“You’re trying too hard now, TDS.”
“I am not,” I grumbled. “It is true. I am blessed.”
“In spite of everything, I presume.”
“No, because of it.” I glanced down and met her golden eyes as I added gruffly, “I don’t say things like this without meaning. You should know that by now. Of course, you are likely doing this just to see what else you can push me into saying.”
She smiled even as she shook her head. “Never.” She leaned up and kissed me. “I love you.”
I tightened my hold on her and kissed her again. “I know.”
That earned me an eye roll, but she didn’t try to break free of my embrace. If anything, she tightened her grip on me as I toyed with her hair. After a few minutes, however, she murmured, “So are you going to kick me out of your room?”
“Absolutely not,” I retorted with a huff. “If you left, I would be forced to share my full opinion with Venetia about my thoughts on this entire evening.”
Raina ducked her head slightly, but I still caught a glimpse of her smile. “That’s not a very diplomatic response, General.”
“I am aware, Commander,” I intoned with false gravitas. “Therefore, you cannot leave.”
My mate made a show of sighing. “Well, one must make sacrifices for the greater good at times.”
“Yes,” I agreed readily. Then I cradled her face between my hands as I kissed her again, deeper and longer this time.
As Raina wrapped her arms around my neck, I shifted my hold to support the back of her head with one hand while I trailed my free hand up her back. If I could just find it. Raina broke the kiss, sounding rather breathless, as she asked, “And, just what are you looking for, Tiger?”
“Zipper. You needed help with the zipping. Therefore, the only logical assumption is that you’ll need similar help with the unzipping.”
Raina laughed softly, her breath tickling my lips. “For once, I’ll agree with your logic.”
“Just this once, of course,” I murmured as I continued searching for the zipper. I grinned at her when my fingers finally closed around the zipper. Raina giggled before I silenced her with another kiss.
ΘΘΘΘΘΘ
She stood in the snow laden branches of a thick fir tree. Impervious to the cold northern wind, she didn’t bother with extra layers as she watched the youngest of the male Tigers sneak out onto a second story balcony and then leap into the snowdrift below. She smiled, revealing her fangs, as she leapt through the trees chasing him. He wasn’t her original target, not one of the two newcomers, but she couldn’t resist the temptation to toy with him. No doubt the arrogant Therian was on his way to meet with his so called friends.
She landed on a branch sending snow plummeting to the ground and bit back a laugh as the Tiger nearly jumped into another form. He dropped into a crouch, scanning the woods, but he would not see her. Not unless she tired of toying with him and decided to turn it into a proper hunt. She followed him for a few minutes, occasionally darting ahead or circling to his other side to tease him with the hint of her presence but never permitting the Tiger to catch sight of her.
The Tiger growled, but never roared. Of course, he wouldn’t. He was playing the part of a sneak and sneaks couldn’t roar. She had nearly changed her mind about letting him go, had almost decided to show herself and teach the den of Tigers that they were not immune, when a large hand wrapped around her throat. She was pinned noiselessly to the trunk of a pine and glared up into emotionless brown eyes. The leader of their splinter clutch waited for the Tiger to finally give up his caution and continue on his way before he hissed, “Now is not the time for games, Melaina.”
She sniffed as he finally released her throat. “I think you forget what our purpose here is, Ivar.”
Ivar sneered. The wind barely stirred his limp brown hair, not even causing it to brush over his slightly pointed ears or his gaunt cheeks. She had heard some of the older females in their clutch claim that Ivar had been a handsome member of the court before the change, but now he shared the same gauntness as the rest of their clutch. Something only filled out when they had feasted on blood and life spirit. Ivar spat, “Our purpose is known to all of us. Do not think that because Odin placed you in my clutch, it gives you greater insight into his plans.”
“Perhaps, you should ask the Tigers what they think of Odin’s plan,” she snapped.
