by Ariel Marie
“And kill them,” West growled, his eyes narrowed on the pictures. His tiger pawed at his abdomen, demanding to be let out so he could go exact his revenge on the poachers.
A rumble of answering growls filled the air of the car as West handed the photos back to Drago.
“We’ll take care of this,” Luka stated. “We’ll ensure that Dr. Black’s team is not interrupted.”
“I need to speak with her,” West announced abruptly, standing from his seat. He didn’t wait for an answer as he opened the door to their private car and stepped out into the aisle. He shut the door and took a deep breath. He walked down the hallway and found a stewardess preparing drinks and snacks for the passengers.
“Excuse me, miss,” West said, gaining her attention. She jumped slightly before turning around with a large smile.
“Yes, Mr. Rogavac?” The name badge on her uniform read Darla.
“Darla, can you tell me which car Dr. Black’s team is located in?” he asked.
“Of course,” she answered in her thick Russian accent. “The research team is located in the car directly behind this one.” She pointed down the short hallway to the door that led to the next car.
“Thank you.” He nodded and headed toward the door. His heart raced with just the thought of seeing Charlee again. His tiger quieted quickly with the realization.
The sounds of the train whistle filled the air as he opened the door to the next passenger car. The lights flickered as he opened the door and stepped inside. The hairs on the back of his neck rose as the sounds of shouting echoed above.
The train was specially protected by the government, and guards were posted throughout the train, as well as on top. His attention was drawn to the sounds of a door opening. One of the men that was with Dr. Black last night stepped out with a concerned look.
“Should we be worried?” he asked West, looking up and down the empty aisle.
“I’m not sure,” West replied. He pulled his phone from his pocket and sent a quick text to Drago to check it out. “I’m sure it’s fine. The conductor would notify us if there was a problem.”
That seemed to settle the man slightly. West’s tiger huffed, unsure of the relationship between the man and Dr. Black. For some strange reason, he didn’t like the thought of her in a relationship with this human male.
“I’m looking for Dr. Black,” West said as he walked down the hallway. The man narrowed his eyes on West as he came to a halt in front of him.
“And what do you want with Dr. Black?” he asked cautiously.
“I’m West Rogavac.” West introduced himself to the man with his hand outstretched. By the looks the man was giving him, he wouldn’t just give out where she was located. West could respect that.
“I know who you are, Mr. Rogavac,” he replied, giving West a firm handshake. West smirked on the inside as the human tried to size him up. West stood at least five inches taller, and had at least seventy pounds of muscle on him. “I’m Dr. Jim York. I’m an acquaintance of Charlee’s. She’s in this car with us.”
Interesting.
Dr. York had a thing for Charlee Black.
West felt a large grin spread across his face at the thought that this poor excuse of a human male had been pining after Charlee Black and she didn’t even know it.
“Is everything okay out here?” a soft voice asked as the door to the private cabin opened.
West’s heart began to pound as his eyes connected with Charlee’s. Her dark hair was pulled into a messy bun on top of her head. She wore a short sleeve T-shirt with her university’s name spread across her ample chest, and jeans that fit her like a glove. His eyes reached her feet and found perfect toes peeking out of a pair of flat leather sandals.
“Mr. Rogavac,” she gasped, her eyes widening. She looked just like one of the college kids that she taught.
“Please, call me West,” he said as she stepped out into the hall. His tiger stood at attention at the smile that lit up her face. Her eyes twinkled as she glanced at him.
“Well, if that’s the case, you can call me Charlee. Please, come in and join us,” she said, inviting him into the cabin.
West tried not to smirk as he glanced at Jim as he stepped past him.
Who was he kidding?
He threw a wink at the human male and entered the cabin behind Charlee.
“So, tell me about SPAT,” Charlee asked.
West settled into his chair beside her, ignoring the angry scowl from Jim. He had to push down the cat inside of him. If he didn’t know any better, he would swear his tiger wanted to purr. It was craving the feel of Charlee’s hand, as if it wanted her to pet its head, or scratch behind its ears.
Down boy, he murmured to his tiger.
“I hadn’t heard of your organization before this trip. Why the mystery?” she asked, her wide eyes focused on him.
“Well, it’s an organization that is dear to my heart. We’re not an organization that needs to be in the spotlight. We prefer to be behind the scenes so that people like yourself can be in the forefront.” West glanced to the two people who sat across from him and Charlee. She had introduced Malena and Alf to him when they had entered the cabin.
“Well, that’s very honorable of you,” Malena noted.
“It’s the right thing to do. My family has money and we have always given back. But being able to support researchers such as yourselves in preventing animals from being extinct is important to the world.”
“Why tigers?” Alf asked.
West chuckled, knowing that he couldn’t expand on his true interest in tigers. Humans were ignorant to the existence of shifters, and were not ready to learn of them yet. For centuries, it had been agreed that the humans would be kept in the dark on that fact.
“The tiger is considered king of all beasts. They represent power, strength, and wisdom. It’s been the symbolic representation of my family for centuries,” West said, fingering his family crest ring that was given to him by his father. Pride surged within his chest as he thought of one day passing this same ring down to his future son.
