"That door over there is the bathroom. This door here is the dressing room. If you need anything, there's a phone on the nightstand where you can contact the housekeeper, the cook, or whoever you need. There are one or two things in the dressing room which may be of interest. I'll see you downstairs at ten minutes before seven."
I felt a tiny bit crestfallen that I had my own room, rather than sharing with Sebastian. But damn, it was luxurious.
I'd never even set foot in a place like this before today. Now it was my bedroom for a little while. What a day.
Sebastian had said I should look in the dressing room, so I headed over there and stuck my head round the door.
The floor was almost completely covered in shopping bags, parcels and boxes. The expensive glossy kind, with swirled fabric handles and ribbon trim.
I peeped into a couple of them. Everything inside them was wrapped in tissue.
This stuff was for me?
When I’d stared long and hard at the Christmas morning-style bonanza for a while, I came to my senses and decided to look in the bags. I opened one black-and-silver thick card concoction and took out a rustling lilac parcel. The paper came off easily.
Inside was a mauve silk dress. It felt like real silk. Not that I had much experience of real silk, but my adoptive mother used to have a silk scarf and it felt the same as that.
I checked for a fabric care label inside. 'Pure Silk - Hand Wash Only'.
The dress was my size, which freaked me out more than anything. How did he know my size? And hell, how did he know how perfect this dress was for me?
I held it up, letting the fabric shimmy down. It was a vintage-style day dress with a V-neck. The neckline was just deep enough to show off a woman's curves up top, without flashing too much. It drifted down into a lightly A-line skirt. The cut was so precise, I could see how it would skim my shape beautifully.
I couldn't even imagine how expensive a dress like this would be. There was no price tag.
My eyes darted along all the other bags and boxes on the bed. What was in all these?
I set to work opening and examining everything.
Several boxes of shoes. A pair of killer heels. Delicate sandals, to go with the silk dress. Some butter-soft calfskin ballet flats. Some sneakers.
Underwear. Incredible underwear. How he knew my bra size, I dared not even wonder.
A jacket. A trench coat. Three lightweight cashmere sweaters. Shirts. Jeans. Cotton dresses. Jersey tank tops. Bikinis.
I hadn't worn a bikini since I was about eight years old. But these were amazing Fifties-style affairs with underwiring and high waists. You couldn’t get styles as beautiful as this in regular stores. I adored them at first glance.
There was even a bag of cosmetics and hair care products. All the most expensive brands I’d seen in fashion magazine but never had the income level to try.
Shower gel. Lip balm. Fragrance. You name it, it was here.
Sebastian had ordered enough stuff to last a month. Easily. Maybe more.
What was I meant to do about my real life? What would happen to my job, or my London flat, or my roommate Dahlia?
Was he really expecting to keep me here that long? Was I effectively his prisoner, given every luxury but my independence?
And if he was... why did the prospect of being stuck with him light me up inside like a firework?
14
Sebastian's sports car was sleek and powerful, with a deep bass rumble sound to its engine. It was sort of like a car version of him. Well-built and expensive with a deep voice. I smiled to myself when I noticed that.
"It’ll take us around forty minutes to reach St. Ives from here," Sebastian said, flicking on the headlamps.
It dawned on me that I didn't even know exactly where we were. Cornwall had coastline on three sides. The helicopter made so many looping turns, I couldn't tell which side of the map this was.
“So… where is here, exactly?”
“We’re on the Atlantic coast of Cornwall. Right down in the west of England. Near the tip of the point you see on the map. My estate is close to a small town called Sennen Cove.”
“Okay. And St Ives?”
“That’s on the north side of Cornwall. It's famous for its art. You'll like it."
The roads were narrow and winding at first, but then stretched out into larger streets and highways.
“Are we… are we dining someplace fancy?” I was nervous that I’d be out of my depth.
Sebastian laughed. “Not tonight. It’s actually a brasserie.” He laughed at my confused face. “That means an informal kind of restaurant. A very nice one, with a superb chef. But pretty low key. Why, would you prefer a glitzy place?”
