Trusting A Tiger (Alaskan Tigers) (8 page)

“I
love you, too.” She titled her head to look at him. “This connection between us—I
never expected it to feel like this. I can feel everything. Your anger over
Henry, hatred for the people who have brought danger to your clan, especially
the rogues, but I can also feel the love for your clan as if it was my own.
It’s so much more than I ever expected.”

“The
clan is my family, as you are. If anyone messes with any member of the clan,
I’d fight by their side. I’d stand for those who couldn’t or shouldn’t fight
for themselves. Women and children of the clan are protected at all cost, and I’d
fight their fight for them.” He ran his hand along her arm. “You have to
understand that I’d lay down my life to protect you and this clan.”

She
nodded. “I know—and it’s admirable—but it scares me, too.”

“Hopefully
it will never come to it, but it’s a risk you need to understand.” His fingers traveled
down the length of her body until he pulled away. Using his arms to hold him
inches above her body, he took in the sight of his naked mate.

The
scars that marred her body tore at his heart. He knew they were from the
torture she endured at Henry’s hand. The cuts along her sides had to be from
knives since Henry had no claws. It took his mind a few moments to register the
angry red burn across her stomach, just below her bellybutton. It looked like
it was from a hot poker that someone would use in a fireplace.

“Don’t.”
She rolled away from him and pulled the blanket over her.

“Harmony.”
He reached out for her, but she pulled further away.

“Don’t.
Just leave. I’d rather suffer with the mating desire then see pity in your
eyes.”

“I see
what he did to you, and I hate myself, knowing that I could have stopped it. If
I’d have done what I knew needed to be done years ago, none of this would have
happened to you.” He sank onto the bed, just beyond touching her. “It doesn’t
make up for what you went through, but I’m going to find him and make sure he’s
no longer a threat to you or anyone else. I’ll see him dead for what he did.”

“You
couldn’t have known this would happen. If my Alpha had been a true Alpha, he’d
have never turned me over to him. This is more my fault then yours.”

“How
can you say that? You did nothing to deserve this.”

She
let her head fall back against the pillow. “You’re half right—I did nothing.”

“Oh,
love.” He reached for her, and this time she didn’t pull away. Sliding his hand
into hers, his thumb played gently over her knuckles. He fought the urge to
pull her tight against his body and hold her there forever. “There was nothing
you could have done. Though Henry cannot shift, he’s still dangerous. Anything
you’d have done would have only made things worse for you. It was your Alpha’s
responsibility to protect you, and he didn’t.”

“The
burn was to teach me a lesson for trying to escape the first time. After that,
things became worse. He was unpredictable. At some point, I realized that, if I
didn’t get out of there, he’d kill me.” Her body shivered, but he suspected it
wasn’t from the chill so much as the memories being brought to the surface.

“It’s
okay.” He moved closer to her, drawing her in across his chest. “I swear he’ll
never get his hands on you again. Unlike your former Alpha, I’ll protect you.”

“Right
now, I just want to forget it all.”

When
she remained silent, he held her close, letting his eyes drift shut. Thankful
to finally have claimed his mate, he laid there enjoying the moment because he
knew it wouldn’t last. Soon he’d have to find Henry and eliminate him if he
wanted to keep his mate safe.

The
sun was peaking around the curtains when Felix woke, Harmony still wrapped in
his embrace. He never expected to spend the night at her place. He planned on
moving into his room before they fell asleep, to be closer to Tabitha if
anything should happen. With Henry flying into Seattle, he didn’t have time to
lay here cuddling with his mate. He needed to find out why Seattle. What was
there that would make his twin go there?

“What
are you thinking about?” Harmony’s fingers teased along the lines of his abs.

“Work.”
He caressed along her spine, watching her. “We received word last night that
Henry booked a ticket to Seattle. I need to get with the team and see if they
figured out why Seattle.”

She
shot up, taking the sheet with her. She held the flimsy material over her
breasts. “Seattle?”

He
nodded. “Does that mean something to you?”

“It
worked.” She tugged the strand of hair out of her face. “I wasn’t sure if it
would, but it worked!”

He
rose up on his elbow. “What the hell are you talking about?”

“I
figured if Henry knew that I was here with you, I could get a message to him. I
focused all my thoughts on Seattle, wanting to get him to meet me there. It was
away from the clan, but close enough that I could get back to you quickly if I
made it out alive.”

“You
were baiting him?” He glared at her, unable to believe what he was hearing. Was
she insane? She had to be to bait someone that tortured her for months and
threatened to kill her. Didn’t she realize how dangerous Henry was? Or did the
safety she had now distort all she went through?

“I had
to if I wanted to find him. It seemed like a better idea than sitting around
waiting for him to attack the clan. Damn it, Felix, I couldn’t let him attack
the compound. Not because of me. I couldn’t bring the danger here with
everything else that’s looming. Don’t you understand that?”

