Snarl for Me [Lions of Lonsesome, Texas 2] (Siren Publishing LoveXtreme Forever) Read online

  Lions of Lonesome, Texas 2

  Snarl for Me

  Julia Roberts (“no relation”) is ready to have fun at the Shifter Days Festival in Lonesome, Texas with her best friend, TJ Bowen. She’s ready to live the wild life in more than one way even though shifters aren’t real. Or are they?

  Samuel Conway and his werelion brothers, Myler and Tonk, are ready to give Julia The Allure, the magical scent a werelion breathes on his intended mate to entrance her. One special breath and she is compelled to be with them. Once they’re ready to claim her, she’ll be more than ready to be their plaything.

  But plans are made to be broken. Just when the Conway men are ready to claim Julia, an adversary raises his head, threatening their future with their mate. Will Julia soon be under another’s allure? Or will their love for her keep her theirs and only theirs?

  Genre: Contemporary, Ménage a Trois/Quatre, Paranormal, Shape-shifter

  Length: 35,930 words

  SNARL FOR ME

  Lions of Lonesome, Texas 2

  Jane Jamison

  

  Siren Publishing, Inc.

  www.SirenPublishing.com

  A SIREN PUBLISHING BOOK

  SNARL FOR ME

  Copyright © 2017 by Jane Jamison

  ISBN: 978-1-64010-836-3

  First Publication: December 2017

  Cover design by Harris Channing

  All art and logo copyright © 2017 by Siren Publishing, Inc.

  ALL RIGHTS RESERVED: This literary work may not be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, including electronic or photographic reproduction, in whole or in part, without express written permission.

  All characters and events in this book are fictitious. Any resemblance to actual persons living or dead is strictly coincidental.

  WARNING: The unauthorized reproduction or distribution of this copyrighted work is illegal. Criminal copyright infringement, including infringement without monetary gain, is investigated by the FBI and is punishable by up to 5 years in federal prison and a fine of $250,000.

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  PUBLISHER

  Siren Publishing, Inc.

  www.SirenPublishing.com

  DEDICATION

  Dear Reader,

  Welcome back to Lonesome, Texas, where the werelions rule. If you began your journey with the first book in the series, Roar for Me, you were introduced to wonderful characters and know TJ Bowen’s story. I hope you enjoy the story of her friend, Julia Roberts. “No relation”, by the way.

  Always remember, “Love the person. Not the package.”

  Jane Jamison

  ABOUT THE AUTHOR

  From an early age, Jane Jamison was fascinated with stories about werewolves, vampires, aliens, and whatever else might be hiding in her bedroom closet. To this day, she still swears she can hear growls and moans whenever the lights are out.

  Born under the sign of Scorpio meant Jane was destined to be very sensual. Some would say she’s downright sexual. Then one day she put her two favorite things together and found her life’s true ambition: to be a romance author.

  Jane spends each day locked in her office surrounded by her two furry bundles of joy and the heroes and heroines she loves. Her plans include taking care of her loving husband, traveling, and writing until her fingers fall off.

  Jane also writes as Beverly Rae.

  For all titles by Jane Jamison, please visit

  www.bookstrand.com/jane-jamison

  For titles by Jane Jamison writing as

  Beverly Rae, please visit

  www.bookstrand.com/beverly-rae

  Table of Contents

  Title Page

  Copyright Page

  Dedication

  About the Author

  Chapter One

  Chapter Two

  Chapter Three

  Chapter Four

  Chapter Five

  Chapter Six

  Chapter Seven

  Chapter Eight

  Landmarks

  Cover

  SNARL FOR ME

  Lions of Lonesome, Texas 2

  JANE JAMISON

  Copyright © 2017

  Chapter One

  Julia Roberts—“no relation to the star”—couldn’t believe she’d finally made it to Lonesome, Texas. How many years had she tried to talk her best friend Tracy Jo Bowen into going to the Shifter Days Festival? They’d talked about going for several years, and Julia had offered to pay more times than she could remember, but TJ had always refused. As far as TJ was concerned, taking money from a friend could throw a wrench into a friendship and she wasn’t about to do anything that might jeopardize the best friend she’d ever had. Julia understood her friend’s feelings and was touched more than she could say, but at the same time, it wasn’t as though Julia had worked hard earning her money. Thanks to her dearly departed grandfather, she was a trust-fund baby with more money than she could spend in a lifetime. If she wanted to spend it on her friends, then why shouldn’t she? Yet as hard as she tried to get TJ to understand that, her proud friend had turned her down, year after year.

  Then fortune had suddenly changed, giving them the chance of a lifetime. Julia and TJ worked together at the same dental practice. After catching Dr. Stanley, aka The Dick, red-handed—or rather, white-butt neckid—in yet another affair with the newest female dentist, TJ was given an offer she couldn’t refuse. The Dick had wanted TJ out of the office as fast as he could get her to drop her hygienist’s tools and hop-skip-and-jump right out the front door. Being a smart woman, TJ had taken him up on his offer for a full two-week paid vacation. And, as luck would have it, the timing had been perfect. The annual Shifter Days Festival was up and running in Lonesome, Texas. It hadn’t taken her friend ten minutes to call Julia and tell her to pack her bags. In less than an hour, they were on their way to Lonesome.

