Exposed: A British Bad Boy Romance (28 page)

Chapter 26

SLOAN

B
are feet carried him silently across the carpeted library, his eyes and ears open for any threat. Sloan’s tiger didn’t sense the danger, but he trusted Sarah and if she thought something wasn’t right, then he was going to investigate for her.

He’d do anything for her. His heart hammered just thinking about her. Spread out before him, crying out in ecstasy, the after-sex glow flushing her cheeks that made her a hundred times more beautiful to him.

Making love to Sarah had been unlike anything Sloan had ever experienced. For that wondrous moment, man and tiger were one, driven by a singular goal to protect, claim, and mate. He’d meant what he said about living happily ever after. If she’d have him.

He walked through the darkened library — the sun long since set and he and the overhead lights were flipped off when Sarah had fetched her sweater.

That little yellow sweater had made the perfect binding for his little witch. She’d handled herself so well. He couldn’t wait to repeat the experience as soon as possible.

His tiger surfaced, sensing something amiss. Sloan tried to push the beast down, but shattering glass drew his attention.

Sarah?

The sound came from the wrong direction. Sloan turned his attention to the front door and saw something that made his heart stop.

Randal and three other men — lower ranking tigers, no doubt — marched through the shattered automatic doors without a moment of hesitation.

Sloan heard a low menacing growl before he realized it came from him. He was growling at the other men, his stance defensive.

“Get out,” he said, only a shred of humanity left in his voice as he struggled against the instinct to shift right then and there.

“Yeah. Not gonna happen,” Randal answered casually. “We’re here for your little witch. Lupins have put a bounty on the Elder’s head and the only way we can defeat them is with these ley lines she’s holding hostage.”

Sloan’s vision tunneled and all he saw were images of himself ripping out Randal’s throat. The other man’s blood coating his teeth and claw in wholly satisfying carnage. He’d rip Randal limb from limb before he let any of them lay a finger on Sarah.

“You’re not going to touch her. Leave now or it’s going to get very ugly, very quickly.”

Randal’s lips quirked into a smug sneer.

“
Tsk tsk.
Choosing a woman over your clan? You know what happens to traitors, don’t you?” He asked innocently before a knowing menace darkened his eyes, “Oh, that’s right, you
do.”

Sloan felt his bones re-shaping and cracking painfully as he tried to ward off the shift. Was Randal really stupid enough to taunt him with Dana?

“Either she gives up the ley lines willingly or I’ll take them…
forcefully
.”

The other tigers closed in, two of them already in the process of shifting.

“I’m not really bothered either way,” Randal said with a shrug.

Sloan dug his heels into the carpet. It wasn’t that easy. Sarah couldn’t give them up and he would never let her even if she could. She was a Guardian. If she gave that up, she’d never be the same again. She’d never be whole again. By extension, neither would Sloan.

He loved her too much to see Sarah reduced to an empty husk of a person. Never.

“Over my dead body,” he answered.

Randal’s answering laugh was high-pitched, cold and mirthless.

“That doesn’t bother me either,” he jeered.

In an instant, Sloan had four tigers coming at him. He shifted just in the nick of time, but it didn’t do him much good. He was outnumbered. Overpowered.

His tiger refused to give up. They had to protect Sarah. Powerful jaws clamped onto his shoulder and Sloan howled in pain as another set of teeth grabbed him by his hind leg. They weren’t even going for killing blows. They were toying with him.

And Sarah was next.

Randal’s tiger broke away from the rest and stalked away from the fight. Sloan desperately tried to free himself from the melee, but the other tigers played tug-o-war with his limbs, his blood dark and think pouring over the carpet.

For just a minute, he’d known what it was like to be loved. He felt consciousness waning.

It was nice while it lasted.

Chapter 27

SARAH

S
he heard voices and her magic crackled to life as she hastily re-dressed herself. Who was Sloan talking to? Who was here? And what was that awful crash?

              Sarah couldn’t sit by and wait to become a victim. Then she heard a gut-wrenching cry of pain.

             
Sloan
.

              How did she know it was him? She didn’t have time to question her instincts. Only follow them.

              From behind a Suspense & Mysteries shelf, Sarah peered toward the front door, bracing herself.

              No amount of bracing could prepare her for what she actually saw: Sloan, bloodied and battered, barely able to lift his head as other tigers circled him and taunted him. Her heart stopped. Her blood froze. She had to help him. But what could she do?

              One of the tigers broke away from the others and scented the air before turning toward her. Sarah hid behind the bookshelf and held her breath.

             
Think think think.

              Her mind was paralyzed. Panic gripped her with iron fingers and refused to let loose of her chest. She fidgeted with the bracelet on her wrist, desperately trying to think of a way to help Sloan. What could she do? Call the authorities? And tell them what? Shifters were destroying her library? Yeah. That would go over well.

              Not to mention all of the blood pooling around Sloan. If that was all his, he didn’t have long.

              She found the diamond tiger charm and her fingertips warmed.

              Of course.

              There was only one thing Sarah
could
do. She was a witch, by god, and this magic had to be good for
something
.

              She hazarded another glance around the shelf and the golden gleam of the threatening leader tiger caught the light as he spotted her and bared his teeth.

              Her pulse quickened. No time like the present.

              Sarah tried to remember what Ashley had told her. The other witch said to imagine the ley lines like rivers of magic, to picture herself swimming in the current, controlling it, bending the river to her will.

