Prologue
January
OMG Mate!
Mate, mate.
Carly stiffened in Andrew’s arms, her bunny senses going buck wild as she scanned the interior of Honey’s Bar & Grill. The members of her warren and the pride were gathered to casually celebrate her best friend’s mating to the lion Prime. After getting Maya, her BFF since first grade, through her initial shift, Carly was hanging with them all and having a fun time.
And now she’d found her mate.
Whee!
“Carls?” Andrew’s voice was raised so that Carly could hear him over the music. “What’s up?”
“Andrew!” She leaned forward to whisper-yell into his ear. More yell than whisper, and a good dose of squee added in. “I found my mate! He’s here!”
She couldn’t help talking with such excitement. She’d found the male she’d spend the rest of her life with, the man who would father her kits.
Now, she just had to find him.
“Y-y-your mate?” Andrew sputtered.
She pulled back to look at her friend and found his expression…odd. Andrew looked as if he’d been slapped, stomped, spit on, and then someone had kicked his puppy. Well, he didn’t have a puppy, but if he did, it’d been whaled on ‘til the thing was barely breathing.
“Just now?” He tightened his arms and his grip grew tighter as seconds passed, his hold nearing pain while he focused intently on her. “You’re sure?”
“Andrew?”
“Sorry. I thought…” He swallowed hard and released her, sorrow evident in his eyes. “Sorry. Go ahead. Find him.”
Carly furrowed her brow. She’d always known that Andrew felt more for her than the love of a friend, but still, his reaction seemed stronger than she’d anticipated. Maybe finding her male now was perfect timing. Hopefully, as she spent time with her new found mate and less with Andrew, his feelings would fade.
Another hint of the musky scent of raindrops and daffodils wafted across her path and she stepped out of her friend’s arms. She’d spend some time on Andrew’s feelings…later. She needed to find the source of that yumminess. Now.
She wove through the gathering, smiling gently at various members of the warren, and kept an eye on the lions that looked at her like she was dinner. She suppressed a shiver along with the hint of fear that had gathered in her chest. Fear would simply force the cats to chase her and add raw bunny to the menu.
So not a good thing.
Maya had been considered an honorary warren member—hence the bunny attendance—but Carly didn’t need to tempt the carnivores.
A tingle of the male’s smell crossed her path and she followed it farther. Around and through various groupings she traveled, closer to her goal with every step. The scent of her quarry grew as she neared the bar, and she eyed the gathering of bodies.
Several males lined the long piece of polished wood and she looked them all over. She recognized a couple of rabbits—her cousin Beth among some of the guys, teasing and flirting with them all—and tossed their presence aside. She’d known them since she was little, a kit hopping after her brother. No way could any of them be her male. Which left three others as the likely candidates.
Carly approached, stared at the back of each of them as she strolled past. Surreptitiously she sniffed, leaned close, and gathered their scents, trying not to look too stalker-esque.
The first male smelled as if he had bathed in alcohol with undertones of sadness and fiery woodlands coating him. “Yo! Can I get another, blondie?”
The bartender sent a beer sliding down the bar top. “Here ya go, Ricker. On the house.”
The man’s name teased the back of her mind, but she couldn’t place it. Not that it mattered. Her guy was all early morning rain. Her fave.
Two steps brought her to the next and she repeated the process: a sniff, deep breath, and sunshine wafted over her. Nope. Bunny wasn’t having it. She wanted the rainy daffodils, damn it.
Carly knew when to listen. Besides, daffodils were her rabbit crack and she was a lifetime addict.
The third male…she shivered, partly in disgust, partly in excitement.
Damn the process of elimination.
He had black hair and deeply tanned skin. Of course, she’d have been able to see more of him if it hadn’t been for the thin blonde draped over his back like a blanket.
He turned on his stool to face the woman and wrapped his arms around her waist, smiling as he hugged her close, a way too sexy dimple on display.
The woman before him stuck out her lower lip with a pout. “You love me, don’t you, Neal?”
He leaned close and kissed her, teeth nibbling on the blonde’s lower lip. “Of course, darlin’.” His hands traveled down to squeeze the lady’s ass and nausea gurgled in Carly’s stomach. The scent of the woman—human—hit her the barest moment before Neal’s scent poured over her skin. Male musk, spring rain, and daffodils.
Her mate, her male, sat before her, his hands on another as he proclaimed his love for her. Oh, god, she was going to be sick.
Carly whimpered and swallowed against the vomit traveling along her throat. She’d been so naïve, so bowled over by the stories her parents had shared over the years. She’d always imagined her mate as a male who’d saved his love (if not his baby-making equipment) for her, and only her. She’d never gifted her heart to anyone, and here he was…
She took a step back and her movement drew his attention. Blue eyes focused on her while his nostrils flared and she watched the knowledge of their connection flow through his body. His muscles tensed and he released the woman’s waist, grabbing her wrists and forcing her to let him go.
“Neal?” the blonde whined.
