The Lion’s Mate

Chapter 2

“Rise and shine, Annie Belle!” Leah called from the kitchen, using the nickname she’d given Annie years ago. She’d been up since dawn, her sleep plagued by golden eyes, wild hair, and a body that made her drool. Her comforter and sheets had been a tangled mess when she’d finally decided to get up. Sleep had been defeated by desire, something she was unaccustomed to.

She’d made coffee, only since they were meeting the lawyer at the café in town for breakfast. Her nerves were taut from lack of sleep and anxiety. The lawyer she’d hired was the best shifter rights lawyer in the state. She’d read about several cases he’d won, a few that had caused quite the tempest in whatever town he’d been in. But she knew fighting this battle was the right thing to do; shifters should have the same rights as humans, after all.

Annie bounded down the steps, already showered and dressed for the day. Leah smiled at her. “Good morning. Sleep well?”

“Not at first. Around two I stepped outside for a quick flight over the forest. I just had too much energy. But after that I slept fine.” Annie, as an owl shifter, often woke in the middle of the night and desired naps during the day. The owl part of her affected her even when she was in her human form, something Leah often teased her about when she yawned hugely at ten in the morning.

“Good.” She handed Annie a cup of coffee with two sugars and a splash of milk. Leah had finished hers and was going about the business of feeding the dog and putting fresh birdseed out in the handful of bird feeders she had hung on her back porch.

Jenny followed Leah as she worked, and a pair of song birds landed on the railing of the porch, waiting patiently for her to move away so they could eat their breakfast. Jenny never ate until Leah had finished feeding the birds; her doggie manners dictated that she wait for everyone to have their food. Besides, she needed some outside time to relieve herself before she ate.

Annie glanced down at Jenny as she ate, a grimace on her face. “She is the loudest eater I’ve ever heard in my life.”

“Well, hurry up, then, and we’ll leave. Then you don’t have to hear her,” Leah commented. She turned to hurry back to her room. “Wait. I haven’t put on any makeup this morning. I’ll hurry.”

“You’re putting makeup on for this?” Annie called. She followed her into the master bedroom bathroom and watched her brushing mascara over her lashes, her coffee forgotten on the kitchen counter. “You never wear makeup.”

“Sometimes the occasion calls for a little mascara,” Leah told her, glancing briefly in her direction before adding just a touch of lip gloss.

“Lip gloss too? Geez, are we meeting the president?” Annie teased, then laughed loudly when Leah stuck her tongue out at her. She looked at her reflection and mused, “Should I touch up my makeup?”

Leah rolled her eyes. Annie wore makeup every day, although she chose the minimal look. One could never tell for sure if she was wearing any, which was exactly her plan.

“Didn’t you just put it on?” Leah asked.

Annie turned her head from side to side. “Yes, but if you’re putting on mascara, I may need more than my usual touches.”

Leah groaned. “You’re fine, Miss I’m-eighteen-with-flawless-skin.”

“Like you’re so old! Miss I’m-a-famous-writer-and-I’m-only-twenty-seven.”

“Shut up.”

“Whatever.”

Leah rolled her eyes again. “It’s like we’re sisters or something.”

Annie laughed and put her arm around Leah as they walked back through the house to the kitchen. “That’s right. Maybe not by blood, but just as close.”

Leah nudged her arm off. “You’re such a dork. Where are my keys?”

“To the jeep or the car?”

“Jeep. I think we’ll want a little wind in our hair on the way home after this meeting.”

“On the peg by the door,” Annie said, pointing.

“Let’s go then.” Leah whistled to Jenny and put her in the sunroom, where she stayed when no one was home. She checked her water supply, locked the door behind her, and followed Annie to the jeep.

*****

The drive to town was almost twenty minutes, which was exactly why Leah had chosen the house she had. She didn’t want to live in town with nosy neighbors; she preferred her privacy out in the country. She did admire the little town they’d chosen. Glenrose was a quaint little college town, small enough that gossip was still the main form of entertainment. During the school year, the population doubled, but the town was still quiet and filled with families who preferred the small town atmosphere.

Leah, who was from a different state, had chosen this place after she’d become a little more famous for her novels than she liked. People here didn’t care that she was a famous author; in fact, she was pretty sure most of them had no idea who she was. The college kids knew, though, and she’d been invited to speak a handful of times, all of which she’d declined. And now, she was helping her friend sue the college for discrimination. I’ll never be invited again, she had mused when she’d thought of it.

Parking the jeep was tricky in the tiny lot next to the Glenrose Café; this was a favorite spot among the older crowd in Glenrose, and for good reason. The food here was spectacular and the atmosphere cozy. Leah always felt as if she were back in her grandmother’s kitchen, eating a stack of pancakes with her parents. Nostalgia was not her favorite emotion, but the occasional stab was all right, and this place made her wish for her childhood. She ate there every time she drove into town for whatever reason, treating herself to good food and happy thoughts.

Annie held onto a manila folder as if it were a lifesaving buoy and she were floundering in the ocean. Leah touched her hand before they climbed out of the jeep.