Ivar only smirked at her. He touched her cold cheek and then gave a rusty laugh when she slapped his hand away. “Be careful that your ambitions do not lead you straight into the sun, Melaina. Now come. There are two strange Therians approaching our new territory.”
“They are outside of the Tiger clutch’s range?”
“Yes. You know what that means.”
Melaina finally smiled. A challenge, and a chance to walk in the sunlight once more. She was the only one in their splinter clutch who was young enough to use Therian blood that way, which meant it was her privilege. Her smile did not fade as they bypassed where the youngest male Tiger now met with his friends, wholly unaware that there were Vampyres roaming in the woods. The two newcomers carried a very enticing scent, a pureblood and one of the Elf-born. She had never played with one of the mixed breed mongrels. They were too rare an occurrence in the Old World now. But, the New World was filled with them. It would be interesting to see how long the Elf-born would last.
Melaina’s gaze strayed once more to Ivar as they drew near the two Therians. The old fool had no idea. Yes, their splinter clutch had a mission but she had been given one of her own. When Ivar learned what Odin had entrusted her with; even he would learn to bow to her. Because the Old One had chosen her for a reason, a very special skill she had retained from her life before becoming one of the Vampyres. Before she ceased being a Banshee.
She thought again of what she had witnessed that night. Of what the newcomers promised to bring to the Tiger clutch. Perhaps, journeying to Maine would not be the boring task she had assumed. Perhaps, their new pets would prove to be a greater challenge than she initially anticipated. She smiled, showing her fangs. It was an excellent change.
She caught the scent of Therian, and the dull hunger always present within her sharpened painfully. Yes, Odin’s task would have to wait and, yes, so would the act of dealing with the Tiger clutch. But the wait would not last and once she feasted, she would be stronger. Although, she would continue to obey Odin’s will that she submit herself to Ivar’s rule as the leader of the splinter clutch. For now. But when he had served his purpose, she intended to pay him back for every scornful word, every offense he had dealt her in the last six months, and every foolish assumption that he was better than she simply because he had been one of them longer. He was not the one Odin had taken into his confidence, after all. He was not the one who knew why they had truly come to the New World or the bargain the Old One had struck with the true power in the New World. But, he would learn to rue his mistakes. Soon enough he would learn.
Melaina leapt into the fir tree. She looked down and smiled as she spied her chosen prey. He was too relaxed, too confident in his own power. Therians were such fools. Always assuming they were the top predator in the food chain, and this despite living in a land populated by Shadowed Creatures. Lazy fools. Well, at least their utter lack of common sense never affected the taste. She leapt down, enjoying the fear in his eyes, when he finally looked up.
ΘΘΘΘΘΘ
Chapter Eight
Raina
I warily entered the main section of the lodge, following the TDS’s scent trail. It was ridiculously early, still closer to four than five or even four-thirty, which might have been why I wasn’t running into any of his family. And to be perfectly honest, I was just fine with putting off my next encounter with the Frost family. Not because I was afraid of Venetia. Just because I wanted a little more time to regroup so the next time we saw each other I would be able to successfully enact my plan to win Baran’s mother over to the point where she at least d
idn’t hate my guts. I had a feeling she was going to be difficult.
“Raina.”
My heart leaped at the sudden intrusion on my thoughts, but fortunately I didn’t jump into my Leopard’s skin. I quickly turned to find Roderick coming down a set of stairs. He looked at me and nodded to the doorway that I was fairly certain led to the other wing of the house. “I believe Baran was in need of letting off some . . . frustrations.”
The way he said it made me wonder if my grumpy Tiger was being uncivil to his family. But, I hid my thoughts as I nodded to Roderick. “Thank you. I can find him.”
“Breakfast will be ready in a few hours should the two of you wish to join us.”
I thanked him again, but stayed noncommittal. Despite my declaration of wanting to stay and worm my way into Venetia’s good graces (since I had my doubts that I started there even before the accidental insult), I wasn’t entirely sure that Baran would actually stay through Thanksgiving. Maybe if I was able to stand up to whatever tests Venetia threw at me, I would be able to keep Baran here long enough for him to reconcile with his family. I did not want to become the reason for a rift within the family.
