Prime Series Collection: (Broken Prime, Prime Desire, Mated Prime)

by Tiffany Allee

  A small smile quirked her lips. “That’s okay. I plan to spend a lot of time in the woods—I have an excellent guide now who owes me a huge favor or five. I’ll break in on my own soon enough.”

  He had no doubt that she would. “I’ll follow you anywhere you want to go.”

  Epilogue

  “How many bags must you bring, city girl?”

  Evie grinned at him. “You know half that is camera equipment, so quit giving me crap.”

  “Never.” He bent down and gave her a swift kiss. “And yes, I know what it is. The point being, I don’t know why you need so much of it. Only nice, domestic tigers where we’re going.”

  “Hah. Any tiger related to you is bound to be wild.”

  “I don’t know, you tamed me pretty easily.” Truth disguised as jest. She had tamed him—and his tiger. Only six weeks since he’d gotten her on his mountain, but it had been a hell of a month and a half. At her urging, he’d loosened his grip on his tiger, learning to trust that part of himself more every day. And, to his relief, the beast inside of him had calmed. Their mate’s presence—their mate’s trust—had made them one again. The way they were meant to be.

  He was so fucking lucky.

  He pulled her close. What time was it? Surely they had time for a quick trip back to bed.

  She eyed him warily. “We’re already an hour late.”

  “Are we?” He nuzzled her neck. She smelled like something sweet. Something tasty.

  “Yes,” she said, voice a little breathless. But despite her words, she wasn’t pulling away.

  “My people will still be there, even if we’re an hour late.”

  “I…suppose that’s true.” She wrapped her arms around his middle, and nipped at his neck. “You’re impossible.”

  “Yet you still love me.” The sweet scent of her arousal teased his senses. “In fact, I think you encourage this bad behavior.”

  Expression suddenly serious, she slid her hands up to cup his face. “I do love you, you impossible man.”

  He pressed his lips against hers. “And I love you, my little dreamer.”

  “An hour won’t matter, you say?” She arched a brow at him.

  “Hell, I’ll bet they won’t even notice if we’re two hours late.”

  She grinned. “Let’s find out.”

  Mated Prime

  Nicolas has spent years gaining control over his tiger in order to win his mate. And even with a few missteps along the way, he’s managed to earn the love of his Evie. But when he takes his human mate to meet his brother and the rest of the tiger clan he’s been estranged from for years, things get complicated.

  * * *

  Evie is excited to meet Nicolas’s family—even though she’s a little worried about being around so many powerful shifters. But when the leader of the weretigers, Nicolas’s brother, Erick, orders Nicolas to go to Chicago to escort a leaderless group of tigers back to Colorado, she begins to wonder about her place with a man who isn’t a man at all.

  * * *

  But when they run into complications in Chicago, they will have to rely on each other—and the strength of their love—to get out alive.

  Chapter One

  It was a beautiful day to be surrounded by tigers.

  Bright and cheery, the Colorado sun warmed Evie’s back, even as the fresh mountain air filled her lungs. It was far too lovely for her to be so freaking nervous. Yet sweat beaded down her back, and her hand, clutching her mate’s, was clammy. Nicolas, good man that he was, didn’t complain.

  Evie had yet to see anyone’s claws, but the fact that predators surrounded her was impossible to ignore.

  “You have a lovely home,” she said, the automatic pleasantry falling from her lips, even though she wasn’t sure what building had just been pointed out to her. Crap. Had she already said that? Yep, definitely had, back when they’d taken the tour of the Main House—what they called the building that held a community cafeteria, library, and various offices of other services. Doing her best to look casual, she clutched Nicolas’s hand. Without looking at her, he squeezed back.

  Her heart warmed at the reassurance, and some of the tension faded from her shoulders.

  Only a couple of months had passed since she’d rediscovered her lost love, Nicolas—or rather, since he’d rediscovered her. And she was still on cloud nine, despite the fact predators of the highest order now surrounded them.

