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  Jagger had been humbled by the support, the overwhelming amount of offers to assist in trying to find whoever had abducted Ariela. As with anything there was always an exception and Melinda reminded Jagger of that exception on an hourly basis. As Jagger sat on the corner of his desk with his phone to his ear, he watched Melinda as she clumsily loosened her blouse, pushing up her voluptuous breasts for show.

  “Peterson? Jagger. What do you have for me?” He turned his back to Pride Casino’s CFO. Melinda would probably use the time to figure out the best way to strike an inviting pose.

  “Jagger, I’m empty here.”

  “What do you mean you’re empty?” His fury spun around and round like a second hand on a malfunctioning clock.

  “Nothing. We have nothing. The local PD will tell you the same.”

  Jagger took a deep breath and pulled the phone down from his ear. He stared at the facing on his cell, hoping the fading in and out was a call waiting but quite disappointed to discover it was only a warning. His phone needed a recharge.

  “I’ll call you back.” He cut the call short and turned off his phone. The entire police department had gone from outstanding to incompetent as soon as Ariela had been abducted. It was as if no one cared.

  He knew better of course, but one nagging thought kept entering his head. Was there someone on the inside? Had someone tampered with evidence making a trail cold when it should’ve been as hot as fiery coals?

  Had someone worked overtime to ensure Jagger and his teams or Lane and his men couldn’t find Ariela? What had happened to good old investigative work? In a town built on cameras and surveillance equipment, why hadn’t someone seen something?

  He dragged his hand down the length of his face. As soon as he reached his chin, he felt Melinda’s hot breath at his nape. Her hands went to his shoulders and she massaged them as if she had earned the right to touch him, the right to squeeze his agony right out of his knotted muscles, his tired and aching body.

  For a minute, he used her for the massage. Considering how she’d blackmailed her way into the CFO position, he didn’t feel guilty about the service.

  “Let me help ease your pain, Jagger,” Melinda crooned.

  Jagger cocked his head when her breath went to her ear. His eyes watered as he thought of his lovely Ariela. He was seconds away from telling Melinda just how much he resented her using his vulnerability when the office door slammed behind them and Leon’s rage-filled voice resonated in the office. “What do you think you’re doing, Jagger!”

  Melinda dropped her hands, leaned forward, and hissed, “This can wait. We’ve been on ice for several years. Another day or two won’t make a difference.”

  Jagger slowly turned to face Leon and Sanchez, watching the forced sway of Melinda’s hips as she exited the office. She left the office door wide open but Sanchez quickly closed it.

  “This is unacceptable, Jagger! For all we know Melinda is on the inside helping one of our enemies and you’re what? Playing footsie with the one woman Ariela can’t stand!”

  “Shows how well you know Ariela,” Jagger said, going to the window overlooking the Strip. “Ariela doesn’t like women at all. I’ve never known her to have a best friend, never known her to trust another female. No, Ariela doesn’t like Melinda because she has a pussy between her legs instead of a hard cock.”

  “I’ll let that slide this time,” Sanchez said, taking a seat. “I know you’re distraught, but try to remember Ariela is counting on us, Jagger.”

  “He’s right,” Leon said.

  Jagger frowned. “We’ve lost her.”

  “What do you mean we’ve lost her?” Sanchez looked as if he’d just received news that a fur trader wanted his beautiful white lion’s coat. “Do you know something we don’t?”

  “Fortune telling isn’t my department.” He nodded at Leon. “You would need to make an appointment with our in-house wizard if you want predications.”

  “Are you drunk?” Leon frowned. “Are you?”

  “Damn it, no, I’m not drunk.” Jagger took a seat at his desk. “I’m reasonable is what I am. I don’t buy the fact that Lane doesn’t know where she is but more importantly, I think wherever she is, Ariela is waiting on Lane to save her.”

  “Why would you say something so indifferent?” Leon looked as if he could throttle him for his opinion.

