The Tiger's Offer

by Lila Jean

  This was the last shred of indignity Anthony could take from the man he had once respected.

  Something shifted in his father’s face, and Anthony recognized a flicker of understanding. The king sneered. “She may not be a broodmare now, but she will be when I’m done with her.”

  Unable to rein in his hatred any longer, Anthony let his wolf free. Pain ripped through his body as his bones changed to accommodate his animal’s form, but he didn’t care. He dove for his father, his incredible new speed closing the gap between them before the king of the wolves could even shift.

  Anthony dug his teeth into his father’s shoulder, breaking bones. Blood gushed into Anthony’s mouth. The king screamed in pain, and it became a howl as he shifted into his gray wolf.

  In their wolf forms, Anthony and his father were an even match in size. They snarled at each other, each circling as they searched for an opening to attack. Anthony growled, haunches raised as he lunged, ripping open his father’s other shoulder.

  Even with Anthony’s speed, his father’s experience in battle helped him land a few painful gouges across Anthony’s back and face. Despite the blood, despite the sting of a gaping wound, Anthony pressed on. Each blood-drenched bite slowed them both down, but Anthony’s speed would make him the clear winner.

  It wouldn’t be long, now, until the final blow landed.

  His father whimpered, nursing a broken foreleg as he limped away. Regardless of his pain, the king’s ears were pinned back as he bared his teeth, ready for more. Anthony prowled around his father, looking for the right opening, but the man shifted back to his human form.

  Anthony growled with pleasure as he charged, but a flash of metal flew out of his father’s hand. A blade. Long. Too close to dodge. It landed just above Anthony’s heart, and he couldn’t suppress the whimper of pain as the blade cut deep into his body. He fell, sliding across the floor as his father stumbled to his feet.

  “We’ll continue this another day,” his father said with a sneer. He bolted for the door, his shifter healing already mending the broken arm as he sprinted toward the roars of the dragons outside.

  No! I can’t let him leave!

  In utter agony and fueled only by his rage, Anthony tried to stand. Every time he managed to put weight on his feet, rippling pain tore through his chest, too much for even him to bear. He howled in frustration and anger, desperate to go after his father, to rip out the man’s throat for every wrong he had ever committed against the kingdom and against the woman Anthony loved.

  “Shh,” Tina said by his ear.

  His ears pinned to his head as he growled for a split-second, but he stilled when he recognized Tina. Her eyebrows twisted with worry, but his outburst didn’t seem to scare her. She ran the back of her hand along his face. Her soothing touch calmed some of his anger, and he lowered his head to the floor.

  Her finger brushed the hilt of the dagger embedded in his chest. “If I pull this out, will your natural shifter healing save you?”

  Anthony nodded.

  “Okay, get ready.”

  He gritted his teeth, preparing for the searing pain. When she yanked it out, the spike of agony was worse than he had expected. He growled, snarling on impulse while his body began to immediately stitch his skin back together. As the pain subsided, he nudged Tina’s hand with his nose to comfort her and apologize for his outburst.

  She ran her hand along the thick fur of his neck. “You’re going to be okay.”

  He wanted to close his eyes. He wanted to simply savor her touch, to let her soothe him, but their fight was far from over. The wound was deep, but he had to heal. He had to get up.

  Anthony had to protect her, or she would die.

  60

  Zane

  Zane stood between his father and Tina as she knelt beside Anthony. Zane and his father hadn’t come to blows yet, but he knew better than to think his father would see reason in this case. The man was simply weighing his options, biding his time for the right moment to strike. When he did, Zane would be ready.

  “This is not a suitable solution,” his father said with the barest nod toward Tina.

  Zane snorted derisively. “It absolutely is. This is the most peaceable way to unify the kingdoms. It’s my choice. Respect it.”

  The king scoffed. “Respect it? How could I? There’s not much logic to your so-called choice. What will you do? Rule from afar? See your woman every other weekend? The logistics are weak at best.”

  Zane balled his hand into a fist, his father’s condescending attitude chipping away at his usual wall of calm control. “That’s the point, Father. We rule as one. One kingdom, many cities. Unity.”

  His father’s gaze flitted to Zane’s fist, and the king’s jaw tensed. “Could it be you’re letting emotion cloud your judgment? I thought you of all people were above such weakness.”

  Subtly, Zane scanned the room for threats to make sure Tina was still safe. She sat beside Anthony, the giant wolf’s head in her lap as the gaping wound in his chest slowly healed. Flynn and his father had destroyed half the throne room with their battle, and Killian shifted into his eagle form as his father drew a hidden blade. Based on the distant roars outside, the dragons had flown far into the sky for their duel.

  No one had gotten close enough to truly threaten Tina yet.

  “She has completely ensnared you,” Zane’s father said, his brow wrinkling with false understanding.

  Zane bristled at the accusation. “I’m smart enough to know when I’m being manipulated, Father. Perhaps you should be wise enough to admit when you are simply wrong.”

  “I’m not wrong, at least not about her.”

