Gina’s head tilted to the side. “I’m not entirely sure, but I think at times I have felt Her influence. Look at how you came into my care. I think it was fate or destiny, or whatever you want to call it, that brought us all into the same place at the right time.”
“Without you, I would already be dead, milady,” he agreed. “So maybe the Goddess did send you. And if so, I sincerely thank Her for Her intervention.”
Gina smiled and it was as if the sun had come out on a cloudy day. For a split second, Mitch thought he saw the sparkle of magic in the air and heard the divine notes of the Lady’s chimes in the distance, but it couldn’t be. Mitch was only a poor servant. He would never be so blessed. He wasn’t nearly devout enough for such fancifulness.
It was probably the poison still coursing through his system.
“You should lie down,” Gina instructed. “Dad will take care of security for now. I know it goes against your Alpha nature, but for the time being, you have to trust in him and his loyal helpers to see to your safety.” She smiled to soften her words and he gave in and scooted back on the bed as best he could while she adjusted the pillows and covers, tucking him in.
“I know when I’m beat. Right now, I’m about as weak as I’ve ever been,” he admitted. “I meant what I said before. If this kills me, I want you to feel no responsibility. You’ve done your best for me at every turn. Thank you, princess.” He caught her hand and pressed the back of it to his lips for a tender kiss. She stilled, looking down at him with a startled yet pleased expression on her lovely face.
He tugged on her hand and pulled her closer, but she halted just out of reach of his lips. How he wanted to kiss her, but his energy was beginning to fail. It didn’t feel quite as scary as before, so maybe he wasn’t going to die just yet, but if he did, he was at peace. He had met the white tiger and had known the gentle, healing touch of the princess. He could die a happy man.
The only thing that could make him even happier would be if Gina closed the distance between them and laid her soft lips against his. He wanted her touch, her kiss, her skin against his. He knew he wasn’t good enough for her, but that didn’t seem to matter to his inner cat, who wanted the tigress in her to submit to his dominance. Ill as he was, Mitch knew he wasn’t very dominant at the moment.
Gina stayed with him. She nursed him back to health as best she could. She gave of her own magical blood to heal his injured body. Surely she had the biggest heart of any being he had ever met. She was selfless in her care for him—a relative stranger.
She knew what he was. A Royal Guard. A golden tiger. An Alpha sworn to protect the shifter royalty. But she had yet to learn the deeper facets of his personality. She didn’t know who he was. She didn’t know him. The real him. Not really. But if he survived this ordeal, Mitch vowed to find some way that he could stay near her for the rest of his days.
He didn’t delude himself that he might be considered good enough by her kin to mate her, but even without that ultimate bond, Mitch felt drawn to her. Now that he knew of her existence, he would never leave her in this life. He would do his duty as a Royal Guard and protect the tiger princess with every breath left in his body. He would quit the Nyx’s employ and move to be near Gina, wherever she chose to go from here. From this day forward, she would never be unguarded again. It was his duty. His honor. He needed to keep her safe from all who might harm her.
He had never felt such a compelling desire to guard the Nyx, though being a Royal Guard was something he’d trained for almost his entire life. He would die for the Nyx. It was his duty. But the need to take care of Gina was even stronger.
Acknowledging that soul-deep truth, Mitch allowed himself to relax and close his eyes. Sleep claimed him, but not before he felt the touch of Gina’s lips on his forehead. A gentle benediction to help him sleep. He had never known before that such a small, gentle touch could mean so much.
Chapter Three
The next time Mitch woke, he was much more clear-headed. He looked around for clues about how long he had been asleep but found it hard to feel the passage of time. He knew he had been out of it for a long time though, by the stiffness of his muscles. Or maybe it was the poison that made him so achy? He wasn’t really sure.
There were a few small windows in the cabin and all had curtains drawn over them. No light leaked around the fabric, so Mitch assumed it was dark out. Night time.
