Tiger Tail: Shifter Romance

by Sky Winters

  It felt to her like she had swallowed seventy-seven sips instead of only seven, but finally the little vial was empty, and the burning sensation, along with the acrid smell, had disappeared. Savannah felt a little lightheaded and she felt herself sway where she stood.

  “Here,” Abel said, taking her hand and guiding her to a rock so she could sit down for a moment. “Rest for a while.”

  “I feel strange,” Savannah admitted.

  “Give it a few minutes,” Abel said. “The feeling will pass.”

  Slowly, the fog that seemed to surround Savannah disappeared and she was once more able to think and speak clearly. “You said it was bearable,” she said accusingly.

  He smiled sardonically. “If I had said otherwise you wouldn’t have drank it.”

  “I would have still drank it,” Savannah said, “but it would have been harder.”

  “Exactly.” Abel nodded. “You’re welcome.”

  Savannah shot him an annoyed look and shook her head. “You’re right, there's an aftertaste.”

  “That’ll last a few hours.”

  “Can I eat or drink anything?”

  “You can do both, but it won’t help,” Abel said. “That aftertaste won’t go away until it's good and ready.”

  “Joy,” Savannah said.

  “How are you feeling, though?”

  “I don’t know,” Savannah said. “There’s this burning feeling…in my gut. Is that normal?”

  “It’ll settle, don’t worry,” Abel said. “Until then you just need to get some rest.”

  “Okay.” Savannah nodded. “Thank Elena for me.”

  Abel gave her a small smile, and Savannah started walking back to her car. Within fifteen minutes she was back home, but her senses told her that something wasn't quite right. She was able to sense Xander’s powerfully bright aura and it was brimming with fear and anger.

  Savannah looked around for him, but he was out of her line of sight. “I know you’re there, Xander,” she said out loud. “Just come out here and say what you need to say.”

  After a moment she heard the rustle of leaves and then Xander stepped out from behind the aged trees that ran up the hill next to her home. His face was surly and unhappy, but Savannah could tell he was doing his best to stay calm. She sensed what was coming and she prepared herself.

  “Are your parents at home?” he asked in a subdued voice.

  “Not at the moment.”

  He nodded and Savannah saw his jaw clench. His good looks were more pronounced as a result, but it also made him look severe and foreboding.

  “Xander?” Savannah said.

  “Gordy saw you in town, today” Xander practically spat.

  Savannah felt her body tense. “I didn’t see him.”

  “Apparently you were otherwise occupied,” Xander said through clenched teeth.

  “Abel is my friend,” Savannah said—there was no point denying it. It was one thing to keep things from Xander, it was another thing entirely to lie straight to his face, and she'd made the decision to tell him the truth if he ever asked the question.

  “Your friend?” Xander said incredulously. “Your friend?”

  “That’s what I said,” Savannah said, standing her ground.

  “He is a witch,” Xander's eyes seemed to contain fire at their centers. “I thought the rules were clear.”

  “They’re your rules, not mine.”

  Xander took a step back, as though Savannah had slapped him. “You’re my life partner, you’re carrying my child, and one day, when I'm alpha, you will stand beside me.”

  “That doesn't mean I'll agree with every decision you make,” Savannah said calmly. “Nor does it mean I'm bound by the same rules as the pack. You’ve made it very clear that I'm not a shifter, which means I’m not really a part of the pack, and that the only thing that connects me to it is the child I’m carrying.”

  “And what happens after you’ve had the baby?” Xander demanded. “Are you trying to tell me you want out of this relationship?”

  “I never said that,” Savannah said angrily. “Don’t put words in my mouth.”

  Xander was seething, but Savannah knew he was struggling to keep his temper under control. She still felt the intensity of his aura, however. It was burning hot and fierce, but Savannah could tell that it was just his way of masking his fear.

  “Savannah,” Xander said in a calmer tone. “What were you doing with him? What have you told him about us?”

