“Blo…blood.”
He tore his shirt off, quickly draping it over her lap, blocking her leg from view. “My tough cop faints at the sight of blood.”
“Even the best of us get lightheaded at the sight of blood,” Galen said as he came up in front of them. “Instead of chastising her, you could have put something other than your bloody shirt over her.”
“It’s what I had available.” Carran took a quick glance at the healer. From looking at Galen, anyone could tell he’d lived a hard life. The crinkled skin around his eyes, the snow white hair that was always combed back, were clear indications he’d grown older quicker than most shifters. Even in his mid-seventies, he was still able to keep up with the rest of them. On missions, the teams forced him to stay back a safe distance. He was too valuable to the clan to risk him. Though no one knew his whole story, and Carran suspected not even Ty knew all of it, the healer had still been welcomed into their clan.
“Don’t let him lie,” Brooklynn teased. “He wanted me to see his chest.” She glanced from Carran to Galen.
“I’ll show you more than that if you let Galen work.” Carran squeezed her hand.
“Get behind her and hold her tight.” The old tiger began to peel his gloves off, slowly working from finger to finger before slipping them into his pocket.
“What? Why?” Her anxiety rose, all of them sensing it.
Carran climbed onto the SUV and slipped behind her so that his legs were on either side of her. “Galen is a healer. You won’t need stiches and in a few moments, other than the blood and ripped jeans, you won’t even know you had a wound. The headache, nausea, and dizziness that you’ve been fighting will be gone. In order for that to happen, you need to stay still while he heals you.”
“I heal with touch,” Galen explained. “It’s why I wear the gloves. There won’t be any pain, but you’ll feel a warmth as your body repairs itself. There will be a glow, but I want you to stay relaxed and let me do this. Focus on your ma—” Carran shook his head, cutting Galen off, who quickly corrected himself. “Focus on Carran. He’s been through this before and he’ll talk to you. It doesn’t matter what he says, just focus on the sound of his voice. Let it carry you away.”
“I think I should just go to the hospital.” She shifted uneasily as Carran’s arms came around her.
“You can’t. There would be too many questions we can’t answer. More importantly, Donovick and the other man aren’t the only shifters on the police force. Some of them belong to the Donovick Wolves. You wouldn’t be safe, but you’re safe with us. Trust me.” He wrapped his arms around her so that she was held snug, but not so tight it would frighten her. “I’ll keep you safe.”
“You just won’t tell me the truth.”
His body stiffened. Normally, having a human mate meant he had to take a risk and tell her what he was. With Brooklynn, she already knew, and while that should relieve some of the tension for him, it only made things worse. She was in this situation because of a shifter and she already proved she was still angry with Ambrose. Would she accept a shifter mate?
* * *
The sun was already peeking over the horizon when they arrived at the safe house. Brooklynn wanted to go home, but Carran reminded her that she was an easy target there. Her coworkers could easily find her address, and until he had an opportunity to speak with the Alpha of Donovick’s pack, the danger was too great.
Curled up on the chair, the room’s only furniture besides the bed, she tried to figure a way out of this mess. How could she fight against people who were stronger and faster than her? Even if she could stand her ground with them, how could she find them? Any one of the officers she worked with could be a shifter and she wouldn’t have known. How many had she worked next to over the last year? Were they all a threat?
“It would have been better if Donovick had just killed me.” Rage flared within her and she flung the throw pillow on the armrest across the room.
“No, it wouldn’t have.” Carran strolled through her door toward her.
“Go away.” The soft glow from the bedside table lamp reflected off his bare chest. It wasn’t the first time she’d seen him without a shirt, but last time she had been unable to appreciate the contours of his chest. He had a body that some men would kill for. Water droplets teased their way down his toned chest, making her want to run her tongue along the same paths. What the hell…I barely know him. Lust…that’s all this is and all it will ever be. Even as she told herself that, she couldn’t tear her attention from his body. She took him in like she was drawing a mental picture of him that she could carry with her for the rest of her life.
“No. You’re feeling sorry for yourself because things are uncertain at the moment and you’re stuck here with a bunch of shifters.”
“That’s not it. It’s not because of shifters, it’s because…” She ran her hand over the smoothness of the chair arm. “Saying it out loud now sounds so selfish, but my life is in tatters. It’s like when you tear up a piece of paper and toss the bits into the wind. They all scatter and no matter how hard I look; the pieces are gone. I’ll never be able to stitch them back together to make something out of this mess.”
“You’re alive. That’s what matters.” He crouched next to the chair so they were eye level.
“I’ll have to leave the city. I love this place.” She tucked a strand of her hair behind her ear and sighed. “People are dead, there’s a wanted man in the next room, and I’m sitting here upset because I’ll have to leave the city.”
“When I left, things worked out and I know they will for you, too. But if you want to stay here, I’ll do everything I can to make it possible for you.”
As he rose from before her, she watched him closely. There was something in his voice that she couldn’t make out. It was almost as if he was dreading the day they had to go their separate ways. That’s crazy. He doesn’t even know me.
