Her Lion Guard - The Complete Series Box Set (BBW Shifter Romance) (24 page)

Mary-Lou smiled, and began. “Thank you for coming. I know it was not an easy decision to make: There is a price on my head, and rumors about my purpose that would tempt most into ignoring my Call,  or worse, trying to silence my voice.” Mary-Lou let her eyes cover the room, take in the guilty shifting and lowered heads that followed her words. “No matter. You are here, and that is what is important. More than my words, more than the prophecy that preceded my birth –
your
presence here speaks to turmoil, a dissonance with life as it is and how you wish to see it. Before you disregard me, before you deny my mission as but another thinly-veiled bid for power, ask yourself this: Why are you here? What do you wish to hear? Are you happy with the world that is around you?”

Mary-Lou paused to allow her words to sink in, to observe the reaction they were having with her audience. A low buzzing filled the auditorium; soft voices that brimmed with anger, with excitement carried over from all directions. Mary-Lou did not allow herself to smile even as hope fluttered madly in her chest. They were listening. They were allowing her in, hearing her words and judging them for themselves,
by
themselves. She parted her lips, and watched the room fall silent once again.

“This is why you are here. To talk – to discuss and hear discussed a subject that has been long taboo. Shifter supremacy. The Old Order. Ideas you have been instructed to believe fixed, immovable and unchanging. Lies.

You are here,” Mary-Lou continued, talking over several strangled gasps and a cry of outrage, “Because there is another possibility. An alternative form of life that you are discovering, seeing others discover: Freedom. Freedom to choose your leaders, your families, your spouse – freedom to live and be as you want to, not as your social rank dictates. This should is not a dream, is not a fantasy, but a very possible and viable option – as long as you know what freedom is, what equality means.

For some of you, the fall of the Old Order will come at a certain loss,” Mary-Lou said. She knew her words would  not be welcomed, knew that this was not how one sold a campaign. Mary-Lou was not interested in selling, in political shams; Mary-Lou strove to bring clarity, to introduce choice. She would not undermine her purpose by utilizing dubious means. “Those of high status will see the advantages their rank gave them dwindle, fall to nothing. However, so would the rigid rules that restrained their actions: Your children, your families and friends will be safe from injustice made just under cruel laws. You will have the right to demand better treatment without the fear of losing favor, without needing the favor of others at all. You will—”

Mary-Lou’s speech was interrupted twice-over  at once: Jonas grabbed her arms, pulled her back with an urgent shout of her name even as a scream tore high above the podium, in the crowded balconies that stretched halfway across the auditorium.

“FIRE!” someone shouted, “There is a fire!” Shocked cries tore through the room, shouts of outrage and fear echoing in the oval space over the sudden wail of the fire alarm. Mary-Lou raised her head, saw for herself as golden-red flames  tore through the black curtains. Part of her felt numb, far-away from what was happening; a larger, more vicious part wanted to tear someone apart. There had been so many people up there, so many children crowded in their parents’ laps—

Mary-Lou hoped they were alright, willed it with every fiber of her being.
Please
, she thought
, If I have powers, if I have anything at all, please let no one be hurt. Let them all make it out whole.

“We have to go!” Jonas rumbled in her ear, voice more animal than human. He did not give Mary-Lou time to protest, did not allow her a moment more to question after the safety of her pack. Within seconds a large lion stood in the place of the man, the beast easily three times Mary-Lou’s size. Intelligent blue eyes glared at Mary-Lou even as great teeth snagged the back of her suit, pulling with a single-minded focus.
Hold on
, Jonas rumbled in her mind; Mary-Lou would have faltered, would have demanded answers for this new development in their bond, had she been in the mind to do so. As it was, she was too distracted by the screams all around her, by the smoke and fire that spread too quickly  across the room.

They were burning. They were screaming and dying and she could do nothing, nothing but scream and scream and scream-----

Mary-Lou climbed atop the Shifter’s back, buried her fingers in the wild mane and lowered her face so it pressed between Jonas’ powerful shoulders. The remnants of the dream lingered, mocked her with vivid visions of carnage and brutality. It had been in a school. The nightmare had taken place in a school just like this one—

Mary-Lou heard Jonas’ roar as if from a great distance. She barely felt him move, barely felt glass shatter and rain over her bowed figure as the lion bounded through one of the auditorium’s large windows. Still, she held on – knew she had to hold on, knew she had no other choice. This was her mission, and those were her people.

Mary-Lou would hold on, would carry on, as long as she drew a breath.

The fire had spread quickly – much too quickly for an ordinary mishap. By the time red fire trucks careened down the street, most of the auditorium had burned down. The structural damage was enormous; Mary-Lou felt a spike of guilt, knowing she had been the cause behind the incident. She did not allow herself to wallow in self-pity too much, however: All that mattered was that no one had been hurt. For that, she was thankful. As for the arsonists…

Mary-Lou knew the day would come when she would meet all who hunted her, that she would get the chance to take them down as they deserved. Until then, she had no time to waste on cowards who chose to lurk in the shadows rather than face a human woman.

“What the fuck is he doing here,” Sasha muttered. Mary-Lou raised her eyes from where she had been glaring despondently at the grass beneath her bench, craning her neck so she could see around Jonas’ bulky form.