  Nicolas’s people.

  When she was still in college, Evie had found herself lost during a snowstorm in the Colorado Rockies. Her future had looked to be bleak—and short. But a man had stepped out of the forest, picked her up, and taken her to safety. Nicolas had saved her. A real-life freaking hero.

  During their brief—yet passionate—night together, he’d revealed his kind nature. His warm spirit.

  His secret.

  He was a tiger shifter—something she hadn’t even known existed—and he wasn’t totally in control of his other self.

  Despite the feelings she was developing for the man—far too quickly for their short time together—she’d slipped out of his house the next morning without so much as a word. The man was seductive, intense, magnetic.

  But the tiger was scary as shit.

  A few years later, with his tiger finally under his control, he’d decided to pursue her. Using a bit of misdirection and a big, fat lie that he still wasn’t one hundred percent forgiven for, he had managed to get her back on his mountain.

  And until now, she hadn’t left.

  After an invitation from his brother, Nicolas had decided to try to return to his people. His clan, who he’d been essentially exiled from because of his lack of control.

  Evie had agreed to come with. And she wasn’t entirely sure she should have. But so far, they’d managed a quick introduction and were well into a tour of their territory. It felt almost…normal. If she ignored the fact that all the people she’d seen—from Nicolas’s frightening older brother to the small child in pigtails who had run past them yelling at her mom—were weretigers in human form.

  Just meeting the in-laws here, folks.

  “And this is where we train, although a lot of our training takes place out in the wild.” Owen, a rather large, yet very human-like, shifter gestured toward an open area where several men and women in their late teens ran laps. In human form, thankfully.

  After confusing introductions, Evie was pretty sure Owen was also mated to Erick’s mate, Daniella. She wasn’t totally sure how that worked. But she couldn’t say she wasn’t intrigued.

  Both men were rather intimidating—Erick more so than Owen, as Owen seemed almost kind in the way he treated people, whereas Erick was decidedly more aloof. When he looked at her, she felt like she was being evaluated by a predator, not a man. And Daniella was nice. Really, really nice. Despite the fact that she was a tiger shifter, the mate to the tiger’s prime acted very much like a human. An extremely pregnant human.

  Yet another thing she was trying hard not to think about. But she couldn’t help the tiny hopeful flutter in her gut when she glimpsed Daniella’s tummy.

  “Have you continued to train?” Erick asked Nicolas, eyes assessing his brother like he was evaluating stock.

  Nicolas snorted. “Not the way you do, I’m sure. But I haven’t slacked off completely.”

  Squeezing his arm, Evie fought a grin. Nicolas was definitely in shape—delicious, sexy shape. But she’d never seen him train for real fighting.

  Her smile faltered at the thought. What were the tigers training for, exactly?

  “To protect ourselves,” Daniella said, offering Evie a reassuring smile.

  Her cheeks heated. She hadn’t even realized she’d spoken aloud. What Daniella said hit her. “Protect yourselves from what?”

  Daniella’s smile tightened and she glanced at Owen, who pulled her close to his side.

  When he replied, his voice was a low rumble. “Lately—vampires. But with the world the way it is, it’s best to be prepared f
or anything. So we train for war and pray for peace.”

  Vampires.

  Holy hell. Nicolas had never mentioned the undead to her. She shot him a sharp glance, but he didn’t meet her gaze. “Maybe we should head back to the main house. Grab some lunch.”

  Huh. Knew he was in trouble, did he? Knew she was a lot easier to deal with when she was fed, too.

  That he understood her so well shouldn’t have made her feel so warm inside, but it did.

  Daniella came to her other side and smiled. “I wanted to apologize to you for my part in Nicolas’s scheme. Can’t say I’m not happy that it turned out so well, though.”

