by E A Price
Lauren’s room the tiger crooned.
Soft curves wiggled against him, and he noticed he was clutching her hand to his chest. He looked down to see her sleeping easily against him. How the hell did he end up here? Did he sleepwalk into her room at night?
He tried to remember anything useful from the night. A number of memories flashed before him – mostly from his time in the cage, but not all. Some were his new, frustrating memories. There was the one where he was in a room being beaten half to death while some crazy guy told him he wasn't good enough for ‘her’. The one with the blonde at the department store, and then something else came to him – an argument with the crazy guy who warned him to stay away from ‘her’... Vaguely, he wondered if the mystery blonde was ‘her’ of all his other new memories.
Lauren yawned, and he watched her awaken, expecting to see some kind of accusation in her eyes. There was nothing but concern.
“Carrick, you’re awake!”
“Yes.”
“You’re okay?”
“Yes.”
“Do you remember what happened last night?”
He paused starting to worry. “No, what did happen?”
“I heard you, and I thought you were having a bad dream. Your skin was really warm, so I put you in the shower and then put you to bed. Your bed is… kind of a mess.” Lauren chewed on her lip. “Do you always tie up one of your hands at night?”
“Not always.” Just since Lauren arrived to live with him.
“Do you… do you have bad dreams from what happened before you came here?”
Carrick nodded shortly, and Lauren rubbed her cheek against his shoulder. “I’m sorry.”
“I’m sorry I disturbed your sleep.”
Damnit. He thought he at least had himself under control enough not to be a bother to her. It was why he used the tether – the last thing he wanted was to wander over to Lauren’s room in the middle of the night, half crazed from his nightmares. Although, this was actually quite nice. Waking up with her was… pleasant, and it did settle his beast.
“You don’t have to apologize. I just wish I could do more to help.”
She did plenty, more than he expected of her. “Was I… did I do anything after you brought me to your room?”
“No, actually, you were quiet as a mouse for the rest of the night.” She started rubbing her fingers in circles on his chest, and his concern for the events of the previous night started morphing into something else.
“Who’s Emily?” she asked, just a hint too innocently.
“How should I know?”
Lauren’s body tightened slightly. “When I woke you up last night, you said ‘Emily, is that you’, so I just wondered who she was…”
His thoughts immediately swung to the mysterious blonde, but he had no idea if that was Emily. “I don’t know an Emily.”
His tiger sensed an uncharacteristic anger emanating from Lauren, and he wondered if that was jealousy. He probably shouldn’t enjoy the fact that she might be jealous – but he liked the idea that she could be.
“I don’t remember an Emily,” he added.
“It just surprised me that you would say her name before mine,” she muttered.
Carrick chuckled and turned on his side, keeping hold of her hand and bringing it to his lips for a kiss. “Are you jealous?”
“Of course not,” she denied hotly, her huge eyes flashing yellow.
“I think you are.”
Lauren scowled and tried to move away from him, but he curled an arm around her back and pulled her closer.
“Mine,” he breathed into her hair as he started scent marking her again. She could not be too scent-marked for his liking. His beast thoroughly approved, and always scent marked her when they were shifted too.
She sagged in his arms, mollified slightly. “You’ve been getting new memories recently,” she started, and the tiger let out a huff. “Don’t you think we should try and piece them together? See if we can find out anything about your old life?”
A couple of months ago, he would have said yes, but his life was different now. He had a mate to worry about. His life was infinitely better, and he was – dare he think it – happy. What if looking into his old life just opened up a new can of worms? What if he was mated before? What if it was that blonde and it opened up old feelings…
The tiger roared at him. Never! Lauren was his mate; Lauren was the only female he loved.
He slipped his hand up her thigh, dragging the nightshirt up and cupping her mound. A finger slipped inside her sheath, and he was more than a little smug to find her already wet.
“Stop trying to distract me,” she scolded, but not before she let out a shuddering whimper.
“Tell me to stop,” he crooned and pushed another finger inside her. Her inner channel clenched and suckled at him, desperate for more.
“Evil tiger!” she hissed and smashed her lips to his.
Huh, maybe he’d been wrong about sharing a room. There was something to be said for waking up next to your mate.
Twenty-Two
Lauren jumped as she heard the front door. Darn it. She hadn’t been this nervous since her mating night. But, like that night, she had nothing to be nervous about. She hadn’t done anything wrong… right? Her tiger was on the fence, complaining that maybe she had gone too far.
Puh-lease. They were mated, his business was her business, and if he didn’t want her going through all his stuff, he shouldn’t have left it in an easy to find place in his closet.
It wasn’t like she had intended to snoop. She went into his room with the sole purpose of tidying. She stripped the bed, cleaned a little, decided the walls were a write-off and needed new wallpaper, and found the box of papers in the closet when she was moving all his clothes.
For the past few nights, Carrick had been staying in her room. She had coaxed him into staying, saying how she slept better with someone beside her, but really, she felt that he preferred it, too. He hadn’t suffered any more violent nightmares, and really it just made sense for them to spend their nights together. With that in mind, she decided to move his clothes to her closet. There really was no need for him to be running between rooms to get dressed, and it was a logical step since she intended to decorate his old room.
