“Speaking of the connection, I spoke with Robin this morning.” Ty paused, there was some commotion on the other end. “Shit, Henry’s on his way. Ten minutes conference room.”
“Wait—what about Robin? Is she okay?”
“She’s fine. I’ll explain everything when you get here. I’ve got to get Raja and the rest of the guards.” Without another word, Ty hung up.
What had happened when he claimed his mate? Did it make things worse for Robin? She experienced the pain of the mating desire, did she experience the mating as Harmony did?
Standing in front of the vanity, Harmony wiped the steam from the mirror to try to do something with the mass of red curls before Felix forced her to leave. Not recognizing the reflection, she did a double take. All her life she had been pale with freckles and ruby red hair making her appear even more, but now her cheeks were rosy and full of color. There was now an impression of Felix’s teeth on her shoulder where he broke the skin, claiming her.
“Wow!” She dragged her fingers through her curls, getting them out of her face so she could see it better. She couldn’t believe the sudden changes in her appearance.
“Harmony, we should be going.” Felix called from the doorway.
“Just give me another minute.” She took a deep breath, pushing Felix’s emotions away. His pain was tearing her insides apart and stealing her breath. Felix was being torn in different directions, and though he tried to hide it, it was eating at him. Leaning forward toward the mirror to add a little lip-gloss, she couldn’t help but speculate that killing Henry himself would kill a part of her mate, no matter what he said. Would he still be the man she had come to trust and love over the last few weeks?
“Harmony.”
“I’m coming.” Did that man not have a patient bone in his body? A woman couldn’t just jump out of the shower and into clothes. There was more than that to getting ready for a woman. She scrunched her curls one last time and looked over her appearance again. Her wardrobe was limited, so the jeans and pink tank top would have to work. On the way out the door, she’d grab her black sweater to keep the chill of the Alaskan air at bay.
Stepping out of the bathroom, she found Felix leaning against the doorway, looking impatient as he read something on his phone. “I’m ready.”
He looked up from his phone, taking her in before letting out a deep breath through his teeth. “You look almost as good in clothes as you do naked beneath me. Looking at you there makes me think of the fun I could have stripping those clothes from your body with my teeth.”
“We don’t have time for that now.” She grabbed her black sweater from the back of the chair and slipped into it.
“I could make time for it.” He pushed off the wall and stalked toward her, desire seeping off him. “Right now I want nothing more than to forget about my duties even for an hour and toss you back on the bed and have my way with you.” He was close enough to her now that she felt his warm breath against her face.
She laid her hand against his chest, feeling the contours under her fingertips. “Tonight. Right now the clan needs you, but there will be time for just us soon.”
“Do you know something I don’t?” He raised an eyebrow at her, as if to ask if she was planning something.
“Is it wrong for me to take some of your faith and believe things will work out?”
“You’re not planning anything stupid, like leaving the compound without any support, are you? Because I’ll have you locked in my room with guards watching your every move if you’re even considering it.” He slid his arms around her waist, pulling her close against his chest. “You mean too much to me for me to risk you.”
“I have nothing planned, only to have your body next to me every night and to feel your shaft buried deep within me until I’m so sore I can’t walk straight.” She slipped the hand that was between them away, sliding it up his chest to rub the whiskers on his chin. “Now come on, we can’t keep your Alpha waiting.”
“You’re right, but later you’re mine.” With his arm around her waist, he led her to the door.
As they stepped outside, the cool air gushed past her, chilling her to the core and freezing her wet hair in tiny ringlets. The tigress within her enjoyed the cold and even the snow, but her human form didn’t have the same tolerance for the abrasive chill in the air. She tugged the sweater tighter around her as Felix pulled her closer to his body.
“Ty mentioned there’s a change in Robin’s connection to you. Have you noticed anything different?” he asked, leading her down the walkway toward the main building where they would meet the team.
She took a moment to think about it before answering, but nothing felt any different. “Nothing, but I’ve never been able to feel her emotions or anything. Only she suffered from my connection. I didn’t realize what I did when I reached out to her. There was just something about her that made me believe I could trust her. I wanted to trust someone, so I reached out to her. I never meant to saddle her with my mess.”
“Okay, we’ll find out what he meant shortly.” He opened the door, allowing her to enter the building before slipping his arm back around her waist.
“Felix,” a deep, husky voice called.
Muscles tensed with alarm as a man stalked toward them. His short brown hair cut close to his head left his face in clear view. His eyes warned anyone who saw them he was dangerous. She could smell he was mated, but it took her a moment to realize the female scent that mixed along his skin was Robin’s scent. She knew Robin was mated, but she had never met him.
“It’s okay, love, Adam Merks is my partner.” Felix’s hand ran up her back, soothing her before turning his attention back to Adam. “What’s happening?”
Adam stopped in front of them, one hand in his pocket while his gun hand hung loose in case he had to go for his weapon. “Ty has asked we accompany him and Raja to pay a visit to Daisy. Robin, Tabitha, and Bethany are in the conference room already. If Harmony would like to join them, we can get this issue put to rest before the meeting. We’re waiting for Connor to finish a search anyways.”
