Lily and the Lion by Honey Phillips

Chapter Three

Leotra heard the female give a startled gasp as he approached, but he kept going. When he had first seen her, cautiously moving through the jungle, his first impulse had been anger. A female had even managed to find him here? But then she had fled into the underbrush at the sound of his growl, long legs flashing, and the sight had startled him enough to break through his anger.

He didn’t see how it would be possible for anyone to know his location. On the other hand, he’d had females “accidentally” appear in stranger places. Although his first impulse had been to confront her and demand an explanation, in the end he had decided to keep watch instead.

When she emerged from her hiding place, a branch gripped in one small fist and a defiant look on her face, he’d been intrigued. He didn’t recognize the species, but it was certainly an attractive one. Long legs, softly curved hips, and high, full breasts, all invitingly displayed in a skimpy white outfit. Her clothing seemed designed to lure rather than to protect her from the hazards of the jungle—he could see faint red marks on her delicate skin from her sojourn in the bushes—which argued that his original suspicion was correct. Her walk too was remarkably seductive, even without the swing of a tail to accentuate the gentle sway of those lush hips.

But she didn’t seem to be searching for him. Instead, she was moving in a remarkably straight line for someone who was obviously new to the jungle. He frowned when he realized she was heading for the river. Did she realize how dangerous that would be? Or perhaps she was meeting someone there—the rivers were navigable with an experienced captain. He was still turning over the possibilities of who might have succumbed to her advances and brought her here when she reached the riverbank. No boats were in sight, and he watched curiously as she probed the water with her stick. Then, to his horror, she bent down towards the water.

He managed to knock her out of the way before a namba could emerge, but that one moment of feeling her soft, silky body beneath him made his cock stiffen. He’d remained crouched in order to hide his erection, watching with a mixture of dismay and amusement she tried to scramble away from him. Didn’t she realize he was the least of her worries?

Her eyes had widened at the sight of him, and he had waited for the usual seductive smile or reverent gaze.

But either she didn’t recognize him or she was playing some other game. Then his implant translated her words. Kitty? The translation wasn’t exact but she apparently thought he was some kind of animal. And a small one at that.

Outraged, and determined to teach her a lesson, he prowled over to her. If she expected an animal, he’d show her an animal. He bent over her bare leg, sniffing loudly at the exposed flesh and gradually working his way up from her ankle. Mmm. She smelled delightful. He breathed in more of her delicious scent as he reached her thighs and unable to resist, he swiped his tongue across the pale silky flesh. He heard her gasp, but he was too intrigued by his new toy to pay much attention. He moved higher, to the source of that tantalizing fragrance, but just as he started to work his way under the scrap of white fabric, a branch slammed into the side of his head.

He rolled aside, more shocked than hurt, as she tried to climb to her feet. Oh no. She wasn’t getting away from him that easily. He dove at her again, and this time he didn’t let her go.

She fought wildly, her small fists pounding on his shoulders as she writhed beneath them. But even though she managed to get in a few surprisingly painful blows, he was too distracted by the feel of all that soft flesh rubbing against him to really care. He finally used more of his weight to keep her in place, and his aching shaft came to rest against her soft stomach. He growled softly in her ear, and she froze.

“Nice kitty,” she said breathlessly. “Please be a nice kitty.”

The insult didn’t seem as important when her scent surrounded him and he could feel the hard points of her nipples against his chest. He drew in another breath. He could detect a hint of fear but there was a deeper note that spoke of her arousal. Was she truly afraid? Or was this part of a bigger trap, designed to appeal to his hunting instinct?

Part of him wanted to demand answers, but the rest was still suspicious as to her motives. If she really thought he was no more than an animal, he would go along with it. For now.

She tried to wiggle out from beneath him again, and the movement made his cock jerk. Apparently, he didn’t need to worry about his lack of sexual interest. All he needed was to tackle a half-naked female in the jungle. But this was not the time to explore that interest. He growled in her ear again, and once again she froze.

As delightful as it was to feel her pinned beneath him, he wouldn’t get any answers this way. He lifted his upper body enough to be able to look down at her. A wild tangle of red hair spread around her on the ground, the colors as rich as the kani leaves. The rest of her skin was smooth and hairless, as defenseless as it had appeared when he watched her, delightfully soft against his fur. Her features were small and delicate with a pointed little nose and a tiny, lush mouth. Her mouth would be far too small to take my cock, he thought regretfully, even though his cock jerked again at the image. Her eyes widened, as blue as his own despite their odd shape, and he knew she had felt him respond. A small pink tongue licked nervously at her lips, and he had the oddest desire to stroke it with his own.

But then her eyes narrowed and her expression turned fierce. “Get off me, you big oaf.”

