by Rosanna Leo
Excitement made his green eyes sparkle. He pored through the faded photos, ruminating on each one. One particular shot, a close up of wild mushrooms growing on a log, caught his attention. “These are incredible. You have real talent. An instinct for capturing the play between light and darkness.”
“That’s me. Light and darkness, heavy on the darkness.”
He frowned at her comment. “It’s great you want to be a photographer. You should do it.”
“It’s not that simple.”
“No, Fleur, it won’t be simple, but that doesn’t mean it’s not achievable.”
The butterflies in her stomach made their presence known again, fluttering up against her rib cage. Why did Jani have to keep filling her with hope? She didn’t trust hope.
“Look,” he said. “I know you want to help your mother and we will. But let’s not forget you too, okay? You deserve a nice future. Nice clothes.” He cast a glance around the room. “A nice home.”
He smiled and placed her portfolio in her duffle bag. She should have known he wouldn’t let the photography idea go.
She swallowed the lump that materialized in her throat. “Most of your tiger friends have gone home to Budapest. Why haven’t you?”
“Anton is still here, helping Ryland. I am Anton’s advisor. Where my cousin and prince goes, I go.”
Which meant he’d eventually leave. Who’d fill her with hope then? She tried to imagine a world without Jani getting on her case but it seemed to be a sad, dark place. “And when Anton leaves?”
His swallow was audible. “Never mind that now. Are you done packing?”
She nodded, fighting a funk that damn near crippled her.
“Okay. Let’s see if we can dig up some dirt on your mother and her dealer.” He stood and winked. “Wear whatever you like.”
She forced her mouth to form a grin, even if she didn’t feel it anywhere else in her body. “I really do own a pair of assless chaps, you know. Black leather. Really soft.”
“A kurva életbe!” Jani paled and walked out of the apartment, muttering another string of what she assumed were Hungarian curse words.
She couldn’t help feeling a bit of pride over giving him a reason to curse. She liked thinking the image of her in those chaps inspired him to such vulgarity.
* * * *
The stench of week-old frying grease hit Fleur as she and Jani walked into the fifth dive bar that evening. Knowing how much he appreciated cleanliness, she glanced in his direction as he held open the door for her.
The tiger man’s lip curled as he surveyed the scene.
“Poor baby,” she said quietly. “We’ll check this place out and get you into a nice, sterile environment soon.”
He grunted but draped his arm around her shoulders, pulling her close. She sucked in a breath and reminded herself they were merely playacting. They’d decided to play the part of a couple hoping to score some drugs, all while discreetly making inquiries about Breckenridge’s whereabouts. So far, no one had bitten.
The only thing she’d scored from the evening was a heavy, sensual unease. Despite the obvious charade, every time Jani’s large arm rested on her shoulder, she resisted the urge to burrow in deeper. To turn her face to him and beg him to take her mouth in a ruthless kiss. The weight of his arm felt good on her shoulders, the kind of fulfilling heaviness a woman cherished when the perfect lover lay between her legs.
What’s wrong with you? she demanded of herself. She clearly had sex on the brain. Instead of gathering intelligence on Breckenridge and her mom, all she could think about was how Jani might feel on top of her. Or under her. Or slapping her ass, his mouth set in a feral grin. Or…
When she sighed in frustration, Jani mistook the exhalation as a sign of her fatigue. He steered her toward a booth and made her sit. “It’s been a long night. Let’s head back to Gemini Island after we finish here. You rest and I’ll get the drink orders in.” He grinned. “That is if your bladder hasn’t exploded yet. What would you like?”
They’d stopped drinking alcohol after the first bar, for the sake of keeping clear heads, but had indulged in several waters and Cokes. “Surprise me.”
He did so, but by dropping a kiss on her forehead. She held her breath as his lips grazed her skin, but then reminded herself it was all an act. Because that’s what a boyfriend would do, doofus.
