The Tribe Boxed Set: A Shapeshifter Paranormal Romance

by Terra Wolf

  “No cobbler for you if you don’t tell me what’s going on. You keep getting calls.”

  He huffed. “Nothing.”

  I didn’t believe him. And that hurt. I wanted to believe everything my mate said to me. I wanted to trust him. I needed to trust him. I had given him every part of me. I belonged to him, and for some reason, I was questioning our relationship because of a stupid phone call. I shook it off. I wasn’t going to be one of those girls. I refused.

  “All right. If you say it’s nothing, it’s nothing.”

  I felt his hand slide to my waist and his palm landed on my hip. It fit there. We fit together. I knew we did.

  “What if we rent a movie tonight?” he asked. Donovan was good at distracting me.

  “And what movie are you thinking?”

  “Something with high action.” He winked.

  I elbowed him in the side. “And I had you pegged for a romantic comedy kind of guy.”

  That made him laugh. I felt the easiness between us return. I forgot about the phone call as we meandered through the craft aisles. Donovan stopped in front of one of the silver jewelry booths. He picked up a chain.

  I tried to look around him to see what it was. He handed it to the artist. “I’ll take it.”

  “What is it?”

  He blocked my view with his wide shoulders. “A surprise.” He winked.

  He paid for the necklace and turned to face me. “Close your eyes.”

  I did as he instructed and felt his hands against my neck, fiddling with the clasp.

  “Okay. You can open them.”

  I looked down. “Donovan.” My fingers traced over the pendant. There was a C interlocked with a D. “How?”

  He smiled. “I don’t know, but it seemed like it was something I had to get for you. They fit together, don’t they?”

  I reached up on my toes and kissed him. “I love it.” I felt the chain around my neck. It was like everything else that had happened between us. Things just fell into place with no explanation.

  His fingers tangled in mine as we walked back to the apartment.

  We walked up the stairs and I could feel his eyes on my backside.

  I pushed the door open and placed the berries on the counter. “I better start on the cobbler.”

  “Not yet,” he growled.

  He grabbed the edges of my shirt, pulling it over my head. It landed on the floor. He eyed the pendant hanging between my breasts.

  He shrugged my shorts over my hips and my panties went with them. He lifted me on the counter as he unzipped his shorts, dropping them to the floor.

  “You’re mine, Caroline.”

  “I know.”

  He brushed his lips over mine. I sucked on his lips as I wrapped my legs around his lower back.

  I sighed as he pushed inside me. My chest arched forward as I braced myself using my wrists on the counter for support. I could give him more of myself this way, tilting my hips upward as he slid his cock in and out.

  “Always mine,” he growled. His hands tangled in my hair and he kissed my throat, then the pendant on my chest.

  “Always,” I purred. His fingers dug into my ass, pressing me tighter against him.

  I panted and gulped for air as our bodies rocked wildly. Every time we were together the passion was more intense. The release more powerful. I wanted to climb out of my skin and into his. I wanted him to know he meant everything to me. My body was for him.

  I felt the scream escape from my throat as he slammed into me one final time, coming deep inside me.

  He kissed my shoulder, smiling and laughing.

  “I love claiming you.”

  “I love it too.”

  He lifted me off the counter and carried me to the bedroom. “But the cobbler,” I protested. “I want to make it for…” He slammed the door behind him.

  “Cobbler can wait. I can’t.”

  I nodded. “Take me.”

  And he did.

  11

  Donovan

  Caroline had been here three weeks and I still didn’t know what our plan was. I kept hoping the next call from Case would be to tell me the Council was ready for me to pick up my list. And I knew her name would be at the top. It had to be.

  Her birthday was next week and we were both anxiously awaiting the confirmation so we could make things official with a wedding and a ceremony. I wanted that damn emerald ring from the Council so I could slip it on Caroline’s finger and make her my wife.

  In the meantime, I was trying to keep an eye out for any other shifter activity. I knew Caroline would let me know if she sensed another cat in the area.

  We went to dinner. We spent time in the city during the day in stores, coffee shops, and the markets. Some days we did her favorite thing and spent time at the beach. But we never picked up another vibe. We were the only cat shifters in town.

  The calls from the Tribe were becoming more frequent and it was getting harder to keep the truth from her. I didn’t want to alarm her. From what Eli had told me there was a new faction of cat shifters interested in the area. I still didn’t know why.

  “What are we going to do today?” She ran her fingers over my bare stomach.

  I felt myself getting hard just from her touch. “I know what we’re going to do first.”

  She giggled. “That’s a given.”

  “And after that I’m going to make you breakfast.” I kissed along her stomach, sinking between her knees.

  “Ohh,” she moaned.

  I pushed her legs open to lap against her sweet juices. I loved making her come in my mouth. It was the best way to start my day. My tongue dipped in and out as she rose to her climax. Her body clenched around me until I sucked at her release.

  She smiled contentedly. “I love when you do that.”

  “Not more than I love doing it.” I kissed the tops of her knees.

  Caroline had unleashed a part of my jaguar I didn’t know existed. I was protective of her. Nothing meant more to me than keeping her safe. Maybe that was why I didn’t want her to know there was a shifter problem in this area. I downplayed it after I had claimed her. It seemed secondary to the relationship we were building.

