Vivi Andrews - Jaguar's Kiss

He told himself that staying had absolutely nothing to do with Lila Fallon. But he could only lie to himself for so long.

He’d built a life he loved here. Sure, he wasn’t architect-to-the-stars like he’d originally dreamed, but this was even better, designing luxury vacation homes that flowed out of nature and melted seamlessly into their surroundings. He was in demand, and he’d even saved enough to build his own dream home in a secluded area a few miles off the pride lands.

He and Mateo were closer than ever, and Patch, of all people, had become one of his best friends. He’d bonded more with the other outliers than he had with the core lions, but that was to be expected.

It was a good life.

But he hadn’t been able to stop thinking about Lila. He knew her marriage to Roman had been pre-ordained. The future Alpha seemed like a nice enough guy, though Santiago didn’t know him well. Santiago might have been jealous, but Lila and Roman had never acted like a couple. Neither of them seemed particularly interested in the future that fate had laid out for them. Santiago kept waiting for Lila to wake up and smell the options, for her to see that she could take hold of her life and turn it into whatever she wanted it to be, but she never did.

Their paths hadn’t crossed often. For the first four years she’d been commuting to the nearby university for classes and spending her free time with the other young shifters. Santiago hadn’t been invited to any more football games and she had never again tried to lure him in with a promise of fun. When they did interact, it was civil and distant. Polite. Lila was always polite.

He didn’t know why he’d given her a hard time before the meeting today. He shouldn’t have taken his bad mood out on her, but sometimes he just wanted to shake her until she realized she didn’t have to be the perfect puppet.

He’d been on edge ever since he’d gotten the notice for the pride meeting. He didn’t particularly care for being summoned in—no matter how much he liked and respected the Alpha—and he really didn’t care for the rumors he’d been hearing from the new arrivals. Things were far too unstable in the south.

He had taken to hanging around the pride lands more—not because he felt unsafe on his own, but because he wanted to keep an eye on Lila. Even if she was the most protected woman in the pride, he still felt like she wasn’t safe unless he was keeping her safe.

The possessiveness was irrational, but Santiago hadn’t lived as long as he did on his own without trusting his instincts and his instincts told him there was more to Lila Fallon than even she knew. More than a flirt and an obedient daughter. More than manicures and pretty shoes.

And whatever that more was, his instincts wouldn’t stop screaming that it was his . And he protected what was his.

He closed his eyes, blocking out the sight of her flirting with Kelly and the handful of other young lions who had flocked to her. This obsession wasn’t healthy. If he couldn’t get it under control, he was going to need to leave the pride, but every cell in his body rebelled at the idea of leaving her.

He was so fucking screwed up.

Someone bumped into him and he opened his eyes, reaching out automatically to steady her when he realized it was Patch. She mumbled an apology then looked up and smiled. “Oh. Hey, Santiago.”

“Patch.”

“It’s a zoo in here today, isn’t it?” she said with a wrinkle of her nose. Patch was a mountain lion. Even though she’d been raised on pride lands, she’d moved off as soon as she turned eighteen and had been an outlier like him ever since. The lions might get off on the togetherness, but the rest of them preferred their solitude. “Have you seen Lila?”

He jerked his chin toward where the princess was holding court. “Over there. Flirting with everything that breathes.”

“That sounds like Lila.” Patch swayed forward, shoved by the crowd. “Do you know what this is about?”

“I have a couple ideas.” Lions in Texas, threatening to come out to the humans. Shifters disappearing in Colorado and Utah. Some sort of mysterious human organization running tests on them.

“I guess the Alpha will tell us soon enough,” Patch said when Santiago didn’t volunteer his theories. “I’d better find Lila before it’s time to start.”

She dove back into the crowd, threading and shoving her way toward Lila and her entourage. Santiago tried not to watch, tried not to obsess over Lila, and had about as much success as he’d had for the last five years. None.

Thankfully, the Alpha called the meeting to order, providing a welcome distraction.

The announcements were, unfortunately, in line with what he’d been expecting. After a quick welcome of the new members and thanks to everyone for attending, the Alpha launched into an explanation of the troubles in the south—the Three Rocks lions’ plans to go public, their warnings about an organization abducting shifters for scientific experiments, and rumors about the disappearances in Colorado and Utah.

Other Alphas may not have told their prides about the rumors, may have made the necessary decisions and kept their people in the dark, but that was never how Gregory Fallon had operated. He wanted his people informed—but if they wanted Lone Pine protection, they still had to do as he said. And right now he was saying that the outliers needed to come in. Indefinitely.

Santiago bristled, and he wasn’t the only one, at the idea of having his freedom curtailed. He knew why the Alpha was asking, even understood that it was the best move for everyone involved until they knew more about the threats coming from the south, but that didn’t mean the jaguar beneath his skin liked the idea of sharing territory with all these other cats.

Even if Lila was one of them.

The Alpha held up a hand to quiet the rumblings of discontent rippling through the hall. No one wanted the outliers crowding onto pride lands, least of all the core lions who lived there. Sure, the pride had hundreds of acres of terrain and the facilities to house two hundred—Santiago should know, he’d designed the latest additions—but tempers were bound to flare if that many predators were forced to all live together.

“I know this will be a sacrifice, but until we know more, I feel it is necessary for the safety of our pride,” the Alpha went on. “And now for some good news. While we’re together seemed like the perfect time to begin planning an event I know many among us have been anticipating for years. I am delighted to be able to announce something that is a cause for great personal celebration, and hopefully gives our entire pride equal joy, the wedding date between my daughter Lila and my heir Roman has, at long last, been set. This New Year’s we will have more than another year to celebrate.”

There was cheering—Santiago knew there was cheering, but the sound was distorted, as if it were coming to him through a tunnel. He felt detached from his body, watching from a distance of miles as Lila stood and made her way to the stage, sliding her small, perfectly manicured hand into Roman’s large mitt.

At the touch, he snapped back into himself. His senses returned with a roar, and with them a fierce, wild, irrational rage. His jaguar was clawing against the inside of his skin, twisting and pushing to burst through. The anger blacked his vision and he pushed blindly toward the exit.

Three months. She was marrying Roman in less than three months.

He had to get out of here. Had to shift. Had to run.

He’d never involuntarily shifted before, but this had to be what it felt like. The jaguar was coming to the surface whether he wanted him to or not, a silent roar echoing in his head.