Haley stood nervous behind Brian. When she saw a woman her hands relaxed and she showed a wide smile. She extended her hand. “It’s nice to meet you, Mrs. Anderson. My name is Haley Redmond. I’m just going to be here for one night and your husband is gracious enough to let me stay and is willing to take me to San Francisco tomorrow. I have to meet my brother,” Haley said her voice shaky.
Her instincts at first told her she had made a mistake, but she felt relieved after seeing the beautiful woman smile at her and return the hand shake.
“I’m sure you will have a delightful stay with us tonight.” She glanced at Brian and raised an eyebrow. She took Haley by the hand and said, “I’ll have something to eat sent up to your room. You look hungry. You can eat there as soon as you take a shower. You must want a change of clothes, too. And rest.” Her eyes never left Brian.
“Yes. I’m tired and hungry. Thanks that would be great.” Haley looked around as she was being led through the house to a room in the far right wing. For a house that large she didn’t see any servants, nevertheless, the house was immaculate.
Mrs. Anderson didn’t look like the type to do any house work or cooking because of her long nails which Haley took notice immediately.
When they entered the room where Haley was to sleep it was like a storybook room. Everything was white with a large canopy bed. The beautiful woman in black left gave her a half smile and left closing the door behind her.
Haley walked over and touched the drapes. The drapes were thick and made of silk. Haley pulled the drapes back and to her surprise there were bars on the window. She thought nothing of it because she was on the first floor, and the house appeared to be located out in the middle of nowhere. She didn’t see any lights but heard the sound of horns blowing.
She walked around and looked at the pictures smiling back at her. A picture of Brian and three women all beautiful and there was his wife she thought, and the other two must be their daughters. Perhaps that’s why he was so nice to her. He’s a man with daughters. Looking closely she noticed that they appeared to be the age of his wife, but she was too tired and happy to be in San Francisco to dwell on anything.
Dropping her clothes in a pile, she rushed to the shower, and turned on the water. It was warm, soothing, and refreshing. When she had enough she dried herself with a large towel and walked into the bedroom to find a tray of food. There was a whole chicken of some kind, but it was small. And because she was hungry, it didn’t matter to her as long as it was identifiable. She took a bite and it was delicious. She had to remind herself to ask for the recipe. After eating all of the delicious chicken, she thought she would ask to use the phone.
Adrienne and Wilder must be worried about her. She would tell them to have Hunter pick her up, but she didn’t have the address. She walked to the door to call the beautiful dark haired woman and she tried turning the knob and she couldn’t. She pulled and twist it, but the door was locked and she tried yelling and still no one came.
It dawn on her that someone had locked it on purpose. But why? Haley yelled until she fell asleep and dawn was breaking. Now maybe she could see where she is. But all she was able to glean from her window were trees and more trees and heavy fog. There was a beach and the ocean nearby because she could smell the ocean air. Then she heard a table being wheeled to the door and she smelled eggs and bacon. Her mouth salivated at the thought. Now maybe she could get some answers. She heard a lock and she ran to the door and opened it. Standing with the cart was Brian.
“Good morning. Did you sleep well?” His voice is upbeat. Why is he smiling like that? Does he know something I don’t? Haley thought.
“Why are you keeping me under lock and key?”
“For your own safety.” He pushed the cart into the middle of the room.
“But why?”
“You and I are the only ones in this wing. We don’t use it much and as you can see it’s expansive. I rarely sleep here but I did last night. I didn’t want anything to happen to you. I have a lot of people working for me and you’re a beautiful young woman. I just didn’t want anyone to touch you. Are you a virgin?”
“Why are you asking me something that personal?” Brian rubbed his beard and his eyes widen and he eased his long tongue across his bottom lip. Haley suddenly felt naked in front of a man she thought he cared for her like a daughter.
“Where are my clothes? I need to phone my family they will worry about me.” Her eyes meet his.
“Give me the number. I’ll call them and tell them you’re okay. What’s your family’s name?” She thought about it but she didn’t have a choice. She would have to trust him.
“They are the Samsas. Wilder Samsa and his brothers own all of the land northwest of Lake Tahoe.” Brian’s eyes widen. “Have you heard of them?”
“Yes, I’ve heard of them, and I know Wilder personally. And you’re not his daughter. He’s a shifter just like me.”
“What do you mean?”
“You know what I mean. He’s a wolf and I’m a lion and we both are men as well. A shifter.” Haley moved back until she touched the foot of the bed. She almost fell over it if it hadn’t been so tall and she wasn’t so short. The towel dropped from around her body that she was clutching with both hands, and she stood before him naked. Her young breasts calling to him and his animal instincts ready to pounce on her and take her.
He craved her and he wanted to take her there on the floor. Bend her over the bed and make one push and open her up and drop his seed, but he had to wait. He would mate with all the females in the same week, and have them pregnant at the same time. He would make his visit with Haley last so he could spend more time with her.
Gazing on her young body brought a swell to his large manhood. He had business to transact before he could rest and lay with his pride. That was the only thing that stopped him from taking her, that and his females. He didn’t know how they would react bringing in a human. They were shifters of different kinds, and most times they didn’t get along, that’s why he stayed in San Francisco at his suite to get some rest from their quarreling and jealousy.
