Running With The Tiger

by Bonnie Burrows

  “I don’t know.” Cambria admitted, head hung low in shame.

  “And what if his brother, Egan, has taken a mate? What if they’ve taken several? We can’t risk the damage that this family can cause. If they’re allowed to get away with breaking the laws, what’s next?”

  “I understand, and I’m sorry. I shouldn’t question you.”

  “Of course you should. We can’t grow as a movement if every member is a mindless drone who can’t think on their own.” He smiled at her reassuringly.

  “I want to help.”

  “You can help by being ready when I call on you. We may still need to do what we talked about last night, but we won’t know until it needs to happen. So be ready for that, and understand that your role in all this is just as important as mine.”

  Cambria smiled shyly. She didn’t believe that, but his words made her feel good just the same. She realized that he didn’t know about her running the test that morning and all at once, she was bursting to share the news.

  “I passed.”

  “Passed what, dear?”

  “I passed the challenge course. I got the fastest time ever.” She was almost giddy with excitement, and Laskin’s lackluster response was a blow to her ego.

  “As many times as you’ve attempted it, you should be able to run it in your sleep.”

  His words crushed her, but she didn’t let on. He was only being honest and he was right. She was proud to have completed the course, but the amount of times she’d failed was embarrassing to say the least.

  “At any rate, I’m glad you finally passed. That means I can give you this.” He reached into pocket and pulled out a key, unlocking a drawer in his desk and pulling out a box. “I ordered it for you before you took your first test. I had meant it to be your nineteenth birthday present, but now is as good a time as any.”

  He slid the box across the desk and Cambria carefully opened it, staring in awe at the brand new Glock with a matte black finish.

  Cambria set the box back on the desk and ran around to give Laskin a hug.

  “Thank you so much!” She was excited. So much effort was put into proving that she was just as good as the men and it was nice to be treated like just one of the guys.

  “You’ve earned it.”

  Her set her away from him, regarding her with a strange look on his face. She felt a little uneasy, but she reminded herself that the scar that took up so much of his face prevented his expressions from looking normal. Her unease was more than likely from the effect and not the man himself.

  At least that’s what she always told herself.

  “Remember, Cambria. You may not always understand what I’m doing, but I have our best interests in mind. You have to trust me or this movement is doomed. Do you understand?”

  Cambria nodded. She gave Laskin one more boisterous hug before she grabbed her gift and headed for her room. There was a lot to do before rounds tonight.

  CHAPTER FOUR

  After dinner that evening, Cambria tapped gently on the door, waiting patiently for Tom to open the door to his room. As a recruit trainer, he was afforded his own bedroom in the main house, as were Cambria and Gary. Cambria had never been in Tom’s room before, and when he answered, he stood in the doorway and blocked her view of the room behind him.

  “Yes?” he asked. His tone was almost cold, and Cambria wondered if she had misjudged their relationship.

  “Maybe this is a bad time, I’m sorry.”

  “No, it’s okay. I was just dealing with something.” He flashed her a brilliant smile and pointed to the box in her hands. “What’s that you’ve got there?”

  “I got a new handgun, and I was wondering if you could show me how to use it. It’s a little different than the .357 I learned on.”

  Tom lifted the gun out of the box and whistled softly between his teeth.

  “Now, that’s a beauty. Where did you get this?”

  Cambria hesitated, questioning whether she should tell Tom that or not. Laskin had never asked her to keep anything secret from the others, but she didn’t think what went on behind closed doors was meant to be shared with the others. He had even sent Gary from the room before presenting it to her, so it was likely that he would want her to keep it to herself.

  “Does it matter?” She mentally slapped her forehead. Of all of the noncommittal blow offs she could have used, she picked the most off-putting one. “I’m sorry, I didn’t mean it like that. I just need help and I was hoping you could help me.”

  Cambria started stammering. She was embarrassed the entire exchange and turned quickly to go back to her room. She could figure the gun out for herself. If she was being honest, it was just a thinly veiled excuse to see Tom, and he obviously wasn’t that interested in seeing her.

  She was almost to her room when she felt a hand on her shoulder. He spun her around steps from her door, pushing her against the door and kissing her violently. He reached behind her, still kissing her as he opened the door and shoved her into her room.

  Tom closed the door behind himself and locked it. Cambria set the box down on the dresser a split second before Tom grabbed her, all but throwing her on the bed and falling in after her.

  He shoved her shirt over her head, his mouth rabid on her body. Tom’s hands covered every inch of her bare flesh, squeezing and rubbing while he watched her body respond to his touch.

  Cambria’s excitement grew, and she was finding it hard to think straight. He was on top of her, straddling her hips and raking the pads of his fingers over her body with wild abandon.

  She reached up to touch his face and he leaned into her hand. He gently kissed her palm, stopping for a moment to breathe the sweet scent of her peppermint soap on her skin before leaning down and nipping her throat.

  A soft moan escaped her lips as he trailed kisses down her neck, between her breast and continuing down her flat stomach. A chill tore through her like lightning, and she felt Tom chuckle into her skin.

