For Toron's Pride (8 page)

“I hurt Toron years ago. Beyond repair, I sometimes think, but when I heard about you, I began to believe that would change.”

Those words were not what Sienna expected. “I don’t think I understand.”

She reached out and squeezed Sienna’s hand. Sienna shifted on the bench, wanting to pull away but not wanting to offend Toron’s mother.

“I am an alpha,” she said. “My husband wasn’t.”

Sienna’s brows went up. “I didn’t know that was

possible.”

“It’s rare, but it happens. I took on the power, but I let his father lead the people. I preferred the other benefits.”

“Other benefits?”

Her pursed lips and narrowed eyes said she didn’t doubt Sienna knew exactly what she meant.

“Men are attracted to me, and I encourage it.”

“You’re saying…”

“Yes, I had many lovers before Toron’s father died. I was addicted to it and wanted to see how many more I could get. After a while, I wondered if it was just the power and not me, so I learned to hone it, to suppress it. They still came.”

“I have to get back to the shop.” Sienna made to stand, but Vivian held onto her hand like a vise. Unless she wanted to make a scene, she had to wait the woman out, but Sienna was already turned off. Did Vivian think her story did anything other than solidify all her fears about Toron?

“Hear me out…please.” The pain in Vivian’s tone surprised her. “I abused my power, but it wasn’t intended that way. The leader has appeal only to draw his people close, to nurture them, to protect them, and heal when necessary. In return, they also give him strength when he needs it. The power isn’t a sexual draw. I perverted it, and it broke my Marrin.”

“Marrin?”

“Toron’s father. He didn’t die of natural causes. He committed suicide.”

Again with the bluntness. Sienna’s mouth went dry. “I’m so sorry.”

The older woman nodded, eyes vacant as if she was remembering. “He loved me more than life because I was his mate. I loved him too, but I was young and stupid. Marrin was much older than me. The alpha blood came through my line, not his, and I had no brothers. No one at the time challenged my family for leadership, and so I came into the power. I know now it shouldn’t have been. If only… Well, I can’t live in regret.”

Sienna guessed she did regret what she’d done, driving her husband to end his life because she cheated and kept cheating. The entire story made her want to run and never come back, just as she did five years ago.

“I had to wait until Toron was old enough to lead after his father’s death, but I knew right from the start he could be different. He had a natural ability to control it and himself. The problem was, he didn’t want to. Not that Toron wanted to sleep around. He loved his father very much. It broke him when he lost Marrin, and so he decided he would never love someone like Marrin loved me. He would never accept a mate.”

Sienna shook her head and looked away. “That has nothing to do with me.”

“It has everything to do with you.” She squeezed Sienna’s hand. “You are Toron’s mate.”

“No, no, no. Hell no.”

Sienna tore her hand from Vivian’s and surged to her feet. She started off down the street, but Vivian’s next words brought her up short, and her heart raced.

“After he met you, there has been no one else.”

Sienna shook from head to toe. She couldn’t bring herself to turn around.

“Stella tries to pick up where they left off, but Toron has denied her. Before you say how would I know, remember this.”

Sienna had no choice. She spun slowly on her heel. Vivian stood beside the bench with a self-satisfied grin on her face, tapping her nose. “From the day he met you, the scent of any other woman on my son began to fade. If you learn more about our ways and about what you are, you will be able to pick up the truth for yourself. I hope you will, Sienna. And now, I’m going to visit with my grandbaby.”

She started off, but Sienna called out after her. “He’s at school.”

The woman waved her hand. “And I am the former alpha. Have a nice day.”

Sienna swore under breath only to hear an answering chuckle from Vivian as she continued down the street.

As the day wore on, Sienna didn’t know what she thought of Vivian. There really wasn’t anything to feel sorry for her about. She acknowledged her mistakes, but kept on making them, even after her husband killed himself. How shaming it must have been to the family, aside the hurt of losing him, to have the leader kill himself. But then, Marrin wasn’t the real leader. His wife was. Sienna had seen for herself how the women still respected Vivian.

