by Thorne, Elle
Cy, who sauntered in alone, stood tall and quiet, and looked like a volcano of emotions.
“I’ll tell you who she is. She’s my sister,” Lila’s brother Vax announced, coming forward, between all the shifters.
They parted to let him come to the front. He stood in front of Lila’s cage.
“And my cousin,” a man said. Tall, dark, handsome. Lila was confused. Who was this man? “Lézare Arceneaux.” He winked and sent her a devilish grin.
He was the one Vax had told her about. The one who had helped with Natalya.
“And my—” Cy stepped forward from behind Lézare and Vax. He didn’t finish his sentence.
A fury built in Lila, fueled by how much she’d already fallen for the tall, striking, powerful Siberian tiger shifter.
Vax gave Cy a double take, as if he was wondering what he was going to say.
Lila glared at Cy. She knew what he’d almost admitted.
Chapter Twenty-Five
Cy was going to say the word mate, until he saw the daggers Lila was flinging at him with her dark, sexy eyes. A fury burned behind her expression. He had screwed up when he hadn’t let her in on this, and look where it had gotten them. She was in a worse position, prisoner of these two asshole wolf shifters. She could have ended up dead.
He glanced at his baby sister. She was pale and it seemed she’d lost weight. Dark circles emphasized the ordeal she’d been through. “Petra.”
Petra sat slumped in the corner of her cage. “Cy.” Her voice was a weak whisper. “Those wolves were going to make me fight a bear.” Her words grew slower and slower. “They kill shifters.”
He turned to eye at the two wolf shifters he’d encountered in Dallas. They were the same ones who fought with Lila. The ones he’d driven off. Fury blazed a trail throughout his body. Rage made him and his tiger want to take their lives.
The two stringy-looking wolf shifters began to sputter in an attempt to speak.
“Shut up, you damned hillbilly jackals,” Rory said.
Chapter Twenty-Six
Lila was still locked in this damned cage, and poor Petra sat slumped, almost unconscious. She should have been out by now, but maybe they’d emptied the tranq into her.
“Shut up, you damned hillbilly jackals,” said a tall, blond wolf shifter.
“You’re not worthy of being called wolves,” came from another wolf shifter, identical to the first.
One of the blond wolf shifters indicated Petra’s cage with a nod.
Will opened the door. Cy wrapped his arms around Petra, cradling her.
“Let me out. Now.” Lila was sick and tired of being in this cage, and in this filthy, smelly building. “I’m going home.”
As soon as she came out of the cage, she stuck her finger in Cy’s chest. “You had Gavin assigned to babysit me?” She shook her head. “Unbelievable.”
She strolled past Vax. She wasn’t even going to tell him how what he’d done hurt her. He didn’t trust her to take care of herself.
Vax had a weird smile plastered on his face. Irritation poked at her the way someone would poke at a wild beast with a stick. She almost gave her brother a piece of her mind; instead, she kept walking straight ahead, not looking at anyone. She had no plan and didn’t care if she had to crawl home. She was furious and beyond reasoning.
Lila stomped past the shifters, cages, and bleachers, stopping in front of a large door. She yanked on the handle and stormed out of the building. Outside, the late afternoon sun painted everything in shades of golden orange. A grove of trees a few yards away flanked a dirt road.
She had no idea where she was or where she was going. She paused to get her bearings, her pulse and adrenaline still racing from the driving fury. She’d just stroll on the side of the road until she could get a ride to… whatever was closer, her car or home.
She didn’t realize she’d been followed until a strong pair of arms swooped her into a firm hold.
She opened her mouth to yell, but before she could, she was swung over a wide shoulder, landing with a hard oomph, ass up. The breath was knocked from her body, rendering her unable to fight or even move for a moment.
It didn’t take her long to figure out who the wide shoulders belonged to, especially not when she could see the ass attached to the body, within arm’s reach. Only one man would dare to do this to her.
“Put me down. Now.” She clenched her hands into fists, ready to pummel on a muscle-bound back.
