The Lion Kings (novel): a BBW Werelion Menage Romance Read online

  “Good night,” he’d said when they reached Isis’s trailer. He didn’t even wait for Maddie to get inside before he walked away.

  Between the strong headache and the tight squeeze in her chest, Maddie barely got her clothes off before she flopped down on the small bed. The news of Madame Divine’s death had been a shock, but it was Adam’s sudden cold demeanor that had Maddie aching like she had the flu. A halo, the kind she’d seen around Adam and Cage when she first met them, formed around every shape and shadow in the small trailer. Dizziness overwhelmed Maddie, and everything around her seemed to turn liquid. She gulped for air, trying to hold on to reality, fighting to stay lucid before the vision drowned her.

  I’VE had many visions of many lives, but never my own. So, why do Adam and Cage draw me so? I have not seen a future with them, but I cannot imagine one without the two loves of my life. I’ve been reluctant to commit, reluctant to let them bond with me. I am afraid. I have seen them content in a different future. What if my love dooms them? I have kept them waiting almost two years. I am tired of holding on to fear, tired of holding back my desire.

  My gift, or my curse, began when I became a woman at the age of thirteen. With the bleeding, so came the visions. They were always such little things, nothing too terrible or harmful... until I witnessed the unique death of a farmer’s child being crushed by a roaring machine. I’d told my parents. They told me to quit fantasizing about horrors. When August Mullins, age six years, died in an awful roll-over accident when his father had taken him on a ride in their new tractor, my parents called it coincidence.

  Death wasn’t the only thing I saw, there was love, marriages, babies, betrayal, unnatural lusts, and lies, but death is always the most convincing of truths. Even as my parents denied my gifts, still, my father never forgave me for not seeing my mother’s accident. He couldn’t understand that I couldn’t see any futures that affected me personally. Within a year of her death, he turned solely to the comfort given to him by our church and threw me out of the house as an abomination.

  Adam saved me like he saves all his people. We are lost until he finds us. We are wounded until he heals us. We are halves until he makes us whole. I am the only human in his Pride, but he and Cage, and the others are my family now. I love them, so I cannot see their future.

  Tonight, when I enter Adam and Cage’s trailer, I am awestruck by their beauty as they lay huddled together for comfort on their worn mattress. Cage is a lion-shifter like Adam, and while Adam usually takes the lead at Cage’s behest, they co-rule the Pride with compassion and fairness like the best of kings. But it is only in this moment, the first time I have laid eyes on them together, asleep, holding each other, huddled in against the world, do I understand. They need me. My Lion Kings.

  ADAM stared at the arched wood ceiling. He couldn’t sleep. Madeline’s revelation that she’d met Clary had messed him up. All the carnies used stage names, and Clary’s had been Madame Divine. He hadn’t told Cage about his conversation with Madeline. His brother already had his reservations about the young woman, but if he knew she’d met Clary within days of her death, he’d flip out. Could Madeline’s arrival and her prior knowledge of Clary be a coincidence? Or fate?

  He put his hand on Cage’s back. Usually it was Cage who needed the physical connection to feel calm, but tonight, Adam required the contact as much or more than his brother. Adam closed his eyes and slowed his breathing to match Cage’s until he began to drift off. A click of the front door opening startled him awake.

  His heart nearly stopped when Madeline stepped inside. Her long, brown hair, tousled and wild, making her angelic features take on an almost animal appearance. Her blue eyes shined like cut diamonds as her cherub lips curled into a slight smile. She held out her arms, her soft curves and full, luscious breasts naked. He inhaled sharply, waking Cage, as his gaze dragged over her body, stopping on the dark, curly vee nestled at the apex of her thighs.

  He could smell her arousal, her scent sweet and earthy. Adam licked his lips. He felt Cage’s confusion, anger… lust. He put his hand on his brother’s arm, but couldn’t take his eyes off Madeline. It had been so long since he’d wanted a woman as much as he wanted Madeline… not since Clary.

  Adam couldn’t resolve his conflicting emotions. All he knew for certain was he desired Madeline, so did Cage, and even beyond simple desire. When he found his voice, he asked, “Are you all right?”

