The Tiger's Heart

by Marissa Dobson

  The fear was clear in her eyes as tears rolled down her cheeks. God help me. He’s going to kill me. Mom, I should have listened to you. If I get out of this, I’ll never doubt you again.

  He placed the steel bar to her neck. “I could push this against your throat until you couldn’t breathe. Your death would bring you peace. That’s what you want, isn’t it?”

  “I don’t want to die,” she whispered.

  “You’ll be begging for death before long.” He raised the bar from her neck. Moving off her, he raised the bar above his head.

  Her body screamed for her to move, to get out of the way before he used the bar to beat her head in. She couldn’t move, was frozen in place. He slammed the steel bar down on her knee, causing her to scream out as stars filled her eyes. The pain stole her breath and made her stomach roll with nausea.

  He slapped her hard across the face. “Don’t think I’m going to let you pass out from the pain. That would be getting off easy. I enjoy the smell of your pain.” He leaned close, breathing in her scent. “Oh, there will be a lot more pain in your future,” the lust apparent in his voice.

  Tears flowed freely down her face, her body shook from fear and pain, as she silently begged for her life.

  * * *

  Raja moved into position, able to see into the cabin’s window as the pipe slammed onto her knee. He had to stifle a roar or let the captor know he had company. A surprise attack would be the only way to get Bethany out alive.

  There was no time to call Ty, as he promised. He unclipped his cell from his belt and sent a text message to him.

  One man with her. I’m going in. No time for backup.

  He scoped out the area, preparing his plan. The girl wouldn’t be able to walk, which meant he would have to carry her. If others arrived, he wouldn’t be able to defend them and carry her. He’d had to make sure the captor wasn’t able to call for backup.

  Taking a few deep, calming breaths, he relaxed his body. Fighting on two legs required him to have control over his body. He holstered his gun, preferring to use a knife when it came to hand-to-hand combat.

  Bethany, I’m coming for you. Creeping up to the side of the cabin, he leaned back, lifted his leg and kicked the door in.

  “What the fuck?”

  Raja tipped his head back and roared, “Get away from her.” When he didn’t move, Raja lunched at the other man, taking the captor away from Bethany. The man tumbled across the room, so he gripped the man’s jacket to make sure he didn’t get away.

  He slammed him into the back wall, bouncing the man’s head off the logs. “I warned you.”

  A citrus smell filled the room, catching Raja’s attention, drawing him in. What is that? With no time to deal with it now, he kept his attention on the man before him.

  “What do you want?” The captor leaned heavily against the wall, out of breath.

  “Your life. But first tell me who hired you.”

  “Hired me?” The captor played stupid as if Raja couldn’t smell the lie on him.

  “Tell me who hired you and I’ll kill you quickly. Play games with me and I’ll draw it out for hours, maybe days. Now who hired you?” Raja slammed the man against the wall again, hoping to make his point clear.

  “It was a friend of a friend who needed me to keep the girl here until they got something they were after.”

  “Name?” Raja was barely holding on to his temper. Any more games and there was no hope left. The one thing that was keeping him in check was the woman. He could smell her barely hanging on to consciousness behind him.

  “The friend said it was for a man named Pierce, but I never met him.” His voice cracked with fear. “Please, man, I wasn’t going to hurt her.”

  “You already hurt her!” In a blink of an eye, Raja grabbed his knife from his thigh and slit the guy’s throat.

  * * *

  She watched the scene play out before her as if she was watching a movie. None of it seemed real until her captor slid to the floor with a heavy plop, his throat a large gaping wound. She wanted to scream, to beg for her life, but all she could do was hope it would end quickly.

  “Bethany.”

  The man with long black hair called to her as she tried to scoot away. The pain became unbearable, making moving impossible as blackness started to fill her vision.

  “Please…” she whispered, tears making it hard to speak, her throat raw and closing.

  He wiped the knife on his black jeans before sliding it back in the case. “I’m not here to hurt you.”

