Destiny Descending

black lions in our pride. Kirill's fur was such a rich black that it glinted blue in the sunlight, matching his indigo eyes. So beautiful. He padded over to me on massive paws and nudged my head with his, marking me with his scent. That intoxicating aroma sank into my fur and dug deep. I nudged him back, merging my scent with his. Yours. Mine. Ours.
Then I was running. My legs stretched out and the ground blurred beneath me; muscles lengthening luxuriantly and breath expanding my lungs. My tongue lolled out to taste the air; the herbal flavor of grass, the mineral tang of soil, and a hint of moisture. I panted joyfully, sprinting through the tall, swaying grass with my mate close behind. Birds took flight and animals scurried away, leaving the acid sharpness of fear in their wake. Even that gave me pleasure. I ruled my world as a lion is meant to do.
We raced across Pride lands until our sides heaved and our breaths came in heavy pants. Then we collapsed within the cover of the sweet, golden grass. Kirill tumbled onto me, and we rolled together, swiping at each other playfully. He nipped my rump, and I snapped at his ear. Growls and snarls rumbled through our chests. Happiness burst in my blood. Then, when the grass was flattened from our play and the scent of it tinted the air along with our musk, we laid together within the nest we'd made and just soaked in the late-afternoon sun.
Kirill shifted back to man and pressed against my back, stroking my fur with long motions. I enjoyed his touch as a lioness for a few minutes then shifted as I turned into his embrace. With a smooth movement, Kirill leaned down and met my lifting lips. Still so close to our beasts, we growled into each other and undulated into an intimate embrace. Every sensation felt magnified; the slide of my leg over his, the scent of his skin, and the taste of him on my tongue. Kirill settled himself between my thighs, his torso pressing me down, and rubbed his thick erection over my sex. I reached down and helped him breach my body.
Kirill thrust deep with a conquering groan and started a slow rhythm. My hands moved on their own, sliding over his broad shoulders and around his biceps, too wide for me to circle. I traced the curves of his smooth chest then slid my hands around his trim waist to move them back and down over the glorious curves of his ass. I reveled in the feel of him clenching beneath my touch and then grabbed him there to pull him even deeper.
“No demands,” Kirill growled in my ear as he snatched one of my hands and then the other, setting them on the ground above my head. “Here, you are mine, Lion Goddess.”
Kirill pulled his long braid forward and wrapped it around my wrists. He held the end of the braid, pressed down beneath his palm beside my face. Above me, his body rolled sensuously, his hips pressing my thighs wider apart so he could sink even deeper.
“I'm yours no matter where we are,” I purred. “And I'm bound to you even without your pretty chain.”
“Not like zis,” he insisted. “Not completely. Here you are only mine. I can bind you with my body and hold you down for my pleasure. Here, on our land, it's just you and me.”
“It is. And I want more of you.” I lifted my hips to emphasize my point.
“You have all I am, Vervain. You always have.” Kirill lowered his lips to mine again.
The kiss was gentle at first—a sweet reminder of who we'd been and how far we'd come together—then it rolled upward, gaining heat as it went. Kirill's tongue became a whip, forcing mine into surrender, and his cock a stake shoved deep to claim his territory. His chest lowered to mine, pressing me into the grass so that I was surrounded by Intare magic. It thrummed around me; the power of my territory and that of my husband. Kirill drove it into me with his body and breath. He moved the magic through me with sure strokes of his hand; sweeping along my jaw, my arms, and my thighs. My body lost the sensation of boundaries, merging with Kirill in pleasure and power. The world seemed to tilt around us, bowing to its rulers; the King and Queen of the Intare. So much pleasure; I had to release it.
I expected my love magic to rise, or perhaps lust, but they bent to the will of my lioness. She was recharging herself with the land and her lover, and no other magic would interfere. So, instead of a glittering red haze, a climactic roar rumbled out of me. I struggled against Kirill's bindings, thrashing my hands within the thick cord of his hair and thrumming my body between the earth and him. Kirill held me firm, my breasts pressed tightly between us, and his shaft filling me perfectly.
“Vervain,” Kirill panted. “My mate. My wife. My goddess. I love you.”
“I love you too. You hold me together, Kirill. I can't be me without you.”
Kirill lifted his head and roared his release across our kingdom.

Chapter Five
Kirill and I languished in our little haven all day; making love as humans and lions, playing, and talking until the sun went down. Then we strolled back to the palace hand-in-hand, relaxed and blissful. We were nearly there when a rustling caught our attention. We went still as the grass came alive around us. Animals burst through the brush and went barreling past. Several were critters I didn't recognize but I did recognize a few such as the aardvarks, porcupines, and...
“Is that a honey badger?” I asked Kirill as a black animal with a gray and cream stripe down its back scrambled by.
“Vell, it's not a skunk,” he said in amazement.
“We have honey badgers?” I asked