  Cage’s growl, low and animalistic, increased Madeline’s scent. There was a pungency of fear, but an even greater arousal.

  She narrowed her gaze as she stalked toward their bed. She crawled onto the mattress, her breasts softly swaying with each move, until she stopped just short of climbing into their laps. Adam and Cage were both sitting up now, and Adam could feel Cage’s confusion was as great as his own.

  Madeline tilted her head, first toward Adam then Cage. She placed her palms on their cheeks, and Adam—without thought—rubbed his scent across her hand. In his peripheral vision, he saw Cage was doing the same. He kissed her palm, relishing the cool press of her flesh against his fevered lips.

  “What is this?” Cage asked. The reluctance in his question didn’t stop his hand from cupping her breast--from licking the tip of her taut nipple.

  Adam took the other breast, tantalized by Madeline’s large, pink areola. Clary’s had been dark and small, another contrast between the two women. Madeline ran her fingers into Adam and Cage’s hair, and Adam felt the sharp tug of her grasp pulling him to her chest. He latched on to her nipple, taking the rigid nub between his teeth, licking and sucking, hearing Cage’s growls mimic his own as Madeline moaned her pleasure.

  He was hard under the thin sheet separating his lower half from Madeline. Her legs were spread as she placed one knee between Adam’s legs and the other between Cage’s. Adam growled his burning passion when her thigh pressed against his rigid cock with purpose. He wanted to drive into her body, to join with Madeline, to bind her to Cage and himself, to claim her, but something was clearly amiss with her. Adam had felt it the moment she’d arrived, a sense of disjointedness. She’d known their names. How had she known their names? Did it matter now? Nothing had felt right since Clary died. Nothing. Until Madeline.

  He slid his fingers between her parted thighs and slipped between the slick, swollen folds of her pussy. “So good,” he murmured, his mouth still pressed to her soft skin.

  Cage’s fingers entwined with Adam’s in exploration. Cage trembled as he turned his face to his brother’s. “She is so wet, brother.”

  Madeline bowed her back as Adam penetrated her with a finger. Her tight muscles clamped around him—too tight. A virgin. The notion surprised him. Carefully, he withdrew from her and placed his finger, glistening with her cream, to his lips then Cage’s. She tasted sweet like a freshly plucked honeysuckle flower.

  He stayed Cage’s hand from delving inside her. “Hold, Brother. Not yet.”

  Madeline moaned. “Don’t stop,” she said, her voice a ghosting sound of breathless rush. “My beautiful men. My lion kings.”

  Cage paled and scrambled away first, curling against the wall. Adam resisted the urge to the do the same. Instead, he held her face between his palms and stared into her clear blue eyes. “Clary?”

  “It’s not Clary,” Cage muttered. “It’s not her. It can’t be her.”

  Madeline blinked. Her mouth dropped open, but she didn’t speak.

  “Clary Sage,” Adam said more firmly this time. “Is it you, love? Have you come back to us?”

  Madeline blinked again. Her eyes widened as she looked from Adam to Cage then back to Adam. She clasped his hands on either side of her face and pushed them away. She licked her lips before shaking her head. “What am I doing here? And who is Clary Sage?”

  5

  My beautiful men. My lion kings. The words resounded in Maddie’s mind like a ghostly echo. Cage refused to look at her, and she didn’t know whether to feel relieved or hurt. Adam, his shadowy blue eyes h
aunted with grief, refused to look away. The aching heat of her desire still throbbed between her thighs and her mind flashed with images of their fingers slipping between the swollen folds of her sex. Her nipples were rigid and wet still from their erotic attention as she slid her arms across her chest in helpless modesty.

  “Answer me,” she demanded. “How did I get here? Who is this Clary woman?” She feared she knew the how. Another sleep walking incident. It had been years since an episode had truly frightened her, but waking up naked and in bed with two very naked men—even if she’d dreamed of them before—scared her to the quick. What if she hadn’t regained herself? Would she have had sex with Cage and Adam? Lost her virginity to strangers? Two of them! It was one thing to dream of the forbidden. It was another thing entirely to act it out.

