The Lion’s Mail Order Menage

“I thought he was going to kill you.”

“No,” he said shakily, “it’s gonna take more than a little gun to take me out.  Don’t you worry about me.”

“But I do.  I need you, Caleb.  I love you, OK?  I love you so fu*king much.”

“Thank god,” he laughed, “I was really hoping to hear some good news.  I’ve had a hell of a few days.”

“You and me both,” Meena said softly, kissing his forehead gently before he set her back on the ground. 

“Hey guys?  I’m glad to see that everyone is OK and you two are in love and all, but do you think I could get a little help over here?  Looks like I went and got myself shot.”

“Sh*t,” they said in unison, moving quickly to his side.  Thank god he was OK.  He was actually standing up now, almost entirely on his own.  He did have a little bit of help, though, something Meena couldn’t pretend not to be excited about.  While she and Caleb had been pouring their hearts out to each other, Kyra had taken it upon herself to check on the wounded Tyler. 

From the look on her face, it looked like she had gotten over her initial fear of the fact that Caleb and Tyler were shifters.  Her eyes were wide and shining as she tried to help Tyler stay steady on his feet, the smallest of smiles playing across her lips.  Tyler smiled back, and Meena’s own grin widened.  She knew that look.  She knew that look from both of them, actually.  It had to be the weirdest way for a couple to form, but she could see that they were instantly into each other. 

“Go figure,” she whispered to herself, laughing quietly as Caleb examined Tyler’s wound.

“Go figure what, sweetheart?  What’s with that sneaky little grin you’ve got going on?”

“It’s nothing, Tyler.  I’m just glad to see you guys.”

*   *   *

“Time to wake up, darling.  I’ve got a little something for you.”

Meena’s eyes flew open, the last legs of a nightmare she was already most of the way to forgetting running around inside of her head.  It had been more than six months since Caleb and Tyler had rescued her and Kyra from Victor’s American goons, but sometimes she still woke up afraid.  It was getting better, though, and every time she woke up to her handsome lover’s face made things a little bit better.  She knew that he was there to keep her safe and she knew that he would always find her, no matter what it took or what was required of him.  How could a girl possibly feel any safer than that?”

“What is this?  Did you bring me breakfast again?  You’ve got to stop doing that, mister.  I’m going to start getting legitimately fat.”

“I don’t care if you do, although as far as I can tell you have a completely amazing metabolism.  Besides, you’re not just eating for yourself anymore.  I read the pregnancy diet, Meena, and I’m going to make sure you get each and every nutrient you need to keep yourself and this baby healthy.”

“Oh dear,” she laughed, sitting up and rubbing the sleep out of her eyes, “if you’re this protective before she’s born, I can’t even imagine how you’re going to be once she’s born.”

“Let’s just say she’s going to be well protected.”

“Ha!  I bet.  What time is it, by the way?  Are Tyler and Kyra on their way, do you think?”

“They’re actually here.  I didn’t want to wake you any earlier than I had to.  I know you need your sleep.”

“No, not at all!” she said, jumping up excitedly and wrapping herself in a robe. “I want to hear their news!”

She padded into the kitchen as quickly as her decidedly rounder body would allow and found Kyra and Tyler in the middle of what looked like a rather hot and steamy kiss.  Even though she must have seen this hundreds of times by now, it didn’t keep her from smiling widely.  It just made her so happy to see! 

Things had changed after the ordeal with Victor’s men, and as far as Meena was concerned the changes had all been for the better.  Bella had almost immediately been sent away again, Geno making it very clear that he did not intend to bring her back again (although from what Meena heard, Bella had put up zero fight; something seemed to have scared the fight right out of her).  Caleb had gone to Geno and asked to be released from his service, something Geno had gladly permitted.  As it turned out, he had saved almost every dime he had ever made since the age of sixteen and made very wise investing decisions on top of it.  Their little family wasn’t going to have to worry about money for a long, long time.

But her favorite new development was the one that involved Kyra and Tyler.  Meena had worried that seeing Tyler in his lion form before at least getting to know him a little would mean that she wouldn’t be able to see him as anything other than a monster. 

Apparently, she had drastically underestimated her friend’s tolerance for the unusual.  It had actually been pretty much the opposite of what she had thought might happen.  Kyra refused to leave Tyler’s side when he was recovering from his injury, going so far as to stay with him in his messy bachelor pad.  Then, once he had been completely mended, she had just never left. 

The transition from Meena, Tyler, and Caleb’s arrangement to them being involved in two separate couples had been seamless.  It was almost like it was exactly how things were supposed to happen.  With Kyra, Tyler had met his match, and the other way around.  Sure, when they fought it was epic, yelling and throwing things and all of the cliché things couples of a certain disposition did, but it was rare that things came to that. 

And when they were happy, which was most of the time, they set every room they were in on fire.  They just clicked and it had been impossible to keep them apart, which seemed to suit Geno just fine.  Tyler was different than Caleb and even after everything that had happened he didn’t want to give up the life.  He said he couldn’t see himself doing anything else and it was something Kyra accepted without any problem.