Her Lion Guard - The Complete Series Box Set (BBW Shifter Romance) (12 page)

     “My parents?” she urged, eyes sweeping from Cara to Jonas, “Where are my parents?”

     “Irma is over there—” Cara began; Jonas shook his head and quickly continued, “Emma and Ronald are safe. Jonathon and Sasha got them back to the Cabin first thing. They are a bit bruised and scared, but that is all.” Mary-Lou let out a relieved breath, the last of the worry that had tightened her chest disappearing.

     “I want to see them,” she said, but stayed Jonas as he tried to pick her up, “What about
them
?”

     A dozen or so men and women lay upon the forest floor. They had reverted back to their human forms upon losing consciousness; the sight of twelve still bodies was quite disconcerting.

     “Don’t worry,” Cara grinned, successfully distracting Mary-Lou from the disturbing sight all around her. “Help is coming. You go ahead – I will meet you as soon as we are done here.”

     Jonas decided that they had tarried enough and took off in a run before Mary-Lou could ask who was coming, before she could demand Cara come with them. The chorus of howls that echoed in the distance as they sped away was an answer enough; the cavalry had arrived.

CHAPTER SEVEN

            Mary-Lou held onto her mother tightly.

     Hours had passed since the harried rescue mission, hours since Jonas had taken her back home. Mary-Lou had nearly collapsed with relief at the sight of Emma and Ronald – tired, covered in muck and leaves, but
alive
– sitting around the kitchen table, Irma and Jonathon hovering protectively on each side.

     “Mary-Lou!” Emma had exclaimed, worry quickly stiffening her body, “Are you feeling well, dear?”

     Wordless at the woman’s kindness, Mary-Lou had simply walked over and enveloped her in a hug.

     Now, they lounged against one of the huge, plush sofas that furnished the den. Mary-Lou wondered if she was picking up her Shifter friends’ habits as she snuggled closer to her mother and father, contentment washing the last of her pain away.

     Sadly, it was not to last. Irma had been coming in and out of the room, speaking softly into the mobile pressed against her ear even as she directed what looked like a small army of wolf Shifters in carrying the bodies of their less-pleasant, unconscious kin to the training area behind the house. They had been especially vicious with Wiley’s limp form, probably due to his own wolf heritage; Mary-Lou had winced, almost sympathetic, as she watched a bored-looking woman of about sixty drag the unconscious man up the front steps of the Cabin, through the living room, and down the steps in the back. Wiley’s head had made a most terrible thwack-thwack sound as it bounced against stone and wood and granite, in turns.

     Jonathon and Sasha were welcoming a very different kind of guests at the rear of the house. Strange noises and thudding steps marked the arrival of every new Shifter. Ironically, the few who had elected to drive up to the Cabin garnered more attention: Three Lamborghinis and a Bugatti were now parked in front of the wooden house, black tires half-sunk in dirt and flowers. Jonathon had been most annoyed, but there was little else to be done in the absence of a proper parking lot.

     In the meantime, Cara played both nurse and guardian to the injured portion of the pack. It was not an easy task, what with all the commotion and her patients’ own prickly personalities. Katy threw a right fit at having to listen to a younger girl – and an omega, at that! – at first, but a deathly glare from Jenna and a jab or two of Cara’s sharp claws had her docile enough as Cara stitched up her lip. The two women now rested not far away from Mary-Lou and her parents, half-asleep with exhaustion and a triple dose of pain medications.

     Jonas sat on the floor by Mary-Lou’s feet, muscles stiff and eyes vigilant. Adrenaline was still thrumming in his body, animal side left unsatisfied at the fight’s rather sudden resolution. “He threatened you,” Jonas had explained when Mary-Lou tried to ease him into calm, nearly bristling under her hands, “He threatened
our family
, and he is still alive. He is still a
threat
.” At that point, Mary-Lou had to forcibly push Jonas down and cage his body between her thighs and the couch. She was unwilling to allow any more unnecessary violence, no matter how deserved it might be.

     “Attention, everyone,” Irma called out as she stepped into the living room. She had changed from her torn-up tank and jeans into a sharp dress-suit, her wild curls tamed in a tight ponytail. “We begin in two hours. Get ready.”

     “Begin?” Mary-Lou dipped her head to look inquiringly at Jonas, “What is happening?”

     “Irma has called Court,” Jonas answered. “Those within hearing distance answered, as tradition dictates.”

      “Meaning?” Mary-Lou prompted.

     “Meaning there are about a thousand curious people out there,” Katy groaned from her sprawled position, “Waiting to see ya. And let me tell you, not all of them are happy campers.”

     “What?!” Mary-Lou exclaimed, and Jenna swatted at Katy’s head with a muttered, “Stop freaking the   poor child out.”

     To Mary-Lou, she said, “They are not here to see you, precisely. I do believe that Irma wants to use the opportunity to introduce you formally.”

     “Why do I need to be introduced?” Mary-Lou asked. She was met by six incredulous gazes, her parent’s included. “Fine, okay, I get it. But why now?”

     “When else?” Cara groaned. “Now come here and let me put make-up on you.”

      Mary-Lou did, more out of confusion than anything else.

     Night had fallen, deep and complete. The woods were much too-still about the structure of the Cabin – the animals within quiet in the presence of so many powerful predators.

     And they were many.

