Tigress (Night Hawk Series)

by Taylor, J. E.

  I reached out and ran my finger over the back of his hand and he winced, jerking away from my touch. A red welt appeared where my finger traced and I stared as it faded away. When I lifted my gaze to his, the anger was gone, replaced by melancholy.

  “But the shower?” I whispered and he turned his palms toward me.

  His palms were red and raw like he’d held them over the open flame and my hand shot over my mouth to cover my gasp.

  “Oh, my god, Damian,” I whispered from behind my hand.

  “I’ll live,” he said.

  The reality of our situation fully sank in and pain deep in my core laced outwards, encompassing every fiber. I dropped the spoon into the bowl and pushed it away, crossed my arms on the table and buried my face in the crook of my arm. At first only silent tears came, but then the sobs started, coming from the well of my soul. Long burning sobs that shook the foundation of my existence.

  My husband, my soul mate, would never be able to hold me in his arms again.

  Chapter Four - Damian

  I stepped out into the cool night, inhaling the fresh mountain air and scanning the horizon. My heart hammered with each step away from the cabin, and my gaze bounced, expecting Lucifer’s thugs to jump out at any moment. Fresh snow covered the carnage from a week ago, but I could still smell Lilith’s blood hanging on the air.

  Despair attempted to creep in again and I shook my head, pushing it away. There would be time to wallow in it later, but for now, I still needed to get her to safety, otherwise she would die in this harsh wilderness and that’s the last thing I wanted.

  The constellations speckled the dark sky and I started toward the woods, snow crunching with each step. The farther I got from the cabin, the more my anger blasted to the surface. My hands curled into fists and my jaw ached from my tightly clenched teeth. The injustice burned.

  My nerves were raw from Naomi’s grief and the fact I couldn’t just hold her and comfort her, kiss her or make love to her shattered my sanity. With every wincing touch, my heart blackened and right now, I wanted to kill, to allow the shadow to take over and destroy whatever crossed my path.

  Lilith had said Lucifer wanted us to suffer.

  Well, this certainly qualified.

  With a roar, I picked up the pace, running and jumping and letting the transition take hold. Wings unfurled, taking me higher into the darkness. I banked southeast, toward Denver hoping to find a less than innocent soul, because right now, wildlife would not satisfy my pummeling hunger.

  I landed on the dark soccer field of the East High School and turned north toward the park and the dark windy paths within; praying trouble would find me. The snowy pathways were as welcoming as Lucifer’s den and with each step my mood worsened. The absence of criminals pissed me off. This was very different than Central Park, where thugs prowled after dark.

  A shuffle behind me caught my attention and I stopped.

  “Are you lost or just stupid?”

  I turned slowly, facing my attacker and my gaze dropped to the blade in his hand and back to the hooded figure standing in the path behind me like he was invincible. Steel glinted in the dark and I raised my palms toward him, playing the game.

  “I thought I’d take a short cut,” I whispered. My mouth salivated at the scent of human flesh and the thrill of turning the tables on this asshole.

  “Just give me your money and you won’t get hurt.”

  I couldn’t help it, I laughed and he lunged, the knife coming close enough to tear fabric and then he pulled away.

  “I’m serious. If you don’t give me your wallet, I’ll gut you like a fish.” His black eyes peered out from under the hood.

  “I’d like to see you try,” I said and my hands dropped to my sides, waiting for the next lunge. The man snarled and attacked. I turned, letting the knife sail by me and I grabbed his wrist, yanking him closer. Before he could recover, my teeth sank into his throat.

  The sudden rush of hot blood filled my mouth and I sucked, swallowing his life in pulses timed with his frantic heartbeat. He didn’t have the chance to scream, instead he just moaned as death claimed him. When I had drained every drop from his thieving heart, I dropped him to the ground and wiped my mouth, relishing the warm renewal of strength filtering into my muscles.

  It had been years since I hunted humans and now I remembered why. One was never enough. I turned away from the cold corpse and continued north, my gait strong and my focus on one thing.