  “You like that, huh?” he asked with a knowing smirk on his face.

  “Yes,” she managed, though her mouth had gone dry.

  He wrapped his arms around her and rolled, pulling her with him. With her hovering over him, his hands were free to explore her body further. Tom reached behind her, unclasping her bra and letting the thin fabric slide down her arms before casting it aside and onto the floor.

  Cupping her breast as the hung inches from his face, he kneaded and squeezed them roughly. Cambria’s body responded, her nipples forming hard points under his attentions, even as she bit her lip to keep from crying out.

  Tom was still fully clothed beneath her, and she reached down to pull his shirt from his waistband, but he pushed her hands away. He went for the snap on her jeans, unsnapping them and pushing the zipper down. He left her jeans up, shoving his hand into the small space between her panties and the bottom of her zipper.

  He touched her through the thin fabric, smiling at her when he found her heat. She was very wet.

  “You’re ready for this, aren’t you?” he asked.

  She nodded, biting her lip as his hand explored the small space and touched her in ways that no man had ever touched her before.

  “Take your pants off,” he ordered, removing his hand from her pants and pushing her towards the edge of the bed by her hips.

  She did as he said, though she felt self-conscious under his gaze. He watched her unabashedly as she dropped her pants to the floor and stepped out of them.

  “Panties too.”

  Cambria didn’t know why she blushed, but she did, stepping out of the thin fabric and leaving them to fall in a puddle on the floor.

  While she undressed, Tom unzipped his own pants from where he lay on her bed, shoving them down just enough to expose his rigid member. Cambria’s eyes widened and Tom’s smile was one of self-satisfaction. She was surprised when he donned a condom, but she didn’t question why he had it.

  She would be lying to herself if she said she wasn’t secre
tly hoping to make love to him when she’d first knocked on his door. At least one of them had been prepared.

  He motioned to her to come to him, grabbing her wrist and pulling her towards him. She moved to straddle him and he grasped her breasts roughly again, pinching her hard nipples between his fingers before releasing them and moving his large hands over her body and onto her hips.

  Tom dug his fingers into the flesh of her backside, pulling her onto him before sliding into her heat. She moaned, her face pinched slightly as her body stretched around him. He threw his head back, eyes closed.

  She was tight and hot, and she felt wonderful around him. He began to move beneath her, holding her hips and matching her movement to his. She sank down further onto him before leaning forward to rest her hands on either side of his head.

  He lifted his head slightly, catching one nipple in his mouth and sucking hard. He let his head fall back onto the pillow, but he didn’t release her. She leaned even closer to him, angling herself to accommodate him.

  He thrust deeper inside her, letting go of her hips with both hands at once and slapping both of her ass cheeks hard as she continued rocking with him. Her body was on fire, simultaneously screaming for him to stop and never to stop.

  The sound of his hands repeatedly making contact with her tight ass filled the room. He released her breast, holding her nipple until the last possible moment.

  “The other one,” he ordered, and Cambria shifted herself to offer her other breast for his attentions.

  His hands continued to punish her backside as his thrusts got quicker and deeper, alternately pinching and slapping, sometimes rubbing tenderly for a moment before he grabbed her to give himself leverage beneath her.

  Cambria’s head was spinning, her heartbeat pounding loudly in her ears. Tom’s hands roamed up her back until her found her thick curls. He threaded his fingers into her hair and pulled her closer.

  All at once, he released her from his mouth, burying his face in her neck and holding onto her hair roughly. He thrust into her roughly and quickly, biting down on her shoulder when his orgasm overtook him.

  She felt the heat of him through the thin material and held on as he took his pleasure from her body.

  She could tell the moment that the passion consumed and then released him. His hands slowly released her hair and his thrusting slowed until he stopped altogether.

  Cambria’s body was begging for more, and she flexed herself around him. He smiled at her.

  “That was great. Your turn.”

  Cambria was relieved. She was starting to think that Tom was a selfish lover.

  He remained inside her, sliding his hand down the front of her and reaching between her legs to find the tiny nub nestled in the folds of her heat.

  He stroked roughly, the sensation growing in her rapidly as her body trembled around him. Moving his fingers expertly, he worked her into a frenzy until the tension built so forcefully that her orgasm surprised her. She threw her head back, stifling her screams of pleasure as he worked her ceaselessly.

  She tried to move away from his touch, but he held her with his free hand, locking her in place and forcing her to endure the pleasure until he was through.

  When she was spent, she fell forward onto his chest. She started to feel the heavy pull of sleep the instant before his voice pulled her from the fog.

  “Oh no, sweetheart. We both have things we need to be doing.”

  Cambria was startled by his crass words. She’d just bared her soul to him and he was admonishing her for resting on him?

  She sat up, feeling exposed and wondering if sleeping with Tom had been the right move. Feeling embarrassed, she moved to cover her naked breasts, but Tom stopped her.

  “Don’t even think about it.” He grabbed one breast in each hand, squeezing them roughly. “These are mine. Never hide them from me.”

  He thrust his hand into her hair and pulled her down for a kiss, rolling her so she was beneath him and standing up.

