No, the governor’s home. Good grief. Cyeon brushed past his brother. Move over.
Keto sat. His creepy grin widened. Aha. You’re planning to keep her.
Maybe.
Maybe? You can’t take her into our abode if you don’t plan on keeping her.
Shush. Shut your trap for once. I haven’t made up my mind yet.
Why’s that?
Because she isn’t just a stray tourist. She was drugged before she was dumped.
You saw the whole thing?
Last night. I’ve waited for her to wake up. Cyeon paused and shifted into his human form. He crouched over her and caressed her cheek. The sleeping beauty was still out and she didn’t look as if she was going to come out of it anytime soon.
He examined her more closely. She was a lovely woman. Pretty face. Curvaceous figure. Lush breasts. Just his type. Her shoulder-length dark hair was matted with dry leaves and grass, and her pale skin was dirty from the earth, but she still looked breathtaking. What kind of monster could discard a beautiful woman like this in the middle of nowhere and leave her to die? He had strolled through his pack territory last night to watch the sunset, when he caught sight of a jeep that swerved quickly.
Something bulky had flown from the vehicle, landing near a watering hole. Cyeon almost couldn’t believe what he saw when he investigated.
At first, he thought the jeep had dumped a dead body. He was surprised when he found the woman still alive. He decided to wait, standing guard in case it had been a mistake. The man in the jeep might not have known he’d lost a passenger. Tourists often did unbelievably stupid shit. Twelve hours later, and still no one had come back for her. Cyeon was convinced this woman was a victim of a poorly orchestrated murder attempt. Judging by her scent, she had been drugged before she was dumped.
His gaze traveled to her hand. Her finger was crowned with an engagement ring.
Big rock, but sadly, it was a fake. His trained eye easily picked out the differences between a true diamond and a Zirconia. This woman’s fiancé must have deceived her into thinking he splurged on her with an expensive diamond ring.
You poor thing, he thought.
What did you do to deserve this?
His brother also watched her with great interest. His yellow eyes luminous.
Luscious.
She is. But keep your hands off her. She’s mine.
Ass. Keto snorted.
So? Cyeon decided it was time to move her into a cooler place. He guessed she’d be miserable in this heat. Plus, she needed to be cleaned up. He swept her into his arms and carried her into their pride abode. Keto followed him from behind in a lazy, predatory gait.
Cyeon felt as if was bringing home a precious prize.
Chapter Two
Jen woke up to the scent of freshly brewed coffee. For a moment, she felt disoriented. First instinct, she thought she was in her apartment back in Jersey, and the nightmare she had endured for the past twenty-four hours had been nothing but a dream.
Opening her eyes, she found herself lying in a stranger’s bed with a cup of coffee waiting for her on the nightstand. She was wrong. This wasn’t a dream.
Where am I? Jen blinked. The last thing she remembered was two humongous lions about to have her as their afternoon snack. Was I saved? I’m not dead? She scrambled to sit up, grabbing the steaming cup of coffee, if for nothing else, to shake the confusion from her head. Before she had a chance to sip it, her gaze caught sight of the golden beast in the corner of the room. She screamed as the cup slipped from her hands, spilling coffee everywhere. She freaked out even more when the lion got to his feet and transformed into a man. Her scream rang to the ceiling. She quickly retreated until her back was against the wall. Her heart pounded so hard, she felt as if she was having a heart attack.
What the hell was that?
“Madam. You made such a mess,” the man chastised her. He collected the cup from the floor and wiped the spilled coffee with a bunch of tissues.
“What…w-who are you?”
He took one good look at her and smiled. “I should ask the same thing of you.