  Blood.

  It wasn’t until I walked past the local strip club that someone in the alley hissed for my attention. I stopped and turned, taking in a well-insulated man whose eyes kept darting around.

  “You looking for a good time tonight?” he asked in a hushed whisper and nodded toward the van parked farther down the alley.

  I glanced at the van and the word “Ménage-mobile” stenciled on the doors. My gaze traveled back to his jumpy eyes. The idea of a van full of whores set my appetite on fire and I licked my lips. “How many are we talking about?”

  “I have three girls ready to take care of your every need,” he grinned, flashing a mouthful of crooked teeth.

  Somehow I doubted that, but I stepped into the alley with him and he waved me forward. When we got alongside the van he turned and slid the door open. He did indeed have three girls, bound and gagged and spread out for any twisted mind. Their frightened gazes told me more than I wanted and I turned toward the letch in the alley.

  “Today is not your lucky day,” I said and closed the door on the girls. Before he could draw the gun in his waistband, I snapped his neck and drained him of blood. When there was nothing left to drink, I rummaged through his pockets and found the car keys.

  Their frightened gazes met mine when I stepped into the van and closed the door. As much as I wanted to drain them of precious blood, I couldn’t. They were what Michael deemed innocents and as I unbound each girl, they crumpled on the floor of the van in tears.

  “Are you hurt?” I asked after I untied the last girl.

  Their aimless gazes met mine and I sighed, slipping into the front seat and starting the vehicle. I drove to the emergency room parking lot of St. Luke’s Hospital and parked the van.

  “You’re in the St. Luke’s parking lot,” I said and opened the driver’s side door.

  “Wait, Mister,” one of the girls said.

  I turned, meeting her teary green gaze.

  “Thank you.”

  I offered a nod and closed the door, walking away and into the shadows. All the anger and homicidal recklessness that ran rampant before burned off on the drive and now all I wanted was to find a decent snow suit for Naomi and get back.

  Nothing was open at this time of night, which meant I’d have to break into the Sports Authority and steal what she needed. I took to the sky, landing on the dark roof a few minutes later. A white layer of rooftop snow met my scan and I sighed, putting my hands on my hips while the aggravation mounted. I walked the grid, looking for the entry and finally found the edging of the mechanical shaft. I had to dig to uncover the entry and with one yank, I nearly pulled it off its hinges. I dropped from the rafters to the top floor, glancing around in the darkness, blinking until my eyes adjusted.

  My first procurement was a heavy duty duffel bag that I was sure would survive the bitter wind of flight and I tore the tab off, unzipping it and emptying the paper stuffing onto the floor. Another scan of the store and I honed in on the women’s section. Within minutes I had a pair of long underwear and a ski outfit that guaranteed against frostbite shoved into the duffel bag. I found gloves and boots that had a similar frost bite rating and those disappeared into the bag. The only thing left unprotected was her face. I found a sleek full-coverage helmet with goggles included, and between that and a ski mask, I thought that would be enough to protect her. As I passed the rack of boot warmers, I stopped, grabbing a handful and shoving them into the bag along with a thick pair of wool socks.

  I crossed to the cash register a
nd piled the tags from each item, pulling out enough cash to cover the bill and then some and slipped it into an envelope I found under the counter. Before sliding it into the cash register slot, I carefully scrawled, Thank You on the envelope and then slipped it into the slot.

  With the roof door secured, I grasped the duffel bag and transformed, taking off to the north once again. The duffel bag made it without fraying in the wind and I dropped it at the doorway before escaping to my favorite peak.

  I knew I shouldn’t leave Naomi alone for much longer, but I needed the peace of the night before I dealt with the crushing blow of not being able to touch her.

  Chapter Five

  The lightening sky was my cue and I dropped down to the cabin, picked up the bag and headed inside. I locked the door behind me and tossed the bag into what Naomi called the mud room before heading to the bedroom.

