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  Copyright © 2020 by Golden Angel

  All rights reserved.

  No part of this book may be reproduced in any form or by any electronic or mechanical means, including information storage and retrieval systems, without written permission from the author, except for the use of brief quotations in a book review.

  Chasing Her Lion

  Book 6 of Big Bad Bunnies

  Acknowledgments

  A huge thank you to my beta readers who have stuck with me through this whole series. Katherine, Nick, Marie, Karen, Marta, Jessica, and Annie - these books would not be what they are without you, thank you so much for all of your help and input.

  Thank you to everyone who reads and loves this series as much as I do. I know Bunny Shifters are a little off the usual shifter track but I'm so glad you took the chance!

  And, as always, thank you to my husband, for his love and support through all my crazy and time-consuming writing endeavors.

  1

  Kasim

  Honey badger shifters threw a hell of a party.

  This being a double celebration, involving two packs, it was twice the celebration and twice the crazy.

  Jacqueline, the omega and peacekeeper of his pack, had mated with Jordan, his pack’s beta. She had come to the pack from the honey badgers, though. Unlike her cousins, who traveled the country on their motorcycles on a nearly non-stop loop, Jacqueline preferred a more settled life.

  The second mating was between Rana, Honey Badger Princess, and Brice Bunson, the youngest brother of Kasim’s girlfriend, Bailey. That had been a surprising pairing as the two were fated mates. Not only were fated mates rare, but Rana had anosmia—she couldn’t smell a thing—so she hadn’t believed Brice when he’d first told her. Not entirely her fault—two men had tried to take advantage of her condition before, so Brice had been the third man in her life to claim she was his. They’d worked it out, which made Bailey happy, which made Kasim happy.

  Now, she was the last unmated Bunson, and Kasim hoped to change that status soon as well. For now, though, he wanted to make the most of this evening. There was nothing like a mating celebration to spread a little romance in the air.

  There was a massive dance floor, lights reflecting off of chandeliers, getting in his eyes, and with everyone talking at once, it was so loud, he could barely hear himself think. He did like the food stations that were spread throughout the room. He was eyeing the carving station when Bailey tugged on his sleeve.

  “Holy shit, am I actually seeing a ranch fountain?”

  Chuckling at her enthusiasm—she was having fun, and he was enjoying watching her have fun—he glanced in the direction she was pointing, then looked down at her.

  “And a cheese fountain beyond it.”

  “Oh my God, I hope there’s a chocolate fountain too!” she squealed, bouncing. He had to laugh.

  She was adorable as hell with enthusiasm for every little thing in life—which was unsurprising, considering how much of her life she’d spent being held captive. Thinking about that always made him want to roar and find something to shred with his teeth, so he didn’t dwell on it much anymore.

  From the moment he’d been part of her family’s unwitting rescue party, Kasim had been drawn to her. She was the youngest of the Bunsons and the last to be turned into a shapeshifter. That’s right—turned into. They’d been born human, although they had shapeshifter genes, and a mad scientist had taken it upon himself to wake those genes up—all of them.

  Bailey’s older siblings turned into massive bear-sized bunnies with the teeth and claws of a bear, and a hard shell beneath their fluffy fur that made them nearly impervious to harm. Since she was the last, Bailey had gotten the most advanced form of the serum. Unlike her siblings, she was rabbit-sized, but a more foul, cruel, and bad-tempered rodent hadn’t been seen since the Beast of Caerbannog in Monty Python and the Holy Grail. A movie he’d watched more times since meeting her than he had in his entire life prior. She and her siblings were all obsessed with it, even more so now that they were vicious bunny shifters.

  Even Kasim’s lion was wary of them. However, at least with Bailey, he could literally squash her under his paw to keep her under control. Well, if he caught her by surprise, that was. She was incredibly fast.

  My bunny. The low growl of his lion in the back of his mind made Kasim smile again as Bailey dragged him toward the condiment fountains. His lion was becoming more and more possessive of Bailey, and unlike Kasim, it wasn’t happy with the slow pace their relationship was taking.

