happened as long as it would tie her to Trey for the rest of her life.
Once they were done eating, they changed their clothes and went to sit on the deck, looking over the backyard. It was dark out, and because they were so far from the city, they could see millions of stars above them. Trey sat on the porch swing, pulling Cat down next to him so he could put his arm around her.
"I know you're worried that I'll change my mind once you tell me everything that will take place. That's not going to happen. I want you to mark me and make me yours for the rest of our lives." Cat brought his face to hers so she could kiss him. She felt his tenseness leave his body as he relaxed into their kiss.
"You astound me. You just found out all the crap Leo did, met him face to face, and now you want to talk about becoming a werelion. Where do you find the strength?" Trey ran his hand through her long soft hair as he looked down into her beautiful blue eyes.
"I get the strength from you. You've made all this possible. Think about how I was when we first met and how I am now. Only one thing has changed in that time: you coming into my life. I love you. Now tell me what I need to do to become a werelion so we can get started." Cat felt the excitement building inside her.
A couple of months ago, she had no idea there was anything supernatural in the world. However, now she will become one of those supernatural beings. Cat thought about Atlas and how he looked when she saw him in the hotel. He was a beautiful animal, and she couldn't wait to see her lioness.
"I'll do the best I can to explain what will happen. I know we talked about it some in Truckee, but there's a lot more to it, and I want to make sure you understand everything. With you being human, the process may take a little longer, but that's okay because all we have is time. I'll be with you every step of the way."
"Can I ask you something before we start?"
"Of course." He kissed her head as they swayed on the swing.
"When I have a lioness, will Atlas have to mate with her? It seems a little awkward if he does." Cat felt her cheeks burning as she asked the question, but it had been weighing on her mind for some time.
"No, by me marking you, and then you marking me, it will complete the process. As much as Atlas would love to mate with your lioness once she arrives, that won't happen unless you and your lioness want it." Trey bit his lip, trying not to laugh at the redness on Cat's face.
"You know, if someone overheard this conversation, they would think we're crazy. I feel absurd asking if I have to have sex with a lion." Cat chuckled under her breath while taking a sigh of relief. Thinking about mating with Atlas was a little much for her, even if she was in lioness form.
"This isn't a conversation that most humans could fathom having. You're taking it much better than any human I've ever known. Are you ready to hear all the details now?" Trey was hoping he didn't scare her too much with everything, but as calm as she'd been with everything else, he expected her to be the same with this information.
"Yep, go ahead and prepare me to become something from out of this world." Cat laid her head on Trey's shoulder while she waited.
"The first step to becoming a lioness will be me marking you. I will bite down on your neck, and once I do that, the process will begin. When I'm biting you, I'll release a type of venom, so to speak, that will go into your bloodstream. At first, you won't notice anything. It usually takes a few days to begin to feel the effects. You may feel sick as your body adjusts to the changes, but it will pass. The entire process takes about a month, and you'll get your lioness sometime within that month. You'll know when she's there because she'll start talking to you." Trey looked down to see how Cat was taking everything so far.
"Okay, so I'll feel sick, but that will go away, and my body will be changing. What's that like when you say my lioness will speak to me?" Cat was confused about the concept of sharing her body with a lioness and her thoughts no longer being hers alone.
"It's kind of like when you hear yourself thinking, but it's a different voice. It's hard to explain. Once we can mindlink, you'll understand better. When we mindlink, you'll hear my voice in your head without me speaking, and I'll be able to hear you the same way. Does that make sense, or did I confuse you more?" Trey looked down at Cat but couldn't tell what she was thinking.
"That's what I thought it'd be like, but I'm more anxious to be able to do this mindlinking thing with you. It would be nice to talk to you without saying anything out loud. So what happens next after I start hearing my lioness?"
