A Tiger's Bounty

by Terry Bolryder

  Seeing Kel watch them as the waiter led them to the table sent chills down her spine, though Jace had told her earlier that he was in fact a lot more kind-hearted than his initial impression ever gave off.

  As they approached, he stood up to greet them, and Amber almost had to crane her neck to look up at the tall behemoth of a person. Jace exchanged a brotherly hug with him, and then Amber offered her hand for a light, warm shake.

  “Welcome to the family,” he said, his voice smooth and deep, making Amber instantly feet a little more comfortable.

  They took their seats and Kel asked Amber questions about her life, her schooling, and whether or not Jace was treating her well, all while slowly and methodically cracking open pistachios and popping them in his mouth as he leaned back on the too-small restaurant chair.

  As they chatted, a man came up to the table. He wore a black suit and tie with a white shirt that gave the impression of a businessman, though a fairly overworked one.

  “Hey Carter, what kept you so late?” Jace asked as he rose to give the man a quick hug.

  At first glance Carter looked a lot like Jace. Huge body, ripped muscles, tan skin. But upon closer inspection Amber saw that Carter had a more classically handsome face, with shorter, raven-black hair that looked more professional than Jace’s deliciously hot bad-boy looks. He also had piercing green eyes that Amber was sure could melt another woman’s heart if he wanted to.

  But for Amber, Jace was it. All she ever wanted and would ever want. But as their sister-in-law, Amber couldn’t secretly hope that Jace’s brothers got lucky and found the kind of happiness that she and Jace now shared.

  “Amber?” Carter said, sticking out a hand for her to shake with an apologetic look on his face. “Good to see you again.” He took a seat next to them. “Sorry for being late. I was at the office finishing some paperwork. My old partner is retiring this week, and rumor has it they’re setting me up with a detective that’s being transferred in from another precinct.”

  “Is he any good?” Jace asked as he reached under the table and squeezed Amber’s hand.

  “She, actually. And yes, apparently she’s quite good, despite being fairly new. I guess they want me to show her some of the ropes,” Carter said as he glanced at the menu, green eyes catching in the dim candlelight of the restaurant.

  Kel gave out an obviously fake cough to the side. “I’ll bet you will,” he muttered, before resuming his munching on pistachios.

  Carter made to throw the menu at Kel, and Kel flinched slightly, smirking with satisfaction at the reaction from his older brother.

  “It’s not like that, man,” Carter said as he folded up the menu and took a drink.

  “Who knows? Fate works in funny ways,” Jace interjected, turning to Amber and smiling at her. Just the slightest gaze from those beautiful, golden orange eyes and Amber could feel her skin warming with anticipation.

  As fun as it was getting to know Jace’s family, she wouldn’t mind being alone with him right now either.

  Carter just shrugged as Jace ordered a bottle of champagne for the table. After the waiter arrived and poured a glass for each of them, Carter raised his glass.

  “Well then, I’d like to propose a toast. Here’s to the newest member of our little group, Amber, and here’s to family.”

  “To family,” Amber and Jace chimed in as they raised their glasses too. Kel tipped his glass as well, but remained silent.

  As the night continued on and the four of them enjoyed dinner together, Amber couldn’t help but feel incredibly grateful to feel so welcome into their little pack. Even though she was still learning more day by day about the shifter world and all of its quirks and laws, it helped that she had a wonderful mate who never stopped showing her just how much she meant to him.

  Once dinner had concluded, the four of them stood to leave. This time, both Carter and Kel gave Amber a warm embrace, seemingly hesitant to say goodbye to their new sister and friend.

  “I guess it’s time to head out,” Jace said, glancing at Amber with an heated gaze.

  “Yeah. I have to be in court at seven tomorrow morning, so you’re probably right,” Carter replied, straightening his tie and standing to leave.

  The four of them headed out together. Jace walked with his arm wrapped tightly around Amber, the two of them walking at the front while behind them Kel tried to convince Carter to set him up on a blind date with his soon-to-be partner. Which of course Carter flat-out refused.

  But as responsible and straight forward as Carter seemed to be, Amber hoped that he wouldn’t let that stand in the way of being with the right woman if she came along.

  As for Kel, Amber figured it would take a special kind of person to see through that stoic, controlled persona of his.

  “Goodnight, you two. Stay out of trouble,” Carter said with a wave as he and Kel walked away from them down the sidewalk, presumably towards their parked cars.

  “Of course,” Jace said, putting an arm around Amber’s waist as his brothers left. He nuzzled her neck. “Unless you want to get in some trouble.”

  “Stop it you, we’re still on the street,” she said, blood already heating at the thought of doing more with him, once they were alone.

  He grinned and stood tall, but kept his arm around her. As she and Jace turned for their car, Amber was again aware of the slight tingling sensation up her spine that she got whenever she was alone with Jace.

  “So, what do you think?” Jace asked as they arrived at his black muscle car. Once they moved, Jace had promised they would get her something a little more serviceable, though Jace still insisted that it be fitted with bulletproof glass regardless.

