Without thinking, she reached across the gap and laid her hand on his lap. It’s what their kind did when someone hurt. Touch gave them comfort. Her fingers brushed against the back of his hand, and unexpected electricity shot through her. “No!” Tears welled in her eyes with the knowledge of what that meant. Oh, shit—it can’t be!
Chapter Two
Electricity coursed through Felix, stealing his breath and all intelligent thought. Could this truly be happening? How could fate mate him with the woman his twin tortured? He would constantly serve as a reminder of her past—a reminder of the hell that she went through to regain her freedom.
How did he not see this week’s ago when Bethany healed Harmony’s leg? After all, he held her down—his hands were clasped around her ankles…no skin-to-skin contact. Damn, that’s how he missed it. For the mating to start, it had to be triggered from skin contact.
He opened the SUV’s door, putting one foot on the running board. “Come on.” He stepped out, shut the door and moved to the front of SUV, leaving her to join him or stay in the car. At that moment, he wasn’t sure what he’d prefer her to do…all he knew was that he couldn’t believe his luck. It ate at him that the mate he knew he’d find one day was so distraught by his features. If it was something he could change, he would have, but this was beyond his scope of modification.
Now he knew why he was drawn to her, it was because she was his mate. Even without touching her, his tiger was able to sense it in her. His tiger’s eagerness toward her and the way he was drawn to her like a bug to a light should have warned him.
He should have known and ran for the hills. To leave the clan at least for a time, away from Harmony would have been better for her then being mated with him. They could have been brought together in another time and place and maybe things would have worked for them. Here and now, what hope did they have for a happy mating? They’d be forced together, neither of them able to deny the mating once the painful desire kicked in.
He looked out over the valley, the trees full of green and life again after a long winters rest. From the hillside he realized just how small he was in the whole scheme of things. Even after years in Alaska, he never got used to the beauty of the land, there was always something to cherish. This was his home, the land he’d fight for, just as he would for his clan.
Harmony came to stand next to him. “You can’t just pretend that didn’t happen. It’s not just going to go away.”
“I know that, but, damn it, what am I supposed to do? This isn’t the mating I expected. We both know I can’t just push you up against the side of the SUV and claim you as mine.”
“What are we going to do?” She leaned against the bumper.
That was the million-dollar question. Did he have any hope of winning over the woman his brother served to alienate? “What do you want to do about it?” He turned enough toward her to watch the emotions play over her face. It was a rainbow of emotions from anger to disappointment, finally settling on sadness. He could see it glistening in her eyes, but still she remained silent, having no more answers then he did.
Just watching her, her long ruby-red hair flying around her face from the wind, he wanted to pull her against his body, run his hand through her hair until she was close enough to press his lips to hers. “There’s no reason to deny it. I can see your anger and sadness over this mating, but I don’t know how to change this. When Taber and Thorben first mated with Kallie, they looked to see if there was a way out of it—there isn’t. So it doesn’t leave us with many options.”
“I won’t deny it, you’re not my first choice for a mate. Damn it, if I’m to have a mate now while there’s this threat of Henry looming, I want a mate that I can cuddle next to at night and know I’m protected. Not fear every bump and noise of the night.”
He spun around on her, his body inches from the front of her forcing her back against the SUV. “Don’t stand there and imply that I’ve done anything but protect you since you’ve arrive at the clan. Robin and I have done everything we could to make you feel safe here. To imply otherwise does a huge disservice to not only me but to Robin. She’s been dividing her time between Adam and you and has been driving herself to exhaustion.”
“I didn’t mean…”
“If Robin isn’t there with you, she’s working with Connor going over leads trying to find something that hints to where Henry is. That woman is doing more for you than is expected, after all she’s human. She’s mated to a shifter, but that doesn’t change that she still needs sleep, food, and can still occasionally become ill. She has put her own needs aside so she could see that Henry was no longer a threat to you.” He laid a hand on either side of her on the SUV. “She’s even the one that’s stays on top of the Elders to make sure that Henry is dealt with before they go deal with the Texas clan. She’s risking a lot for you and how do you repay her? By standing here implying you’re alone with no one to protect you.”
“Damn it, if you’d let me finish.”
“Go ahead.” He took his hands from the hood and stepped back.
“I didn’t mean to imply that. I only meant…” She threw her hand up in the air. “Oh never mind, you wouldn’t understand.”
“You’re right I don’t, not completely, but try me. What can it hurt?”
“I’ve always been reserved, never the go-getter of the clan. I realize and accept I’m a weaker shifter then a lot of the clan members, but I don’t go looking for fights. Even living with the Ohio clan, I spent most of my time alone. I don’t understand clan living and being surrounded by people. To have one person that I can rely on, his loyalty to me above all, and who can help me though this world would be a blessing.” She stepped away from the SUV moving forward to look out over the hillside. “Robin has her mate and the clan. Not to mention Tex that she’s helping with his abuse under the Texas Alpha. As you said, I’m making her sick because I need her too much. I’m just tired of being alone. You—well you have Tabitha and your duties. Other than that, who do I have? I’m alone and downright scared.”