  “Get her out of here, Adam,” Cage growled. His golden bangs fell over his eyes. Maddie could see a glistening streak trailing down his cheek.

  “Madeline?” Adam finally said. “Why did you come here tonight? To what purpose?”

  “I have no idea.” Maddie backed off the bed, pulling the sheet with her. Adam let it go, and she blushed when she uncovered his bare form. His long hair, lush and pale blond, cascaded over his shoulders in strong contrast against his golden skin. His broad shoulders and chest tapered down to his narrow hips and muscular thighs. From his groin, a small patch of dusky-blond curls framed the hard proof of his desire. It was as thick and long as Maddie remembered from when he’d made love to her in the dreams. Her pussy pulsed at the memory.

  “Madeline.”

  She heard her name, muffled as if her head were under water.

  “Madeline.”

  Her name sounded sharper. She snapped her attention to Adam’s face. “I’m sorry,” she whispered hoarsely. “I don’t know why I’m here. It happens sometimes.” She nervously licked her lips. “Not this. I don’t mean—” She shifted her eyes from Adam to Cage, and then to the bed.

  Cage turned his head and brought the full weight of his gaze upon Maddie, but didn’t speak. She could swear his face was wider than normal, his nose broader at the bridge, the flesh around his mouth thicker. The moonlight streaming through his window turned his eyes to mirrors. With his bearded face, it was hard to tell, but there was something predatorial in his expression that made her shake.

  Adam’s voice, calm and low, drew her attention. “It’s all right, Madeline.” He moved to his hands and knees and crawled toward the edge of the bed. He held his hand out in invitation.

  The throbbing between her thighs quickened with her pulse. “No,” she said, her voice softer than she intended. “No,” she said again, this time with more conviction. “I’m sorry if I gave you the wrong impression.”

  Adam lowered his gaze and turned to his brother before focusing once more on Maddie. “I’ll get dressed and walk you back to your trailer.”

  Maddie swallowed hard as he stood, so tall his head nearly brushed the ceiling. His heavy shock of blond hair tumbled carelessly about as he bent over and grabbed a pair of pants off the floor. She tried to peel her eyes away from his masterful physique, but damn, looking at his perfect wide shoulders, massive thighs and arms, and his muscular ass, she found it difficult to look away. When he stood up, her eyes widened at his erection—still rigid. He was hard.

  Maddie’s cheeks warmed when Adam caught her staring. She averted her gaze, but couldn’t keep the picture of him naked and wild from the forefront of her mind. She startled when he tapped her shoulder.

  “You ready?” he asked.

  Maddie pulled the sheet higher, tucking it under her arms. A rumbling sound came from the direction of the bed. Cage had uncoiled himself from the corner near the wall, but he still looked dangerous and angry.

  With a quick glance to Adam, Maddie nodded. “Ready.”

  The night was bright with stars and a three-quarter moon. Like Cage, Adam’s eyes seemed to become reflective when he turned his head and caught the light just right. Was her mind playing tricks on her? When she looked again, Adam raised a brow in question, and his blue eyes were simply dark. Soon, the other trailers came into view. On the fairway, the Ferris Wheel was illuminated like a beacon.

  Her sensitive nipples rubbed against the sheet she clutched, and she remembered how good it felt to have Cage’s mouth capture the stiff peak between his teeth, how good Adam’s rough tongue felt against her other breast. The two men worked as a team for her pleasure. A shiver rippled down her spine. She still couldn’t believe what her sleepwalking had almost cost her. Simple embarrassment was bad enough. Then to top off her humiliation, she’d accused Adam and Cage initially of being responsible. As if they’d put her in their bed. Her embarrassment turned to shame. When they stopped at Isis’s trailer, Maddie blurted, “I’m sorry, Adam,” before she could lose her nerve.

  “For what?” he asked.

  Was he going to make her say it? Damn, chivalry really was dead. The small spike of irritation made her braver. “For sleepwalking naked into your trailer.”

  Adam chuckled. “Oh that.”

  “What did you think I meant?”

  “It’s not important.” He gazed down at Maddie, his tall, broad stature swallowing her in its shadow. “You don’t have to apologize for showing up naked.” He’d loaded his expression with heat and hungry lust as he grinned. “I wouldn’t mind if you did it again, just awake next time.”

