Lion's Dangerous: Kings of the Jungle, #1

By Emma Storm

Haunted by her mistakes.
Hunted by a monster.
Pursued by a lion—and he’s the most dangerous of all.

Lily Bristol moved 2800 miles to escape one disaster of a relationship, so she sure as hell isn’t about to let hormones drag her under again. But when mistakes and monsters converge, sexy lion shifter Jude Burke prowls out of the darkness to teach her how to find strength in surrender.

Show no weakness.
Hold what you have.
Take what you want—and then treat her like a queen.

Jude Burke is a member of the Kings, a Pride of lion shifters who rule the urban haven known as The Jungle. Protecting the territory is everything until fierce, beautiful, vulnerable Lily saunters into his life. But while he’s conquering Lily’s demons, she is conquering him—and the Jungle is giving rise to a poisonous, deadly enemy that could destroy it all…starting with his mate.

About the Series

Animal appetites for sex and blood have no place in human society, but centuries of urban sprawl have left shifters with no choice but to blend. Those who can suppress their hungers do…and those who can’t run wild in The Jungle, a lush urban haven built and ruled by a Pride of lion shifters known as the Kings.
 

• Language: English
• Publisher: Emma Storm
• Release date: Sep 2, 2017
• ISBN: 9781386769965

Book preview

Haunted by her mistakes.

Hunted by a monster.

Pursued by a lion—and he’s the most dangerous of all.

Lily Bristol moved 2800 miles to escape one disaster of a relationship, so she sure as hell isn’t about to let hormones drag her under again. But when mistakes and monsters converge, sexy lion shifter Jude Burke prowls out of the darkness to teach her how to find strength in surrender.

Show no weakness.

Hold what you have.

Take what you want—and then treat her like a queen.

Jude Burke is a member of the Kings, a Pride of lion shifters who rule the urban haven known as The Jungle. Protecting the territory is everything until fierce, beautiful, vulnerable Lily saunters into his life. But while he’s conquering Lily’s demons, she is conquering him—and the Jungle is giving rise to a poisonous, deadly enemy that could destroy it all...starting with his mate.

* * *

About the Series

Animal appetites for sex and blood have no place in human society, but centuries of urban sprawl have left shifters with no choice but to blend. Those who can suppress their hungers do...and those who can’t run wild in The Jungle, a lush urban haven built and ruled by a Pride of lion shifters known as the Kings.

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1

There was nothing pretty about sunrise on the polluted waters of an abandoned industrial zone, where a perpetual haze hung like rainclouds, turning morning light into an eerie glow. Sure as hell nothing to bring a middle-aged cripple onto the cracked, trash-strewn streets that made up territory held and protected by the Kings, a Pride of three male lion shifters.

Of which Jude Burke was one.

Silent as the big cat that lived deep inside, Jude stalked through the network of empty streets, sizing up his prey. Human. Male, average height and build. Unforgettable except for the severe limp that made him list to the left.

Easy to overlook, which had been the case for the past several hours. That security hadn’t noticed the oddity sooner was a problem, but not as immediate as the human’s presence.

At the next intersection, the man had a choice between heading left—deeper into the heart of shifter territory—or right, which would eventually lead him back to the dilapidated cluster of leaning, burned-out houses that made up the vacant sector’s western border

West was the correct choice. But Jude had been on the intruder’s trail for nearly two hours. They’d come up on this crossroads three times and even though the human was fatigued, his limp more pronounced with every passing block, he kept turning left.

Past the sprawling warehouse that housed the Jungle, the heart of everything the Kings had built, everything the Pride stood for. Slowing in front of the entrance, like a thief who hadn’t learned the correct way to case a joint.

Worse, like a human working up the courage to do something stupid. Which would then turn into something dangerous.

Fuck. Enough.

You. This isn’t the place to get your morning cardio.

The man lurched around, off-balance. There was a street light there on the corner. The bulb had burned out years ago, but the post caught the stranger before he fell. He leaned against the rusted pole for about half a second, the same amount of time fear flashed in his eyes, but then summoned enough bravado to straighten his body and hide the fear. More or less. The scent of it rolled off him in waves not even the putrid stench of polluted water could disguise.