He stepped up behind her, laying his hand on her shoulder to guide her around to look at him. “We can’t do anything about this mating—nor can I change my face or who I am—but I can be what you need. Harmony, I’ve been protecting you since you’ve came to the clan, that’s not going to change. On the same hand neither will my duties to the clan. I’ve worked too hard to be where I am to give it all up, and I wouldn’t want to be just a clan member again. I can’t go from being in the action to living the life of a member again. Given a chance, we could find a balance and work through it.”
“I don’t know if I can or how it will ever work.”
“That you’ll need to think about. In the meantime, how about I help you with protection? You might not be able to stand up to stronger shifters physically, but there’s always an equalizer.” He put his hand on the butt of the gun sticking from his shoulder holster. “A gun will make the playing fields more equal for you and give you a chance to get away.”
“I’ve never shot a gun before. I don’t know if I could kill someone.”
“Anyone will tell you that you should never point a gun at anyone that you’re not willing to kill, but when it comes to shifters, only a shot through the heart or in the head will kill us. A gun will give you a chance to get away.” He ran his finger across her shoulder. “Don’t get me wrong—I believe you’re safe on the compound, but it could give you a piece of mind. I will teach you how to shoot if you’re interested.”
“I’ll learn, but I don’t know if I can shoot someone.” Even through the reservation in her voice there was a hint of excitement about learning to protect herself.
“Learning is the first step. We’ll conquer your reservations next.” He pulled the gun from his holster. Using his thumb, he ejected the magazine and shoved it in his pocket. “When you take ahold of the gun, it’s your gun and no one should be able to take it away from you. You hold it tight, but not tight enough that you can b
reak the handle or that your muscles strain under the pressure.”
He pulled back the top of the gun showing her it was empty. “There’s no bullets in it now with the magazine out. You have no chance of shooting anything. I want you to hold it just like I was, just to get a feel of it.”
“Okay.” She took the gun from his hand, doing her best to copy his moves. Holding it out before her like it might bite her.
“Now with your right hand, cup the grip with your palm, making sure there’s no air pockets.” He nodded, watching as she did it. “Pretty good. I’m just going to adjust your hands. Think of it as loaded and remember to keep your fingers off the trigger until you’re ready to shoot.” He curled his hand around her left one, forcing her fingers around the gun to lie on top of the right hand fingers. “Keep your hands together because they will give you stability.
“Now lay that thumb on top of the other. This gun doesn’t have an external safety. It has an extra-long trigger that acts as your safety. On guns with a safety, your top right thumb will be used to take off the safety. Just holding it, how does it feel?” He removed his hands from hers, but still stayed close, his chest brushing against her arm.
“Dangerous.” She let a nervous laugh.
“Good, you never want to forget that. Even shooting a shifter somewhere they can heal, it will serve to piss them off, so you need to get away before they can heal it. But it will give you a way to protect yourself. To have it in the back of your mind that you can protect yourself if anything happens, does that not outweigh your fears of the gun?”
“Somewhat.”
“Very well. Wait here.” He stepped back from her, walking the couple steps back to the SUV.
“What are you doing?” She turned to him, holding the gun at the ground.
“Getting you a target, we’ll do some target practice up here.” He pulled out a sheet of paper with a large red bull’s eye from the back, along with a box of bullets.
“Here?” She asked looking around at the area.
“It’s private property, why not?” He walked past her to the post just before the trees and stapled the target to it.
“Private property? Are we trespassing?” Fear creeping back into her voice.
He came to stand beside her, taking the gun from her and sliding the magazine back into it. “No, the clan owns it. Look below us…that’s the compound. All I did was bring you around the back of it where the steep mountainside behind the creek is. If we could jump down and live, you’d find yourself almost in the same spot I found you by the creek.”
He held the gun in his hand to keep him from wrapping his arm around her waist. “This is one of my favorite stops when I get some down time. It’s beautiful to stand here and see the home I’ve worked so hard to protect. Now come on, let’s see how you do.”
He could feel her pulse speed. “I don’t know.”
“Nerves are good, but just try it once.” He held the gun out to her. “It’s loaded, so remember to keep your finger off the trigger until you’re ready to shoot. All I want you to do is take it into your hands again. Once you have the position again, we’ll go from there.”
She took the gun from him, careful to avoid the trigger area. Wrapping her hands around it, she took a deep breath. “Is this right?”
“Almost.” He adjusted her hand, moving her fingers slightly. “Remember, no air pockets around the handle.”
She turned enough to look at him but kept the gun pointed straight ahead at the target. “What if I shoot someone and get brought up on murder charges?”
“That’s not going to happen. You’re not going to kill someone that isn’t trying to harm you. If you do it with witnesses that aren’t shifters, they’ll see you were defending yourself and no charges will be brought against you. Alaska has a Stand Your Ground law, but none of this matters. We deal with those issues, the bodies and everything. The important thing is to protect yourself.” He slid his hand around her waist.
