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Sidney woke slowly feeling like she was wading through surf that was trying to pull her under as she tried to get to the shore. Her limbs felt heavy and her head hurt, but those feelings ebbed away as she opened her eyes and stared up at an unfamiliar ceiling.

She wasn’t sure where she was, but she was certain it wasn’t in the apartment. As she pondered her current state, the last memories she had flooded through her mind and a bolt of fear spiked through her.

Had she really seen Lucius as a lion who turned into a human?

“Hey, sweetheart, you don’t have to be scared.”

It was infuriating how much she liked his voice when she was pretty sure the reason she was scared was because he had a huge secret and she was suddenly part of it.

Turning her head slowly to the side, she saw him up on one elbow, his hair ruffled from sleep and looking far too sexy for someone she was pretty sure she should be pissed at.

Because he’d…lied to her?

Yeah, but also because he’d scared the hell out of her.

“I’m not scared.”

He arched a brow. “You smell scared.”

“Is that something you can do being an animal? Smell when people are scared?” She sat up and scooted away from him, but stayed on the bed. She was angry and confused, but she didn’t want to be to far from him.

“I’m not an animal, I’m a shifter. A human who can turn into an animal.”

“I think you’re splitting hairs.”

He scrubbed a hand over his face. “Okay, I’ll give you that. But yes, I have heightened senses in my human form. I can hear better than a human and can smell better. I can run faster and I’m stronger than a human also.”

She mulled that while she stared at him.

“Where are we?” she asked finally.

“Underneath the park.” He told her about the massive underground space where the shifters who called Amazing Adventures home lived and went about their daily lives. “Every shifter lives and works here. The groups have their own private living areas, and we share a central marketplace with a cafeteria, offices, and a few shops. Anything we can’t get here, we order in or go out to get.”

“And no one knows, huh? Like…you’re just a total secret from humans?”

“It’s a secret that’s taken very seriously,” he said. “It’s about life and death. We can’t risk the general public knowing. So when we started sending out the VIP coupons, it was understood that if someone’s soulmate was found, they couldn’t share the truth of their shift until the couple was in love. That ensures the soulmate is just as serious about keeping the secret as their shifter mate.”

She frowned. “How are the VIP coupons related to any of this?”

“The alphas decided to send out coupons for VIP tours to bring single males and females from the tri-state area into the park in hopes that some of them might be soulmates. It’s worked for a few of our people. My brother Jupiter’s mate Celeste is human and she came here because of the VIP tour. And of course, it worked for me too.”

He smiled but he looked worried.

She hummed. “Really? I was sent the coupon for the tour because I was single?”

He nodded.

“That’s…wild. How many coupons have they sent out?”

“Thousands.”

“And only a few have been soulmates?”

“Yes. A soulmate for a shifter is that one right person for them. Some shifters don’t want to wait to find their soulmate and will just take a mate from one of their kind, but I wanted to wait for you. I hoped I’d meet you soon.”

Her anger was leeching away because she could understand why his people wanted to keep the secret of shifters safe. If she was a shifter and it could mean their people getting hurt by humans if they found out, she’d be damn sure whoever she fell in love with wouldn’t tell a soul.

He reached for her hand, and she let him hold it. “I really am sorry about everything. I wish I could have just told you the truth last night. I wanted to. My lion was being so bossy in my head and wanted me to mark you as my mate and tell you everything.”

“Mark?”

“For lions, the male will sink his fangs into his mate’s neck and the marks will scar, which tells anyone who sees them that she’s mated. It’s like a wedding ring you can’t lose.”

“Don’t the girls get to bite?”

“You can bite me anytime.” He waggled his brows, and she did not think it was adorable.

She let go of his hand and swatted his arm. “Would you stop being cute? I’m traumatized over here.”

He barked out a laugh, and she was suddenly on her back and he was looming over her, his eyes a beautiful amber color. “Sidney, I’m crazy about you. Since the moment you stepped foot into the park, I felt connected to you. And making love last night, well, it was the best night of my life. Please tell me that you can forgive me. I have so much I want to share with you.”

She stared up at him as he held himself over her.

Did she believe in soulmates? Maybe she hadn’t really until she’d come to the park. But she couldn’t deny that she’d felt drawn to the park once she was there, and after meeting Lucius, she hadn’t wanted to leave his side. She’d never ever jumped into bed with a guy the day she’d met him, but it had seemed right and she had no regrets about that.

She did regret waking up with him as a lion and also passing out when her overactive imagination had her picturing the wildest scenarios of her being locked in a cell because she now knew the truth of shifters.

