Chasing Tail (Paranormal Shapeshifter Werelion Romance) (Quick & Furry Book 1) (3 page)

With a sigh, she placed the bottle and opener on the counter and padded toward the front door. She loved having a best friend… When said best friend wasn’t trying to interrupt her pity party. She undid the locks, turned the knob, and tugged the panel open. “Jennifer.”

Sympathy filled the other woman’s gaze and Penelope tore her attention from her friend, unwilling to suffer under the expression. She didn’t want anyone to feel badly for her. She wanted to be left alone. It was bad enough that half the pride laughed at her on a regular basis while the other half sneered, but now with recent events… There would be no hiding from their torment. She knew it was only a matter of time before Alpha Palmer “encouraged” her to find a new pride. With today’s events, she imagined the order would come any time now.

“Oh God, Penelope.” Penelope’s own heartache was mirrored on her best friend’s features and the dam broke.

“Jennifer…” The first cry escaped, and then it was downhill from there.

Hugs were shared, tears were wiped, noses were very unsexily blown, and more than enough wine was consumed. By the time they finished their second bottle, Penelope managed to release the whole sordid, seriously not long enough, tale. From the first grumble, to the first purr, and on to the first taste of his skin, she revealed all. There were no secrets from the woman who’d stood by her side year after year despite the teasing and poor treatment by the rest of their pride.

“So, that’s it.” Penelope drained the last few drops from her glass.

“That’s it?” Jennifer slammed her delicate glass on the coffee table and winced, waiting for it to shatter. Amazingly, it did not. “
Justin
,” her best friend sneered, “strides in, interrupts, claims some witch is behind it all, and
that’s it
?”

Justin… For a moment, Penelope forgot that Justin was Jennifer’s brother which was why the woman could even
talk
about the man with such a disrespectful tone. But just for a moment.

“Yup.” She reached for another bottle. Knowing they were likely to drain them all, they had yanked the cork on each one before they began. “Pretty much.”

“You’re joking.”

“Nope.”

“But… But…” Jennifer sputtered. “He’s wrong.”

“I doubt it.” Fuck it. She was probably on the way out anyway. She could be disrespectful too. Penelope deepened her voice to imitate Alpha Palmer. “My decisions are final and unbreakable. You do not deny me, you do not disobey me. My word is law.”

“But it’s not.” Jennifer shook her head. “The spell didn’t pick Marcus. It doesn’t work that way.”

Marcus… Marcus was a nice name… It was sexy and sinful and it tasted delicious. “Marcus…” Penelope turned her head until she could stare at her friend. “Is that his name? Marcus…”

“You didn’t even know his name? You don’t know who he is?”

“Should I? We kind of skipped that part. He was a lion, then he was human, then he had his tongue in my throat. We jumped over everything else.” She sighed happily. “Did I mention how sexy he was? And the whole mating thing?”

The mating thing. Or rather, the not mating thing. The not mating thing and the embarrassment that came from the entire process being stopped by Alpha Palmer.

“…a mistake that would ruin the rest of your life.”

“Yes, you mentioned that,” her friend drawled. “I’ll fill you in on your mate then.”

Penelope shook her head and fought the dizziness that came with the action. “No, he’s not my mate. We just discussed this, didn’t we?”

“Humor me.” Jennifer reached for her previously discarded glass and refilled it before sitting back once again. “His name is Marcus Tolson.”

“That name sounds familiar.”

The woman grinned at her and tried to hide the smile behind the glass but failed miserably. “Yes, I imagine it would. Especially considering he’s the North American Alpha.”

Oh. Right. Nice.
Super nice.

Penelope groaned and flopped sideways, burying her face in a pillow. “Now I know he’s not my mate. I’m so not North American Alpha Mate material.” She was fluffy, average mate material. She moaned again. “I assaulted the North American Alpha.”

“No,” her friend began, “you tried to claim your mate.”

“Did you sorta miss the part where he was under the spell of a witch?” Her words were muffled but she had no doubt Jennifer heard her. “I was pretty sure that part was covered.”

“And I
said
the spell didn’t work that way.”

