The Lion’s Curvy Mate: Shifter Romance

Chapter 1

Chapter One

Sadie had made a lot of mistakes in her life, but meeting with Patton Conrad was quickly moving to the top of that list.

On the surface, he looked like the ideal business partner. A distinguished man in his mid-fifties, well-dressed and well-mannered. But from the moment she’d sat down for dinner at the upscale restaurant, she felt uneasy.

It was something about his eyes. Something predatory in the way he looked at her. It sent shivers shrieking up her spine. And there was something about the way he smiled. He showed too many teeth, almost like he wanted to consume her.

If this had been a date, she’d have bailed a long time ago. But this wasn’t a date. The stakes were so much higher.

Sadie was desperate. The Fisher Animal Sanctuary, which she ran, was on the verge of failure. The Sanctuary had never been a cash cow, but it was never meant to be. Her father had started it as a labor of love, saving pets and exotic animals in need.

The man had been passionate about helping animals, and he’d instilled that enthusiasm in Sadie. After her father’s death a year ago, she gladly took over running the place.

But the Sanctuary wasn’t the only thing he’d left her. He’d also left her with a mountain of debt.

She’d kept the place afloat as best as she could, but she had finally run out of time. No bank would consider giving her any more loans, and no one with money would even consider investing in the failing enterprise.

So Sadie had reached out to Conrad. He was wealthy and well-connected in the state of Montana. He was well-known for throwing lavish fundraisers attended by his rich friends, and the boost from such a fundraiser could set the Sanctuary up for years.

He’d agreed to meet with her. She’d been overjoyed until she’d actually shown up for the meeting. Now she had a twisting feeling in her gut that wouldn’t go away.

“Some more wine, my dear?” Conrad asked.

She cringed when he called her “my dear.” The man was more than twice her age and married. But that hadn’t stopped him from making suggestive comments all evening. Nothing too overt so she couldn’t actually call him on it. But there was a familiarity to his manner that crossed the line.

The last thing she wanted was more wine. A clear head was necessary to walk the knife’s edge with Conrad. She didn’t want to offend him by rejecting him, but she also didn’t want him to think she was interested in him.

Before she could decline, he motioned for the waiter. “Another bottle of the Chateau Lafitte.”

He smiled at her again after the waiter’s departure, as if she would be impressed. He seemed put off when she didn’t gush with gratitude. She wasn’t the type of person to be impressed by extravagant displays of excess. If anything, the amount of money he was spending on this meal was offensive. One of these bottles of wine could probably pay her business expenses for a week.

“So back to business,” he said. “I believe your little animal park could be just the thing my friends would be interested in funding.”

It infuriated her the way he belittled her life’s work, but she held her tongue.

“Your friends are passionate about saving animals?” she asked instead.

His Cheshire cat grin widened. “My friends are passionate about whatever I am passionate about.” He reached his hand across the table to cover hers. “And I can be a very passionate man indeed.”

Sadie slipped her hand away from his as delicately as she could. It took all of her willpower to keep the look of disgust off her face. Still, her reluctance to be seduced by the old pervert hadn’t gone unnoticed.

“Of course, there’s only so much money to go around. A lot of other worthy causes need attention, as well. If you’re not interested in what I have to offer…” He let the implication hang in the air between them.

She bit back the words that burned in her throat. If you want to get laid so badly, go f**k yourself.

Somehow she restrained herself, searching her mind for a more diplomatic way to tell him she wasn’t interested in that kind of arrangement. Sadie would do almost anything to keep the Sanctuary going, but she’d die before whoring herself out.

She was desperate, but not that desperate.

The uncomfortable silence widened between them, stretching to the point of awkwardness. She knew she had to say something to salvage this meeting, but her feelings of disgust made that impossible.

Her phone chirped in her purse. She lunged for it like a drowning man grabbing at a life preserver. Checking the screen, she saw an alarm notification from the Sanctuary grounds. One of the perimeter alarms had gone off. She frowned. What fresh hell is this?

“Something wrong, my dear?”

“Yes, there’s an emergency at the Sanctuary,” she said, stuffing the phone back into her bag.

“Nothing serious I hope?”

She shrugged. “I won’t really know until I get back. I’m sorry to cut this meeting short, but I have to get back.”

“Well, that is a shame. We were just getting to know each other.”

Sadie suppressed a shudder. “Another time, perhaps,” she said, even though she had no intention of meeting with him like this again.