  As everything went black, she prayed to live.

  Chapter Seven

  Raja looked down at Bethany’s still form with the same longing Ty spoke of after finding Tabitha. The citrus smell was stronger the closer he got to her. She can’t be…my mate.

  Knowing he needed to get them to a safe location, he grabbed the blanket off the nearby couch and wrapped it around her. Her knee was badly injured, but there was no way to be gentle and still carry her. Good thing she’s unconscious.

  He grabbed his cell and sent Ty another message so a team didn’t show up after he left. Girl’s badly injured but alive. Back soon. Have Doc ready.

  He lifted her into his arms, ready to make the short trek to his SUV waiting on a side road on the other side of the mountain. The sooner he could get her back to the compound and seen by the doctor, the more chance they might be able to save her knee.

  What a time to find my mate. Life was dangerous for the Alaskan Tigers now, and adding a human to the mix with no training to protect herself seemed wrong.

  Even in her unconscious state, he could still feel her pain, and it was grinding into him. He would have given anything to end the pain for her.

  A moan escaped her lips, and he sped up, hoping to make it to the SUV before she woke. No such luck. She cried out in pain. The fear of him rolling off her body slammed into him like waves on a beach.

  “Shhh, Bethany. I promise I’m not going to hurt you. I’m trying to get you help. We’re almost there. Just bear with me a little bit longer.”

  “Who are you? How did you know he kidnapped me?” Her teeth ground together to keep from screaming.

  “I’m Raja. He set the video message to us.”

  “Us?”

  “It’s a long story. Don’t worry about it now. Just focus on your breathing. I can see the SUV. Almost there. I have a doctor waiting on standby.”

  “You’re taking me to a hospital?”

  “Something like that.”

  “Please, I just want to go home,” she whined.

  “We’ll deal with that, but first we need to deal with your knee.”

  The sun was sinking low on the horizon as he laid her across the back seat. He grabbed the bag with supplies. “This is going to hurt, but you need to keep your knee elevated.” He slipped the bag under her leg before heading around to the driver’s side.

  * * *

  At the compound, Doctor Jacobs was waiting in his medical suite in the main building along with Tabitha, Ty and Felix. Raja carried Bethany in and laid her on the bed.

  “What the hell happened to her?” Doctor Jacobs hollered, looking on the poor girl.

  She had definitely seen better days. Her left eye was starting to swell shut, she had a busted lip, bruises coving her body and not to mention what happened to her knee.

  Raja growled, making the doctor take a step back. Everyone stared at him, as if he was a rabid dog they were afraid to go near.

  “Shit! She’s your mate,” Ty said, the first to figure it out. “I can smell it all over you.”

  Raja didn’t say anything. There was no use denying it, but he wasn’t ready to admit it. He was having a hard time coming to terms with it himself.

  “Out,” Doc ordered.

  “What?”

  “You heard me. If you’re her mate, I want you out of here.”

  “Being her mate should give me more reason to stay,” Raja growled, stepping closer to Bethany in a protective s
tance.

  “Raja, the doctor’s right. Being her mate will only make this harder for you. We can’t delay treatment any longer. I’ll stay with her and when she wakes up, I’ll make sure you’re here.” Tabitha stepped closer to him and Bethany.

  “There’s no choice in the matter. I’m ordering you out. You won’t risk this girl for your stubbornness. I would hope you would do the same for me if it was Tabitha lying in that bed.” The sympathy was thick in Ty’s voice.

  “I’ll be right outside and I want to know the minute she wakes up.” Raja stalked out the door, his heart breaking with each step.

  Chapter Eight

  “Raja.” Tabitha gently rubbed his arm to wake him.

  “Hum,” he mumbled, slowly coming awake to find himself lying on a couch in the clinic area. “Bethany?”

  “She’s out of surgery and resting comfortably. I thought you might want to be with her when she wakes up.”

  He shot up, desperate to be with her. His insides felt like they were being torn apart just by being away from her.