After assuring themselves that no one was injured, Mary-Lou and her pack had relocated to the small park facing the school. Most other Shifters had left the premises, spooked both by the fire and the 911-respondents that swarmed the scene. Mary-Lou remembered Jonas’ own insistence against involving government forces in Shifter affairs and wondered how, exactly, she was to bridge that gap of trust between humans and Shifters.

The police were not, however, the current focus of attention. Mary-Lou followed Sasha’s glare to a tall, broad-shouldered man who  seemed to be making his way toward them. He was dressed in a heavy, well-tailored white suit that soot and ash had completely destroyed, vibrant red hair singed black around the edges. The man was smiling, Mary-Lou noted; a thin, wan thing that did not quite reach his sharp brown eyes.

“Who is he?” Mary-Lou asked the Shifters around her. Tension was thick among her pack, bled through the bond to push Mary-Lou to the edge. The lack of knowledge was not helping any.

“He is many things,” Irma told her quietly, “Both good and bad. All you need to know is that this man can be very dangerous, if he so wishes.”

Mary-Lou gave a small nod, knowing better than to question something as rare as a caution from her mother.

The man reached them before more words could be exchanged. He stopped a polite distance from the group, expression still one of remote amusement. Jonas rumbled in greeting, not even bothering to pretend he was not eyeing the man’s jugular with unbecoming interest. A glance at Sasha and Cara revealed they were no better; while Irma and Jonathon were noticeably calmer, they too did not seem eager to offer any greetings.

Mary-Lou stifled a sigh and rose to her feet.

“Good evening,” she told the man, green eyes fastening on his with unforgiving intensity. Dangerous or not, Mary-Lou would not lower her gaze for anyone.

The man’s lips twitched. He held Mary-Lou’s gaze and, after a rather long moment of silence, bowed elegantly at the waist.

“Good evening to you, and your family, Mary-Lou.” The man straightened body relaxing ever-so-slightly as he added, “I have longed to speak with you for a long time now.”

“Well, you found me,” Mary-Lou replied distractedly, mind busy evaluating the situation and the man’s behavior. The Shifter had chosen to approach Mary-Lou while she was with her pack, and alone at that –something she knew was not done too often, even among friendly Shifter tribes.

Mary-Lou was not naïve enough to believe the man had done so out of politeness – at least, not fully. He was either powerful enough not to care about the number of his opponents, or believed that Mary-Lou and her pack did not pose a threat. Possibly both.

Either way, he was not to be underestimated.

“So I did.” The man smiled, fully this time – revealed a row of neat, pearl-white teeth. “My name is Joel,” he offered, “And I am here to propose an alliance.”

“Yeah, right,” Cara grumbled; Joel did not spare her a look, even as his smile grew sharper.

Sasha bristled at Cara’s side, Jonas rumbling his own disagreement. Still, no one moved to chase the man away. That had to count for something.

“I am listening,” Mary-Lou said. She kept her eyes on Joel, on his eyes and the emotions therein.

The lack thereof.

“I heard you speak today,” Joel began, only to cut himself off with an amused smirk and a wave toward his ruined clothes, “As you can see.” Mary-Lou blinked, not reacting in any way. She was not interested in small-talk. Joel let out a mournful sigh, but continued.

“Although the night deteriorated, I heard what I needed to hear – enough to make up my mind and raise my voice in support of you and your mission.” Joel smiled pleasantly. A quick glance around revealed the source of his amusement: Mary-Lou’s entire pack was staring at the man, slack-jawed.

Alright. So this was a surprise, apparently. Mary-Lou shook her head, wishing that someone had explained the situation before the man had arrived.

“Thank you,” she offered in the end. “I do appreciate it.”

“You should,” Joel’s smile was bright enough to blind, amusement clear in his handsome features. “It is not every day that a human receives the blessing of a Shifter Prince.”

Mary-Lou blinked, knowing her own mouth had just fallen open.

Well. That was
something
indeed.

C
HAPTER THREE

Mary-Lou stared down at her filet mignon, a bit uncertain at how it had gotten there. It, thankfully, did not stare back; a small wonder with the day she was having. Mary-Lou lifted her eyes, sweeping a narrowed green gaze about a restaurant that was too ornate and much too empty for her tastes.  for the umpteenth time.

“How are you finding the food?” Joel smiled at her from across a long, gilded table, teeth glinting with the light of about a dozen tall candles.

Mary-Lou considered the tiny lump of delicate meat before her for all of a second before resolutely pushing the engraved plate away.

“I thought you wanted to talk,” Mary-Lou said. Jonas straightened beside her, his own food untouched. A quick glance around the table revealed the rest of her pack was similarly disinterested in dinner niceties: Katy and Jenna were fiddling with their phones beneath the table, while Sasha and Cara made sure to keep the four bodyguards flanking the table in sight at all times. Even if that meant turning their backs to His Highness.

Mary-Lou’s train of thought snagged at the title. So far, she had dealt with Joel’s royal status by ignoring it – not out of intimidation, no, but for the incredulity of it all. Mary-Lou simply could not wrap her mind around the fact that she was speaking with a Shifter Prince, had no way of understanding what doing so meant. Thus, she had found it best to disregard Joel’s noble identity and focus on the man himself.

Being treated to a seven-course meal in a restaurant that looked more like an opera hall and appeared to be open for them only was not of much help in that department.

Joel had been very pleased with Mary-Lou’s decision to accept his support – so pleased, in fact, that he had proposed they have dinner that very night to celebrate their alliance. Mary-Lou had agreed, foolishly believing that dinner would involve an actual discussion of business.