by Shara Azod
Snarling, Gleb rolled in the snow, saturating his fur. The cold helped. It focused him a little. But the ghost of Katya would not stop haunting him. His beautiful, treacherous mate. How tenderly he had wooed her. In the brief five years they had together, he had been careful never to allow his animal out of the cage. Not too much. He’d believed she had come to grips with being mated to a shifter. But she never had.
Two years after giving birth to his young, his beautiful Katya had walked off a cliff into Taui Bay. She had screamed at him that morning, claimed she was cursed because she had lain with an animal. No matter how much he had loved her, she could not accept him for what he was. She never accepted her own sons. Instead she had chosen death over an extended life, extended youth—with him.
Somewhere along the line, Gleb had lost hold on his sanity. He’d known it, but couldn’t stop it. Day after day, year after year he’d suffered silently, the piece of his soul swept away in arctic waters while Valeri, the golden son, lived happily with his mate Lilya. It was Lilya who raised Gleb’s own sons, who had toweled their hair after they shifted for the first time, who made sure their bellies was full and their childhoods had laughter. All Gleb could do was watch, unable to express love, unable to tell them their mother really was a beautiful soul who had been warped by rigid ideals of right and wrong. He couldn’t tell his beautiful Ilya and Ivan it wasn’t their faults their mother had killed herself.
It had been Valeri who had told them their mother had been killed in an accident. Smart. Gleb could’ve thought of that if given the chance. But instead the perfect Valeri with his perfect family had taken his sons and made them their own. All the while Gleb had been left to rot, to fester alone.
Ahhh, but he had repaid Valeri! It had been so easy. Little Luka had found his mate far sooner than any tiger. It was such a simple thing to trick the little brat into a claiming bite long before it was time. Killing Lilya had been the icing on the cake. In one fatal move, Gleb had ensured at least one of Valeri’s sons would never mate, never have young, and had taken away Valeri’s own sanity at the same time. His brother was probably no better off than he was by now.
How long had it been? He couldn’t tell. He had stayed away, knowing what time would do to Valeri. The loss would have eaten him alive. Now it was time to go witness Valeri’s fall. And possibly Luka’s. Annoying little cat hadn’t known to leave him alone in peace, always trying to make him smile, to bring him back into the fold of the family. Luka deserved what happened to him. And his mate. The beautiful doe-eyed little girl with a smile like fucking sunshine. Disgusting. She was dead now. As well she should be.
Just beyond the ridge that led to the village in the territory where Teegrs wintered, Gleb shifted into his male form. Even through the heavy snowfall he could see his skin was pasty white. His hair hung to his shoulders. It had been far too long since he’d walked as a man. Clothes. He should’ve thought of clothes. No matter. All he had to do was pick up Valeri’s scent—
What was that sound? It sounded like...mating. The cries of a woman in the throes of passion were unmistakable. But the smell was something he couldn’t place. It was a tiger, of that there was no doubt. One male and one female? But that wasn’t possible! There was no such thing as a female tiger shifter. Yet the smell, although he had never experienced it before, was unmistakable. That was a female feline. Feet moving of their own accord, Gleb was drawn to the smell. Surely he was mistaken. Maybe after staying in his tiger form for so long, his senses as a man were off. Just as the man bellowed his own completion, Gleb saw them.
No! No, that just couldn’t be!
And yet, right before his eyes was Valeri, completely sane and mating with a female tiger. A very gorgeous, dark female tiger. Her lines were as sleek as they were feminine. Instead of breaking apart and cuddling as Gleb had always thought was normal after a coupling, the female turned and sank her fangs into Valeri, before pushing him down and mounting him.
A faint tingle assaulted Gleb’s groin as he watched her ride. Magnificent! And more than Valeri deserved. Damn it, his brother was supposed to be wild-eyed and crazy. Not undulating under the most gorgeous woman he had ever seen! Gleb dared to creep closer, as close he could without being detected. There was no way of knowing how much of a predator this female was.
