For a moment, Lola wasn’t sure what to do, but then she found herself hugging Sam back. She wrapped her arms tightly around the taller woman and allowed herself to take comfort from a total stranger. Lola could feel Callon’s anxiousness to pull her out of Samantha’s embrace. He really didn’t like anyone else touching her. Finally, they released one another, and Lola was surprised to find the other woman wiping away tears.

  Sam sniffed. “I was a total mess when I first learned about all this.” She glanced at the man that must have been her mate.

  Riker stood like a dark sentry guarding her. With beautiful ebony skin that looked as smooth as silk, but hard as granite over the hard definitions of the muscles that were obvious beneath his snugly fitting shirt. He had long dreadlocks that draped over his shoulders like heavy curtains, partially obscuring his face, but not enough that Lola couldn’t see his bright gold gaze fixed on Sam. He looked like he might snatch her up at any moment and run off with her and never look back.

  Sam obviously got the same vibe because she shook her head at her mate and looked back at Lola. “So, I get it. It’s a lot to take in.” Her hazel eyes sparkled with warmth and understanding. “But don’t worry. You’re not alone. You’ve got an entire kingdom behind you. We’ll have you shifting in no time.”

  There was a brief silence, which was interrupted by a soft vibration. Riker pulled his phone from his pocket and glanced at the screen. His mouth did something that she thought could have been a sign of amusement, but it was hard to tell with these Alpha males. Their RBF faces and their RHF, aka, Resting Human Face, were well matched.

  “Things are about to get interesting, my prince,” Riker’s lips curled into a knowing smirk, his eyes gleaming with anticipation.

  “What now?” Callon reached for Lola, apparently done with the whole “Lola not being in my reach” thing.

  “The Alpha isn’t sending the pack.”

  “Surprising, but that’s good new—” Callon was interrupted by a much-too-amused Riker.

  “He’s sent in the Dire.”

  “Shit,” Callon spat out.

  Hadn’t he just said he wouldn’t curse around her? This can’t be good.

  Lola’s head whipped from Riker to Callon and then to Sam. “What is shit? Why shit? What is the Dire? And why is that shit? Why is that worse than an entire pack of wolves?”

  “It might not be,” Riker offered.

  “Or,” Sam said slowly.

  “Or, or, or, or?” Lola chanted, practically jumping up and down. What the hell was wrong with these people and giving up information? Had they never heard of waterboarding, toothpicks under the fingernails, or literally any other torture to get a person to talk? Do they not watch crime documentaries? Probably not because they don’t have a Katy for a BFF.

  “The Dire is a who, not a what,” Riker explained.

  “How do you have this information?” Callon’s head tilted slightly as he pinned Riker with a steely glare.

  “I have a friend who owes me.”

  Callon frowned. “Owes you for what, Riker?”

  “No disrespect, Callon”—Riker bowed—“but not everything is your business. I assure you there is no threat to our kingdom, nor would I ever betray KOC.”

  “I don’t doubt that,” Callon said immediately.

  Lola could feel his sincerity.

  “Then trust me when I say that if this wolf is telling me that Nox isn’t sending the pack, it’s the truth.”

  Lola and Sam looked at each other and then at the two males. Finally, Callon nodded.

  Lola raised her hand. “I still would like to know who the heck the Dire is, please and thank you.”

  Callon chuckled and pulled her to his side. “Transactions, Little Cat. Tit for tat. You get information based on performance.”

  She frowned at him. “You’re going to make me perform tricks to get a treat?”

  Sam giggled and then slapped a hand over her mouth when Lola shot her a glare. “Sorry,” the other woman mouthed.

  “Consider it motivation.” Callon walked her over to an empty square of grass. “Now, Sam, what’s first?”

  “Okay.” Sam clapped her hands together and then rubbed them, looking like an eager child. “Lola, the process is actually quite simple. When you and Callon bonded—” She paused and looked between the two of them. “You did bond, right?”

  Lola couldn’t stop the blush if she wanted to. “Yes.”

  “We bonded,” Callon growled.

  Sam narrowed her eyes and rested her hands on her hips. “How bonded are we talking?”