I caught the scent of water and stopped in front of a wooden door with a square glass window in the center of it. Rising on my tiptoes, I cupped my hands around my eyes as I peered through the little window. Wow. That pool was humongous. At least half a football field in length with water flowing down several marble shelves to form a mini waterfall not to mention the deep marble steps descending into the pool from one end. Definitely designed for Tigers. I wrinkled my nose as the thought crossed my mind that they probably swam in it in their Beast form. Ick. I still hadn’t completely forgiven Baran for when he decided to dunk me while I was in Beast form in a lake, not only when we were in Elkhorn, but also on our honeymoon proper. Why he struggled to recall that I was a Leopard and, therefore, did not share the insane attachment to water displayed by Tigers and Jaguars, I have no idea. I mean, come on. Who wants to go swimming in their Beast form?
In any case, I was very grateful that I didn’t see Baran anywhere inside the pool. I kept following my nose, sniffing my way to a wooden door that was just across from the pool. This door lacked a window. I opened the door and peered around it. The sound of flesh striking a bag alerted me even before I saw him. The TDS was standing with his back to the door and pummeling a large punching bag that was threatening to burst at any second. I slipped into the gym and silently closed the door.
Baran was barefoot and only wearing track pants as he slammed his fists against the bag. He had tossed his black t-shirt onto a weight bench. I decided to be grateful that he wasn’t down here in his boxers. Plus, watching Baran work out was hardly a burden. Although, I was a little worried about why he was here and why he hadn’t at least bothered to acknowledge me. My worry grew ever so slightly as I drew parallel with him and saw that the TDS hadn’t even wrapped his hands. Accelerated healing was a gift for Therians, but even the great General Baran needed to protect his hands. He changed from the relentless torrent of punches to a series of uppercuts, growling under his breath every time he struck. The punching bag rocked under each impact.
“You should be sleeping,” the TDS grunted between uppercuts. “It’s barely been an hour. You should still be sleeping.”
Apparently, I wasn’t supposed to notice when my husband sneaks out of bed. I couldn’t quite keep the sarcastic edge out of my voice as I retorted, “Yes, well, I have a shockingly difficult time of staying asleep in a strange place when I wake up alone and find that my irrationally grumpy and let’s not forget secret keeping Tiger has wandered off without so much as a note.”
Baran glanced at me, sweat trickling down the side of his face and making his back and chest gleam. He blew out a breath as he dealt the punching bag another uppercut. Then he grunted, “It is four o’clock in the morning. Go back to bed. You need your rest.”
I folded my arms over my chest as I eyed him skeptically. “And, you don’t?”
“I’m fine.” He glanced at me again and scowled. “You shouldn’t even be up right now.”
I rolled my eyes. “I was afraid you were eating the natives,” I stated drily.
I immediately regretted making that statement when Baran snarled and struck the punching bag with enough force that it burst. He caught the wildly swinging bag before it did much more damage. However, he didn’t look at me until I grabbed one of the extra punching bags stacked against the far wall and dragged it over to him. He unhooked the broken one and hung the new one. I braced my hands against the bag, holding it steady, as I peered around at him. So serious despite the way his Tiger peeked through his eyes turning his golden gaze wilder than usual.
A little worrisome, yes, but nothing I couldn’t handle now. Since he made no move to immediately attack the bag; perhaps, there was a chance I could talk him down. I pressed my cheek against the punching bag as I asked softly, “Are you going to continue beating the stuffing out of a defenseless punching bag or would you like to spar with someone who can actually challenge you?”
The TDS blinked at me as a snarl quivered on his lips. Okay, he was definitely not handling today well, and we were only four hours into it. A growl roughened his voice as he said, “Don’t even think about it. Just go back to bed, Raina.”