“You
should have come to me. If we realized there was a chance you could convey a
message to him, we might have set up a sting operation with you baiting him,
but doing it yourself was dangerous. You could have gotten yourself killed.” He
ran his hand over his five o’clock shadow, feeling the stubble until he got his
anger under control. “What matters is that you’re safe. Get dressed. I have to
let the Elders know.”

“I
think I’ll stay here.” She moved as if she was going to lie back down.

“Woman,
you’ve got another thing coming if you think I’m leaving you alone. You’re
stuck with me until we have dealt with Henry, or that spot where you climbed
over the fence is monitored. You’re not getting away again.” He wasn’t willing
to risk the safety of his mate, even if he could now feel her emotions and
plans as if they were his.

“I’m
not going to do anything stupid. Go, I’ll stay and keep the bed warm.” She
raised an eyebrow at him, letting him know she wanted him to make it quick so
they could continue where they stopped.

“You’re
coming with me, and we’ll be staying in my room from now on. I need to be close
to the Elders in case of emergencies. You might want to gather your stuff now so
we won’t have to come back. Then we can go straight to my room and pick this
back up.” He scooted out of the bed, grabbing his boxers and jeans from the
floor.

“At
least can I shower?”

“Go
ahead. I’ll call Ty and have him gather the team. It will take a few minutes to
get everyone together, but don’t take long.” He watched as she slipped from the
bed and padded naked toward the bathroom. His shaft rose and his body screamed
for him to follow her, but he knew where that would lead. They didn’t have
time, not with Henry already in Seattle.

A lump
rose in his throat. For years he knew someday the time would come when Henry
had to be eliminated, but now that the time was here, his emotions were all
over the place. Anger that things had come to this, sadness for the knowledge
if it wasn’t him that killed Henry it would be one of the guards he was close
to, and pity for Henry.

Even
with everything playing havoc inside his mind, he knew without a doubt that
he’d kill Henry without an ounce of hesitation. After what he did to his mate
and the danger he was—not only to the clan and his mate, but to humans—there
was no other options. It saddened him that it came to it, but there was no
other recourse. He snatched his cell phone from the dresser and hit the
speed-dial number for Ty.

“What’s
going on, Felix?” His Alpha’s voice was strained, and if Felix wasn’t mistaken,
it sounded as if he had been up through the night, most likely trying to figure
out the significance of Seattle before it was too late.

“Can
you gather the team? I know why Seattle.”

“Tell
me why and I’ll gather them.”

Felix
grabbed his socks and shoes and dealt with those as he filled in Ty. “Somehow
she conveyed a message to him, letting him know she was going there. She wanted
to get him away from the clan to keep you and Tabitha safe. He has to know that
she’s with me now because I’ve claimed her. It destroyed the connection he had
with her. He’ll come here, so we need to get a plan together.”

“Speaking
of the connection, I spoke with Robin this morning.” Ty paused, there was some
commotion on the other end. “Shit, Henry’s on his way. Ten minutes conference
room.”

“Wait—what
about Robin? Is she okay?”

“She’s
fine. I’ll explain everything when you get here. I’ve got to get Raja and the
rest of the guards.” Without another word, Ty hung up.

What
had happened when he claimed his mate? Did it make things worse for Robin? She
experienced the pain of the mating desire, did she experience the mating as Harmony
did?

* * *

Standing
in front of the vanity, Harmony wiped the steam from the mirror to try to do
something with the mass of red curls before Felix forced her to leave. Not
recognizing the reflection, she did a double take. All her life she had been
pale, the freckles and ruby red hair making her appear even more, but now her
cheeks were rosy and full of color. There was now an impression of Felix’s
teeth on her shoulder where he broke the skin, claiming her.

“Wow!”
She dragged her fingers through her curls, getting them out of her face so she
could see it better. She couldn’t believe the sudden changes in her appearance.

“Harmony,
we should be going.” Felix called from the doorway.

“Just
give me another minute.” She took a deep breath, pushing Felix’s emotions away.
His pain was tearing her insides apart and stealing her breath. Felix was being
torn in different directions, and though he tried to hide it, it was eating at
him. Leaning forward toward the mirror to add a little lip-gloss, she couldn’t
help but speculate that killing Henry himself would kill a part of her mate, no
matter what he said. Would he still be the man she had come to trust and love
over the last few weeks?

“Harmony.”

“I’m
coming.” Did that man not have a patient bone in his body? A woman couldn’t
just jump out of the shower and into clothes. There was more than that to
getting ready for a woman. She scrunched her curls one last time and looked
over her appearance again. Her wardrobe was limited, so the jeans and pink tank
top would have to work. On the way out the door, she’d grab her black sweater
to keep the chill of the Alaskan air at bay.

Stepping
out of the bathroom, she found Felix leaning against the doorway, looking
slight impatient as he read something on his phone. “I’m ready.”

