“Four years.” The answer came out on little more than a whisper. If he hadn’t been a shifter, he wouldn’t have even heard it.
“Fuck!” Too much time had passed to ensure Lucy could survive the death of her mate, especially if her will was indeed broken. “Does Ty know?”
“No!” Her body jerked and she stared into his eyes. “No…don’t…we can’t.”
“Come here.” He crossed the room and pulled her to her feet, then sat in a chair and tugged her down onto his lap. “I can’t stand by while he authorizes a team to go to Mississippi without this information. He wanted to go after Lee because of the issues in Connecticut, but he didn’t because you and Thorn had just arrived. Lee’s guard would have been up and the death toll would have increased. Instead, Ty used this time to try to convince Lee committing to Tabitha was the right thing to do, but he’s unwilling. You understand Tabitha’s rule has to be complete for the future to change.”
“Connecticut? What issue?”
“Heidi’s brother, Harry, came for her after her mate died. She committed herself to David and the clan, but Harry wasn’t willing to accept that. He attempted to attack Victoria. Before he could, David stepped in. Harry was killed in order to protect Victoria and the clan.” He ran his hand down her back, trying to keep her calm. “Harry’s visit proved one thing—the Mississippi Tigers are a threat. They’re against Tabitha and everything she stands for. You know that already.”
“Not everyone.”
“You’re right, but those in charge are and it makes them a threat. Not just to Tabitha and the future she’s trying to create but to everyone who supports the change. Lee’s already made his intentions clear. He’s not going to stand by while his kind commits to her and he’ll do whatever he can to destroy those who support her.” Needing more contact, he slipped his hand under the back of her sweater. There was nothing sexual about it; he did it to comfort his beast. Skin to skin contact would ease the anxiety rising within him, but would also help push back the tension within her.
“I knew there would be a war before we had peace but I hadn’t considered the cost.” She tucked her hair behind her ear and sighed. “I knew many would die but what I didn’t know was how high the personal price would be. A selfish part of me wonders if it’s worth it. Then I look at you and I know it is.”
Not knowing what to say to that, he remained silent. He had those same moments where he questioned everything they were doing. In the end, there was no other alternative. They had to push forward and make a safer world for themselves. They could no longer allow Alphas like Avery to remain in command and abuse clan members.
“When is the cost too great to justify the cause? Lucy…Thorn…you. It’s too much.”
“I know.” He tipped his head to press his lips to the top of her head. “I wish I could tell you everything will be fine—”
“You can’t. I know as well as you do that Lucy is going to die. She might be the first, but she won’t be the last. How long before I lose you and Thorn?” Her body shook and silent tears rolled down her face. “I don’t know if I can take it.”
“You’re stronger than you give yourself credit for.” He reached up and wiped the tears from her cheeks. “I’ll do everything I can to keep you and those you care about safe.”
“By putting yourself in more danger.” She pulled out of his embrace and rose from his lap. “That’s just it, I don’t want to lose you either. The tightness in my chest at the very thought scares me because I don’t know you. The fear of losing you is all because of this mating desire and my tigress. What if we can’t stand each other? How can I dread losing you when I don’t even know if I can live with you?”
“Mates are compatible on every level. We complete each other.”
“You’ve never been around two mates who hate each other, have you?” She stood in front of him, watching him closely for a moment. Before he had a chance to reply, she added, “My parents hated each other with every fiber of their beings. Anger was like a beating pulse in our house. If it’s the same for us, I shouldn’t care if you’re killed helping Tabitha and Ty. Yet, I do.”
“It’s not going to be the same for us.” He forced himself to stay in the chair instead of going to her like he wanted to. She needed space and he’d respect that. “I’ve seen enough torture and hatred in my past. I refuse to have my future filled with it. We’re going to have the happiness we both want and deserve.”
“You can’t be sure of that.”