“Absolutely,” he said, smiling smugly, almost like she’d accepted his advances. “I look forward to it.”

The way he ogled her cleavage shamelessly told her exactly what he was looking forward to. She couldn’t leave the restaurant fast enough.

Conrad insisted on following her out of the restaurant to wait for the valet to bring her car around. She had tried to persuade him otherwise, but there was no discouraging him. She waited at the curb with embarrassment creeping up her insides.

She winced when the valet drove up in her beat up van with the “Fisher Animal Sanctuary” logo emblazoned on the side. Sadie had no choice but to show up tonight in the company van. It was the only vehicle she owned.

She’d been forced to sell her beloved mini cooper, even though it killed her to do so. The business needed the money more than she needed her trusty car.

She just hoped Conrad didn’t think her a fool. Negotiating with the man would be hard enough without him knowing just how desperate she was. It would weaken her bargaining position and cause problems in the future.

“Interesting choice of vehicle,” he said bemusedly.

She hated the edge of condescension in his voice. He didn’t think of her as an equal. All he saw when he looked at her was someone he could take advantage of. She would never allow herself to be used by him, even if it meant losing everything.

Sadie tipped the valet more money than she could afford, but she knew Conrad was still watching her and judging her.

“Thank you for meeting with me,” she said, turning back to him.

“The pleasure was all mine,” he cooed. “We should do it again soon. We still have unfinished business to discuss.”

She could tell by the twinkle in his eye exactly what kind of business the man had in mind. It made her skin crawl, but she forced a smile.

“I’ll be in touch,” she said, even though she had no intention of ever speaking to this man again.

She drove away from his greedy eyes as fast as she could while still seeming polite. When she rounded a corner and out of sight, she stepped on the gas and tried to put as much distance between herself and him as possible.

She rolled the window down and let the cool autumn air wash over her. The scent on the wind changed as she headed from the city center towards the outskirts of town, where the Sanctuary awaited her. The air was sweeter and more comforting.

The place wasn’t just a safe haven for animals. It was a sanctuary for her, too. Things were simpler out there, away from the hustle and bustle of the city. Montana’s version of a big city was a far cry from places like New York or Chicago, but she still felt constricted by all the cars and the people. Animals she understood. People had always been a mystery to her.

She turned her attention back to the other mystery waiting for her. The perimeter alarm had been triggered, meaning someone or something had gotten through the outer fence. She was sure nothing had escaped. She checked the fences and enclosures every day.

It was probably some curious animal who wandered in, attracted by the scent of the other animals. This wasn’t the first time the alarm had been triggered. It had always been something rather tame when she discovered the source of the disturbance. Still, a girl couldn’t be too careful.

She gripped the steering wheel tightly with one hand while she reached behind her seat. Her hand located the sturdy metal case, right where she always kept it. She laid it on the passenger seat beside her.

The tall chain link gate loomed in front of her, just visible in the beams of the headlights. She pulled the van to a stop. Near the bottom corner where the fence linked to the sturdy post holding it up, the gate had been ripped open.

She frowned. It didn’t look like the work of a person. No, this was definitely an animal. But whatever had done this was big and strong. It had torn through the metal latticework like it was tissue paper. She would have to be on her toes.

She flipped open the metal case and pulled out the tranquilizer rifle. It had cost her a pretty penny, but when dealing with wild animals, one couldn’t be too careful.

Sadie had a way with animals. They tended to take a fast liking to her, almost like they understood in some primal way that she just wanted to help. But the bond of trust still took time. And that bond had to work both ways.

If an animal didn’t take too kindly to her, the tranq gun made sure things went smoothly.

She loaded a dart into the chamber, pressing it in until the little red puffball at the ass end of the dart was secure. She’d always thought the darts looked rather silly considering they were only used in dangerous situations.

She eyed the damage to the fence again, trying to picture the animal that had caused such a mess. She added two more darts to the rifle, just in case.

She opened the gate quickly with the rifle in hand, leaving just enough room for the truck to get through before dashing back to the van. She eased it into drive and the vehicle crept slowly forward into the darkness.

The search would probably take all night. She regretted having so many glasses of wine. For all she knew, the creature was long gone by now. Having moved on to better hunting grounds. All of the animals here were penned into separate sections of the grounds, surrounded by sturdy fences.

Then again, the way the creature had torn through the gate, the inner fences might not put up much more of a fight.

She had to make sure her animals were safe.