Instead of putting her down, he strolled toward the trees she’d seen when she’d first gone outside. Cy didn’t say a word.
She squirmed to get out of his grip, but it merely tightened around her thighs, binding her closer to him. She hit him, blow after blow, and he kept on going, impervious to any pain she might have caused. She stopped hitting him and grabbed onto his waistband, trying to use it as leverage to pull herself out of his grip. And again, his hold on her grew tighter.
A few paces later, they reached the grove. He entered between the trees, his footing sure on the uneven ground.
Winded from the exertion of squirming, and ready to save her energy for a last-ditch attempt at an escape, Lila stopped fighting and went still.
He pulled her off his shoulders with a self-assured and quick grip. Lila landed on her feet and would have stumbled if not for the hold he had on her arms.
“I hate you,” she hissed.
“I know.” He pushed her backward against a tree’s rough bark and lowered his head.
“You didn’t have any faith in me at all.” The buildup of emotions rose in her chest. No. Goddammit. No. She wasn’t going to cry. She wasn’t going to be hurt that he didn’t treat her like something more than a porcelain princess meant to be kept on a shelf. Her tiger rumbled in Lila’s chest. Shut up. Don’t you dare take his side! she screamed at her tigress in her mind.
Behind his obsidian eyes, an amber glow burned. His tiger. She didn’t want to look at it, so she cast her eyes away toward a tree.
He lowered his head even more. “It’s not you that I don’t have faith in.” His words were a low, tortured whisper.
His lips touched hers, their softness a contradiction to the hardness of his body as he pressed against her, pushing her into the tree. He pulled back, his eyes on her face, studying, memorizing.
Lila’s body betrayed her, obeying her tigress instead, as her breasts swelled to press closer to his body. Her nipples peaked into a hardness that buzzed throughout her body. The current coursing in her limbs, pulse, and sex was synchronized and reverberating. It was as if she held the world’s largest seashell to her ears, because it felt like she could hear the ocean’s rush.
His cheek pressed against hers. She felt the rough scratch of his unshaven scruff on her face, reminding her he hadn’t stopped to shave. The dark circles under his eyes were a testimony to the sleep he’d lost and the stress he was under.
He cupped her face, didn’t hold her tight, just a light grip to remind her he was holding her. Their lips met, and his tongue demanded entrance. Lila’s tigress rumbled a purr as a shiver crossed her body. She trembled with a need that couldn’t be tempered by her fury.
The birds that had been chirping, even the wind that had been lightly blowing and rustling the leaves paused. It was as if nature had gone silent for her and Cy. Everything was still except for the sound of the rush and the throb she felt in her heart.
She could hear his breathing, the way his pulse matched with hers. Lila’s hands rose, creeping up, betraying her, winding around his neck.
Just this once, she promised herself. Just this kiss so I can feel. Then she’d let him go, and she’d go her own way.
She lowered her hands, holding his face, tracing the shape of it. She didn’t count on his groan when her fingertips grazed his jaw line on the way. She also didn’t count on the way it made her react. Her pulse quickened, and her heart tried to beat its way out of her body and closer to his. What the hell?
She had to get away from this m
an. He made her feel too much. She’d wanted to feel, but not this much, not this strongly.
He pulled away, his hands mirroring hers, cupping her face. “Do you really blame me for taking care of you the best way I knew how?”
How the hell could she answer that? When she felt this… this damned thing that was so powerful between them.
“Gavin being in love with you is irrelevant to us. He’s like a brother to Vax, and he’s sworn to protect you. He would keep you safe from harm. He was the only one I could have put in place to take care of you.”
“It’s not about Gavin,” Lila whispered.
“It’s not about not trusting you,” Cy whispered back. “You have to forgive me. You have to know why I did that. You do, don’t you?”
Chapter Twenty-Seven
Cy took Lila’s hand in his. He had to get her to understand he would do whatever he could to keep her from harm, even if it meant upsetting her or hurting her feelings.