I was looking for my dog. The stranger stuck his hands into the pockets of his wrinkled department store pants and shrugged. He was doing his damnedest to maintain eye contact but his nervous gaze kept sliding sideways.

Haven’t seen a dog. The only canines who ventured into the Kings’ realm were wolf shifters.

I meant my bitch. Human cleared his throat, took his hand out of his pocket and gestured toward the Jungle. She’s a cheating dog. Likes the clubs, you know?

Jude crossed his arms over his chest, not remotely tempted to buy this guy’s bullshit. Club closed hours ago. If you know it’s here, then you know it’s not your business who goes in and out.

My wife—

Uh-huh.

The stranger’s face, pale and sweaty a minute ago, turned red. He flapped his lips like a fish, but locked them up tight when Jude raised a challenging eyebrow.

Get out. Soft words, backed by the kind of command that sent weaker creatures scurrying.

This human male was no different. He took one last look at the Jungle, then turned and started limping toward the safety of the human neighborhood.

Jude watched until the human reached the parking lot of an abandoned convenience store, got into a car, and drove away.

All the while wondering what.the.fuck. kind of balls did that dude have, limping into the lion’s den?

And what kind of woman had inspired him to grow a pair that big?

An hour later, Jude was still rolling the question of the woman around in his mind. No closer to an answer, as the whirlwind of kitten fluff known as Summer Burke blew into the kitchen of his once-quiet house, he knew what kind of woman could shrivel a pair.

And he was stuck with her until he found a male lion willing to claim a mate whose troublemaking heart pumped sass instead of blood. Hell, that wasn’t fair to Summer. More and more shifters were resorting to arranged unions instead of holding out for the kind of soul-fusing mate bond they were meant to have. Reproductive necessity demanded they figure out a way to survive in a world where their numbers were shrinking.

But what that kind of business transaction didn’t take into account was the power of Imprinting, a connection that formed the instant a destined pair locked gazes—whether a lesser bond already existed or not.

That was what had happened to his parents. A perfectly harmonious, if passionless, partnership destroyed when his mother walked into some crumbling church in Dublin, of all the damn places, and found her One.

And now he had Summer.

Bracing himself, he pushed his glass of water aside. The first words out of her mouth made him glad his mouth was empty.

So, I’m going to give this lesbian thing a shot, you know, maybe proposition her? But I can’t decide on a flavor of lip gloss. Her makeup bag landed right on top of the security schematics he’d spread out across the island. "I have this amazing strawberry mint stuff I picked up yesterday. But I’m really into this all-natural honey balm right now, so that’s what I would want to taste if I were eating somebody’s mouth. Which would you choose?"

He ran a hand down his face to hide his pained grimace. So many words I never wanted to hear you speak. You’re too young to proposition anybody.

Summer, eight years younger than him at twenty-two, grinned at him with the kind of cheek only a little sister could get away with. Jeez, Grumpy Cat. I was just asking. Be glad I’m not thinking about giving it up to this guy in my Lit class who looks like Ryan Gosling.

His eye started to throb. "This isn’t the lion talking. It’s the brother, and he is much more dangerous right now."

Meow, meow, meow. I can’t hear you. Summer clawed the air between them playfully before redirecting her attention to the compact mirror she’d propped up against her coffee mug. Anyway, you need to unclench your butt, big brother. It’s not like I’ve spent my adult years wearing some kind of medieval chastity belt or something.

Jude folded his arms across his chest as she applied purple mascara to her eyelashes. There wasn’t anything he could do about whatever she’d gotten up to while running wild during the years that had passed between their parents’ split and entering into his guardianship, but he was in control now. You’re too young, you don’t know this city, and promiscuity could jeopardize your ability to find a mate.

One. She pointed her mascara wand at him. "I’m well above the legal age of consent. Two, one city is the same as another. I have condoms in my purse and a big, snarly, over-protective lion shifter on speed dial if I hook up with someone who decides not to play nice. And three, I’m not exactly queen of the jungle material. Even if I were, really? Anybody whose ideal woman is a virgin is fundamentally an asshole, and you wouldn’t hand your baby sister off to an asshole. Besides, you have your super spy background check machine at the ready. And you’ve already checked her out anyway."

He’d been out of his mind to take on this responsibility. "The last thing I want to talk about today is your sex life, but her who?"