The call of the box had been too much, and she found paperwork from the SEA. Confirmation of his discharge from a rehab center over thirteen years ago, health reports, psychological reports that were not exactly kind… But she also found contact details for his ‘handler’ from the SEA; a woman called Juliet, who Lauren promptly called and told her about his most recent dreams. Juliet was extremely helpful, and now, after a bit of internet surfing, Lauren had an idea about how to help Carrick. If he wanted help, that is…
Carrick strolled into the kitchen wearing nothing but a pair of jeans. He gave her such a primal look that both she and her tiger shivered. In the past few days, he’d spent a lot of time running and hunting as his beast, and today was no exception. His breathing was slightly labored, and his muscles gleamed with sweat.
Lauren gave him a strained smile, and his eyes narrowed slightly, immediately noting her unease.
“I’m making chicken pot pie and a pineapple upside down cake for dessert,” she told him brightly.
“Sounds good. I might take a shower first.”
She nodded, and he waited for a few beats.
“Something wrong?” she asked.
“Usually, ah, you want to join me.”
She did want to. Her body started heating the moment his delicious scent hit her, and now that he was standing in front of her, she wanted nothing more than to rub herself all over him. “Maybe after we talk…” He might be mad at her and not want her with him.
“About what?” he growled sharply.
“About something I did – well, two things actually.”
Carrick strode towards her, and she fluttered as he gripped her and started scent marking her again. It seemed to be his go-t
o move when he was agitated. “What did you do?”
“I moved all your clothes into my room…” she whispered, unconsciously pressing her breasts against him. Maybe she found the scent marking kind of a turn on.
“Oh?”
“And I’m not moving them back!”
His chest throbbed as he chuckled. “Okay.”
“And I found your box of letters from the SEA, and I read them all and called Juliet and talked to her…” She blurted it out in one long breath.
Carrick pulled back to look at her, his expression unreadable. She wasn’t sure if that was better than anger or shock. Her tiger slunk to the ground on her belly, whining softly.
“I’m sorry,” she tried.
“Why did you do that?”
“I want to help you.”
Wordlessly, he let go of her and walked out the room. She heard the thump of his steps as he went upstairs and into her - their - room. For a moment, she worried he was going to try and move his clothes back.
Hell. No.
Her tiger stubbornly dug in her heels, and she flew up the stairs, expecting to find Carrick angrily flitting between the rooms. Nope, she heard the sound of the shower, and she followed it to the bathroom. His jeans were on the floor and his massive body silhouetted against the shower curtain.
Lauren didn’t even hesitate. She undressed and slipped in behind him, her arms circling his body and pressing herself against him. His body was tense and hard as a rock, but he didn’t push her away.
“Please talk to me,” she whispered.
Carrick let out a groan and placed his hands over hers. “I don’t want you messed up with my old life.”
“Whether you want it or not, I am. I’m your mate, Carrick, and not just for the good stuff. You can’t hide the bad things from me. Just like I can’t hide the bad things about me.”
Carrick snorted. “There’s nothing bad about you – you’re perfect.”
Lauren smiled against his back. “I’d hardly say that - my parents want you to come over for dinner tomorrow.”
His shoulders sagged. “That’s it, kick a guy when he’s down.”
“And you haven’t seen me through my first heat yet – I might be crazy.”
Her mother certainly went nuts whenever the heats hit her – she wasn’t actually allowed back in the local grocery store after the banana incident. Her heats were not something Lauren was looking forward to – she could feel the first one coming, but so far she had been safe. During the heat, she’d be incredibly hot, bothered, and the only thing that would ease her would be sex.
“I imagine I’ll struggle through,” he said stoically.
Lauren growled, and he spun around to hold her and kiss her. They finished their shower peaceably with little more than a few caresses; Carrick was too distracted for anything more. It was only when they were eating dinner that Carrick brought the matter up again.
“What did Juliet say?”
“Well, not much,” she admitted. “She was a little shocked to find out that you were mated.” Lauren looked at him accusingly, and even her tiger sniffed.
Carrick raised an eyebrow. “Why would I tell Juliet that? She’s not my friend.”
“She’s kind of your friend…”
“I don’t have friends – you’re my only friend.”
“Aww.” That delighted her more than it probably should.
Carrick rolled his eyes. “So?”
“I told her about your new memories,” which after much prodding he had told Lauren in detail, “and she told me about what happened, and she got me thinking about the memory you had of that department store.”
He started chewing slowly and eyed her warily. “And?”
“The fight club was in Los Lobos, right? Based on your description of the store, I managed to find a few contenders that are quite close to Los Lobos.” She passed him a few printed sheets. “You said you thought the name started with P and A, right?”
Carrick shrugged and looked at the printouts. “I thought I saw some kind of logo on the wall – but I can’t be sure.”
“But this is a starting point, right? There are three department stores near Los Lobos that look similar to your description, and were around over fourteen years ago.”