When Sienna locked the door behind the last customer, she stretched against the aches in her muscles. Grateful she’d arranged for Toron to pick up Simeon, she straightened the shop and prepared to go get her son. A knock on the door stopped her from heading in the back, and she turned to see Toron standing at the glass and Simeon waving with too much energy at his side. Sienna caught her breath, and a wave of longing washed over her.

Without thinking, she parted her lips, and Toron’s gaze arrested on the movement. When she didn’t stir, he pointed to the knob, and she snapped out of it.

“I thought I was picking him up.”

“We’re going to dinner,” Simeon all but shouted. “I told you, Mommy.”

“Simeon,” Toron chided him. “I told you I would ask Mommy to dinner.”

Sienna suppressed a shiver of pleasure. “Why do I get the feeling Simi has the story right?”

Toron shrugged. “I don’t know.”

“Well, I have a lot to do tonight. All the new dresses sold, and—”

“And you have to eat to keep up your energy for making new ones.”

She rolled her eyes at him. For some reason, the fire of her dislike had been stolen away, and she had trouble coming up with a reason not to go dinner. “I appreciate the offer and everything, but I can just order in.”

His hand snaked out, and he encircled her wrist with long fingers. Sienna’s heart stuttered. Toron stroked a thumb over her pulse, and her teeth chattered. She clamped them together.

“I can’t take no for an answer.”

“Well you’re going to have to, buddy. I’m sure your date with Stella will give you everything you need.”

“Oh, I forgot my crayons. I’ll be right back. Don’t leave me, Mommy and Daddy.” Simeon darted past and ran toward the back of the store where steps led up to their apartment.

Sienna let out a shaky laugh. “As if I would.”

“Neither would I.” Toron’s words were so low, she looked up at him. He stared at her, studying her face, and she bobbed from one heel to the other. He drew her closer, and she commanded herself to get away but instead drifted in to his loose embrace. Toron skated fingers over her hip through her clothes, and she considered dropping on the floor. The sensations overwhelmed her.

“You seem less vehement,” he commented. “Why?”

She made a noncommittal sound.

“And what’s this about a date with Stella? I don’t recall making one.”

Sienna took in a deep breath. Myriad scents confused her, but the main one, the one threatening to send her into meltdown, was Toron’s own, so distinctly male, so feral.

She forced her gaze up to look into his eyes. “How can I distinguish scents, and should I have been able to smell that Hawke wasn’t human?”

Toron’s jaw tightened. He appeared to have forgiven her for not telling him about Simeon, but sometimes when her son called him Daddy or just played nearby, a haunted expression came into Toron’s eyes as if he feared she would disappear one day with her son, and that made her feel guilty all over again. If she knew nothing else, she knew she would never do that to him.

“Are you still interested in him?”

Sienna frowned. She deliberated over letting him think there had been more to her and Hawke’s relationship as a way to keep him at bay, but thought better of it. “We were friends, nothing more. I considered it, but I didn’t see him that way. Hawke was there for us when we were alone. I appreciated that, but I feel ignorant, and I want to do better.”

“Then you will . I will teach you.” He swept her into a tighter embrace, lowering his head to hers, his unexpected kiss traversing her senses. Back away, Sienna. Not a muscle twitched. Toron raced his tongue over her bottom lip and then darted it between them. Her knees gave out, but he held her upright. Ragged breaths were all she managed when he released her. “Tomorrow, we begin your training.”

“But I need to…”

“I’m hungry,” Simeon whined when he returned, and Sienna gave up the fight. She grabbed a fast shower and changed her clothes, then headed out to eat with her son and his father.

“Spruce, pine.” Toron held up a hand with a sprig of the named trees in each.

Sienna wrinkled her nose in doubt. “Aren’t they the same thing?”

“No, city woman.” He cast her a look of stark disapproval.

“Hey, I’m not ashamed of what I am. You’re the one playing in the trees. I thought we were out here to teach me how to tell a shifter.” Among other things.

“In time, but we need to start small . Come here.”

She stayed where she was, and he started over to her.

The refusal to do what he said might work out after all. He moved behind her, ignoring her personal boundaries, and towered over her while reaching around her to hold the sprigs in front. Then again…

She cleared her throat. “What are you doing?”

“Close your eyes.”

“Toron.”

“If you want my help, you will do as I say. Now, close them.”