  Now, at last, there they were, smack in the middle of Main Street of Lonesome, Texas. Like her friend, Julia couldn’t get enough of all the sounds and sights of the festival. She kept looking in every direction, taking in everything she could, but there were too many people and too much to see all at once. The aroma of street vendors, as well as the local café and bakery, filled her nostrils. The street was crowded with people in costumes of various kinds, some handmade and others obviously expensive custom-made one-of-a-kind costumes. Just like at other fan conventions, the visitors were doing their best to emulate the shifters that supposedly inhabited the small Texas town. There were people dressed as werewolves, werelions, fairies, and even a few vampires.

  If we’d had time, we could’ve come up with some great costumes. Then again…

  She began to study the costumes more closely. As she’d realized before, most of the costumes were not made from good material or workmanship, obviously having been purchased through Amazon or other online retailers. A few of them, however, were so realistic that they could’ve walked onto a Hollywood movie set. If the costumed people hadn’t been standing on their own two feet, Julia was sure some of them could’ve passed for the “real,” albeit mythical, creatures.

  That werewolf looks so real.

  How did that man have fangs that looked razor sharp? What nifty device did he use to make them drip with saliva? How did that woman have fur so real-looking that Julia wanted to reach out and skim her palm along it? She could almost feel the softness against her skin. And the growl the
teenager standing next to her made sent shivers down her spine. Was he really making the noise? Or was it recorded, the device cleverly hidden somewhere under his costume?

  “Do you believe this?” asked TJ.

  Julia simply nodded, wondering if her friend had the same questions. But it was all so overwhelming, so spectacular, she couldn’t bring herself to say anything. She took TJ’s hand and held it as she twisted around to see behind her. More festival-goers in elaborate costumes surrounded her.

  Holy crap! Is that a gargoyle? And a lion? And another! There’s so many of them!

  Her gaze slid upward, and she saw two men perched on top of the building. They spread their magnificent white wings wide, possibly spanning as much as six feet. Were they actually going to try and fly? She couldn’t see either a thruster power pack or a parachute on their backs. Or were they going to plunge to their deaths? She looked around, hoping to see an authority figure she could warn, but many others were watching them, too. Those people didn’t appear concerned.

  I guess if no one else is worried, then I shouldn’t be, either. Who knows what goes on during Shifter Days? They’re probably professional stuntmen hired by the town to put on a show. Wow. They really go all-out around here.

  A young woman pushed past her with another woman following close behind her. “Come on, we need to find a place to stay tonight. They say everything’s booked up, but I heard about a bed and breakfast down the street. Maybe we’ll get lucky.”

  Oh, crap. I wonder if they’re talking about our bed and breakfast.

  She turned to TJ and found her friend staring at a man who looked more like a lion than a man. Even after seeing several terrific lion costumes before, Julia had to give it to the guy. His was the best. She could even see his animal-like muscles moving underneath the fur. For a moment, she caught herself staring like TJ was, and then managed to jerk herself back to reality. If they didn’t get their room secured, they might not be around long enough to enjoy the festival.

  Julia tugged on TJ’s arm. “How about we find our bed and breakfast? I have a feeling that if we don’t get to our room soon they might give it away to someone else. Where the hell are all these people going to stay, anyway?”

  “I don’t know, but it’s not our problem. But you’re right. We should check in first before we start partying. Isn’t this place fantastic?”

  “It’s even better than I imagined. Have you seen some of the costumes? Some of these people must’ve spent thousands on them. They’re so realistic. I thought that lion was about to bite you.”

  Her gaze fell on a man standing in the middle of the crowd. He was standing motionless, his gaze set on her as the wind buffeted his longish, blond hair. A small smile lifted the corners of his mouth. As were many of the men in town, he was built, solid muscle rippling under his tight, black T-shirt. He smiled a little bigger. That simple gesture was enough to send a flash of desire rushing through her.

  Who the hell is he? Talk about a sexy son of a bitch. I have to meet him.

  Yet, just as she took her first step toward him, TJ tugged on her arm. “You and me both. Come on. Let’s get going.”

  Move. Now. Before you do something sexual as hell and embarrass yourself.

  Yet she couldn’t think straight, her body not responding until TJ yanked on her arm even harder, spinning her in the opposite direction. Jerking around, she tried to find the man again, but he was gone.

  No! Where’d he go?

  She struggled to see over the heads of the surrounding crowd, but many of them were much taller than her five feet four inches.

  Come back, you gorgeous hunk!