Feeling the conflict in Felix, she looked at him. “Go. I don’t need a babysitter. I told you I won’t do anything stupid.”
Ty stepped out of the conference room. “The women are waiting for her. I’ve left all the other guards with them.”
“Stay with them.” Felix looked directly into her eyes. “I’ll be back as soon as I can.” He walked her to the door, glancing around to see who was on guard.
“Stop worrying. Go do what you need to.” She gave him a gentle kiss before heading to join Robin, Tabitha, and Bethany gathered around the table. She was eager to find out what changes Robin has experienced with the connection.
“Harmony,” Robin called to her, nodding to the chair next to her. “Have you heard the news?”
“What news?” She strolled around the table and took the seat next to Robin. She felt Felix leave, his dread like a pit in her stomach. “Felix said there was a change with the connection—is that what you’re talking about?”
“Yeah. We’re still connected, and I feel you, actually stronger now that you’re in the same room, but things are different. It’s no longer as overpowering as it was before. The connection is no longer tearing me apart. I’m not sure if you’ve slept yet, but if so, I no longer share your nightmares.” The relief was clear as a tiger’s claw cutting through skin.
“But how?” Harmony leaned back against the stiff leather of the chair, watching Robin closely. The dark shadows no longer hung under her eyes.
“Ty believes mating Felix has helped take the pressure from Robin, making things more bearable for her.” Styx announced, coming to stand next to Shadow across from the women.
Harmony released a relieved sigh, happy she was no longer screwing up Robin’s life with her own turmoil. “Then I don’t have to commit to Ty to make things easier for you. We don’t have to worry about the issues it might cause.”
“You’re not go
ing to commit to the clan even though you’ve mated with one of the Elder’s guards?” Tabitha’s voice held a note of surprise and concern.
Shit. How was she going to get out of this without sounding ungrateful? She should have watched her mouth around Tabitha, the Alpha Female and Ty’s mate. “It’s not that…I had a bad experience with my last Alpha. To commit myself to anyone might be asking too much of me.”
“But you committed to Robin and to Felix. Through them you should be able to feel we’re nothing like the one you had experience with.” Tabitha eyed her with suspicion.
“I’ve thought about it, and I know it would make things easier for everyone involved, especially with my mating with Felix. I’m just not sure I can do it.” Harmony ran her hand through her curls. “I’m torn. I don’t want to be alone, but to commit myself to a clan and put myself back in the position I was in before is terrifying.”
“So you expect to live here with Felix, know our secrets, and yet not have any commitments to us?” Tabitha leaned forward, her gaze on Harmony.
“I didn’t.”
Tabitha held up her hand cutting Harmony off. “As Felix’s mate you’d be entitled to attend the Elder meetings, know information concerning threats, upcoming missions, and more that I don’t even want to think about at the moment. You’d be a security threat within the walls. We can’t have that. I won’t risk our people.”
Tabitha’s words brought home the fact she was still in the same spot she was before. If she didn’t commit to Ty and the clan, then she’d have issues. She wouldn’t be able to help Connor with his search, and her computer hacker skills could come in handy for the clan. Was she willing to risk all to help them just because she was mated to Felix? Or was she content to sit on the sidelines and let them handle everything?
Chapter Eleven
Felix hated being separated from his mate, but this was his job. If Ty asked something of him, he’d do it. The clan meant everything to him, and mating didn’t change that. Was he a better guard before his mating? How much was it going to reflect in him protecting Tabitha, and occasionally Ty?
When Adam first mated Robin, his attention was divided, part of that was because Robin was suffering from a panic attack from her time on the run from Pierce. As Robin began to trust Adam and the clan, he was able to return to his duties with no issues. Right now Felix could feel his attention divided between his duties to the clan and his need to be with his mate. He only prayed it was short term.
“What’s the issue with Daisy?” Felix asked as he led Ty and Raja toward Daisy’s cabin on the far side of the grounds. Adam brought up the rear, keeping the Elders between them. It didn’t matter they were on the compound, they had implemented strong guidelines when guarding one of the Elders and their mates. The guards had to think of everyone as a threat to keep them safe.
“We found her father.” There was a touch of hardness to Ty’s voice, hinting to Felix whatever news they were about to deliver to Daisy wasn’t good.
Questions died on Felix’s tongue as they stepped in front of Daisy’s cabin. He raised his hand to knock on the door, barging in on her would only frighten her, not to mention how rude it would be. As a prisoner of Pierce for months, she had been through too much, including Pierce trying to produce an heir with her. They set Daisy up in one of the small guest cabins for privacy so she could adjust to her freedom.
The door swung open, and Daisy stood there glaring at them, completely covered by a turtleneck sweater and jeans, which hid her scars. Her red hair flowed around her while her gaze let them know she was not happy being disturbed. “What?” The lemony scent of her drifted to them, potent enough that Felix could almost taste it.
“May we come in?” Ty asked, stepping forward. As the Alpha of the clan, he had the right to enter any part of the compound without permission, but he gave her the illusion of an option to make her more at ease.