He raised his head and looked all around the cabin, but Gina was nowhere to be found. That worried him into sitting up. Where could she be? He didn’t think she would have left him alone, unconscious and unprotected.
Then he heard the unmistakable sound of claws against the door handle as it turned from the outside. The door opened just enough to admit a sparkling white tiger. A female.
Gina.
Mitch’s breath caught at her beauty. She was gorgeous in feline form, and her striped white fur crackled with magical energy in the dark. A few flakes of snow followed her inside, swirling around her sleek, powerful body as she padded in on silent paws and then turned to secure the door before moving farther into the room.
Mitch felt the chill of the outdoors, but only in a peripheral way. All his attention was on Gina and the amazing picture she presented. She was ethereal. Her glowing coat spoke of the magic of other realms. Goddess-touched.
Mitch felt like dropping to one knee in deference, but he was still prone and the aches in his body told him he wouldn’t be able to move without considerable pain and possible further embarrassment. He’d tried to kneel to Gina’s dad and had failed miserably in the attempt. He didn’t want to make a fool of himself a second time. Still, Gina inspired worship without even trying.
She nodded her regal head at him when she turned around and realized he was awake and then loped off behind a curtain that partitioned one side of the room. He heard the rustling of fabric and a moment later, Gina stepped out from behind the curtain in human form, dressed in a dark T-shirt and jeans. She was just as beautiful in her human guise as in her fur.
“Have you been awake long?” she asked, coming closer.
“Just a few minutes. What time is it?”
“After midnight. I’m sorry I had to go out. Dad wouldn’t take no for an answer. He knew how badly I needed a run and he had the Millers guarding you for the short while I was away. I knew you were out of the woods and sleeping normally. You’ve been asleep all day.”
“Sorry. I feel more alert now, but I ache all over.” He didn’t like admitting to his own weakness, but she was his doctor as well as the tiger princess. He had to give her the truth at all times. “Do you know where my phone is?”
“I think Cade might have it. I know there was some worry over the fact that it had been lost during the fight. If it’s okay with my dad, I can get you a spare. Dad keeps pre-paid burn phones available for emergencies up at the house, even though I’m usually on communications lockdown when I’m here. He won’t even let me call Ellie most of the time. He’s pretty obsessive about maintaining security here.”
She shrugged and sat at his side, perching on the bed while she ran the back of her hand over his brow to test his temperature. She then felt for the pulse at his wrist and looked into his eyes. The doctor was checking on her patient first and foremost, and Mitch enjoyed her gentle fussing.
“I guess it’s too late to call anyone right now. And I’m not sure what good it would do anyway.”
“And there’s the tricky question of saying where you are exactly. We can’t compromise my parents’ location. I hope you understand.”
“Honey, I’m a Royal Guard.” He saw the disappointment in her gaze and was quick to reassure her. “That means I guard our monarchs, no matter what. Your dad is still the Tig’Ra, no matter how much your uncle claims to rule in his place. And you’re the tiger princess. I could no more put you in danger than the Nyx. If your dad wants to stay hidden—if you want to stay hidden—then who am I to question the will of the Goddess-blessed white tiger?”
> A smile bloomed over her face and he was glad he had put it there. And then she blushed a bit, charming him even more. “You know, I wasn’t raised with all that. I’m just Gina. I’m not a princess, no matter how many times you call me that.”
Mitch bowed his head slightly in acknowledgment. He’d humor her wishes, but she would always be royalty to him—and to every other tigre d’or—no matter if she acknowledged it or not.
“I bow to your will, milady,” he murmured with a grin, knowing she’d take his words as teasing, even though he truly meant them. He would follow her direction for the rest of his life, if she let him. And that brought up another thought…
“Gina,” he began hesitantly. When she looked at him expectantly, he found the courage to continue. Never had he felt so timid before, but his future was riding on the next few moments. “I intend to resign from the Nyx’s service. If she still lives.” He looked away, ashamed of his weakness. He hadn’t succeeded in his job and he would live with the stain on his honor for the rest of his life.
