“Why are you telling me this?”
“Meghan, come sit.” Randolf stood and when she sat down, he laid his hand on her shoulder.
“Six weeks ago, Donnie told me he was going to challenge my father for the Alpha position. I forbade it, and I told him that it would mean his death. Claw is next in line for the title.”
“And then you, my niece, not him,” Claw said. “This has always been and always will be a family pack.”
Well, that was unexpected. Carran realized Claw was the Beta—second of the pack—but he had not expected them to be related. Another twist, and he was quickly losing his patience. He wanted to get to the point of this meeting so they could be done and he could get back to his mate.
“It was Claw who finally made Donnie realize the truth. That was his breaking point and another side of him came out.” Her father squeezed her shoulder and she glanced up at him. “I’m sorry, Dad.”
“None of this is your fault.”
“He was power hungry and I was no longer enough. He took his rage out on me, always apologizing afterward, but recently it got worse. I had kept it hidden from my family and the pack, but when Dad came to me tonight after Donnie was…” Her words trailed off as tears streamed down her cheeks.
“As you can see, my daughter couldn’t hide the bruises that bastard left on her.” Randolf’s voice held anger but as he looked down at Meghan there was guilt and sympathy in his eyes, as well.
“I’d have killed him myself if I had known.” Steven’s body tensed as anger coursed through him. “Shit, Meghan, you should have told me! You and Randy didn’t have had to live like that.”
“I get it, you’re my big brother and you want to protect me, but it’s not as simple as you make it sound.”
“Her beast wouldn’t just let her turn on him, even after what he did. Turning him over to the pack’s Elders wasn’t an option. She had to do it.” Red’s voice drew everyone’s attention and he shifted uneasily in his seat. “Sorry.”
“What the hell do you know?” Steven took a step closer to him before his Alpha cleared his throat, stopping him in his tracks.
“He’s right.” She ran her hand down the arm of the chair, her attention anywhere but on the rest of them in the room. “If anyone was going to kill him, it had to be me.”
“Family—”
“Please, Steven, don’t. I just can’t right now.” Meghan looked up at him, her face so full of emotions, but more than anything her eyes held sadness and a plea for him to stop. “How did you know?” she asked Red.
“My sister. Except she wasn’t lucky enough to live through what she felt was her duty.” Red got out of the chair and just stood there. He seemed lost, as if he wanted to pace, but didn’t want to make the wolves uneasy. Or maybe he wanted out of there. “That’s when I left the clan we were raised in and for two years I traveled aimlessly.”
Unsure what to say to ease the tension that had built within the office, Carran sat there silently. He heard the rumors that Red’s sister was killed by her mate, but details were hazy. If Red wanted people to know the details, he’d have told them, so Carran hadn’t questioned it.
Shifters had a different type of relationship than humans, and the situations of mate turning on mate was unusual, but it did happen. Just as evil humans could be found in the world, there were shifters who were evil, as well. An Alpha’s control could only do so much.
“You went back to them.” Meghan watched Red closely. “Your clan, I mean. You realized she wouldn’t have wanted you wandering aimlessly because of what happened.”
“His father was the Alpha and he knew what was happening, so no, I didn’t go back. I’d have killed him if I did.” He grabbed hold of the back of the chair, squeezing until his knuckles turned white. “The clan is gone now…the Elders dead, and the ones who survived scattered. They tried to take over the territory of black bears…they got what they deserved.”
“Don’t fuck with bears.” Taber grinned. “I thought everyone knew that.”
Carran smirked, knowing firsthand the truth to that statement. The Alaskan Tigers guards were better for working out and training with the Brown brothers. They were a team of furious beasts and they didn’t let up on anyone. They pushed knowing that their lives depended on being at their best. Not only their lives, but their species depended on them. If they couldn’t keep Tabitha safe until she could accomplish what she needed to and continue her line, they’d be dead. Screw that. We’ve got this shit.
Chapter Twelve
Unable to lay in bed tossing and turning any longer, Brooklynn stepped out into the hallway and paused, listening for any sign of Carran’s team. The thought of being surrounded by people she didn’t know only served to make her uneasy, but she couldn’t spend another minute in that room. Being surrounded by the scent of Carran’s cologne put her on edge. Was he okay? What was going on? Did anyone even know where they were?
As quietly as she could, she made her way down the hall, past the rooms where she hoped the others were sleeping. She suspected they’d been in the living room when Carran had come to her, but she hoped they had all retired to sleep. Would she be intruding if she found them still up?
At the end of the hall, she found the living room dark and the only light in the kitchen was the light above the sink. Breathing out a deep sigh, she crossed over to the back door in the kitchen and pushed back the curtain that hung over the window. Only one SUV sat parked in the driveway. If the others were gone, that meant they’d run into trouble.
“Shit!” A chill spread along her back and fear sped her heartbeat.
“We never go somewhere without backup.”
The curtain slipped out from between her fingers and she spun around to find Tad standing near the kitchen table. “What?”
