Tiger Haven

by Ariel Marie

  “Wow, really?” she breathed as her eyes grew wide. “I would love to hear someday how you learned to track.”

  She was openly flirting with him now, and he was captivated by her flirtatious smile. Two could play that game.

  He leaned in close to her and lowered his voice. “Anytime you’re ready, I’d be willing to take you out so I can show you my many skills.”

  8

  “He wants you,” Malena announced as she climbed into her cot and fluffed her pillow.

  Charlee ignored her friend as she set the alarm clock. She shook her head, thinking of how early they were going to have to get up in the morning.

  Early bird gets the worm.

  Their first destination, where they would attempt to find a tiger, was over three hundred miles away. Weston seemed to be confident that he would be able to track the tigers down.

  Weston.

  Just the thought of him brought a warm and cuddly feeling into her chest and an ache to her core. She climbed into the sleeping bag that was placed on her cot.

  “He’s so out of my league,” Charlee sighed, staring up at the ceiling of the tent.

  “So what? He’s loaded,” Malena said, shutting off the lamp and casting them into darkness. “That’s a bonus. But his eyes don’t lie. He wanted to swallow you up whole.”

  Charlee giggled. That’s why she loved her best friend so. Being able to travel around the world as part of her career with Malena was a bonus. Nights spent in tents like this reminded Charlee of their undergraduate days in the dorm rooms.

  “You’re seeing things,” Charlee insisted. Her attempt at flirting with Weston totally backfired on her. She couldn’t help herself. Here she was, an accomplished professor with multiple renowned publications in the top journals, and one look from Weston made her realize that she was still a woman.

  A woman who wanted a man who was out of her league.

  “I’ll bet you he has a thing for sexy nerds,” Malena joked.

  “Nerd?” Charlee scoffed.

  “Yes, you’re a nerd. I hate to break it to you, but yes, you are definitely nerd material. A sexy one at that.”

  “I’ll take it and own it,” Charlee laughed. Malena’s giggle floated across the room. She missed their pretend slumber parties. Charlee sat up and stared off in the direction of Malena. “You really think I have a chance?”

  “You are far more better looking than those models and celebrities that he’s seen with in public. And you have a gorgeous brain to go along with it. He’ll be able to have an actual conversation with you, unlike those bimbos.”

  “Thanks, Malena,” Charlee groaned, throwing her arm over her face as her friend continued her pep talk.

  “But seriously, Charlee, if you like him, go after him.” Malena yawned, and Charlee could hear the rustle of blankets from the other side of the room. “I want you to be happy, and if that means you having an amazing fling on the other side of the world, then so be it. What have you got to lose?”

  Charlee became lost in her own thoughts as Malena became silent. Malena was right. What did she have to lose? She had a great career, savings, and a nice place to live. Why couldn’t she just toss caution to the wind and have a steamy love affair with a sexy man who just so happened to love tigers as much as she did?

  She rolled over onto her side as she began to drift off, with the images of Weston in the forefront of her mind. She pulled the covers over her shoulders and snuggled beneath the sleeping blanket, remembering his smile and the scent of him as he had leaned closer to her to whisper in her ear. A shiver snaked its way down her spine with the memory of his words in her ear.

  For once, Charlee would let loose and let go. She would take the chance and see what happened between the two of them. Who knew what it could morph into. Lust? Love? Steamy affair? Marriage? Charlee smiled as she drifted off to sleep. She couldn’t wait to see what the future held.

  His cat was finally free and loved the feel of the moon in the sky and the open ground beneath his paws. West and Luka had shifted to prowl the night to begin tracking where the natural tigers would be. Drago and a few of his men were searching another area of the park so that they could cover as much terrain as they could.

  In their tiger forms, they could cover more ground faster. Even in cat form, West was still in control of his animal. He had a close bond with it, and could trust his animal when it was in the forefront. The smells of the wild were a bit of a distraction for his cat, causing him to have to rein it in a few times. It wanted to go discover the new area, and chase after a small animal or two that they came across.

  Thanks to Drago’s research, they knew where most of the cameras where hidden on the grounds so that they could avoid them. They wouldn’t want the humans to catch sight of one of them in their shifted forms, confusing them with one of the tigers in the sanctuary. There was no difference between West’s tiger and a non-shifter tiger. Only shifters could tell the difference.

  He glanced over to his right to find Luka trotting next to him. With the number of Amur tigers dwindling, it was unlikely that they would just run into one tonight. But West wanted to look for trails of the tigers so that in the morning, he would be able to lead Charlee and the others in the right direction.

  His tiger let loose a low, drawn out growl at the mention of Charlee. His heart stuttered at just the thought of her attempt to flirt with him. He couldn’t resist laying it on thick with his reply. She was the kind of intelligent, sexy professor that young boys would have wet dreams about. The only thing she was missing was a set of large framed glasses. Add those, and she would be the epitome of a sexy nerd Goddess. Just what West loved in a woman—intelligence that dripped sex appeal. Just being around the sexy professor kept West in a state of sexual frustration.

