Escaping From Fate (Escape Book 2)

by Hazel Gower

  *****

  Dax

  Dax could see the indecision in her gaze as he told her about shifters. She didn’t know what to believe. He could tell that Lisa was innocent, not just of body, but of the world. Her eyes gave everything away. When she worried about him getting in trouble for taking her, he knew she didn’t know much about shifters. Humans had made such a big deal about the rules shifters had to abide by and made sure it was well known what they could and couldn’t do, but their rules were vague and shifters knew ways around them. There weren’t many humans who didn’t know the basic rules, like shifters had to do a minimum of five years in the military or they couldn’t own property. Shifters were to make sure they used the right facilities like bathrooms and not going into places that do not allow his kind and so on. Humans were stupid, they thought they knew everything about shifters, they knew only half of what shifters let the world know. Humans had no idea that ninety percent of their governments were run by shifters. That they’d agreed to the laws to settle and help humans adjust to what they thought they wanted. Change would be slow, but shifters outlived humans and were a patient lot. One of the rules that humans had no idea about was, that once a shifter mated his mate, even if they are human, they cannot be apart. The female or male cannot be taken away by anyone even by law enforcement, unless they can prove the male or female is in danger from their mate, which is very unlikely as a shifter would rather kill themselves than harm a hair on their mate’s head. It was a well know rule that if a shifter mated you, you couldn’t be taken away by your parents—if you are of age, twenty-one.

  He didn’t like that she had stated her parents wouldn’t like him, but it sounded like she’d been protected. Her gaze kept going back to the ground, she could barely look him in the eyes when she spoke. She seemed submissive, which had his tiger prowling with glee, but his human side tensing at her shyness.

  “I’m not that lucky,” she mumbled. Her eyes locked with his for a moment before they returned to the floor. “I don’t think I’m your mate.”

  “I don’t think, I know you’re mine. The other half of my soul. My tiger recognized you first and then the human half of me followed close behind.” Dax’s arms ached to wrap around her and hold her close to him forever.

  “Tiger? Wow, you’re a tiger?” She took a couple of steps back.

  He nodded. “Yes. I’m a white tiger.”

  “Oh my. Can I see?” Her voice was barely above a whisper and her eyes came alit with her curiosity.

  Dax studied her, and although her gaze was on the floor, she wasn’t scared. He would give her what she asked. Stepping back further, he yanked his sweatpants down, stepped away from the garments and let the shift wash over him. Bones cracked and broke reshaping his entire frame and he let his tiger take over. He expected a scream, but she didn’t make a noise. Lifting his tiger head, he slowly padded toward her. Lisa wasn’t looking at the floor anymore. Her gaze was riveted on him. Dax’s tiger preened at the look of wonder on her face and practically pranced the rest of the way when she whispered, “Majestic. So beautiful.”

  Stopping just within reach, he sat. Lisa surprised him further when she came to him, her hand held out. He wasn’t a damn dog. His tiger thought this was great though, and Dax didn’t stop him when he slipped his tongue out and licked her hand covering her in slobber. He expected a squeal now, but she giggled. “Can I touch?”

  He inched closer, her hand held out and she didn’t even hesitate when she ran her fingers over his head and through his fur. If he could purr, he would. People always thought all cats could purr, but tigers couldn’t. He closed his eyes and basked in the feel of her fingers running over his body.

  “I thought it would be super soft. Your fur is soft, but coarse all at the same time. I could sit here for hours and run my fingers over you and through your fur.” Dax knew she had no idea what affect her simple words had on him. He would sit here and enjoy her exploring for as long as she wanted. “I always loved animals. I wanted a pet, but my foster parents never let me have any.” She closed her eyes and her head leaned in toward his. “I wanted a blue room too. That’s my favorite color.” She opened her eyes and stared into his, and a smiled slid over her face. “The same as your eyes.” She sighed and leaned against him, her fingers still sifting through his fur. “I like you in this form. It’s so easy to talk to you.” Her sigh was loud and full of contentment.