  “The truth,” Savannah said after a small pause.

  “Which is what?”

  “Which is that we’re being threatened by a rival pack that’s headed by your half-brother,” Savannah told him. “I told him that a battle was on the horizon and that I needed to protect my child.”

  “Is that it?” Xander asked. “You wanted to protect the baby?”

  “Of course.”

  “I don’t understand: why on earth would you go to the witches? Why wouldn’t you come to me? I can protect you and the baby.”

  “How can you protect me when you’re blinded by loyalty?” Savannah demanded. “You’re still convinced Marissa isn't a threat to me, even after I told you what I saw. When I told them about my vision, Elena and Abel believed me right away.”

  “Elena and Abel?”

  “Elena is Abel’s grandmother,” Savannah said, “and they were willing to help me, even though they mistrust the wolves.”

  “They mistrust us?” Xander said incredulously. Then he shook his head. “You’ve put your trust in the wrong people and now? Now I don’t know what they've done.”

  “They’ve done nothing but help me,” Savannah said emphatically. “They helped me.”

  “Tell me how. How they helped you?”

  “They brewed me a potion,” Savannah said, “so that no harm will come to me, should my vision prove to be true.”

  “They said this potion would protect you?”

  “Me and the baby,” Savannah nodded. “You’re wrong to hate them. They're not what you think. They just want to live their lives, the same as you.”

  Xander looked at her as though he were at a loss for words. “What they gave you was not a protection spell Savannah. They tricked you.”

  “What are you talking about?” Savannah said. “How can you possibly know that? Your hate for them is blinding you.”

  “Maybe you’re the one who’s been blinded, did you ever think of that?” Xander shot at her.

  There was the sound of a howl, and Xander and Savannah broke off their conversation and looked up toward the trees. “What was that?” Savannah asked, feeling a new pain creep through her body.

  “An alert call,” Xander replied. “Dominic and Marissa are coming, and they’re not alone. I have to go.”

  “I’m coming with you,” Savannah said.

  “It’s too dangerous for you to be in the clearing,” Xander said. “Stay here.”

  He turned his back on her and ran into the trees without another word. Savannah bit back the burnt taste in her mouth and waited until he had disappeared before she started to follow behind him. There was no way she could just sit idly by while all hell broke loose. She thought back to her vision and pictured the moment when Marissa had stabbed her in the chest with the flaming blue dagger. She wasn’t sure if she was about to walk to her death, but she knew she could not stay behind.

  She and Xander might not be in agreement at the moment, but that was completely immaterial, because even when he'd been screaming at her, even when he'd been angry and frustrated, Savannah still sensed the love beneath the emotion. Xander loved her purely and nothing was going to change that.

  Savannah knew she couldn't let him enter that clearing without her.

  Chapter Twelve

  Savannah peeked through the trees and out into the clearing. The whole pack was gathered there, including Marissa’s friends, and the elders. Savannah was surprised to see Principal Harris standing among them. She looked a little worse for the wear
with dark circles beneath her eyes, and the stain of worry etched across her face. The pack had not shifted into their wolf forms yet, and Savannah wondered why that was.

  “What are you doing here?” Johnny demanded from behind her.

  Savannah whirled around to face him. "Did all of you think I was just going to stay home?"

  “You should have,” Johnny said in a hard voice. “You won’t be able to help us.”

  Savannah regarded him stubbornly. “I don’t care,” she said. “I refuse to be treated as though I’m not a part of this pack. I have just as much a stake in what happens here as you, and I’m staying.”

  Johnny grabbed her by the arm and pulled her into the clearing. “Xander!” he yelled, and Savannah saw Xander turn toward them from across the clearing. His eyes narrowed slightly, but Savannah sensed he wasn’t surprised.

  He approached them quickly, but his eyes were searching the landscape, as though he were looking for something. The pack converged around Savannah, the elders watching her with weary eyes.