The van eased up the road towards the main office building, and the headlights caught a large shadow stretched across the hard packed soil of the road. Was this the creature who’d broken in? And if so, what the hell was it doing?

She squinted into the darkness to get a better look at the thing, but it might as well have been a piece of the night sky that had fallen to earth.

She flicked the high beams on. In the harsh light of the halogen lamps, the thing materialized into more detail. But what she saw didn’t seem real. She blinked her eyes a couple times, almost as if she wasn’t sure if they were playing tricks on her. But the dark form in the road didn’t change.

It was a lion. The dark mane and massive jaws were unmistakable. But she had never seen a lion quite like this before. She had never even heard of such a thing. This lion was jet black from head to toe. But that was impossible.

There was no such thing as a black lion.

Excitement fluttered in her breast. If this was real, if this lion was actually black, he had to be some kind of rare, never before seen species. It would be the find of the century for biologists everywhere.

But why would a lion be out here in the wilds of Montana? The only explanation she could think of was that some rich bastard like Patton Conrad had bought the thing as a pet. Then when it grew up and showed that it was, in fact, a wild animal, the owner had let it escape to fend for itself. Half the exotic animals in her sanctuary had the same sad story.

She exhaled a shaky breath. This could be the answer to all of her problems. Something like this at the animal sanctuary would bring people from all over the world.

She could open the Sanctuary to tourists. The ticket sales alone would be enough to save the failing business, and she could probably get investors on top of that. As dark as the creature was that lay in front of her, it seemed like a bright ray of hope to her.

But she was getting ahead of herself. She pushed aside all thoughts of saving her business and focused on the here and now. The animal looked hurt, possibly unconscious. If the creature needed her help, that had to be her main priority. Her pipe dreams would have to wait.

The lion’s face was pointed towards the van. The great bushy mane told her it was a male lion. Its eyes were closed, but that was no guarantee it was unconscious. She doubted it was sleeping because of the awkward position in which it lay. It looked like it had collapsed mid-stride.

She took a deep breath and steeled herself for the next part, which would be the most dangerous. The rifle gripped tightly in her fist was of little comfort when approaching a wild beast like this.

The wild, untameable nature of these creatures is what had drawn her to them since she was a child. Proud and free, they were more noble than most humans. But it was that same wild spirit that made them so unpredictable.

If she’d learned anything in her years working with creatures such as this, it was to expect the unexpected. One lapse in concentration could mean disaster.

She edged her way closer to the beast. The animal was longer than she was tall. Closer to the size of a bear. Its chest rose and fell slowly. It was subtle, but enough for her to know it was still alive. She lifted the tranquilizer rifle up, ready for anything as she got within feet of the creature.

The black lion stirred and she jumped back, her heart hammering in her chest. The thing turned its head towards her. Sadie held her breath.

Its eyelids opened and two golden eyes looked at her. They seemed to glow in the headlights.

Her eyes locked with his, frozen like a deer in the headlights. She’d looked into the eyes of many a dangerous creature, but something about this lion’s gaze made it seem like the most dangerous thing she’d ever encountered.

Suddenly, the tranquilizer rifle felt small and pitiful in her hands. If this lion wanted to harm her, there was nothing she could do to stop it. No amount of sedatives would save her. Not against a beast like this.

There was something else in the creature’s eyes. A sort of intelligence. Like it was sizing her up. Judging her. It chilled her to the bone.

The lion exhaled heavily and closed its eyes.

Sadie couldn’t help but feel like the animal had come to some decision. As if it had decided she didn’t mean it any harm.

A thrill rippled through her. There was something special about this animal. More than just the unique color of its fur, the animal radiated a kind of mystery about it. It was like no animal she’d ever encountered before. She looked forward to spending time with it.

Before that could happen, she needed to get it secured into one of the cages she used when admitting new animals. Those cages had been empty for a while. There’d been no money to take in new animals. She could barely afford to take care of the animals that were already here. For this incredible creature, she would gladly make an exception.

Still, it was a shame to lock up a creature so noble. It was only a temporary measure, but it still felt wrong. As did the thing she was about to do. She had to shoot it with a tranq dart. As docile and placid as the lion seemed, she had to be sure it was safe to move it.

She took a deep breath and fired. The red puffball seemed to blossom from the lion’s dark fur like a red dandelion. A dandelion for her dandy lion. She couldn’t help but smile at the absurdity of the thought. Clearly, she’d had too much wine at dinner.

Now that the hard part was done, she had to figure out how to move the damn thing before he woke up.