THE MANTICORE’S MATE

Leona

I thought I could handle it, but I was wrong. My ex just married my sister at a fancy hotel in upstate New York. The party is just getting going when I reach the last of my strength. I can't take it anymore. With no idea where to go, I run into the woods, hoping to catch my breath. In my panicked state, I get off the hiking trail and lose my way. The music is so far away, I'm not even sure what direction it's coming from. That's when I see a lion. I must have lost my mind because there are no lions in New York. My instinct says to run, but there's something in his eyes that's almost human. I see pain and hopelessness, and in that moment, I can relate to this beast. Thinking he must be injured, I carefully draw close enough to see there's an injection dart protruding from his chest. I might lose an arm for my troubles, but I move in and pull the needle.

Cade

At first, I imagined the beautiful brunette running toward me was a woodland sprite. I've been stuck in my manticore form for too long. Soon I'll lose my humanity completely. I don't know who shot me, but with the poison still pumping in from the syringe, I can't turn back. Then she speaks, telling me to please not bite her. Her voice is sweet and soothing. She pulls the damned needle. I immediately shift into a man, wanting to know more about the angel who saved me. So, when she runs, I chase her. Why she's more scared of a naked man than the monster? I don't know, but I'm willing to spend the rest of my life trying to find out.

CHAPTER ONE

Leona

My bridesmaid's gown catches on the brush along the hiking trail. I pull it free with a satisfying tearing of the material. I should care about the gown and the wedding, but I only care about finding enough air to breathe. I had to leave the crowded tent where my sister and her new husband were celebrating their wedding reception. I should get a medal for gutting it out as long as I did. I stood up with my younger sister and watched her exchange vows with the man I was supposed to marry one year ago. A better person might have just smiled and sucked it up for the entire horrible night. I'm not that girl.

Making it through the toasts was a monumental feat. The twinkle lights covering everything at the outdoor reception by the lake were starting to make me feel claustrophobic. No one will notice that I'm not there.

My heel catches on a root and I stumble, but catch myself on a tree. My palm scrapes on the rough bark. The pain is slight, but my emotions bubble to the top and the tears start. I can't stop them. I wander down the hiking path through the woods of Upstate New York.

A whimper that's not mine makes me stop running. Did someone come after me? Why would they?

"Hello?"

The sound changes to a growl.

Narrowing my gaze, the light of the full moon is bright enough to illuminate a figure several yards away. "Who's there?"

Maybe it's a bear and I'm an idiot from the city who's about to get mauled and eaten. I inch closer. After my fiancé dumped me and two months later announced he was going to marry my little sister, getting eaten by a wild animal sounds pretty good. "Who's there?"

The noise stops. The silence is so thick my heart pounds.

The growl starts low and grows into a roar.

"There are no lions in New York," I whisper to myself. "If you're trying to scare me, you've succeeded, but I'm still coming through these trees." There's no way I'm going back to the hotel and having nightmares about this. Whoever is in there is probably a person playing a bad joke.

I push through a row of trees and underbrush. The stupid gown gets tangled and I lose my balance falling forward. My knees hit the ground as do my hands. Grateful for the layers of leaves, I stand and brush myself off.

My heart leaps into my throat. It's a lion, but there are wings and a tail with a stinger at the end. It's been a few years since I studied mythology, but I'm pretty sure this is a manticore in the New York woods. What does one say to a monster who shouldn't exist? "Um, don't kill me?" I step back.

Growling, it leaps forward on all fours but stops short and cocks its head. It sniffs, then looks at me as if I'm something new and curious. Its eyes are golden and intelligent.

Unable to help myself, I reach out a hand and comb my fingers through the soft hair at the side of its cheek. "What are you doing here?"

It leans into my touch and whimpers. The sound is like an injured cat.

I scan its face. "Are you hurt?" Stepping to the side, I scan its body and quickly realize this is a male beast and my cheeks heat. I'm definitely losing what's left of my mind.

His tail looks venomous, like a scorpion's, and it curves up, hovering over me.

"I won't hurt you. I don't think I could if I wanted to." The beast is magnificent and I run my hand along his side. I graze the edge of his bat-like wings and then feel the softness of tiny feathers. I want to explore every inch of him, but I pull my hand back to his side, looking for whatever ails him.

Muscles flexing under my palm, he growls and backs away.

"I want to help you, but I don't know how." Frustrated, I step back to the edge of the small clearing. "Maybe I should go back to the hotel and call a veterinarian." Even as I say it, it sounds ridiculous. Who would believe me?

The manticore faces me and lifts onto his hind legs, exposing his massive underbelly, some parts that look far too human and make me blush yet again, and a broad chest. He's not as furry underneath and a red feathered dart sticks out of him just below his heart.

He bats at the needle with his large paw but to no avail.

"Oh no. Who did this to you?" I start forward and then stop as the beast towers over me by more than two feet. "If you kill me, you won't get that injection dart out of you."