  It was deliberate on Kasim’s part. They’d been friends first, right after she’d been freed from captivity. She’d gone through quite a few of the men in the pack before she’d slowed down. Kasim wanted to make sure he wasn’t just another one of her many dates. He also wanted her to come to terms with the fact being a shifter didn’t mean she’d meet her fated mate, immediately fall in love, and live happily ever after.

  Being young and seeing it happen with her older sister and one older brother, Bailey had wanted the same thing for herself. It had taken some time, a lot of conversations with other pack members, and two out of three of her brothers meeting their mates before she seemed to accept that eschewing relationships in favor of a mate she might never meet didn’t actually make sense.

  Kasim had worried when Brice met Rana, some of that would be undone, and Bailey would become mate obsessed again.

  Speaking of, Kasim dug in his heels, preventing Bailey from pulling him further along. “Rana, Brice, congratulations.”

  He was pretty sure Bailey hadn’t even seen her brother and his mate, she’d been so intent on the ranch fountain. As soon as she realized who he was talking to, she stopped pulling at him and turned to wrap Rana in a big hug.

  “This is the best party!” Bailey said. “Thank you for the ranch fountain!”

  Laughing, Rana hugged her back, and Brice and Kasim shook hands. Brice was beaming, his smile so wide, it looked like his face was about to split open. Kasim envied him. He and Rana had been together for less time than Kasim and Bailey, but here they were, happily mated.

  Kasim was willing to be patient, no matter how his lion felt about it, but he had to admit, he was beginning to feel the urge to move things a little faster. He’d already set up the room where he and Bailey would be staying tonight with that in mind. There’d be champagne waiting for them when they arrived, snacks to fuel them, and candles set up around the room. Fake candles because he didn’t want it to be a fire hazard, but the lighting effect was the same.

  For weeks, he’d been sidestepping actually making love to her, even though she’d indicated she was more than ready. He wanted it to be special, memorable—unforgettable.

  As if I am forgettable. His lion sniffed, tossing his mane with derision. Confidence was one thing his animal side didn’t lack.

  “You look amazing,” Bailey said, stepping back from Rana.

  “So, do you,” Rana replied.

  They both did, but Kasim was obviously far more interested in what Bailey was wearing. The lacy purple dress hugged her curves and had a very high slit up the side of her left leg that made Kasim want to get on his knees and go exploring.

  They switched sides, so Bailey could hug her brother, and Kasim dropped a kiss on Rana’s cheek. He was glad to see her so happy—she deserved it.

  As Brice and Rana moved away to circulate among their guests, Bailey’s hand dropped down to squeeze Kasim’s butt, and his cock jerked in interest. Raising his eyebrows, he looked down at her.

  “What?” she asked, summoning up an amazingly innocent expression, especially considering she hadn’t moved her hand. “Your suit jacket is long enough, no one can see what I’m doing.”

  “I know what you’
re doing,” he admonished. Not that he minded exactly, but it was hard enough trying to keep his urges under control—especially with the plans he had for tonight—but they couldn’t leave the reception yet. It would be rude to sneak out this early.

  Giving him one more squeeze, Bailey stepped forward and grabbed his hand instead. “Come on, I want some ranch!”

  Chuckling again, Kasim followed her to the ranch fountain.

  She was loading up her plate when Fred, one of his pack members, came up with a question. Kasim was so busy chatting with him, he almost didn’t notice when Bailey stepped away—and not toward the food—toward another man. Kasim glanced at her and frowned when she took another step away from him. He couldn’t see her face.

  “Bailey?”

  Another step and Bailey reached out, grabbing the man by the shoulder. Kasim froze. She wouldn’t ignore him like this. Wouldn’t grab another man, a stranger, unless...

  “You’re my mate!” Her voice was high and shocked and tinged with joy, and it cut through Kasim’s chest like a knife. Stabbing him couldn’t have been more painful.

