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  Lane kept his eyes on the man inside the confined area, watching as he took on several different forms before returning to his human persona. Another evil chuckle rang out and the langle said, “Thank you for the information, Livingston. I’ll try my best to be gentle and loving with Ariela when I pull her away from her circle and convince her that her place is most definitely with me.” A quick transformation occurred then and for a split second, Lane saw an image of himself.

  “If you touch her, I’ll kill you.”

  “I imagine that will be a most difficult task, since the mask I’ll wear will resemble you.” With his final words, he took an insect’s shape and quickly slipped through the cage and crawled down a narrow crack in the floor.

  * * * *

  Two hours passed in a blink of an eye, and soon after the show had started, it seemed to end. The chants for more were musical, mesmerizing. Ariela closed her eyes and reveled in the attention, wishing she and Sanchez could stand there forever.

  They took a bow together, each in their human form. They’d performed as lion and lioness as well as man and woman. While the crowd certainly didn’t realize they were one in the same, they’d loved them unconditionally regardless of their form.

  Just as she loved her mates, she mused, shooting Sanchez a little smile before the curtain dropped one final time. Moments later, they were rushed offstage and guided toward their dressing rooms.

  “Stars this way,” one of the stage managers said. “Sanchez, off to the left. Ariela, you’re here on the right.”

  As if she couldn’t remember the way to her private dressing room. She couldn’t wait to see the looks on Jagger’s and Leon’s faces. She could only imagine how proud they were. With the first show behind them, surely they would feel some sense of relief.

  “I’ll meet you in fifteen,” Sanchez said, slipping a kiss on her cheek.

  “Just come to my dressing room after you change.”

  “Is that a proposition?” His voice carried a hint of male lust.

  “It could be.”

  Sanchez laughed. “I’ll hurry.”

  They parted ways and Ariela entered her designated dressing area. The first performance had been sold out, but the numbers didn’t have anything to do with the extra spring in Ariela’s step. It was that sense of pride she’d felt when she’d looked to her left or right and found Sanchez there, the center of attention, always capturing the spotlight, always the epitome of beauty, the eloquent showman in any form.

  She secured the lock and stripped her beaded tank-top over her head. Her breasts were heavy and full. Her season would be upon her soon and she couldn’t wait to take full advantage of her time with her mates.

  Since they’d formed the circle of commitment, the sex had been out of this world. She collapsed on the bench in front of her dressing mirror. Releasing the clip in her hair, she shook her locks free and grabbed a round wire hairbrush and ran it through her long strands.

  “You were positively beautiful,” Lane said, stepping out of the shadows.

  Ariela whipped around and faced him, aware then of promises made, a debt with a balance due.

  “We had a deal, Ariela,” Lane said, walking toward her with a predator’s gait.

  Her nipples spiked under her lace bra and that instant chemistry she felt with Lane brought back another whirlwind of emotions.

  He smiled at her then, tilting his head at her chest. “You’re attracted to me, Ariela. You can’t deny it. You can’t fight it. Don’t even try.”

  “Yes, but—”

  “Shh,” he whispered, dragging the pad of his thumb across the swell of her bottom lip. “I’m not a bank, Ariela. I don’t offer a convenient payment plan. We can’t renegotiate terms. The debt you owe is payable in full. Tonight, you’ll compensate me for every night we’ve spent apart, and you’ll be well rewarded for your submission, lover.”

  His eyes flashed with a carnal image much like the one he’d shown her before. Their bodies came together in a beautiful orchestration of true ravenous fucking. The quick clip was only shown for a moment, but it was enough to leave her gasping for her next breath.

  Lane offered his hand. “As you’ve now seen for yourself, lover, you will be very well rewarded indeed.”

  Once their fingers laced together, Ariela saw her future and past. A wide selection of illusions dropped like a curtain before her, coming forward quickly and fading out just as fast.

  For a moment, she was torn between the mates she adored and a future lover. When the mirage ended, Lane looked at her as if he had already made love to her a thousand times.

  “Shall we go?”

  The inner debate vanished, simply disappeared. Without a second spared, she nodded and said, “I’ve anticipated this moment since we first made our deal.”

  Flashing a wicked smile, Lane said, “Trust me, darling. You’re not the only one.”

  About the Author

  Destiny Blaine is an international bestselling eBook and trade paperback author. Writing in all genres, Destiny enjoys writing about cowboys and shifters, athletes and bikers. You can find out more by visiting her website at www.destinyblaine.com.

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