“He’s a lion shifter on the verge of going rogue.” If things went as he hoped inside, he needed her to keep quiet about involving law enforcement when they returned. She didn’t understand what a delicate situation they were embarking on and if he’d been able to leave her somewhere else while they dealt with this, he would have. With Donovick out for blood, she wasn’t safe alone.
“Rogue?”
Needing to feel her touch, he laid his hand over hers and was pleasantly surprised when she didn’t pull away from him. Caressing his thumb over the curves of her fingers, his tiger urged him to climb into the backseat with her, but with the mission ahead of him, he resisted the urge. “A shifter has their animal living within them. While we’re human most of the time, our animal is always a part of us. Just like when we shift, our human side is there. We can speak in our animal form but we still think like a human.”
“I don’t understand. What does that have to do with a rogue?”
“Right now you think we’re just a bunch of animals—”
“I don’t.” She cut him off before he could finish. “Maybe I did at first when the lion charged me, but now…I don’t know. You seem human, but so did he before he…”
He watched as she reached up with the hand that wasn’t under his and touched the back of her head. The thick scent of blood and antiseptic drifted through the interior as her fingers made contact with the bandage. “Have you ever lost someone you loved so much that it felt like you couldn’t get through the day without them? The grief tearing at your heart, making your chest tight, each breath a struggle…” The tears in her eyes answered his question before she spoke.
“My father.” The words were barely a whisper. “He was a police officer and was killed in the line of duty.”
“I’m sorry.” He squeezed her hand. “That’s what Ambrose is going through. Humans believe in true love, whereas shifters have a mate. We know there is a mate out there for us and we wait to find them. It keeps us going through everything else, but when you lose them, no words can explain what that feels like. Some do not survive the loss and others go rogue.”
“Is that what’s happening to him? Is Ambrose a rogue?”
“Unless we can help him, yes. The loss of his mate has frayed his control over his beast. If the connection severs completely, he’ll be a rogue and there will be nothing we can do for him. In order to keep people safe, he would have to be put down.” Time was running short and sitting with her might help her understand more about his species, but it was doing nothing to help Ambrose. When he parked, he’d made sure they stayed downwind, so they could come up on the house without alerting him. But wasting time would only give Ambrose more of a chance to learn they were there.
“Brooklynn, I need you to stay down and keep the doors locked until I get back. It shouldn’t take long.”
“There is more to this than you’re telling me.” She tipped her head toward the side window. “This place is deserted, yet you’re warning me to stay hidden. I’m a cop. I know how to handle myself and I can be good backup. Let me help.”
“No.” He growled as the thought of letting his mate go up against a possible rogue enraged his tiger. “We might already be too late to help him and if that’s the case, you’d be in danger.”
“Are there multiple subjects in the house?”
“He’s alone.” His beast paced uneasily at the thought of leaving her there when Donovick was still a threat. Even knowing it was better than taking her with him to a possible rogue situation failed to ease his anxiety. “Keep your gun handy and I’ll be back soon.”
She was silent for a moment before nodding. “Be safe.”
“Brooklynn…” He paused and waited for her to look at him. “Let me eliminate any thought you might have of following us. It’s not going to work.”
“Why not? You’re about to do that very thing.”
“It’s nearly impossible to sneak up on a shifter. We catch your scent and can sense you there. The only advantage you have is if you stay downwind of them. You won’t have that advantage.”
“Then Ambrose will know you’re coming for him?” Her voice quivered as the fear rose within her.
“No. We’ll be downwind, so he won’t catch our scent. But we’re here on a mission. We know what might be waiting inside for us, and we’ll be ready. We’ll be watching our surroundings. While we’re focused on taking Ambrose down without a struggle, we’ll also have to stay alert to outside threats. We’d know you were there. So don’t do anything stupid. You might get yourself killed if you follow us, or get someone else hurt. We might be too late to save him, so I need you to stay here, out of danger, and let me do what I came here to do.” Forcing her hand upward, he intertwined their fingers. “You have my word. I will come back to you.”
With that, he forced himself to let go of her hand and get out of the SUV. They wouldn’t normally go on a mission with only two people, but with their backup not even in the air yet, they couldn’t wait. Knowing Ambrose’s location and having the opportunity to take him down before he could do any further harm might not happen again. They had to do it now or risk him going true rogue.
Before he could shut the door, she called to him. “Carran, if you come back—”
“When,” he corrected.
“When you come back, I want to know the truth about what happens when we touch. Otherwise, I’ll going back to my apartment and I’ll take my chances with Donovick.”
Try it, mate, and you’ll find your handcuffs being used on you. He suppressed a growl as he shut the door. The idea of using her handcuffs had his shaft hardening. He imagined her naked, handcuffed to his bed in Alaska while he took his time exploring her body. Soon…
Chapter Five
Crouched next to the bush, Carran pulled his gun from its holster and eyed the back door of the abandoned house. It was now or never. Damn, he wished they had more backup. Hours had passed since they were notified of the lion’s unfortunate circumstances. He could already be rogue, and they wouldn’t know until they made their way inside.
“I left you alone so you could tell her.” Red crouched next to him, his gun in hand, his gaze scanning the area.
