by Elle Thorne
Chapter Ten
Veila knew her brother Vax. They’d grown up together, after all, both children under the thumb of an overachieving, under-inspiring bully of a father. His old-school ways had threatened to defeat both Vax and Veila.
Vax was more than just her brother. He was her best friend, had been the whole time they were growing up. He’d been her champion. Whenever her father had laughed and said she couldn’t do something because she was a girl, Vax had stayed next to her while she tried and tried, even when hot tears came rolling down her face, burning her with a subtlety that entrenched in her the notion girls couldn’t do what boys do. Vax was always there, cheering her on, believing in her.
Veila knew her brother. And she knew the look in his eyes.
Vax’s eyes glittered with resolute determination. Whatever he’d decided, he wouldn’t be swaying from it. He shoved his hand in his front pocket. She heard the keys jingling then he pulled his hand out and held the keys up with two fingers. He held his hand out to Veila.
Tears sprang to her eyes. No. She mouthed the word, unable to focus on his face anymore because he was blurry through her tears.
He pushed his hand closer to Veila, the keys jingling a death sentence.
When Veila wouldn’t take the keys from Vax, he set them on the table and strode out of the room, his tiger’s walk graceful, proud, and unwavering.
Gavin and his team followed Vax.
As if to not lose control of the situation, Giovanni announced, “You are running things, Veila. Make me proud. Take the keys.”
Make him proud? All her life she’d tried and tried to make him proud, and she’d always fallen short. She was destined to never make him proud. Her gender assured that.
“I need time.” That was all Veila could say.
“Time? Time to what?” Giovanni demanded.
“Time to think. I’ll talk to you later.”
Giovanni opened his mouth, his expression stern. Federico and Tito put their hands on his shoulders. “Let’s go for that coffee now, Gio. Let the young ones reflect on this.”
Giovanni closed his mouth and let his brothers lead him from the room.
Veila looked down at the keys then she raised her eyes. Lézare, Mae, Doc, and the Nielsen twins were still in the room.
“I’m sorry,” Veila whispered.
Mae covered the distance between them and wrapped her arms around Veila. “There’s nothing for you to be sorry about. You did nothing wrong.”
A sob escaped Veila. When a second one tried to slip out, she bit it back and sucked her sorrow deep inside. “Vax is leaving. He can’t go.”
“He has to,” Lézare said.
Veila bit her tongue to keep from screaming at Lézare. It wasn’t rational, and she knew he was right, but that wasn’t what she wanted to hear.
“We’ll go check on Vax,” Rory said. Both wolf shifters made their way out of the boardroom, closing the door behind them.
“I’m calling Rafe.” Veila had no idea how Rafe could help, or if he would, but as their father’s favorite, maybe he could do something.
Veila’s phone vibrated on the tabletop. She looked at it. Sophie. Rage flared up for a brief second. Why did Lila and Sophie have to be gone during this time? Maybe if they’d been there, their father wouldn’t have done this shit.
She knew different, but a part of her couldn’t help being angry at Sophie, even if it was only for a few seconds.
She picked up the phone and pressed the screen to answer it. “What’s up, Sophie?”
“You have got to help me. Please. Now. Daddy’s down here. He’s in the club, he’s drinking, and he’s saying stupid stuff, like Vax is gone and you’re running things but he doesn’t think you’ll stick around.” Sophie paused to catch a breath. “He’s freaking me out. Come down here and talk to him. Tell him he’s talking crazy shit.”
“It’s true. Vax is gone.” Veila bit her lip to keep the tears from coming back.
The door to the boardroom opened. It was Vax and Callie.
“Got to go, Soph. I’ll call you in a bit.”
“Wait. I—”
Veila pushed the End button, disconnecting the call.
Callie’s eyes were rimmed in red, her pretty face swollen from crying.
“I’ll have my cell.” Vax hugged Veila. “No promises I’ll answer it, though.”