  Would she want to leave? Would she think it was unsafe? I couldn’t do anything until I received my orders from Case, and that was enough to remind me I wasn’t in control of as many things as I wanted to be.

  Somehow, in the last few weeks the city had grown on me. I enjoyed my days on the beach with Caroline. I liked exploring the restaurants. I looked forward to trying the wine bars. I didn’t glare at the Gullah witches as much in the market anymore. She had a way of making everything seem like it belonged in our life. As if this was how we should be. What living together forever would be like. Nights of giving each other the most erotic pleasure possible and the days sharing our lives. It was fucking heaven.

  I didn’t want it to end. And that seemed liked an impossible statement coming from a guy who couldn’t wait to pack his bags and get the hell out of town only a month ago.

  I looked down at my mate. She was beautiful. Her body was still radiant from her afterglow. She smiled at me. “Take me,” she whispered.

  I prowled toward her. She only had to say it once and my jaguar knew what to do. I had a way of taking us both to the brink of ecstasy. I scooped my hands under her back and flipped her on her stomach.

  “Ohh,” she gasped.

  I climbed over top of her. “Mine, baby.”

  “Yes,” she purred. Her hands clung to the sheets as I sank into her and reminded her why I was her mate.

  I turned a pancake on the stove. “Caroline, they’re ready,” I called to the bedroom.

  “Okay, I’m drying my hair. I’ll be right there.”

  I tossed the pancake onto a plate, impressed with my own culinary skills. I opened the fridge, remembering a bottle of whipped cream was in here somewhere. I was about to write her initials on the pancake when I heard a knock on the door.

  I pla
ced the can on the counter and walked over to the door. I pulled it open.

  His eyes were green. He was a few inches shorter than me, but built just as strongly.

  He glared at me.

  “Who are you?” I asked.

  “Bennett,” he stated.

  “And?” I didn’t know why there was a green-eyed cat shifter standing in my doorway, but I immediately took a protective stance.

  “I’m looking for someone.”

  I tilted my head. “Doubt I can help you. I’m not from here.” I was ready to slam the door in his face, but he slapped his hand on the doorframe.

  “I understand Caroline Addison rents the apartment across from you.”

  My chest puffed forward. My jaguar came to life. I was ready to attack. Ready to tear his throat out. Ready to rip his head from his body. What did he want with Caroline?

  “Like I said. Can’t help you.”

  He reached into his pocket and pulled out a folded piece of paper. “You might know what this is.” He flattened the creases and held it up for me to see.

  I closed my eyes, feeling the bile rise in my throat. It was my worst nightmare. I didn’t see it coming. I couldn’t have predicted what was happening.

  This damn jaguar was holding the very thing I wanted more than air. It was his list from the Council and the very first name at the top was Caroline Addison.

  12

  Caroline

  It didn’t seem to matter how much I used a towel on my hair, it took almost twenty minutes to dry it with a blow dryer. It was the humidity in Charleston, but I knew that came with living on the water. I had thought about cutting my hair, but Donovan loved it, and I wasn’t cutting it now. He would play with it, twisting it between his fingers.

  So twenty minutes it was.

  We didn’t have a plan. After three weeks together, we knew we were destined to be together. Our connection was undeniable. But when was he getting his list? And then what? I saw how he struggled with being a prince without a kingdom. He was happy, but underneath it was darkness from what he had lost. What his father’s greed had cost him.

  And there was still the question of why we were both hanging around Charleston. I kept thinking Donovan might try to expedite the process by asking the king for his list, but it didn’t work that way. The king would hear from the Council and down the pipeline the information went.

  There were still a lot of details we had to work out, but neither of us wanted to take a breath from our love den. The past three weeks meant everything to me. The sex. The bonding. I smiled. Falling in love with an incredible shifter.

  I could smell the pancakes, but as I walked out of the bathroom, I felt something else. I felt the presence of another shifter.

  My ears perked. Donovan was talking in a low voice. I’d never heard him sound so vicious before.

  “Sorry, man, but I can’t help you.”

  “I don’t think that’s true. I know she lives next to you. You have to know something.” I didn’t recognize the second voice. It definitely wasn’t the surfer or waiter from downstairs.

  “What line are you from?” Donovan asked.

  “Why do you care?”

  “I care because I asked.”

  I thought about running into the living room and trying to calm things down before they escalated, but there was no way I was going out there if someone was looking for me. Donovan would call for me if he wanted me to meet a new friend. There was no way this guy was a friend.

  “Tell Caroline I’ll be back.”

  “I’m not telling anyone anything for you,” Donovan growled. “This isn’t your territory. You don’t even have permission to be this far east.”

  “The hell I don’t.”

  “Watch it,” Donovan warned. “You’re in Maddox territory. And you know that.”

  The message seemed to resonate with the other jaguar. He was silent. I held my breath, waiting for him to leave. I felt like a coward hiding out in the bedroom.

  “Maybe for now,” he snarled.

  “And what does that mean?” Donovan’s voice grew more serious.