  She continued to stare until the sea of people parted to allow a huge wolf to saunter past. The animal was twice, no three times the size of an average wolf, but no one seemed terrified. The spectators were curious and staring like crazy, but not afraid. TJ was looking the other way and didn’t seem to notice the large animal. It was incredible to think her friend didn’t see the wolf, but then again, there was just too much going on for one person to see everything.

  Just as a wolf came close to them, TJ grabbed her hand again. She had to practically drag Julia along with her as she led them back to where TJ had parked her car in an alley behind the local saloon.

  The Whiskers and Whiskey Saloon. Talk about a good name for a bar in a shifter town. The locals definitely played up the town’s reputation.

  Julia couldn’t wait to get to the bed and breakfast then back into town. She jumped into the passenger’s side of the car then pressed her face to the window, unwilling to miss anything.

  Although the crowd was massive and packed the streets to the limit, TJ managed to maneuver her car through the back alleys until she came to the quaint house that was their lodging. Miss Kitty’s Bed and Breakfast was on the outskirts of town, but Julia was sure that even if the modest two-story home had been in the middle of town, it wouldn’t have garnered much attention. The house blended into the rest of the buildings with only a small sign stuck in the yard to note what it was. Several groups of people stood together while another bunch of festival-goers was on the porch. Obviously, the two girls who had passed by them weren’t the only people searching for a place to stay.

  “I don’t know how you managed to get a room with all these other people here,” said Julia. However, if there was a problem with their reservation, she was prepared to put some serious cash down. Money almost always made a difference.

  “That’s because I made a reservation at the beginning of last year’s festival.”

  Julia slid out of the car then reached into the backseat and tugged her suitcase out of the car. “Oh, yeah. I remember now. At the time I thought you were crazy.”

  Right now, she was thankful her friend was so compulsive about making reservations for Shifter Days. If her friend hadn’t been so compulsive, they’d be sleeping in the car tonight.

  “Looks like I was crazy smart.” TJ grinned then grabbed her own bag. “This is the first year I haven’t had to call and cancel the reservation. In fact, I’ve cancelled so often I was afraid they wouldn’t take my reservation again. Thankfully, I was wrong.”

  They pushed their way into the small foyer of the quaint bed and breakfast, the chime over the door signaling their arrival. The place looked clean and neat, even though most of the furniture looked like it was time to be replaced. Comfortable looking was one thing. But worn down was a better way to describe the sagging sofa and battered coffee table. Then again, what did it matter? She wasn’t planning on spending her time inside the bed and breakfast.

  A calico cat sitting on top of the counter gave her a steely gaze.

  Shit. A cat.

  She drew in a ragged breath, quietly, hopefully unnoticed. “I would’ve thought someone would be out here already.” After all, who was supposed to handle all these people? Surely, they hadn’t left the place unattended during the festival? Or perhaps the staff was busy getting rooms ready?

  Her attention jumped to the cat again. Go away. Scat.

  “Me, too. Maybe they’re hiding from the crowds.”

  As though summoned by TJ’s words, an older woman strode out from somewhere in the back of the house. She was the type of older woman Julia would like to become. Thin, with black hair that was streaked with glistening lines of gray. Although she had to be well past her forties, the woman had a timeless quality about her that defied a specific age. The lines around her eyes weren’t wrinkles but signs of her joyful nature. Her hands, although weathered, showed no signs of arthritis. She looked fit and able to do anything a younger woman might find difficult. Her face was sharply angled, yet there was pleasantness about it that Julia liked.

  Julia’s gaze slipped to the calico cat that, having been placed on the floor by the woman, now peeked around the edge of the counter.

  Is it staring at me?

  Again, another slow, steadying breath.

  Easy. It’s just a little pussy.

  Julia disliked cat
s, but she’d come a long way in learning to tolerate them. Still, she’d never felt as though one was studying her, judging her. At least, not like this one was. It seemed as though the cat could see straight to her soul, picking out her flaws and failings.

  Go away, cat.

  As far she was concerned, if cats left her alone, she’d leave them alone. She scowled at the cat and resisted the urge to hiss at it.

  “Now I know you folks realize I don’t have but a few rooms in my small humble home,” said the woman. “If you don’t have a reservation that has been confirmed by me personally, then you don’t need to be here.”

  Whatever the woman said next was lost on Julia. Instead, her attention refocused on the cat.

  Why the hell is it still looking at me? You’d think I had mice running all over my body. Or catnip smeared on my face.

  And yet, it continued to stare at her with cool regard.

  The grumbling of the crowd at whatever the woman had said finally interrupted Julia’s thoughts. She looked to TJ, searching for concern on her friend’s face, but there was none. At last, the other people turned and shuffled out the house.

  The woman fixed her gaze back on them with a stare that rivaled the cat’s penetrating glare. “I’m assuming by the fact that you’re still here that you have a reservation. And that I confirmed it personally.”

  TJ suddenly seemed nervous, which didn’t make Julia feel any better. Especially when the cat jumped on the back counter, settled its tail around its body, and let out a low hiss.