  She slept and I put my palm close to her forehead, trying to determine if the fever still gripped her. No heat radiated from her and I wondered if it finally broke or if I was just cold enough to not feel it. With a sigh, I crouched next to the bed and crossed my arms on the edge, just watching her sleep.

  Naomi was as beautiful now as she had been when I first laid eyes on her. An ache began in my chest and I dropped to my knees, resting my chin on my arms. Her analogy to kryptonite was very appropriate and the anger at the situation bloomed, turning the ache in my chest to a burning pit.

  Her eyes blinked open and landed on mine. A small welcoming smile formed followed by the bite of her lower lip.

  “Hi,” she whispered.

  “Hi.” I couldn’t tear my gaze away and we stared at each other for a while. My thoughts drifted to the last time we made love. The heat and passion this woman could create in me was more than I ever believed I was capable of. Nothing in my existence matched it and I closed my eyes, putting my forehead down on my arms.

  “I’m sorry I was such a mess yesterday,” she whispered and her fingertips ran through my hair, singeing my scalp before she pulled away.

  I clenched my teeth and forced control over the emotional storm raging in my heart.

  She shifted and I looked up at her, studying her rosy complexion for a moment.

  “You look much better,” I said.

  “I think the fever broke some time during the night.” She sat up and crossed her legs under the covers, patting the bed.

  I climbed onto the mattress and took a seat, leaning my back against the post at the end of the bed. “I’ve got a snow suit and stuff for you in the mud room. We can head out tonight.”

  “Where?”

  “Anywhere you want to go.”

  She smiled and glanced around the room, her internal conflict of leaving this place etched into the tight lines at the corners of her mouth. “What about New York?”

  Somehow, I knew she was going to say that and I crossed my arms. It was too close to Lucifer’s home base. He liked the city. It provided him with a wealth of derelicts to pull into his demonic fold. But it also provided the invisibility of sheer numbers, the ability to hide in plain sight.

  I tossed around the idea, and finally, the proximity to Lucifer clinched it. I couldn’t take that chance, especially since she was now at a disadvantage.

  “I don’t know about that, honey,” I finally said after weighing the dangers. “We could look for something on the ocean, down south, if you’d like?” I shrugged. “Or we could go southwest into Arizona or southern California.”

  She crossed her arms. “Just because I’m no longer a vampire, doesn’t mean I can’t hold my own. I want to go home, Damian. I want to go back to the city. It will be the last place he looks.”

  I laughed at her logic and she swung her legs out from under the covers. For the last five years we talked about where we wanted to go after Colorado and we could never agree then, so I don’t know why I thought now would be any different.

  She stood and stretched, the shirt lifting high enough for me to see her cute round butt cheeks and I closed my eyes, turning my head away and getting the sudden swell of lust under wraps.

  “New York is not an option. Pick somewhere else,” I said, swinging my gaze back to hers. “And remember, wherever we go, if the trip is longer than twelve hours, the ride is going to be interesting.”

  Her brow creased in that cute questioning way that got my blood going and I smiled.

  “We have to find a vehicle that has somewhere for me to go during the day if you want to keep driving. Or hotels that offer black-out shades.”

  Dimples appeared. “You mean I get to lock you in the trunk?”

  The playful cock of her brow brought forth the first genuine smile I’ve displayed in the last seven days and I chuckled.

  “If that’s what you want to do...” I stood, crossing the distance and towering over her.

  Her smile faded. “I can’t do what I want anymore,” she whispered and her hand moved to my chest. The fabric buffered my skin from the sting of her flesh and I stared down into her brown eyes, debating on just how painful a kiss would be.

  “So what did you eat last night?” she asked, stepping away and putting a damper on my desire.

  My gaze dropped to the floor before returning to hers. I knew she wouldn’t approve of my meal choice and instead of answering, I turned away, crossing out of the room. “I’m not sure what you want for breakfast...”

  “Damian?”

  I glanced back at her, leveling my best leave-it-alone stare.