“God, no. I wouldn’t know which fork to use. A, um, brasserie sounds great.”
“Oh, fine dining is easy. You just watch what other people are doing. That’s the secret. And cutlery is very simple. You just start at the outside and work inward.”
“I’ll just have to take your word for that,” I grinned.
The brasserie was attached to the biggest art gallery in St Ives. Pink dusk sunlight reflected off the chalky walls. It was beautiful.
Sebastian's friend wasn't there yet, so we sat down outside on the terrace. The sun was still warm, even though evening was on its way. We ordered seafood and pasta, with some famous wine or other that Sebastian insisted I try.
The sea in front of us swept back and forth, sparkling through the glass wall at the front of the cafe. I took a sip of wine and sat back contentedly. People-watching was my favorite sport. Time for a little-
"Seb! Mate! Hello, mate!”
A man about my age sprang at us, extending his hand. Seb shook it, smiling.
"Lucas, you're bang on time. Imagine that. This is Finola."
"Finola! Wow, this is great. You two! Hello! Nice, yeah?"
Lucas shook my hand rapidly, nodding and grinning at us. He was tall and bendy-looking, with raggedy blonde surfer hair and a wide smile.
I couldn't help smiling back. He had an infectious enthusiasm about him.
"Nasty business, all this, huh?” He took his cap off and raised his eyebrows at the waiter, who appeared at our side. "I'll have what they're having. No wine though. Lemme get a grapefruit juice.“
Sebastian sat down again. "Nasty indeed. What have you heard?"
I started eating again, not sure if I was part of the conversation. Probably not, by the sound of it.
“Well, I heard the security guy's dead? Bob, was it?"
I coughed, almost choking on my linguine.
Bob was dead?
Poor Bob. He was the quiet security attendant working at the parking garage beneath Sebastian’s bank. I tried to find Bob after I was attacked yesterday. He was missing from his kiosk. I’d been convinced he was with the police.
The realization sank heavily in my stomach like I'd been eating rocks.
Sebastian put a hand on my back. "You okay?"
I nodded, catching my breath.
He turned back to Lucas. “Yes. I’m afraid so. He was found at the back of the building, by the air-con outlet. A single gunshot.“
Lucas shook his head. “Like I say. Nasty business."
Sebastian nodded gravely. ”So, have you got anything more to tell me?"
Lucas's food arrived. He took a big forkful, chewed and swallowed it before answering. Once the waiter was out of earshot, he spoke again.
"Finola knows all about this situation, does she?"
"She knows enough."
Lucas nodded. I looked at them both, unsure what I was about to hear.
"Right. Well, it's Piers Lavery, as you know. He's taking hearts. Only from you lot, though. Doesn't seem interested in the orange tigers at all. Or me, by the looks of things.“
Sebastian frowned. "Why would he want white tiger shifter hearts specifically? Surely if he's looking for magical DNA to use in a product, he could find that in any shifter?"
"Yeah, he could.
Actually that part is open to question. We don't know why he's doing it. We just know he is. And it means none of you white tigers are safe."
I looked at Sebastian in alarm.
“So that’s part of it,” he said, coolly sipping his drink. "You must have more insight than that."
Lucas let out a cheeky bark of a laugh.
"Well, maybe, cuz."
"You're cousins?" I blurted out.
I looked between the two for any resemblance. Sebastian was a few years older and twice as muscular. But I thought I saw a trace of similarity in their mischievous blue eyes and the firm set of their jaws. Maybe Sebastian looked a little like Lucas in his younger days.
"Yeah, we're cousins. Did he not tell you?"
I shook my head.
Sebastian dug into his plate of mussels, one eyebrow raised.
"Ah, no biggie. He's just ashamed of me because I'm a half-breed. Isn't that right, Seb?"
Sebastian shook his head vigorously in protest. He swallowed, frowning.
"Ashamed? Don't be an idiot. Family is family." He turned to me. "Remember I told you about ligers, Finola? They have tiger mothers but lion fathers? Lucas is one of those. My aunt’s youngest.“
I gawped at Lucas, trying to work out what he'd look like when shifted. Shifted into what? A lion/tiger hybrid? What did they even look like?