Fleur couldn’t help admiring the way the sea of bodies parted to make way for Jani as he walked toward the bar. Even though the place was frequented by shape-shifters, Jani stood head and shoulders over many of them. As a species, tigers were impressive, but there was something about this tiger that inspired awe in others.
Perhaps it was his position at Anton’s court that helped him carry himself with such authority. Jani hadn’t told her much about what his work entailed. She got the sense much of it was secretive. Still, she often wondered.
His appearance must help in his work. Although she knew Jani to be a good soul, she also recognized how he put the fear of God in others. It wasn’t just his height and his muscles. With his buzzed sandy hair and faded scars on his face, he resembled a renegade soldier, the kind who got kicked out of the army for punching the general in the face. He also had some interesting chunks of skin missing from his ears. It wasn’t so noticeable when he was in human guise, but when he appeared as his tiger, the missing pieces were obvious. Even his tiger looked like a badass, like a tomcat who’d spent too much time brawling in alleys.
His flaws gave him an air of mangled majesty, and his looks appealed to her on a primal level. Jani Fodor was the sort of man who did what he thought was right and who wasn’t afraid to get his hands dirty.
How dirty would he get in bed?
“Ah, fuck,” she murmured, resting her face in her hands. “Stop it.”
Jani returned with two Cokes. She sat up and grabbed hers, sucking back the sweet liquid, downing half of it in one shot.
Her companion guffawed. “How can you still be thirsty?”
“Never mind.”
He settled himself in the booth next to her and once again put his arm around her. As he drew her close, his hip rested against hers. Her wolf commenced a ruckus in her gut, eager for even closer contact.
Jesus. Does he have to keep touching me? She knew they were acting as if they were an item, but he didn’t have to paw at her so much.
Jani leaned in, pretending to murmur sweet nothings in her ear. His hot breath landed on her ear, making her shiver in delight from head to toe. “See anyone you recognize?”
She dared a glance at him.
Gazing into her eyes as a lover might, he traced her ear with a finger, teasing her lobe. Under the low lights of the bar, his pale eyes appeared dark, almost black. If she allowed herself to swim in them long enough, she might actually be able to convince herself the heat she saw was real.
Fleur shook his hand away, unable to handle any more of his caresses. “Could you stop doing that?”
Jani pulled away, his face etched in concern. “I’m sorry. Did I take it too far?”
There he goes, getting worried for me again. “No. I just don’t like having my ears touched,” she lied. If he only knew his touches excited her more than anything ever had.
Gnawing on his lip, he faced forward and drank from his glass. Jani eyed the crowd. She sat silently next to him, facing the other patrons as well, looking for anyone who might run in Wilf’s circles. She recognized a couple of people she used to know from her youth on the mainland, but no one who’d lead to Wilf. After five bars, they’d yet to stumble upon any real reprobates. She sighed, hating to think the evening was a total wash.
Somehow understanding the meaning behind her sigh, Jani elbowed her gently. “Don’t worry. We’ll find them. I promise.”
Fleur nodded, unconvinced. They’d even checked the bar where she’d entertained the bikers the previous evening, but the place had been almost empty. Jani probably scared the riff
raff away with his show of fury.
“You don’t know anyone here at all?” he asked.
Fleur turned in another direction and three familiar smirks greeted her. The last time she’d seen those smirks, their owners had locked her in a school locker and left her there for hours. Clare, Angela, and Bonnie. The shape shifting women were her high school “mean girls,” the ones who’d called her names for years. A year older than Fleur, they’d delighted in torturing her whenever they found opportunity. She’d spent half her time in high school trying to avoid them, and the other half planning their slow, painful deaths. Fleur turned back to Jani as heat exploded onto her cheeks.
“Fleur?”
“I know a few people. I just don’t think they’ll be able to help.” She rolled her eyes toward the small cluster of women. The ringleader, Clare, sipped her apple martini and waved at Fleur. “I went to school with them.”
“They’re friends of yours? Why don’t you talk to them?”
Clare whispered something to Angela and Bonnie, and they shared a laugh.
Some things never changed.
