Turning, she started walking in the direction where she thought Alek might be hiding. If he’s planning on jumping out and scaring me he’s in for a surprise. Daisy Munroe is not easy prey. Thoughts of ambushing the ambusher had her smiling as she continued walking deeper through the trees, keeping her steps as silent as she could manage and practically rubbing her hands together in anticipation. Oh, Alek you are in for such a surprise.
Suddenly she froze. Moving through the trees, with eyes locked on her, was a large, muscular Florida panther she would recognize anywhere. Alek hadn’t been watching her… Garrett Foley had found her.
Chapter Twenty-Nine
Daisy had nightmare’s that had played almost exactly like this since the moment she had overheard her parents talking about giving her as mate to this cruel male. The only exception was this time, he was stalking her in the snow instead of the verdant landscape of the glades. She wanted to pinch herself but her body wouldn’t cooperate. She was frozen in place, her mind screaming at her to run, to get away. But, no, she was smarter than that. Running would only incite a chase and he would take her down in moments.
She was panting hard and she watched as his nostrils flared slightly. Fear had a scent and he was probably enjoying hers. He wouldn’t be expecting her to fight him. He considered her weak and expected her to cower before him and beg for mercy. She would not give him the satisfaction. She was NOT prey. He was not worthy of her fear. Letting her eyes and teeth shift she unleashed her claws and expelled a loud, angry hiss.
His lip pulled up on one side in a snarl before he released a low, threatening growl. His body lowered slightly in the front, his eyes narrowing on her. He was going to pounce. That thought occurred to her as another realization slammed through her brain. She was no longer in the glades where no one would dare interfere with a male disciplining his female. Here, if she screamed, someone would come. Gathering as much air as she could, she let loose an ear piercing scream just as the cat leapt and took her down.
The remainder of Daisy’s breath left her body in a whoosh as she hit the ground hard. The male on top of her had shift back to skin. Big, blonde, and muscular, he would have been handsome had his inherent cruelty not shown through on his face. He snarled at her as he slapped her, her face turning with the impact and her ears ringing. “I told Kramer not to bother hiring that incompetent ass. He supposedly tracked you into Canada but what do I find my first day here?” He turned and spit on the ground beside her head. He kept a hand on her as he stood up and pulled her up beside him by the hair. “Scream again, little Daisy and I won’t hesitate to carve you up. Now where’s big sister hiding? I’ve seen the little shack you call home.” He said with a snort of derision. “Was kind of hoping to find you both in bed.”
Daisy’s scalp was burning from Garrett’s grip in her hair, so tight she could feel the hairs being forcibly pulled from her head. She ran her tongue over the inside of her cheek where he’d slapped her. The area was numb but she tasted blood. Tears prickled in her eyes but she refused to give him the pleasure of seeing her cry. Having no intention of answering him, she set her mouth in a grim line. Seeing it, Garrett grabbed her face between his fingers and pinched hard. He leaned in until they were nose to nose and growled. “I will hurt you, little girl. Now tell me where your sister is.”
He released her face but instead of telling him what he wanted to hear, she said “Go to hell!” Two more rapid slaps had her hitting the ground, blood dripping from her mouth to splatter on the snow in bright red drops. She started to crawl away, knowing it would do no good, when she heard a sound that was music to her ears; another feline roar. A feline that was much bigger than Garrett Foley.
She looked up to see a tiger running toward them and she knew it was Alek before she ever saw the telltale brand on his chest. His long, sleek, orange and white body striped with black was massive as he leapt through the air and landed over her, shielding her body with his own. He let out another roar as Garrett Foley shifted back to fur. Garrett had always seemed so large and imposing but seeing him in comparison to Alek, who was at least three times bigger, was a revelation. Garrett began to circle and Alek tracked him, moving to keep pace with the male and continue to cover Daisy, when a howl split the air, followed by another, and another… the pack was coming. If her mouth hadn’t been numb she would have smiled.