  “Of your family? Very interesting. It’s kind of nice having siblings that have their lives together,” she said.

  “Together? Hm, I guess that’s one way of putting it,” Jace said with a chuckle as he turned Amber’s back to the car and wrapped his coat around her, shielding her from the cold night air and greeting her with the delicious feel of his hard muscles.

  “You know, about what I said earlier. Maybe we could get into just a bit of trouble?” she said, running her hands over the smooth muscles of his arms.

  “Hm, maybe,” he teased, coming closer. “Just a bit.” He smiled wryly, then came down to press his lips to hers in a searing kiss. For a moment, everything stopped as they held each other, and time itself seemed to slow to a halt.

  Amber knew there were still many, many more experiences to have with her mate. Places they would go, things they would do. But right now, being held in his strong arms, safe with the knowledge that they would always have each other, it was the closest thing to perfection she could imagine.

  After what felt like forever, Jace’s lips left hers and he gazed down at her, his sunset eyes almost glowing in the dark, illuminated by the dim lights far away down the street.

  “Earlier you said I was perfect. Did you mean it?” she asked.

  “Of course,” he said, studying her with those striking eyes, so warm and soft as he gazed at her.

  “Would you mind showing me what you meant?” Amber asked coyly, feeling her temperature rise every second her body was pressed to his.

  Jace brushed her hair behind her ear, coming in close so that his breath blew over her ear in a way that made her shudder. “I’ll show you every damn day,” he said. Then he pulled back and kissed her again, and Amber melted against him.

  Every damn day sounded good.

  * * *

  * * *

  Thanks so much for reading Jace and Amber’s story! If you liked it, please consider leaving me a review, it really helps me as an author! I really appreciate your support!

  News on new releases!

  For those of you who want more stories from Bear Haven, I hear you loud and clear. I’m planning to release something for Fanny and Wayne, plus an update on your favorite bear couples, so make sure you’re on the newsletter so you can see when it’s out.

  For those of yo
u asking for more dragons, that’s coming soon too. You’ll find out more about them as the tiger series progresses. Maybe even get to meet them soon? ;)

  In the meantime, feel free to read my other dragons series if you haven’t. They were all top bestsellers, so if the idea of two hot dragons making one deserving BBW happy appeals to you, you’re going to love them. I have a sample on the next page.

  Please do let me know any of the other things you’re thinking or wanting. With a large fan base, I try to be careful to listen to all of the feedback. I really do appreciate and care for each and every one of you. You make all of this possible, and you’ll never know how grateful I am.

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  Sample of Double Dragons

  Chapter 1

  “Just put her in the bag.”

  The frightening words jolted Melissa Jones out of the book she was reading.

  Just who was trying to put whom in a bag?

  The library was eerily dark all around her. She’d stayed late, reading, as she often did after work, because she tended to get caught up in books and because there was no one waiting at home for her.

  Being assistant librarian with a key to all the books in the world was truly the perfect job.

  Until a bunch of thugs had to come along and ruin it.

  Her heart pounded as she plastered herself to the wall and risked a look out the side window.

  A large group of the some of the biggest, meanest-looking men she’d ever seen was partially blocking the window. As she moved to the other side to get a better look, she realized there were at least a dozen. All angry, all fierce. All twice her size or more.

  And they were looking down at something in the center that she couldn’t make out. Something that was whimpering in a heart-wrenching way. They’d said words like “kidnapping,” “slavery,” and “valuable.” And the growls and mewls she heard seemed to be coming from a human child—girl, she thought, though she couldn’t see properly.

  Human traffickers. And even though she was woefully unequipped to take them on, she would sooner cut out her own heart than walk away without trying to stop them. No child deserved something like this. No human for that matter.

  Melissa took a deep breath and considered her options.

  At 5’4” with an amply curvaceous figure and no athletic ability to speak of, she knew she wasn’t the best option for a hero. But she also knew with the slow response of police in the little town, the group could be gone and untraceable by the time they arrived.

  She heard another yelp from outside and felt her heart thump hard inside her.

  Despite her fear, her heart hammered in approval as she walked stubbornly to the door and opened it wide, drawing the men’s attention to her instead of their prey.

  “You there,” she said, trying to figure out what one would say to human traffickers. “Stop what you’re doing.”

  The man closest to her straightened to full height and stared at her with glowing yellow eyes. The rest of the men followed suit. Most were wearing dingy black leather and had longish, shaggy hair and unshaven faces. Their eyes gleamed as they stepped between her and their prey, blocking her view and eyeing her with thinly veiled rage and something a little more predatory.

  She clenched her hands into fists at her side and tried to stay calm, despite being hopelessly outnumbered. “I’ve called the police,” she lied. “Just get out of here.”

  “Not until we take what’s ours,” the leader said. “If I were you, I’d just turn around and go straight back into that library, little lady.” He flashed a sneering grin at her, his teeth looking more like fangs. She took a hesitant half step back but then held her ground, pointing a finger at them.

  “No, you need to leave her alone and move on,” she said, still hearing little yelps and growls from whatever they were hiding.