  “Dammit, Sam.”

  “Prince…” Riker warned.

  “Sex.” Lola blurted out for some reason she will never ever know. “There’s been no sex. Okay. There. I said it. Happy? Our tattoos are identical and are like two matching glowworms.” Lola spun in a circle as she waved her hands in the air while wiggling her fingers as she spoke. “Just glowing it up in the night. Having a little glowworm lovefest. But like lion glowworms, because they’re not worms at all. They’re lions. So more like a lion lovefest. But since there’s no such thing as a glow lion, I couldn’t use that analogy because it wouldn’t make any sense.”

  “You done, Sazzi?” Callon asked, as Lola’s circle came to a slow stop, and she lowered her arms.

  “Umm, yup. Totally done.” She slipped her hands into her pockets and rocked back on her heels. “So, how about this weather? It’s great shifting weather. Or so I hear. Not because I’ve ever shifted and know a damn thing about shifting. For all I know, it’s better to shift in the freezing cold.”

  “She is flipping adorable.” Sam grinned. “Where’d you find her?”She didn’t give anyone a chance to answer. “Your tattoos match and they glow?” Sam’s voice got louder as she spoke. “They’re identical? How identical?”

  “I think there’s only one kind of identical,” Lola said as the other woman walked over to her and started gently tugging at Lola’s shirt.

  “Samantha,” Riker huffed. “You can’t expect her to show you her tattoo.”

  “But she said it matches Callon’s, Ry.” Sam’s eyes were on Lola. “No tattoo has ever been repeated. Ever.”

  “That’s what Kian said.” Lola shrugged. “He was shocked when he redrew Callon’s tattoo on me.”

  “I bet it wigged him out.” A small smile formed on Sam’s face. “I bet it wigged the prince out even more.” Her gaze jumped to Callon and then back to Lola, and then Sam winked.

  “He threw a fit at Jaxine’s. And now she’s banned him from her shop.”

  “Seriously, Lo?” Callon sighed, sounding thoroughly put out. “Can we get back to what’s important?”

  Sam made a shooing motion with her hands. “Right, my bad. Okay, so you’ve bonded.” She motioned between them again. “You have some awesome new thing with glowworm, identical tattoos, but you haven’t consummated the mating?”

  “Yes.” Lola’s face flushed. “That, and Callon has shifted to his full lion form.”

  “Oh.” Sam’s eyes widened. “Congratulations, your highness.”

  Riker bowed at the hip this time. “May Visata make you and your beast strong.”

  “Thank you,” Callon said graciously.

  Sam continued. “Your power as an animus comes from the magic of the Damarian. The bond you now have with Callon is what will allow you to slip between forms—human and beast.” Sam’s eyes shimmered with an inner glow. “You need only look within, connect with your animal spirit, and let her rise to the surface.” From one blink to the next, a huge, beautiful cheetah had replaced the woman before her.

  “Just like that, huh?” Lola murmured.

  The cheetah’s whiskers twitched in what seemed like a grin before Sam shifted back. “It becomes second nature with practice. But don’t worry. I’ll walk you through it.”

  Lola nodded, her nerves rising again. She closed her eyes, trying to center herself.

  “Look inward first,” Sam coached. “Feel your connection to Callon, then go past that to the power Visata has put within you. Your beast is already a part of you.”

  Reaching deep, Lola was startled to feel a stirring inside. First, she saw the bond that tied her to Callon—a glowing cord, much like their matching tattoos, that reached between them and tethered them together. Then she did as Sam instructed and looked past that and found something else. But this wasn’t a cord, not at first. This was a glowing light in the shape of a lioness. She was a presence that was both powerful and familiar. Then she saw the thread that tied her to the beast.

  “I feel her, Sam,” Lola whispered in awe.

  “Good, now embrace that bond. Let her rise up to join with you.”

  Lola focused on that thread. It was barely there, but she grasped it tighter. Warmth blossomed under her skin as the lioness’s energy flowed into her.

  “Don’t fight the change,” Sam warned. “Let it happen.”