Alek had just gotten out of the shower in preparation to drive Eloise to the grocery store when he heard the scream. Every instinct he possessed kicked in and he didn’t hesitate. Throwing open his bedroom window he jumped through and was in fur before he hit the ground. His Daisy was in danger. Every instinct told him that that was her who had screamed. When he saw her, on the ground, crawling, with blood marring the snow while a naked male stood just behind her smiling… Smiling! Rage took hold. He wanted to lash out at the male. He wanted to eviscerate him as the male begged for mercy. He wanted to kill him slowly, painfully… But doing so might endanger Daisy and her safety was of the utmost importance. He couldn’t let her get caught in the middle where she might be injured or even accidentally killed. He would shield her.
With Daisy’s body tucked beneath his own, he kept his eyes firmly fixed on the male who had shifted into his feline form. Alek released a roar, a warning the smaller male did not heed as he continued to circle Alek and Daisy; looking for an opportunity to attack.
Garrett let out a hiss, Alek braced to intercept the pounce, when suddenly a tan streak broke from the trees. A high pitch scream of a Florida panther’s cry was released as Lily launched herself through the air to land on Garrett’s back, her teeth sinking brutally into the male’s neck as he tried to throw her off. He heard Daisy scream her sister’s name and he quickly shifted back to skin to pull Daisy into his arms and away from the fight just as Lily’s claws dug in for the hold and she shook her head. Blood splattered in ever widening arcs on the snow as Lily severed a major artery and the male beneath her dropped to the ground.
Keeping Daisy’s head pressed to his shoulder so that she wouldn’t see the violence of the act, Alek watched as Lily continued to hold on to the male’s neck until the body was completely still.
The wolves broke through the trees, some in fur while some were still in human form, weapons at the ready. For a moment all was quiet but for the sound of heavy breathing. Conner was the first of the wolves to shift back to skin as he approached Lily. Alek watched and listened as Conner stroked a hand down Lily’s back and whispered soothing words to her as he tried to pull her off the male’s body.
Daisy pulled her head back to look at him and he wiped a finger gently over her bottom lip. Growling low he said “I would have made him suffer for hours for this offense.” He stroked his hands down the side of her face being careful of the vivid handprint that would soon be a bruise.
Daisy shook her head and closed her eyes, her lip quivering slightly as all of the emotion that she had suppressed rose to the surface. A choked sob broke loose and Alek pulled her tightly into his embrace. “That’s right, solnyshko, let it out. I’ve got you. I’ll never let you go.”
Conner approached with Lily, naked now that she had shift back to skin, tucked securely under his arm. He looked from him to Daisy and asked, “Is she okay?” Alek had to resist the urge to growl at the male who was too close to Daisy without a stitch of clothes on. Nudity was an everyday occurrence in the shifter community and it normally didn’t bother him, but naked males near Daisy brought his possessive streak to the surface.
Daisy raised her head off his chest but her eyes were on her sister. “Lily? Are you all right?”
Lily’s voice was still growly attesting to how close her animal was to the surface. The blood around her mouth and down her chest made her look like something out of a horror movie. “The bastard pissed on our house, Daisy. He pissed on our house!”
Conner ran a hand over Lily’s bare arm to soothe her but Daisy was suddenly breaking free of Alek’s hold and pulling Lily unresisting into her arms. Bo
th females gave way to tears.
Riley Cooper and Tarvahl Pierce joined Alek and Conner as they stepped away from the females to give them a moment. Riley was one of the males who had stayed fully clothed while Tarvahl had joined both his sons in fur and was currently naked. Tarvahl nodded his head in the direction of the dead feline. “From the Everglade pride?”
Before Alek could answer, Daisy and Lily, who was wrapped in Daisy’s coat to cover her nakedness, the blood having been mostly wiped from her face, joined them, their arms tightly holding each other for support. “His name is Garrett Foley. He was the male chosen by the pride to be my mate.”
Tarvahl let out a sigh and scrubbed a hand over his bearded face. “So we should be expecting more of them eventually.” It wasn’t a question.
Alek shook his head. “I’ll take care of it. By the time I’m done with Kramer the Everglade pride won’t even think of sending anymore trouble your way.”