She bucked up against him as she spoke but all that did was thrust her lower body more closely against his aching cock. She gave a frustrated growl of her own, and he sighed. As much as he was enjoying this game, and even though he was sure she was aroused, she didn’t seem to want to play. He reluctantly climbed off of her.

He half-expected her to plunge into the trees, but although she backed away from him, she only went far enough to grab hold of her stick. That must have been what she hit him with before. He almost laughed. If it hadn’t worked the first time, why would she think it would work now? Still, he admired her courage.

Giving her time to decide on her next move, he rose to his feet and went to collect one of the large kani leaves from the base of the tree. He deliberately turned his back on her, but she didn’t attack. She also didn’t run away, and once again he wondered about her motives. When he turned back towards her, she was studying him thoughtfully.

“You’re wearing clothes,” she said finally and he did his best to hide his outrage. She really did think he was an animal, didn’t she?

“I don’t suppose you speak English? Or that you understand what I’m saying?”

Should he let her know that he understood? Or should he wait and see if she would divulge her real reason for being here?

“Umm, I came from the sky.” She actually pointed into the air and he did his best not to roll his eyes. Even the most primitive male would surely realize she was not a native to their world. But then again, it might be helpful to establish a base level of conversation.

“Sky,” he repeated, mimicking her gesture.

She nodded excitedly, which made her breasts jiggle in the most delightful way. He was so focused on the quivering flesh that he almost missed her next words.

“I had two friends in the sky.” She waved two fingers at him. “I’m trying to find them. Have you seen anyone else like me?”

Two friends? What kind of friends? He didn’t mind the thought of other females, but the thought that she might be searching for male friends almost made him growl. She was his toy. He wanted to demand answers, but he still wasn’t ready to reveal how much he understood. Instead, he held up two fingers of his own.

She bobbed her head enthusiastically, her breasts bouncing again—which truly was most distracting.

“Have you seen them?” She actually took a step towards him, but he only gave her a blank stare. Her shoulder sagged, and he had an unexpected impulse to reassure her, but he had seen no other sign of strangers in his jungle.

“What about a village? Do you live with other people? In houses?”

Using her stick, she sketched a crude outline of what he assumed was supposed to be a house on the ground, followed by another. She really wasn’t very good at this, but she was determined.

He reached for her stick, but she took a step back and glared at him. Shrugging, he used his claws instead to sketch a single building. When he looked up at her, she was staring at his hand in horrified fascination. It took him a minute to realize that she had no claws of her own. Poor, defenseless little female. Well, perhaps not entirely defenseless, he thought, ruefully rubbing the spot when she had hit him with her stick.

“Umm, I’m sorry about that, but you should keep your nose where it belongs.”

He sat back on his heels and looked up at her. Given the difference between their height, the scrap of white fabric that barely covered her cunt was directly in front of him. All he would have to do was lean forward and pull her against his face…

She must have read something in his expression because she took a hasty step back.

“Only one house? There must be more of you somewhere. I guess a telephone is too much to hope for,” she babbled as he hid a smile. “But maybe you at least have some food and some water?”

She cast a longing glance towards the water, reminding him of what he’d been doing. He found the kani leaf and used it to dip out some water and bring it to her. She drank thirstily, and he found it oddly satisfying. He couldn’t remember the last time he’d served someone else. When he tried to offer her a second leaf full, she shook her head.

“I think I’d better wait and see if this upsets my system or not.” She looked out at the river, then back at him. “Why didn’t you let me get water for myself?”

He reached out his hand for her stick again, waiting patiently. A surge of satisfaction went through him when she sighed and reluctantly passed it over to him. He dangled the end of the stick in the water, making a small circle.

“What are you—oh my God!” She gave a horrified gasp as a namba emerged from the water and seized the stick in its enormous jaws. He released it immediately, and the namba disappeared beneath the water with its prize.

“What was that?” she asked shakily.

“Namba.”

“I had no idea.” She shuddered, then smiled at him. “I guess that explains why you tackled me. Thank you… Leo.”

His hackles immediately went up as his previous suspicions flared. How did she know his name? Or at least a form of it?

“You don’t mind if I call you that, do you?” she added. “Leo is the sign of the lion.”

He wasn’t sure that the words translated correctly—or that her explanation was truthful—but he shrugged, and pointed to her.

“Me? My name is Lily. It’s a kind of flower.”

No wonder she smelled so delightful. A most appropriate name.

“Lily,” he repeated.

“That’s right.” She smiled at him, then looked up at the sky. “I think it’s starting to get dark. Maybe we should go to your house? Then we can figure out where to go from there.”

He wasn’t about to take her back to his hunting lodge, at least not yet. But she was right—they didn’t need to be in the open when night fell. He would find an appropriate place for them to shelter on a temporary basis, then see what other information he could discover from her.