Lila nodded. “I know.” She ran her fingertip over his jaw line, tracing his lower lip. His cock twitched; his body ached to take her. His tiger grumbled at the delay in claiming her.
He picked up the sound of footsteps with his tiger hearing and turned his head.
Vax. He hoped he wouldn’t have problems with Lila’s brother, but with or without Vax’s approval, Cy intended to claim Lila as his. Vax had met them at the entrance to the building, but Cy hadn’t been introduced to him yet. He wouldn’t have known who he was if Vax hadn’t introduced himself inside the building.
Cy took Lila’s hand in his and stepped toward Vax.
Vax watched them, his eyes narrow and suspicious, though he wasn’t emitting any scents that gave Cy cause for concern. Vax stopped in front of them, all of them in the shade of the forest. The shadows played on his eyes, making their brilliant blue a shade darker. Or was that anger?
Cy didn’t care. He didn’t want to disrespect the other shifter, but Lila was his, and he was unwilling to brook any arguments on the matter.
Vax nodded at him. “She’s a handful.”
Cy inclined his head in a slight nod in return. “That she is.” Now what? Where was Vax going with this?
Vax turned to his sister. “I like the way he thinks. He put your safety above jealousy. If you don’t see that, you’re not the woman I thought you were.”
Cy looked at Lila. Her eyes grew shiny as tears threatened. She pushed them back with a slow blink. Her jaw was set. The hand she had in Cy’s turned into a firm grip.
She looked up at Cy then faced Vax. “This is between Cy and me.”
He watched Vax to see how he would take his sister’s response. A slow smile grew on Vax’s face, and the handsome tiger shifter’s blue eyes turned lighter as his tiger’s emotions shone through.
“Like I said, a handful. But what an amazing handful she’s turned out to be.” Vax leaned close, planting a kiss on his sister’s forehead. “I need to get inside. We have a couple of jackals to deal with.” With a graceful turn for a man his size, the tiger shifter pivoted and began a purposeful walk toward the building.
“We’re coming.” Lila pulled on Cy’s hand. Then she turned to look at him, a peaceful glow in her emerald eyes. “Are we?”
“We are.”
The tiger in him roared in happiness, responding to the emotions it picked up from her tigress. He’d never been one for many words or to show emotions, but this woman, this tigress, brought out a different side of him.
Chapter Twenty-Eight
Lila blotted Petra’s face with a dampened paper towel. They’d moved the weak tigress away from the cages and the shifters. She lay on a makeshift bed of blankets they’d found in a corner of the large building that doubled as a fighting arena.
The two Rafferty wolves were in a cage, protesting they’d been used, that they’d been blackmailed into the heinous acts they’d been performing.
Lila turned away from the action in that part of the building and concentrated on the pale, weak Petra. She wasn’t out for long. She spent more time being fuzzy than unconscious. Luckily, Lila’s interception of the tranq had kept her from receiving a strong dosage.
“Cy?” Petra’s voice was weak.
“Here.” Cy took her hand. “Rest. It’s all over.”
“We’ll get her to Tiero Towers. She can recuperate there. You’ll be our guest,” Vax told Cy.
Lila held her breath. She knew how she felt about Cy, and she was pretty sure about how he felt, but they hadn’t talked about plans. He had a life elsewhere, she was sure. He was probably eager to get back to that life. What if he had someone, wherever he was from? She hadn’t even thought of that. What if she was a momentary diversion and a passing lust that had been built on the adrenaline of looking for his lost sister?
She waited for Cy’s answer.
“Can we?” Petra whispered, looking at Cy.
Lila kept her eyes focused on Petra’s face, not looking up and across to read Cy’s expression. An eternity seemed to pass while Petra’s question remained unanswered.
Anticipation built in Lila, along with an unhealthy dose of stress while she waited for Cy’s answer. Finally, she couldn’t wait any longer. She looked up.