  He stepped back, rocked by the pain. In his head, his lion went wild, clawing to be let out, to get to their bunny, to sink his teeth into her, and claim her before this usurper could steal her.

  But he wouldn’t be stealing her, would he? He was Bailey’s mate. The happy ending she’d insisted she wanted from the moment Kasim had met her. Kasim had been the one to tell her how unlikely it was—how unrealistic.

  He’d thought she was just immature, ignorant—childishly hopeful for a fairy tale.

  She’d been right all along.

  Silently, Kasim stepped back and melted into the crowd, moving as quickly as he could. If he stayed there for one second longer, while Bailey and her newfound mate stared at each other, he wasn’t sure he’d be able to control his lion.

  His lion roared with pain as he fled.

  Bailey

  The man in front of her looked flabbergasted, his nostrils flaring, eyes widening with the same shock she felt. Handsome, well dressed, filled out his suit nicely—she barely noticed any of that. What had caught her attention was his scent. He smelled like bear, delicious honey, forest, and something her brain immediately craved, even though she’d never smelled it before. He had to be her fated mate. She’d never smelled anything like him before. It felt like her entire body had come alive, yearning to get closer, to wallow in that delicious scent.

  “I…” He looked around wildly, an expression of panic coming over his face as he took a step back from her.

  Bailey inhaled again, still barely able to believe it. Finding her mate was everything she’d ever wanted for so long, and here he was. Right? But there was something wrong. With the way he was looking at her, definitely, but also with her own heart. She should be jumping for joy. And she felt that happiness, she did, but… not like she thought she would. She wanted to touch him. She craved him, but…

  Mate, her bunny confirmed, cutting off her thoughts.

  “I’m sorry,” her mate said. Then he turned around and ran, nearly knocking over Sami and Meghan, who were standing right behind him, the same astonished expression on their faces as the rest of the witnesses.

  Totally bewildered by his reaction, Bailey stood there as he disappeared into the crowd.

  Chase mate? Her bunny asked, as confused as she was.

  She wanted to, but... she was forgetting something—someone.

  Shit!

  Kasim!

  Bailey whirled around, but... her boyfriend was gone as well. No longer standing there where she’d left him, not visible in the crowed standing there staring at her, not waiting patiently for her the way he always had. And everyone was staring at her.

  Son of a hamster!

  She didn’t know who to chase after.

  Her bunny was as confused as her heart. Looking back over her shoulder, she could see her mate had completely disappeared, swallowed up by the crowd. Swinging her head back around, she went up on her tiptoes, looking for some glimpse of Kasim... but he had vanished completely.

  Bailey didn’t blame him, but...

  Abandoned by two men—one who was her fated mate and one whom she’d thought loved her—in less than a minute. With a full audience, Bailey did what anyone in such depressing circumstances would do. She burst into tears.

  As if on cue, her siblings muscled their way through the crowd and surrounded her in a protective circle, their mates by their sides. Bethany wrapped her up in a hug while Jesse, Doc, and Rana murmured sympathetically, patting her arms and her back, urging the men to get them moving.

  With Bethany’s mate, Steele, leading the way, and the Bunson brothers backing him up, people got out of their way fast. Steele was the alpha of a pack made up of mostly soldiers, and her brothers were all growling under their breath. Something about their growls always set off the other shifters and they parted faster than the Red Sea.

  There was a small room off to the side, filled with plastic bags and various clothing pieces, where Rana and her bridesmaids had gotten ready before the ceremony, where Bailey found herself a few seconds later.

  “I’m so sorry,” she said, sniffling from the circle of her two oldest siblings’ arms, looking up at her brother and his new mate. “I didn’t mean to make a scene. You two should go back to your guests.”

  “Hey, that’s the joy of a double ceremony,” Rana said gently, reaching out to take Bailey’s hand. “There’s another couple for everyone to pay attention to while we’re in here.”

