Luz's bare feet padded along the tile flooring of her cozy 2 bedroom apartment. It wasn't huge, but it wasn't tiny, and it worked well for the solitary lioness. It's not that she was against the pride, because she wasn't, but she liked being by herself in the comfort of her own home, with her own kitty-piles if she so chose. It had been a while since she saw Marcus, the lion who she let so willingly have her body and her name. She smiled a bit at the memory, and so she had invited him for dinner, an innocent evening, or so, it was scheduled to be, of la comida mexicana, the food from her native Mexico.

She had various ingredients beside the stove as she tossed the steak which was searing in a large skillet. It was mixed with an array of spices and herbs, cilantro and adobo just some of the things that made her mouth salivate at the thought. She had decided steak was the cuisine for the evening, for it was getting closer to the full moon, and what lycan could deny red meat?

Rice was cooking on the adjacent burner, a simple white rice tossed with a bit of coconut milk to add richness but not that overwhelming taste of coco. Yes, it was a rather simple meal of burritos or tacos, whichever he preferred, or even simply stew along with his arroz. Sipping from the bottle of Corona she had pulled from the fridge, the lioness leaned against the counter, watching her food with a watchful eye. Her thick hair was still damp and pulled back, her upperbody covered with a simple short-sleeved tshirt which covered the waistband of her capri-length white sweats. Simple, yes, but she was comfortable, and that was necessary while she cooked. Now, she just had to wait.

Stalking along the sidewalk beneath the heat of the sun, Marcus raised his face to that wonderful heat with an almost audible purr from his lion. The full moon was close and they could feel it even beneath the light of the sun, and the energy of the two combined was brilliant. That and they were looking forward to meeting Luz again for the first time since the beach when they had had sex.

Thinking on that night caused a soft twinge in his stomach and lower, both he and his lion remembering the savagery and sheer lust of the moment and despite the love they held for Karrie and her softness there was a subtle yearning for the ferocity of that night. Though Marcus would rather die than admit it to Karrie, there was that not so small part of him that loved being near totally bestial and fierce in sex, and Luz had fulfilled it in a way he now craved deep down. Today may not of been a good idea, but they had to talk to Luz again. And, one day soon, Karrie.

Looking back down at the street rather than the sun, Marcus found himself outside of the apartment Luz had given him directions to, and took a deep breath before making his way up the steps to the door. Knocking on it firmly, he blinked his golden eyes slightly to recover from looking up at the sun so he wasn't sun blind then waited for Luz to answer the door.

It had been too long. Much too long. She had met Marcus at the beach a few months past, and their knowledge of each other, beyond their bestiality and the way their bodies glistened beneath the moonlight, covered in sand and sex, their lions staring through their eyes at each other with a ravenous hunger that only predator and prey should experience. For that night, they were both predator and both prey. She had ached for a good few hours, if not a day, from their encounter, and couldn't imagine how a human would have done in their situation. She loved it. He had given it to her how she wanted, exactly how she wanted, and would like to think she helped him feel the same. She had heard rumors throughout the pride of he hand Karrie, and to be honest, she was jealous. Sort of.

The lioness' mind wandered over the thought of taking him again, a low purr escaping her throat in the silence of her apartment only to be lost to the sizzling of the meat she cooked. She hummed to herself, her voice trying to draw her from the thoughts of that fateful night. However, with the full moon drawing closer, the woman's thoughts couldn't help but wander every now and again to the nude, powerful body, of Marcus and his cat.

Suddenly a brush of power was felt against her aura, the lioness more evident in her eyes and mannerisms as she thought of their night together. His presence outside her door brought a smirk to her lips, another soft purr escaping her as she padded barefoot towards the door. Unlocking it in a rapid manner, she pulled the door back, smiling at the man and gulping as she noted his every curve of his muscled body. Okay, so she wasn't exactly staring, but she was definitely noting his presence with those amber kitty-cat eyes. "Buenos tardes Marcus," she said with a smile, the corners of her slightly pointed incisors evident in the curve of lips. "Please, come in," she said as the smile broadened, and the door opened wider to expose the entrance foyer of her cozy apartment.