“Really?” He rose and before she could step farther away from him, he wrapped his arms around her waist and pulled her tight against him. “Our beasts bring our mates to us and they’re responsible for the sexual desire, but the rest is just us.”
“What do you mean?” Her voice was low and seductive, making him want to do so much more than just hold her.
“The desire to protect you is all me.”
“You’re an Alpha. You want to protect those under you. Once again, it’s natural.” She tried to reason, but he shook his head.
“You’re not mine, meaning not part of my clan…at least not yet. This impulse to protect you shouldn’t be there but it is, because you’re mine. You’re my mate, not because my tiger demands it. There’s something between us, something that urges me on. When I touch you…” He slipped his fingers under the back of her sweater, teasing along the top of her slacks. “You have to feel that.”
“It’s the mating desire. It has to be. It couldn’t be anything else. You don’t know me.”
“It’s more than that. As Alpha of my clan, I feel the connections with my members. The mating desire is different.”
“You can feel their mating desires?” Her brows knitted together in confusion. “I thought it was shared only between those mated.”
“A strong Alpha with control over his clan will feel it. It’s not the same as what they’re going through, but there are pieces that come through the connection. I can feel if they let it go for so long that their beasts are rising, and it’s my duty to step in to make sure that doesn’t happen.” His lips curled into a smile before he chuckled. “The first time, it was shocking, but it’s incredible to see them come together. It reminded me why I’m committed to what we’re doing and it reaffirmed that I did the right thing when I agreed to take over the clan.”
“How did you come to take over? I mean, I’ve heard rumors. Lee didn’t like talk of other clans, so I never knew the truth. Did you really go back by yourself to kill Avery and save your clan?”
“No.” Her question brought up images of Avery’s final moments, pulling him away from reality. The next moments would send him spiraling back to the past, and he knew he should step away from her but he couldn’t. Their touch would pull her down with him but as the darkness filled his vision, he froze in place, unable to do anything. Physically he was still in Alaska, standing in one of the guest cabins with his hands around Carleen, but he couldn’t see any of that. His vision filled with darkness and even without the chill in the air or the musty, blood filled scent that lingered, he knew he’d returned to the tunnels. They’d since been filled in and closed up, so they no longer ran under Manetka Resort, but they remained alive in his memories.
“Get the hell out of the way or I’ll shoot you. I won’t stand here while he hurts anyone.” Jinx’s words brought Tex to his side.
“Summer is his sister,” he explained to Jinx before looking at Ben. “We’ll save her if you get out of the way. Come with us and get her out of there yourself.” He wanted Ben to make the decision himself, to choose to fight back and save his sister and everyone else from the horrors occurring so close by. Before Ben could make the decision, Styx reached forward, snatched the boy’s gun away from him, and pushed him aside.
“We don’t have time for your games.”
“Cover me.” Jinx pulled the door open, and a flood of screams poured out. A woman lay stretched out on the table, blood everywhere. “Step away from the woman!”
&nb
sp; “What the fuck!” Avery glanced to the door, an instrument resembling a scalpel in his hand. “How did you get in here?”
“Tex…” Through the haze of his memory, he could hear Carleen calling to him but the memory wouldn’t let him go.
“Through the door.” He stood next to Jinx, and the others who had come with him flanked them. He knew some of them had their doubts about his presence, but as Avery’s jaw dropped, he knew he had done the right thing. He needed to be there, and he needed Avery to know who had led them there. “Years ago, before you beat the will out of me, I told you someday someone would stop you. Well, that day has come and I’m one of the people who plan to stop you.”
“Boy, you don’t stand a chance.” Avery’s laughter sliced through the stillness in the air and clawed at Tex, making him angrier.
“Not alone, but as a whole we do.”
“Where did you find them? They must be a bunch of solitary shifters, because no Alpha would dare take me on.” The cockiness was clear in Avery’s tone as it was anytime someone made the slightest move against him.