“I wouldn’t call them ‘friends’,” Fleur replied. She never really had any of those until Jani showed up.
“But if you know them…”
“Jani, stop trying to force gal pals on me. Those women, they didn’t like me. They looked down on me.”
He sat up straight. “Did they hurt you?”
“No, not the way you think. Look, you need to put your avenging angel away. Just let it go.”
He squeezed his eyes shut and exhaled. “You’re right. I need to calm down. I’ve never been good at accepting injustices. I lived with them too long.”
She pounced on a possible snippet about his mysterious past. “What sorts of injustices?”
He glanced at her for a second, holding her gaze, clearly deciding how much to reveal. “Until a short time ago, Anton’s father, my uncle, was Grand Prince of our tribe of shape-shifters. He was a cruel man who thought nothing of beating his own children. He treated his subjects even worse. My uncle ruled with an iron fist and corruption was his middle name. I grew up learning how to look over my shoulder.” His eyes clouded with pain. “When Anton took over the tribe, peace was restored and I’ve worked very hard to make sure my cousin’s reign continues just as peacefully. Because of our family history, I’ve learned to act quickly when others are downtrodden and abused.”
He painted an interesting picture, and her heart went out to him and to Anton. However, something in the way Jani averted his eyes let her know he wasn’t telling her everything. There was something more behind his “Neanderthal” behavior. Jani might not appreciate seeing injustices, but he freaked out when he saw them aimed at women, in particular.
Why? Was there something in his romantic history that led him to become overprotective? A man like Jani had to have had lovers, probably many of them. Did he still pine for the woman who got away?
Fleur was about to ask for more detail, but Jani turned the conversation around.
“What about you?” he asked. “Why do you feel others looked down on you in high school?”
“Because they did.” She laughed. “When you’re trailer trash, people tend to treat you a certain way.”
“You’re not trailer trash.”
“I grew up in a trailer park with a trashy family. Do the math.” Why couldn’t this conversation be over already? Despite her need to end it, her wolf prodded her to speak, to let her feelings out for once. Compelled by her spirit animal, she couldn’t help but let the words tumble out. “I’m used to the dirty looks. Folks have been calling me trash since I was thirteen.”
“What happened when you were thirteen?”
“I, uh, had sex for the first time then.”
Although the bar was dark, she couldn’t miss the hardened lines around his mouth. “Someone took your virginity when you were thirteen? Was he older?”
Jesus, was he going to make her repeat it? She nodded, frustrated.
“Fleur,” he said, his voice rising. “That’s fucking statutory rape. Who the hell did it to you?”
She turned to him and put her hands on his shoulders. They were so tense, they might have been boulders. “Settle down, Jani. It was years ago and I’m over it. I never should have agreed to it. I made a bad decision.”
“You were a child. There’s no way you could have made the decision for yourself.”
“I get it, but there’s nothing I can do about it now.”
“Sure, there is. You can start by telling me his name.”
“Why? So you can play superhero for the downtrodden and abused?”
“I will not let this go. His name. Now.”
It wasn’t as if he’d ever meet the man in person. Maybe if she fed him a name he’d leave her alone. “Ricky Mason. Are you happy now? He was my boyfriend. Now calm down.”
“Boyfriend,” Jani muttered as he glared at the bar area, his left eye twitching. She had a feeling her tiger friend was processing the information, saving it for use at some other time. Well, he could daydream about knocking Ricky’s lights out all he wanted. Her ex probably didn’t even live in the area any longer. Last she’d heard, he’d shuffled off to Toronto. The big city was welcome to him.
She downed the remainder of her drink and elbowed Jani. “Come on, tiger. Wilf’s buddies aren’t here. We might as well call it a night.”
A veiny line of anger protruded along Jani’s temple. No doubt he was still thinking about tying Ricky to a rack and turning the crank. “Fine.” He gestured to the opening of the booth. “After you.”