Sienna blew out an exaggerated sigh and did as she was told. The strong scents tickled her nose, and she rubbed it, but she couldn’t tell a difference or even if he swept one rather than the other past her. Besides, concentrating was a challenge with heat radiating off the man and his scent.

“Focus, Sienna.”

She ground her teeth. “I’m trying. I can’t tell . Maybe I’m defective.”

“From where I’m standing, you’re perfection.”

She popped away from him and put a hand on her hip.

“Oh, wow, haven’t heard that one before.”

“Nevertheless true.”

“Be serious, Toron.”

Sienna didn’t want to admit that she was having a good time, even if she did look dumb as dirt when it came to being a lion shifter.

“Trust me.”

She drew in a breath and stared at him. He didn’t crack a smile or look away. Her heart pounded until it drowned out all other sound. Sienna licked her lips and ran moist palms down her pants legs. Being with Toron drove away the chil in the air, but she refused to fail in front of him.

“Let’s do it again.” She shut her eyes and cleared her mind. A clean and fresh scent, woodsy, but distinct passed by her nose. She breathed it in and then grinned. That’s the pine.”

“Are you sure?”

She hesitated and straightened her back. “Yes.”

“Open.”

She looked and whooped finding out she was right. He inclined his head and kissed her lips. Sienna leaped away.

“Hey, I didn’t agree to that.”

Toron winked, stirring desire in her belly. He spun around and walked a short distance away. “That was easy. For our next challenge, we will be naked.”

“Whoa, come again?”

He unzipped his jacket, and Sienna tried ignoring the interest that rose inside her. There hadn’t been anyone since him, but she didn’t plan on a repeat. Toron tossed his coat on the ground and undid a smattering of buttons on his shirt before he yanked it over his head. Sienna’s head swam. No man should look that good with a chest that big and hard. Look away, girl. Look the hell away!

“We’re going to shift, and you’re going to run with me.”

“In the fall ? Are you nuts?”

He heeled his shoes off and unbuttoned his pants. The V leading down to his crotch made her mouth water. She shouted curses at his head in silence.

“So you want to quit before you learn? Every one of us learned to do this at some point growing up. Davon did a couple years ago, and he didn’t complain.”

She crossed her arms over her chest. “Like I give a crap about him. Fine, but you better turn around until I change.”

Toron regarded her from head to toe, and a virtual fire broke out on every point his gaze touched. Without a doubt, she wouldn’t survive this craziness. When he had turned his back, she threw off her clothes as fast as possible and shifted into her lion form. Over the years, the transformation had become as easy as breathing, especially since once a month during the full moon in order not to lose her sanity, she changed and just walked around her apartment. She had given Hawke the excuse that PMS was a bitch, and he had watched Simeon on those nights. Now she wondered how he dealt with it, being a shifter. Had she put her baby in danger? She was about to ask Toron, but he took off running at top speed in his sleek, beautiful animal form.

Such a thrill raced over Sienna’s flesh, all she could do was join him.

The wind whipping past her face as she ran didn’t bother her, nor did the chill in the air. Her fur though low cut kept her warm, and somehow she had greater resistance in this form. Toron leaped over fallen limbs and raced around underbrush. Sienna stayed on him. Oh my goodness, I can’t believe this is me. It feels so good. Why didn’t I do it long before now?

She discovered Toron had been moderating his speed for her sake. He picked up the pace and distanced from her. Sienna pumped harder, her chest constricting and blood pulsing in her ears. Up ahead, Toron came a stop.

Her turned and roared so loud his voice echoed off the hills in the distance. She slid to a halt and watched while he paced on huge paws that made almost no sound on the forest floor. Now her heart pounded for a different reason.

He was so majestic, so proud. This was what it meant to be a lion, and Toron led them all . As she approached, she recalled the pain he suffered when his brother died and how they were affected, including her. For the first time, she wondered at the burden he must carry. He did it with seeming ease, but did it weigh on him? Did he ever feel like quitting and walking away?

As much as Sienna didn’t like Stella, the woman supported him. She’d never run away, even when Sienna came in out of nowhere. From the way Stella acted, she looked at Sienna as a rival, but she’d stuck by Toron through it all .