  Words failed her. “I… uh.”

  Adam laughed. “You’re very charming, Madeline.”

  Her hand dropped to her belly, trying to stop the flutter that happened every time Adam said her name.

  Gently, he tucked his finger under her chin and tilted her face. Maddie’s hands and knees shook when he leaned down and pressed his fevered lips to her forehead. She closed her eyes, scared, but hoping for more. The simple brush against her skin warmed her to her very core.

  When she opened her eyes again, his were a glossy black. A heavy fog drew around Maddie and Adam until she could no longer see the carnival. Her lips tingled and her feet felt as if they were lifting from the ground—her body light as air. A sense of euphoria washed over her. Only the concern on Adam’s face let her know that something was wrong.

  ADAM is sad tonight. I wish I could take his pain, take his burden. He is the strongest man I’ve ever known. He cares for his people, and while they know the depth of his commitment to their safety and welfare, I fear they will never know the depths of his devotion. I have never really seen his future, but I think that’s because I loved him the second I met him. The second he saved me.

  Cage sleeps. When I am with them, he is less restless. I watch Adam while he sits on the side of the bed with his face buried in his hands. He is haunted by demons. Demons I can’t stop. I can’t see. Cage’s arm, draped about my waist, pulls me tighter against the hard planes of his chest. His body encompasses me, the heat of his skin warming me to the bone. His beard, soft against the nape of my neck, tickles as he exhales.

  That small movement draws Adam’s attention. He stares at me, the emotion in his eyes as naked as his body. My skin draws tight in ripples of gooseflesh across my arms, my chest, and my thighs. The moist heat of my sex begins pulsating. Adam senses my arousal. He has told me he can taste my musk on the air. The look in his eyes leaves little doubt.

  He leans over and kisses me, careful not to disturb Cage. “My Clary,” he whispers. “My Clary.”

  “My king,” I respond. “My love.” I am overcome. Tears stream my cheeks as I move out of Cage’s embrace and into Adam’s. My desire crushes me, and I fear the life will choke from my body if I don’t find release. Even more so, I can sense Adam’s need as well. I want to leech his sadness, to take his pain and gather it inside me where it can’t touch him—can’t hurt him. His mouth parts as I climb onto his lap. I reach down, steady his rigid length, and I impale myself on him. His love is a blade, and it slices me deep.

  Drawing me close, he undulates his hips, rocking inside me, as he claims
my lips in a desperate kiss. It’s as if we are suffocating on the world, and the only air is in each other’s embrace.

  He moans against my mouth as he turns until I am under him. His hips thrust between my legs, over and over, as the swelling tides of passion surge and resurge in an overlapping wave of rapture.

  “Come for me, Clary. Make me whole,” he says, his voice guttural and rough.

  His thrusts take on a staccato tempo, hard, deep, and quick. The tension in my body builds, winding me so tight, I’m afraid if I move with him, the unwinding will undo me. The world is silence around us except for the sounds of my moans, of his moans, of our bodies crashing flesh and flesh.

  The thundering of his length brings me even closer.

  “Come for me!” Adam growls.

  The vibration of his chest triggers a hot spike to my groin. I buck against his hips, my sex clenching hard as ripples of pleasure and ecstasy take away my ability to think and leaves me with nothing but pure joy. Adam thrusts again, his climax punctuated with an inhuman roar. I take him. I take his pain. I take, even as I give.

  Adam collapses on top of me. The air whooshes from his chest before he kisses me. He withdraws from me, his expression sleepy and sated. Sadness abated. For the moment.

  After he cuddles next to me and falls asleep, I feel Cage’s arm wrap my waist once more. His warm breath caresses my ear. “Thank you,” he whispers. “Thank you.”

  6

  Adam held Madeline in his arms. Her eyes fluttered and her fingers moved across his chest in some secret language he couldn’t decipher. Her legs were loose beneath her, and the sheet she wore had dropped beneath her lovely breasts. When she’d spoken the words, “My king, my love,” Adam had been so startled he’d almost dropped her.