“When I heard you come this way, I suspected you’d look out to see if they were back, and I wanted to let you know that everything is fine.”
“How do you know?”
Tad pulled a chair out from the table and sat down on the hard wooden chair. “It’s hard to explain the connection that’s shared within a clan, but we’d know if he was in trouble. Backup is close and they’d have alerted us.”
“You’re a tiger, too?” She leaned against the kitchen counter and watched him. “There is something different about you, but…never mind, I don’t know what I’m trying to say.”
“You’re picking up on my beast—my bear,” he explained. “You’re Carran’s mate and that connection gave you an insight you didn’t have before. You’re recognizing it without understanding it because he hasn’t claimed you. A door has been open to you because of that connection, but right now it’s like you’re wearing a veil. In time it will become clear to you.”
“What if I don’t want it to be clear? What if I want to forget this whole mess?”
“That’s your choice. You’ll be missing out on something truly amazing, but everyone has to make their own choices.” His gaze locked onto hers, silently studying her, before giving a quick nod. “You’re human so you have the option to walk away from all of this without any consequences. Shifters can’t. Everything within us wants our mate. There is nothing else like the connection between mates.”
She ran her hand along her bicep, rubbing the chill away. The thought of walking away from Carran made her stomach tighten. “You’re mated, then? What does she think of you being here, guarding another woman?”
“Courtney is supportive and while this was an adjustment to her, she’s taken to this lifestyle better than the three of us anticipated.”
“Three?”
“Yes—Courtney and Milo, my mates. Like you, my Courtney is human, and Milo is a tiger shifter. Fates decided that she needed us in her life, and demanded that we accept it if we were going to save her from Jeffery Parks. She almost died because she was in the wrong place, witnessing something she shouldn’t have.”
“I remember that case.” She stepped away from the counter and walked cl
oser to the table. “I was still an officer in California. We were on alert when we thought he might be traveling through the area after blowing up the witness’s house and killing a federal agent.”
“That was Courtney’s house. She only lived because she stepped out to grab something from the shelves in the garage. Knowing that she had to leave town if she was going to live, she made it to Alaska, and that’s where she found us.”
“You killed him.” She gripped the back of the chair and watched as his eyes grew darker.
“I suspect you already know what happened and if you don’t, I’m sure you’ll read over the official reports the moment you have a chance.” He adjusted in his seat without taking his gaze from hers.
“Official reports can leave a lot out and they can be…” She tugged the chair out and sat down heavily, as if the carpet had just been pulled out from under her.
“Faked?”
“Yes.” Her voice was barely above a whisper.
“Milo and I shot and killed him in order to save Sheriff Lutz’s life. Jeffery had already shot my father before I arrived and had the gun to the sheriff’s head. Hesitation could have meant another life lost.”
She wanted to be upset, or at least question him further, but she didn’t care. She might very well be surrounded by criminals, but what if that was the right side to be on? Tad killed a murderer to protect his mate and the sheriff. Carran and Red had done the same earlier to save her. How many others had been saved by their actions?
The law had always been black or white to her. There was no middle ground between criminal and law-abiding citizen. Now, that one solid black line seemed hazy. There had been numerous times in her career when the legal system had failed. People had taken the system into their own hands, but that only made more criminals. Now she looked at the situation differently and she couldn’t fault Tad, Carran, or anyone else for what they did to save their loved ones. I’d have done it, too, if I could have saved him…
* * *
“Daddy!” Her voice broke as she ran to him. “Where have you been? I’ve missed you so much.” Tears ran down her cheeks and in the back of her mind she knew this was a dream. Dad was dead, but as he wrapped his arms around her it felt so real.
“Bumblebee.” He squeezed her tightly to him and she could feel his badge pressed against her chest. “I’ve been here, always. I never left you.”
She clung to him, screaming inside her head that they needed to run, but the scene around them changed. One moment they were standing in front of her childhood home and the next the city lights of Pittsburgh were around them. The splash of water from the fountain echoed through the stillness of the night and she knew what it meant. She had been there before, but never had the contact with Dad. She had witnessed the scene in her dreams, over and over. “Please, no!”
“It’s my time, Bumblebee, but I’ll always be with you. Never doubt it.”
“Gun!” she screamed, but it was too late. The first bullet cut through her father. Without a thought, she reached down to where she normally wore her own gun. This time it was there and she pulled it from the holster. “Put the gun down!”
It was too late. The fourth bullet had already found its home within her father’s body. “Why couldn’t I be faster? I could have saved him.” She watched her father struggle, his fingers caressing his necklace, the same one she now wore around her neck.
Movement caught her attention and her father’s killer turned toward her, his gun still raised, and without hesitation she fired. “You killed him! You bastard…you killed him.” Repeatedly, she pulled the trigger, bullet after bullet, until she emptied her magazine into his chest.
“I’ve got you. You’re safe.” Carran’s voice out called to her.