  “Are you really that blind, Leon? Did you not notice the way she looked at him at the Catwalk’s premiere?”

  “She was excited, Jagger.” Sanchez was quick to defend her. “She acted like she was in awe of you and Leon when the Rise to Power, Search for Pride venue opened. She’s a performer. She denies it but she loves the spotlight. She craves the crowd’s attention, their praise.”

  “She craves Lane Livingston. And the sooner we accept the fact, the sooner we can devise a plan to start working to win her back.”

  “A little advice?”

  Jagger arched a brow and waited. He knew the advice would have something to do with Melinda.

  “Leave the CFO out of your personal affairs, Jagger. If we ever need to win Ariela back, the last thing I want to do is explain to her why you were in Melinda’s bed while she was fighting for her life.”

  “What makes you think she’s fighting for her life?” Sanchez asked.

  “Because I know Ariela. If she were free, she would at least call us to let us know. She wouldn’t want us pacing around here like discontented lions. She’d pass along the information she had about her abductors and she’d expect us to pounce on them like the predators we are.”

  “I’m no predator,” Jagger said, a believer in that now. “But you need to see Livingston for what he is, Leon. He is not only a predator, but he’s also an animal who can take on a coat of many different colors. He’s just as dangerous to us and our pride as Barlo or his brother Shoc. He will destroy what we’ve worked so hard to build.”

  “Give the man a break,” Sanchez said.

  “Like he gave you?” Jagger laughed. “You were his first fan because he promised to deliver what you needed most—the audience that hailed you as a star right from the start. You traded Ariela for fame, Sanchez.”

  “Stop it, Jagger. If you want to blame someone, crook that finger back at yourself.” Leon stood taller. “I won’t let you cast a stone at Sanchez when you and I did nothing to stop this. We both knew what Lane wanted. How many times did I show you the future? How often did I tell you Ariela would have four mates, not three?”

  “And what if you’re wrong? What if Lane convinces Ariela she has one mate instead of three or four? What if he takes the woman we love and manipulates her into believing he alone is the only man she needs?”

  “It won’t happen,” Leon said. “Ariela loves you, Jagger. You were her first love. You know her better than anyone. And she loves Sanchez and me as well. Still, you know her better than anyone and I cannot—I will not—believe she will hurt the man who knows her better than she knows herself.”

  “It’s because I know her so well that I can tell you, it’s too late for us. I’ve felt her slipping away since you first arrived at our home, Leon. But now? It’s much different. I feel…something…entirely different.”

  “What?” Leon asked, clearly agitated. “Describe it.”

  “That’s just it. I can’t. I don’t feel at all now. I don’t sense her presence, her love, her compassion for us and the pride, for the casino and everything we’ve built.”

  Sanchez slowly lifted his head.

  “You feel it too. Don’t you?” Jagger asked. “Do you?”

  Sanchez nodded and then dropped his head.

  Leon threw up his hand. “I’ve shown you the future. You’ve seen us with Ariela. You have to believe in what you can see, Jagger.”

  “That’s a very good point.” He reached in his desk, grabbed his car keys and wallet and quickly said, “Come on. I’ll prove it to you.”

  “Where are you going?” Leo
n asked, trailing him.

  Jagger stopped right outside the office door. “We’re going to Lane Livingston’s. I plan to prove to you I’m right about this. The cold trail the cops are following is cold for a reason. Livingston has manipulated the investigation from the beginning. It just hit me how he’s managed to do that.

  “Livingston has her. If you need proof, Leon, if you only believe what you see with your own eyes, let’s go. Let’s all see it with our own eyes so we can then decide what to do next.”

  Chapter Seven

  Ariela rested her cheek against Lane’s chest, sated for the moment and enjoying the way he rubbed her head, slightly pulling at the strands before he yanked her head back and smothered her mouth with his savory kiss. She felt safe and secure and she was so ready to fall into a deep sleep. Maybe she’d rest throughout the night and her mating season would slip away long before sunrise.

