“Oh, I’m sorry.” Sorry? She was sorry? That was what she said after he’d just told her they were lion shifters? Get a grip, Erin.
“Thank you.” Nick rubbed his stubbled jawline. “Anyway, I challenged Landon for the right to lead the pride as the new dominant male.”
“You challenged your best friend?”
“Yeah. But it’s acceptable. We’re not fully human, Erin. We have some of our own rules.”
Of course. How silly of her. “Go on.”
“So we fought. Several times, actually. And no victor was declared.”
“You would have fought…?” Nausea bubbled in Erin’s tummy.
“To the death?” Nick’s full lips curved slightly upward. “No. We’re not like lions of the wild. What I mean is, we were so equally matched that neither of us could be defeated by the other.”
“So”—Landon cleared his throat—“my grandmother, whose wisdom is honored among us, told us we were fated to both be the dominant males of the pride. It happens sometimes, when nature intervenes to add outside genetic material to what already exists. Our pride will be stronger with both of us as dominants.”
“Uh-huh.” Chills crawled over her. This was crazy.
Nick reached toward Erin and rubbed his calloused palm on her knee. “She’s having a hard time, Lan.”
“Of course she is. Wouldn’t you?” He smiled. “My grandmother explained that when this occurs, the two doms share one mate, usually a human one, to configure even more genetic material into our mix. She said Nick and I would know her when we found her by her scent and by the ability to read her thoughts.”
They had known exactly what she was thinking… Had answered questions before she asked them…
“It’s you,” Nick said. “You, Erin, are our mate.”
“What?”
Landon took her hand, entwined their fingers. “You’ll bear children to both of us. You’ll strengthen our existence. And you’ll be revered over all other females in the pride.”
Right. Interesting. Thud.
* * *
“Erin?”
Warm fingers stroked Erin’s cheeks. She was on a bed. Her eyes opened and tried to focus. Two faces stared from above hers. Dark eyes, blue eyes.
Nick and Landon.
Sheesh, what a dream. “You guys aren’t going to believe this.”
“What?” Landon helped her ease upward. Nick held a glass of water to her lips.
She took a few sips. “I dreamed you guys told me you were lions and that you were the leaders of some pride of shifters and I was your mate.” She giggled shakily. “Something else, huh?”
Landon smoothed strands of hair out of her eyes. “It wasn’t a dream, baby.”
She let out a sharp laugh. “Of course it was.”
“We’re going to have to show her,” Nick said.
Landon nodded. “In a minute. Let her get her bearings.”
Erin shot into a sitting position. “My bearings are just fine, thank you. Show me what?”
“Don’t be afraid, Erin,” Nick said. “Remember how we made love to you last night? How much care we took? We would never hurt you.”