She flinched at that, and he hated himself for it. But he didn’t know what else to say. She was the one who’d said it was over now, right? Did she want him to grovel, to ask her to do something she didn’t want and that she’d said she wouldn’t do, just for him?
He wouldn’t. He was honorable. She should know at least that about him.
Even if for the first time in his life he wanted to be selfish.
“Okay,” she said. “I get it.”
But he didn’t think she did. She couldn’t. But what did it matter? After this, they could just go back to being partners.
“I’d like to still work with you,” he said flatly. “But if after they assign a new chief, you want to talk to him about transferring, I understand.” At least if they were still partners, he’d get to be near her. It’d be torture, but it’d be better than being apart.
“Is that all you can say?” she asked.
“What do you want me to say?” he erupted, throwing his hands in the air and turning away to lean on the windowsill while he tried to calm himself. “We made a promise, and I’m sticking to it. You always knew I was like that, Amy.”
He looked back at her, and she nodded slowly.
A part of him wanted to beg her, persuade her, convince her he could be every bit the alpha she needed, even if he couldn’t help her with her wolf line.
But then he thought of all the shifters out there that hated him. How many more explosions would there be after work? She was better off out of his life anyway. An alpha wolf would take her away from all of this. Set her up somewhere nice where she could have babies. She’d be in the world she was always meant for.
So he held his tongue.
“I’m ready to go,” she said. “I need to go home and change so we can work tomorrow.”
With that, she stormed away from him. He followed her down the stairs and into the main hallway, her heels clicking all the way to the door.
He followed her but felt a hand catch his arm. It was Perry.
“Tor is going to fly you back,” Perry said. “Amy, go ahead out with Tor and wait for a minute, please.”
Amy sent them a glance, then nodded. When she shut the door behind her, Carter turned back to Perry.
“You know,” Perry said, “dragons aren’t the only ones obsessed with treasure.”
Carter raised an eyebrow in confusion.
Perry looked in Amy’s direction. “There are rules to the shifter world, and then there are those that supersede them. I think love is one of those.”
Carter just shrugged. It didn’t matter if he loved Amy. In this case, loving her meant letting her go.
“I know we never talk about where you came from,” Perry said. “But there’s dragon blood in you. And that blood means you won’t ever let go of what’s yours.”
Carter’s eyes widened. “What do you mean?”
“It’s secret,” Perry said. “But shifters can be injected with dragon blood, to varying effects. In your case, with two cat shifters injected, it created tiger offspring.”
Carter’s throat tightened as he nodded. It made sense but was still shocking.
“But that’s just between us,” Perry said. “I just wanted to let you know, because if you’re even a tiny bit a part of us, then you’ll know you can never let your treasure go once you’ve found it.”
Carter glanced at the door. “What if she doesn’t want me?”
“Then she was never yours,” Perry said. “But you better be damn sure that’s the case before you let her walk away.” Perry started to go and then turned back. “We aren’t like anyone else in the shifter world, Carter. The normal rules don’t apply to us.”
Then he was gone, shutting the office door behind him.
Carter just frowned and then stared at the door Amy had gone through. He did want to be with her. He didn’t think he could ever let her go.
But that didn’t matter if she didn’t want him. And right now, it appeared that was the case.
He let out a huff, closed off his heart, and went out to join her.
12
A few days later, Amy was trying to adjust to working next to Carter as only a partner and nothing more.
It wasn’t working at all.
She supposed it had been somewhat her fault. She’d known he would be sticking to his honorable nature no matter what. If she wanted to keep things going with him, it should have been her to make the move.
Yet when she’d asked him, “Is this it?,” and he’d so easily agreed to it, a part of her had been too broken to fight for it.
She knew it had been cowardly, but she’d been shocked by how quickly Carter had come to mean something to her. She’d never thought he’d be able to let go of her so easily.
Even if it was what she thought she’d always wanted.
She’d been sad when she’d learned what had happened to her parents but also relieved to finally know she was right all along.
But she also hadn’t been prepared for the whole thing with Carter to be over so soon. She’d wanted to have more time with him, and she supposed she’d cried for a while about that as well, weak as that was.
And now he was able to just work beside her like nothing had happened. She couldn’t believe he still wanted to be partners. He was the consummate professional, obviously.
Whereas she couldn’t forget his hot body, his sweet words. The way he’d let go when he was with her. The way he took total control of her body and gave her pleasure she could never have imagined.
She’d wanted him to take control of the bigger situation as well. Beg her to stay, not to go and do her duty and mate with a wolf.
But he’d instantly agreed. It hadn’t even been hard for him like it was for her.
She kept expecting him to say something. It sort of felt like they were playing some kind of chicken. She knew he had feelings for her. She’d even been trying to explore that when he’d said he didn’t have room for her or a relationship in his life anyway.
She didn’t know how much had been said out of hurt and how much was how he felt.
She tried to remember this was what she’d wanted from him all along. A hot fling and then for both of them to go their separate ways.