“But what if…”
“Harmony, you’re worrying for nothing. You won’t do it to someone who isn’t trying to kill you. Right now, all I want you to do is shoot it here for target practice. There’s no way you’re going to hurt anyone right now. If you decide you’re willing to keep a gun on you, we’ll face that next.” When she continued to stare at him, he added. “My view has always been ‘it’s better to be judged by twelve than carried by six,’ but it will have to be your choice. Just try shooting the gun, and we’ll deal with all the other stuff later.”
She nodded, turning back to the target and positioning her hands as they were before. “Let’s do this.”
Her nerves teased along the edges of his skin, creating goosebumps. The point of teaching her to shoot and carry a gun was for her protection and to make her feel more ease, but it would only work if she was comfortable with the gun. He wouldn’t force her to carry a weapon that she wasn’t comfortable with. It would only increase the chances of it being used against her. “Okay, look down the length of the gun. Those three dots you see are your sights. You’ll look down between these two and aim the one single dot over where you want the bullet to go. In this case, you’ll aim it so it’s over the bull’s eye. Look between the first two dots, not over them, and down at the last to the target. There should be equal amount of light on each side of your third sight.”
“Okay, I have it centered over the target, now what?” Her arms shook slightly with nerves.
“Take a deep breath and gently squeeze the trigger when you’re ready.” He stood next to her, careful not to touch her so not to spoil her concentration.
The bang of the bullet exiting the chamber cut through the silence, filling the air with the smell of gunpowder, and Harmony let out a surprised squeal. “It’s okay, you’re fine.”
She lowered the weapon toward the ground. “I’m sorry. I didn’t expect that.”
Caressing the small of her back, he nodded. “The first time it can be scary, but look—you shot just to the right of the bullseye. That’s amazing for your first shot. See if you can do it again.”
With each shot, she became more at ease with the weapon in her hand and liberated. He watched as her nerves and fears over the gun were replaced by the liberation of being about to protect herself. She’d no longer have to feel being at someone’s mercy again, and that made him feel good. This was one step to overcoming the wall that Henry erected between them.
Chapter Three
Harmony lounged on the bed, glaring at the gun that sat on the bedside table. Somehow she let Felix talk her into taking a gun back to her room. Target practice went better than she could have expected. She was actually a pretty good shot for never holding a gun before and most of her nerves died away with practice. Yet there was still something tingling inside her that made her hesitate, a gun was nothing to mess with. Felix assured her that with more practice she’d be completely comfortable with the gun and had promised to take her out shooting as often as she wanted.
A knock at her door pulled her thoughts away from the gun and Felix. Rolling over onto her back, she sniffed the air to find out who was at her door without getting up. “Come in.”
Robin entered, her thin frame looking even slimmer than normal, and the light circles under her eyes screamed to anyone looking that Robin wasn’t sleeping enough. Felix’s words rang in Harmony’s mind again. Robin was doing too much. She needed to focus on her mate not on Harmony’s problems. Her blue jeans and short-sleeved blouse looked comfortable and ready for anything, but the heels are what caught Harmony’s attention. It had been months since she’d worn heels, she missed the way her legs looked in them. Maybe she could order a few things online to spice up her wardrobe.
“Sorry I didn’t get to come by yesterday, I was feeling ill. I heard Felix took you out for a drive.” Robin strolled closer to the bed.
“Yesterday was an eye-opening day. I wanted to talk to you about something.” She moved her legs so that Robin could sit on the bed. “Feli
x told me you’re spending extra time with Connor going through everything that they find. You’re doing too much, and you’re making yourself sick and for what? We’ll eventually find Henry.”
“You sound too much like Adam for my tastes today.” Robin dragged her hand through her curly long brown hair. “That’s a big change from two days ago. You were dying for someone to find him—you even threatened to go out and start looking for him yourself. What brought this on?”
“Yesterday with Felix, being outside of the compound, it’s just what I needed. I’ve been here weeks now, and it’s time I start living again.” She moved close enough so she could lay her hand over Robin’s. “Henry is not only a threat to me and this clan but to everyone. I’m not saying that we should give up the search, but I want you to back off a little. You’re freshly mated. You should be enjoying your mate not wrapped up in my issues.”
“How can I be otherwise when I feel your pain when you speak of him?” Robin pushed off the bed, closing the small space between the bed and window she gazed outside. “I’ve seen what he did to you, how can I not do something?”
“You’ve what?” Anger, sadness, and a mixture of other emotions raced through Harmony. She never wanted anyone to know the shit she went through with Henry. They were her dark secrets, to know someone else knew it was embarrassing.
“These visions come to me in dreams, yet I know without a doubt they are real. They’re your memories.” Robin turned back to Harmony, sadness in her eyes. “I’ve only spoken to Adam about it. I couldn’t keep it from my mate, he knew something was wrong when I woke in a cold sweat. It’s hard to hide anything from your mate when they can feel your emotions. He believes this connection between us is giving me your dreams, and he wanted to talk to Ty about it to be certain. Ty being Alpha of the clan and having the same connection to his people that I share with you might give us some insight on this. He might know of a way for me to block them.”
Trusting A Tiger (Alaskan Tigers) Page 2