  “So, we were too far away to see what was going on,” Brady said, squeezing her more tightly. His mate, Jesse, leaned against him, looking down at Bailey with concern. She tended to be the most motherly of her brother’s mates, which wasn’t surprising since she’d practically raised her younger brother, and Brady tended to assume a dad-like role when it came to Bailey. “What the hell happened?”

  Bailey opened her mouth, but all that came out was a choked little sob. Thankfully, Brody and Doc had been close enough to see it all go down.

  “So then, Bailey and the guy she called her mate were staring at each other, and Kasim just gets this look on his face, and the next thing I know, he basically disappears. I didn’t even know he could do that,” Doc said. “I was staring right at him, then I wasn’t.”

  Hearing Kasim’s reaction, realizing how much pain she must have caused him, Bailey made a low, sad sound. Her bunny quivered inside, also depressed by the double rejection to even comment.

  Doc sent her an apologetic look and quickly wrapped up her story.

  Then they all looked at her again. Bailey was started to get tired of everyone looking at her.

  “What do you want to do, sweetie?” Brady asked, looking down at her. Bailey was pretty sure, no matter what she wanted, Brady would make it happen.

  Unfortunately, she wasn’t entirely sure.

  “I should... I should go after Kasim, right?” Except, Kasim didn’t seem to want her now that she’d found her mate. “Or my mate? But he ran from me... I don’t even know why. Shouldn’t he be feeling the same pull?”

  “If he’s your fated mate, then yes, he should,” Steele confirmed, sympathy in his dark eyes. He also looked frustrated. Bailey knew he’d been thrilled when she and Kasim had finally taken their relationship to the next level, especially because Kasim was his friend. He must be torn right now, the same way she was.

  She was feeling a pull, although it was a bit confused. Part of her wanted to hunt down the delicious smelling man who her instincts told her was her perfect match. The other part of her wanted to hunt down the man who also smelled delicious, even if it was in a different way, and who she was pretty sure, she’d fallen in love with.

  But how did she know who was the right man to run after?

  Whichever one she looked for, that was making a statement. Was going after Kasim worth possibly losing her fated mate? Was going after her fated mate worth losing Kasim? She knew which one made
her heart ache more, right now, but she still felt the urge to go after her mate.

  She’d scoffed at the whole biological urges thing when it had been explained to her. Surely, it couldn’t be just pheromones or whatever? Look at how happy Bethany and Steele were, and Brice and Rana. Rana couldn’t smell him, but it didn’t matter.

  This should be an easy choice, right? Except she wasn’t sure what the easy choice was supposed to be—the man she loved or the man she was fated for. What the hell, universe?

  “Well, until you know which one you want to run after more, you probably shouldn’t go after either,” Jesse said, not unsympathetically.

  That made sense—unfortunately.

  Bailey had no idea how she was supposed to choose. “This sucks!”

  She buried her face in her hands. Inside her head, her bunny tried to comfort her, but the damn bunny was part of the problem. Bailey almost felt betrayed by her shifter side. Her bunny had wanted nothing but Kasim for weeks, and when Bailey finally agreed to go there, knowing it could ruin their friendship if things didn’t work out, the little hussy finally came up with a fated mate! Logically, she knew it wasn’t her bunny’s fault, but it wasn’t like there was anyone else to blame.

  “Oh, honey bunny…” Bethany wrapped her arms around Bailey’s shoulders as she started crying again.

  “Excuse me,” Steele said. His voice was soft and a little muffled by Bethany’s hug, but still perfectly audible with her shifter hearing. “I have to go find… someone.”

  Kasim. He was going looking for Kasim. Bailey was glad someone was. Deep down, even though she’d just met her fated mate, a huge part of her felt like she was supposed to.

  2

  Bailey

  After causing such a scene at the reception, Bailey didn’t feel like going back, but she made herself. She wanted to know if anyone had seen where Kasim had gone and maybe find out who her blond mate was. When they walked back in, part of her was relieved not to spot Kasim anywhere.