  “As much as I would love to stay right here pampering you, there’s a little matter we need to take care of.” Lane popped her bottom with his hand and the resounding smack heated her core as if he’d thrust three fingers inside her.

  She turned on her back and stared at him, willing him to look at her with lust in his eyes and mount her for another quick round of lovemaking. She’d been loved well, nurtured. Who would’ve thought sex could be so hot without foreplay, without a lot of teasing?

  “I already know that look.” He winked. “I promise you’ll love me for this.”

  With the promise, she followed him across the bedroom and down the hall. “Are we here by ourselves?”

  “Yes. I sent Cara home.”

  “Good, maybe she’ll stay there.” She sweetly smiled up at him when he paused. “Where are you taking me?”

  “You’ll see.”

  They seemingly went underground as they followed a carpeted ramp down to a lower level. A cool breeze struck her face as they entered a chute-like door.

  Ariela’s lioness senses kicked into overdrive and by the time they reached the end of the funnel, she was in her animal form and Lane immediately shifted into his. They stared at one another longingly before she turned around in a circle, amazed by what she saw.

  As if she’d been tossed into yesteryear, she was surrounded by orange-tinted grass, a bright sun above them had been painted into the center ceiling to manipulate the color schemes and while she realized most of what she saw was a mirage, Ariela was simply too captivated to care. She’d spent several years in the Sub-Saharan Africa region. She and Jagger had frolicked in the open fields, run alongside others like them, and explored the country with an eagerness to learn about the habitats of lions and lion shifters.

  They’d taken the daunting task of going where others like them refused to go so they would know what it was like to be in the wild and run the risk of captivity. Now, she was thrown back in time, able to remember the beautiful sunrises and sunsets. Lane had gifted her with this experience. She nuzzled him then and was as excited as she’d been in the hours before. She turned to the glass, aware of the red rocks beyond his patio but unable to see them due to the dark windows preventing them from seeing outside.

  Ariela lowered her hips to the grassy floor, wondering how much time he’d spent there in his manmade den. Had he taken other lionesses here or was she the first? Had he known she’d transition on the way down to the lower level or had he expected to give her the grand tour, tell her about the work that had gone into creating such a fascinating den?

  Lane came up behind her, nipping her hips and butting her forward. He mounted her. The hard barb jutted inside her womb, instantly scraping her from front to back as he jammed his penis inside her hard and fast, using rapid beats as the beast came alive.

  She felt every ripple of his hard lion’s body against her smaller form. She felt him as he came inside her, the jet of his release spraying inside her body as her lioness form sank lower against the ground.

  He pulled out and the painful ejection made her roar in protest. She whipped around and nipped him. He could’ve used some care, waited until she was ready!

  She postured again, lowering in front of him and feeling his hot breath on her neck. He mounted her quickly again, thrusting deep and long, the barb extending inside her womb and dragging along her channel at a painstakingly pace.

  Lane bit her neck, burying his snout in her fur as he pounded her lioness body, working hard and fast to achieve his release. She couldn’t come for the excitement, the quick way he took her, ravenously fucked her and then withdrew again.

  The copulation continued for nearly an hour before he collapsed on the grassy floor in his human form. She circled him like prey then, watching him suspiciously as he came to his knees and grinned. “I’m tuckered out.”

  She bolted forward and made her shift, landing within inches of him. Crawling over to him, she rested her face against his belly. Their ragged breaths raced forward as she gazed up at the ceiling. “This is beautiful, Lane.”

  “It is all for you.”

  A peaceful calm washed over her until she thought one of those intrusive thoughts that made a woman crazy with envy. “Have you ever taken another lioness here?”

  He laughed. “Jealous minx.”

  “Have you?”

  He rolled to his side and propped his hand behind his head. She gasped then as she noticed the marked differences between the Lane she’d seen upstairs and the one staring back at her then.