“Why?” Gina interrupted his depressing thoughts. “You’re a Royal Guard. What else would you do?”
“I’m not sure,” he stalled, needing to find the right way to put forward his deepest desire. “But I know I’ve failed the Nyx and I will bear the shame of that failure. Her enemies know who I am now. Or, at least, they know my face. I cannot go back to her service, or those enemies might trace her through me. I’m a liability.” He acknowledged the grim truth at last. The life and job he had known were both over.
“They probably think you’re dead. Even an Alpha as strong as you are couldn’t have lived through that poison.”
“Not without divine intervention,” he agreed. “And it’s probably for the best if I stay dead to the Nyx’s enemies.”
“Then what will you do? Is there family you can return to?” She cringed. “I’m sorry. I remember you saying there was no one,” she apologized softly, seeming sad for reminding him of his lone state.
Tigers prowled alone sometimes, but family was everything. For Mitch, the Clan had been his family after his parents died, but he’d found friends and family of a sort among the panthers. Cade was like a brother to him, but he wasn’t a tiger, and sometimes their differences stood between them.
“I may be no good to the Nyx, but I still have my uses. I intend to offer my services to your family—to you in particular, princess—if you will have me.”
There it was. He’d laid his soul on the line. If she rejected him, he truly didn’t know what he would do.
And maybe she saw some of that desperation in his gaze, because she didn’t laugh at his offer or turn him down out of hand. She stood and paced, her expression tight with worry and…fear? His little princess was afraid and Mitch couldn’t imagine of what. Not of him, surely?
Perhaps it was the fear of facing who—and what—she truly was? That made sense to him, though it was painful to watch. For the few days he’d known Gina, she’d been confident, funny, strong and gentle. All qualities he associated with the strength of character he expected of a royal bloodline. Ria, the Nyx, was very much the same, if a bit younger than Gina.
Mitch truly liked Ria and had enjoyed serving her and keeping her safe. She was a good leader to her people and a benevolent ruler who kept her people’s welfare above her own. He would miss her.
But to see such worry and uncertainty on a royal face was something Mitch wasn’t used to. He had trained among other shifter royalty and each had carried themselves with surety and strength, even in private. None had doubted themselves as Gina seemed to—or feared their true selves.
King Frederick had done his daughter no favors by raising her in isolation. If she accepted Mitch as part of her Guard, he would do his utmost to help her realize her own strengths and become the princess she truly was. Subtly, of course. Mitch wouldn’t chastise her. He would guide and help. He would be her right-hand man, if she let him. He would be there for her when she needed him.
It was all he could do. Guard her and keep her safe. She was precious to him.
If things had been different and she wasn’t the tiger princess, he would have done his best to make her his own. Mate with her for life. Protect her and love her and sire cubs with her.
But that wasn’t meant to be. She wasn’t for him. She was above him in all ways, and Mitch, an orphan golden tiger—albeit an Alpha Royal Guard—knew his place.
Finally, she stopped pacing and turned her worried gaze to him. “Is that what you really want?”
Mitch sighed. When had a royal ever asked him what he wanted? Not often, that was for sure. Gina was only reinforcing Mitch’s high opinion of her. If she would return to the Clan and take her rightful place, all tigers would be blessed by her wisdom.
Again, he bowed his head to her. She was more like the monarch she had been born to be every time he looked at her.
“I miss the company of other tigers,” he answered evasively, but truthfully.
“It must be hard on you, serving among pantera,” she commiserated.
Surprise made him look up at her. “Not that hard, milady.” He had to smile, thinking about the life he had led up to now. “Cade is my best friend. He might be a panther, but he’s one of the most steadfast men and talented warriors I know. I will miss him, but he is sworn to his Nyx and I am useless to her now. The pantera are good people of strong convictions. They welcomed me as one of their own, even though we wear different fur.”