She stepped aside and allowed the four men to enter her small cabin. It was all one room but was spacious enough that it didn’t feel cramped. The small kitchenette was to the right of the doorway with the living area and bedroom space taking up the back portion. The television was on, but Felix knew from Adam’s comments when they returned that she kept it on only for the noise because the silence reminded her of her captivity. Other than that, the only place in the cabin that looked lived-in was the bed. The blankets were twisted up, and Felix suspected it was most likely from tossing and turning with nightmares.
As they entered, she scurried away, trying to keep as much distance between her and them. “I didn’t do it—I haven’t even left the cabin.”
“We’re not here because of anything you might have done. Why don’t we have a seat?” Ty nodded toward the small living section.
Shaking her head ‘no’, she finally met Ty’s gaze. “Please just tell me why you’re here.”
“We found your father.” Ty leaned against the kitchenette counter. Raja stood next to him while Felix and Adam stood on each side, with Adam a little closer to the door to make sure no one else entered.
“My father.” Relief flooded her voice, and her shoulders relaxed. This was her way out of Alaska and away from other tigers. She didn’t trust anyone, and being here surrounded by people was more than she wanted. Instead she hid away in the cabin, seeing no one. “Where is he? Is he okay?”
Ty took a step forward, but she backed away. “I’m sorry.”
“No! It can’t be.” Her legs struggled to hold her before finally giving away, and she collapsed onto the floor.
Felix watched her with interest. She looked so much like his mate, the same fiery red hair, the broken spirit. The resemblance was uncanny. He couldn’t help thinking they could have been sisters, but he knew that Harmony’s parents were dead. As far as she knew, there was no other family, except him now that they were mated.
“Connor found the records this morning. He was killed nearly six months ago.” Ty’s voice was soft and full of compassion. From years of working with Ty, Felix had learned this was one of the duties of the Alpha that Ty detested.
“How?” Tears welled in her eyes, but none fell. Daisy held her emotions close to the vest. It’s what kept her alive with Pierce and what helped her from losing her mind during the days locked in a small crawl space, waiting for Pierce to decide it was time to use or torture her.
Ty shook his head. “You don’t need the details.”
“Pierce said he went looking for me at my father’s. He said he didn’t harm him. Why?”
Felix wasn’t surprised Pierce lied to her—after all, he was a rogue. One who killed many times before Ty, Adam, and the rest of the team eliminated him. “Why was he looking for you?”
“His partner Victor did some work with my father. One time, not long after Dad and I left the clan for his work, Victor was visiting—something to do with the project Dad was working on. Pierce came with him. We didn’t know it was Pierce then or Dad would have contacted you. We knew you were hunting him. Victor introduced him as J.J.”
J.J.? As in Bethany’s rogue cousin who transformed Pierce into a rogue? Felix looked at Ty, who shook his head. This was not something that should be mentioned in front of an outsider, but Ty caught the same thing.
Squeezing her eyes shut, she took a deep breath. “Did Pierce kill him?”
“What we found leads us to believe he did.” Ty nodded. “You’re welcome to stay here as long as you wish or to move on to another clan if you desire.”
“Thank you.”
With nothing more to say, they moved to the door, leaving Daisy alone with her grief. When they were far enough away from Daisy’s cabin, they stopped for a chance to touch base on what happened without anyone overhearing them before they made it back to the conference room.
“Why would he pretend to be J.J.?” Adam looked at Ty as if hoping he had the answer.
Ty shook his head, sending his shoulder-length hair flying in the wind. “I don’t know, but we’ll find out. He wouldn’t
have wanted to tell him his name because he had to realize they would know who he was—but to say he was J.J. seems unusual even for him.”
Felix’s brain was working overtime trying to come up with something that made sense. “When J.J. transformed him, do you think a part of him transferred to Pierce?”
Ty raised a questioning eyebrow at him. “Why would you ask that?”
“I can’t explain it, but I think Daisy and Harmony are related. Besides the fact they look so much alike, there’s something about Daisy that reminds me of my mate. Harmony met Bethany’s Uncle James and J.J. years ago when J.J. was only a boy. Maybe part of that stayed with him. If a portion of J.J. transferred over to Pierce with the bite, it would explain why Pierce had such interest in Daisy, because she reminded him of someone from the past,” Felix explained, hoping it was making sense because his thoughts were all over the place on it. To him it seemed logical but explaining it was more difficult than he thought.
“It’s possible. After the conference, I’ll speak with Doc to see if he thinks it could happen. For a shifter to bite someone is rare, so we have very little data on actual weres.” Ty tugged his hair back into a leather strap to keep it out of his face.
“Are you sure they’re related?” Raja inquired.
Knowing what he recognized, he nodded. “Doc could do a DNA test, but I feel something there. It feels like a family connection, but not one they recognize yet.”
“Very well. Find out if Harmony has any idea if she’s related to Daisy. We’ll have Doc do the DNA test if she doesn’t.” Ty shoved his hands into the pockets of his jeans. “Let’s get back to the women and make some decisions on Henry.”
Felix turned to continue back to the conference room, and his thoughts turned back to Harmony. How would she feel about a possible cousin? Daisy was a security threat to the clan with no loyalties to anyone. He couldn’t trust his mate alone with her, even if they were related.
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