Carly’s hurt overrode the rabbit’s desire to stay put. Her human heart, inexperienced as it was, felt pretty damned battered. Yeah, she was probably acting like a weeping, weak female, but she didn’t care. Without a word to her unclaimed mate, she bolted, no true destination in mind. She just needed to be alone. She wove past the customers, sliding this way and that until she came to a dim hallway. Oh, god, the restrooms. She could hide, gather her courage to face her male. The male who had a human woman in his heart.
Ladies’ restroom door in sight, she increased her speed. Yet, two feet from sanctuary, strong arms encircled her, a warm face buried itself against her neck. “Where you goin’ darlin’?”
Carly—stupid, innocent, foolish girl—blinked back her tears.
Darlin’…
* * *
April
What Carly wouldn’t give to be pregnant with her mate’s cubs.
Hell, even one little kit would do.
If her mate was a male worth having, that was.
Maya sat before her, lamenting her pregnancy, whining about the suddenness of it all, and her BFF didn’t have a clue that Carly had found her mate.
Because she hadn’t told anyone.
Nope, not a soul.
Ever since meeting Neal three months ago, she’d done her damdest to avoid the male. He belonged to someone else and she refused to claim—or be claimed by—a man who wouldn’t look at her, or treat her, like she was the center of his universe.
Yeah, she knew her hopes were more Disney fantasy than real world.
She just didn’t give a fuck.
Lost in her thoughts, she wrenched her attention from her situation and rejoined her conversation with Maya.
“By the way, don’t answer your phone if it happens to ring, please. I don’t want to talk to Alex…or any of his lions right now.”
“O…kay…” So her friend didn’t want to chat with her mate. Lovely.
“I’m serious, Carly.”
Maya had ditched her guards, her quintet, the very second she’d been surprised by the news of her pregnancy and to say she wasn’t taking it well was an understatement.
Carly glanced at her freezer, now sans door, and then stared at the dents in her wall, courtesy of Maya kicking her shoes off the moment she sat at the kitchen table. “Fine. But you’re totally paying to get that fixed. You know that, right? Oh, and let’s not forget about my freezer door, you rageaholic.”
The lioness waved a spoon at Carly. “Yeah, yeah. Alex, if I let him live, will have someone come over and patch that shit right up for you. But my visit is about making me feel all better, so let’s hop to it.”
“Bitch,” Carly fired back, glaring at her BFF.
“Actually, pregnant cats are called queens. So Queen Bitch would be more appropriate, I think.” She tilted her head to the side. “Yeah. I think I kinda dig that.”
Carly rolled her eyes. “Whatever. So we’re pregnant, huh?”
“By we, you mean me, right?” Maya scooped out another hunk of ice cream and downed it, then pointed the empty spoon at her. “’Cause last I knew, you were on a dick boycott. Right?”
Carly stuck out her tongue, then blew raspberries at her. Yeah, she was totally a child. And yeah, since she’d found her mate—but hadn’t claimed him—she was on a boycott for the foreseeable future. “Yes. Anyway…You’re pregnant, freaked about it, and now you’re here, and surprisingly, without the company of the quintet.” Carly grabbed a spoon for herself before inching close enough to steal a scoop of the gooey goodness that Maya selfishly hoarded. “Speaking of which, I’m thinking about ending the weenie boycott, and I’m totally down with taking one of the fab five off of your hands. I’m thinking Wyatt…or maybe Deuce. Which do you think is better in bed?”
Not really. She just needed someone else to take her mind off the ‘tall drink of water’ dominating her thoughts. She wouldn’t have sex with the guy, she’d just…hell, she didn’t know what she needed. She was a great big ball of furry, confused beyotch.
A deep snort, followed quickly by a male grunt, interrupted their fun, their OMG-I’m-pregnant-fest, and without looking, Carly immediately knew who that sound belonged to. Neal had finally found Maya.
Her Neal.
No. He wasn’t ‘her’ anything. He belonged to that blonde…
“I’d say neither will give ya what you need, Ms. Lucky.” Neal poked his head around the corner. “I’m the man to rock your world.” The werelion’s eyes were a deeper blue than Carly had ever seen. Soon, the unmistakable scent of arousal and desire filled the small space.
Good for him. He could go to the human woman for satisfaction. The ‘Carly Store’ was permanently closed.
Maya pointed at the slick-talking cowboy intruder. “Hey…no, Neal. Bad kitty. That was not a very good rabbit’s foot joke. And…no cat of mine is allowed to chase my BFF’s fluffy tail…unless they’ve got mating and little kitties on their mind.”
Carly forced her heart to still. She hadn’t gotten around to revealing her connection to Neal and wasn’t about to tell the she-cat now.
Please don’t say anything, Neal…Please…Let me joke my way through this.
She glared at her friend. “You take all the fun out of being your friend, you know that?” She snatched the Chunky Monkey from Maya’s hands. “Cock blockers don’t deserve to eat my ice cream. None for you!” It didn’t matter if mating was on her brain—or Neal’s—it wasn’t happening. Not when he had a chickie on the line, and, based on the handful of times she’d seen him since January, the woman still lingered.
