by Lisa Oliver
A Tiger’s Tale
Arrowtown Series #1
By Lisa Oliver
A Tiger’s Tale (Arrowtown Series #1)
Copyright © Lisa Oliver, 2017
ALL RIGHTS RESERVED
Cover Design by Lisa Oliver
Model – FHG_131_01 Courtesy of Paul Henry Serres Photographer (Exclusive license) Copyright Paul Henry Serres.
Tiger and Background courtesy Dreamstime.com
First Edition March 2017
All rights reserved under the International and Pan-American Conventions. No part of this book may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical including photocopying, recording or by any information storage or retrieval system, without permission in writing from the author, Lisa Oliver. [email protected]
No part of this book may be scanned, uploaded or distributed via the internet or any other means, electronic or print, without permission from Lisa Oliver. Warning: The unauthorized reproduction or distribution of this copyrighted work is illegal. Criminal copyright infringement, including infringement without monetary gain, is investigated by the FBI and is punishable by up to 5 years in federal prison and a fine of $250,000. Please purchase only authorized electronic or print editions and do not participate in or encourage the electronic piracy of copyrighted material. Your support of the author’s rights and livelihood is appreciated.
A Tiger’s Tale is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places and incidents are either the product of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously and any resemblance to any actual persons, living or dead, events or locales is entirely coincidental.
Table of Contents
Chapter One
Chapter Two
Chapter Three
Chapter Four
Chapter Five
Chapter Six
Chapter Seven
Chapter Eight
Chapter Nine
Chapter Ten
Chapter Eleven
Chapter Twelve
Chapter Thirteen
Chapter Fourteen
Chapter Fifteen
Chapter Sixteen
Chapter Seventeen
Chapter Eighteen
Chapter Nineteen
Chapter Twenty
Chapter Twenty-One
Chapter Twenty-Two
Chapter Twenty-Three
Chapter Twenty-Four
Chapter Twenty-Five
Chapter Twenty-Six
Chapter Twenty-Seven
Chapter Twenty-Eight
Chapter Twenty-Nine
Chapter Thirty
Chapter Thirty-One
Chapter Thirty-Two
Chapter Thirty-Three
Epilogue
Other Books By Lisa Oliver
About the Author
Dedication
To my awesome readers who are waiting so patiently for the other stories I’ve promised them, but who gave this one a chance simply because I said it was a story I had to write.
To Phil who let me know the saggy bits
To Judy who polishes my words and makes them shine
And to my own kids, without whom this book wouldn’t have been possible.
Chapter One
Seth grabbed his torn coat and tugged it tighter around his body. The sun was warm where it hit the ground, but up in the tree, a cool breeze sent shivers through Seth’s skinny frame. It didn’t help that he absolutely hated heights, but he’d quickly learned climbing a tree was the fastest way to escape his herd. He tried not to peer at the ground, focusing on the leaves in front of him instead.
I don’t know what the hell I’m going to do, he thought miserably, too terrified to move. If Gareth catches me this time…. Seth shuddered and then hung onto the branch for grim death as it swayed. If he wasn’t careful, Gareth would be the least of his worries. He’d been hiding out for two weeks and in the tree for over four hours. He needed to pee, but noises he’d heard earlier kept him hugging the branch. Damn, I’m so tired of running. Seth leaned his head back on the sturdy tree trunk behind him and closed his eyes.
A growing rumble had him opening them again. “No, not now,” he whispered, his terror coated in anxiety. He listened as the bike got louder and louder and suddenly the glint of metal and flesh passed under his tree. One quick rev and then there was silence as the engine was switched off.
“Eep!” Seth slammed his mouth shut. A soft musk wafted through the leaves. Ra. It could only be Ra. He’d know that heavenly scent anywhere. Seth prayed with all that he was, the tiger wouldn’t realize where he was hiding. Although the way things had been going, being tiger lunch would solve a stack of other problems.
