Eye of the Tiger

by Crissy Smith

  He grinned. “Man, that guy is a heart attack waiting to happen.”

  “I’m sure you did nothing to add to his stress,” she teased.

  “Who, me?” Zak batted his eyes. It was a poor attempt at innocence, but that was not what she felt seeing him do that. Christ, even playing around Zak made her heartbeat speed up and her body come alive.

  Laughing, she gripped his upper arm. “Seriously, are you doing okay?”

  “I was,” he told her. He turned his body and started to back her into the wall.

  She let his big body cover her.

  “Until I saw the video of the bank today.”

  The way his voice dropped had her shivering. “The video?”

  “Yeah.” He placed his hands next to her head and caged her in. “You’re fast. I’ll give you that. But you also went running into a building with three armed gunmen.”

  Unable to keep her heart from racing as Zak leaned in, she blew out a long breath. She hadn’t seen this side of Zak before—worried and just a tad bit scary. Not that she was afraid of him. She was getting way too turned on. “Hmm.”

  “Are you even listening to me?” he asked quietly.

  She’d heard him but the words didn’t exactly matter. What did was the feel of his body pressing her to the wall. His strong forearms inches from her. Abilene lifted her palm to place her hand over his heart.

  His chest moved with rapid breaths.

  “I want you,” she confessed.

  “Good,” he said before lowering his head and brushing his lips against hers.

  Abilene pushed up to deepen the kiss, but Zak pulled back. “Are you done for now?”

  “What?” She reached for him.

  “I want to get out of here. Are you free?”

  How had they gone from almost making out to Zak acting like nothing had taken place? She shook her head, trying to clear away the lust. “You want to leave?” Well, being alone and not in a public hallway did sound good to her.

  “I thought I’d take you to dinner,” Zak said.

  She didn’t want food. She wanted Zak. But that did remind her of something else she wanted to ask him. “I was thinking earlier, after the excitement from the day, that I hadn’t shifted to play recently.”

  His face fell. “Oh sure. You want to run and we can meet a little later?”

  “That’s not what I meant,” she corrected him, “I was hoping you would come with me. I’d love to see your tiger.”

  Zak actually paled. “No, I… There isn’t…”

  “What’s wrong?” This time it was her stalking him as he took a step away. “I thought it would be pretty awesome. Our two animals would probably love to play together.”

  “I’m sorry! I can’t.” He didn’t say anything else, just turned and bolted.

  She had no idea what had just happened. He’d practically been all over her and in a matter of seconds, he’d run away? Zak wasn’t a coward. So what was he so afraid of? His fear had been so strong she probably hadn’t even needed shifter’s scent to pick up on it. Why had he taken off?

  Remembering Jamie’s statement earlier that they’d never even seen Zak’s tiger, she had to wonder what was going on. She loved to shift and if others were around, she usually got pets and lots of attention. There might be something wrong with Zak’s tiger—maybe an old injury or something. It wasn’t like she would judge him, though. He couldn’t believe that.

  Since Zak hadn’t stuck around and told her what was going on, she’d just have to find out for herself. She’d do what she did best—track down Zak Lewis and make him talk to her.

  * * * *

  He was an idiot. He shouldn’t have run off on Abilene but he’d panicked. She wanted to shift with him, to let their animals loose together, but he couldn’t risk that, risk her.

  Slamming the door closed on his truck, he cursed. What had he been thinking? Of course a shifter would want to share a transformation with him. That was what couples did.

  Not that they were a couple yet—or maybe they were. Hell, he didn’t fucking know.

  His hand shook as he stuck the key in the ignition and turned. His old Chevy roared to life. He’d just take a quick drive to clear his mind. He would find Abilene later, apologize and make up for taking off.

  Hopefully he could come up with a decent-sounding story. He was good at talking around his tiger form. Cody and Jamie had both pressed him on his issues but even they didn’t even know why he refused to shift in front of anyone.

  He could do this.

