Free Jennifer's Lion by Lizzie Lynn Lee Page A

lion swished his tail. Another growl erupted from his throat.
    “Good kitty,” Jen whispered. She scooted backward. “Don’t eat me. I don’t taste good.”
    For a moment, she thought she heard the lion chuckle. Impossible. Snorted? Nah.
    Couldn’t be.

    She scurried to a nearby bush as the lion inched closer, ready to pounce. Her gaze was transfixed on the lion’s huge paws. They were bigger than dinner plates. Oh, god. I’m doomed.
    Jen’s eyes widened in terror when a second lion stalked out from the dense underbrush.
    I’m dead. I’m freaking dead. They’re going to eat me alive.
    She squealed when the first lion put his paw on her chest and sniffed and then darkness engulfed her.
    * * *
     
    Cyeon Rarh was amused. He had never met a human so frightened of his kind. She fainted the moment he had touched her. Usually, humans would scream and run first. And after they tired of running, they would beg him to spare their life before finally passing out.
    Typical tourists.
    It wasn’t as if Cyeon loved to eat humans or anything. He just liked toying with them. His pride, K’stal, ancient lion-shifters that had ruled over the Serengeti for centuries, never ate people for sustenance. Many K’stal members claimed humans as their mates, so the practice of eating them was forbidden. But most of them couldn’t resist chasing and scaring them off when they saw one.
    Nature of the beasts.
    His gaze clashed with his brother, Keto’s and his brother grinned wide in his beastly form. He looked creepy.

    This one I’d love to lick all over, Keto said in mind-speak. Maybe I’ll eat her too. Not in the non-sexual way if you know what I mean.
    You wish. Cyeon rolled his eyes. I saw her first.
    Merde! Not fair.
    I’m the alpha. Deal with it. After his brother returned from a year studying art in Paris, the showboat always gloated in an annoying French accent, making Cyeon want to smack Keto each time he did. Almost all K’stal shifters had left the Serengeti at one point in their lives, roaming the seven continents to broaden their horizons. Cyeon himself had spent a decade in the United States, studying business management, then law, in prestigious universities before he became bored and decided to return to Africa.
    In the end, all K’stal shifters always came home. The call of the Serengeti felt like a siren’s song to their kind.
    What are you going to do with her? Keto asked.
    Bring her home.
    Our home?
    No, the governor’s home. Good grief. Cyeon brushed past his brother. Move over.
    Keto sat. His creepy grin widened. Aha. You’re planning to keep her.
    Maybe.
    Maybe? You can’t take her into our abode if you don’t plan on keeping her.
    Shush. Shut your trap for once. I haven’t made up my mind yet.
    Why’s that?
    Because she isn’t just a stray tourist. She was drugged before she was dumped.

    You saw the whole thing?
    Last night. I’ve waited for her to wake up. Cyeon paused and shifted into his human form. He crouched over her and caressed her cheek. The sleeping beauty was still out and she didn’t look as if she was going to come out of it anytime soon.
    He examined her more closely. She was a lovely woman. Pretty face. Curvaceous figure. Lush breasts. Just his type. Her shoulder-length dark hair was matted with dry leaves and grass, and her pale skin was dirty from the earth, but she still looked breathtaking. What kind of monster could discard a beautiful woman like this in the middle of nowhere and leave her to die? He had strolled through his pack territory last night to watch the sunset, when he caught sight of a jeep that swerved quickly.
    Something bulky had flown from the vehicle, landing near a watering hole. Cyeon almost couldn’t believe what he saw when he investigated.
    At first, he thought the jeep had dumped a dead body. He was surprised when he found the woman still alive. He decided to wait, standing guard in case it had been a mistake. The man in the jeep might not have known