  “Raja,” Tabitha said, laying a hand on his arm, “just don’t overexcite her. Give her time to recover before you scare her with the mate thing. She’s been through a lot.”

  He nodded, knowing that she was right, but it was going to be damn hard to keep it from her. His touch would be unlike anything she’d felt before, bringing the questions that he didn’t want to answer. Yet he couldn’t stop himself from touching her for long.

  “One last thing. Doc says if you stress her out, you’ll be removed. She just had surgery and needs to rest. Don’t make it any harder on her.”

  “I can handle my own mate,” Raja growled at her. He ran his hand through his hair. “I’m sorry, Tabitha. I’m just not used to this possessive attitude.”

  “Adjusting to the mating is the hardest part, but it will happen. Go be with your mate. I’ll be back later to check on her. Being surrounded by big burly men can intimidate a girl. I’m sure a friendly woman’s face would help her relax.”

  “Thank you.” He smiled at her before turning to head in the direction of the private rooms.

  * * *

  Bethany’s still form looked so small and fragile in the large bed. Her face was as white as the blanket that covered her. He sat in the chair next to the bed, wrapped her hand in his and lowered his head.

  My mate. He loved how that flowed through his mind. Will she accept me once she finds out what I am? Can I claim my rightful spot with her when I know the danger that will put her in? If not, am I strong enough to walk away from her?

  The questions circling his head plagued him. He knew the answers to two out of three. He wasn’t strong enough to walk away from her, no matter the danger it would put her in. He would protect her with his life. Could he convince Bethany that she was meant for him and they belonged together? Now that was another story entirely.

  It hit him like a bear at full speed what Ty was going through with Tabitha. The constant fear that he could be the reason that his mate was in danger weighed heavy in the pit of his stomach.

  “Bethany, believe in me and I’ll make you the happiest woman alive. I’ll protect you with my life. Don’t turn away from me when you find out what I really am,” Raja whispered. Bringing her knuckles to his lips, he placed a timid kiss there.

  * * *

  Raja paced the small room, feeling like a caged tiger. The walls growing closer with each passing hour that Bethany lay unconscious. The nurse assured him it was nothing to worry about that it was just the drugs from surgery. That did nothing to calm the raging tiger inside of him. His mate was injured and there was nothing he could do but sit by and wait.

  Waiting wasn’t something he handled well. He needed action. Sitting by the sidelines wasn’t something he was used to or enjoyed.

  A soft moan came from the bed. He looked but she didn’t seem to have moved. Now I’m hearing things because I want it to happen. The sound came again.

  In two quick strides, Raja was at the bedside, her hand in his. “Bethany, you’re safe. Come on, open your eyes.”

  Moaning again, her eyelids fluttered as if she were desperate to see her surroundings.

  “Come on, sweetie. That’s it.”

  “Where am I?” Her voice was rough. She struggled to take in her surroundings.

  The room they sat in was more like a bedroom than a hospital. Shifters healed fast, so medical attention was only required at a minimal level. When they crafted the building, they wanted it to feel like home, not a hospital. They didn’t have a large medical staff, but they had what was needed, including Doc, and could take care of anything including performing surgeries.

  “You’re somewhere safe. That’s what matters.”

  “This isn’t a hospital.” Her eyes held terror again. Her hair laid scattered over the pillow, making him want to lean in close again for a better smell of the citrus that encircled her.

  “Bethany, trust me. You’re safe. You just had surgery and shouldn’t overdo it. Rest. I promise I’ll be here by your side when you wake up. Nothing will happen to you.”

  “You expect me to rest? How do I know you’re not teamed with the guy who took me hostage? Maybe you wanted me all to yourself, that’s why…” Her voice trailed off.

  “I killed him? That’s ludicrous. I saved your life, brought you here, surgery was done on your knee, and you’ll walk again. But you think it is some plot to what…kill you in the end? Why would I risk my ass to save you, only to kill you myself? Why would we waste the time and effort for the surgery if we’re going to kill you? If that’s what we were going to do then why not just leave you to suffer?”