She held on to her brother’s broad shoulders, burying her face in his neck, feeling not much different from the little girl who couldn’t ride a bike without training wheels and kept skinning her knees while Vax tended to her wounds and told her he knew she could do it.
“Don’t go,” she whispered, loud enough for only his tiger to hear so she wouldn’t upset Callie.
He moved his head, one tiny shake that was larger than any earthquake would have been. The answer was clear. No. He was going. He’d had enough.
Veila hugged Callie, the human who was now as dear to her as a sister. Callie took Veila’s face in her hands. “I’m going to miss you.”
“You humans are so sloppily emotional,” Veila said as her tears flowed freely.
Callie’s laugh merged with a sob. Vax led her away.
Veila sat at the polished executive table and put her hands in her head.
An hour later, she still sat there, numb, absorbing, thinking. Around her, the other shifters were silent, watching her. She could feel their worried eyes on her.
“I’m fine.” She took a deep breath. “It’s going to be fine.” If only she could believe that herself.
Her phone vibrated. She looked at it. Gavin. What the hell was going on here?
She didn’t have a chance to say anything. As soon as she pressed the screen to take the call, Gavin began to speak.
“The lions are gone. The cage—I mean cell—is open.”
Who’d let them out? Did Vax do that? She didn’t want to recapture them if Vax had done this as his last act.
“Let them be.”
“But—” Gavin began.
“No.” She pressed End.
Chapter Eleven
Mark figured there’d be no better place to hide than in a large cat’s natural element. He couldn’t count on someone not doing a double take if they saw a lion in Sanctuary, but then again, that put the onus on him to stay hidden.
Judging from the number of caves, tunnels, and alcoves, and the amount of undergrowth, he didn’t think he’d be easily discovered in Sanctuary.
The rumors he’d heard about the place were true. It did span the entire floor, and it was a mecca for meditation and relaxation.
The humidity, the moat, the oversized leaves, ivy growing around tree trunks, large boulders to perch on, alcoves, tunnels, and caves to sleep and hide in. This was a haven for tigers. Even his lion, who tended to be claustrophobic in areas that weren’t wide open, was almost purring from the ambiance in the green, shady, shadowed refuge.
Sure, he was relaxing, but a part of his mind and all of his lion were in a state of alertness and plan-making. He would need to figure out how to find Veila without alarming anyone and having the cavalry—the Tiero security team—brought in.
The sound of the waterfall cascading into the moat, which wasn’t stagnant but more like a lagoon, was lulling. Until he felt a heartbeat in there with him. He paused. It was too late to jump off the boulder holding his large frame comfortably. Too late to hide. All he could hope for was that the approaching heartbeat belonged to someone who was friendly to the Martinez, or someone who was ignorant of them.
A white tigress hesitated, beautiful, graceful, and regal, one paw raised mid-step. She cocked her magnificent head, her bearing inquisitive but not fearful. Her heartbeat remained steady, letting Mark know she was curious and not in the least concerned.
He knew it was her the moment he saw her. His lion knew it before he did. The lion’s attention was completely enraptured with her beauty. How could a beautiful woman like her make an equally beautiful tigress? He would have expected
her to not be as glorious in her tigress skin; more often than not, that was his experience with shifter females.
He felt the sync she created with him. Syncing was the way .shifters could communicate silently when in their animal forms. They were able to talk to one another, using human language, silently. Sync communications could only be heard by those who were linked together. Once a sync was shut down, by either party, the communication ended.
Veila’s sync pulled on Mark’s senses, leaving a sensation much like a long, leisurely kiss. He’d synced with many shifters in his life, lovers and friends, but he’d never had this kind of sync connection.
Why are you here? Her voice flowed through the sync with ease, seeping into his soul.
Mark rose, stretching to his full height, knowing many would be intimidated by his size. Would you believe me if I said I was looking for you?
