Alpha Lion: BBW Lion Shifter Paranormal Romance (11 page)

Freddie nodded. His teeth were chattering.

“Get the handcuff key," said Sam. “He’s got it in his right front pocket.”

Dale reached into Freddie’s pocket and found the key, and then yanked him to his feet. He swayed, but he stayed up.

“Go," said Dale. “
Now
.”

Freddie ran out the door.

Dale breathed out, and turned to Sam. “Are you okay?”

She nodded. She was shaking, and Dale went up to her and slowly, carefully, put a hand on her shoulder. She didn’t jump or flinch away, just leaned into it, and he took the cue and wrapped her up in his arms.

She pressed her face into his shoulder and shuddered. “That was awful," she said. “Nothing like that has ever happened to me before.”

“I am going to do everything in my power," Dale said, “to make sure nothing like that ever happens to you again.”

He rubbed a hand up and down her back for a minute, and then took a deep breath and said, “I mean it. Whatever you need. If you want to move away and start a new life somewhere where there aren’t any lions, I will help you do that—”

“No!” Sam lifted her head. “I thought we were mates.”

“We are." Dale couldn’t help leaning down to place the gentlest possible kiss on her swollen cheek. The skin was hot under his lips. “That’s why I want to do whatever it takes to make sure you’re happy and safe.”

Sam pulled back and looked him in the eye. “I will be
happy
to see Chapman sent running like Freddie was. And I will be
safe
when he’s gone. So you can do whatever it takes to make that happen.”

“Done," said Dale. “And it’ll be my pleasure.”

Sam smiled. “Good.”

Dale started to smile back, and then stopped when he realized his face might still be bloody. “We should clean up," he said, glad that at least it didn’t seem like he’d scared Sam. “And—you’re still handcuffed!”

Sam lifted her hand, the chain dangling from it. “Didn’t seem as important with you here instead of Freddie, somehow. Want to undo me?”

Dale still had the key wrapped in one hand; he’d just forgotten about it in the haze of having Sam back with him and safe.

“I’ve never in my entire life been absent-minded like I am with you," he said as he uncuffed her.

“Do you like it?” Sam asked, extracting her wrist.

“Yes.” He held her hand gently in both of his—her wrist was abraded, but not bleeding. “We should wash this and put something on it, but it’ll be fine. Are you hurt anywhere else? Is your head okay?”

“My head is okay," Sam said. “My face just needs some ice. I think Freddie nicked me, though.” She twisted, and Dale saw the rent in her sleeve, and the little thread of blood on her upper arm.

“With his knife?” Dale pulled her closer to look at it.

“No, it was when he was a lion," Sam said.

Dale froze. “Was it his claws or his teeth?” he asked carefully.

“His teeth," Sam said slowly, her eyes on his face. “Why?”

“Do you know the two ways people can become shapeshifters?” Dale asked.

He kept his hands very light on Sam, but the part of him that wanted to dig his claws into something had returned full force. He was sorry he’d let Freddie go.

“I know that much from TV,” Sam said. “It’s hereditary or they get bitten.” She looked at her arm. “Does this...count as a bite?”

“Any time the teeth break the skin, the transformation
can
happen," said Dale. “It’s not guaranteed. You’ll know within twenty-four hours.” He looked up at her face. “Sam, I’m so sorry.”

“Don’t be," she said, a little frown on her face, like she was thinking. “Don’t be. You didn’t bite me, and—I could
really
turn into a lioness? What are the chances with a little nick like this?”

“It’s...possible," Dale said. “Even with a small cut. Are you—aren’t you upset? That this happened without your consent?”

“Well," said Sam, still looking at her arm, “obviously it would be
better
if it was voluntary—how often do people volunteer to be bitten?”

“It’s not something we do lightly," Dale said. “There are a lot of people who want it—if you go on the Internet, you can find them no problem.” Sam quirked a little smile at that. “But there’s a long waiting period, a lot of formal procedures, and the entire pride has to agree to accept the person in a unanimous vote. It’s difficult to do, even for people’s mates.”

“And on the other hand, biting someone like this is a terrible thing for a lion to do," Sam said softly, looking at him now instead of her arm.

“Yes." Dale watched her anxiously—as someone who’d been born into a pride, he couldn’t imagine how she was feeling right now. What would it be like to know that your whole being could be changing, right this moment?

“Well," Sam said, “it’s been a really crazy morning, and you should probably ask me again how I feel about it in twenty-four hours, but right now...being a lioness doesn’t sound so bad.”

Dale stared at her. “Really? Are you—you just said you aren’t sure, never mind. But—”

She was looking at him with a fond expression. “I love it when you get flustered, have I told you that yet?”

He stopped. “No.”

“I do," she said. “You’re worried I’m going to be upset or mad.”

“That’s an understatement," Dale said. “Sam, your entire
self
might be changed.”

“I’ll still be
me
, won’t I?” Sam asked. “I won’t undergo a total personality transplant?”

Dale hesitated. “The lion can...influence your thinking sometimes.”

“Make you fierce," Sam said.

“Well...yes.”

“I want to be fierce," Sam said. “I want to be a lioness.”

Dale leaned in and kissed her on the mouth. She tasted amazing. “You are a lioness," he said against her lips. “It doesn’t matter what happens in the next twenty-four hours. You are.”

* * *

Dale drove her back to the studio. He’d said he would take her home, but Sam didn’t want to go home and wait and wonder; she wanted to see this through.

He parked in the parking lot, and they got out and went in the back door. “Wait a minute," Dale told her just inside, and stopped to listen.

Sam could hear yelling voices coming from the direction of the lobby. “That’s him.” She was never going to forget his voice as long as she lived.

“And that’s Lynn," Dale said with some relief. “Okay, let’s go. Slowly.”