  Dax listened and was willing to listen to her all day if it made her happy. He’d gladly stay in his tiger form.

  **

  A couple of hours later, he changed back to human and was surprised at all he’d learned. Lisa had talked for hours about how she lost her parents in a car accident when she was young, and the couple of foster homes she was placed in before she was given to Bruce and Helen. She told him about her struggle to leave her foster parents and move on and find what she wanted and not what they told her she wanted. Lisa told him about how she’d only just found a fulltime job and it was her dream job.

  His mother came in and dropped off a plate of food and Lisa was so engrossed with him she didn’t notice. Dax left Lisa and used his paws to push the food toward where she sat, before placing himself back where he’d been and watched as she ate and talked. He liked that she was comfortable enough with him to tell him about her life. Lisa spoke until her voice grew horse and she fell asleep, exhaustion—he guessed—from learning what she had and letting everything out as she had when she’d talked to him. Her fingers gripped his fur and he didn’t change back until her whole body relaxed and she fell into a deep sleep, her hands growing lax and her body weighted.

  He placed her back on the bed, tucked her in and left her to start on dinner. He’d learned that she loved chicken schnitzel with asparagus and honey carrots. That she remembered her birth mother used to cook it for her and, for special occasions, her foster parents would take her to a schnitzel restaurant. He messaged his parents to get what he needed to cook Lisa her favorite. He planned to tell her what he enjoyed eating tonight when she awoke.

  His tiger was content. Happy. He hadn’t felt this good and this much hope in a long time. He’d found his mate. The woman who would give him his cubs and be his life partner.

  ****

  Lisa

  This time when Lisa awoke, she knew where she was, in Dax’s house, in his bed. He’d cared for her, letting her talk until she’d fallen into an exhausted sleep. He’d tucked her into bed and let her sleep without any interruptions, and now she awoke to an amazing aroma wafting into the room. Her stomach grumbled at the smell that floated to her. Lisa closed her eyes again and just enjoyed what she was feeling, and realized that she couldn’t remember the last time she’d felt so safe and rested. She was content. She couldn’t ever remember being this content. She was sure it was a myth. Something people lied about so they searched and hope to find it. She might have been when her birth parents were alive, but she couldn’t remember. Bruce and Helen had taken her and treated her like their own, but Lisa never felt safe with them. She always felt trapped. Now she thought about it, she hated that she stuck to their rules, living away from them because she was scared not just of them, but of being alone.

  Sitting up, Lisa stretched and then eased out of bed, going to the small bathroom that adjoined the room and went to the toilet, washed her hands, and freshened up before she went back into the room and left it in search of the yummy smell that was hitting her senses. The house wasn’t big, so it didn’t take long to find the kitchen. Beside the bedroom and bathroom, there was two other doors in the small hallway, curious she checked them out to find a small room that was more a study and then the second door was a large room with laundry that had two small rooms off it, a toilet and another small bathroom. When she left the hall, she came out to a large open plan with the kitchen facing the window, and a big island with the oven and stove. The loungeroom with a huge T.V mounted on the wall on the opposite side. To separate the room, a four-seater table sat adorned with a
red table cloth, white and gold plates, and two wine glasses. She wasn’t drinking again anytime soon, she knew that.

  Dax had his back turned to her and she watched as he wiggled his arse bopping to the music. James Blunt played, Lisa recognized his crooning voice. Who would have guessed a tiger shifter liked James Blunt?

  “You’re awake.” Dax turned from what Lisa guessed was washing up the pots he’d used. Lisa nodded and he turned back and she moved closer to his side to see him place the pots and a pan on a drying rack then a tea towel over them. He pivoted toward her and ate up the distance between them quickly, the blue in his gaze was electric that that had her body tingling instantly and her heart started racing.

