by Multiple
“I…I can’t, Edge.” Not only did anger race through her mind, but fear, too. A deep aching, gut-wrenching fear that she would hurt him. Her vision became blurry as tears swam in her eyes at the fright that consumed her brain.
“I promised I’d keep you safe, right?”
Hope made Ivy glance up at him now. The idea that he could actually keep her safe made hope a viable thing and made her heart ache.
She nodded her head.
“There’s no one here, just you and me. I want you to change and be yourself, Ivy. I want to know the real you.” He kissed her neck just below her right ear.
Her hand came up to rub the spot, funny she hadn’t noticed that her neck was tender there.
Ivy shook as he pulled her shirt over her head and off her arms. She shivered as his hands circled her body and skimmed through her curls at the vee of her thighs, touching but not quite touching.
Something inside her body clenched and nearly snapped with the need to please him. Ivy’s fear and anger were overwhelmed with the passion that burned in her heart for him. She craved to be herself deep down in her soul. For so long she had been denied.
Her cat had been denied, caged inside her body, never allowed to roam free for fear of hurting others.
Hot tears dripped down Ivy’s cheeks as Edge caressed her skin. Ivy’s cat roared, thundering over and over inside her head with approval until that was the only sound she could hear. Her skin itched as though her fur would sprout in an instant.
The hair on Edge’s chest brushed against her back, his strong hands held onto her trembling shoulders.
“Do you know what I do here at The Haven?”
Ivy shook her head, her heart cinched down, her throat so tight she couldn’t form words.
“I teach our young to control the urges of the tiger. I don’t think you need to learn control.” He stroked her shoulders and her neck.
Ivy calmed at his words and his hands so soothing and confident on her body. “But you need to meld the two parts of you. Don’t be afraid, Ivy, it’s who you are.”
Ivy’s body shook with the force of the unknown that uncurled in her belly. She had never gotten in touch with her cat form. Every time she changed she seemed so out of control, she feared she wouldn’t be able to come back to herself, that the cat would take over and trap her inside her tiger form. Ivy worried that her fear would take over, and she would not be able to focus enough to change back to human form.
Edge rubbed her arms, and she took a deep breath.
“Listen to your tiger. She knows a lot more than you give her credit for. Close your eyes and just feel.” His hot breath caressed her neck making her melt on the inside. “Feel her. She’s you, just different. Let her come to you, open your mind and your senses, permit her to flow through you.”
Ivy allowed Edge’s soothing hands to calm her. She breathed in through her nose, taking in the smells of her surroundings. The water smelled slightly of chlorine. The breeze shifted over her skin cooling her heated body. Edge’s spicy scent entered her nostrils, and her cat roared with joy. Triumph showered her in warmth.
Ivy’s courage rose, her spirit soared as her cat melded with her human form. The tiger’s claws burst from her fingertips and from her toes. Fur shifted over her skin, like a soft coat, it emerged without pain. She imagined the two becoming one, a mixture of the spirits, a union solid and whole. Ivy breathed out and moved away from Edge, willing the change to come.
The muscles grew and shifted inside her arms and legs. Her bones popped and reformed into cat’s legs, her spine lengthened. The pain snapped at her insides, sharp and quick and was gone as soon as it came. The change was a lot easier when she permitted it to happen and didn’t fight.
As her vision switched to grey scale and as her large paws hit the water, she roared to the heavens.
Ivy breathed through her tooth-filled mouth and smelled Edge on a whole different level. In this form, she smelled his tiger underneath his natural musk, the cat scent was there as a deep spice. Ivy turned her head and stared at Edge. She tossed her head and growled at him.
Edge stood in the water still in human form, but he answered her with a growl deep inside his throat. He took a step toward her and she held her ground.
She began to pace in front of him as cool water splashed over her legs.
“Look at you. You’re beautiful, strong and passionate. Be who you are.” He stepped closer to her holding out his hand.
