dotted the blue sky. It was sacrilege to have such a beautiful day when he felt such turmoil inside.
Fate leaned against the open door, looking as haggard as Wyked felt. Although he could feel Jilly through their blood-sharing connection, he hadn’t been able to find her. He and Fate had driven all over the last few days trying to get a sense of her through their connection, but found nothing. Their uncle believed it was because she was fighting the connection, shutting them out somehow. He didn’t know that was possible. But then again, he’d never met a female mountain lion before.
“She has to be feeling the same as we are,” Fate said. “She knows where we are, and she’ll come back to us.”
He pressed his hands against the cold countertop and let his head drop forward. Wyked wanted to believe that, but after what he’d learned about mountain lions from his uncle’s library, he wasn’t sure if Jilly would even understand that they were mates or know how to process what she was feeling in the first place. She’d called him a stranger. And that cut him to the quick.
“I never should have let her leave,” Wyked admitted.
“You had no choice. Uncle was right. She was so upset that she was almost violent. Can you imagine what she must have been feeling? Her whole life just suddenly revealed to her as a lie? She needs time to process what she’s feeling. When she’s ready, she’ll come to us.”
Wyked snorted, lifting his head and looking at his twin. “You sound awfully philosophical there, brother.”
“I’m trying a new thing,” Fate grinned.
Wyked turned and faced his brother and nodded. She was their mate. She’d come home to them eventually. For his own sanity, he just hoped it was soon.
* * * * *
On Saturday evening, Jilly paced the length of the front room in the home that the lionesses shared. Layla, the leader of the pride, had called the meeting to discuss the trio that Jilly had seen in King at the beginning of the week. She’d been right in being suspicious that the blonde female was a lion and mated to the two Harrison brothers, but at the moment all she felt was a strong desire to get in her car, drive to the campground, and throw herself at the twins.
Wyked and Fate.
She rubbed at the back of her neck as the tip of her tongue traced the two little bumps on the inside of her bottom lip. Their marks. They’d scarred over, becoming permanent. Although the scent of them was long gone from her skin, she had dreamed of them non-stop since she’d fled like a lunatic on Monday.
Each day had brought increasingly intense feelings for the twins. Each night brought more memories. Things from her past she had no recollection of. Her father. Her brother. Uncles and cousins. And most frightening of all, being clawed by the females more than once. She kept pushing the unwanted thoughts away, desperate for relief but finding none.
“Jillian!” Tanya snarled her name and Jilly almost shouted, Don’t call me that! but kept her mouth shut for long enough to gather her emotions back under control.
“I’m sorry, what?” she said with as calm a voice as she could muster.
Layla’s brow was raised, and the other females looked at her in confusion. Layla cleared her throat, “I asked where you cast your vote.”
Vote?
Jilly paused long enough that Tanya sighed exaggeratedly and said, “We’re voting on whether we should just kill the stranger or capture her and find out what’s different about her. Which do you think?”
There was a time, Jilly was certain, that she would have felt as dispassionate about choosing the fate of another lioness as the females in the room with her. But now, with emotions rioting in her mind for the first time in years, she was anything but detached.
But she knew that letting the females know that she’d been marked and claimed by the twin panthers would land her in a heap of
Fate leaned against the open door, looking as haggard as Wyked felt. Although he could feel Jilly through their blood-sharing connection, he hadn’t been able to find her. He and Fate had driven all over the last few days trying to get a sense of her through their connection, but found nothing. Their uncle believed it was because she was fighting the connection, shutting them out somehow. He didn’t know that was possible. But then again, he’d never met a female mountain lion before.
“She has to be feeling the same as we are,” Fate said. “She knows where we are, and she’ll come back to us.”
He pressed his hands against the cold countertop and let his head drop forward. Wyked wanted to believe that, but after what he’d learned about mountain lions from his uncle’s library, he wasn’t sure if Jilly would even understand that they were mates or know how to process what she was feeling in the first place. She’d called him a stranger. And that cut him to the quick.
“I never should have let her leave,” Wyked admitted.
“You had no choice. Uncle was right. She was so upset that she was almost violent. Can you imagine what she must have been feeling? Her whole life just suddenly revealed to her as a lie? She needs time to process what she’s feeling. When she’s ready, she’ll come to us.”
Wyked snorted, lifting his head and looking at his twin. “You sound awfully philosophical there, brother.”
“I’m trying a new thing,” Fate grinned.
Wyked turned and faced his brother and nodded. She was their mate. She’d come home to them eventually. For his own sanity, he just hoped it was soon.
* * * * *
On Saturday evening, Jilly paced the length of the front room in the home that the lionesses shared. Layla, the leader of the pride, had called the meeting to discuss the trio that Jilly had seen in King at the beginning of the week. She’d been right in being suspicious that the blonde female was a lion and mated to the two Harrison brothers, but at the moment all she felt was a strong desire to get in her car, drive to the campground, and throw herself at the twins.
Wyked and Fate.
She rubbed at the back of her neck as the tip of her tongue traced the two little bumps on the inside of her bottom lip. Their marks. They’d scarred over, becoming permanent. Although the scent of them was long gone from her skin, she had dreamed of them non-stop since she’d fled like a lunatic on Monday.
Each day had brought increasingly intense feelings for the twins. Each night brought more memories. Things from her past she had no recollection of. Her father. Her brother. Uncles and cousins. And most frightening of all, being clawed by the females more than once. She kept pushing the unwanted thoughts away, desperate for relief but finding none.
“Jillian!” Tanya snarled her name and Jilly almost shouted, Don’t call me that! but kept her mouth shut for long enough to gather her emotions back under control.
“I’m sorry, what?” she said with as calm a voice as she could muster.
Layla’s brow was raised, and the other females looked at her in confusion. Layla cleared her throat, “I asked where you cast your vote.”
Vote?
Jilly paused long enough that Tanya sighed exaggeratedly and said, “We’re voting on whether we should just kill the stranger or capture her and find out what’s different about her. Which do you think?”
There was a time, Jilly was certain, that she would have felt as dispassionate about choosing the fate of another lioness as the females in the room with her. But now, with emotions rioting in her mind for the first time in years, she was anything but detached.
But she knew that letting the females know that she’d been marked and claimed by the twin panthers would land her in a heap of
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