Free Jennifer's Lion by Lizzie Lynn Lee Page B

he’d lost a passenger. Tourists often did unbelievably stupid shit. Twelve hours later, and still no one had come back for her. Cyeon was convinced this woman was a victim of a poorly orchestrated murder attempt. Judging by her scent, she had been drugged before she was dumped.
    His gaze traveled to her hand. Her finger was crowned with an engagement ring.
    Big rock, but sadly, it was a fake. His trained eye easily picked out the differences between a true diamond and a Zirconia. This woman’s fiancé must have deceived her into thinking he splurged on her with an expensive diamond ring.

    You poor thing, he thought.
    What did you do to deserve this?
    His brother also watched her with great interest. His yellow eyes luminous.
    Luscious.
    She is. But keep your hands off her. She’s mine.
    Ass. Keto snorted.
    So? Cyeon decided it was time to move her into a cooler place. He guessed she’d be miserable in this heat. Plus, she needed to be cleaned up. He swept her into his arms and carried her into their pride abode. Keto followed him from behind in a lazy, predatory gait.
    Cyeon felt as if was bringing home a precious prize.
     

Chapter Two
    Jen woke up to the scent of freshly brewed coffee. For a moment, she felt disoriented. First instinct, she thought she was in her apartment back in Jersey, and the nightmare she had endured for the past twenty-four hours had been nothing but a dream.
    Opening her eyes, she found herself lying in a stranger’s bed with a cup of coffee waiting for her on the nightstand. She was wrong. This wasn’t a dream.
    Where am I? Jen blinked. The last thing she remembered was two humongous lions about to have her as their afternoon snack. Was I saved? I’m not dead? She scrambled to sit up, grabbing the steaming cup of coffee, if for nothing else, to shake the confusion from her head. Before she had a chance to sip it, her gaze caught sight of the golden beast in the corner of the room. She screamed as the cup slipped from her hands, spilling coffee everywhere. She freaked out even more when the lion got to his feet and transformed into a man. Her scream rang to the ceiling. She quickly retreated until her back was against the wall. Her heart pounded so hard, she felt as if she was having a heart attack.
    What the hell was that?
    “Madam. You made such a mess,” the man chastised her. He collected the cup from the floor and wiped the spilled coffee with a bunch of tissues.
    “What...w-who are you?”

    He took one good look at her and smiled. “I should ask the same thing of you.
    What’s your name?”
    Her voice strangled in her throat. When she finally worked it out, it was merely a husk of a whisper. “This is impossible. I saw a lion. And then you. This is not happening...”
    The man’s smile widened. “You’re not crazy. You never saw a shifter before?”
    “Shape shifters aren’t real.”
    “Is that so? Then I’m only a figment of your imagination?” He touched her arm.
    She squealed.
    “Relax. I won’t hurt you.”
    “What...what are you going to do to me?”
    “Bathe you, of course. You’re filthy.”
    “I...” Her protest died when she saw his eyes. The man had the most gorgeous eyes she had ever seen. They were large and almond shaped. His irises looked golden and luminous, cat-like. His eyes were fanned with thick, dark lashes, contrasting against his golden, long hair. He was a beautiful man. An eye candy of a man like she often saw in magazines. But unlike those models, this man looked dangerous. The raw power oozing from his every pore shut down any urges for rebellion. Jen decided not to do anything stupid.
    This man wasn’t completely human. Who knew what a man-lion would do if he flipped out? She’d like to keep her neck intact, in one piece, thank you very much.

    Jen cautiously climbed off the bed, trembling. The man grabbed her wrist and tugged her into an adjoining room, which turned out to be a bathroom. To her surprise, the place looked very clean. A