And was still darlin’.
Who knew how many others he had in the wings.
Maya tilted her head. “Because of the kind of boycott you’ve got going on, wouldn’t I be a pussy blocker?”
Carly fired back, “That makes absolutely no sense, Maya. Besides, I told you I was thinking about ending it, didn’t I?”
Maya raised a brow and opened her mouth, but Neal overrode whatever her friend was about to say. “Why don’t we chat about boycotts a little later?” He looked right at Carly and she couldn’t fight the blush heating her cheeks. There was possession, want, and need in that single look. Damn it. Neal turned his attention to Maya. “Prima, Alex is looking for ya.”
Well, that ended their fun, and none too soon. The last thing she wanted to do was explore the reason behind the warmth of her cheeks in front of her friend. The friend to whom she hadn’t gotten around to revealing the fact that Neal was her mate.
She’d get there…eventually.
Maybe after their first litter…or four. If they ever got there. Yeah.
Swallowing past the lump in her throat, Carly was totally prepared to brush past her mate, walk her friend to the door, and ignore Neal’s presence entirely. Unfortunately, she ended up embroiled in whatever the hell was going on in Prima’s life.
Apparently, the big, bad she-cat couldn’t admit her pregnancy to her mate without her BFF on hand so Carly got hauled along for the ride. Joy.
Hours later at the pride house—after Maya had glared at the visiting council and then carved up the tiger delegate (who happened to be a tigress hitting on Maya’s mate)—her BFF still hadn’t dropped the P-bomb.
Lovely.
“Okay, y’all can leave.” Maya made a shooing motion, her blood crusted hands waving Carly and Neal toward the door. “Nothing to see here. Move along little doggies. Okay, rabbit and lion, but get gone.”
Nervous tension thrummed through her veins. She’d ridden to the house with Neal and Maya and now Maya could sure as shit drive her home. She totally wasn’t riding back with Ne—
“Neal will take you home.”
Oh, god. Kill me now.
A strong, warm arm wrapped around her shoulders, and her mate’s scent enveloped her in a soothing fragrance. Carly’s rabbit didn’t want to turn tail and run. No, she wanted to snuggle in and rub all over him.
Traitorous bitch.
“Come along, darlin’.”
Darlin’…
Unable to fight the inevitable, she let the male lead her from the house and to the waiting SUV. He helped her into the passenger seat and then jogged around to the driver’s side.
Damn, he was hotness on two legs. He moved like the predator that lived beneath his skin, all smooth steps and barely contained strength. His black locks were stirred by the breeze, and she imagined how soft the strands would be against her fingers. Those blue eyes were bright and glinting as he slid behind the wheel.
He flashed a quick smile and then got them moving, driving over the gravel driveway and onto the street with ease. Thankfully, Carly didn’t live far from the pride house, and the trip wouldn’t take long.
“So, you gonna tell me why you’ve avoided me—avoided us—for the last three months?” His drawl was deep and filled with the promise of more pleasure than she could ever imagine; however, a hint of steel edged his words. “It hasn’t been easy, Lucky. Why are you doing this to us?”
She squeezed her eyes shut. Her bunny wanted to pounce on him, straddle his hips, and take what she desired while her human half—the bit of her that had grown up on sweet romance novels and happily-ever-after—needed more.
Carly opened her eyes and kept them on the road as the car drew closer to her home. Two more streets, and then she’d be there.
“Darlin’?”
She hated that endearment more than life itself.
One more street.
Then a quick left turn, and her house appeared one block up on the right.
With more bravery than sense, she answered him with a question as they pulled in front of her house. “Tell me, are you still involved with the blonde?”
She placed her hand on the door handle, tugged on it, let the door open a handful of inches, and then returned her gaze to him. She waited to see if he’d lie, if he’d speak the truth, or if he’d give her something in between. And yeah, she admitted to herself, she wanted to look for signs of guilt or remorse, as well.
He frowned at first, as if he had no idea about what she was talking about, and then a dusting of red appeared high on his cheeks. “Well, you see—“
God, life was so fucking hard. “And is she still your darlin’?”
Please say no. Please.
“You don’t understand.”
Damn those pretty blues. Damn her heart for wanting him and damn her traitorous rabbit for craving him like a drug.
“You’re right. I don’t.” She took a deep breath and forced her body to obey her mind. She pushed the door open and slid from the vehicle. “I’m not going to do this, Neal. Maybe a mating between rabbits and lions isn’t the same as if we’d stuck with our own species. I do know that what you’re doing with your life—what you’re doing with her even after we’ve found each other—isn’t what I want for my kits. So have a good one.”
Carly didn’t give him a chance to reply. No, she stepped back and pushed the door closed.
“Carly, wa—“
No. She was done waiting. On shaky legs, she raced up the path to her door, let herself in, and then slammed it shut behind her. With trembling fingers, she engaged the locks, and even managed to get the chain in place before the first tear fell.
Damn him.
Damn her rabbit.
Damn her idealistic heart.