“My father tells me it is a rare thing for the secretive pantera noir to accept any outsider into their ranks, much less allowing one to guard their monarch. Dad was impressed.” Gina smiled and walked a step closer, her expression softening.
“Cade and I met when we were both in training. We were well-matched and usually ended up sparring together. We became friends, and when he realized I had no close family, he sort of adopted me.” Mitch shrugged.
The way he had been welcomed by Cade and his family still made Mitch feel sentimental, but he strove not to let it show too much. Cade was his brother in every way but blood, and always would be. Some bonds could never be broken.
“I’m glad. And not just for you. I think your friend Cade may have designs on my best friend, Ellie.” Gina smiled as she sat on the chair by his bedside. “Please tell me he’s not a tomcat chasing everything in a skirt.”
“Cade?” Mitch had to laugh at the description. Sure, Cade didn’t lack for female companionship, but he’d never shown an interest in a human to Mitch’s knowledge. If he was showing signs of courting Ellie, it had to be serious. “Are you sure?”
“Oh, yeah. A woman knows the signs. And I’ve never seen Ellie so worked up over a guy. If they don’t get together, I’ll be truly amazed.”
Mitch was floored by the idea of Cade hooking up with a human. “I hope your friend is strong enough for him. Cade is more Alpha than most.”
Gina laughed. “If I were you, I’d be more worried about Cade. Ellie may be human, but she’s as fierce as any tigress. Even my parents love her. She’d have been adopted into our familial Pride long ago if things were different.”
“If she weren’t human, you mean?” Mitch asked, tilting his head.
“No. Dad’s never had a problem recruiting allies even among humans,” Gina answered in a more subdued tone. “I meant, if dad wasn’t in hiding, he’d have granted her official status in the Pride when we were kids. For my sake, if for no other reason. But Ellie has proved herself over and over. She would have—should have—been let in on the secret a long time ago, except for dad’s need for secrecy.” Gina frowned. “I haven’t liked lying to her all these years. And I really don’t know if she’s ever going to forgive me.”
Mitch reached out and took Gina’s hand. He couldn’t help himself. Gina looked so forlorn.
“She’ll understand. How could she not forgive you if you’re as close as you say?” He tried to coax a smile out of her, but Gina wouldn’t be swayed out of her concern. “If anyone
can make her understand about shifters and our need to keep our secrets, it’s Cade. He’s pantera noir, after all. Ninja of the shifter world. They don’t come more secretive than the noir.”
Gina sighed. “I guess you’re right. I mean, I hope you’re right. I just worry. She’s like my little misguided, innocent sister. There’s so much she doesn’t know about.”
“Cade will teach her. And he’ll look out for her. There’s nobody better at what he does than Cade.” He stroked the back of her hand with his thumb. It was a small gesture, but she seemed to take comfort from it, so he continued. “But you’re avoiding my question. Will you let me stay and be your Guard?”
Gina met his gaze, the worry creeping back into her eyes. “If you ask my dad, he’ll say yes. He’s been after me to accept more protection for years.” She squeezed his hand and then pulled her fingers free of his. “Let me think about it, Mitch. After all that’s happened, I’d like to see how things settle out with the Nyx before I make any decisions. As of right now, I don’t even know if I’m going back to the city after this is all over. I might be stuck here for a while. Maybe even permanently if Dad has his way.” She rolled her eyes a bit in frustration as she shook her head slightly. Living in secret her whole life couldn’t have been easy for such an outgoing spirit.
“No matter where you go, I’ll follow and protect, Gina. If you let me.” His voice dipped low. “Please let me.”
Their eyes met and held, the silence between them charged.
But she was saved from answering by the loud knock on the cabin door. They had a visitor, and visitors this late at night couldn’t mean anything good. Mitch jerked upright, willing the room not to spin. He was still too damned weak, but at least he was feeling stronger than he had before, even if his head spun.
“That’s not your dad,” Mitch whispered, pretty sure the soft knock wasn’t the Alpha of all Alphas.
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