Tunneling his fingers through his hair and leaving the red mass rather tussled, Tarvahl grunted. “Fine. I’m holding you to that.” Then his attention turned to the sisters. Crooking a finger under Daisy’s chin he examined her face for a moment with a frown. “Are you okay, Daisy? Do you need a doctor?”
Daisy shook her head and shot Tarvahl a watery smile. “You came.” She whispered.
Smoothing a hand over her hair Tarvahl smiled softly. “You and your sister are Pack, baby girl. Of course we came.”
Daisy let out a laugh of happiness as more tears fell from her eyes and Alek couldn’t help but feel his heart clench. His sunshine. This latest assault against her could have dimmed her light, but it hadn’t. She was strong – so much stronger than she gave herself credit for, and incredibly resilient. She was everything he could have hoped for in a mate, a lover, a partner, and a friend.
Chapter Thirty
Once clean-up was underway and the body of the cat placed on the back of an ATV for disposal, Riley Cooper had given Alek some clothes so he wouldn’t shock poor Eloise returning home naked. As well, Conner had gathered a bag of clothes for Lily and Daisy so that they wouldn’t have to stay at their cabin until it was clean. Alek wanted to kill the male again for marking the cabin as if it was his territory. In the meantime, the sisters would stay at Mrs. Potter’s house. He may have overstepped by issuing the invitation, but Eloise had a big heart, a big house, and he thought she would enjoy the company.
Trudging through the snow quietly with a subdued Lily and Daisy he wondered what he would say to Mrs. Potter. He had promised to drive her to the grocery store and instead had disappeared without a word. He wouldn’t blame her if she was angry with him or if she hadn’t given up on him entirely and driven herself.
Breaking through the tree line at the access road, the house came into view. Mrs. Potter was sitting on the porch, a blanket wrapped around her shoulders and one thrown over her lap while a rifle was laying across her knees. Alek blanched thinking something horrible had happened here while he’d been away. He broke into a run with Daisy and Lily close on his heels only to see Mrs. Potter stand up and call out, “You gals all right?”
All three came to a panting halt in front of the steps. “What happened?” Alek demanded, his eyes moving over Eloise to check for injury.
With the rifle cradled in one arm and the cane held firmly on the opposite side, Mrs. Potter went back into the house. “Alek, hang Winnie back up for me while I put the kettle on.” She said.
Alek did as he was told, hanging the old Winchester back in its spot above the fireplace, and then turned to the sisters. “You ladies get warmed up, I’ll go talk to Eloise.”
Before he could leave, Daisy gripped his arm and whispered frantically, “Alek, listen.”
That’s when he realized there was no music playing. His chest constricted. Since he’d first met Eloise Potter there had been music filling the house. From the moment she got around in the morning until she went to bed at night. The silence now, in the middle of the day, when he knew the music had been playing before he left, was disconcerting.
He grimaced. “I’ll find out what’s going on.”
When he stepped into the kitchen Mrs. Potter was placing cups and saucers on her tea tray while the water heated on the stove. She didn’t bother to turn around when she asked, “The gals are really okay? Looks like Daisy needs an icepack for that cheek.” She said, opening the freezer door to pull out a bag of frozen peas. Wrapping it in a dish towel she handed it to Alek.
Taking it but not moving, he put a hand on her back. “They’ll be okay, they had a scare but they’re strong. Are you okay? You turned off your music.”
Nodding she looked up at him, her normally twinkling eyes were glossy with emotion. “I needed to hear what was going on outside. I heard the scream. Saw you leap down from your window.” Her eyes narrowed. “Living so close to Malsum Pass I’ve seen some unbelievable things in my time, but you, my boy, are my first tiger.”
Alek flinched. “So was Winnie meant for me?”
Mrs. Potter let out a snort of derision and smacked him in the chest. “Don’t be daft, boy. I told you I heard the scream. I may not be able to run pell-mell through the woods anymore like you young folk but I can shoot something coming right at me should the need arise.”
Alek shook his head. “Has anyone ever told you that you are an amazing woman, Eloise?”
