Aelin cackled as she watched the lions run towards them, opening her arms to welcome the inevitable pounce.
The others gave her looks of disbelief while backing away from the approaching forms. "Why are you laughing? They'll crush us!" shouted Mor.
The Queen laughed harder, "Come on you overgrown fur ball, give me your best shot!"
The beast poured on more speed before digging her hind feet into the ground, skidding to a stop directly in front of Aelin, giving her a toothy grin which the queen returned.
While keeping eye contact, the lion slowly brought up one paw and gently pushed against Aelin's chest, pushing her to the ground. She then lay down, putting her head on the poor woman's body. The beast's head covered Aelin's whole torso and thighs.
"Oof, Lysandra you didn't need to flatten me just to ask for scratches, I would have done that anyway." Aelin chuckled while scratching the giant head on her chest.
The Inner circle watched in awe as the ground started vibrating from the intensity of Lysandra's purring.
Rhys turned to look at Feyre where she had stopped to watch the two best friends. "Would you like scratches too?" Feyre nodded before stretching out on the floor beside her family.
As Rhys knelt to scratch under her chin, Morrigan sidled up next to them, Cassian in tow. "Can we touch too? Your fur looks so soft."Feyre gave a grunt of approval and stretched out further. Mor reached out and let her fingers sink into the fur on Feyre's flank. "Oh! It feels like silk, I love it!" Morrigan dissolved into giggles as she continued to play with the fur, Cassian doing the same opposite.To everyone's shock, even Amren and Azriel gave Feyre a couple of pats on the head.This continued until Aelin let out a grunt of discomfort from beneath her furry blanket. "Lysandra you need to get up, I can't feel my legs!"The others laughed as Aelin tried to force the giant head to the side and get up. Lysandra finally took pity on her and stood up, shaking the dirt from her fur.
Once she was back on her feet, Aelin noticed that the sky was starting to darken, meaning it was probably time to head back to the palace for dinner. "I don't suppose any of you are hungry? Because I certainly am." She looked up at the lion still looming above her, "Would you mind giving me a lift? My legs are still numb.
"Lysandra chuffed in amusement and lowered herself to the ground, allowing Rhys to help Aelin onto her back. Feyre rolled over and allowed Morrigan onto her own back.
Rhys willed his wings into existence and prepared to launch into the sky with his brothers while Amren walked over to Azriel and allowed him to scoop her into his arms.
When they were ready Aelin sent them all and shit-eating grin, "Let's see how many people we can scare on the way back. Last one there is a rotten egg!!"
Lysandra let out an earth shattering roar and bounded away, the queen of Terresen cackling all the way. Feyre Echoed it and raced after them, Morrigan shouting with joy.
The boys followed at a more leisurely pace ensuring they didn't kill anyone by accident.