  Lola gasped as her body began reshaping itself. There was an aching pressure. She could sense bones, ligaments, and muscles shifting. She forced herself to relax, taking slow breaths.

  And then it was done. Lola blinked open feline eyes, the world coming into sharp focus. Powerful limbs flexed. She saw claws sliding free from her paws. Paws! She had freaking paws! She could only stare in wonder.

  “You did it!” Sam laughed joyfully.

  Lola turned to find Callon watching her, pride and desire glowing in his gaze.

  “Magnificent,” he rasped. Suddenly, he shifted as well. Prowling close, he circled her form and nosed her fur. He pressed his side up against her as he moved alongside her, until he’d made a complete circle around her.

  “He’s scent marking you,” Riker told her, his lips turned up ever so slightly, amused by Callon’s actions.

  Lola pressed closer against Callon. If he got to scent mark her, then she sure as hell was going to make sure he smelled like her. She felt a rumbling coming from his chest and realized he was laughing. He must have felt the jealousy that flared up inside of her, just as she felt his humor and pleasure at her emotions.

  Lola plopped down on her haunches and then gazed down at her powerful feline body. She was still in awe of the transformation. Everything seemed sharper through the lioness’s senses. Scents stood out in vivid detail, specifically Callon’s woodsy, masculine smell, and sounds from far away reached her keen ears. She could hear people talking, but the sounds were coming from somewhere outside the courtyard. Weird. Then she focused back on the fact that she was a freaking lion. Lola tensed her muscles experimentally, testing their coiled strength. This beast of hers was strong. She felt like she could take on any foe and win. Let’s not test that theory just yet.

  Callon circled her again, leaning in to brush against her tawny fur. Lola pressed into him instinctively, comforted by his familiar presence. She nearly purred when he rasped his tongue affectionately over her ears.

  He made some noises, unique tones of rumblings, and somehow she knew exactly what he was saying to her. “Come, run with me.” His golden eyes lit with anticipation as he waited for her answer.

  Lola didn’t need to be asked twice. She stood up on all four feet and made sure she had her bearings.

  “Let the beast take over,” Sam encouraged. “She doesn’t need a learning curve. She’s got this.”

  Lola nodded her head at the woman and then couldn’t help but wonder if it looked weird for a huge lioness to acknowledge a human being’s words with a very human movement. She heard a rumbling noise, and Callon bumped against her. Lola refocused her attention on the male she would spend the rest of her very strange, albeit amazing, life with. She turned to him and bared her teeth playfully.

  They took off across the mansion’s sprawling grounds. It was open grassland, dotted with huge trees. Lola reveled in the feeling of the wind rippling through her tawny fur as they raced side by side.

  Each bounding stride sent a thrill through her powerful feline frame. Muscles bunched and released in a seamless rhythm, the earth flying by beneath her claws. She inhaled the myriad scents of nature—rich soil, wildflowers, distant prey. Her enhanced senses were drunk on sensations. She even picked up the scents of the other members of the Kingdom. Though she didn’t know them, she knew they were Damarians. Or maybe her beast knew.

  Letting out an ecstatic roar, Lola pulled ahead, glorying in this body made for speed and strength. The lioness’s spirit within her sang with joy at being unleashed. She couldn’t begin to explain the feeling.

  Callon nipped playfully at her hind legs in retaliation before surging forward again with a throaty chuckle. Back and forth they vied for the lead, their competitive growls soon turning to rumbling laughter.

  Caught up in the delight of simply being, they tumbled and nipped like carefree cubs beneath the radiant sun, pouncing and batting in a dance as old as their kind.

  For that perfect moment, nothing existed but this—the wind rippling through their fur, muscles bunching and stretching, the simple joy of their bond eclipsing all else. No worries could touch them here.

  When they finally made it back to Riker and Sam, Lola saw that more people had gathered. Some were in their beastwalker forms, and some were in their human skin. They were staring at her in awe.

  Lola came to a stop, and Callon was suddenly in front of her in his human form, fully clothed. He let out a roar that shouldn’t have been possible from human vocal cords.

  “They’re just curious.” Riker motioned for the large group to move back. “You know they will protect her. We will all protect her with our lives.”