  Fast as a bullet, his father shifted into his tiger form. The white blur of claws and teeth bolted toward Tina, snarling as he lunged for her throat. But Zane was ready. He shifted and dug his claws into his father’s torso. His newfound strength stopped the king in his tracks, and the king roared in pain.

  In one fluid motion, the king flipped onto his back and dug his claws into Zane’s face. Zane roared in agony at the blistering sting of claws ripping open his jaw. Nearby, Tina gasped in horror, the sharp breath almost too quiet to hear as blood rushed from Zane’s mouth.

  Pushing through the pain, Zane clawed at his father’s head. The king ducked, and Zane’s tremendous strength left a dent in the floor. Not missing a step, the king swiped again at Zane’s face. With seconds to spare, he lifted his head out of the way and unleashed a counterblow. This time, Zane landed a vicious paw to his father’s head, knocking him father against the floor, dazing him.

  The momentary reprieve gave Zane’s jaw the precious few moments it needed to mostly heal. Though he still bled, the pain subsided to the point where he could better think.

  Zane snarled, claws sinking into the king’s hide. The pair writhed, fangs bared, twisting as they fought for dominance. Even in the blows that drew blood, Zane could feel his father’s hesitation. The claws never fully withdrew. The teeth never sank to the bone. His father could have done much more damage, but he held back.

  Zane, however, did not. He darted for the kill zones to prove to his father he would not tolerate another threat on Tina’s life, regardless of who made it.

  With the full power of his tiger unleashed and combined with the might that Tina had given him, Zane rained fury and blood on his father. He had strength and endurance on his side, whereas his father hadn’t seen the sharp end of a claw in close to a decade.

  Tina would not die today, and Zane would shed as much blood as necessary to ensure her safety.

  61

  Tina

  Horrified, Tina gaped at the chaos.

  Anthony lay in her lap, his breath rough and ragged as he fought to heal the jagged wound in his chest. The dagger she had pulled from him was at least a foot long, and the deep wound gave his regenerative powers a run for his money.

  Killian and his father had ended up outside with Draven and the king of the dragons. The roars and screeches fro
m the four royal shifters curdled her blood. She flinched every time one of them screamed into the air, dismayed that it might have been one of her men in agonizing pain.

  Zane and his father snarled, throwing each other across what was left of her throne room. Around her, her temple lay in shambles thanks to the fight between Flynn and the king of the demigods.

  These kings had destroyed her home. They had tried to kill her, and now they were trying to kill her men.

  A new kind of anger that blistered through her, its power deep and dark and deadly. It sank into her bones, into her soul, and it lit a fire within her that raged with all the fury of a burning building.

  She gently set Anthony’s head on the floor, and his ears perked up as she stood. He lifted his nose, no doubt trying to stop her, but no one could.

  Not now. Not after what these kings had done.

  The magic she had been building in her body over the last several months glowed beneath her skin, stronger even than the power she had given to the men who protected and loved her. The fury in her unlocked the last barrier to Damara’s true power.

  Within moments, she radiated light like a sun. Wind kicked up around her as she released the energy in her blood, the gusts whipping her hair against her cheeks. An overwhelming hum built in her chest, pulling her toward the ceiling and as her feet lifted off the ground. The blinding radiance concentrated, exploding into a shining column of power that blasted into the floor and up into the sky, cutting through the remnants of her temple ceiling, a beacon to everyone outside that a goddess had been awoken.

  “YOU WILL STOP,” she commanded, her voice booming with an ethereal quality, as if she were singing and yelling all at once. The walls trembled with the sheer volume of her command, and the window behind her throne shattered.

  Below her, the king of the demigods and the king of the cats paused mid-battle. They stared up at her in wonder and awe at her wrath.

  Tina briefly closed her eyes, losing herself entirely to the power rumbling in her chest. Courage flooded every vein as she finally and completely accepted herself as a goddess who walked the Earth.

  Her body continued to rise toward the sky as the energy within her grew ever stronger, ascending until she could finally see over the shattered remnants of what was once her roof. Though she didn’t spot Draven or Killian, a massive black dragon and a sleek golden eagle, their fathers, appeared in the sky.

  Before she could say a word, the black dragon was foolish enough to charge her. He sped for her, jaws open. Time slowed as he attacked, but Tina wasn’t scared. She couldn’t be, not now that she truly felt Damara’s raw power. She focused her attention on his body, connecting to his heart, and his pulse thundered in her ear. She slowed it down, controlling him, and he plummeted to the earth, ripping up her gardens as his wings dug trenches into the earth.

  His pulse still thudded dully in her ears, and for now, she would allow it to continue beating. He pushed himself to his feet and took to the air once more, this time hovering as he stared at her with awe.

  She lowered her chin, scowling at both shifter kings with the full force of her wrath. “YOU WILL LEAVE. SHOULD YOU RETURN, YOU WILL DIE.”

  It was a threat she would see to the end, should the need arise.

  Draven, in his full draconic glory, soared into the air from the gardens. He circled her and landed on one of the few patches of her roof that had survived the battle. His wings opened fully, fire burning in his throat as he snarled to back her up. Seconds later, Killian joined them with a few of his feathers ruffled but otherwise unfazed. He perched on another scrap of roof and lifted one razor-sharp claw in warning.

