Tiger Bound

by Tressie Lockwood

  “I would have been dead. Thank you.” Jake’s thanks was directed at Ward, but his wary gaze never left Deja. Heath wondered how the heck he would survive with that much fear if he didn’t turn.

  “I smell the tiger in you, but it’s faint,” Ward told him. He stepped closer to Jake and brought a hand down on his head. Heath braced himself for the surge of power that would bring him under its subjection, but it never came. Ward sighed and shook his head. “I’m sorry. We must have gotten to you before they could get very far. You’re human.”

  “That’s a good thing,” Jake said, and smiled for the first time. Then his expression fell, and a haunted look entered his eyes. “They’re still going to hunt me, aren’t they?”

  “They will,” Ward affirmed. “I know you’re afraid, Jake, but I think you can get used to us. If you have nowhere else to go, you can come to Siberia. We will protect you, and I’m sure we can find you a job and a place to live.”

  Jake’s gaze slid to Deja, and he scratched at the tiny scabs on his arm. “Well, I don’t know.”

  Carter spoke up. “The way I see it, you don’t have much of a choice, fella. Spiderweb will find you, and you’ll tell them what they want to know—after a bit of persuasion.”

  Jake’s eyes grew round.

  “Don’t scare the boy.” Ward chuckled. “Come along. We can’t stay out here forever.”

  Jake followed the others back to the vehicles, and Heath stooped to Deja. “Baby, human or tiger? If you turn here, you’ll be naked.”

  The fact that she understood was plain in her mewl of alarm. She padded on elegant paws back to the truck. He scooped up her things and followed, relieved after a quick scan of the area that no humans were present in the rest stop. Excitement colored Heath’s mood for the first time in what felt like years. He wouldn’t have to lose Deja, and as soon as they had a chance to talk, he would set her straight about thinking he blamed her. Then he would make love to her, not as a healing balm, but to seal her as his mate, now and forever.

  Back on the road with Deja at his side as a tiger, Heath twisted around to speak to Jake through the open window. “So, do you have any family?”

  Jake scratched the back of his head. His sandy blond hair appeared to need a haircut, and the puffiness around his eyes demonstrated he hadn’t slept for days. “No, I ended up in Las Vegas with the last of my money, hoping like a fool to be picked up.”

  Heath’s eyes widened. “A prostitute?”

  “No!” Jake’s cheeks pinked. “For a job somewhere. I thought with all the money flowing around that city…” He shrugged. “I’m really glad you’re giving me a chance, Mr. Ward.”

  “Just Ward, son. Say, do you know how to mix drinks?”

  “I could learn.”

  “Then you’re hired. You’ll be the bartender at our newly rebuilt bar, and it even comes with living quarters at the back.”

  “I won’t let you down,” Jake said with earnestness in his tone.

  Ward winked at him, and Heath thought he saw the tiger’s eyes. He grew even more curious about who this man was and what kind of life they lived in Siberia, Texas. “What kind of name is Siberia for a town in Texas?” he blurted.

  Ward grinned. “Well, we are rare white tigers, are we not? We were created from a hybrid of the Siberian tiger, or the Amur, which dwelled around the Sikhote Alin mountain region. We’re the big boys, son, the biggest of the cats to ever exist. The average regular Amur male can weigh almost four hundred pounds.”

  “Shucks, I weigh that when I’m dieting,” Carter yelled through the window, and the others laughed.

  Heath sat in silence, listening to other facts his dad shared about the Amur tigers and how it equated or didn’t equal how they were as hybrid shifters of the animals. He marveled at the others’ easygoing attitudes, their pride in what they were. None seemed eaten up by resentment of what Spiderweb had done, but then they had had time to adjust and to embrace the changes. Not one man showed signs of being wary of the wildness lurking inside. He hoped he too would reach that level and find contentment in Siberia.

  * * * *

  When they passed the Welcome to Siberia sign, Heath couldn’t get enough of taking it all in. A small town no bigger than back home, yet tigers roamed the streets free and easy. They bowed their heads in respect to Ward as he passed, and Ward waved and shouted greetings to each one by name. Small shops dotted Main Street, and roads led off in various directions, each shaded with plenty of greenery in the large oaks. Longing came over Heath when he spotted ranches in the distance, complete with cattle and horses, barns, and machinery for working the land. He missed his own ranch and wondered if he could get something going here. He’d talk to Ward about it. He didn’t mind starting over from the bottom and working his way up. As long as he had Deja by his side, he’d be happy.