Ivy moved forward, her head low as she approached him. Edge was her mate and deep down in her gut that knowledge sparked electric bursts of joy. Ivy smelled his hand and then leaned into it.
He scratched her behind the ears and her limbs melted. She purred deep in her throat, a sound that rolled her tongue inside her mouth as he petted her tiger form and ran his fingers deep into her coat.
Edge’s touch comforted her, his hands were gentle and strong. Ivy wanted him to change, the urge to play with him in his tiger form surged through her. Ivy hadn’t been in her tiger form around anyone besides Ian. She nudged him toward the shore.
He stepped back until he stood in the sand.
How to tell him what she wanted? She took his pant leg in her teeth and tugged. Then she growled deep inside her throat.
Edge unbuttoned his jeans, slid them off and tossed them on a nearby chair.
Ivy turned and sprinted out into the water splashing and lapping at the cool, fresh water. She heard a growl behind her and turned to find his huge, hulking white tiger staring at her from the shore. Ivy swaggered slowly toward him, allowing her hips to swish as her tail whipped back and forth around her legs. She didn’t have a care in the world, and her self-satisfied saunter seemed to lock his gaze onto her body.
Edge tracked her every movement as if he could see through her and watched her muscles as they contracted and expanded. Ivy stopped before they touched, and a deep purr of satisfaction rumbled out of her throat. She rubbed her head up his foreleg, the sensation of his fur rasping against her head sent heat soaring through her body until it found her core and seared her insides. Ivy stroked her head under his chin, and her fur brushed against him. She stretched out closer to him needing more of his fur against her body. Ivy was so alive and having Edge close to her made her body hum with delight.
Edge tipped his head back and roared, the noise a loud thundering that rippled across Ivy’s fur. The sound was truly a male declaration as if he was staking his claim on her, telling the world that she was his. Edge rubbed his head across her muzzle and over her shoulder before gently nipping her on the neck.
If Ivy could have grinned, she would have. She allowed her tongue loll out of her mouth smiling in the only way she could.
Ivy turned and loped away from him as her heart sped up, spurred on by the savage glint in Edge’s eyes. Edge quickly sprinted through the lush grass that surrounded the pool and gave chase. She was almost to the end of the pool when a rush of air pulsed over her hindquarter, and Edge growled as she slipped away from him. Ivy jumped into the deep end of the pool, splashing water out of the sides and soaking the concrete border. She swam as quickly as she could pull her paws through the water.
Edge stalked around the side of the pool, his head held low and his stance crouched as if he’d spring at any second. Ivy treaded water in the center. He roared, but she stayed where she was, daring him to come after her.
Ivy swam to where she could stand and shook until her fur stood on end all over her body and cool air breezed over her exposed skin. The water sluicing off her was cold as it dripped onto her paws.
Edge’s presence made her back tingle. He inched up on her slowly, trying to be stealthy, but she would know him anywhere. She ducked away from him, and he whooshed by her, landing on his feet in the water.
Ivy danced away as he stalked her again to the other side of the pool. She swiped water at him, and he lunged, pushing her back onto the sandy beach and tackling her to the ground
.
Edge and Ivy wrestled taking turns pinning each other and slipping away.
Ivy changed after he pinned her again, her small form under his large white tiger.
He shifted on top of her and she couldn’t contain a laugh.
“That was so much fun.” She ran her hands up his damp arms.
“See, I told you it would be okay.” His rich voice enveloped her making her skin break out in goose bumps as he stared into her eyes.
Ivy saw long pink scratches on his shoulder and reached out to touch them. She traced the deep marks with her fingertip, her eyebrows cinched down as she realized that the marks were from the challenge Edge and Ian had fought.
“Are you okay?”
Anger made her cheeks flush with heat. She needed to beat Ian in the head because Edge had been hurt during the challenge. Ivy had to bite her tongue to keep her thoughts to herself. This was her mate, no one hurt her mate.