The yarn store woman. Summer widened her eyes dramatically. Oh-em-gee. Have you seen her?

Fuck. Yes. He’d seen her. He still owed Ares an ass-kicking for pulling the Pride card in order to get Jude to take on a human client. Another human client.

Lily Bristol, a curvy, delectable woman with a shock of brilliant blue running through her black hair, just daring him to find out what it would take to make her azure eyes as bright as that challenging streak.

Hell. His dick was getting hard at the mere thought. The memory of a damn photo Ares had texted when he’d called in the favor.

Down kitty.

He exhaled. Yeah, that was better. Nothing like letting Summer’s voice in his head to quell any remotely sexual urges.

But his sister wasn’t why he had to keep himself from going down that road. Lily Bristol had some kind of connection to another of the Kings. It was unusual enough for three male lion shifters to function cooperatively in one territory that he wasn’t willing to compromise the Pride by poaching in Ares’s back yard.

I don’t need to see her, he finally said, even though Summer had stopped talking in favor of outlining her lips in something redder than he cared for. Neither do you. Summer capped her lip pencil and quirked a tawny eyebrow at him. Um, yeah, you do, because wow. She makes me want to grab a strap-on and learn how to lick—

He growled. No. Say no all you want, but your king of the jungle stuff doesn’t work on me. Anyway, I’m only teasing. I like big, thick dick. A sly, feline smile tilted Summer’s eyes beneath the fringe of her dark blonde hair. I bet Lily likes it big and thick, too. You should ask her if you can audition. Odds are you won’t pass the test, but maybe if the competition is weak... Sobering, she added, But, seriously. There’s something about her. Something...

Summer shrugged. "I don’t know. Cat-nippy. And you, brother dear, need a mate if for no other reason than to distract you so I can enjoy myself without you intimidating the hell out of men I’m attracted to. Go see her."

Evidently deciding she’d harassed him enough for one morning, Summer picked up her phone and turned her attention to social media. Jude shook his head to clear it and looked back down at the security plan spread out in front of him.

The schematics were for The Jungle, an exclusive fetish club that catered to shifters and the women who hungered for them. The Jungle was something of a haven for shifters who’d come out into society twenty years ago, but still had to bury their animal instincts in public. Inside those protective walls, the beast could come out to play—as long as it played by the rules.

As a member of the governing Pride, it was Jude’s job to monitor every dark corner of the club in order to ensure even the smallest offense could be documented and addressed. Recently, a coyote shifter had discovered and exploited a weak spot in the current system. His encounter with the skulking human that morning upped the urgency factor of patching the holes and shoring up the walls.

Staff fell in his other Pride mates’ jurisdiction but updating the hardware, reviewing and deciphering what the cameras revealed? Those were his responsibilities.

The Jungle’s security was a full-time job. He’d given up private clients when the club went live, exceptions being Pride mates’ homes and, recently, the two women Ares had taken under his protection. Lily and another, Alexa Voorhees, who worked at the salon that shared a wall with Lily’s shop.

Nothing much went on in their little strip mall, smack in the center of a middle income town on the outskirts of the county. He reviewed their camera feeds periodically because that was part of his contracted services—and because what was important to a member of the Pride was important to him—but until Lily opened her doors, nothing had ever raised a flag.

But that woman? She waved a big, taunting red one at him every time she walked past her cameras, which was about a hundred times a day. He didn’t spend all his time spying on her like some kind of basement pervert, but was he checking in on his private clients more than he had before she showed up on the scene?

Yeah. Yeah, he was. And every time he caught a glimpse of her black and white image, his lion roused from slumber. The curvy boutique owner had an arsenal of corset-style tops that showed more creamy breast than any man should be expected to regard with professionalism.

If he came face to face, close enough to catch her feminine scent, he might lose that distance because the truth was, Summer wasn’t wrong. Something about Lily Bristol drew him—and his lion—even through the impersonal lens of a camera.

Even though Ares had declared himself her protector.

Summer’s phone alarm chimed. She slid it into her pocket and stood. I’m going by her shop today. Want me to set up a blind date?

No. He exhaled and steered her in a different direction. You’re knitting now?

She shrugged. I’m not as much cat as you, but I can still see the appeal in a ball of string. Anyway, gotta go. Let me know if you really don’t want her. I might like guys, but I could be convinced to play for the other team, too.