“If it makes you feel better, Ambrose is no longer wanted.” Carran stepped back from her, putting a little distance between them, and turned toward the window. “So don’t feel guilty that you’re not arresting him or calling the police.”
“Because you’ve erased his charges? That’s illegal.” She let out a lighthearted chuckle. “After everything that’s happened tonight, I’m worried about you hacking the system to erase your friends’ charges. Instead, I should be concerned with going to prison myself. Someone will find out that Donovick and Lieutenant Dixon are dead and it won’t take long before they know we were there. My fingerprints are on file, and they’ll put a warrant out for my arrest.”
Her chest tightened. No matter how many breaths she took, she couldn’t get enough air into her lungs. She’d end up in jail, possibly prison. A cop turned inmate spelled nothing but disaster. A cool hand took hold of hers, pulling her gently upward, forcing her to stand. She knew from the tingling sensation that spread from the contact that it was Carran, but she couldn’t see him. All she could see was the prison cell she’d be confined to for years. The walls closed in around her until she realized they weren’t walls but inmates. The skills she’d learned as an officer would keep her alive, but it would mean doing time in the hole. How long until solitary confinement broke her?
“That’s not going to happen.” He wrapped his arm around her waist, holding her against his body while rubbing his hand along her lower back. “Everything is being taken care of. No one is going to jail, especially not you. Trust me.”
She let him hold her because she wanted to trust him and it seemed easier to do that in his embrace. The moment the touch disappeared she knew the doubt would return. She didn’t what that fear to come rushing back. As much as she wanted his touch, she had to know the one thing that had been bothering her since he came into her life.
She pulled back from him and with his hand resting on her back, she met his gaze. “You want me to trust you, then tell me the truth. I’ve never felt something like this tingling and it only happens when you touch me.
I’ve asked you about it, but you’ve avoided the question. Tell me the truth or stay away from me.”
His hand dropped and he stepped back, leaving her empty. She wasn’t sure how to explain what had happened, but it was as if when the contact ended, he stole a piece of her. Part of her wanted to push forward and force him to tell her, while the other part of her want to reach out and touch him. The division within her was like a tug of war, and as the inner battle continued, a wall was erected between them that grew with each breath.
“Just go.” It came out just above a whisper, but from the tightening of his shoulders she had no doubt he heard her.
“You’re mine.”
The edge to his voice sent a prickle of goosebumps along her arms. Who the hell did he think he was? He made her sound like some kind of property. “I don’t think—”
He turned back toward her, silencing her with a single look. “You wanted to hear this.”
Instead of arguing, she sat back down and waited for him to go on. As if unable to look at her while he spoke, he turned back to the window, allowing the silence to stretch.
“From the moment of birth, shifters are destined to find the one who completes them, and on rare occasions it’s more than one. That person is our mate. They complete each other and make each other better.” He pressed his shoulder against the window frame. “You’re my mate.”
Her heart continued to beat against her chest, fast and furious, but time stalled. She was lost in his words and they tumbled over and over in her thoughts, but none of it was making sense. Her gaze scanned over him as she tried to decide if he was insane or not.
“That’s the reason for the…” She wasn’t sure how to describe what happened between them when they touched.
“Yes, the current you feel running through you when we touch is the beginning. It’s how we are able to recognize our mate and it will grow until I’ve made you mine.”
“I’m not some dog you can just claim and expect me to follow along behind you.” Her apprehension was shoved aside and anger took its place. All her life, she worked to be someone and she’d be damned if some man would come into her life and try to possess her. She’d watched her mother go from a strong woman with thick skin and a backbone to someone she no longer recognized. For years after her father was killed in the line of duty, her mother singlehandedly raised her alone while working two jobs to support them. That was until her stepfather swept in and changed everything. He controlled every aspect of her mother’s life, from the clothes she wore, to what she ate, to the people she spoke to. As her mother broke before her eyes, Brooklynn vowed she would never let that happen to her. “Get out…go.”
“Brooklynn…” He stepped away from the wall, but he didn’t come any closer. “That’s not what I want or what I would expect from you. There is no denying you’re my mate. You feel it, too. It’s why you’re drawn to me, and don’t deny it. Try as you might, you can’t hide it. I can see it in the way you look at me. You long for our next touch, just as I do. You’re mine and that means I’m yours. I’d no more expect you to stop being everything you are and follow me around like a puppy dog, than you would expect that from me. We’re both strong-willed people dedicated to what’s important to us.”
“What’s important to you?” Her emotions were jumbled enough that she wasn’t sure if she wanted him to leave or if she wanted him to stay and tell her about his life. She was willing to accept shifters existed because she’d witnessed Ambrose shift before her eyes, but she wasn’t sure if she was willing to accept this idea of mated couples and everything else that went with this whole new world.
“You, Brooklynn. With each moment that we’re together, you grow more important to me.” As if he knew she’d argue against it, he only stopped for a quick second before continuing. “My clan and the future of my kind. It’s why I do all of this.”
“Clan?” she asked, not sure what to think.