The female could move. Her hips were hypnotic the way she rocked them down on his brother. His brother. Why did the good things always happen to Valeri? As much as Gleb wanted to attack, just tear them both into shreds, he couldn’t stop watching until the final screams stopped echoing and the woman collapsed on Valeri’s chest. Even then, Gleb found it difficult to move. A female tiger shifter. And she was amazing.
*****
As satisfied as Megan felt, there was something not right. Being claimed by and in return claiming her mate—her mate!—was so far from anything she had ever dared to dream of. And yet, she couldn’t shake the feeling that something about this was drastically off. There was a smell in the wind, faint but there. It was almost like another shifter, but one that was very, very sick. Not physically either.
“Be perfectly still,” Valeri whispered so low in her ear, she almost missed it. So he smelled it too. “It is my brother, Gleb. He is...he has lost touch with reality. He is not here for good. Don’t worry, I’ll protect you.”
Like hell. The hair at the nape of her neck was standing straight up. Every protective bone in her body went on high alert. Whoever was out there, brother or no, was prepared to kill. No one threatened what was hers. Valeri had obviously never paid attention to the nature of a female predator. It didn’t matter that she knew Valeri could protect her; it was simply in her nature to hunt and kill any and everything that threatened what was hers.
“You are going to have to explain this,” Megan murmured, lightly rubbing her lips against his. “Later.”
There was no doubt her new mate was about to get all kinds of pissed at her, but she simply could not turn off who she was. Allowing her body to remain limp, she waited. Valeri was tense, ready to push her aside and spring into offensive. Well too bad. She was no shrinking violet; it was best her mate got to know that right away. She just hoped Valeri could understand this was who she was; a born warrior. The more alpha the male, the harder time they had dealing with the fact females were more ruthless than they could ever dream. Valeri was ultra-alpha. This was about to get tricky.
Before either male got the chance to make a move, Megan leapt up, changing midair and clashing with the tiger who had just sprang to attack them. His razor-sharp fangs narrowly missed her throat as she feigned to the right and managed to sink her own fangs into his foreleg. She felt Valeri behind her, felt his panic that she had engaged, but there was nothing he could do. They both knew if he intervened right now it would give Gleb the upper hand. Thank God Valeri was wise enough not to break her concentration. But he was most certainly pissed, and scared for her.
Awww, how sweet.
She could have taken Gleb’s throat right then and there, but this tiger needed to be taught a lesson before she disposed of him. The deranged tiger was about to learn the true meaning of the phrase cat toy. And damn, did it ever feel good to let her full tiger free without fear of discovery!
“Megan!” Valeri’s terrified warning couldn’t deter her. “Woman! I can handle this!”
She never doubted Valeri for a minute. It wasn’t about whether or not Valeri could take his brother. But for crying out loud, it was his brother! This was obviously some deep-seated hatred/grudge thing. Well, it was going to end—and it would end today. The very least she could do was to take the burden of killing one's sibling from her mate.
“So my brother has a woman fighting his battles. How sad.”
It was beyond weird to hear a voice come out of the body of a feline. Megan had never spoken in tiger form, but she had never been around anyone when she shifted either. Could she speak too?
“What is sad is that you are about to die at this woman’s hands.” Co
ol! She could do it, too. She'd have to remember that.
The crazy tiger must’ve thought she was distracted enough to let her guard slip, because he lunged in the direction of Valeri. So not going to happen. No way this tiger was in top form—no matter how huge he was, he was simply no match for her. Before he could get airborne, Megan was there, her paw swiping out to knock him back down into the snow. For shits and giggles she sliced at his underbelly then leapt back, watching the ruby red blood swell against his white coat of fur and dip into puddles into the snow.
Males always tended to underestimate females. Silly, silly males. Although the male was hurt, he still circled her looking for an opening.