  Decision made, Zak glanced out of the rear-view mirror to make sure he was clear then eased his truck out of his parking spot. Once he’d pulled out of the parking garage and put some distance between him and the Coalition, his pulse started to steady.

  There was no question where he was headed.

  What scared him the most about Abilene’s request was his intense desire to agree. He would have loved to change and run with her—to play and pounce. It had been so long since he’d shared that with anyone.

  He often wondered why he couldn’t be like everyone else. Out of all the shifters he knew, Zak was the only person who feared his animal. Was afraid of what would happen if he lost control.

  Turning onto the street where he lived, Zak tried to not think about his past. He couldn’t help it, though. What had happened when he was thirteen still haunted him.

  He pulled in his drive and placed the vehicle in Park. He didn’t turn off the engine or go inside, though.

  Zak had always been a good fighter. Growing up, his family had been all about survival of the fittest. His dad would put him up against other kids his age and older to prove that Zak was powerful.

  Even when Zak had told his dad and uncle that he didn’t want to fight the other kids, his family hadn’t cared. They’d just slapped him on the back and told him to do them proud. He’d thought about losing once. The boy had been two years older than Zak and at least sixty pounds heavier. Zak had been quicker though.

  He wondered if he took a fall that maybe all the violence would end. One look at his pops on the sidelines and he couldn’t go through with it. He took a hard right hook going down on one knee praying to end the brutality. He peered over to the side. His dad was pissed that Zak was letting this other kid beat on him.

  With little choice, he attacked. He kicked the older kid’s legs out from under him. Once he had the boy down he wailed on him. Punch after punch, Zak took his anger and fear out on someone who probably didn’t have any more of a choice than he did. He was the victor.

  Later at home, instead of his father being happy as he counted the winnings for the night, both his dad and uncle dragged him into the back yard and beat him.

  It hurt, the kicks to his sides, the hard fists against his body. Zak spat out blood but he never tried to fight back.

  Over and over with every blow, Zak grew more and more confused.

  “Do you think I don’t know what you were doing?” his father screamed.

  Zak tried to explain, but his dad changed from using his hands to his belt. The leather sliced into Zak’s flesh and he couldn’t think through the pain.

  “We don’t keep losers,” his father told him.

  Finally he understood. All Zak was good for was the money his pops and uncle received for Zak winning. And if he didn’t win, they wouldn’t need him anymore.

  He’d never thought about taking a dive again until the night that had changed his life.

  His father was already drunk by the time Zak made it home from school. He tried to go upstairs to finish his homework but his uncle was blocking his path. Between the two big men, Zak didn’t have anywhere to go.

  “Get in the backyard,” his father ordered.

  “Why?” Zak asked even though he knew better.

  His dad grabbed the back of his head and pushed him. “Because I said so.”

  Zak followed his uncle but was very aware his parent was on his heels. The screen door slammed behind them as they
exited the house. There was no grass in the back. Just dirt and a few weeds.

  “You’re going to learn a lesson,” his uncle told him. “You’ve beaten the kids in your bracket so we’re moving you up. You don’t want to let us down, do you?”

  “No, sir,” Zak said sincerely.

  “It’s time to stop messing around,” his father said as he took a fighting stance. “This session is about fatal strikes.”

  “Fatal?” Zak repeated.

  “It’s kill or be killed,” his dad clarified.

  Zak couldn’t believe his ears. Sure he knew how fucked up his family was but they couldn’t really expect him to take a life.

  He would not kill anyone. It was bad enough that he had no friends because everyone was terrified of him. He’d had to look at the young men he’d beaten and see the bruises and cuts.

  Zak hated himself, his life and just wanted it to stop.

  He exploded, telling his dad he wouldn’t do it anymore. They couldn’t make him fight. He would lose every match if they tried to make him get into the ring with anyone. At the time he didn’t even care if he died that way. He just knew he wouldn’t take someone else’s life.