Instead of getting into it, Carran ignored the comment. “Let’s do this.” With no way to avoid the window and still stay downwind, he darted toward the house and kicked in the door before the first sounds of movement echoed through the stillness of the night. “Ambrose, let’s not do anything stupid.”
The lion roared, letting Carran know he was near the front of the house, most likely in the living room. That knowledge had him moving forward instead of trying to talk to him first. If Ambrose made it out the front door before Carran could stop him, he could get to Brooklynn, and there was no way he’d allow that.
“We’re too late,” Red said.
“We have to try. That’s our mission, so you’re either coming or you can stay out of my way,” he snapped, moving forward. Everything about the situation had his tiger on edge, as if his beast could sense something was going to happen, but his human side couldn’t understand it. All he knew was he had to get this done so he could get back to Brooklynn. His mate was unprotected and that made his tiger anxious.
With his gun pointed in front of him, Carran turned the corner to where Ambrose waited. Due to the growls, Carran had expected Ambrose to be in lion form, but a man stood near the window, watching them. Carran trained his gun on the center of his chest, directly over the heart, hoping that Red would take aim at his head.
“What do you want?” Ambrose growled.
“We’re here to help.”
“Bullshit.” Ambrose kicked the bottle of water that was sitting on the floor aside, spilling the contents across the stained rug. “You’re here to take me to jail. I can smell that bitch cop all over you. She wants to take me down…but she doesn’t understand…she doesn’t know what I am. I can’t go to jail.”
“Ambrose. We’re not with the police. We’re here to h
elp.”
“Don’t lie to me.” The magic poured off Ambrose as he fought not to shift, making the air thick.
“You smell her on me, but not because I’m working with her.” Carran lowered his weapon, but didn’t holster it. “Tabitha, of the Alaskan Tigers, sent me. You know who we are, so you should believe me when I say we want to help you.”
“I’m a lion…”
“Who was mated to a tiger.”
Ambrose’s need to shift traveled through the room like a wave. It would have sent a lesser shifter into transition, but Carran kept his tiger at bay. Red seemed to struggle a little, his gun trembling for a moment before he settled himself. Carran needed his help, but more than that he needed to make sure Ambrose didn’t shift. Things were precarious enough, and it was doubtful they’d be able to save the lion if he gave in to his beast now. “Think of your daughter. She’s lost so much. Don’t make her lose you, too.”
“How? I can’t stop this. I don’t have control…” Ambrose dropped to his knees. “Kyra…you have to help my baby girl. She’s lost so much already. Save my girl.”
“We already are helping her, but she needs her dad.” Carran slid his gun back into his holster and pulled his cell phone off his belt. He opened his text messages and found the video from Taber, before stepping closer and holding it out to Ambrose. “A team was sent and we’ve got her. She’s safe now.”
“Kyra…”
“Think about her and you can keep your beast back.” Carran kept his phone held out in front of Ambrose, remaining standing in case the lion gained control. He’d be able to get the upper hand quickly, but that would mean Ambrose’s death. “Fight for your little girl.”
“Shea…” Grief and agony coated the single word.
“She wouldn’t want to see you like this.” Carran took another step forward, holding the phone in front of Ambrose’s face, and as he did so, he dragged his finger across the button, pushing play. “Focus on Kyra.”
“Daddy!” The little girl’s voice streamed from the phone’s speakers, cracking with emotion as she wailed for her father. “I…want…my…Daddy!”
Carran had watched the video earlier and he knew that if he could see the screen, he’d see the little girl in Taber’s arms. Terror had her eyes wide and her body shook from the sobs, tears rolling down her pink cheeks. Taber held her, trying to ease her panic, and assured her the mean bears weren’t there to hurt her.
“We’re trying to find your daddy,” Taber was telling her. “Until we can find him, we’re going to take you somewhere safe.”
“Daddy…” Kyra’s sobs were cut off by the end of the video.
“Your little girl is safe and she needs you. If you can gain control over your beast, we can take you to her.”
Ambrose leaned forward and Carran stepped back. He thought they were winning, but there was no certainty when dealing with situations like this. Normally, no one had time to save someone from turning rogue. The beast within simply took over. This time they were given time to find him because Ambrose fought it. He didn’t want to lose himself to his lion, because doing that would cost him nearly as much as the price of losing his mate. As a rogue, he’d be a danger to Kyra, and that alone might have been the reason he now had a chance.
“If you ever want to see your little girl again, don’t make any sudden movements.” Red stepped farther into the room and came to stand just a step to the side of Carran. With his gun in hand, he was ready for Ambrose’s next move. “You need to pull your beast back and shove him back down. The longer you fight him for control, the harder it will be.”
Carran gave Red a sideways glance. While it was truthful, Red should have kept his mouth shut. If Ambrose didn’t have enough control over his lion, his beast would see that as a challenge and everything Carran had been working toward would be for nothing. It also made him realize Red’s level of inexperience and spontaneity. Sometimes that helped a situation, but on a mission like this, it was a wildcard. The young tiger needed more field time if he was going to play backup on missions with the Alaskan Tigers.