Now, admittedly, Penelope’s brain was quite muddled by the mass consumption of wine—it took a lot to get a lion drunk—but the lioness’ words tickled her brain. She fought to push herself up but did nothing more than flop around like a fish on sand. Giving up, she finally just settled in place and decided to have this conversation from her sprawled position.

“And how, my very best friend in the whole wide world, do you know how the spell works?” A very telling, very, very damning silence was Jennifer’s answer. “What, my very best friend in the whole wide world, did you do?”

More silence, but Penelope decided to wait Jennifer out. She didn’t care if it took five seconds or five hours, her best friend had a lot to answer for. Because now, new thoughts churned through her alcohol-muddled mind. Ones that said maybe Marcus truly
was
her mate. That it was Alpha Palmer who was wrong. That it was really okay for Penelope to climb Marcus like a tree.

“Well… You see… Hypothetically I may, or may not have, contracted the services of a certain witch who happens to hypothetically… Did I mention hypothetically? Hypothetically be a relative of yours. Which is why the possible spell worked so well for you and had Marcus chasing your scent across the country.”

Penelope groaned and squeezed her eyes shut. “And what, exactly and non-hypothetically, did you ask her to do?”

“I may or may not have—”

“Dammit,” Penelope snarled. “This is my life, Jennifer.” She forced her head up and glared at the other lioness. “What the fuck did you do?” In response to her aggressive tone, Jennifer’s eyes filled with tears, a single drop of moisture making its way down her cheek. That had her burying her face once again. “You’re such a crier when you’re drunk. It takes the fun out of yelling at you.” She sighed. “Tell me already.”

“I just wanted you to be happy. You’ve been miserable for so long. You’ve dealt with so much. Your parents… This pride…” Jennifer’s cool small hands grasped Penelope’s and squeezed gently. “You deserve to be happy, Penny.”

Penelope remained silent, knowing if she tried to make a sound, the pain of her past and the agony of her present would overwhelm her. Yes, most of her life had been shit. She was a mutt and then there was the fact that her parents never supported her. Oh, they put a roof over her head and made sure they gave her the necessities, but emotionally…

They were disgraced by her. They could have dealt with her curvy body. Her best friend—the old alpha’s daughter—was a little rounded, after all. But combined with her behavior… It was too much for them. She didn’t act like a “real” lion. She didn’t crave the hunt or embrace the natural dominance that lived inside her. She had too much non-shifter DNA in her blood that overrode her cat.

Her failure as a lioness upset her father, which meant her mother was frustrated with her for disappointing her mate even though it was her mother’s genetics that made Penelope the way she was. Their continued tension and strife put them in a vulnerable position within the pride until Penelope was shunted aside to maintain family harmony. Well, harmony for them. Because their private rejection wasn’t quite so private and it influenced how others treated her. Even after her parents passed, she was treated with disrespect.

Did she deserve to be happy when she caused so much pain to others? She didn’t even think she deserved to ask that question.

“I’m fine. I’ve been fine for a long time. I have a good life, I have a job I love, and—”

“And you’re alone.”

“But I’m happy.”

Jennifer shook her head. “No, you’re really not. You can’t lie to me.”

“Jen… just say it.”

“I found the most powerful woman on your witch side of the family tree, and when I told her everything about you, she agreed with me. She came to town and worked her magic mojo.” A sudden excitement filled the air and her best friend squirmed in her seat. “And for
free
.”

“Well, I’m glad it didn’t cost you anything since it didn’t work because of the whole ‘getting caught’ thing.”

“Weren’t you listening? It
did
work. It was only meant to bring your mate here. Not Larry, not Joe Bob from two counties over, not Pierre from across the pond.” Jennifer shrugged. “Just your mate.”

Penelope let those words sink into her, let them crawl through her blood and along her veins, let them creep into her bones, and felt them flick something deep inside her. It stroked the certainty in her heart that he was her mate. The belief that Marcus was her mate despite what they’d been told. Was he really?

Her cat answered for her with a resounding roar. It knew the truth, and it clawed aside her human’s worries and concerns. Her hint of hesitation, her sliver of doubt, gave the beast a chance to rush forward. It assured her that Marcus belonged to them, he was theirs and no other’s, and it was time they got their shit together and went and got him.

“He’s mine.”

“Yes.”

