Lion Her Ass Off Read online

  EVERNIGHT PUBLISHING ®

  www.evernightpublishing.com

  Copyright© 2020 Sarah Marsh

  ISBN: 978-0-3695-0124-0

  Cover Artist: Jay Aheer

  Editor: Audrey Bobak

  ALL RIGHTS RESERVED

  WARNING: The unauthorized reproduction or distribution of this copyrighted work is illegal. No part of this book may be used or reproduced electronically or in print without written permission, except in the case of brief quotations embodied in reviews.

  This is a work of fiction. All names, characters, and places are fictitious. Any resemblance to actual events, locales, organizations, or persons, living or dead, is entirely coincidental.

  DEDICATION

  This one’s for Julie, you’ve been so supportive from the day I met you and I’m so glad we’ve gotten the opportunity to become friends. I can’t wait until we manage to lure Heidi over here, and I can enjoy first-hand the shenanigans that will ensue.

  LION HER ASS OFF

  Blue Valley Shifters. 2

  Sarah Marsh

  Copyright © 2020

  Prologue

  Julie lay across her best friend’s bed as she waited for Heidi to finish her makeup. She was so excited for tonight she could barely sit still. Her wolf wanted to shift and run in circles.

  “So, what did your parents get you for your birthday?”

  “They called to let me know they put money in my account so I can buy what I want.”

  Heidi turned back to her, a frown across her face. “What the hell kind of gift is that from a parent?”

  Julie shrugged. She was used to her parents’ odd behavior by now. Since they spent most of their time away, traveling the world digging up old bones and other crap, her grandparents had tried their best to make up for their absence.

  “At least they remembered to call. I think Gram busted my mom’s eardrum last year over the phone when she forgot.”

  Heidi giggled. “Your gram scares the heck out of me. I’d think that would motivate anyone. So”—she finally finished and turned to face Julie—“are you super excited to break in our new fake IDs and get our dance on tonight? A girl only turns sixteen once, you know!”

  Julie sighed dramatically. “I guess.”

  She threw her hands up in defense when a tennis shoe came flying at her head. “Fine!” She laughed. “I’m excited! I hear the club in Chapple has an awesome DJ, and some of the pack will be there too.”

  “Let’s head down to the kitchen before we go. Carson and I made you a surprise.”

  She followed her best friend down the stairs and smiled when they walked in to find two of Heidi’s brothers arguing about how you were supposed to ice a cake. Derek was just trying to slop it on while Carson was going behind him and redoing it with the same OCD precision he did everything with.

  “You guys!” Heidi threw her hands up. “You had two hours to decorate this cake. What happened?”

  “He did.” Carson just pointed at Derek, who now had both hands covered in icing and was trying to lick it off. “Happy Sixteenth Birthday, Jules! What kind of trouble are you gals getting into tonight?”

  “Thanks, guys.” Julie laughed when they both hugged her and Derek left an icing smudge when he kissed her cheek. “Oh, you know … nothing too exciting, probably just hanging out at the mall, maybe a movie or something.”

  “Yeah.” Heidi was the worst liar Julie had ever met, so when they were trying to get around her father and brothers, it was a protocol they had come up with when they were eleven that Julie would take care of most of the talking. Wolves were good at talking. “A movie or something.”

  “Well, just call if you need a ride home. I will be here, trying to redeem this cake. I swear, it will be glorious tomorrow. And I won’t even make a face if you want to have it for breakfast,” he added with a wink.

  Derek just cringed and raised an eyebrow in disbelief, causing the girls to laugh and Carson to snap at his brother.

  “It will! Just keep your damn paws out of my icing!”

  Still laughing, they made their way to the front door before Heidi stopped and smacked her forehead.

  “I forgot my purse, give me two seconds.”

  She ran back up the stairs as Julie waited in the foyer, staring at the pictures on the wall as she’d done a thousand times before.

  ****

  Hector was exhausted. He’d been driving for hours, wanting to make the most of his university break. He only had one more year left of fun away from the pride and then it was back to Blue Valley full-time to learn the business of being Alpha to take over from his father. He pulled into the driveway on auto-pilot and ambled up the front steps.

  Man, it’s good to be home.

  When he swung open the door, the first thing he noticed was that something smelled amazing, right before he saw the female with her back to him, admiring the photos on the wall. Something about her stance and posture seemed familiar to him. Perhaps he’d met her before?

  Nah, that can’t be right … I’d remember that glorious scent.

  Not to mention, her rather perky ass that he couldn’t seem to keep his eyes off of. She hadn’t even turned around before Hector heard a shriek from the top of the stairs.

  “Hector! You’re home!” His little sister squealed before she sped down the stairs and jumped into his arms.

  Then suddenly, his entire world came crashing to the ground as the mystery female turned around, and it was none other than his sweet little sister’s sixteen-year-old best friend—and as it turned out, his mate.

  ****

  Wow. Hector was home, and by the Goddess, he certainly had grown into his own since the last time Julie had seen him. Truth be told, she’d always had a crush on her best friend’s eldest brother … even if he was a tad on the bossy side. But now, it was like she was pulled to him almost magnetically. His strong masculine scent called to her wolf like no other shifter ever had before.