  When his father started to laugh, Zak felt real hope that he’d finally get through this, thinking his pops had seen that Zak was right.

  His dad backhanded him so hard he fell to the floor.

  “Might as well kill you myself,” his pops said.

  Zak had never felt so much pain in his life. Even the horrible fights in shifted form two nights a month was nothing compared to what his only two family members did to him.

  The sound of bones breaking and cracking. The taste of blood in his mouth as he covered his eyes. Zak knew he wasn’t going to live past the night.

  So he gave up. Closed his eyes and drifted. He didn’t even try to stop his tiger from coming forward. The animal, scared and injured, took control.

  And fought back.

  The clash of teeth and the taste of his father’s blood in his mouth was not anything that he’d ever be able to forget.

  He’d been so weak and the tiger too strong. The tiger had wanted to live, so they had.

  By the time he’d shifted back into his human form he hadn’t been able to recognize the faces of his dad or uncle. They’d been torn apart.

  He’d called nine-one-one, unsure what else to do. They’d probably lock him in a cage but that was what he’d thought he’d deserved. What kind of person killed the only family he had?

  A monster, he was a monster.

  Except the cops that had answered the call hadn’t arrested him. They’d taken him to the hospital, sat up with him when he’d had nightmares, and gotten him into a really great foster home.

  The reason Zak was the man he was today was because of two detectives that had seen an abused and terrified kid and had helped him.

  Dashing the tears out of his eyes, he finally turned the truck off before pushing violently against the door. He went around to the back of the house instead of going inside.

  He understood now that he’d done was he was supposed to. His dad would have killed him easily and wouldn’t have lost any sleep over it.

  Still, to kill so young.

  The back gate slammed open. He had to stop punishing himself—and his tiger.

  Stopping beside the patio chairs, he drew his shirt over his head. He’d let his animal free and try to figure out his next step.

  Chapter Thirteen

  Abilene was surprised to see Zak’s truck parked in front of his house. If he was trying to get away from her, he hadn’t thought his plan through very well. After parking at the curb, she hurried out of her vehicle and up the steps.

  She wasn’t so much angry as she was worried about Zak. There had to be a reason he’d reacted so strongly to what seemed like a perfectly good request. Almost to the door, she heard a sound come from the back. Lifting her head, she caught the alluring aroma of Zak, indicating he’d been there very recently. He hadn’t gone inside but around. Curious, she followed his trail. The gate didn’t have a lock on it so she hit the latch and opened it. Quietly, she entered the backyard. She hadn’t gotten a look at the space during her last visit. Other than the kitchen and bedroom she couldn’t really remember his home.

  But as she walked along the side of the house the moist grass spread out in front of her. Along the back fence, rose bushes and other flowers lined the property. Turning the corner, she gasped.

  A large tiger, who could only be Zak, was on his back with all four paws in the air. The animal must not have heard her as he was wiggling around like he was trying to scratch an itch he couldn’t reach. He was massive. Much bigger than her in shifted form. Which really wasn’t a surprise as tigers and cheetahs, while felines, were not closely related.

  She took a step forward, trying to remain quiet.

  Zak’s ears came up as he rolled to his stomach. His stomach was white but the long expense of Zak’s back was a brownish yellow. His stripes, throughout his coat, stood out in the bright light from the porch.

  Abilene froze so she wouldn’t frighten him. She’d obviously surprised Zak. She met his yellow gaze before lowering her eyes. Zak’s gorgeous hazel eyes seemed to have bled away in his shifted form.

  He opened his wide mouth, showing off his sharp teeth, and made a rumbling noise. She relaxed slightly. It wasn’t a sound of warning, but mostly curiosity.

  “Hi.” She waved her hand. “I just came to check if you were okay.” She wanted to get closer to him—to put her hands on his fur and touch—but she didn’t dare move yet.

  Watching his chest and neck, she also couldn’t take her eyes off him.