  At the end of the main road, they hung a right and took the road a couple miles until they hit a paved driveway. The house stood all on one level, painted white. A simple design but huge nonetheless. He guessed it held upward of five bedrooms.

  When they pulled up, the front door opened, and tigers bounded out the door, running straight for Ward. Heath noticed neither of these bowed, but instead, they jumped on Ward, almost knocking him to the ground as they licked his face. “Okay, okay, boys, enough.” He laughed as he shoved the big cats off of him. Heath watched them circle Ward as he walked to the house and realized they weren’t as big as the others he’d seen in town. Were they children?

  He and Deja followed Ward inside, along with Jake, while the other members of the rescue party jumped in vehicles parked at various spots in the driveway and pulled out. Ward directed Heath and Deja to a bedroom. “You can change, Deja. And you boys, go get your clothes on so I can introduce you properly,” he shouted to the two young tigers. They bounded off down the hall.

  Heath shut the door to the room he would share with Deja and wondered how fast he could manage to arrange a place of their own. Myriad thoughts flitted through his mind until he watched her shift. A graceful back and a smooth, round ass appeared before him, hardening his cock. He crossed the room in long strides to draw up behind her. “Deja.”

  She smiled up at him, her eyes sparkling, and her beautiful cocoa skin at last healthy-looking. “Hey,” she said.

  “Hey yourself. Are you okay?”

  She pushed out of his arms, and he would have chased after her, but she zipped around the bed and began to dress in the clothes she’d had on earlier. He frowned.

  “I’m fine, Mr. Worry Wart, but me being sick isn’t what you’re thinking about right now.” She nodded toward the front of his jeans. He wasn’t ashamed of wanting her.

  “I feel like it’s been awhile.”

  “It hasn’t.” She laughed. “I’ve never felt so good. I mean, I feel like I could run for hours, and this tiger in me, I can hear her. Is that weird?”

  “No, it’s not weird. I hear him too.” He wanted to ask her what her tiger said, but there would be time enough to make sure she named him her mate, and she would. He’d castrate any other man who came near her. “Deja—” Someone banged on the door, and he sighed. “We’ll talk later. Come on.”

  He held out his hand, and she took it, gliding to his side. He peered down at her and ground his teeth because she hadn’t buttoned her blouse all the way. The beginning swells of her breasts were visible, making his hard-on grow even more. Before they left the room, he adjusted it while grumbling. Deja uttered a lighthearted chuckle and darted ahead of him.

  When he figured he wouldn’t embarrass himself walking out there with a boner, he joined Deja and entered the living room where he found Ward and an older woman who was small but very beautiful with dark hair almost to her waist. She smiled at Heath and Deja, and Ward introduced her.

  “Heath and Deja, this is my wife, Coreen, and these are my youngest sons, Abel and Aaron. Everybody, this is my oldest son, Heath, and his mate Deja.”

  Gasps sounded all around. Heath took
in the boys who appeared to be no older than fourteen, maybe a year or two apart. These were the two smaller tigers who had greeted Ward outside, and they were his brothers. He had more family than he ever thought possible, blood relations. The boys looked a lot like Ward with blond hair and blue eyes, and he already knew he had the same eyes if not the coloring.

  “It’s good to meet you,” Heath said. “I can’t believe I have brothers.”

  Both boys frowned at him and looked at Ward. Abel was the one to speak. “How do you know he’s your son? Where’s he been all this time?”

  “Yeah,” Aaron echoed, “he’s probably not even a tiger, or he’s a fake one.”

  “Boys!” Coreen pinched their ears, and they both yelped. “I’m sorry about the attitude, Heath. Welcome to our home. It’s good to meet both of you. I’m so glad Ward was able to find you and bring you home safe.”

  “Thank you.” Deja slipped her hand in his and squeezed.