  Holy balls! Gram told me about this. Could Hector really be my mate?

  It seemed impossible that he could be and neither of them had known, but until a shifter was fully mature, they didn’t produce the hormones to trigger a mating response, and the last time she’d seen Hector had been well over a year ago.

  My hormones are certainly working full-time now. Yowza.

  He just stood there, his eyes wide in shock as he met her gaze, still hugging his baby sister. Julie smiled shyly at him, not quite knowing how to act now that everything in her life had just taken a very significant turn.

  What would happen now? Would he just walk up to her and whisk her away in a sweeping kiss, as men did in the romance books she secretly loved to read? Oh my gosh! This meant that she and Heidi would actually be sisters for real, once they were mated!

  A million things ran through her mind and Julie had never been more excited than she was right now. Her wolf was bouncing around inside of her like Tigger on a sugar high. She knew she must be grinning like an idiot, but how could she not? Being the mate of a striking male like Hector was more than she could ever have imagined. It didn’t even matter to her that she was a wolf and he was a lion. Nothing mattered to her at that moment except for him, and the possibilities for their future together.

  So of course, she was rather shocked when he kissed Heidi on the head and gruffly mumbled out, “Hey, kiddo. Where’s Dad? I need to talk to him.”

  “He’s out in the workshop, I think.”

  Then, he merely nodded politely—if not awkwardly and perhaps looking a bit shell-shocked—at Julie and carried on through the house like he hadn’t just shattered her fragile hopes and dreams of a future into a million tiny pieces.

  Chapter One

  Six years later…

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; Julie was so happy for Heidi and her mates. Finally, her best friend had found the two men made just for her and Julie knew Heidi would become the woman she was meant to be with the support of Mason and Wade.

  Now, all I have to figure out is what exactly I did in a past life to have to deal with my disaster of a love life. Do I need to start burning sage everywhere I go?

  Now that the newly-mated trio had just scooted up the stairs for some dirty, dirty bonding time, it was just her and the four big-haired lion males standing in the living room. That of course, also included the giant ass of Heidi’s eldest brother who’d been making such a fuss about her mating with the tigers of her dreams. Julie wasn’t pleased that anyone would be putting a damper on one of the happiest days of her bestie’s life, especially him.

  “Just what exactly is your issue, Mufasa?” Julie swung around and snapped at Hector as soon as Heidi had safely disappeared up the stairs with her mates. “Or is this just another little ‘control issue’ rearing its ugly head?”

  Okay, Julie could fully admit it wasn’t the brightest idea taunting the lion male by waving her pinkie finger when she said the word little—but dammit, this man always seemed to bring out the sauciest version of herself. She’d never had it out with Hector before, especially in front of his brothers and father, mostly because he’d avoided her like a coward since her sixteenth birthday. But honestly? Julie just felt like she had nothing to lose at this point. So why not tell him exactly what had been on her mind all these years?

  “We’re not doing this now,” was his haughty answer, and for once, it finally broke her control.

  “We’ve been not not doing this for way too many years already, you self-righteous prick.” Even though she fought to keep her tone strong, her heart still threatened to shatter underneath it all. “But you know what? I think I’m finally done.”

  They just stood there for a moment, staring at each other. She searched for some hint of emotion in his eyes, but as ever, Hector never gave anything away.

  “What in the hell is going on here?” Heidi’s other brother Derek yelled as he threw his hands up in the air. “What are you two talking about? Why don’t I know about anything that’s going on around here?”

  Normally, Julie would have giggled at Derek’s confused outburst—she usually found his charmingly oblivious self adorable. In this instance, she didn’t want to spend another second around any Jennings male.

  “Don’t worry, Derek.” Julie looked straight back at Hector with all the disappointment she’d been holding in her heart since she was sixteen years old. “Whatever we were talking about is long over. There’s nothing left to do but move on now.”

  “Like hell, this is over.” Hector took a step closer. For a millisecond, she actually thought he might kiss her, but then that superior look she hated so very much settled on his face. “We’re going outside to finish this discussion in privacy, Julie.”

  “That’s not happening,” she started, only to be rudely interrupted by the king of the jungle once again.

  “Oh, it’s happening all right, little one.” His snobby façade was slowly taken over by a look of male dominance and anticipation. “Or I’ll take you over my knee and show you exactly who is in charge around here…”

  “Dude!” Derek’s outraged voice broke through Julie’s shock at Hector’s words. “What the hell is wrong with you? Julie’s like a sister to us. Why would you say that?”

  “Seriously, Hector.” Carson had been silent up until now, but he stepped up and put a hand on his brother’s shoulder. “What has gotten into you and why are you taking it out on Julie?”

  “Indeed.” Alpha Jennings raised one curious eyebrow at his eldest son. “What precisely are you trying to say, son?”