But the few days with him hadn’t been enough. She kept looking over at him at the oddest times and thinking, Mine. Which was impossible. They weren’t mated. The moments with him had been the most wonderful of her life, but the only way she could be mated was through an unprotected mating with a male wolf shifter.
Which Carter wasn’t.
So she couldn’t be with him anyway. Then why did she so badly want him to fight for her?
She shut her file in an overly harsh way, and Carter looked over at her. There was a deadened look in his green eyes these days, and she hated that she’d put it there.
But he’d put it there too by letting her go so easily.
Then again, she hadn’t fought for them as well. But her pride wouldn’t let her take it back.
Carter blinked and went back to what he’d been looking at on his computer, and she felt the cold sting of rejection.
Or was Carter the one feeling rejected since she’d made it clear from the start she had to be with a wolf?
“Hey, you okay?” a voice said, interrupting her thoughts.
She brushed hair off her face and looked up to see Trent, looking nicely put together as he stood against the wall by her desk. He was wearing a gray suit that looked good with his dark-blond hair. Like he’d dressed up a bit for the day.
“I’m okay,” she said, noticing Carter was trying not to look over at them and failing. Ha! So he did care.
“I was just wondering if you wanted to go out to lunch,” Trent said, looking between her and Carter warily. “I mean, I’ve noticed you’ve been working really hard lately. I thought it might be good for you to get out.”
She heard Carter snarl something under his breath but ignored it, giving Trent a polite smile. “I probably better kee
p working on this file through lunch.”
He pushed off the wall and put a hand on her desk. Carter leaned over between the gap in their monitors to glare at him. “Get lost,” he said.
“I don’t think you get to decide that,” Trent retorted, glaring back. “You’ve kept your partner slaving behind her desk for three straight days.”
Carter shrugged. “That was her choice. And she told you to get lost.”
Despite him framing it as being her choice, Amy could hear the possessive note in his voice, and she didn’t like it. Not when he’d already let her go.
“You know what, Trent? Lunch sounds awesome,” she said, and Trent lit up. “I’ll just go get my coat.”
She ignored Carter’s blank, angry stare as she stood and got ready. She waited for him to say something, but he didn’t. He merely sat back in his chair with a grumpy expression and folded his arms over his impressive chest.
His body still made her mouth water.
Perhaps Trent was right. She needed to get out of the office. She needed to start dating and try to forget a stubborn tiger who was never going to step up for her, because he didn’t think it was right.
And he always did what was right.
“I’ll be back in an hour,” she said with a wave, trying not to look in his disappointed green eyes. “Don’t work too hard without me.”
He merely grunted and went back to his papers.
So she went to Trent’s desk, and together, they walked out.
* * *
As soon as Amy left the room with Trent, Carter let out a curse under his breath.
Every muscle in his body was tight, wanting to fight, wanting to knock Trent into the wall for coming near his mate.
But that made no sense. She wasn’t his. She’d made that clear by accepting the invitation.
No, she’d made that clear by saying from the start they couldn’t be together long term and after her parents’ mystery was solved, she’d have to focus on her duty to mate with one of her kind.
She’d never once said she wanted to look at things differently.
So why had she looked at him when Trent asked her out? Why did it seem like she almost wanted him to go after Trent?
Well, he wouldn’t do it. He wouldn’t be the one to pressure her into breaking her commitment and have her hate him and be bitter about it for life.
And he wouldn’t drag her into a life as his partner and a cop forever, because that was dangerous and they could get blown up.
Rationally, she should be out with Trent. He was a wolf, and even if she was too good for him, they could at least talk about wolf society and maybe some guys that Amy could meet. She deserved full alpha, and he’d make sure and look into whoever she picked, make sure he was good enough for her and…
He sank his head into his hands. Hell, he was a fucking stalker.
Perry had been right about not being able to let go. He was trying to do the noble thing, but she was making it hard for him. Sitting next to him and being beautiful every damn day.
He stood up abruptly, taking his jacket with him. If she was going to be out with Trent, then he was going for a damn drink. He wasn’t going to deal with this sober.
He took a cab to a nearby bar and sat at a booth in a corner with a tray of several shots in front of him. He wasn’t usually a drinker, but this was one of those days that it made sense.
His phone buzzed in his pocket, and he lifted it to see it was one of the dragons.
Screw it. He didn’t want to talk to them now. Didn’t want to hear any assignment. Right now, he wished he wasn’t born a tiger. He wished he was born a wolf.
He downed the first of the shots just as the door to the bar swung open.
“There you are,” a deep voice said.
Carter looked up and was shocked to see Kel, his youngest brother, walking into the bar. Kel wore a winter coat over dark jeans. In his work as a bodyguard, he could dress basically any way he liked.
As usual, he had a bunch of pistachios in his pockets, and they rustled as he walked over to Carter’s table.
A waitress came to see if he wanted something, but he waved her away.
Carter offered him one of his shots, but Kel shook his head. Carter went to down it himself, and Kel caught his hand to stop him. He took the shot from him and set it down.