  He used her bathroom to clean himself up quickly, zipping up his pants and tucking his shirt back in neatly. He was so quick that she didn’t even have a chance to get off the bed before he was telling her goodbye.

  She sat there, feeling slightly dejected as he walked by. He grabbed both her hands and pulled her up to stand before him.

  He admired her naked body, motioning for her to spin so he could take in all of her. His hand shot out and he gave her a quick swat on her ass before walking away.

  He paused at the door, giving her a wink.

  “I like that you didn’t try to hide yourself from me again,” he said. She managed a weak smile from her place beside the bed, wishing he would leave so she could shower and get dressed. “You’re more fun than I thought you’d be, but next time, we’re going to do it my way. I’ll be back in an hour for rounds. You’re my partner tonight.”

  He blew her a kiss and slipped through the door. Cambria moved to lock the door behind him, rolling her eyes at his last remark. The sex had been fun and enjoyable, but Tom was more arrogant than she’d realized.

  She gathered her dirty clothes and deposited them in the hamper before stepping into the shower to wash away the day.

  When she finished her shower, she stood before the bathroom mirror, staring at her reflection. She was still thinking Laskin’s plan, wondering how to reconcile something that felt so wrong with an outcome that was so right.

  Her parents had both said more than once that if the end was what you wanted, how you got there wasn’t important. This statement was generally to justify something horrible they’d done to get something they wanted.

  Her parents had been horrible people, but they’d never done anything as awful as Laskin was proposing. Not only was he going to kidnap and possibly torture a human woman in order to trap two shifters, he wanted to kill a young child as well.

  The entire plan made her feel more than just a little uncomfortable.

  She checked her watch. She needed to get moving. Tom would be knocking on her door in a few minutes so they could start rounds.

  She was pulling a pair of black cargo pants on when Tom’s soft knock sounded at the door.

  “Just a minute,” she called out, quickly pulling her long-sleeve black shirt over her head while she walked to the door.

  She released the flimsy lock and Tom let himself in. Cambria braced herself for an awkward encounter, but Tom was all business.

  “Can I do anything to help you get ready faster?”

  “No, I just need to put my boots on and I’m ready.”

  She sat down on her bed, pulling her black, combat-style boots on and tightening the laces.

  Cambria stood quickly and followed Tom out the door and into the dark night.

  They walked in silence for some time before Tom started talking.

  “There was a meeting earlier today.”

  Cambria suppressed a groan. She couldn’t count the number of times there had been a meeting and she hadn’t been invited. Even though she’d been at the compound longer than any of the other recruits, there were times that she was kept in the dark simply because she was a woman.

  “What was it about?” She tried to keep her voice level so he didn’t know how annoyed she was at being left out.

  “Things are getting intense and people are starting to take notice. Shifters are being removed from political offices and other positions of power and placed where they belong. But there are those that resist the inevitable, and they’re a danger to us, to all humans really.”

  Cambria got a sick feeling in her stomach, but she said nothing. She knew where he was going with this.

  “We need to flush them out, and Laskin has given me a special mission. I leave before dawn so I can carry out the plan.”

  She could feel the excitement in his voice, and she wondered how he could feel that way. “Do you really think that it is right to kidnap an innocent woman?”

  “She’s far from innocent. Grace is just as culpable
as her friend and those shifters.” He said the last word as if the very taste of it filled him with disgust.

  “But what about the child? A child isn’t responsible for the sins of their parents.”

  Tom stopped, pulling her to face him, even though she couldn’t see him in the darkness. “That child will soon be a full-grown shifter. Already, that child is certainly being trained to shift into the most vicious tiger that ever walked this earth. No matter what you want to believe, those shifters and their child will show humans no mercy. We can’t leave them free to hurt more innocent humans. Look what they did to Laskin. Had it not been for Gary, Laskin would surely be dead.”

  “I understand that, but I still don’t think that kidnapping the woman and torturing her is the right thing to do.”

  “Perhaps that’s why they didn’t ask you to help. It’s an important job and they can’t entrust it to someone who isn’t completely loyal.” He words were harsh and he walked away abruptly when he was finished, leaving her to stand there in the dark or follow him.

  His words stung, but Cambria realized that he was right. Laskin had done nothing but provide a safe place for her. He’d nurtured her and helped turn her into the woman she was today. And how did she repay him? By giving in to her doubt and allowing herself to question the very man who had gotten them this far.

  She raced to catch up with Tom, who was all but stomping through the forest. He was mad, that much was obvious. How could she blame him?

  “I’m sorry. You’re right. We have to do what needs to be done, even if we don’t like it.” She reached out and grabbed his hand. “Tom, please don’t be mad at me. I get it. You’re right.”

  He sighed, slowing his pace slightly so she could keep up and gently working his hand out of her grip.

  “I’m glad you’re alright with it,” he sneered, “because I’m the one who’s been chosen to bring her here. We will give her every opportunity to work with us. Whether she is tortured or not will be entirely up to her. As for you, just be thankful that I don’t tell Laskin the things you’ve said.”