She tilted her head, and her ear twitched. I would. She studied him, wordless, in their sync, her eyes fully focused on his lion.
I wanted to apologize. What I said… earlier… was completely uncalled for. Very out of line. I’m sorry. Mark still hoped she would believe him, believe in him. She had to.
Her elegant whiskers moved slightly, as if she were calculating. Apology accepted. Would you believe me if I said I was happy to see you?
Mark pounced down, landing softly and soundlessly next to her. He shifted into his human skin. “It would make my day complete.”
Veila shifted into her human form quickly and effortlessly.
Mark studied her. As beautiful as she was, she had a look about her. Like things were rough. It made the protector in him rise, eager to be her champion. “You look like you’ve had a day. Want to talk about it?”
Her answer came quickly. “I want to talk about anything but it.”
Chapter Twelve
She could get lost looking at this man. Lost in him, his lion, his everything. She stood there, taking him in. Muscles on top of muscles, but not in a bulky way. Dark eyes with a fire behind them that showcased his lion’s passion.
A perfect pair of sculpted lips on a face that should have been on a model. Eyes that held a hint of danger, and ruthlessness when needed. A jaw line that was chiseled and square. Was she really lusting after this man when she’d just had the worst fucking day of her life? How could this man have such an effect on her?
Her tigress rumbled low. Her fault! All the tigress’s fault. Her tigress snarled, arguing the point.
“What do you want to talk about, then?” the vision of male perfection personified asked.
“You.” The word came out of her mouth before she could think.
He cocked his head, a small smile playing on his lips.
“Don’t let that go to your head,” Veila grumbled, more embarrassed with herself than she was angry about his smile.
“There she is. There’s the spitfire I thought I noticed.” He laughed. “I was beginning to think someone had taken your body.” His eyes traveled over her curves. “Not that it’s a body any man wouldn’t want to take.”
A heat rose to Veila’s cheeks. What the hell. I don’t blush. This man’s effect on her was crazy. The heat traveled from her head to her toes and throughout her torso. A buzzing sensation concentrated its effect in her panties, making her sex weep with desire. Her nipples tightened, and she was thankful he couldn’t see them.
Could he? She didn’t want to glance down and draw attention to what he was doing to her. She took a deep breath and held it to keep her pulse in check.
“Really, what do you want to talk about? I’m not a very exciting topic.”
She didn’t believe that for a second. She imagined there were women all over the place who would argue that statement. “I’ll be the judge of that. For starters, why did you come to our meeting?”
“The Tieros having a meeting on our turf? America has been our territory a lot longer than any of it has been Tiero territory. So that smarted. It brought back memories of things my grandfather used to tell me. Suffice it to say, I’m over it. It was foolishness. Ever done something stupid and then regretted it?”
Like trying to please a father that you never could? “Yeah, I think I know what that’s about.” She’d better change topics before today’s events ruined her visit with this sexy man. “So, why have you changed your mind? About Tieros and feuds?”
“Truth?” He reached out a hand and placed it over hers, his skin so warm it was almost feverish.
“Always.” She looked at the large hand on hers, the way it covered her hand completely.
He took so long to answer she finally looked up at him. His eyes were the darkest she’d ever seen, as dark as his pupils.
“You.” He curled his hand under, and ran his thumb pad, rough and strong, over the tender skin on her wrist.
Could he feel her pulse racing? It matched the butterflies ping-ponging along her stomach’s walls. Had she ever felt this way before? When was the last time, if she had?
“You’re a lion.” Shit. She did not just blurt that out.
“And your brother’s mate is a human. What’s your point?”
Chapter Thirteen
Mark sucked in a deep breath. He savored her scent—sexy, warm, along with a hint of her desire—as it filled his lungs, driving his lion crazy with a need to push out of his skin and make this woman see they were meant for each other.
Was she trying to tell him to stay away? It was way too late for that. There wasn’t a chance in hell he could steer clear of this woman or her tigress.
