Against All Odds (Shifters) (2 page)

Ben remembered the danger and remorse lurking in his father’s eyes. One day his mother had been talking to another man
, and his father lost it. Ben had walked in home to find his mother dead on the floor with claw marks all over her body. His father had shot himself in the head. The jealousy had consumed his parents to the point of killing.

Shaking his head, Ben brought himself out of his thoughts.

“We’re not complex creatures, Felix. We’re just more dangerous than your kind.” Leopards were dangerous but rather tame compared to the
tiger.

What the hell was he going to do? His mate was human
, and he was cursed with being a tiger shifter. He didn’t know what to do because the only thing he knew was, he couldn’t not have Heather. She was his woman, and he wasn’t ever going to let her go.

Chapter Two

“So what do you think?” Dana asked.

Heather stared at her friend wondering what she should say. They were stood on the dance floor like they’d done many times before. Their arms were around each other, and there was nothing sexual about it. Leaning forward Heather rested her head on her friend’s shoulder while Dana did the same. “If he makes you happy then I’m happy.”

“That’s not a real answer
, and you know it.”

Letting out a sigh, Heather glanced toward where Ben stood with Felix. “He looks moody and dangerous.”

“Danger is always good.”

“Not if it hurts you,” Heather said, voicing her concerns.

“Ben would never hurt a woman. He cares too much,” Dana said.

“He’s tall and hard.”

Her friend laughed. “Last time I checked there was nothing wrong with being tall.”

“I know. He just makes me nervous. I want what’s best for you. If you like him
, then I will like him.”

“Thank you.”

They stood dancing for several minutes without either of them speaking.

“Can I cut in?” Ben asked.

Heather smiled at her friend and pulled away. “I’ll take this dance,” Felix said, grabbing her hand.

Before Heather knew what was happening she was in Felix’s arms. “Were those your
leopard reflexes at work?”

“I’m always trying to impress you, honey.”

“Good, I like being impressed.” Heather liked Felix. Once she’d gotten over her crush she’d found his company appealing. What also helped was how supportive he’d been after Mark used and left her. She’d given her virginity and a part of herself to a man who’d not even cared about her.

“What’s the matter? You look sad,” Felix said.

“Sorry, I was thinking about Mark again.” She shrugged. When was she ever going to get over him?

“Mark’s not worth your time.”

“You’re right.”

They were silent as the music drifted over them. There were several couples on the dance floor now. The barbeque was still sizzling chicken and steaks. She really did love coming here. Dana’s family always made her feel welcome.

“So, what do you think of Benjamin Bryce?” Felix asked.

“I don’t know. He looks moody and dangerous. If he makes Dana happy then I’m happy.”

“Come on, you’ve not got a crush on him or something?”

Shaking her head, Heather laughed. “He’s nice to look at
, but I’m not interested. I’m happy, and I don’t want to connect with anyone else.”

“You can’t let Mark ruin you for other men, Heather.”

“I’m not. I’m actually thinking of taking up a visa in England and looking for work. I really liked it over there.”

“What? With the stiff-upper-lip types?”

Slapping his shoulder, Heather couldn’t believe his words at times. “They’re not all like that. I think I need a change of scene. Dana’s happy.”

“And you’re not?” he asked, cutting through her thoughts.

“I’m not happy anymore. I love Dana and you. You’re my family and always will be. I’ll miss these get-togethers, but I don’t think this is my future anymore. My parents hate having me around. I’m tired of being somewhere I’m not wanted.”

“Then stay with us.”

“I can’t. This will be something I do for me, Felix.”

They were quiet for a few seconds. “You’ve not told Dana your thoughts
, have you?”

“No, I’m not sure what I’m going to do yet.”

“Please don’t make any rash decisions.”

“I won’t, I promise.”

The song came to an end. A shadow fell over her. Looking up, she saw Ben with Dana stood beside them.

“Swap partners,” Ben said.

Heather tightened her hold on Felix. “Sure, I could have a word with my sister.”

Within a second, Heather was in
Ben’s arms, and Felix was moving away with his sister.

She tensed as Ben’s arm went behind her back, pulling her closer.

“You’re close to Felix and Dana?” he asked, starting up a conversation.

“They’re my real family.” Glancing up, she saw his dark brown, almost black, gaze on her. She felt his gaze deep down as if he could see into her heart.

“They are good people. They make you feel part of their world,” he said.

“Yes, they do.”

Relaxing in his arms took time. When he made no move to let her go, Heather took a deep breath and relaxed in his grip.

“Thank you.”

“What’s going on with Dana? Are you using her, or are you going to make an honest woman out of her?” The words blurted out of her mouth before she could contain herself.

“
You’re looking out for your friend?”

“She deserves a good man. A man who won’t use her until he tires of her,” she said.

“I’m not going to hurt Dana. She knows the score.”

Heather tensed at his words. She stopped dancing and glared at him. “No, Dana doesn’t know the score. She thinks you’re the one. If you’re not going to be serious about this then you need to back off.”

She saw they’d gained some attention. Hating their eyes on her, Heather left him alone on the dance floor. Not all men were like Mark. She needed to remember that.

Walking into the empty house, Heather poured herself a drink of water. She didn’t know how it was possible for her to sense him close
, but she did. He stood so close she could almost smell him.

Turning back, she saw Ben frowning down at her.
“Dana’s not the one. She’s a leopard shifter and knows the difference in knowing who the one is and not.”

“Dana wants to settle down. She wants to settle down with you.”

“It’s not going to happen with me. Dana will know that.”

“What? Why? She told me.”

He didn’t look away from her. Heather didn’t know if she wanted him to look away or not. Her body was getting hot. He leaned forward, dropping a hand on either side of the sink, trapping her against him.