Hearing the rapidity of the way in which Luz unlocked her door and sensing her eager and familiar energy tingling at the edge of his own, Marcus gave the back curve of his left fang a slow and deliberate lick before the door opened, smiling at Luz as she appeared framed by the door she had opened. She had not changed in the couple of months, and the way in which she was taking in his appearance was not lost on him. Inwardly, his lion ruffled up his mane and gave a soft growl of greeting, but Marcus himself simply stood there, not trying to maximise his appearance for her.

"Buenos tardes Luz, good to see you again."

Moving in through the door at her invitation, Marcus took in his surroundings and the scent of the food Luz was cooking with a low appreciative growl before turning back to her.

Her lioness rolled about in the sunlight of the outdoors as the door opened at last. The feline stretching out her finely muscled body, each muscle rippling as she bowed in her feline stretch, amber gaze intent on the male that she instantly recognized. The lioness purred deeply, greeting the male, stalking closer before simply sitting before him. Tail wrapped itself around her rump, the fluffy end twitching every now and again. The human form of the lycan smiled pleasantly, taking in the scent of the male lion with a smile. She knew he saw her looking at him, but it would be unlike him to simply flaunt what he had.

"Y usted tambien," she said as she closed the door behind them both, locking it swiftly. Moving towards the kitchen, she opened the fridge and glanced within, "What would you like to drink?" she inquired, her Corona with lime sitting on the counter visible to the man should he desire the same. She was trying to think of other things... like flowers and hummingbirds, but her mind constantly kept flushing back to the beach and the sound of waves against the shore and the sweet scent of the ocean.

Smiling at the antics of the lioness within Luz, Marcus followed her deeper into her apartment and the source of the delicious scent, their dinner for the afternoon. He could see the Corona on the side that was open and knew it was what Luz was drinking from the scent of it barely tracing her breath from her last sip, but he was not in the mood for anything more than water today.

"Just water would be good, gracias."

Leaning against a counter top, not wanting to take a chair and seem presumptuous, Marcus folded his arms over his chest and tried to think of a way to fill the awkward silence he felt was forming. After a short while, he took a slow breath and stared at the floor at first then dragged his eyes up to Luz's face rather than being cowardly. It was a simple question, but he seemed to feel like there was more behind it than just what was in the words. He didn't like being this tense, he knew that much.

"So...have you been well, Luz?"

She smiled, a soft curve of her lips lining her face as she moved into the apartment with the door now closed. She could feel rather than see Marcus moving behind her in the apartment, her shoes resting beside the door for she preferred bare feet atop the carpeting of the apartment, less for the tile in the kitchen where she now stood. Glancing over her shoulder at the man who now replied to her inquiry, she nodded and closed the refrigerator door. Reaching for a cabinet just beyond her head, she opened it and pulled a glass from it. Moving to the door of the fridge, Luz glanced back at the lycan. "Con ice, or no?" she said with a smile, and waited for his answer before filling the glass with water.

Pausing momentarily before bringing the glass to him, she stirred the meat atop the stove, careful to not let it burn, and lowered the flame. It was done cooking, and now it was time to let it simmer, nice and slow, with the lid on. Doing the same briefly to the arroz she had in the pot next to the steak, she smiled to herself, pleased with the status of everything so far. Offering the glass to him, she came up before him, meeting his amber lion gaze with her own lioness eyes, the liner lightly surrounding them making them stand out like the dark marking she had in her feline form. Grinning, a somewhat predatory grin once more, at absolutely nothing, the lioness traced her fingertips along his crossed arms and held his gaze for a few moments. "I have been well Marcus, missing you," she said with a pout. that innocent expression that was not in the least bit truly innocent crossing her face. Purring as her hand left his arm as he took the glass, she gave him her back as she moved towards the bar.

"Sit down?" she questioned as she gestured with one hand to the stools at the side of the bar, where he could watch her as she cooked, or turn on the small flat screen TV mounted on the wall. "Please, be comfortable..." she said sincerely, and moved back beside the stove, like all good hispanic woman should. "Que quieres para comer?" she said before continuing, "What would you like to eat? I have prepared a mole of steak and vegetables, which would be muy rico in either burritos, tacos or even stew," the lioness questioned timidly, a small blush creeping across her cheeks as she offered her own cooking to the man. She knew she cooked well, but it was still a nerve raking few moments.