  Lola sidestepped Callon and looked at Sam. The woman could clearly read the confusion on Lola’s face because she gave her a reassuring smile. “He doesn’t like the fact that they’re all staring at you,” Sam explained. “Our males are very protective, and you’re vulnerable right now as you’re learning to shift, so it’s going to throw his already intense instincts into overdrive.”

  Lola blinked and looked from Callon to the members that had formed a half circle around them. They stood a good twenty feet away, but he didn’t seem to think it was far enough.

  “Callon.” Riker’s voice broke through some of the tension. “They don’t mean her any harm. You know this.”

  “There’s no reason for them to be here gawking at her like she’s a damn circus show,” Callon snarled. His voice shook with barely restrained rage.

  What the actual hell? Lola looked at him. His breathing was coming in quick pants, his shoulders rising and falling with each one. Lola stepped around so she could see his face and noticed that his human face was still partly feline. His cheekbones were high, his nose broad, and his fur rippled and receded repeatedly. He was on the verge of the whole berserker thing again.

  Lola whipped her head around and looked at Sam. She opened her mouth to speak, needing to ask how to shift back into her human form, but a rumbling sound came out, and she snapped her mouth closed. Idiot, you can’t talk like this. Lola started to walk toward Sam, but another snarl stopped her in her tracks.

  “It would be better if you stayed close to him,” Riker informed her.

  “Just imagine yourself in your human form.” Thankfully, Sam, somehow picked up on what Lola needed. “Remember, don’t fight the shift.”

  Lola did as the other female said and imagined herself as she had been before shifting into a lion. She imagined the clothes she’d been wearing, all the way from her underclothes to her shoes. Warmth flowed over her, and this time, there was no pain. Lola blinked and stumbled a bit as she resumed her two-legged form. Callon’s muscular arm wrapped around her waist and pulled her tightly against him.

  “Easy, big guy.” Lola patted his arm and took a deep breath. She looked up at Callon and was met with a sharp, golden gaze. She pressed her palm to his cheek. “I’m safe. No one here means me any harm.”

  Callon leaned into her touch and closed his eyes. After several seconds, he nodded and all the animal features slipped away. Now in his human form, he turned back to the crowd. “Forgive my intense reaction.” His voice was rough with emotion that he was obviously struggling to keep under tight rein. “This is Lola Leo, my mate.”

  Somehow, she managed to keep a straight and mostly blank face when he introduced her using his last name. This wasn’t the time to point out that they hadn’t exactly discussed such things.

  “She is the future prima of this pride. You will treat her with the same respect you give my mother. You will protect her with your very lives.”

  Riker stepped forward, took a knee, and then bowed his head. “We offer her the same allegiance we offer Taras and Lyra.”

  Sam was next as she followed in her mate’s actions. Then one by one, each of the people standing in the courtyard got down on a knee and made the same pledge. Goose bumps covered Lola’s arms as she watched these people who didn’t know her offer her protection and acceptance. It was incredibly humbling, and she promised herself she would make sure she was worthy of such care. Her heart was so full she thought it might burst. Lola squeezed Callon’s arm as her eyes filled with tears. She blinked to clear her sight, but a second later, she found herself suddenly back in lioness form.

  “What in the…?” Lola meant to ask. But the words didn’t come out of her huge mouth. Instead, a rumbling roar emerged. Right, Lo. You’re a damn lion. Words don’t work.

  Sam smiled reassuringly. “Strong emotions can trigger the change, even when you don’t intend to shift. It’s instinct taking over. Don’t worry. You’ll eventually be able to control it.”

  Lola shook out her tawny fur, and then harrumphed as she sat on her haunches. It seemed her inner beast was a tad overeager.

  “You’ll get the hang of keeping your human shape soon enough,” Sam rested her hands on her hips. “Though the pride is thrilled to see you like this again.”

  It was true, Lola realized. All around the courtyard, those who’d been kneeling were standing again, and now there were warriors, which she recognized in their uniforms, staring at her in fascination. She ducked her head, suddenly self-conscious. Sensing her discomfort, Callon nudged her with his hip. Pride shimmered in his golden eyes.