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

by Tiffany Allee

  She wasn’t a tiger. She’d never really fit in his world. And this was a nasty reminder of the worry that had been on her mind since they’d arrived at his brother’s.

  “Sure you’re not the prime?” his aunt asked, then turned and headed for one of the RVs at the far end of the park. “You sound like one.”

  Was that grudging respect in her voice? Maybe. If Nicolas could gain his people’s esteem—his brother’s—the rest of the clan, old and new, might forget about her. Ignore her, at least. Perhaps come to be distant yet polite to her at gatherings.

  Why did that sound worse than all-out rudeness?

  “Are you okay?” Nicolas murmured into her hair, still holding her close to his side as they followed Dara.

  She nodded wordlessly, swallowing hard around the lump in her throat. A lie, but one he couldn’t very well call her on right now.

  When they reached a particularly bedraggled home, Dara slapped an open hand against the side. “Tyler. Get your ass out here, boy.”

  Something crashed inside the RV—a pan by the sound of it—and then the door opened, and a young man, bending down low to get through the doorway, stepped out. He was gangly and all limbs, no more than sixteen years old. Why on earth had Dara thought this child needed to be involved in their discussion of the future of their broken clan?

  “This is your cousin,” she said to the boy. “Get everyone out here.” His eyes widened and he nodded. When he didn’t move, she added, “Today, Tyler.”

  The kid took off like he’d been hit with a cattle prod, and Dara turned back to them. “He’ll gather everyone up. Not sure how they’re going to take this. I lead them best I can. But you’ll have to be the one to do the convincing.”

  Evie started. Hadn’t this already been decided? “We’re here because you asked for us.”

  Dara’s eyes narrowed. “We asked Erick to come. I don’t see the prime around.”

  There were fewer tigers than Evie had expected. One by one, they trailed in. A dozen or so in all. Not one gaze was friendly, although a few didn’t glare.

  As a group, they didn’t look malnourished or unhealthy, but they felt… soul sick. And something else was wrong, but she wasn’t sure what exactly. Nicolas answered that question for her.

  “Where are the rest?”

  “This is it,” Dara said. When Nicolas frowned, she clarified. “You were expecting more.”

  “Not exactly, it’s just that—”

  “No one told you to expect a group of teenagers and old fogeys?” Her lips twisted into a facsimile of a grin. “Most people who could easily move on have. Or they’ve gone to work for the master of the city. Or—” She shook her head, lips tight. “Shit happens. Especially in Chicago lately.”

  Nicolas started. “All of them? And the master of the city—they’ve gone to work for a vampire?”

  If anything, her grin grew fiercer. “A couple thought to challenge my husband during the last months of his reign. But even old and weak, they couldn’t take him.”

  Evie blinked. “You’re saying he—”

  “Tore out their throats,” Dara said without hesitation, grimacing. “Two of our strongest, truth be told. But dumb, young men who had to be shown their place.”

  Evie gaped, unable to wrap her mind around the savagery.

  “Wasn’t nothing they wouldn’t have done to him, had they half a chance.” She shrugged. “Not that I expect a human to understand. As for the rest…well, there’s been violence around the city lately. More than normal. Part of what prompted us to get the hell out.”

  The rest of the tigers looked on, and a couple nodded in agreement, but their expressions were wary.

  Dara gestured to Nicolas. “This is Erick’s brother—a royal in his own right. Apparently, his majesty couldn’t be bothered with us, so his little brother is here to take us home.”

  The teen who Dara had charged with gathering the others spit. “I don’t see why we have to go.”

  “Because tigers aren’t meant to live like this. Trapped like little sardines, stuck in the city where there’s no room to hunt.” Nicolas’s voice was strong and true.

  A couple of them grumbled, but none argued the fact.

  “Everyone get packed up. We’ll leave in the morning,” Nicolas said.

  “Not so fast, junior.” Dara put her hands on her hips and gave him a twisted smile. “We can’t leave the area permanently until rights are given.”