*****
Ra stretched and a semi-growl rumbled in his chest as he caught the faintest whiff of the scent he’d been seeking. He didn’t know why the little rabbit was avoiding their mating, but after searching for two weeks, he was glad he’d followed his instincts and hit his favorite glade. Word around town was Seth’s herd was hunting him. That he’d committed some terrible crime and the enforcers were planning to put him down. Ra could smell deceit a mile away and knew there was more to that story than the bunnies were letting on. It was time to see if he could entice the little man out from his hiding place.
Pushing the bike up onto its stand, Ra climbed off and stretched before hunting through his saddle bags. He’d been hopeful when he packed it; four different salads for Seth and a large leg of lamb for him. A blanket, because Mal told him every picnic had to be on something soft and a couple of bottles of honeydew beers. Ra preferred something stronger, but his friend Cam who ran the local bar assured him rabbits loved the stuff. And finally, his portable CD player.
“I hope you’re watching little bunny,” Ra whispered as he hit the play button. Sultry music filled the air as Ra started to move. He loved to dance and he could feel his cat rumbling as he swayed slowly to the beat, remembering to wiggle his hips because his ass was one of his best features. He tilted his head back and saw a flash of white hair in the tree above. Got you, he thought. Oh yeah, this was going to be so easy.
Turning his back on where Seth was hiding, Ra slowly pulled up his t-shirt, teasing the hem against his skin. Up and down; will he, won’t he? Oh, Ra fully intended to be naked with his mate before the day was done, but for now, he indulged his cat’s desire to tease.
The shirt finally gone, draped across his bike seat, Ra toed off his boots. The combination of music and the delicate hints of his mate’s scent were making him horny. He ran his hands up and down his torso, and then remembered Seth couldn’t see him from that direction, so turned and did it all over again. He had nothing to be ashamed of. His tan shone with a light sweat from the sun and his muscles rippled as he moved.
“Oh yeah,” he whispered, his head thrown back, his hair falling over his shoulders. If his friends could see him now he’d be teased for a month, but Ra was at his wit's end. He grabbed his cock through his jeans and moaned louder. He swore he could hear a squeak coming from the leaves and he rubbed hard against his crotch before using the same hand to slip under his waistband.
“Feels so good.” Ra’s fingers slid over the moistness of his crown. He pulled his fingers out from his jeans and sucked them clean. Was that a moan? Gods, I hope so. He noisily slurped his fingers, fucking his mouth and with his other hand, he flicked the button on his jeans. His zipper gave way easily under the pressure from his cock and it was his turn to moan as his cock found its freedom.
Leaning back on his bike seat, he grabbed his dick with one hand and his balls with the other. Seth’s scent was stronger. Either he was moving closer or he was aroused. Or both. Ra concentrated on pleasuring himself. His fondest dream filled his mind’s eye. Se
th lying surrounded by the pillows on his bed; his pale skin shining among the bright colors, his cock tap dancing on his stomach. Ra groaned, really getting into his fantasy now. His cock leaked and his balls ached.
It’d been two weeks since he’d first seen his little mate. Scented that one shifter made just for him. Two weeks since he’d jumped out at Seth and made to grab him and the little guy ran. Liam and Lucien laughed at him for letting him get away. Well, not this time. The leaves above his head trembled and Ra pulled on his cock; obscene noises falling from his mouth. Gods, he wanted this, wanted Seth. He could feel his orgasm building, his ass muscles tightening. He tugged harder, rolling his balls with his other hand. He was going to do it. He was going to come when suddenly the rustle in the trees got louder and a sprawling figure headed for the ground.
“Seth!” Ra grabbed for him, thanking the Fates for his quick reflexes. “Gotcha!” He smirked at the shocked look on the man’s pretty face. “Well, that worked better than expected.”