  Lisa had never wanted a man before, but this one—this shifter—had her panting with a look and simply walking to her. “Yeah. Thanks for listening to me and not disturbing my sleep.” Cocking her head, she looked up at him studying his strong, manly features. He was so handsome. “Why do I feel so safe with you?" Lisa had to ask. He’d said she was his mate and was the reason she felt the way she did, but was that really why she felt so comfortable with him?

  As soon as his hands circled her waist, Lisa gasped when her body warmed and her stomach flip-flopped. She went into his embrace and enjoyed being held.

  “You feel it, don’t you? The pull?” Lisa nodded, because she sure did feel something. “I want you, Lisa.”

  “You do know how to say my name?” His chuckle was deep and Lisa shivered with pure need at the husky voice. He didn’t usually use her name, he called her the pet name he’d given her. “I've never done this.”

  He raised one perfectly sculpted black eyebrow. “Done what?”

  Lisa’s hands roamed all over him and sighed at the thick muscles she felt. “This. With a man.” She lifted her hands, but he grabbed them holding them to him so she stayed touching him. “Bruce and Helen had me in an all-girls school and after that, they kept me on a tight leash. I have a job and they aren’t happy with me, not just for getting the job, but for moving away. They never let me near boys or men.” She ran her hands up and down his chest enjoying how he felt.

  “Good,” he growled. “That means no one but me will ever touch this delectable body.”

  Lisa loved how he looked at her, with such intensity and possession. She probably shouldn’t be so attached to him so soon. She hadn’t even known this man for twenty-four hours, and the desire she felt from him was undeniable. “I like how you make me feel. I want to know about you. I want to meet your family. By the way, who dropped the food around?” Lisa was so engrossed with spilling her guts about every little thing wrong in her life and what she always wanted, she took no notice of the woman who had brought the food over to them.

  His laugh became Lisa’s new favorite sound. “That was my mother. She would love to meet you.”

  “Oh no. I was so rude. She must have the worst impression of me.” What the hell was wrong with her? It didn’t even cross Lisa’s mind that the woman she saw could be his mother, from the quick glance of her, Lisa saw she didn’t look anywhere old enough to have an adult son.

  Dax shook his head. “Nah, she knows how intense it can be when mates meet. She’s eager for me to introduce you when the time is right.”

  Stepping back, Lisa glanced down at her outfit from last night and shook her head. There was no way she wanted to be introduced in this skimpy outfit. “Can you take me home, pleas—”

  “No,” he snarled. This time she stepped back at the inhuman sound. Still not scared, but cautious because she didn’t know much about shifters, and even though he’d told her she was his mate, she didn’t know what that entailed.

  Raising her hands, she furrowed her brows and frowned as she thought over what she’d said that could upset him, she groaned when she realized how stupid she was. “No. I don’t want to leave you. I need clothes. I can’t meet parents in what I’m wearing. This isn’t even my dress. Truthfully, you’d never find me in anything like this, but my friends goaded me into it. I need clothes and other um, stuff.” Lisa had a feeling Dax wasn’t letting her out of his sight if he could help it, and if that was true, she’d need things to get ready for work tomorrow. The snarl on his face disappeared and he gathered her back into his embrace.

  “Okay, we’ll have breakfast and go get all your things.”

  “All my things?” Staring up at him, Lisa searched his face to see if he meant what he said. His gaze stared down at her and she could see there was no mistaking that everything he said was true. Her heart soared and she knew her life had changed forever.

  Chapter Two

  Dax

  Her apartment was tiny. Dax had thought his little cottage was small, her apartment was the size of his room, maybe a little bigger if you included the bathroom that had a shower, toilet, and the smallest vanity he’d ever seen. There was one large closet, a double bed, and a bedside drawer. Her kitchenette was on one side, and a small T.V sat across from the bed, and books were scattered everywhere.

  Lisa went straight to her closest and then bedside drawer before she rushed to the bathroom and shut the door. Dax debated for a moment opening it and watching her strip and change, but she wasn’t ready for that yet. Now that he knew she was new to everything, she deserved a bit of wooing. He’d hold out on making her fully his as long as he could hold off his tiger. He had a feeling that wouldn’t be long. His tiger had been on edge and eager to claim his mate since he first scented her.

