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    Bonding with Ben: Sanctuary, #4
    Bonding with Ben: Sanctuary, #4
    Bonding with Ben: Sanctuary, #4
    Ebook126 pages1 hour

    Bonding with Ben: Sanctuary, #4

    By Megan Slayer

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    About this ebook

    Sometimes the biggest hurdle in life is accepting who you are and what you want.

    Joe Dallas thought he'd escaped the draw of the shifters at the Sanctuary. He doesn't mind. With his tendency to keep relationships simple, he doesn't want to get involved with a lion shifter. Then there's Ben. The quiet shifter piques Joe's attention. When Joe accompanies Ben on a rescue mission, he realizes the attraction isn't one-sided. But can a shifter and a human really make a relationship work? Joe isn't sure.

    Ben knows who he wants in his life and bed—Joe. The lion wants to bond with the human he desires. The difference in their species doesn't bother him a bit. Will the shifter be able to convince Joe they have a future or will fear dominate and destroy the love before it can blossom?

     

    This book has been re-edited for this re-issue.

    LanguageEnglish
    PublisherMegan Slayer
    Release dateJun 11, 2020
    ISBN9781393632849
    Bonding with Ben: Sanctuary, #4
    Author

    Megan Slayer

    Megan Slayer, aka Wendi Zwaduk, is a multi-published, award-winning author of more than one-hundred short stories and novels. She’s been writing since 2008 and published since 2009. Her stories range from the contemporary and paranormal to LGBTQ and BDSM themes. No matter what the length, her works are always hot, but with a lot of heart. She enjoys giving her characters a second chance at love, no matter what the form. She’s been the runner up in the Kink Category at Love Romances Café as well as nominated at the LRC for best author, best contemporary, best ménage and best anthology. Her books have made it to the bestseller lists on Amazon.com. When she’s not writing, Megan spends time with her husband and son as well as three dogs and three cats. She enjoys art, music and racing, but football is her sport of choice.

    Read more from Megan Slayer

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      Book preview

      Bonding with Ben - Megan Slayer

      Bonding with Ben

      A Sanctuary Story, book 4

      by

      Megan Slayer

      Bonding With Ben

      Copyright © 2020, Megan Slayer

      Edited by Michele Paulin and Liza Green

      Cover Art by WZDesigns

      Published by Megan Slayer Publishing

      Warning: All rights reserved. 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.

      Electronic Release: June 2020

      This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places and occurrences are a product of the author’s imagination. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, places or occurrences, is purely coincidental.

      Sometimes the biggest hurdle in life is accepting who you are and what you want.

      Joe Dallas thought he’d escaped the draw of the shifters at the Sanctuary. He doesn’t mind. With his tendency to keep relationships simple, he doesn’t want to get involved with a lion shifter. Then there’s Ben. The quiet shifter piques Joe’s attention. When Joe accompanies Ben on a rescue mission, he realizes the attraction isn’t one-sided. But can a shifter and a human really make a relationship work? Joe isn’t sure.

      Ben knows who he wants in his life and bed—Joe. The lion wants to bond with the human he desires. The difference in their species doesn’t bother him a bit. Will the shifter be able to convince Joe they have a future or will fear dominate and destroy the love before it can blossom?

      Contents

      Chapter One

      Chapter Two

      Chapter Three

      Chapter Four

      Chapter Five

      Chapter Six

      Chapter Seven

      Chapter Eight

      Chapter Nine

      Chapter Ten

      Chapter Eleven

      Chapter Tweleve

      Chapter Thirteen

      About the Author

      More in the Sanctuary Series

      For the love of lions, magic and happy endings

      Chapter One

      Inever thought I’d be here again. Ben sat on the truck bed and gripped the metal railing. In the three weeks since he’d been rescued and brought to Sanctuary, he hadn’t planned on coming back to the fence or rescuing anyone else. Unlike most of the shifters living at the Sanctuary compound, he wasn’t fond of returning to the fence and even less fond of going into the kill zone. Saving the lion shifters from being killed in a canned hunt had become the mission of the Sanctuary. He didn’t mind. He hated knowing he’d been used for enjoyment by the humans then thrown out when he’d gotten too big for the petting zoo to handle him. Thank God, the others at Sanctuary risked their collective necks to save the lions who were supposed to be hunted.

      The other lion shifters seemed to love going back into the dangerous area. They’d rescued quite a few shifters, but he wondered if the cost was worth the effort. Sure, he was one of the rescues, but there had to be a high chance someone would eventually get killed. He certainly didn’t want to lose his life. He’d just realized he had a fantastic gift—he could switch between human and lion forms.

      Ben closed his eyes. He didn’t want to look at the others in the truck bed. He loved Syd and Nat like brothers, but he needed a moment to himself. Behind him in the cab, the radio chatter sounded more like buzzing bees than people talking.

      At least, he and the others were heading out in the middle of the night. The stars weren’t out, and with the cloud cover, the shadows weren’t as clear.

      He missed the stars. Missed being able to flop in the grass and watch the night sky overhead. Lounging in the grass should be a luxury now, but it wasn’t. Until the owner of the petting zoo, Carlton, was stopped, any of the lions—in the petting zoo or at Sanctuary—were still at risk of being hurt.