Pretty cute in a lanky, adolescent way, I decided. My roommate Dahlia would go for him in a second.
"Yeah, I'm in the minority in our family. Right, man?"
"You're certainly a one-off." Sebastian's eyes were crinkled at the edges, trying to keep a straight face. "Get to the point. What do you think is going on here?"
"I dunno, man. I sort of get the idea that Lavery has more than just science on his mind."
Sebastian caught a glimpse of my confused face.
“Okay, quick rundown of the facts for Finola. Piers Lavery owns a multinational corporation called Leo Lorem Biotech. It's a parent company for various pharma, nanotech and biotech concerns. We've suspected for a long time that he's trying to clone shifter cells. Or in some way use our DNA to engineer some product he can sell to Plainfolk. Some cure for disease, or anti-aging potion, or whatever. You know what these big companies are like."
I thought about this. "But you're saying he’s just cutting out hearts? It can't be about collecting DNA then, can it? DNA is in every cell. He could just take hair samples and get the same result."
"Exactly. That’s what I’m saying. Seb, you've got a logic fan here. Hang on to this one."
Lucas winked at me. I smiled back.
Sebastian set down his fork. ”Okay. So perhaps another option is that he’s trying to engineer some sort of vaccine or biological weapon, using god knows what from our DNA along the way.”
“A bad motive seems quite likely,” Lucas added. “He’s a bit of an oddball, old Piers.”
“That’ll be it, then,” said Sebastian, as though the issue was settled.
Lucas didn’t seem to agree. “I dunno, man… I do get the impression there’s some sort of personal grudge here.”
“A grudge? Against whom? Me? White tigers in general?”
Lucas shrugged, then nodded. “Yeah. Us. I don’t know. You. Maybe.”
“There’s no reason for him to hold a grudge. This has to be about science, even if it’s a twisted evil branch of science. No point looking down blind alleys, Lucas. Let’s go with the obvious.”
Lucas didn’t look convinced, but he nodded, deferring to his older cousin.
Sebastian lowered his voice to a soft rumble. “So we need to know why he’s taking white tiger hearts. But most of all, we need to stop this swine before he hurts any more of my family.”
His jaw set firmly. His eyes burned with something I didn’t recognize.
He looked… dangerous.
“You want me to put a call out to the family now and warn them?” Lucas picked up his phone and held it aloft. “We agreed we’d do it if things got out of hand.”
“It’s not out of hand. I don’t like to worry them all when it’s not necessary.” Sebastian drained his glass of water. “Perhaps we’ll pass the news to just a few members, for now. Can you get in touch with a few of our our younger siblings and cousins? Just the ones under forty? If a couple of the nearest ones can get here as soon as possible, we could Grand Trine this problem away before any of the elders need to find out.”
The two men looked at each other meaningfully.
“Is the Grand Trine that thing where… Where three of you from one bloodline get together and get special powers?” I whispered. “Can’t you and Lucas be the two? You’re related, right? Then you only need one other family member.”
“You can’t do it if you have other species of shifter blood,” Lucas said, looking forlorn. “It’d be fine if I was just half-human. The tiger side would take over. But half-lion makes it all go to shit, sadly.”
Sebastian shook his head. “It’s not your fault, Lucas. I know you’d help if you could.”
He sat back, his muscular legs wide apart. Even sitting down with a napkin on his lap, he dominated the room.
Lucas smiled at me again. ”So which magical bloodline is in your family?"
He said it casually, like it was an everyday inquiry.
"Excuse me?"
I must not have heard him right.
He repeated it. “Which magical bloodline are you from?”
“Oh, I’m not from any magical bloodline. I’m just a normal person.”
Sebastian stared at Lucas with a kind of warning look in his eye. I flicked my gaze between the two, confused.
Lucas hadn’t noticed. "Well, you must have magical blood or you wouldn't be Seb’s fated mate. Which you evidently are. So you don’t know where your magical blood comes from?”