“This isn’t like you,” Kel said, sitting back in the booth with both hands in his pockets.
“Yeah, well, I’ve changed,” Carter said bitterly. “Women do that to you.”
“So there’s a woman, huh?” Kel asked, pulling a pistachio from his pocket and cracking it in half. “Do tell.”
Carter shrugged. “There was a woman.”
“Let me guess. Your partner,” Kel said.
Carter didn’t even nod, which spoke for itself.
Kel let out a breath and sank farther in the booth. Which was good, because it would draw even less attention. As a white tiger, Kel was an anomaly, and his human form showed that. He was even taller than Carter or Jace, just by a bit. But his shocking, white-blond hair, muscular build, and pale-blue eyes stood out anywhere he went.
“So where is she now?” Kel asked. “Let me guess. Out with someone else?”
“Yeah, how’d you know?” Carter asked, reaching for a shot and downing it before Kel could take it away.
“You know, you might not want to do that,” he said. “The dragons have an assignment for us. A pick-up.”
“I don’t care,” Carter said. “I need a break.”
Kel folded his arms. “Interesting. She fuck you up that bad?”
Carter nodded, then shook his head. “No, it’s my fault too.”
Kel sighed. “And I knew she must be out with someone because I can’t think what else would make you come in here and want to get drunk out of your mind. You’re always responsible.”
Carter gave him a bitter, drunk grin as he downed another shot. “That’s me!”
“How many have you had?” Kel asked, tilting his head and narrowing his eyes.
“A few,” Carter muttered. “Stupid tiger metabolism takes forever to get drunk.”
Kel waved the waitress away when she came to check on them. “Listen, dude,” he said. “Whatever’s going on between you two, it’s stupid. Just go after her and get her back.”
“That’s not what she wants,” Carter said.
“Hmph,” Kel said, smashing another pistachio and putting it in his mouth. “Sounds like you’re just too afraid to find out.”
“What?” Carter asked.
“Big bad Carter, afraid to ask a woman if she actually wants him,” Kel taunted.
Carter thought it over. Was that what truly scared him? Stepping up to fight for her and having her tell him he was stupid? That she’d made it clear from the start and he was an idiot for thinking things had changed?
“Well, you can think about that. Anyway, I gotta go take care of the dragon biz,” Kel said. “I just thought you might want to help since it’s someone you work with.”
“Who?” Carter said, his gaze snapping up in attention.
“Some dude named Trent. Rogue wolf.” Kel shook his head. “Apparently, his uncle was your chief, and he covered for him on a murder a while back. But he ordered a hit more recently. Not good.”
Carter’s stomach turned to ice. He suddenly regretted every drink as he stood abruptly. “Amy’s with him.” He pushed out of the booth and ran for the door, heart pounding in his chest.
“Hold up,” Kel said, grabbing him by the arm and dragging him to his truck. “We’ll take my ride.”
Carter could barely breathe, thinking about who Trent was and the fact that Amy was with him.
He got in Kel’s car, and Kel started it, making the engine roar.
“Do you know where he is?” Carter asked. “Do the dragons have tracking on him?”
“Yeah,” Kel said. “Now let’s go get your girl.”
Damn straight. And after this, Carter was never lettin
g her out of his sight. And she’d just have to be okay with that.
Any fear he’d had of her rejecting him had vanished under the crushing fear for her safety. He’d never let either of them feel this way again.
From now on, he was going to personally make sure she had everything she needed. And if she had anything to say against that, then he was going to keep fighting for her until she didn’t.
But first, he had to fight the man that had her.
13
Amy hated herself for getting in this predicament. She’d been so eager to get out of the precinct and make Carter jealous that she hadn’t even thought to suspect Trent was up to anything.
After all, he’d been fine in the past, and they’d already found who was after them, or thought they had.
But that had all gone to hell when they got to his car and he’d immediately proceeded to chloroform her.
He had to know as a full alpha female, she’d have been hard to capture otherwise.
So now here she was, tied up in his basement for reasons unknown.
Ugh, she hated herself for not just working things out with Carter. But every time she thought she would have more time to do something, things kept happening.
Awful things.
Her hands were bound behind her back, and she was lying on some sort of concrete in an unfinished basement.
She heard footsteps on the stairs and knew Trent was coming down to join her.
The door opened, and he stepped out from behind it. He wasn’t in a suit anymore, but a sweatshirt and jeans. He crouched in front of her and grabbed her shoulders to help her sit up against the wall. She struggled against him, cringing away from his touch as quickly as she could.
He grinned in amusement and stepped back to look at her, obvious pleasure in his eyes at her position, bound on the ground, compared to his, free and standing.
He smirked. “Glad you’re awake.”
“You didn’t have to drug me,” she said. “I agreed to lunch. Not that I would now…”
He laughed. “I don’t want to take you to lunch.” He crouched in front of her, looking into her eyes. “Oh, Amy. I want so much more.”
A Tiger's Treasure (Tiger Protectors Book 2) Page 11