Chapter Two
Seth was shaking so hard he was sure his skin would burst. Every time he’d seen Ra, and that was often, he’d made sure to keep his distance. One time, just one time he’d got caught off guard. He’d caught a mating scent. Something he never dreamed would happen to him. And when he realized who that scent belonged to; he was happy to be lunged at until he saw Ra’s teeth were showing. He’d freaked out. He’d admitted that to his friend. But then life as he knew it came crashing down around his ears….
“You shouldn’t be holding me. There are people looking for me.” See, Seth did know how to be a good mate. He didn’t want his big tiger getting into trouble. “You’ll be hounded out of town if they know you’ve seen me. In fact,” his lip trembled, but he had to follow through, “you should turn me in. My herd’s offered a huge reward for my capture. Your club could do with the money.”
Ra laughed and it was a lovely sound. Seth committed it to memory for when his end time came. It would be soon, he knew it. He couldn’t keep running and if Ra found him, it would only be a matter of time before Gareth did too. “I’m not taking you anywhere but home with me, little precious. But first, I thought we’d have a picnic. I brought food and beers. You do like salads, don’t you and Cam told me bunnies love honeydew beers.”
Ra looked so hopeful, so at odds from his usual fierce expression. Seth knew he shouldn’t stay, but…hell, if he was going to get caught anyway, he might as well enjoy his last meal. “Thank you,” he said softly, staring at Ra’s face. “No one’s ever done anything this nice for me before.”
“You need feeding up,” Ra said gruffly, but Seth wasn’t afraid this time. His mate had a soft side and had gone to a lot of trouble just for him. Seth wished his life was a fairy tale, where the good guys got to live with the handsome heroes, but real life wasn’t like that. Not for a rabbit shifter like him.
“Can you put me down, only that food does look really good, and you probably want to eat too,” Seth suggested when Ra didn’t seem inclined to move. He was just staring at him like he’d never seen anything so…Seth wasn’t sure what, but his whole body warmed under the scrutiny.
“You can eat sitting on my lap.”
Seth wanted to smile. It seemed Ra had a stubborn streak too. But at least he was heard, because Ra moved over to the blanket and sat down, reminding Seth of another problem currently nudging his ass. “You didn’t get to finish,” he whispered, unsure how comfortable tigers were with talking about sex.
“I’ll get to it later,” Ra seemed more confident now, peeling off lids from freshly made salads that made Seth’s mouth water. “I don’t know what all this green stuff is, but my friends tell me it’s fresh and good for little prey…er…vegetarians.”
“It looks amazing,” Seth said, determined to overlook Ra’s verbal hiccup. “We eat meat as well, just not often when we’re out. Some places aren’t very honest about the meat they put in stews and things.”
“Hmm, I see your point,” Ra said gravely. “So you won’t mind if I eat meat then? I promise it’s lamb.” He pulled out a foil wrapped joint that could only have come from a larger animal.
Seth chuckled. “If that came from a rabbit, I’m glad I didn’t meet him. It’s huge.”
Ra seemed to think that was funny too, and Seth dug into the prepared salads, savoring every mouthful.
*****
Ra wanted to sing and roar and dance and shout to the heavens. He finally had his mate where he was meant to be. But as he didn’t want to scare his little darling now he’d got him, he restrained himself, watching with delight as Seth polished off two salads and nibbled on some bread. Seth was so dainty with his pale skin and his white hair. His eyes were such a washed out blue they were almost gray, yet Ra had seen them sparkle when his mate laughed. He wanted to see that every day.
“So, my little sweetness, I have to ask, and you don’t have to tell me if you don’t want to, but it’s just….”
“Is this about my running away when you grabbed me?” Seth met his eyes easily, a small smile creating dimples in his cheeks.
Ra nodded. Truth be told, he was easily distracted and now he’d seen them, his tiger wanted to lick those dimples.
“I knew you were my mate from the scent, of course,” Seth explained looking down at his hands. “I don’t know if you remember but you’d come into town with the other members of your gang, club, or whatever you call your group of friends.”
“We’re a club, not a gang; a group of lone shifters who simply like riding motorcycles. We’re not harmful.”