  Luka’s chuff snagged West’s attention, causing him to slow to a stop. Luka’s tiger pawed something on the ground, underneath a thick bush. He looked up and nodded his head in the direction. West walked over to where Luka was and he too pawed and sniffed the ground.

  Tiger scent.

  They were on the correct path of a female tiger. The scent was a few days old. Once they had a general idea of a location of the female, then Charlee and her team could track her and tag her. West knew that it was imperative that they get the new microchips on the tigers. This would change the future and allow them to gather more in-depth data then they could with the older versions of ear tags.

  Luka led the way along a path between a thick brush of trees. They traveled for an hour in complete silence before finally slowing down. West’s ears perked up. The woods had become deathly silent. The hairs on the back of his neck rose and he slowed. Luka must have picked up on it too. His keen amber eyes turned to West, and West nodded his head to confirm that he noticed the shift in the forest.

  A yip in the distance caught their ears. It couldn’t be! West moved to the edge of the brush and peeked out. His eyes, with their perfect shifter sight, took in the female tiger coming out of her den, carved into the side of a steep hill, with a kitten in her mouth and two rolling around in the grass, pouncing on each other. Luka crept up next to West in awe. This was an amazing discovery. A tigress having birthed three cubs while living in the sanctuary was an accomplishment worth celebrating.

  West and Luka glanced at each other. A lazy tiger grin spread across Luka’s feline face, and West was sure one was plastered on his too, but those grins of excitement and happiness quickly went out the window at the next sound that echoed through the air.

  The slight cocking sound of a weapon.

  West glanced around and quickly saw the moonlight reflect off the barrel of a shotgun sticking out of the brush from the other side of the hill.

  He stepped from the brush and headed toward the humans that were hidden in the trees. Rage burned within his chest that these humans would try to kill the tigress, or worse, her cubs. Luka was right behind him as they moved toward the humans, not even hiding anymore. West would rather take a bu
llet meant for the female. As a shifter, his genetics would allow him to heal from a bullet. The female and her cubs would not.

  Voices could be heard muttering in another language. West finally caught sight of three human males. Shock was registered on their faces at the sight of two large Amur tigers stalking their way. Both West and Luka’s tigers were well over fourteen feet long, topping over seven hundred pounds.

  West’s cat was ready to tear the humans limb to limb. No one would know out here in the wild. Who would care? The men didn’t deserve to live for what they were about to do, and probably had done many times already. The lowly humans were one of the main reasons for the tiger population diminishing.

  The one human brought his gun up and aimed it at West. A familiar presence at his side signaled that Luka was next to him. West didn’t dare take his eyes off the humans, and he knew that Luka was ready to attack. Continuous growls resonated from Luka as he too waited to see what the humans would do.

  West flashed his massive fangs and let loose a roar as he planted his paws wide and stood his ground in the line of fire. If the human attempted to fire at the female tiger, he would certainly hit West first.

  A hiss from the far left announced the presence of another tiger, that appeared to be coming from around the edge of the hill. Two more tigers followed behind it.

  Drago and his men.

  Curses could be heard from the humans as the tigers made a stand against them. West released a hiss, again showing his fangs and displaying his alpha status. He was practically daring the humans to shoot. They would get off one or two good shots before being mauled to death by five pissed off tigers.

  The shifters made their intentions very clear. They would protect the tigress and her cubs to the death. The humans would not have enough bullets to stop all five tigers.

  Reality must have hit home for the humans as the sounds of them scurrying off into the woods filled the air. West released a loud roar that echoed off into the night. His cat begged to give chase, but he held it at bay. One swipe from his tiger’s massive paw would crush them. It was tempting, but West was satisfied that they got the point. Next time, he wouldn’t be so lenient.

  The tigress and cubs were safe for now. He turned his head and found her at the mouth of her den, cubs nowhere to be found. She must have pushed them into the den when she picked up on the danger. Her curious eyes looked around at the five tigers that had protected her and her cubs. West knew that this was a sight to behold, and rare. It was not often that tigers came together. They were shy in nature, and preferred a life of solitude.

  It was time to leave. They would need to be back at the campground before the humans realized they were missing. At first light, they would bring the humans here to tag the tigress and her cubs.

  9

  The steady sway of the vehicle on any other day would have lulled Charlee to sleep. But today was not just any day. Today, she was deep in Panthera National Park on the search for wild tigers. Just the thought of getting up close and personal with the tigers was enough to send her heart racing.

  Right now, though, her heart had another reason to almost jump from her chest. Weston was driving the off-road Land Rover that had been outfitted for such an excursion. She still didn’t know what the argument between him and Mr. Yakovich was about. She assumed it had something to do with the sanctuary, but whatever it had been, it was apparent that Weston had won.

  Even though her alarm went off way earlier than she would have liked, just knowing that she would be on a month-long journey in the wild with Weston had her dragging a grumbling Malena out of bed so that they would be on time. It wasn’t like she could get dressed up with makeup and heels out in the wild, so the only thing she could do to feel the least bit sexy was leave her hair down. Usually, her thick mess stayed in a bun for a whole trip, but the look in his eyes when they landed on her when they arrived at the trucks let her know she had made the right decision.