  The guy chuckled. “It means that king of yours doesn’t have the power he thinks he does.”

  There was a rumble from Donovan’s throat, and I was ready to pounce if I needed to. Case was my king now too. I knew what the other jaguar said was an insult and a threat. I didn’t know how far my mate would go to prove that point.

  “You need to leave,” Donovan insisted.

  “Yeah, I’ll go, but give Caroline my message.”

  The door closed and I waited a few seconds before I ventured into the living room.

  “What was that about?” I searched his eyes for answers.

  He wouldn’t look at me.

  “Donovan? Who was that shifter?”

  He sat on the couch, his hands covering his face. “Damn it,” he muttered. “I was sure. So certain.”

  “You’re scaring me. What happened? Who was that?” I was shaking with fear. The pit in my stomach was deep enough to make me want to throw up. “Why was he asking for me? How did he know my name?”

  His eyes lifted to mine. I saw the hurt. I saw the pain.

  “I don’t know how to tell you this.”

  “Just say it,” I blurted. “Say something.”

  He closed his eyes. “Caroline, you’re on his list.”

  I shook my head. “No, no, no. That’s not possible.”

  “You are the first name on his list. His name is Bennett, and he’s here to make you his wife.”

  I shook my fists. “No, I’m your mate. I’m on your list. We both know it. I have to be.”

  I sank to the floor. This couldn’t be happening. It wasn’t possible. I belonged with Donovan. I had since the first moment we met in the hallway. There was no mistaking our chemistry. Our bond. I was devoted to him. Committed to him. I loved him.

  “No. No, I’m not his mate.”

  “I saw it. I saw your name on the list.” He ran his hands through his hair in frustration and stood. “Damn it. Damn the Council.” He kicked the coffee table, cracking the leg in half.

  “I belong to you. I belong with you.” I heard the words on my lips, but all I felt was the anger emanating from Donovan. The rage was building.

  “It’s not happening. It won’t happen again.” He looked down at me.

  “What won’t?”

  “I won’t let someone take what belongs to me.” He knelt next to me on the floor. I saw the flicker of rage start to fade and his eyes return to normal. He kissed me and I melted into his arms. “We’ll figure it out, but I swear, Caroline, Bennett is not going to take you from me.”

  “I’m not going to evoke the bond. It doesn’t matter. He doesn’t have a chance.”

  I wrapped my arms around him and he pulled me into his lap. “I’ll do whatever it takes. I swear to you.”

  “I know.” I pressed my palm against his chest to feel his heart beat. “I know you’ll keep me safe. But this is bigger than us. I’m betrothed to that jaguar. It’s not like I can say no thank you. I’ll pass on you. Thanks for stopping by.”

  “It’s going to be.” Donovan squeezed me.

  I felt the hardness of his chest through his shirt. “He won’t let me go that easily,” I whispered. I didn’t know the guy, but I knew how things worked.

  “I will protect you until I die.”

  “I don’t want that, though. No death, please.” The brief feeling of calm disappeared and was replaced with panic.

  “I’m not going to die. It’s only an expression.”

  “A bad expression.”

  “Well, we know now why I haven’t gotten the call to pick up my list.”

  “Because I’m not on it.” I could barely say it. “But we were so sure.”

  It was as if I was trying to justify what we had done or convince myself we were right and the Council was wrong. How did I belong with someone else? It made my skin crawl thinking about it. I hadn’t seen Bennet
t, but I heard his voice, and it did nothing for me. I didn’t want to run to him, or be held by him. I wanted Donovan to rip his head off. I’d gladly help.

  “I’m not going to pick it up when they call.”

  I pushed away to look at him. “What?”

  “You heard me. I don’t want the damn list. If you’re not on it, I don’t want it.”

  “But-but, you’re breaking the law.”

  He brushed the hair from my face. “Baby, we’ve already broken all the laws. I took someone else’s mate. More than once.” He winked. I didn’t know how he could be playful during a time like this.

  “And I evoked a bond with you.” It was setting in. What we had done. What we had broken.

  “And you’ll do it again.” His finger tipped my chin toward him.

  I swallowed. There was no denying him. I would evoke the bond every time he wanted. I was his. I could never belong to anyone else. I didn’t care what some ancient council said.

  “I will.”

  He kissed me roughly. I felt my need for him clawing from the inside.

  “Evoke it now,” he commanded. “Tell me.”

  “Take me, Donovan. Make me your mate.” The words had hardly left my mouth before he pushed my dress past my stomach and was unzipping his shorts. I lowered myself to the carpet, feeling the floor against my bare skin.

  I lifted my hips for him as he sank deep inside me. He rocked into me with strength and power, sealing our bond. Defying the law. Claiming me. Fucking me with beautiful abandon. I clung to him, desperate to feel his release.

  “I’m yours, only yours,” I whispered in his ear. The words had never meant so much as they did now. Our fate was sealed.

  He buried himself inside me, filling me with his fire. I clenched around him, drawing him closer. His lips hovered over me as his breath became mine.

  “I love you,” he growled.

  My eyes glimmered. “I love you too.”

  And from that moment on, I knew what he said was true. We would either be together forever, or die trying.

  13

  Donovan