LOCKER'S FALL
Loneliness is a great
equalizer.
Locker can masquerade as anything including animals on land and, his
favorite place, the ocean. His residence beneath a mountain protected by a
waterfall has been home for a few years. Unable to leave, he controls the local
pride of lion shifters with fear. Then he finds her—a mythical white lioness.
Lonely and harassed by her pride, Silk seeks solace at forbidden Locker
Falls. Coerced to the dangerous waters, she’s swallowed by a whirlpool and carried
into the arms of a creature so old, he’s seen the dawn of time. Lock uses magic
to read her mind, will he use it to steal her heart?
Excerpt:
Coming to in a cool, dark cave,
Silk sat up on a soft covering separating her from dirt. She scented the fur
used to belong to a bear. Remaining in her skin because she wanted to keep her
fur, Silk allowed her cat’s eyes to check the space. Air wheezed from her
throat after hearing fingers snap and a torch blare to life in a corner behind
a… A man! He stood between her and
light making it difficult to see who lit it or exactly what…
“The bear was killed by one of
your kind before I relieved him of his fur.”
Oh, Christ, he read my mind! “Did you harm them?”
“Those who killed the bear?” He
reached and removed the torch from its holder. “I would have if they had ended
his life for sport.” Silk watched broad shoulders shrug. “I understand both of
your hungers.”
“Are you going to kill me?”
“Why would I do that, Silk?” He
brought the torch in front of himself.
For the love of God! A man so
beautiful, her heart skipped a beat. Black hair hung in waves around his
shoulders and the same color dusted his jaw. Ocean blue eyes glinted beneath
the torch’s light as drops of water dripped over an abdomen rife with muscle.
Nothing more than a strip of material covered his loins. Long, long legs held
thick, taut thighs and calves that appeared very useful for swimming. “Why am I
here?”
“Would you prefer to have
drowned in my pool?”
“Your pool?” Anger toward the
selfish being took root in her chest. “That river runs through my pride’s compound.”
“So?”
“Excuse me? Wait, since you know
my name, shouldn’t I know yours?”
“Let me explain. Your kind have
a whole river to mess about in.” He stepped closer and his scent circled her
head clouding it with confusion. The man smelled of fresh, clean water as if…as
if it had just rained. “I’m Locker.”
“You stay right there, Locker.”
Explained why cats came to saying that word. How in hell would she keep this being from her mind?
“I’ve returned your people to
shore more often than I care to and I assumed all learned a lesson.” Soft
laughter echoed around her. “You did not as you’ve been here before.”
Silk noticed him raise his head
slightly and snuffle air. “Does that mean you aren’t going to return me?”
“I’m not sure yet.”
“You…you… You’re a bastard.”
Silk stood and let fur cover her body. As her lion, she’d be larger, stronger
and possibly more capable of fighting this monster. When her big paws slammed
to the cave floor with a thud, she knew she had Locker’s attention except Silk
wasn’t sure it was the kind of awareness she sought.
His
aroma grew stronger before he said, “I think I’ll keep you… For a while.”
Growl and roar-it's okay to let the beast out. - J. Hali Steele
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