     A great, green field stretched behind the Cabin. It ran for many yards down, enclosed by a line of sturdy trees on three sides, the Cabin on the fourth. When the weather was good, Irma and Jonathon entertained friends in the open space – with picnics and music, the occasional outdoor movie screening. No matter how many people they invited, there was always room for at least three times as many.

     Tonight, there was barely space to breathe.

     A crowd stood, silent and expectant, beneath the open skies. A multitude of people, a sea of glistening eyes and impassive faces all waiting, patiently, for the time of talk to come.

     Jonathon had lit the lights on the raised veranda, providing both the stage and sole lighting for the event. The electric warmth did not reach farther than the first two rows of guests; the rest were cast in darkness.

     Mary-Lou thought about that, about the anonymity and intimacy of the event. She wondered if it was by design, wondered if those who wished her family well lurked within the shadows or stood, arrogant and vicious, near the stage.

     Behind the glass door of the veranda, Mary-Lou watched as Irma made her way to the center of the porch. A quiet murmur rose within the crowd, only to fall back to silence as the older woman spoke.

     “Thank you for coming, brothers and sisters,” Irma paused to sweep her eyes over the people before her, meeting both friendly and hostile gazes with utter calm. “I called you here tonight to bring a grave matter to your attention. My family was attacked today, by thirteen of our kin. Here they stand.”

     Irma pointed down, toward a row of kneeling men and women. They were not restrained – at least not with chains. Each one was shadowed by a large, muscled Wolf, and did not appear in any hope of escaping. Mary-Lou frowned when she did not see Wiley among them, wondering what fate Irma had assigned to the unruly man.

     “I fear that they will not be the last who will attempt to do us harm in the years to come.” Irma’s words were answered by a few angry shouts. Whether the callers were incensed by the violence against them, or wished to instigate more of it was difficult to tell.

     “Do you want our blood?” someone hissed and oh, there was Wiley – beaten and bruised, bound tightly with heavy chains as he kneeled by Irma’s feet. He glared up at her, into the silent crowd with terrified malice, stubborn pride. Mary-Lou wondered he regretted what he had done, if he could be saved. “Your blood is hardly worth the trouble,” Irma told him, eyes cold and flat as she regarded the defeated man. “But I will ask for your ears – for the attention of all who have gathered here tonight.” She stepped back and
away from the center of the makeshift stage and Mary-Lou saw her cue.

     Mary-Lou had not wanted to speak tonight. The very thought of standing in front of so many people, of speaking to beings stronger and older and so
different
from her  terrified her. But as she dressed, as she  helped Cara care for Katy and Jenna and her own parents in the hours leading to the speech – as she watched Jonas do the same – she realized that she could not hide. Not from them, not when the life and safety of so many people hung in the balance.

     So she pushed the glass door open and stepped into the light, shoulders back and head held high. Her blouse shone white, her hair golden brown. Her eyes were a dark, compelling green as she stood to regard the crowd.

     “My name is Mary-Lou,” she began, voice clear and strong. “The prophecy you fear speaks of me. The future you desire rests upon my shoulders. I stand before you today—” Mary-Lou paused as the crowd grew agitated, waited for the angry shrieks and surprised comments to die down before continuing, “I stand before you today as one of you: In blood, in mind, and in purpose. What I want for you is what I want for me and mine – peace, happiness, and prosperity; equality and oneness instead of strife and oppression.” 

     “And if we don’t want to be equal?” Wiley spat out from behind her. Mary-Lou shifted her eyes to his, calm even in the face of the desperate madness that shone in Wiley’s dark gaze. “If we believe the weak must die, the strong rule?”

     “Then you are a fool who wishes for his own demise,” Mary-Lou told him. “Who kneels in chains, Mister Turbo, and who stands free?” Wiley let out a roar, lunged forward only to be yanked back by his hair. Jonas growled down at him, eyes flashing an incensed auburn.

     “This is my mate,” Mary-Lou proclaimed as Jonas stepped into view, “And this is my pack.” She gestured behind her, at the silent figures of her family and friends. “They are dear to me as I am to them. What else do you seek out of life, if not connection to others? Happiness and comfort?” She regarded the silent crowd, eyes hard and sure. “Follow me,” she told them, “And I will fight for your right at peace and life. Attack me, attack your kin and others undeserving of your hate, and see for yourself the hell you will create.”

     A quiet sound came from the back of the silent crowd, spread and rose and grew – clapping. Men and women rose in applause, cheered and shouted encouragements. A few angry, bitter souls left the clearing, but they were not many and did not dare utter a word. Mary-Lou felt a smile crack upon her lips, felt relief and love and excitement as she regarded the people she was to one day lead.

    
“You were amazing,” Jonas whispered in her ear as he enveloped her in his arms, pressed against her to offer his warmth.

     “I better be,” Mary-Lou laughed, jubilant and filled with light. “I just promised a thousand people to solve all of their problems.”

     “You will,” Jonas told her, serious and sure. Mary-Lou smiled, closed her eyes, and kissed him.

     With him next to her, she just might.

THE END

B
OOK
2

HER LION GUARD 2

AMIRA RAIN

C
HAPTER ONE

   Mary-Lou was burning.

Her skin was too tight about her flesh, stretched too thin and fragile over the cage of her bones. The lace of her night gown caught and tore against it as if made of barbed wire, the satin fabric sliding like liquid sand down her chest and hips. She could not think, could not move, could not
breathe
–