  Her features transitioned into disappointment and my fists clenched against the denial poised on my lips. I turned away before the lie slipped between us.

  “You didn’t,” she said and the muscles in my back stiffened. She knew me as well as anyone and my reaction was a dead giveaway.

  “Yes, I did,” I said, my voice lowering into that feral quality that always scared her.

  “Jesus, Damian.”

  I turned, letting the frustration boil over. The anger loomed over the room and I crossed, grabbing her arms and pushing her against the wall, ignoring the scream of pain jolting up my arms from where my palms pressed against her skin.

  “I needed to kill something, Naomi,” I said through my clenched teeth. “Because if I didn’t find an outlet, I would have walked out into the daylight and let the sun reduce me to ash.”

  Her eyes widened.

  I pulled my hands away trying to hide the wince, but blisters on my palms flared an angry red. “This,” I held them up for her to see, “this is going to drive me insane.” I stepped back, my chest moving up and down with each frustrated inhale and exhale.

  The woman had no idea what being near her without the ability to touch her was doing to me and it had only been a week. I can only imagine the basket case I’m heading for after a month of this or what part of my sanity will be left after a year. Nothing in my twenty-five hundred years compared to this rawness scraping my nerves.

  “Lucifer knew damn well what he was doing when he sent Lilith on this mission. He knew this would drive me over the edge.” I took another step back distancing myself.

  Her lips thinned and her eyes narrowed.

  “And you don’t think this whole situation doesn’t piss me off too?” Her hands flew to her waist and she glared at me. “I want to skin that bastard alive,” she snarled, her growl very similar to that of the feral tiger form she used to transform into. “We are going to New York,” she added and this time, there was no negotiation in her glare.

  Chapter Six

  I stood in the shadows, at least a foot away from the edge of the sun streak on the floor. Naomi stood in the doorway with her face tilted into the sun and a blanket wrapped around her to try to ward off the frigid wind. My gaze kept scanning what I could of the opening for any sign of danger; although I had no idea what I would do if a demon showed up and grabbed her off the threshold.

  “Naomi?”

  She turned and smiled, the sheer joy in her expression dug into my stomach like a bullet.
/>   This was the closest to daylight I had been in years. Sure, I had seen the beginning of a sunrise before it hit the horizon, but that light was wrapped in a rainbow of colors. This whiteness beyond Naomi’s form actually stung my eyes and I squinted into it.

  My heart throbbed in my throat every second the door was open with Naomi in the full view of the brutal mountainside. She finally shivered and stepped inside, closed the door and engaged the locks. Naomi nearly skipped across the distance and stopped in front of me with that sparkle in her eyes that she used to get whenever I walked into a room.

  “As soon as the sun sets, we’ll head east.” I turned, escaping back to the depths of the cave I built. I sank onto the couch and leaned my head back on the headrest, running my hands through my hair.

  Naomi took a seat next to me and put her hand on my thigh, the heat of it filtered through my jeans and she looked at me. “Damian, we’ll figure this out.”

  I met her gaze. “How?”

  She shrugged. “We’ll find a way.”

  “Baby, what if there isn’t.” I had to know what was on her mind, even though deep down, I knew she would be my undoing one way or another.

  Her hand withdrew and she sighed, glancing around the room and then back at me. “I married you for better or worse. Till death do us part, remember?”

  I rolled my eyes and stood, crossing the room to the mural. I stared at the likeness of us on canvas, the painting that I created around the time Christ was born.

  “You’d stay married to a man who can’t be with you in the sun and kills for sport when the sun sets?” I said, skirting the real issue that was digging a hole in my stomach.

  “You do not kill for sport.”

  I raised an eyebrow in her direction.

  “You don’t, so don’t try to convince me otherwise.” Her no-bullshit tone made me smile. “So what exactly are you worried about?” she asked.

  I studied the patterns in the silk and then focused on the tiger in the snow, almost laughing at the hawk. Both animals carried the same amusement in their features, the same happiness—everything struck at once. We would never be those carefree creatures I painted.