“I don’t believe we’ve had the pleasure of meeting. I’m Jinx, the West Virginia Alpha, and this is Ty, Alpha of the Alaskan Tigers.” Jinx tipped his head to Ty, standing on the other side of him. “One Alpha might not, but Ty and I are nothing like the others. We’ll fight for what’s right, no matter the cost. Now, I told you once to step away from the woman.”
“What do you think this will accomplish?” Avery lowered the scalpel before shoving it into the woman’s chest.
“Fuck.” Tex trained his gun on Avery, ready to shoot, but he was too late. Jinx had already squeezed the trigger, the first of many shots that rang out.
Chapter Six
Pulled into the darkness with Tex, Carleen was left with no choice but to hold on. Fighting wouldn’t help things and he was no use as he mumbled to himself. Standing in the cold, damp tunnel made her uneasy, while the strong scent of fear permeating the air brought her tigress forward. Logically she knew there was nothing there that could hurt her. This flashback was a ghost from his past and neither of them were there now. As the door in front of them opened and the horrid scent of blood filled her lungs, she clung to that knowledge.
Tex stood in front of her, gun at the ready as he moved through the door to join another man, someone she didn’t recognize. “I’m one of the people who plan to stop you.” The rest of the men moved closer, showing their support as Tex faced off with the other man. Instantly, she understood who was standing before them—Avery.
“Tex…” She tried to call to him, to bring them out of this flashback, but he didn’t flinch.
Helpless to stop the situation, she stayed near him, watching her mate relive the final moments of Avery’s life. Refusing to look at the bleeding woman on the table, she kept her attention on Tex. His body was stiff but ready for whatever might happen. The darkness in his eyes made her wonder if he had been willing to die that day if it meant freeing the Texas Tigers from Avery’s control.
Was he locked in the memories of the past because of her? When she’d asked about him becoming Alpha, had it brought this on? How much of his past lingered just under the surface, waiting for openings to seep through into the present?
Watching him raise the gun, she was brought back to what was happening and she reached out to him. Not there in the flashback, but where their actual bodies were back in the cabin. She could feel her fingers caress his face and his body tremble under her touch. His beast was so close to the surface that she could feel the fur brush along her body. “Tex…come on, Tex. Come back to me.”
“You’re fucking dead.”
The harshness of his tone brought her out of the flashback and back to the cabin. Not wanting to startle him, she stayed absolutely still in his embrace. Even her voice refused to work, though she wasn’t sure what she’d say to him. His body was tense and his eyes were closed, making her wonder if he was still trapped in his flashback alone. She almost wished she could go back, not so she could see what happened but so she could be there for him.
His eyelids sprang open, revealing a fiery orange glow, and for a moment, she swore he was going to shift but just like that it was gone. His normal stormy gray irises returned, full of pain and sorrow, making her hold him tighter. “Tex?”
“Fuck!” His arms dropped from her waist but before he could step away, she grabbed hold of his shirt.
“Don’t push me away.” With one hand on his cheek and the other holding tight to his shirt, she willed him to stay.
“I could have hurt you.”
“Never.” Hoping he wouldn’t pull away from her, she cupped his face between both hands. “You weren’t here but you were. Your beast knows my scent. Even if you don’t believe you had enough control, he did. Your tiger would never hurt me, and neither would you.”
“You weren’t so sure of that a few minutes ago.”
“I know it now.” She lifted her hand to grab hold of his white cowboy hat and pull it off. “Oh, Tex…”
“Don’t!” he snapped, stilling her mid-motion.
“What?” Her voice squeaked and she almost dropped his hat back on his head.
“Don’t look at me like that. I don’t want your sympathy.”
“Sympathy…baby, you couldn’t be more wrong.” She dropped the cowboy hat on the chair they’d vacated minutes before and turned back to him. “You’re my fucking hero.”
“That’s worse. I’m no one’s—”
“Don’t.” She pressed her finger to his lips. “You saved them. While it doesn’t erase the memories or the scars, and it doesn’t bring back those he murdered, you put an end to his destruction. That means everything.”