He
looked up from his phone, taking her in before letting out a deep breath
through his teeth. “You look almost as good in clothes as you do naked beneath
me. Looking at you there makes me think of the fun I could have stripping those
clothes from your body with my teeth.”

“We
don’t have time for that now.” She grabbed her black sweater from the back of
the chair and slipped into it.

“I
could make time for it.” He pushed off the wall and stalked towards her, desire
seeping off him. “Right now I want nothing more than to forget about my duties
even for an hour and toss you back on the bed and have my way with you.” He was
close enough to her now that she felt his warm breath against her face.

She
laid her hand against his chest, feeling the contours under her fingertips. “Tonight.
Right now the clan needs you, but there will be a lot of time for just us
soon.”

“Do
you know something I don’t?” He raised an eyebrow at her, as if to ask if she
was planning something.

“Is it
wrong for me to take some of your faith and believe things will work out?”

“You’re
not planning anything stupid, like leaving the compound without any support,
are you? Because I’ll have you lock in my room with guards watching your every
move if you’re even considering it.” His slid his arms around her waist,
pulling her close against his chest. “You mean too much to me for me to risk
you.”

“I
have nothing planned, only to have your body next to me every night and to feel
your shaft buried deep within me until I’m so sore I can’t walk straight.” She
slipped the hand that was between them away, sliding it up his chest to rub the
whiskers on his chin. “Now come on, we can’t keep your Alpha waiting.”

“You’re
right, but later you’re mine.” With his arm around her waist, he led her to the
door.

As they
stepped outside, the cool air gushed past her, chilling her to the core and
freezing her wet hair in tiny ringlets. The tigress within her enjoyed the cold
and even the snow, but her human form didn’t have the same tolerance for the
abrasive chill in the air. She tugged the sweater tighter around her as Felix
pulled her closer to his body.

“Ty
mentioned that there’s a change in Robin’s connection to you. Have you noticed
anything different?” he asked, leading her down the walkway toward the main
building where they would meet the team.

She
took a moment to think about it before answering, but nothing felt anything
different. “Nothing, but I’ve never been able to feel her emotions or anything.
Only she suffered from my connection. I didn’t realize what I did when I
reached out to her. There was just something about her that made me believe I
could trust her. I wanted to trust someone, so I reached out to her. I never
meant to saddle her with my mess.”

“Okay,
we’ll find out what he meant shortly.” He opened the door, allowing her to
enter the building before slipping his arm back around her waist.

“Felix,”
a deep, husky voice called.

Muscles
tensed with alarm as a man stalked toward them. His short brown hair cut close
to his head left his face in clear view, His eyes warned anyone that saw them
he was dangerous. She could smell he was mated, but there was also other
women’s scents mixed along his skin, it took her a moment to realize it was
Robin’s scent. She knew Robin was mated, but she had never met him.

“It’s
okay, love, Adam Merks is my partner.” Felix’s hand ran up her back, soothing
her before turning his attention back to Adam. “What’s happening?”

Adam
stopped in front of them, one hand in his pocket while his gun hand hung loose
in case he had to go for his weapon. “The tigress that Pierce held captive, Daisy,
she’s freaking out. Ty has asked that we accompany him and Raja to make things
clear to her. Robin, Tabitha, and Bethany are in the conference room already. If
Harmony would like to join them, we can get this issue put to rest before the
meeting. We’re waiting for Connor to finish a search anyways.”

Feeling
the conflict in Felix, she looked at him. “Go. I don’t need a babysitter. I
told you I won’t do anything stupid.”

Ty
stepped out of the conference room. “The women are waiting for her. I’ve left
all the other guards with them.”

“Stay
with them.” Felix looked directly into her eyes. “I’ll be back as soon as I
can.” He walked her to the door, glancing around to see who was on guard.

“Stop
worrying. Go do what you need to.” She gave a gentle kiss to him before heading
to join Robin, Tabitha and Bethany gathered around the table. She was eager to
find out what changes Robin has experienced with the connection.

“Harmony,”
Robin called to her, nodding to the chair next to her. “Have you heard the
news?”

“What
news?” She strolled around the table and took the seat next to her. She felt
Felix leave, his dread like a pit in her stomach. “Felix said there was a
change with the connection—is that what you’re talking about?”

“Yeah.
We’re still connected, and I feel you, actually stronger now that you’re in the
same room, but things are different. It’s no longer as overpowering as what it
was before. The connection is no longer tearing me apart. I’m not sure if
you’ve slept yet, but if so, I no longer share your nightmares.” The relief was
clear as a tiger’s claw cutting through skin.

“But
how?” Harmony leaned back against the stiff leather of the chair, watching
Robin closely. The dark shadows no longer hung under her eyes.

“Ty
believes mating Felix has helped take the pressure from Robin, making things
more bearable for her.” Styx announced, coming to stand next to Shadow across
from the women.