  “Rights?” Evie asked.

  Dara didn’t so much as spare her a glance. “Permissions have to be gotten. Hoops and shit to jump through.”

  “What hoops?” Nicolas’s patience was clearly strained, and the effort needed to keep his polite veneer was showing in his expression.

  “You gotta talk to the master,” Tyler offered.

  The vampire? Holy crap.

  “Why would I need to talk to a vampire about your clan?” Nicolas asked, his smile looking more like a baring of teeth than anything else.

  “Alric rules Chicago. Nothing big happens here without his say-so. And I’m telling you, we won’t get a mile out of the city without his permission.”

  Nicolas narrowed his eyes. “What if we leave right now? How would he know?”

  A hush fell over the group, but Dara shook her head. “The how of it, I don’t know. But he would. And it wouldn’t be pretty. Trust me when I tell ya this isn’t one of those situations where beggin’ forgiveness is better than asking permission.”

  Evie dozed as the cabbie maneuvered through the city streets, then jerked fully awake when they parked in front of Annabel’s building. Night had fallen hours before, while Nicolas questioned Dara about the vampire they would have to meet and about their situation as a clan. Dara, for her part, wrangled no small bit of information out of Nicolas about Erick, Colorado, and what waited for her clan when they arrived.

  Dara and the other tigers had staunchly ignored Evie.

  Only Tyler, the lanky, teenaged tiger had spoken to her, offering her something to drink. She’d managed to get a few words out of the boy, but he’d been guarded and suspicious. Far too defensive for one so young.

  What the hell had happened to this group to make even a teenager so distrustful?

  Nicolas had, in a roundabout way, gotten a bit of information about that, too. But only vague references to hard times, to parents lost both to fighting and to outside powers. Reading between the lines, Evie suspected that other forces in Chicago hadn’t been kind to the weakened tiger clan.

  All in all, she wasn’t sure the master of Chicago was doing his job. Or if he was, he didn’t worry himself overly much about a small group of relatively weak shifters.

  Nicolas paid the driver then gave her a tired smile. She slid out and he followed her, taking her hand in his. The cab drove off, and in the relatively quiet street, it suddenly felt like they were alone.

  Softly, he touched her cheek. “I’m so fucking sorry about today.”

  “I’m fine,” she said automatically. Then, ruefully, she added, “I wasn’t expecting a warm reception. But I guess I didn’t realize how much they’d dislike me.”

  “They don’t even know you.” He pressed a kiss against the corner of her mouth. “You are remarkable. They will see that, given some time.”

  “Or a few more threats of tearing off their heads?” That little warning after they’d settled in to talk to the other tigers had at least stopped anyone from being directly rude to her, but she wasn’t naïve enough to think it actually helped the underlying problem.

  “Only when absolutely necessary,” he promised.

  Something moved in the shadows, and suddenly, Nicolas stood between her and the building, his posture defensive.

  A man stepped toward them, movements deliberate. His hands were up, as if showing he bore no weapons. But that didn’t seem to convince Nicolas that he wasn’t dangerous.

  “Vampire.” Nicolas spat out the word like a curse.

  “Very perceptive,” the man sa
id. He kept his hands showing and stepped into the light. Well-dressed with a jacket, slacks, and a button-down shirt, the man didn’t look like how Evie imagined a vampire would, but then again, she hadn’t expected Nicolas to be a weretiger, either. “I mean you no harm.”

  “Sure you don’t,” Nicolas said, sarcasm lacing his tone.

  “You are Nicolas.” He cocked his head to look at Evie. “And his mate, Evie.”

  It wasn’t a question, exactly, but the man seemed to be waiting for a response. Evie placed her hands on Nicolas’s arm and leaned around him so she could see better, but her protector staunchly refused to move. Suppressing a sigh, she said, “That’s us.”