"Your body will go through some more changes to make adjustments so you can shift into her. You won't feel too much, but your bones will thicken in certain places and thin in others. It's all to make the shifting easier. It will hurt when you shift for the first time, but the pain will improve with each shift." Trey hoped he was explaining it to Cat well enough so she would understand. It was hard to tell someone what to expect when they weren't born with these abilities.
"How do I shift? I mean, do I tell my lioness I want to shift, and then it just happens, or what? It seems like it would take a lot of work to turn into something else, even though I saw you turn into Atlas in a matter of seconds." Cat couldn't imagine how it would work to go from a human to an animal.
"You and your lioness do it together. You both have separate personalities, but you share your emotions and feelings. Your lioness will know what you want, and you'll know what she wants. For instance, since Atlas first identified you as our mate, he's wanted me to mark you, but I've reminded him that we had to go at your pace."
Cat thought about everything he had said while they continued to sway on the porch swing. There was a cool breeze in the air, but being against Trey made her feel nice and warm.
"Is there anything else I need to know?" So far, she hadn't heard anything that would change her mind about wanting to be marked as soon as possible.
"That's pretty much everything. I already told you that we live longer than humans. Anything else that comes up, we'll get through together. How do you feel?" Trey hoped he hadn't put too much on her to make her change her mind.
"I think I'm ready. When can we do it?" Cat looked up into his surprised eyes and laughed. "You didn't think I was going to change my mind, did you? Since the first day you told me about being a werelion and changing me into one, that's all I've wanted. Nothing you said was going to scare me."
He thought about marking her right now on the swing but changed his mind. He wanted to take her away somewhere so they could do it in private and spend at least a month alone without any interruptions. He had an idea of the perfect place.
"How about we go to Monterey and do it there? I'll rent us a house overlooking the ocean, and we can stay as long as you want while you go through the changes." The more he thought about it, the better it sounded. Trey was anxious to show her where his family lived, although he was going to do his best to stay clear of them. They wouldn't be happy about him mating with a human.
"Monterey? Do you mean we can actually go somewhere for fun and not to hide? You know I've never been on vacation. Everywhere I've gone is because I was trying to escape something." Cat looked up at him in wonder, and he thought she had never looked more beautiful.
"I'm going to show you the world. We'll start with Monterey, but after that, the world will be our playground." She stood up and pulled him up with her.
Cat jumped into Trey's arms and kissed him all over his face laughing in excitement. She had always dreamt of traveling but never thought it would be a reality. She knew what she wanted now, and she hoped Trey would agree.
"I need you to do something for me?" He looked at her, confused, as she guided him into the house and shut the door.
"What do you need me to do?" She smiled slyly at him as she led him to the bedroom.
"I need you to make love to me. I've been holding off because I was scared. After facing Leo today, I'm no longer afraid. Will you make love to me?" He stared at her in concern. Cat knew he didn't want to hurt her, but she needed this. She needed him to finish putting together the pieces Leo had broken, and Caleb had re-fractured.
"Cat, are you sure you're ready?" Trey didn't want her to rush anything, no matter how much he craved to touch her soft skin.
"Please, I need you." How could he say no when she pleaded with him?
He led her over to the bed and laid her down before slowly undressing her. Trey watched her face the entire time, making sure he didn't see any fear or uncertainty. He would stop immediately if he saw anything that made him think she wasn't ready. However, nothing said she was fearful; instead, he could smell her arousal.
Trey took his clothes off and got on the bed with her. He took one last look into her eyes to ensure she was okay. He then took his time and made love to her.
Cat felt so alive making love with Trey again; it had been too long. He was so gentle and loving with her that she didn't have a moment of trepidation. When they were done, she felt tears running down her face, and before Trey could say anything, she smiled up at him.
"These are happy tears. I was worried that Caleb had pushed me back, but you did what you do best and put me back together again. I love you."
"I love you too." After a long day of many revelations and emotions, Cat needed to feel loved, and Trey did that for her. She knew she could always count on him, which meant more to her than anything in the world.