  “I’m wondering if these two have done their chores,” Ward said, and Heath watched the two boys scatter like the hounds of hell were on their tails. Ward indicated a couch for them to sit down. “Sorry about that. They’re just immature brats. They will warm up to you after awhile. Lately, it’s been a contest on who will become the alpha after me, so I think you appearing has thrown a monkey wrench into their plans to inherit their old dad’s position.”

  “You don’t seem that old to me,” Deja commented.

  Coreen slapped his knee. “He’s not. Ornery doesn’t die. Trust me.”

  Heath pondered their calling his dad ornery when he’d been nothing but jovial the entire time he’d known him, which, of course, wasn’t long. Could he be this overjoyed because he’d found Heath?

  “I know you’re wondering what happened all those years ago, so I’ll tell you the little I know,” Ward said. “I met and fell in love with Elizabeth in the Ohio Spiderweb facility.”

  Heath’s eyes widened. “Ohio?”

  “Yeah, it’s no longer there. Blew that piece of sh—”

  “Ward,” Coreen chided him, and he curbed his language.

  “Blew that place sky high. Back then, as humans, we were put together more often so we could be studied. Plus, the bastards wanted to start mating us in hopes of breeding born tigers. It didn’t work because the female shifters didn’t live long. None until Elizabeth hung on long enough to get pregnant. I already loved her with all my heart, so when I discovered she carried my child, I was determined to escape.”

  Coreen didn’t seem to mind how Ward talked about his mother. From his tone of voice, he still loved her.

  “In the explosions, I got separated from Elizabeth, and knowing I caused it about killed me, but I had others depending on me to lead them to a safe place. My dream was always to live in Texas, so we settled here, and I founded Siberia. What I can piece together now is that Spiderweb knew I wouldn’t rest if I thought Elizabeth lived. I would have hunted the world to find her. They let me think she died in that explosion.”

  Heath nodded. “What really happened was they used the situation to their advantage. They thought if she lived the life of an ordinary human, maybe she would live and bear a born shifter. They sent my da…uh…Tate to watch her and record everything, including taking monthly blood samples from me.”

  Ward’s fingers curled, and Heath thought he would drive a fist through the table between them, but Coreen laid a small hand over his. The touch seemed to calm him. Maybe he loved her in his own way.

  To settle his dad’s mind, he admitted, “Tate fell in love with my mother early on. He began falsifying the reports he sent to Spiderweb. I don’t ever remember getting blood taken from me, so he must have gotten it elsewhere. He also developed a drug that would suppress the tiger.”

  Ward grunted. “I give him grudging thanks for that. Taking care of the two of you should have been my job.”

  “But you’re here now,” Coreen announced, “and that’s all that matters. Now, would you like something to eat? I know you’ve had a long trip to get here.”

  Coreen rose, and she commandeered Deja to help her rustle up lunch in the kitchen. Ward stretched his legs out and raised his arms over his head. He seemed to be lost in thought, and Heath hated interrupting, especially if he still processed the fact that Heath’s mother hadn’t died when he thought she had. If he’d known she was alive, he could have saved her as alpha. The knowledge weighed heavy on Heath, and he scarcely remembered his mother.

  “Dad.”

  Ward looked up, a smile erasing the sadness that had been in his gaze a moment before. “I like that coming from you. A part of Elizabeth is still with me.”

  “I’m sorry about that.”

  “What happened to her wasn’t your fault. It’s theirs, and that’s why I get great pleasure in bringing down their labs. I thought that was the end of it with Ohio, but I was naïve.”

  “You said someone on the inside tipped you off.”

  Ward nodded. “Dr. Gail Holmes.”

  Heath’s eyes widened. “Are you serious?”

  “We had a…uh…a thing for awhile.” Heath stared at him, and Ward shrugged. “When they made me, I discovered I had an insatiable sex drive. I wanted it all the time, every day.”

  Heath didn’t want to hear about his father’s sex life, even if he didn’t know him well enough to think of him that way.

  “It was different when I found my mate.”

  “You mean my mom?”

  Ward sighed and leaned back in his chair. “Yes, I’m not saying I didn’t want it. Your mother was painfully beautiful. I didn’t like taking my eyes off of her, and as you’ve heard the others say, I’m ornery. I could fly off the handle in the snap of my fingers, but that only happened after I lost Elizabeth. I still cared about my people, but she was my life.”