              She tried. Pulling the magic into her instead of pushing against it. Power filled every cell in her body, rushing in like a dam had finally been broken. She couldn’t stem the flow. It filled her and didn’t stop, flooding Sarah until she was drowning in it. Her entire body burned with the force of containing it.

              It was too late when she realized she wasn’t ready for this yet. The magic burned her, the blood rushing in her veins turning into caustic acid until every nerve ending screamed in agony.

              The predatory tiger leaped at her and Sarah could do nothing to stop him.

              An eruption of light filled the library. Sarah shook and trembled with the force of releasing the torrent of magic she’d unleashed.

              It never seemed to stop. The entire world went white and still for a moment, The light emanating from Sarah dazzling and bright enough to blind the enemy tigers briefly.

              As the light faded, a great shockwave followed, pushing the tigers away from Sloan. They charged him, but hit an invisible wall, trying again and again to break through even as Sarah’s powers pushed them toward the door, their claws digging deep gashes into the carpet as they fought against her.

              She didn’t even know how she did it. She willed them away from Sloan and it happened.

              The lead tiger shifted back to his human form and Sarah recognized him from the woods. His eyes were wild, terrified and furious at the same time. If she hadn’t just dispatched a handful of powerful shifters, Sarah would have been very scared.

              Randal jogged backwards to catch up with his comrades, a crazy look taking over his features.

              “You fucked up,” he called, his voice verging on hysteria, “You have NO idea what you’ve just done.”

              He fled the library. Sarah stood in shock for a moment, still unsure of what had just happened. Broken glass glittered in the light that spilled in from the parking lot, the library was in tatters and Sloan was…

              A breath caught in Sarah’s throat as her eyes landed on Sloan’s still form. She rushed to his side, silently praying with every step she took.

Chapter 28

SLOAN

H
e fought against it for so long. The darkness. It pulled him in. Dragged him against his will. Sloan knew he had to keep fighting. Knew he was fighting for something. His mind was so hazy. What was he fighting for again?

              The tiger growled:
Mate.

              The darkness weighed on him. So heavy. Pain screamed throughout his body, but the darkness would make it better. It would go away if only he’d give in.

              Then there was a light. So bright. Was this the light at the end of the tunnel? The last thing he’d see before death? He expected death to hurt so much less. He forced ragged breaths from his lungs. Where was the darkness?

An angel emerged from the light. She was the most beautiful thing he’d ever seen. Glowing, softly stroking the top of his head, crying…

Why was she crying? Did angels typically cry?

Her voice broke through, “Sloan… Sloan,
please,”
she sobbed, flinging herself on top of him.

He didn’t like to see this angel crying. He could comfort her. He could make it better.

Slowly, his body began to change. The shift took a lot of energy, but it also aided in his healing. Soon, he was human once more and the fog of unconsciousness began to dissipate.

Sarah shone brightly, a halo of light surrounding her body. She really was an angel.

“Sloan?” She swept a hand across his forehead hesitantly.

He pulled her into his arms, ignoring the white-hot lance of pain that shot through him with every subtle movement. He needed to have her in his arms.

“Sarah,” he whispered, their lips meeting in a chaste kiss. Her lips were salty with her tears.

“Why are you crying?”

She wasn’t just crying. She was
humming
. Not musically, not with her voice, but with raw power. Her skin glowed and Sarah’s body thrummed with magic.

She swiped at the tears quickly, ashamed by the display of her emotions, he reckoned. Not that he cared.

“Those other shifters… I thought they… I thought you were… I…” her voice broke and she buried her head in his chest once more. Sloan stroked the back of her head lovingly, trying his best to quiet her.

“But I’m not. You did it, you were amazing.”

He could see the energy in her. Like an underground oil well being tapped, there was no stopping the eruption of magic she’d unleashed to save him. The power was too much for her, but as he stroked her back, the glow faded and she seemed to calm some.

Sarah lifted her wide eyes to look at him, plaintive and searching.

“That man… he said I have no idea what I’ve done. What did I do?”

Sloan fought back the rush of anger at the mention of Randal. He would pay for this. But for now, Randal would have to wait.

He let a smile tug at his lips as he kissed Sarah, their connection breathing new life into him once more. She was too good for him.

“You saved us,” he said, toying with her hair, “you’re a hero.”

Sarah looked around at the destruction of the Kerris and frowned, “I don’t feel like a hero. I feel like I’ve made a huge mess of things. All that magic… I think I was supposed to control it and it just… escaped.”

“Shh,” Sloan cooed, rocking her in his arms, “I promise we’ll find a way to fix it all. But for right now, let me enjoy knowing you’re safe in my arms.”

Sarah nodded and nuzzled into his neck, “I was so scared I was going to lose you,” she whispered, her voice breaking again.

“Never,” he promised, “Shifters mate for life and this tiger isn’t going anywhere.”

Eventually, the morning would come and they’d have to come up with answers. Eventually Randal would be back and Sloan would be ready for him. But not now.

For now, he wasn’t going to let Sarah out of his sight, his arms, or his bed.

“What do you say we go somewhere a little less bloody?” he joked, his voice lowering an octave, turning husky.

Sarah mocked shock, “Aren’t you tired? You nearly bled to death!”

A sly smirk curled the corners of his mouth, “I bet I still have enough blood to get hard for you.”

He saw her cheeks color in the darkness.

“What do you know? I was right,” he laughed.

The End.