  The man gave them a short bow. “I am James, one of the master’s Seven. I am here to issue you an invitation.” Carefully, he pulled an envelope from his jacket and reached out to hand it to Nicolas. “The master will expect you tomorrow night at his office to discuss the local tiger clan. Both of you.”

  Nicolas stiffened. She couldn’t see his expression from where she stood behind him, but from the twitch of the vampire’s brow, she guessed it wasn’t friendly. “I will meet with your master. Alone.”

  The vampire’s lips quirked into an almost smile. “You will not be permitted to meet the master alone. Your lovely mate must also be evaluated by the master to determine if he will allow you to take the tigers from the city.”

  “Not happening,” Nicolas said firmly.

  The man bowed again. “As you wish. The invitation is with you if you should change your mind.” He hesitated, and all trace of amusement left his expression. “Please do not attempt to remove the tiger clan without permission. The master would be…most displeased.”

  With that, the vampire slipped back into the shadows and was gone faster than Evie’s eyes could follow.

  “Holy crap,” she muttered.

  Chapter Four

  “We really appreciate the offer, Annabel. But honestly, we’re good,” Evie reassured her. Annabel had been so persistent in trying to give them a ride to their meeting place with the vampires. It was as if the woman could sense how much Evie and Nicolas didn’t want her to go. More likely, the woman could sense Evie’s apprehension about the meet and only wanted to help. It was nice of her, but pretty darn inconvenient.

  Evie glanced down at the bag she had put together earlier in the afternoon. That had been easy enough—because she’d done it while Annabel was still at work. It was silly. An impulse brought out by fear. Inside was an amalgam of items that were more likely to be seen in a horror film than any kind of reality-based vampire fight, she suspected. Garlic. Holy water she’d purchased from an occult store in the mall that probably wasn’t anything more than tap water sold in shiny glass bottles. And even a couple of stakes. She gotten those from the same store as the holy water, and they were made of some sort of light wood that she suspected would bounce off the chest. But she hadn’t been able to resist.

  “Cab’s here,” Nicolas said. His eyes were locked on hers, pleading. But she knew he wouldn’t say anything in front of Annabel. He couldn’t. His brother’s mate would be most displeased if their secret, supernatural community were to be revealed to her best friend accidentally.

  After the vampire messenger had left them the night before, Evie had studied the invitation. Sure enough, it specified both of their names.

  Nicolas hadn’t cared.

  But he’d been forced to relent. There was simply no other way for them to get the tigers out safely. Besides, she’d argued, if the vampire master had wanted to kill them, he could have attempted it while they slept at Annabel’s. He’d obviously known where they were staying.

  But she’d been forced to promise that she would run if they hit any trouble. Run and not look back. The promise had been bitter against her tongue, but she’d made it. Nicolas wouldn’t have taken her with him otherwise. Even if it meant sacrificing the tiger clan to their fate.

  That shouldn’t have made her love him more, but the heart was a fickle thing.

  So here they were, headed to a vampire’s stronghold.

  With one last, longing glance at the bag, she followed Nicolas out the door to the cab. She could feel Annabel’s eyes on their backs, worry practically radiating from her, as they left.

  The cab ride took nearly half an hour. Annabel didn’t live directly in the city, and the place where they were meeting the vampire was in downtown Chicago. The cab driver pulled up to what looked to be an office building.

  “This is it?” Evie asked, peering out at the strangely normal-looking building.

  “The address you gave me,” the cabbie said.

  Nicolas reached between the front seats and handed the cab driver some cash. “Thanks.”

  Evie reached for the door handle, but a touch on her shoulder stopped her.

  “There’s no way I can get you to go back?” Nicolas asked, voice serious.

  “Not a chance.” She forced a smile. Then she opened her door and hopped out. Nicolas exited on his side, and without another word, the cab driver took off.

  The area looked mostly abandoned at this time of day. And more than a little bit scary—if only because it was so strange to think of meeting vampires at a regular commercial building. But was there a non-scary place to meet vampires? She didn’t think so. Nicolas stared hard at the building, and she approached him, concerned.