Jude shook his head and waved her off. They both knew he wouldn’t push the mate issue, each of them reluctant to commit for their own reasons.

Summer, because the man she wanted—with whom Jude suspected she’d already Imprinted—was in denial. And Jude because the brief, hot encounters with the women who threw themselves into the fantasies to be had at The Jungle were enough for him.

At the memory of Lily Bristol’s blue eyes gazing up at him from the photo on his phone, he swore.

Maybe he was in denial, too.

2

Skeins of yarn, colorful by day but shades of gray by night, squatted in the floor-to-ceiling shelving units that lined the shop’s walls. As he picked his way around the overstuffed sofas and long tables that occupied the open floor space, the intruder fantasized about unraveling skein after skein and strangling the bitch with every variety his money had bought. Vegan threads, synthetics, one hundred percent merino wool—he’d strangle her slowly, one hand-dyed hue after another. He’d show her who held all the power now.

He hadn’t planned on breaking into her shop. No, when he’d located the bitch, all the hatred he’d stored up had exploded in his stomach, filling him with the fire of vengeance.

He had always wanted to be an artist but had never possessed an original creative thought. Now, though...now, he was inspired.

Entering the shop was a risk, but that was the nature of creation. The artist suffered and gambled, never knowing how his audience would receive his work. Thankfully, the only member of his target audience was himself.

Ignoring the high-pitched beep of the alarm and the ringing phone, he followed his flashlight beam and carefully selected blue, black and purple skeins. As he reached for a display above his head, sharp pain lanced through him.

Swearing, he gritted his teeth and breathed through his nose until the hot knife lost its edge, and then he collected the rest of his materials.

Planning his weapon, fantasizing about how he would use it, pushed his balls to a painful state of arousal.

The phone stopped ringing, reminding him of where he was. That time was up. He stuffed the yarn into his backpack and climbed through the frame of the front door, carefully avoiding the jagged shards of glass jutting from the frame like eager teeth.

* * *

Lily jolted from a deep sleep with a gasp, ears ringing with the sound of sirens. For a panicked instant in the dark, she wasn’t in her bed. She was trapped in the twisted hunk of metal that had been her car, choking on smoke, burning up in the heat of the fire that already licked out from under the mangled hood.

It was a familiar nightmare. Too fucking familiar, and she knew she was dreaming, but the memories were so vivid, she threw out her hand anyway, reaching for the passenger seat. Just in case she could do something for Rhys.

Just in case she’d pissed off the universe so bad, it had decided she deserved to live through this again. Maybe a different outcome this time, one where Rhys died instead of merely losing the use of his legs.

Instead of her brother’s solid shoulder, his shirt sticky with blood, the back of her hand smacked into her bedside lamp, which fell to the carpeted floor with a dull thud.

Lily! The wall behind her bed shook as a fist hammered twice. Answer your damn phone.

Shit, her phone.

The siren-sound of the ringtone she’d assigned to her security company wailed from the cheap pay-as-you-go phone she’d left in the side pocket of her knitting bag. She stumbled out of bed and snatched it up, still in a daze as she pressed it to her ear.

Burke Security Monitoring, identified the caller. Is this Lily Bristol?

His voice was rough and ragged as if he’d recently come from his own bed. Or maybe from the arms of a lover. Holy smokes, that voice. It lit her up.

Suddenly wide awake, she cleared her throat of its own huskiness. Yes, speaking. Did the alarm go off?

Yeah. Cameras show evidence of an intruder. Police are on their way. They’ll want access to the video footage.

Her breath started coming in shallow pants. I’m twenty minutes away.

A beat of silence, then his voice deepened into this calm, steady timbre. Take a breath.

The command hit her with the force of, well, a command. Her lungs reacted before her brain could process the fact he’d given her an order.

Good, another one. This is urgent but it’s not an emergency.

The break-in wasn’t what had her staring down the barrel of a panic attack. But she tried not to think about that. Or about the absurdity of sitting in the dark, doing breathing exercises over the phone with a strange man.

You good now? he asked.

Yes, but she had to force herself to answer. His disembodied presence was just that good, shoring her up with strength that had been sapped first by the dream, then by the idea of getting