“I will slice you up just like I did to Lilya.” The other tiger was foaming at the mouth, his eyes wild. He was insane, long past the point to be helped. There was no choice but to put him down. “And I will leave your mate,” he actually spit out the word, saliva projecting from his mouth, “wounded and suffering. Slowly, over time, the loss will drive him insane. Just as his precious son Luka is, probably. I hear on the wind the whelp has been tracking me. Probably half out his mind by now.”
Keeping her mate at her back was hard. The male was bound and determined to protect her. She had to make sure he didn't get a clear shot to leap into the fight while keeping the crazy tiger in front of her. And neither male knew what she was doing.
“Luka is safe and sound with his mate,” Megan threw in the tiger’s face, watching his enraged reaction to her words with satisfaction.
The tormented cry of the insane creature in front of her was eerie. Would’ve been scary if she was the easily frightened type. Too bad for him she wasn’t.
“Megan, get out of the way,” Valeri growled, his anger beating at her in red hot waves.
Not a fucking chance.
“Come on, tiger,” she taunted. “Is that all you got?”
The tiger sprang, just as she thought he would. Megan crouched before she too sprang, but she didn’t leap. Instead she moved low, turning just as the tiger cleared her head, and grabbed him by the tail before he could reach Valeri, who had been waiting. With strength beyond any she had used before, she swung him into a tamarack tree, snapping the tree in two. Not giving the tiger a chance to regain his balance, Megan leapt onto his back, her claws sinking into his shoulder and ripping the muscle.
Just as quickly as she jumped on him, she bounced back to the ground, rolling to face him. His fur was now coated in blood and snow, his eyes panicked as he realized the end was near.
“I don’t know what you’ve done, but I have heard enough to know you dared to hurt my baby girl. For that alone I’m going to kill you. For the harm you have caused my mate and his son, I’m going to kill you. I hurt you first for daring to threaten me.” This snarling while wearing tiger fur was starting to feel nice. She would have to try it again.
“You can’t defeat me!” The tiger was dazed, unable to hold himself up on his forelegs. And still the male really thought he had a chance. It would be funny if it wasn’t so sad.
“Okay, I can’t defeat you.” Just to insult him, just so he would know that it was a woman who put an end to his miserable days, Megan shifted. Standing over him completely unconcerned, gloriously nude, she shot him a rueful smile. A single claw was all she needed to lift up his chin for the perfect shot. “But you’re still dead.”
This time he wouldn’t be getting up; there was no recovering. Megan allowed all her claws to descend in his flesh and muscle just as she jerked his head up, tearing out his throat completely before snapping the heavy tiger head from the few muscles that remained with her other hand.
“Woman! Don’t ever put yourself in danger like that again.” Valeri’s voice sounded furious, but she could feel his fear. Silly man. But his large body felt so good against her own. “Don’t think I won’t punish you for this. I am going to turn your ass cherry red!”
“You can try, cat-boy. You can try.”
Chapter Six
This had to be a dream. The boy Mica had created in her mind had returned, maybe to usher her into whatever there was on the other side, or whatever the hell you were supposed to call dying. Only the cute, towheaded boy had grown into a stunning full-grown man. One with incredibly broad shoulders and lips she wanted to kiss so bad she hurt. So tall, so strong. The muscles she’d felt underneath his flannel shirt were rock hard. So was the log in his pants that had poked at her behind. Damn, she wanted so badly to climb back in his lap and feel it again, for just a little while. The heat she felt had nothing to do with the fevers that so often assaulted her. This was what she felt when she fantasized in the darkness of night, alone in her bed.
Mica knew what was about to happen, what had to happen. On some level she supposed she should’ve been freaked out, or at least scared. The truth was her life had been so bizarre that truly she believed anything was possible. Traveling with Megan and her parents to the most off-the-beaten-tracks locations in the world had enabled her to see things most people never witnessed. Being declared the mate of a tiger shifter was unbelievable on most levels, but so was talking to shaman who knew your innermost thoughts or witnessing people do things that defied logic; all in all, it left her open to all possibilities.