  “Savannah, why did you come?” Elvira asked in her deep, authoritative voice.

  “I had to be here,” Savannah said loudly, so that everyone could hear her. “I'm at least partly to blame for all of this. Marissa wouldn't have betrayed the pack if it hadn’t been for me. I’m not going to sit safely at home while all of you are in danger.”

  “And what about your child?” Malick asked pointedly. “It's noble of you to want to share the fight with us, but you’re risking your child in the process.”

  “She’s taken measures to protect the baby,” Xander said dryly as he went to stand beside Savannah.

  Savannah could tell that Xander was still upset about her involvement with Abel, but she also knew he'd never leave her alone to defend herself against the pack, and his stance beside her proved that no matter their differences, they were going to stick together.

  “Taken measures…how?” Principal Harris asked.

  Xander glanced at her. He was about to speak but she beat him to the punch. “I went to the witches,” she said.

  There was a murmur of fear that ran through the pack as they exchanged wide-eyed glances of horror with one another. Then Malick took a slow step forward. “Did you drink anything they gave you?” he asked, sounding deadly serious.

  “Yes,” Savannah said, nodding. She felt panic inexplicably rise within her. “It was a protection potion.”

  Malick closed his eyes for a moment. When he opened his eyes, he said, “It was not.”

  “What do you mean?” Savannah asked. “How do you know?"

  Malick didn’t answer her. Instead his gaze fell onto Xander. “Haven’t you told her…about our past, about our legends and our histories?”

  “I have not been able to tell her everything yet,” Xander said, his voice wracked with guilt. “She doesn't know the complete legend of the witches--the history books do not account for them.”

  Malick looked around the pack. His green eyes were piercing, and Savannah sensed sorrow rise within him. “Savannah became a part of our pack the day we found out she was pregnant with the next generation of shifters,and yet we have not treated her as such. Xander: you should have taught her what it means to be shifter. You should have educated her in our customs and way of thinking. If that had been done she never would have gone to the witches.”

  Savannah looked around in confusion. “You don’t understand,” she pleaded. “They were trying to help me.”

  “They were trying to enslave you,” Principal Harris said. “They were trying to enslave us all, and now they might have succeeded.”

  She looked into Principal Harris's eyes and realized that she cared little of Savannah's fate. Her thoughts were only of her daughter, and the only worry she was able to muster was for Marissa. Savannah suddenly realized that her pain weighed heavily on the rest of the pack, as if they were somehow connected. Before another word could be exchanged Gordy burst through the trees, his eyes wide, and his stance purposeful.

  “They’re coming,” Gordy said, panting hard. “The rival pack is coming! Ten minutes and they’ll have breached the clearing.”

  “Marissa?” Principal Harris gasped. “Is she with them?”

  “She and Dominic are heading the pack,” Gordy said in a slightly lower voice. “I think… I think she will be fighting with them today.”

  “No,” Principal Harris said and her knees buckled.

  Malick swung forward and caught her before she could fall. He held onto her and whispered something into her ear. “Stay strong; we may be able to save her still,” he said a little louder to the rest of the group.

  “We can save her,” Principal Harris said with a sob in her voice, “but it is not up to you or me to take her back, Will the new alpha allow her back into the fold after this betrayal?”

  She glanced at Xander and Savannah realized the weight of Xander’s responsibility. She expected him to assure Principal Harris, she expected him to tell her he'd take Marissa back in a heartbeat if they succeeded in saving her from Dominic’s hold, but he didn’t. He stood there for a moment and then he glanced at Savannah.

  “I will make that decision when the time comes,” he said, promising nothing. “With my partner.”

  She recognized the apology in Xander’s tone. He was telling her that he was sorry for shutting her out and refusing to listen or believe her. He was telling her that from this day forward, they were going to work together, they were going to act together, and that he was not going to put anyone else’s feelings before hers.

  She sensed the enormity of the message from his aura rather than his words, which meant the world to Savannah, and for the first time since the pack had split she didn’t feel as if she were alone in the situation.