Watching Luz move around the kitchen, not bothering to blink as he did in human company, Marcus' golden eyes followed Luz's every movement out of habit as she fetched a glass, the question as to if he wanted ice or not taking a few moments to break through his thoughts so that there was a minute pause before he answered.

"Ice would be good, thank you."

Watching Luz's lips curve in a slight smile as she tended to the food, nostrils twitching slightly as the scent of the meat lessened with the introduction of the lid to the pot, Marcus smiled himself at the sight. It was a large difference to when he had last seen Luz, though his lion had no qualms in pointing out that then just as now she looked good and was near perfect prey in many senses of the word. Though Marcus cared deeply for Karrie and his lion did so too, his lion was like any natural lion in his lack of a desire for lifelong mates and so to him having Karrie and Luz was just peachy. Somewhere along the line Marcus had seperated himself from his lion's mind at that point of view, but there were times when he would love to just sink back into the immorality and pleasure of disreguarding more human company.

Bought back to the present by the approaching scent of Luz and her holding out the glass of water for him to take, Marcus lifted it to his lips and took a long draught with a soft sigh, licking the moisture from his lips as he continued to stare at Luz. Her eyes surrounded by the eyeliner were so like that of her lioness', as were his own, and he smiled down into the eyes with his lion mere millimeters behind the gaze so as to see the lioness. In that moment the fingertips running along his arms felt good enough that he returned the pout with a slightly wicked grin that bared the points of his fangs.

"We have missed you too, Luz. As for the food, it shall be wonderful however you wish to do it. Go with the style you like the most and i'll go with it."

Taking the offered seat, Marcus continued to watch Luz with a slightly detached air, having to look up a little to see her when seated, but the sight of her blush registered in his eyes as the scent of her blood beneath her skin became clearer. A scent that took them back to their night on the beach and drew a low growl of pleasure from his lion at the memory.

Fingers held the glass firmly, not dropping it like the clutz she could sometimes be as she filled it with the ice. It clanged in the glass, cube by cube, till it was about one-quarter filled with the translucent crystals. Pushing the button on the fridge's door to go from ice, to water, she then topped off the glass with the life's sustenance and moved back to the stove. Tending briefly to the comida, her nostrils flared, taking in the sweet scents of the food. Her capris rode low on her hips, the white cotton flaring out midway down her muscular calves, a small expanse of tan skin exposed across her tight abdomen as the plain faded salmon color of the shirt rode up as she tended to the various pots and pans. She wasn't aware of the slight glimpses of skin she provided-- after all, when you're a lycan, being nude is so natural that clothing is only a necessity for propriety in society.

Luz moved to the man in silent footsteps, feet rolling as she moved as if on the silent pads of her feline paws. Her gaze was still wild, by both the scents of the coming red-meat, the approaching full moon, and the male, full of enough dominance to satiate them both whilst still providing a bit of competition for the lioness that now paced anxiously around the male lion. The female had risen from her haunches, brushing her side every-so-often against the male's and letting her heat and scent rub against him. The lioness scented another female atop the male's fur, but she didn't much care-- after all, there was pride order, and Luz's cat seemed to be closer in dominance to the male. After all, she was one with her beast, and didn't hide it.

The glass disappeared into Marcus' hand, the human smiling and watching the man as he took a long swig of the beverage. Cat eyes fell instantly upon his throat, watching as he gulped down the liquid and his pulse jumped with his heartbeat. She could almost taste the blood that coursed between those veins, and little did she know, both her lioness and the woman licked their fangs ever so slightly. Smirking as the man pouted in return, the fiery gaze in his lion eyes appealing to her in more ways than one. She couldn't help but chuckle slightly as he referred to the duo as one. Yes, it had been too long. Nodding at his indecisive decision, she decided to go with her own personal favorite, the stew over rice with corn tortillas to dip in the sauce as it was all that remained on their plates.

Pivoting on her heel, Luz returned to the kitchen, turning off the heat on both pots, and pulling two plates from the cubbard. One was a reddish-orange, the color of clay, and the other, an indescribable shade of green, somewhere between when sand meets cactus. Placing the two plates on the counter, she glanced over at Marcus, watching as he sat and smiling to herself with the remnants of the flush to her cheeks. Pulling off the lids of both pots, the aromas trickled into her nostrils, and undoubtedly his too, for the flavors had more time to mingle. She heard his low growl from behind, her back was too him, and a slightly visible tension had risen in her body at the sound of that noise, her body tensing in ways that only a man, or in some cases, woman, could do, and causing her to be distracted momentarily. A deep hissing exhale left her body between her teeth, remaining composure though ending the noise with a subtle purr. She wouldn't look back, not yet.