“Until the moment I met you I was going to give Dana a chance. Now that I’ve seen you, scented you, Dana has to go.”

“What? You can’t do that.”

“Yes
, I can,” he said, cutting into her words.

“Why?”

“This is why.”

His lips claimed hers in a searing hot kiss
, and Heather was lost to anything else.

****

Ben moaned as her plump lips opened to his. The glass she’d been holding dropped between them, smashing on the floor. The music was too loud outside for anyone to hear. Moving his hands from the sink, he wrapped them around her waist, bringing her flush against him. Her soft curves moulded to his.

She was full and curvy in all the right places.

Growling low in his throat, he picked her up and landed her ass on the counter. She was so small and compared to him, light.

Running his hands up and down her body, Ben allowed himself to learn
every inch of her curves. He was never letting her go. Heather was his woman.

“No,” she said, pulling away. “I’m not doing this. You shouldn’t be kissing me. I’m not the kind of woman to do that to her best friend.”

She shoved at him, but Ben didn’t let her go. He couldn’t.

“I’m not asking you to.”

She shook her head. “No, you’re Dana’s. This is not happening. I’ve already gone too far, and that’s not fair.”

Holding her head between his palms, Ben tried to calm her down. “I can never be Dana’s because you’re mine, Heather.”

He’d intended to break the news to Dana later tonight. Instead he was telling Heather, and from the look in her green eyes, she didn’t like the truth.

“What?”

“You’re my mate, Heather. Nothing is going to change, I promise you, but you’re mine, and I can never be with Dana.”

Tears filled her eyes. Her lip wobbled
, and the news appeared to have devastated her. “No, that’s not possible. I’m human. This can’t be happening.”

“We can have human mates, Heather. Please, calm down.”

She shoved him away, hitting out at him. “No! This is not happening. I’m not your mate, and you can’t make up.”

Heather jumped off the counter, trying to move away from him. Ben felt his tiger close to the surface. She was pushing him away
, and he was panicking. This was the first time his future had felt so right. Heather’s reaction was pushing him over the edge.

Grabbing her arms, he tried to calm her down.

“I can’t control this. You’re mine.”

“No, I’m not yours. I’m no one
’s. I’m a free person, a free woman.”

“You’re my mate.”

“No!”

Ben cried out as his beast took over. His woman was trying to get away from him
, and he couldn’t contain the tiger within. He shouldn’t have come tonight, and before Ben could gain control, his beast erupted. His hands turned to claws sinking into her flesh.

His woman screamed as he hurt her. Ben scented her blood and the pain coming off her in waves.

The tiger within him lashed out. There was no time to stop it. Even as Ben controlled the movements, the claws had already lashed out. The stripes stood out on Heather’s face seconds before she collapsed to the floor.

Blood was everywhere
, and Heather was passed out.

“Fuck, Dad!”

He turned to the door in time to see Felix and Dana stood in the doorway.

“He’s a tiger, Felix.”

Within seconds two leopards were staring at him.

“Come away from her, man. You don’t want to do this.”
Felix spoke to him through his mind. All shifters in their animal form could speak to one another.

“I didn’t mean to hurt her.”

Dana’s parents, John and Kathleen, charged through the back door. In the short time it took for them to arrive, Ben was distracted enough for Felix to pull him out of the house.

He was away from Heather. Her blood and scent consumed him
along with the guilt of hurting her.

“I hurt her.”

“What the fuck is going on? Why did you hurt Heather? She’s my friend.”
Dana’s leopard sounded close to tears.

“You’ve got explaining to do. Change back, Ben. You’re stronger than this. Dana deserves an answer in human form.”

Ben knew it was the truth. He owed Dana the truth, and right now he needed to prove his control.

Concentrating on Heather he forced himself to turn back into a human. Felix and Dana did the same. They were all naked. Shifters didn’t have a problem with being naked around each other.
Clothes were more foreign to them that anything else.

“
I need a doctor in here,” John said, shouting through the door.

They all went
for Malcolm, the doctor for the shifters.

He made to move toward Heather. Felix stopped him.

“You can’t go in there,” he said.

“She’s my mate.”

Dana gasped, bringing his attention back to her. “Heather’s your mate?”

“Yes, she’s my mate. I didn’t plan on this happening. I promise. I never intended to hurt you at all.”

“You’ve hurt my friend, Ben. I don’t care about me. Heather is everything to me, and you’ve hurt her.” Dana stormed away from him, leaving him alone with Felix.

Staring at the other man, Ben groaned. “I need to go to her.”

“No, you don’t. You’ve hurt her, Ben. I can’t let you do that.”

Biting his lip, Ben stared at the door. He
’d never hurt a woman before in his life, and now he’d hurt the one woman who meant the world to him.

“What happened in there?” Felix asked, standing by his side. They were both naked
, and he didn’t care.

“She fought me. Heather wouldn’t accept me as her mate. Before I knew what was happening my animal was fighting for control.”

“And your tiger won?”

Ben nodded. There was no need for him to voice his thoughts. He’d not been the one in control, his tiger had. For a split second he’d lost control
, and this is what he’d done.

“Heather’s a fighter.”

“She shouldn’t have to be.”

“She’s got no choice.” They stood there waiting. He heard Malcolm at work setting up
a drip and trying to bring Heather around.

“My dad killed my mom,” Ben said. He’d never spoken about his own family. “Tigers are not complex. Mate
d men are control freaks. We’re dominant men, and I don’t mean shit with leather and chains and flogs and crap. I’m talking about being the head of the household.”

“Fuck, man, I had no idea.”

“It happened a long time ago. I don’t talk about it. My family are the past.”