“I’m fine, don’t worry, it’s nothing.”
“But this is my fault.” Her fingers traced the marks again. The puckered pink skin was hot to the touch. Was it still healing? Would it leave scars?
His skin touched her from her breast to her thighs as he pressed against her. He was hot and his skin was damp from the water.
“I would do it again in a heartbeat.” Edge kissed her lightly on the lips, which sent heat spiraling through her body and liquid to dampen her core. Excitement coursed through her veins.
Edge rolled off her and laid back.
Ivy tucked her hands under her head and stared up at the crystal blue sky with white puffy clouds that floated by. This day was perfect in her opinion. Absolutely perfect.
Her hormones calmed, her mate was by her side and her tiger lounged inside her soul.
Ivy enjoyed being a tiger. Power and confidence filled up her insides. Now that she permitted her tiger to mesh with her human form, self-assurance and strength seemed to radiate from her very pores.
The sun heated her skin as they rested on the sand of the faux beach. A breeze still caressed her bare skin, making little goose bumps break out all over her.
Ivy turned the past few days over in her mind. She thought of the gut deep fear that had covered her like a heavy cloak in the alley the night she was attacked by Mark. The fear wouldn’t come now.
The strength of the tiger numbed the fear, and the horrible ache in her chest was replaced with warmth that radiated throughout her body.
Edge was silent next to her. She needed to decide what to do about Mark. Just the thought that he was still out there somewhere made her want to change and track him.
Ivy was determined not to be afraid of him anymore. She knew she could hold her own with him. He was afraid of her, wasn’t he? That’s why he had wet himself in the alley that night when she changed into a tiger.
If he was a Werewolf, why was he afraid of her? Ivy pondered the question inside her mind. In all the time he had harassed her, she had never seen him in his wolf form. Maybe he couldn’t shift? It was something to think about.
No, she would not be afraid of him, she decided.
A sudden warmth surged through her as she realized she knew exactly what to do about Mark.
Ivy rolled onto her side and propped her head on her hand. Her gaze roamed over Edge’s hard body. That magnificent golden body taut with muscles made her ache.
Focus, she needed to pay attention to the task at hand. Judging by the sun that hovered above them in the blue sky, it was well into the day. “Edge?”
“Hmm?”
She stroked a hand over his chest. His skin was heated by the sun and warmed her fingers as she skimmed them over him. “I need to go home.”
“Not alone.” He didn’t move.
“I need to take care of Mark.”
He cracked open his eyes and squinted at her in the bright light of the day. “I can’t let you go there alone, Ivy. Not after everything that’s happened between us.” He rolled toward her and ran his fingers through her damp hair. “You are precious to me, and I can’t allow you to place yourself in danger.”
“This is something I need to do.” Ivy resisted the urge to drop her gaze and surrender to his dominance. She had to take care of Mark herself. Ivy didn’t want anybody fighting her battles for her any more.
“Why?”
His question caused her heart to contract with a sharp pang of fear. She knew he waited to ask her about Mark, but she didn’t want to tell him everything. She was sure deep in her soul that it would change his opinion of her.
“I just have to do this on my own.” She searched his face for some sign of understanding.
His brow wrinkled and his lips tightened into a thin line.
“You need to trust me. I want to know why he’s hunting you.” Edge’s voice had a hardness Ivy had yet to experience with him. Red flared in his face.
“I do trust you. I trust you enough that I changed into a tiger for you.” She pushed up to sit beside him and crossed her legs as she faced him. “My past is painful, Edge. I’m just not ready to share that pain with you.”
Edge’s face completely closed off as if all emotion bled right out of his body, and he turned to stone in front of her eyes.
Steel bands of panic strapped themselves to her chest and closed, tightening until a full-blown panic had her near tears.
“Then you don’t trust me. I already see you as my mate. If you can’t feel that connection between us, then I don’t know what I can do to make you feel it.” Edge stood and brushed the sand from his skin. His movements were tight and quick.