  When the shower turned on, Dax went in search of bags to put all her stuff in. There was no way his mate was coming back to this shitty little apartment. Not only was it tiny, but it wasn’t in the best neighborhood. Not that there was that many bad neighborhoods in the town as everyone knew that shifters lived here and around the area, and they always kept watch and made sure where they lived was safe. Shifters liked to stay together, so he knew there wouldn’t be any around.

  There were only three garbage bags, two suitcases, and an overnight backpack. Dax put all her clothes, the three shoes she owned, which were basic practical ones, all flats, not like the heels she wore last night, in the luggage and overnight backpack finishing as she came out of the bathroom. She was dressed in black leggings, and a loose shirt that matched her pink flip-flops. Her face was scrubbed, no more caked on make-up, and her hair was wet and in a messy bun on top of her head with a pink scrunchy. She looked utterly adorable. Dax’s tiger grumbled, and if tigers purred, he’d bet he would have been at the sight of their woman.

  Lisa looked at the bed where all her clothes were in the suitcases and overnight bag. “How long do you think I’m staying?” She raised her brow and her lips parted before she squealed when she saw all her underwear on top of the overnight bag. She rushed over to the bag and pushed everything in before zipping it shut and spinning back to face him. “You packed my private things?”

  His chuckle was so deep if he had a belly it would have jiggled. “Private things? You mean your underwear? I will say I found your clothes to be prim librarian, and your private things? Naughty sex kitten.” The smirk he felt spread over his face couldn’t be held off as her face turned bright red. “I knew my name for you suited.”

  Her mock growl just added to her cuteness. He wanted to show her just how much her little prim and proper look turned him on, instead he sighed, grabbed the suitcases, and gave her a nod. “Come on, kitten, let’s get out of here before I check to see what underwear set you have on.” She went to grab her overnight bag, but he got to it before she could, turned, and went for the door. “Take a good look, kitten, ’cause you’re not coming back here.”

  He was God damn ecstatic when she didn’t argue with him and he felt the pads of her fingers ran over his shoulder blades in encouragement. “Let’s go.” She huffed out as they walked out and slammed the door behind him.

  He knew she followed close behind him, because she raided heat and his tiger was crazy for her, and he knew where she was since he’d first set eyes on her. She came
up beside him as they reached the car and he put everything in the truck bed, before he opened her door and watched her get in. His tiger couldn’t wait to get Lisa home and claim their mate. He went around to the driver’s side, got in, put the keys down, and pressed the button to start the car.

  “This is all moving so fast. I should be freaking out, shouldn’t I?” They’d barely entered traffic before she spoke.

  “Shifters move fast. When we know who our soul mates are, we don’t muck around. It’s one of the things humans can’t take away from us.”

  “I’m human,” she whispered.

  “I know. Trust me, I know,” Dax muttered. He wasn’t a fan of humans not with how they’d treated shifters the last thirty years. He was old enough to remember what it had been like for shifters before they came out to the world.

  “You don’t sound happy about that. I mean, me being human. Should I even be going with you now?”

  Snarling, Dax resisted the urge to snap at her, that he’d told her over and over that he wanted her, what more did he have to do to make himself clear? He’d packed her fucking clothes and told her she wasn’t going back. Argh, women were so frustrating. “You’re my mate. I want you more with every breath I take.” He groaned. “I want to claim you like I’ve been wanting to from the moment I smelt your intoxicating scent, saw your delectable body, and beautiful big brown eyes set in the most adorable face ever. I’m fighting not just my tiger, but myself not to throw you on the floor and ravish you, licking every inch of your body and leaving my mark on you for all to see.”

  Her breath caught and her arousal rose flooding the car, making it almost impossible to drive. His mate liked when he told her what he wanted to do and thought of her. “You think all that and you’ve known me for less than twenty-four hours?”

  He picked up speed, eager to get back to his house and show her just what she did to him.