He was trying to think of a way to convince her of the folly of trying to keep him from her life when he felt her gentle fingertip on his jaw. Her touch was so light he looked down to be sure it wasn’t something else. His lion snarled at Mark to seduce her, to hasten the process.
Mark tuned the lion out, one of the rare times in his life he’d done that. He had to go with the timeline he sensed she wanted. He captured her hand in his and pressed her palm against his lips. He fought the urge to unleash his desire, to crush her to his chest and kiss her. To touch her lips with his and feel her body against his without the barrier of clothing. All her curves—nice wide hips to hold on to, offset by a waist that was just the right amount of narrow. His cock twitched. Mark grunted to contain it and his lion, hoping she hadn’t noticed his reaction.
He glanced at the lagoon to keep from thinking of driving his cock deep into her wet sleekness. A wetness he could scent, musky, sexual, female, Veila.
She swallowed, the sound audible, her pulse loud in his ears. He wanted to cover his ears because hearing her reaction to him did nothing less than serve as a fuel, boosting his lust.
When she slowly swiped her tongue over her lower lip, that did it.
“There’s just so much a man can take.” His voice was low, sex-hoarsened. He lowered his head, locking his lips to hers, the hunger and passion he’d been holding back demanding more from her, insatiable, combustible. His lion had taken control, done with waiting.
Chapter Fourteen
Veila loved his kiss. She’d never been kissed like this. She’d never known a man like Mark. His hands ran down her sides, and shivers followed the same path.
He took hold of the hem of her top and tugged it upward gently, asking, yet at the same time, not asking. Was she really ready to get naked with this man? To do something she was not the type of girl to do? She’d never done the “instant jump into bed” thing.
Yessss, her tigress hissed in her head. Was that her tigress or Veila’s subconscious? It didn’t matter. The answer to that question was entrenched in her. Veila moaned her assent to the silent inquiry. She wanted to be naked with him, and so much more. So very much more.
His lips left hers for the briefest of seconds while he pulled her top over her head. Before her lips could get cold or her mind and body could protest, he’d claimed her lips again. He took control, helping himself to her mouth, her lips and tongue.
His shirt rubbed against her as he p
ulled her closer and, at the same time, pushed her into the tall boulder he’d been perched on.
Turnabout was fair play, and his shirt was keeping her from his body. She grabbed the fabric, the obstacle keeping her flesh from feeling his, and tugged twice. In seconds, he had the buttons released from their holes and the shirt shucked and thrown into the waist-high bushes.
When he pulled her back in, his chest and abdomen were warm against her tummy. A tummy she somehow wasn’t self-conscious about when she was with him. Why didn’t she worry about her self-image with him? Why did she not doubt the sincerity and the depth of his feelings? It wasn’t like she was a wounded dove. She never had been. She simply didn’t trust men. Except for Vax.
She put her hands on his chest and found his muscles flexed and hard beneath her palms. She glided her hands lower, feeling his abdomen contract. She raked her nails over the flesh, rewarded with a groan from deep within Mark and seared into Veila’s desire and center.
She pulled back. She wanted nothing between them, and, right now, her bra was hampering that cause. Her nipples pushed at the lace fabric, painfully erect, painfully tender with a need for Mark’s touch.
Deftly, quickly, she unhooked it with a snap and peeled it off her creamy globes, enjoying the way his eyes dropped to her dusky pink nipples, enjoying the way her nipples reacted to his gaze, pearling, buzzing with an excitement that traveled clear to her mound.
“Fucking amazing.” He raised his hands, cupping the bounty that had filled her bra, thumbing her nipples roughly. The ache between her legs grew fierce, moisture pooling.
His words and his tone set her off, skyrocketing the desire already building into a tornado-like sensation that demanded his touch.
Except the words that came out of her mouth weren’t a demand at all. “Please. I need you.” Her cry was soft, almost begging.