“Maybe.” He put them aside and resumed eating.
“Maybe? Carrick, this could be the start of finding out where you came from. You might have family out there who still worry about you.”
“Or it could be nothing.”
Her heart started sinking. “But don’t you want to find out?”
“What if it’s bad? What if I was a terrible person?”
Lauren put down her fork and walked around the table to him. She edged onto his lap, and he wrapped an arm around her. “I don’t believe you could be.”
“Right, because I’m so warm and cuddly.”
“Well, not when you're all sarcastic and grumpy…” He scowled, and she kissed his temple. “You’re already suffering from your nightmares; maybe it’d be easier for you if you knew more about your old life.” She stroked his cheek, and her beast mewled for their mate. “I just can’t bear to see you in pain.”
“You can’t bear to see anyone in pain. You’re too sweet – that’s your problem.”
“Yes, I’m truly a monster.”
Carrick harrumphed. “Now, who’s sarcastic?”
“Just… think about it - for me.” She gave him a kittenish pout and fluttered her eyelashes.
“Right, use your powers for evil,” he grumbled. She didn’t stop fluttering, and he snarled. “Fine! I’ll think about it.”
“Thank you. Now, how about some pineapple upside down cake?”
“Maybe later…”
“Oh?”
His hand ran up her thigh as he nuzzled her neck.
“Oh!”
Apparently, he was no longer too distracted.
Twenty-Three
“I’ve never been out of town before, everything’s so different,” said Lauren as she stared out the window at the scenery whizzing past.
“Hmmm.”
They’d taken a plane to Los Lobos airport and were now in a rental car on their way to a restaurant (with the aid of GPS) to meet up with Juliet. Carrick had been near silent the entire time. She tried to drag him into conversation a couple of times, but he wanted to brood, so she let him. This wasn’t easy for him, and she didn’t want to nag him... more than she already had.
Truthfully, she was also trying to rein in her excitement. Selfish maybe, but getting away from home was an adventure for her, and if there was any enjoyment to be had, she would have it. Her tiger was practically bouncing around like a kitten in her glee.
“Are you looking forward to seeing Juliet again?”
“Why would I be?” he grumbled.
“I know you said she wasn’t your friend, but it sounded like she cared about you on the phone.”
“Humph. We’re here.”
He pulled into the parking lot of the restaurant and killed the engine. Lauren put her hand on the door, ready to get out when she realized Carrick wasn’t moving.
“Do you need a few minutes?”
“I need to tell you something.”
“Okay.”
Carrick pinned her with yellow eyes. “The memory I had of the department store… I didn’t tell you everything about it.”
Lauren placed her hand on his arm and gave him an encouraging smile. “You don’t have to hide anything from me.”
He winced. “There was a woman in it. She… she was leading me to the changing area and inside we… we had sex.”
“Oh.” Her tiger dropped her jaw, and the hand was swiftly removed. “Why didn’t you tell me?”
The look he gave her was pure disbelief. “Tell my mate I was having sex dreams about another woman?”
Lauren folded her arms over her chest and tried not to look too huffy as feelings of inadequacy crept through her mind. “Well, yeah when you put it li
ke that…”
Carrick’s jaw ticked as he failed to hide his annoyance. “It wasn’t about the sex. It was just a memory. I got it after we went shopping – the store must have reminded me of it. Fuck, Lauren, it must have happened over thirteen years ago.”
“Sure, it’s actually good news to hear your mate’s dreaming about sex with a former girlfriend. Do you think she might have been your Emily?”
“I don’t have an Emily!” he snapped, glaring at her.
Her tiger wanted to submit, but Lauren was furious and wouldn’t let the beast cower under his dominance. Carrick should have told her when it happened, but no, he kept it from her and decided to spring it on her when they were about to have lunch with a SEA agent.
“Why are you telling me this now?”
His eyes looked a little shifty. “Because Juliet already knows, and I didn’t want her telling you.”
“I see.”
Carrick sighed. “Look, Lauren…”
“Let’s talk about it later. We’re going to be late.”
She got out the car, slamming the door with perhaps a little bit too much force.
*
Carrick raced after his mate, ignoring the ‘I told you so’ from his tiger. Lauren took the news as well as could be expected. Better maybe than in his head. Part of him considered it a possibility that she wouldn’t give a crap. That would have been a hell of a lot worse than her anger.
He caught her at the entrance and despite her murderous glares, she allowed him to help her off with her jacket.
Juliet was at the back of the restaurant, in the darkest corner. No wonder. Given that she was a vampire, he was surprised she agreed to meet him in the day at all.
Carrick placed his hand on Lauren’s neck and led her to Juliet. His tiger sagged with relief that at least she didn’t flinch away from him again.
“Is that her?” gasped Lauren as Juliet saw them coming and stood up.
“Yep.” Hadn’t aged a bit in thirteen years, but then, she wouldn’t.
“What is Juliet?” she whispered, curiosity overcoming her annoyance with him.
“Vampire.”
“What?! Aren’t you scared of her? Doesn’t she terrify you?”