“You’ll take me to her?” Ambrose tipped his head to look up at Carran.
Carran nodded, watching the man before him. The lion eyes that had been looking back at him since he came into the room were receding. “If you have control over your lion, there is nothing more I’d like than to reunite you with your little girl.”
“Then what? Shea’s clan turned their back on us and my pride…” He dragged his hand through his whiskey brown hair, pulling the curls away from his face. “What do I have to offer Kyra?”
“Love, security, protection. She’s lost her mother, she’s been abandoned by everyone she’s ever known, and now she finds herself surrounded by new tigers and bears. She’s scared and wants her father.” Carran’s chest tightened because he knew what Kyra was going through. She had a chance, one he hadn’t had, and it was his job to give that to her.
“I didn’t abandon my daughter by choice. They forced me out, and that—”
“Was the final piece that frayed your control over your beast,” Carran supplied.
“I didn’t know they were going to push her out and I knew if I tried for her, I’d be more harm than good. I couldn’t even control my lion. How could I help my daughter?” He slammed his hand down on the floor, sending dust rising from the carpet. “My Kyra could have been killed. Sending any young child out into the world by herself is asking for something horrible to happen. With her being a lone female shifter…she could have been caught by the hunters, rogues, or a clan looking to add females to their ranks.”
“But she wasn’t. She’s safe now,” Carran reminded him, shoving away the memories that rose within him…but not before he recalled the one person he’d failed. “Please…Carran! Help me…”
* * *
The hairs on the back of Brooklynn’s neck rose, alerting her to something. Outside the SUV, all she could see was darkness, but she learned long ago to trust her instincts. Something was wrong, even if she wasn’t sure what it was yet. Keeping low, she leaned forward to get a better look out the front window. The changes around her were small alerts. The barking dog from a couple blocks over was suddenly silent. Stillness. Like the world just stopped. Not even the leaves blew.
A moving figure at the end of the block caught her attention. The darkness of the night cloaked the person so she was unable to make out details, except approximate height and weight. Was he a shifter? He didn’t glance behind him or even seem uneasy, so maybe he was just out for a walk? The hour was late, but as a police officer, she’d learned people were strange. Sometimes they took a stroll if they couldn’t sleep. It’s innocent and I’m making a big deal out of it…
Suddenly, the side window shattered, sending shards of glass flying toward her. She scooted across the seat and reached for her gun.
“Don’t!” Donovick stood next to the SUV, a gun pointed at her. “Give me your fucking gun and get out.”
“Why are you doing this?” She didn’t move. Where are you, Carran?
“You’re not going to fuck up everything I’ve worked for. Now get out!”
“I’m not…” His hand wrapped around her ankle and he pulled her toward him, cutting off her words. She tried to grab the edge of the leather seat, but his grip was too strong. In one swift movement she was pulled through the glass, out of the backseat, and landed with a thump on the concrete. Her head banged off the doorframe, making the world sway before her eyes. She couldn’t lose consciousness. If she did, she’d be dead.
“You stupid bitch.” He swung back and slapped her across the face, hard enough to bring tears to her eyes and the taste of blood filled her mouth. “You’ll pay for opening your mouth.”
“Not here.” Another man came around the door to stand on the other side of her.
Even without her stomach heaving and black spots dancing in her vision, she’d never be able to overpower both of them. Her best hope was to stall and hope Carran would c
ome back in time. “I didn’t know…I’ll retract my report…tell them it was my concussion. I’ll make this go away.”
“No, I will.” Donovick pulled a syringe from his pocket and took off the cap.
In one quick movement, she pushed herself up off the ground. If she was going to survive, she had to get out of there, and she didn’t have time to wait for Carran to hear them and come help. Unsteady, her vision blurry, she stumbled over the curb. One block…I can do this. She only hoped that when she made it, she wasn’t walking into a more dangerous situation.
Donovick kicked her legs out from under her, sending her face first into the concrete. When he’d pulled her out, shards of glass had come off the seat, and now they dug into her legs and palms. Ignoring the pain, she pushed herself forward and crawled.
“Stupid bitch.” He grabbed hold of her hair, tugging her head back so she was looking at him, and shoved the needle into her bicep. “Too bad you’re going to miss me killing your tiger. But you’ll feel it when you wake up. Mates always do.”
Darkness closed in on her and her body grew heavy. She wouldn’t have been able to keep her head up if he hadn’t been holding her hair. Mates? What does that mean?
Chapter Six
Anger simmered within Carran until he thought his beast would spring free. It had been a fucking setup. The information that came through an old contact in the area was planted by one of the wolf pack. His money was on someone working directly with Donovick. That bastard must have been watching them and knew he didn’t stand a chance getting his hands on Brooklynn with Carran there.
“When I get my hands on that wolf…” His words were cut off by a growl escaping as if his tiger wanted to express rage further.
“She’s alive and we’ll get her.” Red grabbed a box of ammo out of the back of the SUV.
“Got an extra one?” Ambrose tossed his bag into the back seat and climbed in. “Gun, I mean, not mate,” he added as the others got into the SUV as well.
Her Black Tiger Page 4