The Lion’s Forbidden Mate

She found him at the sports bar where she was told that he would be, leaning over a soda staring at a TV screen while he waited for his charge to show up. Lucy walked up to him and tapped him on the shoulder, giving him a start as he nearly jumped out of his seat and turned to face her. He stared at her for a moment, thoughts running through his mind, but none of them taking form in his mouth. They stood there awkwardly for a moment as he looked at her and blinked a few times.

“You can’t possibly be Lucy Summers,” Justin said, shaking his head at the absurdity of it.

“Why not?” Lucy asked, smiling at him.

“You are way too pretty to be taking an assistant job with Lynn,” Justin laughed after a moment.

He took another drink from his soda, grabbed his jacket and stood up. He was taller than Lucy, looking down on her from at least a foot above her. She was glad that he was friendly and not impatient with her. She was terrified of this place and everything that was happening, but she thought that she was doing a good job at keeping all of it contained inside of her. She didn’t want him to think that she was weak or that she was terrified. She wanted him to know that she was brave and ready for anything.

“This is my first time to New York,” Lucy said to him with a nervous grin on her face as he navigated the airport like an expert. Outside, she felt like she’d finally conquered the world.

“Is it?” he asked her with a smile. “Well, we’re pulling out in three days, but when we end the tour, we’ll be here for about a week working after everyone else has gone home. I’ll take you around with the others and we’ll show you the sights.”

“That would be incredible,” Lucy said with a beaming grin.

He glanced at her and shook his head, like there was some joke being played here that she wasn’t a part of. “You know, the guy that got sick and you’re taking the place of, he was a total stick in the mud,” Justin said with a grin. “It’s good to have someone back among the living with us.”

“Thanks,” Lucy said as she plopped down in the passenger seat next to Justin.

His car was messy, but so was everything else that seemed to be going on in her life. He was the kind of man who had everything in its own chaotic space and understood how everything was working and operating around him. It was the visualization of all the madness and the insanity that this job was going to inevitably sow in her mind.

“So, you’re a Shifter right?” she asked, figuring that she would take a chance on asking him. If he were, then he would know what Shifters were. If he wasn’t, he’d look confused and she would bounce back with some kind of witty remark to throw off suspicion. She had a lifetime of dealing with Shifters to know what to do here.

“Yeah,” he said with a grin. “No need for secrecy on the crew. We’re all Shifters and Lynn likes it that way. The usual hierarchy remains, with everyone serving the Alpha and the Betas, but other than that, we’re all pretty much equals under the elders. You know how this all goes, right?”

“Yep,” she nodded earnestly.

The Pride headquarters was a very large studio that had a penthouse up top above the garage, the studio, the cafeteria, and the offices that served as ground zero for all the happenings for The Pride and anything that might be related to them. As they pulled up and parked underground, below where the tour bus and trucks with the stage equipment parked, the dozens of Shifters running around feverishly to make sure that everything was set ignored them and went about their business.

“Welcome to the circus,” Justin said with a grin. “Are you familiar with the band’s work?”

Lucy gave an awkward, embarrassed smile as she shook her head no. “I’ve never listened to their music before,” she confessed.

He nodded. “I didn’t either,” he said with an understanding nod. “I’m a country boy, Tennessee doesn’t hold much for The Pride and their yuppie music, but you get used to it. Grab their CDs and listen to them on your free time. Get to know the songs, how long they are, and what goes into them. You’re going to live and die by the length of songs on the tour. Come on, I’ll go introduce you to Lynn. She’s a little stressed right now, but it’ll be good for her to see a new face.”

They stood in an elevator that was much nicer than she’d ever seen before. It was the kind of elevator that she expected the executives on Wall Street to enjoy on a daily basis, not some kind of rock band that was run by Shifters. Justin seemed comfortable here, completely at peace, like this was all lost on him now with the familiarity of it all. She hoped that one day she was going to get used to that, but she realized that she only had three days before they were pulling out of New York City. Three days until the whole thing was changing again.

It was already dizzying just to keep up.

Upstairs, on the fourth floor, she was introduced to the executive offices where there were dozens of interns, assistants, and other minor bureaucrats to the process running around in the storm of it all, trying their hardest to make sure that everything was perfect for the tour to begin. Justin, walking like a god among mortals, led Lucy to the door that was marked Lincoln and gave it a sharp knock before opening the door.

Lynn Lincoln was at the heart of the maelstrom and her office showed it in spades as she tore through folders and files were stacked everywhere. There were reports all over, itineraries, and a multitude of different lists that Lucy couldn’t even begin to understand what they could possibly mean. She was a beautiful woman who stood regal and tall in her office, turning and looking at Lucy with bright green eyes that reminded her of jade. There was a frantic seriousness about her, but she knew that this was an armor she was amassing as they were getting closer to deadlines. Right now, Lucy was just seeing Lynn at her most desperate hour and she tried her hardest not to hold it against her.

“Lucy?” Lynn asked in a voice that was high pitched and girlie. She reached out and shook her boss’ hand and Lucy grinned at her as she nodded. “Wow, you’re breathtaking. Let me give you a piece of advice before we start anything. Don’t sleep with any of the people you meet here. By the time we’re done with this tour, it’s going to be like you having slept with your cousin or with your brother. It’ll just be weird at the end.”