The gun now felt like a cement weight holding her down and she let it slip through her fingers. She didn’t want to be there. She wanted Carran, and with that thought she reached out to his voice, allowing the dream to pop like a bubble around her. With a tightness in her chest, she fought through the murkiness of the dream toward Carran’s voice. Daddy! I’m sorry I failed you.
“Never, Bumblebee.” Her father’s smiling face filled her vision before he started to fade again. “And, Bumblebee…trust him.”
“I’ve got you. Open your eyes, Brooklynn. You’re safe.”
She opened her eyes and found him staring down at her. His eyebrows knitted together and his eyes filled with concern. “Carran…” Happy to see him, she wrapped her arms around his neck. At the moment, seeing him was the best she could hope for. He was alive and safe. “You’re back…you’re okay.”
“Shh, everything is okay.” With one hand, he pushed the hair away from her face, while he rubbed small circles down her back with his other hand.
“You’re here.” She knew she’d said it before, but it wasn’t sinking in. She leaned away and realized he was nude except for a towel loosely secured around his waist. “You’re naked.”
“You were screaming.” He kept his arm around her, pulling her tighter against him when she tried to move back. “Don’t, baby, don’t.”
“Huh?”
“Damn, beautiful, I’ve missed you.” He leaned forward, his breath warm as it brushed against her face a second before he pressed his lips to hers.
A soft moan escaped her throat as she met his advances with an eagerness of her own. Without breaking the kiss, she untangled her legs from the sheets and climbed on top of him, straddling his waist. With each move he made, she made one of her own, urging them forward. She dragged her fingers through his hair, enjoying the silkiness of the strands. She’d never dated a man with long hair before, but it suited Carran even if the highlights within the black were unusual.
He pulled back just enough that their lips came apart. “Brooklynn—”
“Don’t stop. I just want to feel…” She wasn’t sure what she was going to say, but at the moment she felt alive and she didn’t want that to end. “I want this. Don’t you?”
“You have no idea how much I want this.” His hand teased along her thigh, working upward, toward the long t-shirt he’d given her earlier. “You don’t know what you’re getting into, though.”
“Maybe I don’t care.” She dragged her fingers along his chest, working her way up. “Carran, just kiss me.”
He watched her for a moment, as if taking her in, and then claimed her lips. Timid at first, but the first taste was enough to urge him forward. He slipped his tongue between her lips, exploring the contours of her mouth, as he slipped his hands up her thighs. Reaching the hem of the shirt, he looked at her as if expecting her to stop him, but she nodded instead.
She realized they might never have a second chance for this. She was going to take this opportunity and any other that life handed her. She used to think her father’s death had taught her to live life to the fullest, but it had only reminded her to cherish each moment. Everything that happened brought home the fact that she needed to live in the present and enjoy every moment.
He tugged her shirt up and over her head, leaving her naked. Her hands dropped away from him and went to cover her nakedness before he grabbed hold of her wrists, stopping her. “Don’t, baby. You’re beautiful…absolutely beautiful.”
“I need you, Carran.” She grabbed the edge of his towel and pulled.
“Brooklynn…” Her name came out as a moan as she wrapped her hand around his shaft, gently dragging her nails down the length of him.
“Forget it all and let’s just enjoy this moment.”
“It’s not that simple with a shifter.” Even as he argued against it, he leaned forward, pressing the front of his body against her, and kissed a path down her neck. “Lie down.” Instead of giving her a chance to roll over onto her back, he wrapped his arms around her and rolled them both over so that she was on her back like he wanted and he was poised over her.
“Happy now?” she teased, and since she’d lost her grip on his shaft, she traced her fingers along the lines of his abs
. “If you’d have given me a moment, I’d have rolled over.”
“Shifters are impatient.” Supporting his weight above her, he nuzzled her neck, nipping just enough to cause a little pressure.
“I guess so.”
“You’ve seen nothing yet.” He pressed his teeth a little sharper to her neck. “We’re demanding, hard to live with, and at times we can be unbearable. We can be controlling when it comes to protecting our mates.”
“Why are you telling me this? Why now?”
He leaned back so that he was looking down at her. “Because this won’t be a one-night thing.”
“A little cocky, aren’t you?” A growl coming from him stilled her. “Carran?”
“See, you’re still scared of me.” He started to pull back from her, but she grabbed his biceps, holding him tight.
“When a naked man growls above you, it’s a natural reaction, but I’m not scared of you. Maybe of the unknown, but never you. Don’t push me away. Tell me what you mean.”
“The connection will develop between us when I’ve claimed you as my mate, and you can’t break it.”
“Fine.” She let her hand fall away from his arms, but never took her gaze off him. “I want this. If you don’t…”
“I want you more than words could ever describe.” His lips brushed against hers, feather soft before working his way down her body, until reaching her breast. “You’re beautiful.” His lips circled her nipple, grazing his teeth over it until she arched into him.
“Carran.” His name tore from her throat on a moan, and her nails dragged up his sides.
He tore his lips away from her breast, leaning up to look at her. “Brooklyn—”
Her Black Tiger Page 9
