The Lion's Love Child (9 page)

“You ask too much of us all with this,” Jason exclaimed.

“I am asking you to follow your leader and to trust me,” Dylan explained.

“What will you do when another rises against you? If it's a male, they will kill you, her and the child,” he said with a tone that was more concerned than threatening.

“I won't let that happen,” Dylan said defensively.

“You may not have any choice. I don't want to take sides against you, but this is wrong and you know it. My allegiance is with the future of our people and you are putting that at risk.  Humans bring nothing but trouble,” he said, clearly disturbed by the entire situation.

“You are my cousin, but if you take sides against my family, I won't have any choice but to treat you as my enemy,” Dylan said calmly, but with a layer of steel under his words.

“Let us hope that is doesn't come to that,” Jason said sincerely.

“Yes, let us hope,” Dylan said.

With that, Jason turned and left.  When he was nearly out of sight, he turned and stared back at them for a moment longer.  Instead of his eyes locking on Dylan, though, Shannon was sure that he was focusing on her instead.  It was as if she could feel his gaze upon her like a caress.  She knew she should feel nervous, but the thrill that went through her was undeniable, then he turned and disappeared from sight.

“That was your cousin?” 

“Yes,” he said, staring off in the direction in which Jason had left.

“He seems lovely,” she said with sarcasm, rather than admit that she felt much more for the stranger than she should.

“He is a solid man, just a bit of a hot head.  He's too much like his own father in that way, but he will come around,” he said, his eyes lingering on the horizon.

“What does that mean?” Grace asked, placing a comforting hand on Dylan’s shoulder.

“His father wanted very much to wipe the village off the map and take control of all the lands surrounding our territory.  He tried to lead a rebellion against my father when we were young.  He failed, of course, and was turned away from the pride.  My father raised Jason as his own, but he has always felt as though he has no real family of his own. He always puts the pride first. I think he has spent his whole life trying to prove that he isn't his father,” he said with a sad expression on his face that clearly affected Grace as she wrapped both arms around him. 

He rested his chin atop her head and savored the moment, though Shannon knew that trouble was on the horizon for them all.

“How much danger are we all in?” Grace asked as she buried her head in Dylan’s chest.

“None at the moment and I will keep it that way,” he swore to her.

“I trust you and I love you,” she replied gently, laying her hands against his cheeks and staring intently in to his eyes.

“We should all go get some rest.  It's been a very long night,” he said without looking away from her.

“Yes, we should be safe for now and I am dead on my feet,” Grace said quietly. 

“You go get some sleep.  I'm going to sit up in the nursery for a bit,” Shannon said casually.

“Guarding the babe?” Dylan asked.

“It doesn't hurt to have a set of eyes on him all the time,” she said, suddenly feeling a bit anxious that he was alone as they spoke.

“You are a good friend.  Thank you for everything,” Grace said, giving her the tightest hug she could remember in the history of their friendship.

“You are very welcome.  Now go get some sleep.  You look like hell,” Shannon said as she patted her friend on the back.

“I love you too,” Grace said as she and Dylan went inside.

She sat outside for a moment longer, alone, staring off into the wilderness that surrounded them before she went inside, giving the parents a private moment to say goodnight to their son.  The events of the last twelve hours had her a bit rattled, which was a new and uncomfortable feeling for her.  Added to that were the odd feelings that had sprung up when Jason had arrived.  It was ridiculous to feel so drawn to someone who was a threat to the only two people she had loved in decades.

What she did not know was that Jason, who had returned to his lion form, was watching her from a distance.  Though he knew he could not stay there with Dylan and his new family, he was not yet ready to walk away from Shannon.  The fearless human female had left an impression on him and, for some reason, it was very important to him to be sure that she was safe.

Though he didn’t think any of the others would plan any sort of attack so close to Javi’s failed attempt, he lingered anyway.  He wasn’t quite sure why, but he needed, on some very basic level, to ensure that she didn’t get caught up in the turmoil that Dylan had set in motion.

Even after she went inside to look after the baby, he stayed.  His eyes never left the hut and his sharp hearing allowed him to hear her enter the baby’s nursery.  It allowed him to hear her coo to the baby as she picked him up.  He heard the creak of the rocking chair as she settled in with the babe in her arms.  Then, he heard the gentle tones of her singing him a lullaby.

Because of his own family history, such domestic displays usually made him uncomfortable.  This time, though, it was different.  The sounds of this woman soothing a child brought him a sense of comfort and peace that he hadn’t known he was still capable of feeling, and it scared the hell out of him.

CHAPTER SEVEN

Early the next morning, Shannon was still groggy from the events of the long evening.  She had stayed up for hours and just held the sleeping baby to assure herself that he was safe and sound there with her.  Still, her sleep had been fitful and she rose with the sun as she usually did, as did Dylan and Grace.  They left to go on a walk to start the morning, leaving the baby with Shannon.

She went to the small fire pit outside her door to build up enough of a flame to get a pot of coffee perking. She strolled down to the well with the baby on her hip to fill her bucket with water.