  “Nothing to apologize for,” Evie reassured her. Daniella had played a small part in Nicolas’s deception to get Evie back on his mountain. Daniella had pretended to be a magazine editor looking for wildlife pictures—but Evie couldn’t fault her for it. She’d been trying to help play matchmaker for a relative she hadn’t even met yet. It was actually pretty sweet. “Although, the same doesn’t apply to your brother-in-law, of course.”

  Nicolas squeezed her hand in his, no doubt thinking he was happy to make it up to her. He’d been making it up to her for weeks, and she was pretty ridiculously blissed-out because of it.

  Daniella laughed. “No, don’t let him get off easy.” Her smile widened and her gaze moved to settle on Erick and Owen, who walked a bit ahead of their threesome. “Making up is the best part of fighting.” She gave Evie a knowing look.

  Evie winked. The way Daniella behaved, it was too easy to forget Evie was the only human for miles around.

  That the large cats were now confined in human bodies helped her comfort level just a smidgen. That they could become huge predators before she could get far ratcheted up her nerves. That she was an invited guest with her own tiger by her side…well, that kept her sane.

  As a group, they made their way to the Main House, where a large, early dinner had been prepared. Only their relatively small group filled the room, but the cafeteria area looked like it could hold a much larger crowd. Had their presence chased away the normal visitors?

  The setup made her think Fourth of July. Lots of grilled goodies—steaks, chicken, burgers. The majority of the food definitely focused on one food group.

  The idea that the tiger clan would feast like animals had crossed her mind, despite the fact that Nicolas ate cooked food off plates using mostly appropriate utensils notwithstanding. She’d never been able to totally shake the idea that maybe he did that for her benefit. That perhaps he secretly had a hankering for raw meat torn apart by sharp tiger teeth.

  Nice to see everyone using their forks.

  Through the meal, the tigers chatted like any other family, and she found herself sucked into the conversation. But she couldn’t help that her gaze was drawn to the tigers’ prime, and no doubt he noticed her not-so-sneaky glances.

  It wasn’t anything he said—not exactly. The man was gruff, but she got the feeling that was his natural state. But something about the way he looked at Nicolas—with a distinct calculation in his gaze—bothered her.

  He wanted something from his brother--she felt his in her bones.

  She just hoped it was something Nicolas was willing to give, because she would bet the tiger prime wasn’t accustomed to hearing the word no.

  Nicolas spent the day on edge. Despite the kind greeting from his clan’s leaders, despite the seemingly normal tour, despite the big dinner, he felt like he wasn’t being welcomed as much as he was being judged.

  His brother’s gaze was steady and strong, yet seeking, as he watched Nicolas and Evie closely throughout the day. So Nicolas wasn’t surprised when his brother pulled him aside after their meal and asked to speak with him alone.

  With a reassuring smile for his mate, he followed his brother to an office in the main house.

  Erick didn’t waste time. The second the door closed behind Nicolas, he said, “I need you to go to Chicago.”

  He blinked. Whatever he’d thought Erick was going to ask of him, this wasn’t it. “You want me to what?”

  “Travel to Chicago and collect a small group of tigers. Escort them here. Simple,” Erick said, evenly.

  “What tigers?”

  “I received a call. From our aunt.” Erick grimaced. “Apparently, her people—a small clan living in the Chicago area—are without a strong leader. They need our help.”

  He wasn’t even sure where to start with his questions. Why have I never heard of this aunt before? Do I have family—other family—that Erick had been in contact with? Why was I never told?

  Some of his queries must have shown on his face because Erick’s frown deepened. “She is our father’s sister. I did not know her before this. But our…historian confirms that such a woman exists. And that her last known location was Chicago.”

  “So you know nothing of these people.”

  “I know what I need to.”

  A short laugh escaped him. “If you say so.”

  “They are tigers. Our extended family—some even directly of our blood.” Erick crossed his arms and leaned back in his chair. “Do not act like a petulant child. You seek to rejoin your clan. This is what your clan asks of you.”