“In the wild, tigers are solitary creatures, but when they’re in a group of tigers it’s referred to as a streak. We prefer the term clan because we’re different than our pure animal relatives. Tiger shifters need the bond they have with their fellow clan members and an Alpha to keep everyone in line. Otherwise, a lone shifter could give in to their animal and go rogue.”
A roar echoed throughout the house, shaking fear back into her. She shot upright, sending the chair back to slam against the wall and grabbed the bedside lamp. In the jerk movement, the plug was pulled from the outlet, sending the room into total darkness. The lamp made a poor excuse for a weapon, but she’d be ready for whatever came through that door. Not again…
Chapter Eight
In the unnerving silence, a floorboard creaked and Brooklynn sidestepped the chair to step backward. They’re coming for me… With her back against the wall, nothing could sneak up on her, but if she wanted to survive again she needed to get out of there. The room was so dark she couldn’t see anything, but she knew Carran was there. Fears welled within her, stealing her voice when she wanted to call out to him. Did he shift as well? Was it contagious, and if one shifted, would others around them do the same? Something brushed against her. It wasn’t the touch of a hand or body, but hair, and in her mind that screamed only one thing—animal. She didn’t have time to think it might be Carran, and she swung with everything she had toward where she suspected them to be.
“It’s me.” Carran grabbed hold of her wrist, stopping her from assaulting him with the lamp before she could do any damage. “It’s okay, Brooklynn.”
“How is it okay?” Her voice barely above a whisper, she tried to determine whether whoever had roared was coming for her. “Donovick’s pack—”
“No, beautiful, you’re safe, I promise. It’s not them. It’s Ambrose, and he hasn’t shifted.” With his free hand, he touched hers. “Give me this.”
“What the hell is going on back there?” A deep voice called out from the other end of the hall, near the living room.
“We’re fine, Taber.” He teased his finger along the back of her hand. “Let me plug this back in and you can see everything is fine.”
“Why…” Tired of this constant fear and needing light, she let go of the lamp. “What will the neighbors think? What if they call the police?”
“Stop worrying, we have the situation under control. The neighbors on both sides of this safe house are shifters. Even if they heard anything, no one is going to call the police.” Light filled the room and he stood. “You’re pale and your heart is still racing. Sit down on the bed.”
“What? Why the bed?” He didn’t answer her. Instead, he lifted her into his arms and carried her to the bed. The moment his arms wrapped around her, the tension within her seemed to ease. It only confused her more. His words from earlier echoed within her thoughts. You feel it, too… She hadn’t been sure whether she understood what he meant. Now, the knowledge burned within her and she almost wished she was naïve again. “Why do you constantly avoid my questions? Do you know how annoying it is?”
“It would only bring you more anxiety. The truth will not offer security or bring peace of mind to what you’re going through right now, and I can’t have you running away.” He sat down on the bed, keeping her in his arms. “Here’s one of your questions answered. The bed…because it’s easier for me to hold you. I told you before, the current that you feel when we touch was the beginning. My touch helps ease the turmoil going on within you. It also can make pain more bearable. That’s why I continued to touch you when we found you. That and…”
“And what?”
“I was terrified we wouldn’t make it to you in time.” He pushed her hair out of her face. “When we did, all I wanted to do was hold you in my arms. Instead, I come out to find you beating Ambrose and taking off.”
“I thought he was with Donovick. They’re the same, and Donovick let him go after he attacked me. How could I think anything else?”
“Ambrose wasn’t in the right state of mind. His actions were out o
f character for him.” Carran slid his hand down her arms, teasing along her bare skin with a feathery touch. “The man who saved you, that’s who he really is. He’d never hurt you and he was never working with Donovick. You say they are the same, but beyond the fact they’re both shifters, they’re completely different. Do you think I’m the same as Donovick?”
“What?” Her brows arched closer together as she looked at him in a mixture of surprise and confusion. “Of course not. Why would you ask that? I wouldn’t be here if I did.”
“Then what did you mean by they’re the same?”
Silently, she sat there for a moment and tried to make sense of her thoughts. The idea of Carran being like Donovick had never crossed her mind, even if they both were able to shift into an animal at will. Donovick had been her partner and someone she had considered a friend. She thought she knew him and in the end she knew nothing about him. She had just met Carran and knew nothing about him, but there was something between them that was unlike anything she had experienced with anyone before. It was almost like she knew him on a different level.
“So?” Carran watched her intently, waiting for her to answer.
“That’s what he said. When we stopped him, he was rambling about how they were the same and if they found out he’d be killed. At the time it didn’t make sense, but now…” She let her words trail off with a deep exhale. “He was so focused on Donovick, I took the opportunity to try to bring him down. I holstered my gun and pulled out the non-lethal electroshock weapon, hoping to take him to the ground while he spoke with my partner. It wouldn’t have been the first time one of us distracted a perp while the other took him down. But Donovick yelled for me to stop…”
“That’s when Ambrose realized what your plans were,” Carran supplied.
Her lungs burned from the lack of air and her chest tight as she fought not go back to that alleyway. “He shifted and lunged at me. Donovick did nothing…my partner…I could have been killed!”
Her Black Tiger Page 6