  He stood, his shoulders reaching up to her waist. He took small, careful steps toward her. She dropped to her knees so she wasn’t towering over him. He chuffed, a happy sounding greeting, as he stalked forward.

  She waited until he was close enough before lifting her face toward his. Ears twitching, he stretched out his neck so his nose was close to hers. Her hand was steady as she placed it under his chin. Scratching, she even shuffled forward a little to get a better angle. He chuffed again before leaning more weight on her. With just her arm she wasn’t able to hold him and they crashed down onto the soft grass together. Her on her butt with him practically lying on her lap.

  She laughed, moving her palm to the top of his head to rub at his ears. She loved that and from his soft whine as he pushed harder into her, he must have too. Wow, she didn’t know why Zak wouldn’t share this amazing beast with everyone. But being able to touch him in his shifted form and knowing she was special brought tears of joy to her eyes.

  When his tongue rolled out of his mouth as he flipped over to his back she even giggled. “You are beautiful,” she told him.

  If he’d been in his human form, she was certain Zak would have scoffed. However, at the moment he only lifted one paw, claws still sheathed, and batted at her hand.

  “Okay,” she said with a grin. “I bet you want a belly rub.”

  As she proceeded to give him just that she noted his breathing picked up. Instead of calming him she seemed to actually be having the opposite effect. That was interesting until she picked up the faint whiff of his arousal. Oh, even as a tiger, Zak was showing her how much he wanted her. Pleasure and satisfaction flooded her. He might have been unsure about them shifting together when she’d mentioned it earlier but it didn’t seem like the animal part of him minded.

  Abruptly he lifted up off her. She didn’t want the petting to end so she reached for him. He batted his head against her hand.

  “What?” It wasn’t as if she expected an answer, but he needed to give her some kind of hint.

  Zak pushed her hand out of the way before lowering his head to her stomach. Still confused, she let him push her on her back. Gently he nosed her shirt.

  Did he want her to shift? “You want to see my cheetah?” she asked, hopeful.

  He backed off and yes, he nodded.

  E
xcited, she sat up and quickly began to undress. In her haste getting her pants off, she’d forgotten her boots. “Damn,” she mumbled.

  He chuffed back and if she wasn’t mistaken he was laughing.

  “Hey now.” She pointed a finger at him. “You be nice.”

  His rough tongue came out and licked her hand. She shivered in response. Mmm, the possibilities. But first she had to transform.

  She stood and was finally able to remove the rest of her clothes. Zak made a couple of circles around her before he nudged her hip. This was what she had wanted, but now that it was time to shift, she was a little nervous.

  Abilene wasn’t scared of Zak or anything like that. It just meant a lot to her that she was able to share this experience with him. Dropping her head forward, she took long, slow breaths. The change took her over.

  She shook and blinked her eyes open when she was fully transformed. Zak was directly in front of her, lying on his stomach with his chin on his front paws. She stretched out her muscles before giving a big body shake.

  He climbed onto his feet as he lowered his head. He was much bigger than her, but Abilene actually liked that. She slid along his body in greeting while he rubbed against her. Zak was solid muscle and being able to push and nudge him gave her a real thrill. He chuffed. She chirped back, both of them talking in their own way.

  The fur along his chest was softer than that on his back. Cuddling close, she wanted to get as much scent on him as possible. The lick she received in return could only be approval.

  He used one large paw to guide her stomach down onto the ground.

  His lawn was thick and full. She curled her feet under her as Zak lay down by her side. She’d still be able to reach his face and neck in this position.

  Running her tongue over his ear, she made him twitch. Hey, he liked that. She began to groom him, paying close attention to his ear, face and chin. He relaxed further, lowering his head to give her more room to work. When he closed his eyes and started to purr, for her it was the most amazing feeling in the world. Crossing one of her smaller limbs over his, she glanced down at their difference. He had a long thick stripe on his leg which contrasted with her small teardrop spot. She was also lighter in color, her tan coloring bright against the brown of his coat.