Page 35 of Mane Attraction
What followed was another hour of intensive training as Xelene put his lion through its paces. Her commands flowed through their telepathic link with crystal clarity—demonstrations of hunting stances, territorial displays that showcased his dominance, and combat techniques that highlighted both his raw power and surprising grace.
Stalk the perimeter,she directed,show me how you’d defend pride territory.
Lev moved with fluid precision, his massive paws silent against the stone floor despite his size. Every movement spoke of controlled lethality, of a predator who could strike with devastating efficiency when necessary.
Perfect,her approval sang through their connection.Nowcombat demonstration,she continued,show me your fighting form.
Lev launched into a series of movements that showcased the years of discipline and training his father had drilled into him.Despite his playboy reputation in human form, his lion had always maintained the rigid standards expected of royal blood—controlled, graceful, precise, and utterly deadly.
When the hour ended, Lev shifted back to his human form, the transformation leaving him naked and gleaming with sweat from Xelene’s demanding session. His chest rose and fell with deep breaths as he stood before her in all his glory.
Their eyes met across the training room, and something fundamental shifted in the air. The mate bond, which had been simmering quietly in the background during their professional interactions, suddenly roared to life with an intensity that stole the breath from both their lungs.
Xelene’s eyes darkened as her gaze traveled over his powerful frame, taking in the defined muscles of his chest, the way sweat highlighted every ridge and plane of his warrior’s body, and the evidence of his desire for her starting to manifest between his legs. Her desire hit him through their connection, raw and undeniable, mixing with his own until the combination threatened to overwhelm his senses.
Mine,his lion snarled possessively.Claim her.
Lev felt himself moving toward her before conscious thought could intervene, drawn by forces beyond his control. At the same moment, Xelene walked toward him, her professional composure cracking as the mate bond demanded acknowledgment.
They met in the center of the training room like two magnets finding their poles, and when their lips crashed together, the world exploded into sensation and need. This kiss was deeper and hungrier than their encounter in the royal vehicle—fueled by the shared intensity of their training session and the growing strength of their connection.
His hands tangled in her hair as Xelene pressed herself against his naked body, her fingers tracing the defined musclesshe’d been admiring moments before. The mate bond pulsed between them, amplifying every sensation until a simple kiss became an overwhelming symphony of desire and connection.
He felt her barriers crumbling, felt her body’s recognition of him as her other half despite her mind’s resistance. She wanted him with a hunger that matched his own.
They kissed for several minutes, lost in the perfect harmony of their connection, until Xelene suddenly wrenched herself away with a gasp.
“We can’t do this,” she said, her voice shaky but determined as she stepped back from him. “We need to focus. Push this bond aside and concentrate on your preparation.”
Lev stood there breathing hard, every instinct screaming to close the distance between them and finish what they’d started. But he’d made a promise not to push.
“I understand,” he managed, his voice roughened from the kiss.
He moved to where his clothes lay scattered on the floor, pulling on his t-shirt and jeans with mechanical precision while his body still hummed with unfulfilled desire. The mate bond pulsed incessantly even as they fought to ignore it.
“The library,” Xelene said, her professional mask sliding back into place despite the lingering heat in her eyes. “We need to work on the wisdom and loyalty components for the rest of the day.”
Lev nodded, following her toward the castle’s library. But with each step, one thought dominated his mind above all others. Denying the mate bond was becoming an impossible task. The connection between them grew stronger by the hour, and no amount of professional distance could change the fundamental truth that they belonged together.
TWENTY-FIVE
XELENE
Xelene’s eyes snapped open before dawn, her heart already racing from dreams that had become increasingly vivid over the past three days. Dreams of golden-blue eyes and powerful hands, of whispered promises and mate bonds that pulsed like a living thing between her ribs. She pressed her palms against her face, trying to ground herself in reality rather than the intoxicating fantasy her subconscious kept weaving.
Today is the first day of the Trial of the Sun.
The thought hit her like cold water, and she sat up abruptly in the guest suite’s luxurious bed. Somehow the past three days had passed in a blur—or more accurately, in a constant battle between instinct and control that she was losing miserably. The completed mate bond had grown stronger with each passing day, demanding acknowledgment even as she fought to compartmentalize it into professional necessity.
As she got out of bed and started getting ready for the big day ahead, her reflection in the full-length mirror looked composed, but Xelene could see the cracks in her armor. The way her green eyes held a new intensity, the slight tremor in her hands as sheput on her dress, and the flush that crept up her neck thinking about yesterday’s catastrophic lapse in judgment.
God, what was I thinking?
The memory of yesterday’s training session flooded back with devastating clarity. Lev had shifted back from his magnificent lion form, standing naked and gleaming with sweat from her demanding workout regimen. She’d meant to maintain her professional distance unlike the previous three days, to hand him his clothes and move on to the library for strategy sessions.
Instead, she’d kissed him again.
Just like she had every single day since that first passionate encounter in the gym. Each kiss had been deeper, hungrier, more desperate than the last. And yesterday... yesterday she’d completely lost her mind. Instead of pulling away after the kiss, she’d let him lay her back on the training bench. Let his mouth worship every inch of her body until she’d screamed his name and shattered completely under his talented tongue.