  “Are you all right?”

  His eyes met hers, knocking her breath out of her chest for a moment. Even after all these months, just a fierce look from him could do that to her. “I hate that you’re here. In danger. Maybe from something I can’t protect you from.”

  The emotion in his voice was heartbreaking, but she couldn’t let him do this alone. It just wasn’t an option. Besides, even if she had somehow been able to force herself self to stay back, the invitation had been very specific.

  “I hate that either of us have to be here, but I’m glad we’re together.”

  “Had half a mind to chase down the cab, take us both back to the airport, back to Colorado.”

  She could hear the dead seriousness in his tone. He would do it. To keep her safe, he would abandon his duty here. Abandon his people. Warmth blossomed in her chest, even though she knew that kind of decision would destroy something in him.

  “I’m honored that you would do that for me. To protect me.” Her gaze went to the well-lit office building ahead of them. The glass was dark, so even though she could see lights on inside, it was difficult to make out many details. “But that group of tigers needs your help. They’re soul sick, or something. I don’t think they’ll last long in the city—not and have any kind of good life. We can’t just abandon them.”

  “You’re right. But I still don’t have to like it.”

  He sounded so irritated by that fact, she had to grin. “No, you don’t. But, come on. If this vampire really wanted to kill us, he could’ve done so far more easily than dragging us out to his shiny office building. He’s known where we’ve been staying, what we’ve been doing. I don’t think killing us is part of his plan.”

  “Maybe not. But I don’t trust the sucker.”

  She took his hand in hers and gripped him tight. He squeezed her hand back. “Me either.”

  Together, they headed toward the revolving door.

  He’d never wished for anything so much as he wished Evie were back home. It killed him that she had to be here in danger. Yet his chest filled with pride at the courage and tenacity of his mate. She would not be left behind, and no matter how much he wanted to keep her safe, he had to respect her need to keep him safe, as well.

  They walked into the office building together. The lobby had been hidden behind reflective, dark glass, and while he wasn’t sure what he’d expected, he hadn’t expected this. The place was…

  Commonplace.

  Sure, the finishes were higher-end than the average office building. And it was definitely strange to see an office high-rise with people milling about at night. But other
than that, it appeared completely normal.

  But his nose told him differently.

  There was at least one vampire in the room with them, maybe two. The man in one of the groups, dressed in a nice, three-piece suit, had his eyes locked on Nicolas from across the room. Nicolas wasn’t the only one who had noticed a nonhuman presence. The man had noticed him, too.

  The receptionist greeted them with a perky, professional smile. And if it hadn’t been for the vampire, Nicolas might have thought they were in the wrong place. But when he asked for the master of the city—Evie adding in that they had an appointment—the receptionist gave them a perky nod and told them they were expected on the top floor.

  Instead of leaving them to their own devices, the young woman led them to the elevator. Nicolas hesitated at the entryway to the small metal box, and Evie touched his elbow.

  She didn’t ask if he was okay, but her expression clearly stated the question. He didn’t like the idea of getting into a confined space when there were vampires about. The whole place was so strange, so surreal that it added to his nerves. He would’ve rather met the bloodsucker in a graveyard. But he gritted his teeth and stepped into the elevator. Evie followed behind.

  The young receptionist gave them a reassuring smile. Then she touched a button and a small panel opened. She pressed her finger against the screen inside. A sound chirped. She hit the button for the top floor.

  Fingerprint scanner? Maybe the building wasn’t quite as normal as it appeared.

  And neither was the young woman. In close proximity, Nicolas finally noticed that something was different about her scent. She didn’t stink of vampire, but she wasn’t quite human, either. Certainly she wasn’t something he’d encountered in person before—but that meant she could be almost anything. He tensed, making sure his body was between the receptionist and his mate.

  The elevator rumbled smoothly, taking them up without incident. Once they reached their destination, the doors opened and the receptionist waved them out. But she didn’t follow.