Ebony eyes focused on her face. He had perfectly sculpted lips on a face that was ruggedly handsome. She couldn’t get over the fact this man wanted her. Or at least, his tiger wanted her. That wasn’t how it was for Lila. It wasn’t just her tigress. Was it the same for him? Was it the man and the tiger who wanted Lila and her tigress?
“Can we?” Cy’s voice was low, as if he waited to hear from her it was okay.
His tongue snaked out, running over his lower lip in a way she was sure he didn’t mean to be sexual, but twisted her insides in a good way at the thought of that tongue on her body.
Lila gave him a small nod then cast her eyes away before her scent gave her desire up to not only Cy, but the other thirty shifters in the room.
“I’m going to see what they’re doing about her— our kidnappers,” Lila said.
Cy looked at her then across the room at all the shifters gathered around the caged rangy wolves. She could tell he wanted to go. She could offer to stay and watch Petra, but she really wanted to go, too.
Maia, the leopard shifter, walked up. “I’ll watch over Petra if you both want to go. I don’t have any interest in hearing anything else those mangy coyotes have to say in their defense.”
Lila knew she’d hear anyway with her leopard shifter hearing, but was appreciative of the offer. She was going to invite Maia to stay with them at Tiero Towers, where she could heal without being worried about repercussions from any of the Rafferty wolves.
“Thank you.” Cy took Lila’s hand and headed toward the commotion across the arena.
Vax, Lézare, and the Nielsen twins made room for Lila and Cy.
“What about the jackals?” Lézare asked the Nielsen brothers.
“We’ll take care of them, their cousins, sisters, and friends. Any of them who choose to pick the wrong side will be dealt with.”
There was finality in the tone of the wolf shifter that made Lila shiver.
Vax shook Reese’s hand in thanks. “Why don’t you pay us a visit soon? We’re having a Council meeting. I’d like to include you if you’re interested.” He shook Rory’s hand next.
The Nielsen twins nodded.
Rory said, “Seems like a good idea. Friends are sometimes better to have around than family, and always better than enemies.”
“Come to After Dark. We’ll take care of your accommodations. There will be several of us. The Bear Canyon Valley will be sending someone, maybe two. The Arceneaux of New Orleans will have representatives.”
Lézare nodded. “True.”
Vax continued, “Maybe the Cypress Top tribe will have two panthers in attendance.” His jaw tightened. “There may even be a European Tiero, as well.” Vax shook their hands.
Lila had no idea any of their European family would be there. Did tha
t mean their father was coming? Or others? Was this about Vax? What was going on?
“We’d be very interested,” Reese said. “We’ll check our calendars. Right now, though, I’m eager to get some answers and settle a score with my Rafferty cousins.” His smile was grim.
“I’m eager to get to my vacation. There’s a lovely lady who is patiently waiting for me.” Vax looked at Lézare.
“She, Alexa, and Evie are staying busy. I hate to think what they’re busy doing,” Lézare responded. “She’s driving my sisters crazy, wanting to be sure you’re okay. I’d advise you to call her.”
“As soon as we hit the road, that’s a priority.” Vax turned to Cy. “Thank you for looking out for my strong-willed sister.”
His tone sounded like he was thinking pain in the butt when he said strong-willed, Lila noted.
Gavin stepped closer to Vax. Lila noticed he wasn’t looking at her.
“We found a wounded fox shifter in Dallas. One of the guys is keeping an eye on her to be sure she’s not an issue. Any thoughts?”
“That’s the shifter I was helping the other night. Remember?” She turned to Cy. “The one the Rafferty wolves were trying to kidnap.”
“I remember. She knocked me to the ground in her hurry to get away from the Raffertys.”
“We need to help her,” Lila told Vax. “She’s an innocent in all of this.”
“Take care of it,” Vax told Gavin.
“Will do.” Gavin spun around and left, taking his team with him.
Lézare and his assortment of shifters followed Gavin out the door.
“Keep me posted on this situation?” Vax requested of the Nielsen wolves.
“We’ll let you know who’s behind it when we get to the bottom of it.”
Rory, Reese, and their ten wolf shifters turned toward the cages.