Fleur’s wolf put its ears back when it realized it would have to pass Clare and her goons. In any other situation, Fleur would be more than happy to scrap with an enemy. However, remembering the treatment she received at the hands of those women made her pulse erratic. To say nothing of the fact she didn’t want Jani to hear any insults that might be hurled her way. That would only make him crankier. Her gaze slid toward the women. “Maybe we can go out the back door.”
Jani stood, his feet planted on the floor, and reached for her hand. “No. I will not usher you out the back door like a servant who must not be seen. Come with me, Fleur. Now.”
Yes, sir, her wolf replied, prancing in happiness.
Curious, Fleur obeyed. Jani walked her to the entrance. The malicious turns to the women’s smiles set her face aflame. However, they also spared more than a glance for Jani. They each gave him a slow once-over, their eyes wide with clear desire.
Never one to hold her tongue, Clare took the opportunity to comment. “Well, well. Fleur Bissette. It’s been so long. Tell me, how’s that drug addict mother of yours? Has she branched out into whoring yet?”
Jani’s mouth tightened and he stepped forward.
“Don’t bother, darlin’,” crowed Clare, stroking Jani’s arm. “She’s not worth it. If you want to flex those sexy tiger muscles, I can think of a better way to do it.”
Oh, no, you don’t, bitch. Infuriated to her core, Fleur wrenched Clare’s hand off Jani’s arm, even before he could react. “Unhand my man.”
Jani turned to her, his eyes lit with surprise.
“Your man?” Clare demanded. “As if you could keep a man.”
In for a penny, in for a pound, as they say. Might as well make this good. Fleur stood as tall and proud as possible, summoning her inner hellion. Nothing wrong with a little fib, was there? “You heard me. This sexy tiger is mine. I’m his Mistress, and he doesn’t respond to the likes of you.” She placed a finger under Jani’s chin and cooed, “Do you, my pet?”
Jani’s lips quivered as he fought a smile, but he retained his composure. He bowed his head and kissed her hand. “I live to serve you and you alone, my queen.”
Fleur held her breath. Thank God, he decided to play along.
“What is this?” Clare said, sputtering, gesturing at both of them. “Fifty Shades of Yuck?”
<
br /> “Hmm, let’s see,” said Fleur with a teasing pout. “I have a hunky tiger shifter male in his prime, devoted to my pleasure, and at my beck and call. It really does sound yucky, doesn’t it?”
Jani stood behind her and wrapped his arms around her waist, lowering his head to kiss her neck.
Fleur fought to stand, forcing her jelly knees to work, and continued the charade so she could leave her with head held high. “If I released you, Jani, my love, would you go with these women?”
Jani raised his head and uttered a derisive growl. “Never.” He turned her in his arms and pushed her gently up against the bar. Digging one hand into her hair, he kissed her long and hard, taking all her breath. Her wolf rejoiced, jumping madly inside her, desperate for deeper kisses. Desperate for Jani. Just as she gave into temptation, opening her mouth for his tongue, he pulled away.
Panting, she stood still, conscious of Clare’s gobsmacked face.
Jani cupped her face with both hands. “Fleur Bissette,” he said, his voice a deep caress. “You are the most incredible, most desirable woman I’ve ever known. I want nothing more than to spend my life treating you like the queen that you are. I am your willing slave. Let me worship at the altar of your body all night long.”
Well, he fell into that role easily enough.
“Uh, yeah. You betcha. I’m bored here.”
“Then let’s get out of this dump. It’s not worthy of you,” Jani said. He winked, swept her up into his arms, and carried her toward the door. “I hope you’re well-rested, Mistress, because I look forward to serving you into tomorrow.”
As they exited, Fleur smiled at her former tormentors. Each of their jaws had hit the floor. No matter what they thought of her in high school, any old feelings had been replaced by jealousy. They would, no doubt, spend the rest of the night trying to figure out how a woman like Fleur had managed to snag a gorgeous tiger submissive like Jani. Fleur was more than happy to let them wonder.
The bar door closed behind them and Jani put her down. He grinned. “Well, how was that, Mistress? Do I make a good slave?”