The cat pushed forward, shoving the human parts of her to the background as it stole control of her two-footed form. Its rush burned away the alcohol in her veins, clearing her mind of the liquid’s cloud. She rolled to her feet, body prepped and primed and aching for her mate. It wasn’t a question. “Marcus Tolson, North American Alpha, is
mine
. And it’s time he accepted it.”

Her hands ached, and she allowed even more of the feline to push forward, her nails transforming to sharp claws. Her gums throbbed and then her fangs descended pricking her lower lip. The lioness’ strength that she always brushed aside was in full force as she embraced her dominant urges.

“Whoa.” Jennifer’s gaze moved over her from head to toe. “This whole angry look is kinda sexy. If I swung your way, I’d be all over you.”

Shaking her head, Penelope plucked the half-full glass from her best friend’s grip and snagged the remaining bottle of wine as well. “Come on, let’s get you sobered up a little, and then you can tell me where to find Marcus. Your brother may have interfered once, but I’ll be damned if it happens again.”

Jennifer pushed to her feet, body swaying slightly, and she studied Penelope carefully. “I know you’ve always been strong and just disregarded that part of you, but since Marcus is your mate, that means you’re actually a really,
really
strong lion. Stronger than any of us.” Jennifer hiccupped. “Like, I bet if you snarled a little, you could even get Justin to roll over and bare his belly.” Her best friend jumped in place and released an excited squeal. “Ooh, say you’ll do it, say you’ll do it!”

The idea had merit, but Penelope had something to accomplish first. Mainly, making Marcus Tolson hers and begging him to do the same in return. With any luck, it wouldn’t require any bloodshed. Or at least, not a lot.

“We’ll discuss it on the way. Where can we find them all?” Because she had no doubt Marcus and Justin didn’t go alone to question the witch. Or rather, her relative.

Her best friend paused in her excited bouncing. “Oh. They’re at your house.”

Penelope’s house. Or rather the place she’d lived until she was forced out. True, it still remained in her name, but she hadn’t been there in more years than she could count. It held so many memories… None she wanted to keep.

Sensing her disquiet, Jennifer grasped Penelope’s hand and twined their fingers. “You can do it, Pen. It’s just a house.”

Sure, it was just the house. Penelope didn’t tell Jennifer it wasn’t just the house. It was hell. A hell that currently held her ticket to heaven.

“Besides,” Jennifer continued, “if we don’t get there before Justin introduces her to Marcus, there’s no telling what will happen. Angry alphas aren’t necessarily understanding alphas and Marcus has plenty to be angry about if he believes my brother. Justin has already poisoned his mind against you and the witch. What’s going to happen to her if a furious Marcus gets to her first?”

She’ll be torn to shreds.

“Dammit,” she snarled. “Let’s go.”

Marcus would rip off the head of the next lion who spoke to him. Hell, the next person, lion or human, who spoke to him would die. His inner cat was in full agreement. The animal was agitated and anxious to tear into everyone in the room. Each time the air conditioner kicked on, each time someone came near, he was assaulted with different scents. Males and females, musk and perfume, sweat and earth… They surrounded him in the cloying room.

His skin itched, his fur rippling through his flesh only to disappear once again. Each wave he banished proved just how strong his lion was becoming as the seconds passed. It would slide fur free of his pores, and just as quickly Marcus would regain control and the light dusting of gold would vanish. He was the North American Alpha, the strongest lion on the continent. He didn’t have the luxury of losing control. When his animal snatched the human’s power, there was no telling what would be left in his wake. The way he felt that moment, he knew it would be a trail of blood and gore.

Mainly because everyone in the vicinity was attempting to keep him from one single, luscious female.

Penelope Little. She was tiny compared to him, short and compact with generous curves that had cradled him so sweetly. She was a handful and then some, built for him from head to toe. It was as if God himself crept into Marcus’ brain and discovered what he viewed as the ideal woman.

Yes, the average lioness was lithe and lean, but that wasn’t what turned on Marcus. He liked the softness of a curved female, the ways she molded to his hard body, and the way her form contrasted so heavily against his. He had enough hardness in his day-to-day life. Sometimes a male just needed a daily dose of sweetness to make it from one day to the next.