Throwing Alek a sly smile she winked, “My Harold, of course, every day.”
He cleared his throat. “You know you can’t tell anyone about-“
Mrs. Potter cut him off with a wave of her hand and a huff, “Who am I going to tell? Anyone who isn’t like you wouldn’t believe me anyway. All it would gain me is a one way ticket to a nursing home with a diagnosis of mental instability and I’m certainly not off my gourd yet.”
Alek smiled and kissed her on the cheek. The kettle whistled so he turned off the heat and poured the water into the teapot. Eloise arranged some food on the tray and then said, “Now, you give that icepack to Daisy, we’ll grocery shop after tea.” She finished with a sniff.
Alek chuckled and dropped another kiss on her curls. “Your wish is my command.”
Once Alek had left with Mrs. Potter to chauffeur her into town, Daisy put down the icepack he had given her, turned to her sister and clasped her hand. “Alek is a freaking tiger, Lily.” She stopped, her eyes grew wide for a moment before she burst into laughter, “Tiger Lily”, she snorted, tears of mirth swimming in her eyes.
Lily couldn’t seem to help but join in the amusement, shaking her head, before she sobered and grimaced. “I need a shower and my toothbrush desperately.”
Daisy stopped laughing suddenly and looked at her sister with concern. “How are you really, Lily? And please don’t say you’re fine because I know you’re not. You killed a male today and not like I did with a bash over the head. You had your teeth in him.” She tapped her fingers to her forehead. “That has to be screwing with your head.”
Lily stared into the fire in the fireplace. “Do you remember when you were talking about that moment of clarity when Alek told you about the fur traders?”
Daisy nodded though Lily wasn’t looking at her, “Yes.”
“Well, when I came home from work and scented the male at the cabin and then heard you scream, it was like that for me. Something snapped into place. All of that extra training in preparation for challenging Hank, all those daydreams… It didn’t matter that it wasn’t Hank. I had been preparing for so long to take down an adult male – like I knew this day was coming. Why else did I train so hard with Conner, you know?”
“I thought with Conner you just enjoyed knocking him down a peg?” Daisy asked.
Lily shrugged. “That too,” she said with a small smile, “but I think subconsciously it was more than that. I was preparing for battle because I knew they would find us.”
Daisy took her sister’s hand and squeezed. “Alek said that he’d take care of it so they would never find us again.”
; A small, sad smile. “I’m glad you’ll be with him. After seeing him protecting you today, I have every confidence that you’ll stay safe. But even if Alek is right and they never come this way looking, I’ll probably always feel the need to train and prepare. That’s what makes me feel safe. Knowing that if the day ever comes, I’ll be ready.”
Daisy wrapped her arms around her sister and pulled her close. “Oh, Lily, I wish so much more for you.”
Lily kissed her cheek and said, “I think someday, maybe, I’ll be ready.” She looked up and there was actually hope in those vivid green eyes. The sight held Daisy almost spellbound. Had she ever seen that look in her sister’s eyes? If so, it had been so long ago.
Chapter Thirty-One
While Lily showered, Daisy noticed that she had smears of blood on her coat as well as more smears on the sweatshirt she was wearing. How much of it was hers and how much of it was Garrett Foley’s that had come off of Lily when they’d embraced, she had no idea. She grimaced in distaste and went into the bathroom as soon as Lily was done.
She flinched when she looked in the mirror. She had a split lip that had at least stopped bleeding but was now swollen and a nasty purplish-black, and the cheek where she’d been slapped not once, but three times, was rapidly darkening to purple as well. There was also a vividly dark bruise the size of a man’s thumbprint on her opposite cheek. She had blood smudged on her neck, along her jawline, and in her hair. In short, she looked like hell.
Quickly stripping down and showering, she put on fresh clothes, and pre-treated the blood streaks on her clothes so that they wouldn’t stain. By the time she returned to the living room, Mrs. Potter was coming through the door, followed by Alek with arms full of shopping bags.
For Her: A Malsum Pass Novel Page 15
