Chapter 14
Chapter Fourteen
Brea
One thing is for sure. I’m not cold. Daddy produces leggings from what I silently call his preparedness box. He’s been holding out on me. He told me he didn’t want me to wear pants. I think leggings count as pants.
I giggle as he works to get them up my legs and over my hips. “You lied.”
He narrows his gaze. “I will never lie to you.”
“You led me to believe you had no pants in the house.”
“These are not pants.” He finishes settling them around my waist and then bends my knees and presses my legs open wide. A second later, his nose is on my pussy, and he rubs up and down the two layers of cotton—both of which are now soaked.
I moan, my eyes rolling back.
“Leggings are soft and flexible. I can still grab your pussy or nuzzle between your legs and get you off. It would be much more difficult to fondle you if you were wearing jeans.” He lifts a brow.
Okay, he has a point. And I like how he touches me, so maybe I’m no longer going to be a pants person after all.
After releasing me, he adds one of his sweatshirts. It’s huge. He has to roll the sleeves up several times so my hands can stick out. He adds thick socks next and stands me on my feet.
The sweatshirt reaches past my knees. It’s like a huge dress.
“Perfect. I don’t have shoes for you yet, Little love, so you’ll have to go without today, but I don’t want you standing on that leg yet anyway. I’ll set you on a chair on the front porch so you can watch me shift in the clearing.”
I’m excited about this. Also a bit nervous. Who wouldn’t be? It would be scary for me to watch any shifter do their thing in front of me. I doubt the shifter community switches their form willy-nilly in front of humans. They’re private about it, and they don’t want to become a circus sideshow.
But I’m not going to witness just any man become a lion. I’m going to watch my own mate shift right before my eyes. I’m not sure how I feel about that. It’s weird.
Daddy sweeps me into his arms and kisses all over my face, lightening my mood and making me giggle. “I promise you’ll be perfectly safe, Little love.” He carries me through the house and out the front door.
For some reason, I’m surprised to see two other giant men who resemble Daddy in both size and stature standing in the clearing in front of his cabin.
Navin props me on one of his hips. “Brea, this is Orion and Pryce. They’re the ones who found you in the woods.”
“Nice to meet you,” I murmur, clinging to Daddy. “Thank you for saving my life.”
They give me warm smiles.
“Any time, Little one,” Orion says.
“I’m so glad to see you’re healing quickly,” Pryce adds.
Daddy sets me on the front edge of an Adirondack chair on the porch. If I sit tall, I can see all around me. The chair is bigger than any I’ve ever seen before, which isn’t surprising. Every piece of furniture in Daddy’s house is oversized.
My feet dangle as I look at my surroundings. There are several other cabins scattered around. They aren’t so close that the occupants can easily hear each other if they’re all home, but close enough that they could shout and bring attention if needed.
“I’m going to shift for my mate to see,” Daddy tells the other two men. “I thought it might be nice if she had the support of a few of you in human form while I do so in case my shifting freaks her out.”
Ah, so that’s why these men are here. To keep me from panicking. That’s thoughtful. It’s possible I will find this process unsettling, to say the least.
Orion comes closer and sits on the steps in front of me. Pryce stands to the other side of me on the ground.
“Do you have to take off your clothes?” I ask as I realize Daddy is still wearing nothing but jeans.
“Nope. Our clothes shift with us,” Daddy says. “It’s convenient when we have to travel some distance and then shift back.”
I nod. Makes sense. Except what am I thinking? None of this makes sense. It’s total madness. A man is going to turn into a lion in front of me.
“It only takes a few seconds,” he tells me next. “What you’ll see will be like a shimmer as I change forms. In short order, I will drop onto all fours. I’ll be larger than the average lion, too, so don’t be alarmed when you find that out.”
“I have no idea how big a lion is,” I tell him. “I’ve never seen one.”
“Not even at the zoo?” Orion asks.
I shake my head. “I’ve never been to a zoo. My mother thought they were stupid. She didn’t take me.” Probably it was because she couldn’t afford the entrance fee or take a day off work.
“Ah, well, they’re filled with caged animals. That’s a bit frustrating,” Pryce adds. “But on the other hand, it’s helpful for humans to learn about various species. It keeps children from growing up irrationally afraid of other animals.”
I smile at him. He’s right. I never thought about it from that perspective.
“Ready?” Daddy asks. He’s standing several yards away from me.
It’s interesting that he’s wearing nothing but jeans.
It’s kind of chilly out here. I suspect these bulky men do not easily get cold.
Pryce and Orion are wearing jeans, work boots, and long-sleeved shirts, but they don’t have jackets on. I’m glad I’m wearing a sweatshirt.
“Yes.” I nod and sit taller, trying to be brave.
Daddy smiles at me before he closes his eyes and seems to go into his head. Sure enough, a few seconds later, there is a strange shimmer that lasts a few more seconds, and then a giant lion seems to come out of thin air and drop down onto all fours.
I gasp, so startled that I nearly fall over backward on the chair. I have to reach back with both hands to support myself. All of the air leaves my lungs.
Even though he explained what would happen, I’m still too stunned for words. He’s huge. He’s also beautiful. His thick mane is long and surrounds his face, a shade darker than the rest of him. Even his paws are enormous.
This lion could absolutely leap up onto the porch and tear me into a million pieces before I could react.
“You’re safe, Brea,” Orion says. “I promise. Would you like him to come closer? You could even pet him if you want to feel his fur.”
I stare at Navin without blinking. It’s hard to believe it’s really him. He was just here, and now a lion is in his place. I slowly sit upright, forcing myself to relax. “Okay.”
Navin inches forward, head high, taking his time.
He’s truly the most amazing animal I’ve ever seen in my life. I don’t think humans ever get the chance to be this close to a lion. Not even in captivity. They can’t be trusted. But this is my mate. He has assured me he won’t hurt me.
When he reaches the porch, he plants a paw on the steps and crawls up toward me. He lowers his head when he gets close enough and brushes the top of his mane against my knees.
I’m shaking as I lift a hand and stroke his mane. It’s softer than I expected, and I end up burying my fingers in it. “He really won’t eat me?” I ask.
Orion chuckles. “No, Little one. None of us will. We’re peaceful people. Even in our lion form, we’re in control. That doesn’t mean we won’t ever go after anyone. We will defend our pride and our mates to the death if necessary, but we would never attack anyone unprovoked.”
Navin slowly lifts his giant head to look at me. He even cocks it to one side. I wonder if he sees me differently through his lion eyes.
When I slide my hand around to the front of his mane, he reaches out with his tongue and licks my fingers. I giggle. I’m not scared. He’s not going to eat me.
Eventually he backs into the clearing again, and seconds later, my mate has returned to his human form.
I’m in such awe that I’m speechless.
“Thank you,” Navin tells Orion and Pryce as they head away from the cabin. He comes to me slowly and scoops me into his arms. As we reenter the cabin, he nuzzles my neck. “What did you think?”
“I think you’re the most gorgeous animal in the world.”