I stared at him.
“Do you have any powers? Ones you’re aware of, I mean?” His tone was so light, I had to replay it in my head a few times before I could answer.
“What are you saying?” I spluttered at last. “Powers? What do you… Why are you asking me about magic?”
Sebastian placed his hand gently over mine. “Finola, you must have a magical branch of your family tree,” he said. “You must be descended from some magical family, however distantly. Because here you are.”
“I… I don’t… It’s not possible,” I stuttered. “I’m just a regular girl.”
Lucas shook his head. “Well, if Piers Lavery took a sample of your blood, he’s certainly aware of your lineage. Otherwise he wouldn’t be looking for… What? What are you looking at me like that for, Seb?”
Sebastian was glowering at him with a fiery look on his face.
Lucas screwed up his eyes, obviously trying to decode Sebastian’s glare.
“She doesn’t know?”
“Know what?” I whispered.
“Oh come on, Seb. What’s the point of not saying it? She knows what he did to her. She just doesn’t know why.”
Sebastian slammed his napkin down on to the table.
“I didn’t want to alarm Finola unnecessarily.”
“Are you going to tell me what you’re talking about?” I said. My voice was reed-thin and nervy.
I suddenly realized what people meant when they said they were on the edge of their seat about something. I’d scooted right to the edge of mine in dismay.
Sebastian shook his head, but Lucas said “Seb. Just come out with it.”
I looked at Sebastian. “Yes. Just say it. Whatever it is.”
He held my gaze.
“All right. We think Piers Lavery took a sample of your blood on Friday, when he tried to abduct you. We believe that he would have then pressed the wound with a square of gauze impregnated with a substance called Salusaid.”
“The Salusaid is a sort of super healing potion thing,” Lucas added, helpfully.
“Then he would have taken that square of gauze to his laboratory, retrieved the blood sample from it and sequenced you
r DNA. You’ll be able to confirm if the slash on your arm I saw on Friday night really was that. I didn’t know it when I first saw the trace of the wound on your arm. I just put the pieces together later.”
“Okay. Yeah. The guy with the knife did do that.” My mind whirred with confusion. “Why? Why would he do that to me?”
“Because of who you are,” Sebastian said. “As I keep saying: you’re my fated mate.”
“It’s white tigers he wants. I s’pose he thinks you’re a good route to Seb,” Lucas said.
“He’s a biochemist, remember. An obsessive, murderous, unethical one, but still a scientist. The DNA sample will tell him what he needs to know. He wants to know exactly who you are, so he knows how best to get to me.”
Sebastian laid his hand over mine, protectively. I whipped my hand away.
“Who I am?” I cried. “He wants to know who I am? I’ve wondered that myself for my entire life. Who the hell am I?”
The room seemed to spin around us. I pushed my plate back and stood up.
“Finola,” began Sebastian, but I slapped his hand away.
“I’m going to the bathroom,” I said.
I stumbled to the doorway marked with the ladies restroom symbol.
Sitting inside the stall, I rested my head on the partition wall, panting. It was spotlessly clean, but I might not have cared if it hadn’t been. My heart was beating too fast to think straight. I was trembling.
It took a while to steady my panic. Once I’d calmed down, I left the stall and stared in the mirror.
I scrutinized my only too familiar face. Nothing magical about it.
They were wrong. They’d made a mistake. They had me mixed up with someone else.
So I could only be his fated mate if I had magical heritage? Then I wasn’t Sebastian’s fated mate after all. That must be it! We were strongly attracted to each other, but we weren’t fated mates. That’s what it had to be, I decided.
Okay, phew. I smoothed my unruly hair down a little and made my way back to the table.
They both stood up when I approached. True gentlemen.
I sat down without a word and picked at my seafood, sulkily.
“Just glad you’re finally open to the idea of getting help on this,” Lucas was saying. “You’ve been trying to handle it alone for long enough. Let’s use the power of the collective”.
Tiger Billionaire: The Whole Story (BBW Paranormal Tiger Shifter Romance Box Set) Page 9
