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“You bring other people here to visit?” I whisper frantically.
“Lions tend to make people talk,” he says with a shrug.
Talk? Talk! He wants me to talk? Or is he simply introducing me to his enormous cats because he wants me to meet them?
“Okay. So, I've met them. They're cool. Can we go back?” I ask, nervously.
I can handle a lot in life. In fact, it's been filled with trauma. But lions? That's where I draw the line. And walking free in their enclosure? Nope. I'm good. I just want to go back to the safety of the guys’ house. Even if it's not safe at all. It's better than being stuck in here with these massive predators.
“Go back?” he questions, chuckling slightly. “Come on, Kitten. I have plenty more to show you. Max and Nova, this is my future wife,” he says with pride, reaching out to run his fingers through Max’s fur. “Just be careful of their heads. They see it as a threat if you get too close to their eyes,” Arrow instructs, forcefully pulling my hand out to pet Max.
Holy mother fuck. I'm touching a lion. A hungry, hungry lion who watches us with eager eyes as we hover beside him. He could lash out at any time and steal my arm straight from its socket.
And I happen to like my arm, thank you.
I blow out a breath when Arrow ruffles the lion's fur, and then we step back. Finally, I can take a deep breath without holding it in.
Adrenaline soars through my veins when he wraps his arm around me.
“See? That wasn't too bad, was it? They won't eat you. Only if I tell them to.” I stiffen at his silent threat. Great. He could have them eat me whole.
My body trembles when he forces me to stick beside him, and we walk around the lazy lions toward a rock formation several yards away from them. I feel their hungry lion eyes on us, ready to eat me.
Oh, God. This was not on my list of ways to die. At the hands of my monster? Yes. At the jaws of lions? That wasn't on my radar. Until now.
I blow out a breath. Maybe this is a trust exercise, and I need to lean into Arrow and trust him. He did tell the lions I was his future wife. So, that's a good sign, right?
“There's one thing I've always wanted to do in here,” he says, pulling me along with determination. “I've slept here.” He gestures to the rocks ahead. “And they've never bothered me. In fact, Max cuddled me all night long.” He grins, looking over his shoulder at them.
If I could dig my heels in and stop us from continuing further into this place, I would. But Arrow is an unstoppable machine.
“Yeah?” I ask when we freeze in front of a rusty-colored rock stained red with what looks suspiciously like old blood stains.
A sweat breaks out over my flesh when I size it up. It's flat. Perfectly fit for a damn body to lie across.
“Arrow…” I trail off when my heart pounds wildly against my ribs.
I swear my fight or flight is about to kick in, and I'm a damn runner. Looking behind me, I spy the lions in the same position near the pond. In fact, their eyes have closed and they're taking a nap. So, that's a good sign, right? They nap. I run. Perfect solution.
“Kitten, do you trust me?” Arrow eyes me when I freeze and my expression goes blank.
Absolutely not. No way in hell do I trust this man. Right? I can't trust him. He's in the mafia. He lives with two other psychos.
Right?
“Yes.”
Well, that was an unexpected turn of events. Apparently my mind was not on board with the whole—we don't trust this man—vibe we had going on.
So, here's to truly trusting him not to let me get eaten by over-sized murder cats. Fuck. I look at Max and Nova again. They're still in the same spots.
Damn it.
His grin grows. “Lie down on the rock,” he says playfully, pointing at it. “We're going to play.”
He may have a grin on his face, but I see the darkness lurking in his eyes. Describing his tone as playful was a kindness. He's demanding me to do as he says. This definitely has to be a test.
My eyes widen. “Play?”