  “What do we do?” Gordy asked.

  “There’s nothing we can do but fight,” Xander said, stepping forward.

  “We'll have to fight to kill,” Gordy said.

  “No,” Xander said quickly. “Defend yourselves well, but if death can be avoided then avoid it.”

  “They will not do the same for us,” Johnny pointed out. “They will kill us all if they win.”

  “They have to kill us to take our land,” Xander said, “but aside from that, we are better than they are, and we must prove it. We will defeat them. We’re stronger than they are because our bonds are pure, and our ties to each other are strong.”

  “And Marissa?” Principal Harris demanded. “What about my daughter?”

  Xander glanced at Savannah and she saw the question in his eyes. He was giving her the choice to decide what was best based on the vision she'd had. If Savannah said that Marissa should be banished with the rival pack, she knew without a doubt that Xander would stand by her decision.

  “You have to save Marissa,” Savannah said, her voice a little shaky.

  “Are you sure?” Xander asked.

  “You’re right: loyalty is important, and from what I’ve sensed about Marissa, she's nothing if not loyal. Her hate for me clouded her loyalty causing her to run to Dominic. Maybe she'll take a second chance if she's given it.”

  Savannah felt relief wafting from Principal Harris, and she couldn’t help but feel sympathy for her. She was still a mother, standing opposed to a daughter who had made independent decisions. She momentarily wondered if Principal Harris had ever been tempted to join her daughter.

  Xander walked toward Savannah and took her hand. “Thank you,” he whispered to her.

  “Don’t thank me yet,” Savannah whispered back.

  The burning sensation she'd experienced when she'd taken the potion was beginning to return, clawing at her belly, and making it impossible for her to concentrate. Savannah felt a chill pass over her body.

  A moment later, Malick's voice echoed around their loose circle. "They are here," he said, and everyone turned in the direction of the trees opposite the lake.

  Dominic and Marissa were the first to enter the clearing, followed by more peopl
e. Savannah counted, desperate to determine which pack outnumbered the other.

  “Eleven,” Malick said, “including Marissa and Dominic.”

  “And we have ten,” Xander said under his breath.

  “We can win this,” Zanna added.

  Dominic walked forward with as if he were welcome by all in the clearing. He was naked to the waist, wearing nothing but a pair of faded trousers. Savannah understood he was ready for the fight, ready to shift at any moment. He was good-looking, but his features were severe and threatening. It was impossible to imagine that he and Xander had shared the same father.

  Marissa followed Dominic close behind. She was just as beautiful as Savannah remembered, with her golden hair and bright blue eyes, but Savannah sensed the undercurrent of fear that lay just beneath the surface. Marissa wanted to appear calm, but Savannah knew she was far from it.

  “Hello, little brother,” Dominic said in a good imitation of friendliness. “I see you've gathered your pack together to welcome me.”

  Xander ignored him completely, turned to Marissa, and said, “Marissa, what have you done? Why did you do this to us, to your friends, to your mother?”

  Marissa bristled at his words and Dominic shot her a look. She kept her eyes trained on Xander, and Savannah could tell how painful it was for her to see him again. “What have I done?” she demanded. “You’re the one who betrayed us all.”

  “Betrayed you?” Xander asked. “How, by falling in love with Savannah?”

  “She was never meant for you,” Marissa said.

  “Then why is it our child has shifter blood?” Xander demanded. “If we were not meant to be then the child would be human, and I would never have been allowed to marry Savannah.

  "Please, Marissa, you’re letting your personal feelings cloud your judgement. This is not the way.”

  Dominic looked amused as he looked between Xander and Marissa. “She’s made her choice, Xander,” Dominic said. “She’s chosen the stronger brother.”

  “You realize that in order to take this land he has to kill us all, don’t you, Marissa?” Xander continued to ignore Dominic. “Are you really going to help him kill us?”