“I would love to, but I don’t think that leaving you alone is necessarily the best of ideas right now.” I watched him closely as I added, “Maybe I still have some questions about what happened last night. For example, you never explained to me why it was you didn’t tell me anything useful about your family. You also didn’t explain why it was that you never wanted to me to meet any of your family, including Genevieve. And given what happened at dinner and the fact you wanted me to . . . to hide what I am, I keep wondering if it’s because you’re ashamed of me. My personality, at least, if not my heritage.”
Baran hit the punching bag with enough force that I staggered back a step. The growl was louder now as he snarled, “Don’t be foolish.”
I grimaced. Tigers were so overdramatic. I circled back around the punching bag so I could see Baran’s face. For all the snarling he was doing, rocks had greater expressiveness than he did right now. He went back to pounding the punching bag, switching between straight punches and rather vicious uppercuts. I crossed my arms as I studied him. When he continued to ignore me, I pursed my lips. This was beyond ridiculous. I hadn’t gotten up in the middle of the night, gotten dressed, and snuck through the Tigers’ den only to have my Tiger give me the silent treatment. “My questions aren’t foolish, Baran, and you cannot ignore them just because you don’t like the fact I’m asking them. I’ve let you be all moody and mysterious for long enough. I deserve at least a few answers.”
I chose to interpret the fact that he hit the punching bag hard enough to strain the seams again as an invitation to ask away. “Why did you have me cover my ears? The rules are that you don’t have to make any changes at once if fault is not found with both hair and apparel. You just have to remember for future meetings. All you had to do was say no, and it would have been fine. But you didn’t. What am I supposed to do? Pretend I’m not Elf-born? How am I supposed to do that when everything about me gives away my heritage? Or would you prefer it if I found some way to keep my eyes golden all the time even if that means I must use contacts?”
I confess I let my irritation show a little. But before I could get another word out, I gasped as a thousand pound Tiger tackled me. The air escaped my lungs in a rush as I landed hard on my back. Ow. Why did he have to be such a big Tiger? He was so much larger than even most Tiger males, and I definitely felt it when he pinned me to the mat. The Tiger’s hot breaths fanned my skin as golden eyes peered at me. His voice was rough as he demanded, “Do you truly think I would do such a thing to you? Attempt to make you what you are not?”
“Well, you did let me walk into an ambush that could have been avoided with relative ease if you had just been willing to talk to me
,” I pointed out.
He didn’t say anything so I continued, “I thought we were doing better with communication and yet all you proved yesterday is that you still think of me as someone you should keep at arm’s length.” I didn’t know what else to tell him since I still didn’t have a full understanding of what exactly I was dealing with on my ‘fun’ holiday. “And you’re heavy, get off,” I added in a groan when the Tiger put one of his massive paws on my chest.
Baran shifted back into a man, but he still kept me pinned. Golden eyes searched mine before he offered a slight nod. “You are correct. Forgive me, Raina, for leaving you unprepared. I should have warned you, but I did not. And, I am not ashamed of you or your heritage or even your personality.” The corner of his mouth twitched into an almost smile as he pulled me into a sitting position and tucked my hair behind my ear. “Your personality exasperates me on occasion, but I am never ashamed of you. Because you would not be Raina if you behaved in any other way.”
I grinned. “Oh, so you do know how to get back into my good graces. I would kiss you now, but you’re sweaty.”
“Hasn’t stopped you in the past,” he grumbled.
“That was when we were both sweaty,” I countered as I scrambled to my feet. But, it was already too late. The TDS grabbed my hands and tugged me way too close. He was sweatier than I had realized. Eww. He smirked at me and my heart tripped in spite of everything. He kissed me, and I didn’t care that he wrapped his arms around me or that mine were wrapped around him.
But as soon as he eased the kiss, I shoved against his chest and wrinkled my nose at him. “Wonderful, now I have to take a shower too.”
Tiger's Strength Page 10