“We arrived too late.” The sorrow was clear in his voice and in his eyes.
Since she witnessed his flashback, there was no doubt in her mind he meant they had been too late to save the woman Avery had been torturing. “Who was she?”
“Who?” His eyebrows knitted together in confusion.
“The woman Avery was killing when you arrived. I could see her—”
“You what?” He pulled away from her before she could stop him and paced the small space in front of the sofa. With every click of his cowboy boots, the tension in the air seemed to be emphasized, making her uneasy.
“Your flashback…I don’t know how, but I was there. I saw her. Even parts I didn’t see, I know what happened. It’s not possible, but I have knowledge of events I shouldn’t. I don’t understand it.” She held her breath, watching him, waiting for his reaction. “I realize you’re upset and I’m sorry, I really am, but it’s not my fault.”
“No, it’s mine.” He growled. “I should go.”
“Go?” She stepped into his path, blocking his exit. “Just like that, you’re going to leave? You’re not going to explain anything. You’re just going to walk out on me.”
“What do you want me to do?”
“How about you explain what the hell just happened?” She wanted to reach out and touch him. Instead, she crossed her arms over her chest. “Don’t throw a wall up between us now. You’ve been pushing me to accept what’s happening between us, but with the first sign of troubled waters, you’re ready to run.” Realization dawned on her, causing her chest to vibrate as her lips curled up in a smile, and suddenly she was chuckling. It was out of place, but it felt right.
“What the fuck is so funny?”
“Where were you going to go?” She shook her head, unable to believe she was laughing at something so ridiculous. Surely, he could find somewhere to hide out until she gave up waiting on him or he was ready to face her, but it didn’t seem like him. “This is your cabin. You’re not in Texas, where I’m sure there are plenty of places you could escape to. You’re in Alaska. Are you going to go to Ty and tell him your mate is in your cabin, refusing to leave, and you need somewhere else to stay? I can’t see my scary Alpha telling others he’s having trouble with his woman.”
“You
r scary Alpha?” His gaze centered in on her.
“I…um…” She fought not to take a step back as he crept closer.
“Is that what I am?”
In a blink of an eye, he closed the distance between them and pressed her against the half wall dividing the living room from the entryway. He lifted her up to sit on the ledge of the wall and without second guessing herself, she wrapped her legs around his waist, keeping him close. “Tex…”
“Answer me.” He leaned in closer and took a deep breath. “Peaches?”
“Yes…” With her hands pressed against his chest, she was torn between pushing him back so she could see his face, and allowing her hands to roam over the tightness she felt hidden under his sweater. A growl vibrated his chest, but there was nothing threatening to it; the noise seemed more comforting than anything, and she allowed her fingers to caress downward. “Kiss me.”
“After what you saw—”
“Don’t.” She let her eyelids drift shut and allowed her beast to push her in the right direction. Her tigress would know what she needed to say, without allowing her human side to overthink things. “Earlier in the kitchen I was terrified of you, while drawn to you at the same time. It was unnerving, but what I saw allowed me to understand you better. You’re different than I originally thought.”
“How’s that?” His breath caressed her face.
“Since Thorn forced me to leave Mississippi, I’ve been terrified Lee would find us. More than that, I’ve been terrified of who our next Alpha will be. Thorn told me I was worrying for nothing, that anyone would be better than Lee, but I wasn’t convinced. I heard rumors of what happened in Texas and an Alpha like that wouldn’t be any better, it would be worse. Lee’s strict, and discipline is just a form of torture for him, but he doesn’t do it out of sport like Avery did.” She opened her eyes and looked into his. “I only caught a glimpse of what happened there, but you give me hope. You not only survived but you went back and saved your people. Do you realize how many people would be too afraid of even going back, let alone taking on the task of rebuilding the clan?”
Alaskan Tigers Box Set 3 Page 18