Lucius had assured her that wouldn’t be the case. They weren’t going to keep her locked up, they just didn’t want her leaving the park until they knew she could be trusted. Since she was a virtual stranger, it wasn’t like she could just tell them to trust her, she had to prove it. But how could she prove that she wouldn’t tell a soul?

Because she wasn’t going to.

Not that anyone would believe her anyway.

But even if she was positive the whole world would believe her, she didn’t want to put Lucius in danger. Or his family and friends.

“I can’t tell my mom.”

“No, I’m sorry.”

She gave him a curious look. “The apartment? You don’t really live there.”

“No, they were built so that we had a place to bring our soulmates before we told them the truth. It would be hard to bring someone home with us when we lived in secret, you know?”

“That makes sense.” She stared at him for a long moment, trying to remember what it looked like when he turned from a lion to a man. She’d been so freaked out she hadn’t believed what she was seeing. “You really are a lion.”

“Yeah.”

“Can I see it again?”

“You want to watch me shift?”

“Yes.” She nodded decisively.

“Okay. We can do that. I can take you up to the paddock and shift for you. I’ll be stuck in my shift for a few hours, though, so maybe I can invite my brother and his mate Celeste so you can meet her and you can have someone to talk to.”

He straightened and helped her sit up. As they got off the bed, she said, “Wait. The paddock. Where the animals are? Does that mean there aren’t any real animals in the park at all? They’re all shifters?”

“Yes and no. Most of the animals in the paddocks are shifters—lions, bears, wolves, elephants, and gorillas. The other paddock has regular animals that we call norms .”

“Tank is a norm?”

“Yep.”

“That would be weird to be able to be a moose.”

“I suppose,” he said with a chuckle. “Although since our people keep to themselves normally and it’s rare for so many groups to live together like this, it’s possible there are moose shifters out there somewhere. There are polar bears, owls, red foxes, and panthers that we know of. Who knows what else can shift into something we’ve not come across?”

She let that roll around in her head for a bit. “Okay, so I want to see you shift, but I’m starving. Is there food here, or do you just eat raw steaks?”

He laughed and put his arm around her, pulling her close. Her hands landed on his pecs and she loved how warm his skin was.

He stared down at her for a long, quiet moment. “Are you really okay, Sidney?”

“I am,” she said. “It’s fantastical, like the craziest thing ever, but I did see you turn from a lion to a human, and knowing that shifters have a soulmate and you felt a connection to me immediately helps me make sense of why I felt so connected to you. It feels extremely fast, but it also feels right.” She pursed her lips and then said, “I’ve never done that before, gone home with a guy after the first date. I just wanted you to know that it was special for me.”

“I’ve never done that either, sweetheart. It was very special for me too.” He tucked a lock of hair behind her ear and she shivered. “Do you forgive me? I keep asking you to, but you keep dodging the question.”

“I do,” she said. “Are there any other big secrets I should know about?”

“Nope,” he said. “But I’ll tell you all about myself and being a shifter and my people, and I promise not to keep secrets from you.”

“I promise to keep your secret. From my mom, from everyone. I don’t want to put you or your family and friends in danger. I can see how dangerous it would be for the public to know about shifters. I know your people don’t trust me yet, and that’s okay. It’s all so new and everything, but I’m promising you that I’ll keep your secret in my heart and not tell a soul.”

He nodded. Lowering his head, he kissed her and the whole world fell away for a brief moment. She put her arms around his neck and anchored herself to him, reveling in the kiss.

Just an hour ago she’d woken up pissed, and now she was kissing him back like her life depended on it. They still needed to talk and get to know each other, but at least she understood her feelings now. It wasn’t too fast; it was how it was supposed to be with soulmates.

How crazy was it that she’d gone to the park and met a guy who happened to also be a lion?

“Oh, can I sketch you?” she asked.

“Sure,” he said with a chuckle. “Your bag is in the kitchen. The alphas have your phone since they don’t want you to have it without someone keeping an eye on you with it. Sorry.”

“That’s okay. I just need to check in with my mom. I told her I’d be late, not that I wouldn’t come home at all.”

“Do you need to go home?”

“I don’t know. Can I leave?”

“I can take you to your place with an escort, but you can’t stay. I have to bring you back here.”

She rested in his embrace. She thought she should feel a little stifled and angry that she wasn’t allowed to just leave on her own, but the idea of how serious the secret of shifters was kept coming up as a very good reason for them being careful.

“I’m not going to worry about it today,” she said. “I’d like to text my mom and tell her I’m taking the day off and I’ll be by tomorrow. I don’t know what to do about all that, though.”

“We can figure it out, together.”

“Good. Now about breakfast?”

“Let’s go to the market, sweetheart. Then I’ll shift for you.”

She couldn’t wait.