  She seemed flabbergasted by the questions.

  “I want to help you. I swear you are someplace safe.”

  “I asked you to take me to a hospital.”

  “Do you not hear him say he was hired by someone? That someone would know you escaped and would be looking for you? It wouldn’t take long to find you lying in a hospital bed with a busted knee. You would be helpless there, drugged, unable to escape. Is that how you want to die?”

  Raja knew he was being harsh, but if she didn’t see the truth soon she would cause problems. If she tried to leave, she could get herself killed, and he would be damned if he was going to let that happen.

  “I don’t want to die.” Her features showed the terror he was making her face.

  “Let me protect you, at least until you are back on your feet. You know you are helpless in the condition you’re in.”

  Until she is back on her feet, my ass. It will give me enough time to convince her she’s mine. Then she won’t want to be anywhere but in my arms. She laid there watching him, her face hard to read. He wasn’t sure if she was angry that he wanted to protect her or because she was helpless.

  “Bethany, you need help. Let me help you.” He reached for her hand, and she didn’t pull away.

  She nodded, still fighting to keep her eyes open.

  “Rest. I’ll be here keeping you safe. I won’t leave your side.” He rubbed his thumb over the back of her hand in small circles.

  A sizzle of electricity passed from his hand into hers, making her eyes fly open.

  “What was that?”

  “Sorry, I think I shocked you.” Finally a sign that she’s truly my mate.

  “It felt like I put my hand in the electric socket.” Her voice was heavy with sleep and her eyes closing again.

  “It just startled you because you were so close to sleep.” He watched her eyes close with a smile on his face. The jolt of electricity was just want he needed to launch himself out of denying his mate.

  Chapter Nine

  “How is she doing?” Tabitha asked from the doorway. Her mate stood behind her, his hand resting gently on her hip. Mates liked physical contact with each other.

  “Better. At least I think I have her convinced I’m not going to kill her.” Raja ran his hand over his face. It had been too long since his last restful night�
��s sleep, and it was beginning to take a toll.

  “I can sit with her a while if you want to lie down.” Tabitha moved into the room.

  “Thank you, but I’d rather just sleep in the chair. I promised her I wouldn’t leave and lying to your mate probably isn’t a good way to start.” He tried to smile, making light of the whole thing but could tell Tabitha wasn’t buying it.

  “I understand, but you won’t be any good to her or us if you are worn out. You know where I am if you change your mind. Just send me a text and I’ll be down in minutes.”

  Raja nodded. His Queen was right but leaving his mate when she needed him the most felt like betrayal. Still, he had his duties as their Lieutenant.

  “Ty, if I could just stay with her until she’s a wake, then I’ll get another guard to watch over her so I can deal with my duties.”

  Ty held up his hand. “It’s fine. Your mate needs you. If things change with the Pierce situation, then you might need another guard to watch her. But for now stay with your mate. Just get some rest. I need you at your best if there’s an attack.”

  “Thank you, sir.” Ty’s concern and understanding touched him. The appreciation he had for Ty at the moment touched him.

  “The sister is arriving tomorrow afternoon. I’ll want you in on that meeting. Tabitha and her guards can watch over Bethany. I’m sure some female bonding time will be good for her.”

  Raja nodded. He had to be at that meeting, as Pierce’s sister might provide information they needed. He couldn’t let finding his mate jeopardize the clan. After what happened to Bethany and the attacks on Tabitha, it was more imperative to take Pierce down, and soon.

  “I did bring you this. I know sitting around waiting for someone to wake up isn’t the best part. I thought you might want to be able to work. It might help keep your mind off things and bring us one step closer to Pierce.” Tabitha handed him a bag that he didn’t realize she was holding.

  “Thank you. I appreciate it. I was starting to climb the walls.” He placed the bag on the bedside table, knowing he would find his laptop and notes in it. Tabitha was always well attuned with others’ needs and desires.