“Oh, I know,” Seth peeked up at him. “I’ve er…seen you around town. I’d always look for you when I heard the bikes.”
Ra beamed. It was a good sign his mate had been attracted to him before they even met. Then he frowned. “Why did you run then?”
“Have you seen your reflection lately?” Seth chuckled and Ra stopped frowning. “You’re huge and you stomp around town in your badass leathers, with chains hanging off your belt loops. You wore your skull bandana and your black fingerless leather gloves. Do you remember?”
Ra hadn’t given any thought to the way he was dressed. “My outfit bothered you?”
“No, you looked like my ultimate fantasy,” Seth’s head was bowed again. “But then you growled and roared and your teeth shifted and I don’t know. We were in the middle of town; your friends were laughing and I thought they were laughing at me and my body went into stress. When a tiger roars, a rabbit runs for the nearest hiding place.”
Ra frowned and he found himself rubbing Seth’s back softly. He could feel every knob of his mate’s spine. “I was really excited to meet you,” he offered even though he knew it was a lame-ass excuse. Thinking back, he probably did get a little overexcited.
“I know that now, and I was going to come to the clubhouse to see you…but….” Seth trailed off, his voice sad.
“What happened, sweetness,” Ra rocked Seth gently in his arms, trying to soothe his mate’s tension-filled body.
“I told someone in my herd, about you, I mean. Not the scaring part, but that I’d met my mate,” Seth explained. “Gareth’s the Alpha’s son and I thought he’d be happy for me. We’re the same age and have been friends since we were tiny tots.”
Ra thought back over the gossip he’d heard when he’d been picking up the honeydew. “Gareth’s the one that’s put a hunt out on you,” he said, now thoroughly confused.
“I know. Apparently, the herd has a law about interspecies mating. I didn’t know. I hadn’t even considered that everyone in my herd is a rabbit. I just never thought about it. Originally, Gareth asked who it was and was all excited for me, but when I said it was someone in town, he got angry with me.”
“Did you tell him who I was?”
Seth’s cheeks were bright red as he shook his head. “I didn’t want you getting into trouble. Gareth was angry. He asked point blank what type of a rabbit you were, and I told him you weren’t. That’s when he lost his s
hit, started beating on me and I ran. I’ve been running ever since.”
“That little shit.” Ra was furious. Mates were mates; rare and to be considered a gift from the Fates if they were ever found. No one ever questioned a true mating regardless of species or gender. He was thinking about searching the internet for rabbit stew recipes when Seth spoke up.
“That’s why you have to take me back, you see. We might be prey animals, but there are a lot of us. Gareth and his father have connections with the mayor’s office, the sheriff’s office and a lot of the town’s major suppliers. If they find out you’re hiding me then they’ll cause your club all kinds of problems. I couldn’t bear it if something happened to you.”
Ra looked down to see a determined look in Seth’s eyes. His mate was deadly serious. “Nothing’s going to happen to you either,” he said, keeping his voice low. “Our club’s not without connections of its own, and not only that but your herd is breaking a major shifter mating law. Can you imagine the outcry in town if everyone learned the herd was speciesist? Arrowtown is full of every shifter species imaginable and there are heaps of mixed matings. How would any of them feel about the herd if they knew the hunt for you was purely because you were my mate? You’ve not committed any crimes in the last week or so, have you?”
“I’m not like that,” Seth said heatedly. “I look after kids. I work in the library, or I used to. Barney’s probably fired me by now. But no, ask anyone, I help people. I’d never break our laws or hurt anyone.”
“Then maybe it’s time you asked those people to help you,” Ra said gently. He thought for a moment and then added, “Or, we could just get on my bike and disappear. The choice is yours. But I’m not giving you up and I’m not letting anything happen to you.”
“My precious tiger,” Seth smiled and Ra felt a soft hand stroking his cheek. His eyes half-closed and a shiver ran down his spine. When he opened them again he knew his animal was lurking behind them. His big cat liked being petted.