She followed him through the halls, listening to make sure Chapman was still up front. The voices got louder and louder, and finally Dale said, “They’re just around the corner. Wait here for a few minutes. I have an idea.”

“Okay," said Sam. She wasn’t excited about being left alone, but at least Dale would be between her and Chapman. And Lynn was there too, she reminded herself; she’d bet that Lynn would be able to kick Chapman’s ass if she wanted to, human or lion.

“I’m here, Chapman," she heard Dale say as he came around the corner.

“You’re late." Chapman sounded unimpressed. “I could accuse you of a lot of things, Dale, but I never thought you were a coward.”

“I was
trying
to find Sam," Dale said flatly, and Sam drew in her breath as she realized what Dale was doing. She hoped he managed it—he didn’t seem like the kind of person who found deception easy.

“Went to my house anyway, did you?” Chapman asked, a laugh in his voice. “Well, I hope you didn’t do any property damage, or I’ll have to sue. She’s nowhere near there.”

“Just get on with it," Dale said.
Good
, Sam mouthed silently. She was glad Dale wasn’t trying anything elaborate. And he didn’t sound like he was faking anything. After all, he was plenty mad at Chapman.

Because of her.

That sent a little thrill through her, the idea that Dale was furious on her behalf—that he’d fought Freddie and he was ready to fight Chapman
just because they’d hurt her
.

She’d never had anyone do anything like that for her before. It warmed her all the way through.

“Dale Addison," said Chapman in formal tones, “I hereby challenge you for the position of alpha of the pride.”

“I accept your challenge," Dale said, equally formally.

“Witnessed," said Lynn.

“Witnessed," said another female voice. Dawn the receptionist, Sam thought. Had she been there the whole time?

“I’ll meet you at the fighting ground at four o’clock today," Dale said. “For now, get out of here.”

“With pleasure," said Chapman, and Sam heard the sound of the door as he left.

She breathed out. She knew that with Dale and Lynn there, there was no way that Chapman would be able to hurt her, but it was nice to know he was gone.

“
Dale
, what—” Lynn started to say.

“Wait a second. Come on out," Dale called.

Sam stepped out into the open.

“Oh thank God," said Dawn, and ran out from behind her desk to give Sam a hug. Sam bemusedly returned it.

“I am
so
sorry," said Dawn. “I gave him your address. I swear I didn’t know he was going to hurt you—oh God, look at your face—!” as she pulled back. “I will do anything to make this up to you. Whatever you need, just let me know. I’m so, so sorry.”

“It’s okay, it’s okay," Sam said hurriedly. “You didn’t know, like you said.”

“I thought I was doing the right thing," Dawn said, “but that doesn’t matter. You got hurt and it was my fault!”

“I’m okay.” Sam tried to think. Too much had happened today for her to deal with an upset teenager on top of it all. “Look, how about after this is all over, you and me get coffee or lunch and talk it all over, okay? We can go over everything and you can say sorry as many times as you want to.”

“O-okay," Dawn said, sniffing hard. “My treat.”

“All right." Sam figured that Dawn would feel better if she felt like she was doing something for Sam.

“All right, that’s enough, Dawn," said Lynn finally, and Sam turned to her in relief. “Sam, what on earth happened? I couldn’t get anything out of Alan before Dale showed up. Are you hurt?”

Sam just shook her head, suddenly exhausted. Lynn’s face softened. “All right, never mind," she said. “Dale, take her home, will you?”

Sam shook her head again, this time more vehemently. “You have to know what happened. And Dale has to—prepare for the fight—”

“Chapman kidnapped Sam in order to force me to throw the challenge," Dale said bluntly. “Dawn can fill you in on some of the details. All I need to do for the fight is show up, Sam, and I have eight hours to do that, so first I’m going to take you home.”

“To your place,” Sam said.

Dale frowned. “Are you sure?”

Sam nodded. She needed the comforting feeling of Dale’s home around her, not the sterile aloneness of her own apartment. “That’s where I want to be.”

* * *

They stopped at Sam’s apartment to grab clothes she hadn’t been kidnapped in, and then Dale drove her home. He’d tried to hide the deep joy he felt when she said she wanted to come home with him, but he couldn’t help smiling at her in the car.

She smiled back, big enough that she winced when it hurt her bruised face. “Ow.”

“No more of that," Dale said. “I don’t want you to hurt yourself.”

“No smiling?” she asked, raising an eyebrow.

“Most people wouldn’t think that would be a problem around a killjoy like me," Dale said.

“Most people don’t know you like I do, I guess," Sam said.

And, Dale realized, that was true. He’d shown more of himself to Sam in the last few days than he had to most people in the last few years. She’d seen him upset, angry, sad, embarrassed, laughing, and too happy for words.

“Then I’m glad you’re here," he said finally.

She smiled again at that—but made it a half-smile. He coasted to a stop at a red light and leaned over to kiss her bruised cheek for a second time, light as a feather. “If you change," he said, “that will heal pretty quickly. It’ll be gone in a couple of days.”

“You were so concerned about me getting bitten," she said, “but I have to say: I’m not seeing the downside.”

Dale shrugged and concentrated on the road, to avoid saying that he didn’t either. He didn’t want her to feel bad if she didn’t change.
He
didn’t want to feel bad if she didn’t change.

But he had to admit—deep down, he wanted her to.

* * *

Sam felt exhausted down to her bones—even though, she realized, it was only eight o’clock AM, not even her normal bedtime quite yet.

Getting kidnapped could do that to you, she guessed.

It was a relief to be able to let Dale take care of everything. When they got to his place, he took her overnight bag in one hand and kept his other arm wrapped protectively around her shoulders as they went inside. His hand gripped her shoulder, and she felt safer than she had since she’d left for work last night.