The way his expression softens is almost human and the sound he makes is more purr than growl. Easing back on his haunches, he watches me.

Swallowing down my fear and pushing aside how foolish this is, I move closer. Of course, none of this is possible. I've probably fallen and banged my head. Maybe I'm dying somewhere in these woods. Well, if that's the case, the least I can do is save the creature in my fantasy from whatever liquid is still in the syringe poking from his chest.

His breath is warm and as I reach him, his front leg wraps around my back. Touching me as gently as if he were a house cat looking for affection, he dips his nose to the crook of my neck.

My skin prickles at how close he is and how sensual this all feels with the moon shining down on us. Unable to resist, I run my fingers through the silky fur of his chest until I reach the dart. "I hope this won't hurt too much."

Gripping my waist tighter, his sound is like a human groan of pleasure.

I have to hold back similar sounds. Being in the breadth of his body, standing so close, the warm, musty scent of him fills me, and I'm the most turned-on I've ever been.

I've either lost my mind or am lying unconscious somewhere and my imagination is going wild. Manticores only exist in mythology. The only thing is, I've never had this good of an imagination. I mean, if I could conjure up a sexy monster at will, I'd do it every day.

"I'm going to pull it out." I close my eyes, expecting that once I remove the needle, this monster is going to devour me. It's lodged deep, and I have to give it a hard yank, but the projectile slides free.

His roar fills the woods, and I try to push away, but he holds me tightly to him. His body is warm and soft fur tickles my face, neck, and chest to the edge of the low neckline of my gown. When he stops the terrifying noise, he caresses my back from my shoulders to the swell of my ass and purrs along my throat.

His cock grows larger and hard against my thigh.

My skin prickles with desire and I grind my hips against him, needing him to satisfy my desire. The want is more than I've ever felt before. Nothing and no one has ever made me out of control until now. I grip his shoulders and run my fingers through the thick fur. Unable to stop the moan that makes its way to my throat, my body aches for release.

I want to climb him and find satisfaction. The need is terrifying. This is absurd. I drop the dart and press harder on his chest.

Releasing me, he stares with longing in his eyes.

"I'm not going to lie. I can see, and I felt how aroused you are, and I felt the attraction too. But I'm a human woman and whatever you are…is too much to comprehend." I inch toward the trees. Wrapping my hand around a yearling, I'm going to need its support to walk away from the beast who in a moment stole my heart. "I hope you'll be alright now."

His face contorts.

"Oh no."

There must be something else wrong. He's in pain again.

The crunch of bone echoes in the woods as his entire body shifts and shrinks. He's distorted, and I feel as if my mind is lost.

I can't move or I would run, but I just stare, the way people can't look away from an accident on the highway. He changes from a magnificent manticore into the most beautiful man I've ever seen. His hair is golden and hangs to his shoulders. His jaw is strong with several days of growth. The cat's eyes are now the most stunning amber but human as they search my face. The rest of him is pure perfection and his shaft, still hard, stands out at attention from his toned body.

My skin prickles with goosebumps. This is any woman's dream. Not mine though. I am terrible with men and the wedding of my ex and my sister is only the most recent evidence. Still, I can't move. I'm mesmerized by his perfection and the way he looks at me like I'm something special.

Opening his mouth as if he's going to speak, he closes it again and shifts his jaw from side to side. "I…argh… A…"

Clouds dim the moon and I blink to see better. I've got to get out of here. "You clearly have some things to deal with. I'm certainly out of my mind." Turning, I run back to the hiking path. My heels are making me stumble, so I stop long enough to kick them off, then run as fast as I can.

His hard footfall and strange noises follow me.

Oh god, he's chasing me. I can't decide if I want him to catch me or not, but I keep running away. The beast was amazing. I have no idea why I helped him, but the man is more than I can bear.

When I reach the hotel, I make a wide arc around the wedding tent and run into the lobby.

"Miss DeRosa, are you alright?" The concierge stands up from behind his desk, concern etched on his narrow face.

Putting on my best all-is-well expression, I attempt a smile. "I'm fine."

He stares at the torn bottom of my gown and my bare feet. "Are you sure?"

I can only imagine what the rest of me looks like. "I took a walk in the woods and lost my shoes." I fake a laugh. "All I need is a hot bath and some sleep."

"If there's anything the hotel can do for you, please call."

"Thank you." I turn and go to the elevators. Waiting for the doors to open, I peer around in case a naked manticore man strides through the lobby to whisk me away. My lady parts tingle at the idea.

The doors open and I rush inside, pressing the button for the twelfth floor. Once I'm in my room, I lock the bolt and flop on the bed.

It was some kind of hallucination. That's all. Maybe someone slipped me something in my champagne. That creepy friend of Derek's, Toby, has never seemed right to me. That's it. I managed to get through the worst night of my life, had a crazy adventure that almost made the wedding worth it, and now I'll go to sleep. Everything will be fine in the morning.