“Wow,” Charlee breathed. “That was beautiful. The ring on your finger…is that a family crest?”
“Yes, it is.” He held out his hand and his breath caught in this throat as her soft, small hand enclosed his. Her scent floated in the air, and his tiger pawed at his chest, aching to get to her.
“This is beautiful.” She smiled as her eyes met his. “Look at this ring. It’s almost like we’re sitting amongst royalty,” she joked as Malena and Alf both leaned forward to study his ring.
She wasn’t too far off. In the shifter world, he was royalty.
“That’s pretty cool, Mr. Rogavac,” Alf said, sitting back in his chair.
“Thanks. This ring has been passed down through my family for centuries. One day, I hope to pass it down to my future son,” he said, taking his hand back.
“So, is there a Mrs. Rogavac?” Malena asked with a twinkle in her eye, sending Charlee into a coughing fit.
“Yes, there is,” he answered with a chuckle. “Do you need some water?” he asked Charlee, but she waved him off.
“No, I’m fine.” Charlee coughed again before regaining her composure. “What does your wife think of you flying halfway around the world to help save the tigers?”
“I’m not married.” He shook his head, having fun with Charlee. He could tell instantly that he liked her friend Malena. “My mother, Mrs. Rogavac, loves that her son is donating his time to help save the tigers.”
5
If she didn’t love her best friend so much, she would kill her. Charlee stared daggers at Malena, but her friend just smiled at her, sitting there like the cat that ate the canary. Last night, after the meeting at the small hotel desk, Malena had droned on and on about Charlee needing to end her drought.
She should have never admitted to her best friend that it had been a few years since her last sexual encounter with a man. Yes, she had been on dates, but none of them ha
d been worthy enough for Charlee to take the plunge into doing the wild mambo with any of them.
“Your mother sounds like a wonderful woman,” Charlee murmured, afraid to even look him in the eyes. Her cheeks burned from embarrassment. At the mention of a wife, Charlee’s throat constricted. Here she was, practically drooling over the man without even thinking he could be married.
“She is.” His slight chuckle caused her to turn to him. The kindness in his eyes made her relax a little. “Tell me, Dr. Black—”
“Please, call me Charlee,” she interrupted.
“Charlee. Since you seem to have a passion for the Amur tigers, what is your favorite thing about them?” he asked, leaning closer to her, his intense eyes locked on hers.
Her mind raced. This was her life’s work. She could go on for hours and lecture about her favorite animal in the world. But the one answer that came to mind, she was sure he would understand. She glanced back at him, and something flashed in his odd colored eyes. For a brief second, she would have sworn they were the same as her beloved tiger.
“Well, that’s an easy question. I love the grace and power that they display. When I was a child, my parents would take me to the local zoo where I first caught a glimpse of a live tiger. Her name was Seba. I swear, one look from her and I would have sworn she looked into my soul. I felt a connection, as if she were my spirit animal.”
The conversations in the car drew quiet at her revelation. She looked around and found herself to be the center of attention.
“Wow, Charlee. Even I didn’t know that,” Malena responded with wide eyes.
“That’s cool, Dr. Black,” Alf said, his face filled with awe.
“I agree,” West murmured, his intense eyes focused on her.
There it was again.
His eyes did that funny thing again where she would have sworn she was looking at the eyes of a tiger.
“Well, you asked—”
The screeching sound of the train’s brakes filled the air as the car jerked. Bags and other items flew through the air, crashing to the floor. Charlee’s body flew forward, but a strong arm kept her in place while the train fought to stop. She gripped the muscular arm as her back slammed into the seat as the train came to a halt. She fought to breathe, trying to catch her breath from having the wind knocked out of her.
“Is everyone all right,” West called out to everyone in the car. Murmurs filled the air. Charlee had yet to let go of West’s arm. She was shocked that the train had stopped the way it did.
“What’s going on?” she asked, holding his arm tighter to her chest.
“I don’t know,” he murmured. “But if you let go of my arm, I’ll go see what I can find out.”
She jerked her head in a nod and let go. She tucked her hair behind her ear and watched him get up and check on Jim and Alton from their position in the car before stepping over to the door. Her heart pounded in her chest as the shouting again echoed above them.
“Are you okay?” Charlee asked Malena, who was sliding back into her chair. She and Alf had been thrown to the floor.
“Yes, just a little shaken up,” Malena answered, looking around. “What the hell is going on?”
“I don’t know,” Charlee murmured. Her body jerked at the sound of short pops filling the air.
“Were those gun shots?” Alf gasped, moving toward the car window.
“Get away from the window!” West snapped. He grabbed Alf and threw him to the floor, just as a bullet pierced the window. Screams filled the air as the glass shattered. “On the floor!”
Charlee let loose a scream as more gunfire filled the air around the stopped train. She sat frozen, unable to believe that this type of violence was occurring on what should be a peaceful trip. Her body was pulled away from the window against a hard body and thrown to the floor.
West.
She sent up a quick prayer that this was just be a nightmare, that she would wake up and find that she had dozed off on the train. But the curses and yelling let her know that this was most certainly not a dream.