She quickly stood. “I do feel it. It’s a storm in my heart that only calms when you’re near me. Edge, I’m falling in love with you.” She stretched her hand out to touch his face.
Edge evaded her hand and moved away from her.
Her heart lurched and the weight of her secrets fell hard onto her shoulders.
“You have to trust me, too, Ivy. Love isn’t enough.” Edge stepped close and cupped her face in his hands.
Tears pooled in Ivy’s eyes, the hot tears threatened to spill down her cheeks. Fear ran ragged claws over her brain making her body scream at her to tell him the truth.
She didn’t want to lose Edge before they had even begun their relationship, but to bare her darkest secret could be the last step in pushing him away.
“I need all of you, even your secrets. I don’t care how dark they are. If we are to be mates, your secrets can’t stand between us.” He caressed her tear-streaked cheeks with his thumbs, gently pushing the tears away.
Fear won out as Ivy bit her lip and looked into his soft gaze. She couldn’t tell him. Not now.
“I’m sorry.” New tears gathered and poured down her face. Her heart ached with the pain that she could see her distrust had caused.
Edge didn’t say a word. He dropped his hands from her face and turned away.
She stayed planted in that spot. She couldn’t have forced her feet to move if she had to.
Edge walked away from her.
Her body shook and her heart shattered into a million pieces as she watched the door shut on the only male who would ever bring any semblance of happiness to her life. Ivy wrapped her arms around her naked body and pulled strength from her tiger even as it roared, the sound pounding so hard through her head that she thought her ears might bleed.
She had to take care of Mark first. Only when that was done would she be free to be with Edge without her dark past shadowing her future.
~~~
Somehow, Ivy made it home.
Her brain had gone on autopilot at some point as her emotions churned in her stomach until she was a big aching knot of pain, and stomach acid ate at the back of her throat. Numbly, she opened her front door and turned off her alarm.
When she’d gone back to his loft for her clothes, she hadn’t seen Edge.
She remembered the smell of his apartment. Their scents had comb
ined in a heady musk that lingered all over her. The scent was on her clothes and inside her brain, digging a hole that would always be full of memories of her and Edge.
Ivy nudged the front door shut and slowly climbed the stairs.
The weight of her secrets was almost more than she could bear alone. Ivy removed her clothes and pulled on a pair of workout sweats and a fitted T-shirt. She could move comfortably and easily in these clothes. Ivy could fight in these clothes.
She trudged back down the stairs, her feet were so heavy, and it seemed to take all her effort just to move them. She took a chair out of her kitchen and placed it about five feet from the front door.
Ivy plopped down in the chair and curled her legs under her. She would wait right here for as long as it took that rat-bastard Mark to show up.
Ivy would not run anymore. She stared at the door as day turned to evening, the passage of time was marked by the shadows and light that played over her tile floor.
The tears had stopped hours ago. All that was left was anger so deep her skin itched as her fur tried to sprout. She kept the tiger at bay by squeezing her nails into her palms to give her something else to think about. Ivy held it back easily now that she’d melded her two halves together.
As night fell and the shadows of her house darkened like the corners of her mind, she took out her emotions and examined them. The fear of Mark was no longer presentit had melted away in the path of her searing anger caused by the fact that she had probably lost Edge forever.
She wanted to slap herself in the head for not trusting him. Not trusting him was, more than likely, the most stupid thing she had ever done.
Her arms tightened around herself as she rubbed the chill from her body. Ivy’s eyes were half closed, her breathing a steady rhythm of near sleep when the doorknob twisted.
She came immediately alert, her back stiffening and her hands fisted at her sides as her feet hit the floor.
The door slowly opened and a figure stood silhouetted in the doorway.
Ivy’s heart sped up as she inhaled Mark’s scent. He smelled like a dirty, wet dog. Mark wore a shirt and jeans and had a hunting knife strapped to his leg.