      His lion growled within him, and his thoughts turned to the night he’d been rescued. He could still remember the pattern of the stars and the cloudless skies.

      The night he’d been saved, he’d been led into the outside pen with two other lions. At first, he’d thought they were simply outside for the sake of getting some air. He’d stretched out beside a tree and flopped onto his side. When he’d collided with the ground, his bones had cracked and his lion had cried out. For a moment, he’d forgotten where he was, and when he’d came to consciousness, his body wasn’t his own—or so he’d thought. He remembered staring at his paws, but instead seeing hands. Lions didn’t have hands. He’d sat up and stretched his back legs. His lion limbs were gone, replaced by human arms and legs. When had this happened? How had this happened? Confusion had filled his brain. Lions were lions and the humans were humans. The two didn’t morph. But he had.

      The sound of tires on dirt had echoed in the distance. Shit. That noise in the pen was never good. Gunshots had rung out over his head. He’d scrambled under the closest outcropping of brush and searched the nearby area for the other two lions. Could they shift? He hadn’t been sure. He hadn’t known he’d be able to switch from his lion to human form.

      He’d sniffed the air and caught onto Agnes, the female’s, scent. She’d cowered under a thick bunch of grass and stared at him. He’d held up both hands as he’d crawled to her position.

      I won’t hurt you. He’d touched her fur and scratched her behind the ears as he’d seen the other humans do a hundred times. She’d seemed to relax a little, and when he’d glanced to his right, he’d noticed Leo, the other lion inching toward them. At least, he’d had them more or less all together.

      He remembered having to think fast. If they didn’t work together, they’d all end up as trophies on someone’s wall. But what could he do? At the time, he hadn’t known how to get them out of the pen. Being the new alpha wasn’t the greatest job in the world, but he knew the other lions feared most humans. The caretakers in the zoo hadn’t been the nicest people. A few had tried to be loving and careful with the lions, but most broke out the tasers, and others used paddles.

      He’d dug his fingers into the dirty. What the hell could he do?

      More shots had rung out, and bits of bark from the nearby tree had littered the ground. The humans with the guns were getting closer. Smoke had wafted around him and curled in the trees overhead. Fear had paralyzed him. He hadn’t known how to help his fellow lions or how to save his skin.

      Hey. Time to go.

      Ben opened his eyes and focused on Syd. He’d heard those exact word from Syd the night of his rescue. I’m ready.

      Sort of ready—as much as knowing he risked being shot at would allow. He hopped over the fender of the truck and landed on the cracked earth. With the headlights off and the taillights blacked out, he could hardly see where he was going.

      Okay, remember. Tonight, we’re looking for Zeus and two females. According to Joe, their names are Lucy and Ethel. Syd frowned. Jesus. Carlton has no sense of originality, does he?

      Nat shrugged. He’s too busy being an ass.

      I want you to stay in the truck with Joe. Syd grasped Nat’s shoulders and kissed him on the lips. I can’t risk you again.

      Trust me, I don’t want to go in there anymore. I’m not wild about you going in there, but that’s the job. Nat kissed Syd again then waved to Ben. Good luck.

      Thanks, Ben muttered. He didn’t feel lucky. Not at all. He glanced back at the cab of the truck. Joe was in there. Thinking about the non-shifter heated Ben’s blood. He shouldn’t be interested in Joe. For all he knew, Joe didn’t want to connect with a shifter. For all the lion-shifters at the house, Axl and Leo were the only ones not involved. Ben snorted. Joe wasn’t in a relationship, either, but he didn’t count—he wasn’t a shifter.

      Still, his thoughts never totally moved away from Joe. He thought about the human before he went to sleep and when he saw Joe in the house. The only person Joe seemed to spend time with, besides his brother John, was Talisman. Although Ben wouldn’t admit it aloud, he secretly wished he were Talisman or at least that he had Joe’s attention. He wondered what it would feel like to have Joe’s strong arms around him or to brush his lips against Joe’s. He longed to learn how to kiss with Joe as his teacher. But maybe, that was the problem. The other shifters had some understanding of kissing and sex. He hadn’t progressed that far.

      The tips of his ears burned as he thought about Joe. He could get lost in those eyes—not quite brown, but not exactly gold. He wanted to run his fingers through Joe’s black hair and smell him up close. His lion already liked Joe and the animal yearned for him. Too bad, Ben wasn’t ready to make a move. He couldn’t gather enough courage to speak to Joe for more than a moment or two. Did the man intimidate him? No. The urge to throw himself into Joe’s arms was too overwhelming. He kept himself away from Joe so he wouldn’t embarrass himself.

      Ben. I need you to focus. Syd tugged him closer to the tunnel under the fence. Okay. The plan? We shift, slip under the chain link on our side and into the dirt, then the pen. We find the lions and keep the hell away from the hunters. In and out with as little fanfare as possible, but with the lions safe. Got it?

      Got it. Once we’re done and they’re out, we close the hole, right? He’d heard the plan a hundred times over the last few days, and from what he’d gathered by listening to Syd, Nat,

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