  Fucking-A. Speaking with his brother was almost as difficult as he remembered talking to his father had been. Sure, Erick didn’t seem to have the same cruelty running through him. The same hardness. But it was all about the clan. Their father had been the same way, if more selfish. Would their aunt be another clone of the old man?

  “You’re the one who asked me here.”

  Erick arched an eyebrow, and a bit of amusement touched his expression. “After you reached out, asking for help. Help, I’ll remind you, that we gave you without question.”

  Nicolas laughed outright. “Oh, you had plenty of questions, brother.”

  Was it his imagination, or did Erick’s face soften at the word brother? “Will you do this or not?”

  Would he? It wasn’t even a question, was it? The pure joy he’d felt at being among his people again was eclipsed only by the joy he’d found with his mate, Evie. If this was the cost—hell, more of a test—then he would gladly do it. There were risks. Evie wouldn’t like it, for sure. But these distant relatives had requested their help. Had asked to become part of Erick’s clan. It wasn’t as if his brother was asking him to drag back a bunch of unwilling tigers.

  It wasn’t too much to ask. And he was happy to do it. Maybe once and for all, he could prove to his clan, his brother, and himself that he was worthy to stand with his people.

  But it still pissed him off a little to give in so easily to his brother.

  “Fine. But I request that my mate be permitted to stay here under your protection while I’m gone.”

  Erick laughed. “Brother, if you can talk that human of yours into staying here while you go into a potentially dangerous situation, then I’ll happily protect her.” He shook his head. “But I’ll believe that when I see it. She may be human, but your little mate is fierce. The looks she’s been giving me all day—not a weretiger in the state who could do better.”

  Damn. Erick was right. Getting Evie to let him go alone might be more difficult than wrangling a bunch of tigers across the country. “You have no idea.”

  Erick grinned. “You might be surprised—my mate is quite fierce, too. Go. Find your Evie. We’ll discuss the details after.”

  He nodded then headed back to the cafeteria. When that proved empty, he headed outside. Standing in the sunshine, polite smile affixed to her face, Evie was doing her best to blend in yet keep a little distance. Two tiger children—no more than nine or ten years old—wrestled in the middle of the small crowd. Evie watched them with a wistful expression.

  She looked almost…sad.

  As he approached, he wondered if he’d misinterpreted her expression. Her face brightened, and the smile that never failed to break his heart greeted him. Like always, he couldn’t help but smile back.

  “Are you all ri
ght?” he asked, pulling her into a tight hug. She nuzzled his chest, taking in his scent like another shifter might. He pressed a kiss into her hair, inhaling a long breath of her scent into his lungs, too. Nerves altered her unique bouquet and put him on edge. But she’d done an amazing job of keeping her cool around the other tigers. Pride threatened to burst from his ribcage.

  “I’m fine,” she reassured him. “How did the chat with your brother go?”

  “He asked me to do something for him. Something for the clan.”

  She didn’t look surprised. If anything, she appeared resigned. “I see. What exactly does he want you to do?”

  “Not shocked, huh?”

  She glanced around. None of the others were close, but tigers had very good hearing. She shrugged. “It was the way he was watching you. Like he was evaluating you or something.”

  “He probably was.”

  Her eyes searched his. “I know he’s your brother, but he doesn’t seem like a man who’s given to a lot of sentiment. I don’t want you to get hurt.”

  “I won’t.” Something inside of him might yearn to be closer to his brother, closer to his people. But he was under no delusions about Erick’s priorities. He was, first and foremost, loyal to the clan. His devotion and affection for his mate, Daniella, might be able to challenge that. But his feelings for the brother he’d never really known didn’t come close.

  He ignored the twinge in his chest at the thought and pulled Evie close again. He didn’t need to be close to his brother. He had everything he needed in his arms right now. But he couldn’t help wanting to build some kind of relationship between himself, his brother, and his people.