  “Oh my God.”

  “What is it?”

  She touched his face, smoothed her fingers around his eyes and across his brows. “You look…”

  “Younger?”

  “Yes.”

  “Happier?”

  She nodded. “Are you?”

  “Yes, Ariela. I’m happier. And yes, I’m younger—by about twenty years.”

  “Is that the only reason you wanted me?”

  He came to a seated position, his legs buried in the tall grass. She plucked a blade from the ground, expecting to find she couldn’t pull it free of the carpet. She studied the grass and whispered, “Amazing.”

  “It’s not really.” He laughed. “There was never a floor here.”

  “I guess next you’re going to tell me the sun always shines on Lane Livingston?” She looked up.

  “It does now,” he said, dragging her body against his.

  “You never answered my question?”

  “About other women? No, Ariela. This was all for you.”

  “I told you I don’t share,” she said, grabbing hold of his cock and working him into a stout erection once more.

  “What if I told you I don’t share?”

  “That might present a slight problem.” A door slammed behind them. “Considering she has three mates, I’m guessing that’s one request she’ll have to deny.”

  “Jagger.” Ariela jumped to her feet, standing in front of Lane before he took that first swing. “This isn’t how it looks.”

  “Oh it is definitely how it looks,” Leon said, moving aside when she tried to stop him as well.

  “Why didn’t you call?” Jagger asked.

  “You owed us that much,” Leon said.

  “She owes you nothing.”

  “I could say the same thing to you,” Jagger said. “After all, she was abducted because you failed to protect her at your venue.”

  “You and I both know why. She wasn’t under my protection, Jagger. She was under yours!”

  Leon stalked Lane. “You bastard. You could’ve called us and at least let us know she’s safe.”

  “We were a little busy.”

  Jagger made his move to the right. Ariela jumped in front of him. “Jagger, please don’t!”

  “You don’t want to do this,” Lane said. “I could kill you both in one strike. Don’t call out an animal unless you know what the beast is capable of.”

  “You’re capable of plenty,” Jagger said. “Who would’ve thought you could pull off somet
hing like this.”

  “And what did I ‘pull off’ exactly?” Lane asked, dragging Ariela to his side and locking a possessive arm around her waist.

  Jagger, Leon, and Sanchez stared at them in apparent disbelief.

  “When did you get here?” Jagger asked, his voice lowered a few octaves. “Were you ever abducted?” His searing gaze slipped down her naked body as if he wanted to remind her exactly how well he knew her, how often he’d seen her in her current aroused form.

  “Yes, I was abducted at the premiere.”

  “Why should I believe you?” Jagger asked.

  “She’s telling the truth,” Leon said.

  “She is indeed,” Lane piped in.

  “He didn’t ask you,” Sanchez said, studying Ariela. “Why didn’t you call?”

  “I didn’t have a phone.”

  “What’s wrong Livingston? Can’t afford a cell after all the money you dumped into your venue?” Jagger snarled. “Why am I not surprised?”

  “Jagger—”

  “Go get dressed, Ariela,” Jagger snapped.

  “Stay where you are, beautiful,” Lane said.

  “She’s going home with us.” Jagger made a move toward her.

  Lane stopped him. “Not this time, Jagger. Maybe we can negotiate something later, but not tonight. She’s where she needs to be.”

  Jagger snarled. Lane roared.

  “All right, boys,” Leon said, stepping between them. “Everyone here knows you each have a pair. Let’s see if we can’t sit down somewhere and discuss what’s going on and what we need to do to make everyone happy.”

  “I don’t care if Jagger is happy,” Lane said. “My only concern is Ariela. See, she’s having my child. If you don’t believe me, you’re welcome to scent her. She’s already with child. A langle can impregnate his mate anytime she’s in season and immediately tell if the breeding session took.”

  Jagger went pale. He whipped around and faced Leon. “Is this true?”