  Malena was having a light conversation with Dr. Skobo, from the Russian team, in the back seat. Their truck led the way, with the other Land Rover carrying members of another team behind them as Weston expertly navigated the rugged road.

  She glanced out the window, loving the view. The plush green lands were achingly beautiful. She rolled the window down and picked up her camera to catch a quick snapshot. She wanted to make sure that she had pictures to document every aspect of their trip. The view of the sun rising over the grassy plains was downright breathtaking. She was able to get some amazing shots, and she couldn’t wait until she got home so that she could get the photos developed.

  “It shouldn’t be too much longer before we reach our destination.” Weston’s voice broke through her thoughts. “If you want to sometime, I can show you where you can get some amazing shots.”

  “Really?” she asked, turning to him. He nodded his head as he kept his eyes on the narrow dirt road. “I thought the sanctuary didn’t allow humans in it?”

  “Well, when your family has donated millions to help fund such a place, you tend to get special treatment.” He chuckled as he glanced at her.

  “Oh!” she gasped, her mind focusing on his mention of his families donated millions.

  “I’m kidding,” he said at her reaction. “The closest we were allowed was by a helicopter flying above. I’ve flown a chopper over this national park many times, and have practically memorized every beautiful peak and valley of this place.”

  She barked out a nervous laugh at the thoughts of being out of her league with him. She shook her head and pushed the thoughts away. She may not know how to get an affair started, but she was a fast learner.

  “So tell me about yourself,” she asked him, wanting to make idle conversation. They had been in the truck for a couple of hours, and by the looks of the GPS, they should be arriving at their destination in less than an hour.

  “What do you want to know?” he asked, his lips tilted up in a devious smile.

  “Who’s running your business while you’re here?” She turned to him in her seat to secretly watch him. As if sensing her attention, he threw her a smile.

  “Well, there are a lot of people who work under me who are great at their jobs, and make mine even easier. I have a fantastic secretary who is holding down the fort and making sure that everyone is staying on task. What about you? Who’s teaching the world-renowned Dr. Charlee Black’s classes while she’s traipsing across the world?”

  “Well, I too have a kick ass secretary who has arranged coverage for all of my classes, and will run my office until I return.”

  “Ellen is amazing,” Malena chimed in from the back seat. “Charlee wouldn’t know how to put on her shoes without that woman.”

  “Good. Trusting people are hard to find,” West murmured with a nod. “What else do you want to know?” He turned his keen eyes toward her.

  She had a list of questions, but figured being packed in a car with two other people listening to their conversation was not the best time to really get to know him. So she decided to keep it easy.

  “I see you speak Russian. What other languages do you speak?” She smiled, glancing back and catching Malena’s eye, who in turn threw her a wink. Charlee rolled her eyes before turning back to Weston.

  “My parents were from Russia. I was born there, but was primarily raised in the States. But I’m also fluent in Spanish, Arabic, and Italian.”

  “It’s good to know that you’re fluent in many languages, Mr. Rogavac. But I still don’t understand why you’re on this trip? Everyone here are scientists, trying to ensure the survival of the Amur tigers. What do you get out of this trip?” Dr. Skobo asked from the back seat.

  The vehicle jerked to a sudden halt. Charlee would have sworn the temperature in the truck dropped a few degrees by the cold, hard glare that Weston sent the Russian scientist. Her breath caught in her throat at the balls of Dr. Skobo. She turned and met the shocked eyes of Malena.

  What the hell was that?

  “We’r
e here,” Weston announced dryly, jerking the gearshift into park.

  Charlee glanced around and found them to be literally in the middle of nowhere.

  Let the tracking begin.

  The group moved through the woods, following West and Luka as they led the way. Before leaving the trucks, West and Luka made sure that all of them had some sort of weapon on them. Even though they were in a national park, it was still considered the wild. He and Luka would be able to pick up on a threat due to their tigers, but he didn’t want to take a chance. Just in case the humans got separated, he wanted to make sure that they were prepared.

  West knew that they had to put on a front, as if they had never been there before. It would draw too many questions about how they knew where the tigress was.

  West cursed himself when he realized that he had made a mistake in the truck when he offered to take Charlee to a few spots to capture photographs. He couldn’t help the slip. He was captivated by the emotions that graced her face as she took her pictures. The wind blowing in the open window, moving her hair away from her face, displayed her features perfectly. It had him wishing that he had a camera to capture all her different expressions.

  He hadn’t actually lied about flying over the national park multiples time. He had. He truly came to know the park over the years by sneaking into it with Luka as their tigers. Not even the Russian officials knew, who were so set on keeping him from the park.

  The scientist questioning him about why he was there solidified his suspicions. Something was going on that they didn’t want the top investors to know about. But what?

  He stopped to bend down, pretending to study a track. It was the tigress’ paw print, but he had to play the part.

  “We’re headed in the right direction,” he said as he stood.

  “Wow, you’re good,” Charlee murmured, looking around the dense trees.

  “West is the best,” Luka chuckled, slapping him on the back. “He could find a needle in a haystack.”