  Below her, Anthony shifted into his human form and limped to the platform, one hand nursing his chest. Flynn put his arm around the wolf shifter’s torso and guided him to the higher ground. Zane prowled behind them, tail twitching as he prepared for another fight.

  Tina hovered in the sky, waiting for the kings to answer her ultimatum. She didn’t hold her breath in fear or wring her hands with anxiety. She simply waited, hoping they wouldn’t do anything stupid. If they dared to test her, it would be the last thing they did.

  With a huff of smoke through his nose, the mighty black dragon bolted into the air, retreating. Moments later, the trees around the temple shook as more dragons took into the sky after him.

  The eagle departed next, racing off in another direction alone. Beneath her floating feet, both the demigod and cat kings backed into the hallway, no doubt returning to their own congregations to lick their wounds.

  They would all be back. Half of them wanted her dead, and the other half wanted her power. Her struggle for freedom was far from over, but she and her princes had won the day.

  62

  Tina

  Only when the last car rumbled away from the ruins of Epara did Tina lower herself to her throne room floor. Flynn, Anthony, and Zane waited for her on the decimated platform, reaching for her as her feet finally touched the floor. She threw her arms around them all, pulling them to her as she cried with happiness. “I’m so glad you’re all okay!”

  Out of the corner of her eye, Draven and Killian landed and shifted into their human forms. Seconds later, they joined her, surrounding her with warm bodies and a sense of safety.

  “We did it,” Flynn said, breathless.

  “Tina did it,” Anthony corrected. He took her face in his hands and kissed her deeply. Sparks flew through her lips at his touch, and she wanted him to take her right there on her destroyed throne. In fact, she wanted them all to take her. A flicker of feral lust shot through her at the notion.

  “Hey, now, make sure you share, wolf.” As Draven’s cock hardened against her, Tina realized four naked men were surrounding her, the shifters’ clothes destroyed by their change.

  Killian interrupted her thoughts by pulling her toward him and holding her tightly against his chest. He sighed with joy, chest heaving. “I’m so glad you’re okay. What you did, that power…it was extraordinary, Tina.”

  “Absolutely incredible,” Zane added, smiling broadly. Deep gouges covered his face and arms, each slowly healing. She felt for him, her heart twisting as she gently ran a finger along the edge of one of his wounds. Concern reined in her burning lust. Her men needed to rest and heal before they would be ready to play with her again.

  Flynn gestured to Anthony. “Speaking of incredible, this man took a blade to the chest and didn’t die. I panicked when I saw you fall, buddy. We nearly lost you.”

  “You can’t get rid of me that easily.” The wolf chuckled, winking even though he still held a hand over the gash above his heart. Tina drew him close and kissed him on the cheek.

  Nearby, Killian shook his head, a relieved grin still plastered on his face. “Flynn, if not for you, this place would have come down on top of us. I noticed you keeping your father at bay. Well done.”

  Flynn nodded his head in thanks as Tina surveyed the faces of her stunning princes. Killian had put his father in his place and shut down the old man’s bloodlust. Always one step ahead, Zane had outmaneuvered even his own father. Draven had fearlessly taken on an undefeated dragon king. All five princes had risked life and limb. Not just for her, either, but for each other as well.

  “Every single one of you was amazing.” Tina pulled them in close, her chest warming with love as she clung to them with every ounce of strength left in her body. Her five princes surrounded her, hugging her tightly.

  With her men at her side, Tina would always be safe. Anthony, her lethal guardian. Zane, her clever spymaster. Flynn, her vigilant demigod. Draven, her carefree charmer. Killian, her gallant champion. The six of them were an unbeatable team.

  As her men held her close, Tina peeked over Draven’s muscled arm at the shattered window that had once served as the backdrop for her throne. The kings may have ravaged Epara, but she would never bow to them.

  Thank You for reading!

  Curious about what happens to Tina next?

  Find
out in The Wolf’s Hunt, coming soon!

  Author’s Note

  Dear reader, if you REALLY want to read my next Goddess Harem novel- I’ve got a bit of bad news for you.

  Unfortunately, Amazon will not tell you when the next comes out.

  You’ll probably never know about my next books, and you’ll be left wondering what happened to Tina and the gang. That’s rather terrible.

  There is good news though! There are three ways you can find out when the next book is published:

  1) You join my mailing list by clicking here.

  2) You follow me on my Facebook page or join my Facebook Group. I always announce my new books in both those places as well as interact with fans.

  3) You follow me on Amazon. You can do this by going to the store page (or clicking this link) and clicking on the Follow button that is under the author picture on the left side.

  If you follow me, Amazon will send you an email when I publish a book. You’ll just have to make sure you check the emails they send.

  Doing any of these, or all three for best results, will ensure you find out about my next book when it is published.

  If you don’t, Amazon will never tell you about my next release. Please take a few seconds to do one of these so that you’ll be able to join Tina and the gang on their next adventure.