To her surprise, when she returned she saw Jason approaching once again.  He looked much calmer than he had when he approached the night before.  She knew she should be nervous, with him approaching her while she was alone with the baby, but she felt no fear.  In truth, she was relieved that he had returned.  A part of her had been afraid that she would never see him again until he came with the others to dethrone Dylan.  She quickly deposited the water and the baby inside and went to meet him.

“What are you doing here?” she asked in place of a greeting.

“Dylan asked for help to get the whole place back in shape,” he said, gesturing to the temporary patches on the walls of the nursery and the damaged doorframe of Grace’s cottage.

“How is that possible?  He's been here since you left last night.” she asked skeptically, trying to read some sort of truth in his expression.

“A benefit of our unique skills,” he said with a smirk.  “He can command us all from miles away.  It’s rather annoying, but an effective way for him to communicate.”

“And you agreed?” she questioned playfully.

“Yes, well, it isn't what I would choose to do but he is my cousin and my leader,” he grimaced.

“How sweet,” she said with feigned admiration that caused him to chuckle. 

“A few of the others from our pride will arrive soon.  Dylan told me to come ahead so that you weren't taken off guard,” he explained.  There was something in his eyes that told her he had more to say; that he was holding something back.

“How thoughtful,” she said as she heard the baby’s cries.  He had never much liked to be left alone.  “Oh, Luke’s fussing.  I'm going to run in and grab the baby.”

“May I meet him?” he asked hesitantly.  She wasn’t entirely sure that it was a good idea, but she realized that Dylan would not have asked him to come if he thought the situation was dangerous.  She also thought that it would be harder for him to take a stand against Dylan if he loved the baby as much as the rest of them did.

“I guess,” she finally said.  “Let me go get him.”

She was back in a moment with the squirming baby in her arms.  Though he had quit fussing, he was still wiggling about, sensing the tension in her.

Jason stared at the baby without speaking for some time.  The child, sensing his scrutiny, stared back at him.  Shannon wondered if he could tell that Jason was his family, because the baby seemed to calm down relatively quickly as they stood there in silence.

“He's a fine child,” Jason finally said, looking up from the child and into her eyes.

“Yes, we certainly think so,” she said, unable to suppress her smile at his words.  She was truly proud of the beautiful baby that she and Grace were raising.  She shifted the baby then, resting him on her shoulder.

Looking down at his sweet face, everything that they might face in the coming months from Dylan’s pride would be worth it to be able to be a part of the child’s life.  She looked up to see Jason staring intently at her, his expression full of curiosity and wonder. 

“How can you have such love and devotion for another woman's child?” he said, unable to hide his disbelief at what he was observing.

“Grace has been my family for a very long time. Besides, I don't know that I will ever have a child of my own.  It's nice to enjoy being a part of the life of a child.”  The baby made a soft cooing sound of approval in her arms that made her laugh aloud as she ran her finger down his sweet cheek.

“And why is that?” he pushed.

“Well, to put it in terms that you can relate to, I don't think a mate is something that is in my future.  I've been on my own for a long time.  Grace is as close as I have to family and I am fine with that.”  She had long ago come to terms with that fact that a family of her own was not in her future.  In truth, she would have turned her back on the entire concept years ago if not for Grace’s insistence.

“Why is that?” he asked gently.

“My dad split when he found out my mom was pregnant and she died when I was 12.  I bounced around in foster homes after that, until I went to college.”  She did her best to keep any trace of emotion from her face.  The last thing that she wanted to do was look weak in front of this man.

“I'm sorry,” he said with surprising tenderness.

“People go through worse things every day.  I really never thought I would be close to anyone again but Grace didn't give me much choice.  When we met our freshman year she decided to adopt me into her family and that was that.”  It was the truth, too.  Grace had sensed that Shannon was alone in the world and decided that she just couldn’t allow that to continue.

“She seems to have a charisma about her that draws unlikely people to her,” he said with contempt.

“You really should give her a chance. She is an amazing person,” Shannon said defensively.

“Getting to know her won't change my mind,” he said, suddenly guarded.

“They make each other happy and they sure made a cute baby. Here, hold him.”  With that, she practically shoved the baby in his arms.  Nobody, she knew, could stay mad with a baby that cute in their arms.  He seemed shocked at first, but he soon relaxed and took in the sweetness of the moment.  It was clear to her that he didn’t have much experience with babies, but he was tender enough.

“He has Dylan's eyes,” he said with surprise.  She could sense that his guard had already lowered.

“I think so too,” she said with a smile.  As he grew more relaxed, so did she.

“We were raised together, you know,” he said without taking his eyes from the baby.  She knew that he was really asking if she knew how it was that he came to be raised with Dylan, about what his father had done.

“Yes,” she said without elaboration or judgment.

“Where are Dylan and Grace,” he asked, as though he was quite ready to change the subject.

“They went for a stroll a bit ago, but they should be back soon,” she explained.

“Very well,” he said plainly.  “I hear the rest of the boys approaching.  We will begin our work now.”  With that, he put the baby back in her arms and she felt his guard going back up.