Not even a nightmare.
Time seemed to stand still as silence filled the air. The only thing that Charlee could hear now was the sound of her heart pounding away. Her breaths came fast and hard as she laid there. She tried to shift her body, but the solid wall of muscle protecting her prevented movement. She jumped slightly at the sound of cell phone ringing.
“Yeah,” West said into his phone, shifting his body. His warm breath blew across the back of her neck.
She rolled her eyes as her breasts pebbled from the feel of his muscular body pressed against hers. This was not the time for her body to decide to wake up, just because a sexy as sin man with the body of a God was lying on top of her.
People were shooting for Christ’s sake!
Calm down, girl, she begged her traitorous body.
“Everyone okay?” he called out. Murmurs filled the air as everyone answered. “Charlee?”
“I’m good,” she said as he shifted off her. She instantly missed his warmth, and his hardness pressed up against her. Maybe Malena was on to something. She could have lost her life just minutes before and here she was, turned on by the man who just literally covered her body with his to protect her.
Yup! Unfortunately, her friend was right. She needed to get laid.
West’s tiger paced beneath his skin, demanding to be set free. The attack on the train was planned, and this news didn’t sit well with him or his tiger. According to Drago, the attackers were trying to get to the Americans. The words weren’t said aloud, but his gut told him that those men were after Charlee and her team.
“Poachers,” West said as he stood with Drago outside of the train, watching the passengers exit the cars. The security team on the train had fought back and defended the train well. The attackers were driven off, and there were no reports of any injuries. “This group was bold. We’re going to have to beef up our efforts to make sure that Dr. Black and her team are able to complete their assignment.”
“Agreed.” Drago nodded, looking around. “Preserving the tigers would cost the fuckers a lot of money.”
“It was a good thing you went to their car. There’s no telling what would have happened,” Luka noted, crossing his arms against his chest.
“Tell me about it,” West muttered, thinking of how he had to grab Charlee’s student from the window.
The kid easily could have taken a bullet to the chest. His eyes casually perused the landing deck of the train, then landed on Charlee as she exited. Memories of her soft curvy body underneath him, and the faint smell of her arousal caused his tiger to just about go crazy.
Her and the members of her team had been shaken up. The stewardess and security had come and ensured that everyone was okay before moving them to a car that had not received any damages from the attack. The rest of the train ride to their final destination was in an uncomfortable silence.
He watched as her and her team moved inside of the train station.
“I take it by the way you’re staring after the good doctor that we’ll be keeping a close eye on her?” Luka nodded in Charlee’s direction.
“Yes, we are,” he murmured, picking up his bag from the ground. His feet began moving in the direction of the entrance Charlee had disappeared into.
He could feel Drago and Luka follow behind him as they stalked into the building and through the terminal. He caught a glimpse of Charlee as she disappeared through the front door. They quickly exited the building and found Charlee talking with a gentleman by the curb. He came to an abrupt halt as he saw the two dark sedans that waited for them. The student and other professor loaded their bags into the trunks of the cars. Good. The Russian government had sent transportation for them. At least she would not be relying on public transportation to get them to their destination.
“Are we going to follow them?” Drago asked from his left.
“No, I believe we’ll be at the same meeting with the Russian official
s tomorrow at the sanctuary,” West said as he watched them all disappear into the waiting vehicles. He didn’t turn back to his men until the cars were safely on the road. His tiger wanted to know that she was secured inside her vehicle. Another black sedan pulled up along the curb of the street.
“That’s us,” Drago said, motioning for them to follow him to the car. West’s eyes were drawn down the road to the two sedans that were barely noticeable. His tiger huffed at the thought that Charlee was no longer near them.
Soon, he murmured to his tiger in an attempt to calm him down. We’ll see her again, very soon.
6
“It’s gorgeous, isn’t it?” Charlee murmured to Malena as they both stood starstruck by the beauty of the lush surroundings.
“Yes, it is,” Malena whispered.
Together they stood on the open balcony of the building that was the entranceway to the sanctuary. From where they stood, leaning against the stone banisters, they could see for miles the beautiful landscape. It was the perfect backdrop, showcasing the undisturbed nature.
Today, before leaving to go into the tiger’s natural habitat, they would convene with the Russian officials and the teams that were brought in for this study. The meeting would be starting in a few minutes.
Charlee sighed, not wanting to leave her spot on the balcony.
“Let’s go,” Charlee said, tapping her friend on the shoulder.
“Do we really have to?” Malena whined. “I could stay here all day and watch nature.”
“It’s a magnificent sight, isn’t it, Dr. Black?” a heavily Russian accented voice greeted them as they walked back to the boardroom.
Charlee was certainly impressed. How could anyone get any meetings done with a view like that? The large boardroom, with one complete wall made of impeccable glass windows displaying the beautiful scenery, housed a magnificent oak table in the center with sturdy leather chairs surrounding it. On each end of the room, large plasma televisions were mounted on the walls.
“It is, Mr. Yakovich.” Charlee smiled as she stopped in front of Tryndin Yakovich, the Russian government official that would be leading the meeting this morning.
