I’m so excited! Lisia’s Journey Releases today!
Want to see how Lisia and Jarritt first meet? It’s certainly memorable, but can you imagine what they might say if someone later asks them how they met?
Lisia’s eyes kept straying to the trees around them. The deep greens and vivid colors of the flowers and berries drew her. Even the sounds of the animals chittering and chirping made her want to go explore. She doubted she could slip into the forest without being spotted, but she wanted to do it. Knowing that she’d be here for even a short time didn’t make the urge any easier to handle. Her eyes lingered on bushes and trees. She thought she spotted a faint path leading into the forest.
The dense forest on each side of the path called to her beast. Just the sharp crisp smell of the trees and the sweet scent of the flowers lured her toward the cool darkness. Her skin itched and tingled and she had a hard time resisting the desire to investigate. She wanted to go run through those trees, tear off her clothes and let the wind move over her skin. It had been so long since she’d run in her animal form or even walked in such a lush area. The temptation was almost too much to resist.
The hair on the back of her neck rose and uneasy feeling crawled up her spine. The feeling tore her thoughts away from the forest. Someone was watching her. She rolled her shoulders, unconsciously trying to lift the almost physical weight of someone’s stare. Cautiously, she looked around the group of people, but couldn’t see anyone even looking at her much less focusing on her with the intensity she felt.
Something moving across a faint gap in the bushes caught her eyes. The big dark feline shape continued moving. She saw it walk past a tree just in front of the first Aridi males. A big black Aridi in animal form stepped out in front of the group. A ruff of black hair surrounded the large round head, designating it as a male in the prime of his life. Dark brown eyes looked over the group, locking onto her.
The big male stalked forward powerful muscles moving beneath the sleek dark coat. He growled as he moved forward, snarling at one of the UDA soldiers who just happened to be in his way. His lips pulled back revealing dagger sharp teeth. The soldier hastily backed away.
Lisia frowned. She could feel his arousal and a strong wave of possessiveness pulsing over her. A strong clear feeling. Not the light brush of emotion an Aridi usually felt from another person. His scent hit her, musky with a spicy undertone and too appealing. Who was he? She was sure she hadn’t met him anywhere. She’d have remembered feeling this connection with someone.
He came closer until his muzzle pressed into her leg. He drew in a deep breath and rumbling purr rolled through his body. Lisia practically felt the jolt of arousal slam through him. His head moved and pressed against her crotch. Her mouth dropped open in shock. At first, she just stared down at him. Shaking her head, she pushed away the last of the surprise. She grabbed handfuls of the rough black hair on the sides of his head and held him. Stepping back, she looked down into the large rounded face.
“Get your face out of there. I don’t know you.” She frowned down at him, keeping her arms straight.
“For future reference, the Shi’an’s name is Jarritt E’sain,” Arik advised. “I’d say he wants to know you.”
“This is the Shi’an?” She glanced over at the man, but didn’t loosen her fingers from the thick mane she was holding.
The big Aridi was still trying to get close to her. Fortunately, he wasn’t using all of his strength. She knew he was letting her put some distance between them, but she was simply happy for the space. The combination of his emotions hitting her and her embarrassment over the position was a little overwhelming. That wasn’t a common greeting even among an exclusively Aridi group. She ran her eyes over the large animal. Just judging from his size and build in animal form he had to be tall and well muscled.
“Yes. Now do you have something to tell us?” Arik’s voice sounded annoyingly cheerful.
She took a deep breath and then licked her lips. The situation had just exploded in her face and she couldn’t think of a way out of it. She didn’t know if it could get any worse. If it could, she didn’t want to know about it. There was no denying the truth now. Not after big and furry had gotten personal.