Or she could just be rationalizing. Right now it really didn’t matter. She felt better than she had in ages. Nothing hurt. Well, not in a bad way. Her body did ache. The blood rushing through her veins seemed to be taking on a particular warmth, heating every intimate little corner of her body. God, those eyes! The way the bluish green orbs stared at her, like she was something precious, made her feel beautiful from the inside out. She wanted him to touch her the way he was looking at her. But she had the feeling he wouldn’t. He was still afraid of rejection.
She didn't care why he had bitten her twenty years ago. Apparently he was surprised she was still alive, and he felt incredibly guilty about it. How the heck could she possibly hold a kid responsible for something he obviously hadn’t realized he’d done? The last thing she wanted was for her first time to be fueled by shame and remorse. So not the way she had always envisioned finally losing her virginity. It was bad enough she was pushing twenty-eight and had never known the touch of a lover. Oh, she could feel he desired her—a lot. Odd the way she could feel his emotions as if they were her very own. But it gave her the advantage. He wouldn't be able to hide from her.
“Luka, I am really going to need for you to stop feeling so guilty.” Really, it was starting to be a downer. “I’m here now, right? But I need you to explain some things, later.”
Bending down in front of him, she cupped his cheek once more. The stubble there was a little abrasive against the softness of her palm. She liked that. It tickled a little. But man did it feel good to touch him. All kinds of heat rushed through her now. Wow! He’d somehow been holding back all the things he had been feeling for her. Wild passion and raw need swamped her, making her pussy wetter than it had already been. This man was seriously turned on. And for her! Just her. Suddenly it was much harder to breathe. The ache quickly morphed into urgent longing. The need to be filled was fast overwhelming her senses.
“Luka?” she questioned in absolute wonder. She'd read about women feeling this way, she had just never experienced it for herself. Before now, she had never particularly cared to be touched. It just hurt usually.
“Mica, kotyonok, I am trying very hard not to pounce on you.” His voice certainly sounded strained. His entire body was all tense. God help her, but she found she liked it. “I don’t want to hurt you.”
Mica smiled softly. A little bit of pain didn't seem like that much of a bad thing right about now.
“You can make it hurt a little,” she teased.
Luka sucked in a huge gulp of air. His pupils dilated, the black becoming impossibly large. That too thrilled Mica, though she had no idea why.
“You don’t know what you’re asking.”
She didn’t know exactly, but she had a very good idea.
“Well?” she pressed, lifting on her knees and leaning her body against his much larger frame. “Are you going to cure me or not?”
Luka sent her a curt nod, the Adam’s apple in his throat bobbing up and down. Feeling more than a little naughty, she lifted her head and licked the strong column of his neck, then nipped him right at the base of his throat.
That did the trick.
With something strongly resembling a roar, he lifted them both, swinging her up into his arms.
“Bedroom?” he demanded, his voice rough-hewn with barely suppressed passion that thrilled her right down to the tips of her toes.
“Upstairs.”
It had been her parents’ bedroom once upon a time. One thing she had done was replace the furniture and lighten the space a little. Now it was her little private oasis instead of a lab/crash pad. He took the large wooden staircase three steps at a time, pushing through then shutting the door without relinquishing the tight hold he had on her. It made her feel delicate, but not in the way the last few years had. More like she was cherished than she was sickly. In fact, her body felt stronger with each passing second.
“Mica, I will try to be as gentle as I can.” It was so cute how unsure of himself he sounded as he laid her in the middle of her bed.
“You won’t hurt me.” She was sure of that. It didn’t matter that she barely knew him; her soul recognized him. Her trust in him was implicit.
For a moment he stood there, looking unsure. How sweet was that?
“I think it would probably be best if you, uh, kind of undressed yourself.” He flushed as he spoke, looking everywhere but her.
She would’ve laughed if it wasn't so darn heartbreaking.
“Luka? Are you worried because I’m a virgin?” He had to know that, right? Because of the whole mating/biting/whatever thing. Though not altogether sure of how it was supposed to work, she was guessing the bite hadn’t allowed her to feel desire for anyone else. Or maybe she was projecting.