The panther and the tiger shifters were always fighting over him and he had gotten bored and tired of them. That’s why when he saw Haley he wanted something different.
“Are you going to let me go to my family?” She asked him.
“Why do you refer to them as your family? We are your family now.”
“I don’t think you want Hunter after you. I’m to marry him and soon.”
“I thought you said he was your brother. I suspect that you are just a runaway and you’re just name dropping. I bet you don’t even know the Samsas. You’re just one of the humans that is fascinated with shifters. Well I’m the greatest shifter of all.” He walked close to Haley and she turned and reached for a sheet and placed it across her front.
“Do you think that a sheet would stop me if I wanted to do you harm. I could crush you with my hands.” Brian raised his hands and Haley’s eyes followed them. He had the largest hands she had ever seen. He passed his hands over her breasts and one hand covered her and then he turned away.
“I’ll see that you have everything you need.”
“The only thing I want is for you to find Hunter and have him come to get me.” Haley took the plate of food and threw it on the floor. When she raised the glass of milk to throw it in his face, he held her wrists and looked her in the eyes. She dropped the glass on the floor.
“Now calm yourself. You will learn to embrace this life. You will have everything you want and desire.” Haley only wanted one thing and that was to be with Hunter, and to be his wife and mate.
“I want Hunter,” she said her voice weak but in defiance as she caught sight of Brian’s heated glowing eyes.
“You will forget him. Because when I find him he will no longer exist. And you will be mine.” He dropped Haley’s wrists and turned and strode out of the room.
Horrified and hungry, Haley fell in bed. Then she jumped up looking around. She needed to find a way to get out of there. She spotted the pictures and broke the frame and tried to pry open the door, but the door was solid oak and the locks were double bolted. So she worked on the nails holding the lock in the door. No one would be back until lunch to bring her food and she would work until then.
Hours passed and still she couldn’t loosen the lock. She heard a rolling cart. It made a bumping noise as if one of its wheels were uneven. The noise stopped at her door and a key was inserted and standing before her were two people.
One had an arm full of clothes and the other was wheeling the cart with delicious smelling food. The woman in her forties walked in with a sour expression on her face, looked at her a few seconds, walked to the closet and hung the clothes.
She turned walking to a chest with a silk bag in her hand, and said to Haley, “These are your undergarments. This is all you will wear around Brian until your wedding night.”
“What do you mean my wedding night?” Haley questioned. The woman looked down on her and lifted her nose and walked out leaving the male standing near the food.
“And what are you here to do? Feed me?”
“Something like that. I’m here to make sure you eat. Brian will not like it if his new bride starves to death.”
“Don’t worry, I don’t plan on starving.” Haley rushed to the table. “I could eat a horse.”
“We have zebra if you would prefer that to fowl.”
“I was just kidding. What are you for that matter? I know you are shifters,” she said cutting her eyes to him, “but what kind of shifter are you?” Haley questioned sitting down at the table and picking up a drumstick and shoving it into her mouth.
“Brian is the lion. He’s master over all of us.”
“So I was told. And you, how do you rank?”
“I’m a tiger.” She stopped eating. “And Mrs. Anderson.”
“She’s just one of his many wives. She’s a panther.” Haley’s eyebrow raised.
“And do you get a chance to mate with anyone?” The tiger tilted his head.
“He gets all the females?”
“And where does that leave you? To play with yourself at night.” The tiger shifter’s face changed. He furrowed his brow clearly annoyed at her. His eyebrows met.
“I mean you’re a handsome fellow. Why would you let him have all the fun? Haven’t you wanted to get a piece?”
“To get a piece of what?” Clearly he didn’t understand.
“Where have you been? Are you locked up on this estate and can’t go anywhere?”
“Yes. Is anything wrong with that?”
“Nothing, if you don’t have sexual desires. Maybe you’ve been castrated.” The shifter understood what that meant. He took a step in her direction but thought better of killing her.
“When we commit to the king we have to forgo our sexual desires. We pledge to serve him and in return he protects us from man. We have everything we need here. He has a game reserve where we can hunt and kill our food.”
“So you don’t want to have sex with a woman or a female of your own kind?”
“There are few female shifters left in this area, and none that would choose a tiger over the lion.”
“What about a human female? Have you tried them? I hear they love to sleep with shifters because of their large hands.” He glances at his hands.
“Why would they want to sleep with me because of my hands?” Clearly he didn’t get it.
“You have to get out more.” Haley thought he had missed the whole sexual revolution thing. Human females of all races were clamoring to fuck shifters.
Haley walks over to him, touches his arm and says, “You are so tall and handsome. I would want you. I like you better than Brian. We could be together if you leave this place and take me with you.” Anger passed over the tiger’s face. He paced around and around and then he turned to Haley, his eyebrow raised. She backed up. Maybe she had gone too far. Maybe he would tell Brian.
She didn’t know how committed the tiger was to Brian, the king.
Without a word, he strode to the door, then turning and taking one look at her, he backed out of the room and locked the door. She sunk in the chair and finished the food before her.
Then she heard a growl and roar and footsteps coming in her direction.