“Thanks,” she said, a little disappointed.  “I'll take the baby up to my part of the cabin so we're out of your way.”

             
“Yes, well, that would likely be best,” he said as he turned and walked away.  She and the baby settled in her room, relaxing on the large round mattress that she had sewn days after their arrival.  While Grace preferred to have her cabin divided, Shannon had always enjoyed the openness of hers. She’d pushed her desk against a far wall and the bed to center stage.  She had enough pillows on it that it easily served as a lounge during the day and Luke happily snuggled in to wait for his mother’s return.

It wasn’t very long before she heard footsteps outside of her door.  Grace swept in the room and crashed down on the mattress with them, sending Luke into fits of gleeful noises.
“Hey, you're back,” Shannon smiled at her dear friend.

“Yes, Dylan joined the men working on my cabin and the nursery.  I’m a little surprised that Jason came with them after last night,” she murmured as she leaned down to kiss the baby.

“You mean my temporary repairs weren't up to the King’s standards,” she teased.

“I wouldn't be surprised if he had them all build us a fortress. He's more worried than he wants to let on,” she said with sadness in her eyes.

“You've been together such a short time, how can you tell?” Shannon asked seriously.

“It's odd, but it feels like we have been together all of our lives. We are so connected. I think it has to do with his lion side,” Grace explained.

“Interesting.  Speaking of interesting, I had a decent conversation with Jason when they arrived,” she said, attempting to sound casual about it. 

“Really,” she said in disbelief.  “So it's just me he hates?”  Her expression was so dejected that it made Shannon feel even worse about the entire situation.

“I don't think he hates you. I don't even think it has anything to do with you.  I think it runs deeper than that.  He didn't say much about it, but I think he feels very responsible to his people and to Dylan.  I think being put in a situation where he may have to choose between the two is playing on him deeply.  Still, he was quite taken with our little man,” she said as she leaned down to tickle the baby’s belly.

They sat there for what felt like an hour in total silence.  Shannon spent it fussing over the baby while Grace seemed to be stewing over something.  Shannon knew better than to interrupt her train of thought, so she simply entertained the baby and waited for Grace to reveal her rapidly developing idea to them.

“Go out and invite him to dinner here.  Maybe when he sees how I feel about Dylan, he will realize that I am not threat to him,” Grace said suddenly, with a look of relief on her face, as though she had just solved all of their problems. 

“Should I pass him a note for you, maybe see if he wants to go to the big dance with you,” Shannon teased, amazed that even Grace thought one social event could fix all of their problems.  Teasing Grace was easier than facing the fact that she didn’t think her plan would do much good.

“Don't joke. I need him to like us. If he stands with Dylan, maybe the rest of them will too. Then we will know for sure that Luke is safe,” she said, flashing an innocent smile and holding the baby up in an attempt to tug at Shannon’s heart strings.

“Sure, pull the baby card. Then you know I can't say no,” she said, shaking her head as she stood up and headed for the door.

“That was my diabolical plan,” Grace called after her.

Shannon began to walk towards where the men were working, but stopped dead in her tracks when she spotted Jason.  He had removed his shirt as he worked.  His tan skin was glistening with sweat in the sunshine.  His muscles flexed as he lifted stones into place around the nursery’s back wall.  He was beautiful, there was no denying that. 

His sheer masculinity as he worked made her heart flutter and her skin warm in a way that had nothing to do with the African heat.  She knew, with his senses, that if she faced him like this, he would be able to tell just how much the sight of his body affected her. 

She decided instead to fill the water bucket, since it would give her time to gain control of her reaction to him.  She also realized that, even though they were all more than used to the heat, bringing water to the men who were making their home safer was the least that she could do.  She grabbed the yoke so that she could fill two buckets and headed for the well. 

She did her best to keep the image of his bare chest and broad shoulders from her mind as she made her way to the well.  Though she did not have much success at that, the balance and physical exertion required not to spill both buckets kept her mind occupied on her way back home.  She was so absorbed in her work that she did not realize that all the men had stopped their work and were watching her, none more intently than Jason.  Dylan, for his part, was watching Jason as he watched her, and Shannon made a mental note to ask him about it later. 

She grew very self-conscious that she was going to spill the water before she reached the men, with all of them staring at her.  As soon as she was close enough, she gladly put down her load and breathed a sigh of relief, thanking whatever gods might be listening for keeping her from making a fool of herself.
“Here you go,” she said as mildly as possible.  “Thank you all for helping us secure our home.”

They all nodded in surprise and gratefully walked up to drink.  Many of them murmured their thanks as they took their turn, with Dylan nodding in approval as he smiled at her.

Jason approached last to take his drink, lingering after the others had returned to their work.

“You haul water like someone who grew up here,” he said with admiration.

“Yes, well, Grace and I have lived in more rustic places than this.  Carrying a bucket of water down a well-defined path is nothing
.”  The worst place
, she thought,
though
,
was when they were stuck in the city for their lecturing obligations.  She would far rather haul water than
be surrounded by the awful din of the city.