Scooping a large scoop of rice in each of the plates, she placed the lid back on the rice pot. Taking the ladle which rested on a spoon-rest in the shape of a sun, she ladled on thick pieces of hearty meat, so tender that it was even falling apart as she ladled it. Adding a bit more of the savory liquid to the top of the dish, she smiled at her handiwork and closed the lid on that pot as well. Bending over to reach a lower shelf, her tight bottom raised itself slightly in the air, the faintest waist band of her pink thong barely visible even to the most cautious eye. Pulling out the Ziploc bag of tortilla chips, homemade of course, she placed a few around the edge of the plate. Sprinkling some cilantro she had chopped earlier atop the steaming mounds of food for garnish, she lifted the hot plates and delivered them to the bar where Marcus sat. The green plate was placed before the man, steaming readily and smelling dangerously delicious, whilst the other was placed atop the placemat next to him, where she would sit.

Grabbing her beer from the counter, she placed it before her place setting and sat with her hands pleasantly intertwined atop her lap. Rubbing her cheek against Marcus's muscled shoulder, she nuzzled him, spreading her scent of both human and lioness in one atop his body as her beast did the same to his lion. "Come," she commanded, and smiled up at him from her perch atop his shoulder before moving away. Luz would wait till he began to dine, hoping that everything turned out as delicious as it smelled.

Half closing his eyes with a slow inhale of the aromas of the food refilling the kitchen as Luz started to serve up the food onto plates, Marcus smiled lazily and let his lion stir a little closer to the surface so as to be closer to both the rubbing of Luz's lioness and the scent of the meat, though both were temporarily distracted from the scents by the almost missed sight of Luz tensing her body slightly. Cocking his head curiously, listening to her hissing exhale and purr with that same lazy smile that hinted at becoming a smirk, Marcus sat still and let the energy of their beasts and the warmth of the scent-filled kitchen swirl around them as they watched Luz moving around.

When Luz leaned up Marcus could not help but notice the pink line of a thong resting along Luz's tanned flesh, causing him to arch a dark eyebrow in a mixture of appreciation and that deep seated fascination many men seemed to have with thongs. The thought of that being comfortable to wear, let alone bend over like that in, was not possible in his mind but he was not about to ask the lioness if her underwear was comfortable. It looked like pink dental floss to him, but there was no particular reason that could be bad. It certainly look good for all that it didn't cover...

When Luz turned around, plates in hand, Marcus made as if to help her carry a plate but took a lingering look at her face and sat back fully into his seat again. Luz seemed proud of her cooking for them both and was enjoying it, the care taken in presentation attested to that, and so he let her do everything her way. He couldn't hide that he'd gone to help her but by not helping he hoped it wouldn't be quite so big a feminist faux pas.

Murmurring a soft 'gracias' as his plate was placed before him, looking from the plate to Luz with a congratulatory face to show he liked what he saw and thought she had done brilliantly with the food, Marcus smiled at her then blinked slowly as she started to nuzzle against his shoulder. It felt good, his lion purring at the physical contact at last, and he slipped an arm around Luz long enough to knead his fist gently into the small of her back to return the touch until she pulled away.

The command of come made him smirk wickedly, the length of his fangs showing and his dark gold eyes flashing with the thought of making her take that command back so that she could see what he was thinking, before he let it go; the thought sliding from his eyes back beneath the surface as he picked up a fork and started to eat. After the first bite he gave an appreciative noise as to how good it was, then swallowed another forkful before reaching for his water once more.

"La comida, it's wonderful Luz. Thank you."

The lioness worked about the kitchen, getting Marcus his bebida before continuing about preparing dinner. Luz continued her duty, stirring the pots and letting herself be captivated, if only for a short while, by the tantalizing aroma of the food she had prepared. Not to be cocky or anything, but there was a reason she loved working at her restaurant-- she got to be around the delicious scents of Mexico for hours at a time. Her body moved fluidly atop the floor, pausing to be still before the stove, though her lioness was quite the opposite. Marcus' lion remained lazily content, not moving, not approaching, not well, reacting. She was not a blind little submissive, and so the great golden female moved to the male and roughly nipped at his ear before lying her body across his back, her paws resting atop the scruff of his neck lazily as she let out a purr.