  She watched as he floundered for a response. Julie knew Hector certainly hadn’t wanted to air their dirty laundry in front of his family—after all, he’d spent the last six years proving to her over and over again that he wished fate had chosen differently for them both. But fuck him. She’d had enough of his rejections and his overbearing Hector knows best attitude to last a lifetime.

  Julie crossed her arms and raised one eyebrow at him in challenge. “Nothing to say now, Princess?”

  She stifled a smirk as the vein in his forehead began to throb. Goddess knows he hated that particular nickname…

  “You are my mate, and you will do as I say!” Hector finally burst out, which was only matched by the shocked gasps of his brothers and the confused look from his father.

  “Make me,” was all she said before turning around and storming out of their home. As soon as she hit the driveway, a slow smile spread across her face. Julie had just issued a rather large challenge to the next in line to become Alpha to the Blue Valley lion pride … things were about to become very entertaining.

  ****

  She was going to drive him insane. Hector was the next in line to become Alpha to the Blue Valley lion pride, and de facto alpha to the other shifters in Blue Valley who had no family groups of their own—yet one scrappy wolf female was going to turn him into a raving lunatic.

  Hector watched her perfect ass walk right out the front door before he turned around to see his father and two brothers standing there, just—staring. The looks on Derek’s and Carson’s faces were of utter shock and confusion, but his father had a different expression altogether. It was perhaps thirty percent disbelief, and ten percent—wait, was that, pity? But that final sixty percent was full-on irritated Alpha lion.

  “My office, now.”

  His dad turned on his heel and Hector knew better than to do anything except follow him until he closed the office door.

  “Look, Dad—”

  “Stop.” His father held up his hand. “Please tell me this isn’t true. That you haven’t known that poor girl was your mate all these years and you just … what? Disregarded it?”

  Hector felt a rush of shame go through him at his father’s words, “It’s not that simple, Dad. She was only sixteen! And my little sister’s best friend, what was I supposed to do, just throw her over my shoulder and cart her away like a child bride?”

  His father sighed loudly—a little over-dramatically if we’re being honest—and dropped into the chair behind the large wooden desk.

  “Is this because I never took another mate after your mother passed?” Hector could hear the exhaustion in his father’s words, “How can you be so smart, Hector, and so incredibly daft all at the same time? Do you think you know better than the Goddess herself? Finding your mate is one of the greatest gifts we can ever be given as shifters, some live their entire lives and are never lucky enough to find a true mate.”

  He frowned. “Dad, it’s not like I hadn’t planned on claiming Julie at all. I wanted to give her some time and space to just grow up a little before we approached the whole mating thing.” In his mind, the plan still seemed quite sound. He supposed it was true that he’d gotten a smidgen behind schedule… “Time just seemed to slip by faster than I anticipated, that’s all.”

  “Is that right? And did you discuss these plans at all with your mate?”

  “Well … no. But she was just a child!”

  “She’s not a child any longer.”

  Hector was instantly annoyed when his father’s lips suddenly curved into a smile.

  “Are you laughing about this?” he snapped.

  “Well, my son.” His father shook his head as if in disbelief. “You are a smart man, and I’m certain you will be a good Alpha to this pride—but clearly you know nothing about women, especially shifter women.”

  “What in the hell is that supposed to mean?”

  His father simply quirked one eyebrow at him. “Surely, you had to know that your mate would not accept your behavior and simply fall into line when you deigned that it was time to claim her?”

  “Well…” Hector really stopped to think about it. He knew that Julie was a bit of a hell-cat, and truth be told, he rather liked that about her, even if he did
think it was slightly inappropriate for an Alpha’s mate. But did he think that she’d retaliate for his making this decision on both of their behalf?

  A frown quickly took over his face. Damn straight she will.

  “Shit.”

  “Indeed.” His father winked at him before getting up and walking away, but not before turning back with another smirk. “I suggest you go beg for forgiveness and remember to cover your jugular and balls while you do it.”

  Chapter Two

  Julie was very proud of herself for waiting until seven the next morning before she climbed the trellis to Heidi’s bedroom window and snuck in just like she’d done a million times since they were children—well, maybe not exactly the same. This time, she had the forethought to listen at the window to make sure all occupants were still sleeping. The last thing she needed was to interrupt her bestie getting ‘serviced’ by her new beaus. But given the fact that the current bane of her existence was most likely sleeping in a room down the hall, she simply couldn’t risk the front door.

  She had just eased the window shut and turned around to a rather large mound of bodies in Heidi’s double bed, thankfully still covered by a quilt. Her legs were bent, preparing to launch as a devious smile crept over her lips…

  “Wak—ahh!” She squeaked and jumped back as a low growl split the previous silence and two sets of golden feline eyes popped open in the dim light of dawn.

  “No, Julie,” Mason growled. “No eggs and no damned bakey! We’re taking back that spare key unless you agree to never come through our door before 8:00 AM again.”

  “She came in through the window,” Wade muttered before pulling a pillow over his head.

  “What’s happening?” Heidi groaned before her eyes opened slowly. “Hey, babe, what’s going on? Why do you look like hammered shit?”