  Heath nodded. “Deja is my life.” He closed his eyes, thinking back to what happened at the lab. “I killed people because they threatened her. I don’t like the violence that stirs in me. The wildness, I feel like I can’t control it.”

  “You can, and you will,” Ward insisted. “And if you think you won’t lose control again, don’t fool yourself. If anyone threatens Deja or your little ones when they come, you will kill. The only one that can stop that is Deja. Keep her close, and love her like the gift she is.”

  “I will.”

  Chapter Eighteen

  Lunch couldn’t be done fast enough for Deja. When she was done, she helped Coreen clean up and then excused herself to go take a shower. The trip there had been long, and the dust of the road clung like a second skin. During the meal, she had sensed Heath’s desire, or it could be her own. Ever since the alpha helped her change, she felt like a new person. All pain had left her body. She didn’t even have a headache, and the energy surging through her being needed to be expended. She couldn’t think of a better way than to ride Heath like a show pony.

  The town seemed like just the place for both of them. They could raise a family—if he wanted. Of course he did. She grinned, thinking about the excitement that entered his sexy blue eyes when he learned he not only had a dad, but two brothers. They were spoiled brats, but that came with the territory sometimes, and she didn’t doubt Heath could win them over. Everyone loved him. Including me. Oh my goodness, I love that man!

  Her emotions overflowed now that the shifter had come alive in her. She’d told Heath the truth when she said the tiger spoke. Heath had walked up behind her when she shifted, and as soon as he had laid his hands on her shoulders, her inner tiger had spoken. “Mine! My mate.”

  The words threw her for a loop, but she accepted them just as fast. She accepted what she was because it meant she could be with Heath. Now he couldn’t push her away, and if he even tried, she’d jump him and show him what he would miss if he let her go.

  She laughed thinking about that wild attitude, but knew it had to do with the tiger. She liked it, the confidence, the knowledge that she could let her hair down and give into impulses, and n
obody would judge her. Ward, his people, and even Coreen never blinked twice about her being black. From what she could tell, they recognized her as Heath’s mate, and that settled it.

  “Damn, I’m going to love it in this town.”

  “I’m glad to hear it.” Heath stood at their bedroom door, holding the doorknob. She raised an eyebrow, and guilt colored his cheeks. “It must have been faulty.”

  “Uh huh.” Never mind that she’d smelled him coming—bonus!—and heard how he squeezed the hell out of the doorknob when he saw her without her clothes. “You need to watch that strength, buddy. When we get our own place, I don’t want you destroying it just because you see a couple of naked boobs.”

  She put her hands on her hips, letting the movement give her breasts an extra bounce. Heath appeared mesmerized. Deja shifted the weight from one leg into the other. His gaze left her already taut nipples to travel across her belly and down between her legs. She grew moist with the scrutiny, and his nostrils flared as he breathed in deep. This was so much fun. Now she knew what it was like for him to smell her want, and the intensity with which he desired her must be powerful if it compared to her lust.

  “Well?” she goaded him.

  Heath took a step forward and then stopped. He backed up and shut the door. She wondered how they would get out of the room with no knob, but then they probably wouldn’t want to any time soon.

  “I have to clear up a few things first.”

  Worry stirred in her belly. “What’s that?”

  “Deja, you think I blamed you for what happened.”

  “I don’t—”

  “Don’t lie to me.” He stepped closer and drew her into his arms. Somehow, he seemed to think better of that move as long as they needed to talk, and he put her back from him. “Baby, you are everything to me. Do you understand that? I didn’t realize it myself at first, but all these years we’ve been together, when the threat of losing you arose, I felt like I would lose my mind. I ran because I couldn’t bear the thought of Spiderweb killing you. I would have destroyed them, hunted every employee, every minion with the minutest responsibility in the organization and slaughtered them all until there was nothing left. That intensity of emotion grew from the tiger awakening, and I didn’t know how to handle it. The confusion of wanting you close to me but fearing you being there at the same time brought about decisions I’m not proud of, but now…I know what you are.” He grasped her chin with one hand and tipped it up. The force he spoke of gleamed in his eyes, and she shivered under the power of it. “I know whose you are.”