Smiling to herself at the antics her cat played, she moved to give the glass to Marcus, totally oblivious to the expanse of amber skin she had revealed. He sat at last and she was content, a small sigh of relief leaving her throat for she knew he was making no move to leave, at least, not just yet. Settling her gaze on him for a mere moment over her shoulder as she dished out the plates, the lycan balanced them both expertly, her experience from lifting heavy weights, in addition to her being a lycanthrope, making it look easy. She had noticed his tension, as if he was going to move to rise and help her, and she appreciated that he didn't. Hell, women weren't only good for cooking an cleaning, though this one did a damn good job at the first.

The plates were put before the two of them, her amber eyes shining with pride in herself for successfully completing such a delicious-looking meal, which was echoed with a soft noise of content and a nod as he thanked her. Her body brushed against his, the small jolts that pulled at her soul distracting her for a mere moment as she felt his warmth, heard his soft purr from the physicality, and it took Luz all the control she had to resist wrapping her arms around that muscled body and tracing those muscles she had felt so up close and personal their night at the beach. Unable to hide the slight shudder as Marcus returned her touch, she pulled away, not wanting to get too overly distracted before eating. Normally she wasn't this bad, but in a home all alone with a lycan like he, this close to the full moon, Luz didn't want to have control.

The lycan watched as he ate, her eyes filled with a raw fire of her lioness which wanted more than to be lying innocently atop his furred frame. She commanded he eat, "Come," she had said, and saw that brief look of deviousness cross his eyes. The woman raised her brows, watching him curiously and unable to hide the smirk that had found its way to her lips. Chuckling to herself as he started to dine, and complimented her, she softly spoke, "De nada Marcus. I am glad you like it. Please let me know if you'd like anything more," she concluded, and took the first bite of her own meal. Purring happily as she felt the savory juices rolling across her tongue, the taste of flesh, blood, lingered not far behind the spices of the cooked meat. She could almost see the cow falling to its end to the claws and fangs of her lioness, but those thoughts were too dark for an evening... alone... with a big handsome, stud of a lion... right?

As he was drinking more of the water Marcus was perfectly aware of the way in which Luz watched him, the look in her eyes making his lion shift slightly beneath the weight of her lioness so that he could take advantage of her closeness though the human did no such thing. Even as Marcus drank his lion raised his shoulders to lift the lioness up from his back then rolled over; slipping the female from his form so that he could lie on his side. Both the males were painfully aware of how good a view of the lion that position afforded, and whilst the lion gave it no more thought Marcus himself took a large ice cube from the glass into his mouth and crunched through it as though it was air not solid ice. The noise of the ice breaking beneath fangs caused his lion to look up at him and Marcus took that moment to stare at his cat; eyes flashing a dark gold and pupils narrowing to remind the cat that whilst they shared a body and mind, in this the man was boss.

A small part of Marcus that was not man nor beast chose that moment between Marcus shattering the ice and looking back at Luz to whisper that Luz and her lioness were enjoying it, so why stop the lion? Both the man and the lion wanted it, so why resist? Closing his eyes with a soft sigh that came out as a rumble in his chest just short of a growl, Marcus looked back up at Luz with his gold eyes distant and emotionless as he thought on what they were doing. The meal was good, the company was good, they liked Luz, so why was there all this sex near dripping in the air? Again that little voice put in how Marcus just loved the thought of taking Luz again like they had on the beach; the way they would never take Karrie and never think of doing with any other female than Luz. In Luz they had found their exact counterpart for the desires they left to simmer beneath all else, and having let it out once found that putting it back in the box was harder than anticipated.

Marcus was not used to having so divided a mind, and he stood abruptly from his seat, looking down at Luz with those golden eyes looking a mixture of confused, lust filled and deeper down a self hatred mixed in with an enjoyment of themselves that was driving them to distraction. He knew his voice was lower than normal, an almost painful rumble in his chest and throat, but he couldn't just move off into Luz's appartment without asking.

"May I use your bathroom, Luz?"