  The tallest one, the one in front, cracked his neck abruptly, keeping flashing yellow eyes on her as he approached. “Oh yeah?” He advanced on her menacingly. “And what are you going to do about it if I don’t?”

  She took a step back but put her fists up defensively. This was going to be stupidly easy for them, but she would die knowing she’d done the right thing. She hoped the self-defense classes she’d taken at the community center helped her put up at least a token fight.

  A few men stepped out from behind the others. Damn, there were more than she’d thought. Cold fear spiraled down her spine in icy lines, but she held her ground. She heard more whimpering and held firm.

  “Don’t come any closer,” she said.

  The lead eyed her lazily, like he was deciding how best to dispatch her without anyone knowing. The sad truth was it would be all too easy. Melissa had practically made a career of not having any connections in this small town, and she had no family to speak of.

  No one would miss her. The thought was chilling.

  “You should just move along, ma’am. This ain’t none of your business,” a man with scraggly blond hair said, stepping into the light. “You should just go back into that library where you’ll be safe.”

  The dark-haired leader sent the blond man a silencing glance. “It’s too late for that now. She’s seen.”

  “She ain’t seen much. Just us helping taking this wolf cub back to the forest,” the blond man said, moving aside to give her a view of what they’d been threatening.

  Sure enough, a little wolf cub with pale fur was sitting in the circle, trembling. It looked up at her with baleful blue eyes, eyes that begged her not to leave. She felt puzzlement move through her.

  “I heard a girl… I was sure…”

  The blond man’s face tightened and he moved in front of the tiny cub, folding his arms. He was lankier than his leader, but all of them were obscenely tall, at least a few inches over six feet, and built as well. There was something animal in their gazes. Were they some kind of motorcycle gang or something?

  “Are you sure there’s not a girl back there? I was sure I heard a human voice…”

  “Shut up!” the leader said, making a slashing motion with his hand as he came closer. “This has nothing to do with you.” He closed the distance between them in a motion too fast to be human, grabbing her by the front of her shirt and hoisting her up so her toes were barely grazing the cement. Then he took a deep breath, closing his eyes as he scented her, and when his eyes opened, he was leering down at her.

  “We’ll take her as well,” he said.

  She struggled to break free. His eyes glowed with pure evil, the kind that made her insides twist into tight, painful coils.

  So maybe she’d made a miscalculation by putting her life on the line for a wolf rather than a human, but either way, nothing small and helpless deserved to be at the mercy of this horrible man.

  The man scented her once more and then tossed her to a subordinate, who caught her against his body and leered, his hands wrapping around her waist as she struggled. The leader approached her as she was held, helpless and still, forced to look at him.

  He grabbed her chin and looked into her eyes. “I’ll mate with you first. When we’re done, you’ll be screaming for mercy. Begging for someone to come save you, to be as stupid as you’ve just been tonight.”

  She gritted her teeth together, unwilling to give him the satisfaction of knowing she was scared shitless.

  “I don’t know about the begging part, fucker, but if you don’t take your hands off her, in about three seconds, you’re going to be the one screaming for mercy,” a deep voice boomed toward them.

  Melissa tried to see her rescuer but couldn’t turn enough in her captor’s arms.

  “I happen to agree,” another deep voice said, cutting into the silence of the night.

  “Release the girl,” the first voice said, equally deep but with a different, smoother tone.

  Both voices had a rich, reassuring quality that resonated deep withi
n her and bespoke strength and power. Just what she and the tiny wolf cub needed right at this moment.

  The man holding her loosened his grip slightly as his attention was turned toward his leader.

  The leader walked forward, scenting the air slowly. Then his eyes flew open and his whole body tensed up, ready for battle.

  “Dragons,” he growled. He waved at her captor. “Let the woman go. We’ll need all hands.”

  Thrown to the side, she landed painfully on the pavement as the whole group turned to the men who had spoken. She still couldn’t see them, so she crawled to the side, onto the grass, hoping to catch a glimpse of her rescuers.

  When she saw them, her heart simultaneously leapt and fell. Leapt because they were the most beautiful, intimidating men she’d ever seen. Fell because there were only two of them.

  They were taller than the men around them but with a clean, elegant refinement that set them apart from their brutish opponents.

  The one in front seemed to be in charge. He had tanned skin and golden hair that shone in the light from the streetlamps. He was the shorter of the two, though still tall at a few inches over six feet, and had a face that reminded her of a movie star, sharp and gorgeous and completely unique.

  But almost too beautiful. He seemed to almost glow. Still, his nearly feminine face was offset by the feral gleam in his green eyes and the muscles all over his tall, lean body.

  The man beside him stepped forward with folded arms. This one was the opposite of his partner, with dark hair, a forbidding height of around 6’5”, and a dark expression that bespoke ill for whoever crossed him. His face was classically handsome, with square jaw and chiseled features. But there was a calm coldness in his bearing that complimented the feline menace of his partner.

  Despite the horrible situation, she could feel her body respond to her perusal of them. The most gorgeous men she’d ever seen, and she had to meet them just before dying.