The Tiger's Heart

by Marissa Dobson

  She kissed him with such passion that made his body crave more. She slipped on top of him, straddling him. He felt her hands in his hair pulling the leather strap he used to tie it back with pull free. “I love your hair when it’s loose. I want to run my hands through it while you’re inside me. I need you now.”

  He slid his hands under the loose nightshirt, only to find her naked beneath it.

  “Surprise, surprise,” she whispered softly in his ear then kissing his neck.

  “It would appear someone planned to seduce me,” he teased, pulling her shirt over her head before lowering his head to her perky breasts. Her dusty pink nipples calling to him, making him draw them into his mouth. Taking one of her nipples gently between his teeth, he circled the tip with his tongue, making her back arch. A soft moan escaped from her throat.

  She slipped a hand between them to unbutton his jeans before working on the zipper. The soft sound of the zipper echoed throughout the room. His lips teased her nipples as she freed his shaft.

  “I want you in me,” she demanded. She tried to readjust her body to allow him to slide into her core.

  “Someone is impatient tonight.” He rubbed his head in the crook of her shoulder, marking her. You’re mine. You’ll always be mine.

  “You have been so cautious with me, with my injured knee. Tonight I want all of you. I don’t want you to hold back.”

  He kept his mouth shut. He wanted to tell her that he would always have to hold back to a degree. Without a tight leash, his strength could hurt her. He remained quiet, not wanting to make her uneasy. Instead, he found her wet center and slid inside.

  As his shaft slid firmly into her, he paused to let them both regain their breath, before he placed his hands on her hips and helped them find the rhythm they needed. She ran her hands through his hair before finding her way to his chest.

  Her body clenched around him, making it harder for him purr. Her nails clawed at his chest at she exploded around him. His climax followed seconds later. He threw his head back and roared.

  Her body relaxed against him, resting against his chest. He leaned his head against the back of the couch as he wrapped his arms around her and pulled her snugly against his chest. “I love you, Bethany.”

  As content as he was with Bethany wrapped in his arms, he sensed there was something foreboding coming soon. The tension was building.

  * * *

  Sometime between bouts of sex, they managed to find their way into bed. They laid there exhausted, when Raja’s phone vibrated for the second time.

  “Don’t you think you should answer that? It might be important.” The sleep was abundant in Bethany’s voice.

  “If it was important they would have used the ear communication when I didn’t answer the first time.” Raja lay still, unmoving regardless of the phone.

  Whoever was calling hung up and placed the call again. The cell phone near the end of the dresser teetered, about to fall off. “That might be, but I don’t think they’ll give up.”

  He growled as he reached to grab it. Pressing the talk button, he snarled, “What?”

  His eyes closed as Connor’s voice filled the line. “Give us ten minutes.” He ended the call, leaving out a heavy sigh.

  “Connor’s on his way. He found something he wants you to look at. That boy has the worst timing,” he growled, pushing himself up.

  Raja slipped on his jeans and gun holster before turning to the bathroom to splash cold water on his face. When he returned, he found Bethany in a pair of grey cotton lounge pants and a pink and grey tank top.

  “That reminds me, it’s unsafe right now for a shopping trip, but you’ll need more clothes. I know you only had a few things with you. Today, I want you to order whatever you’d like online and we’ll have it shipped.”

  “I’m fine. I’m sure I can get someone to ship my things from Virginia.” She pulled her hair into a ponytail.

  “No, that won’t be possible.”

  “What do you mean?”

  “Most of the stuff inside the house was destroyed, particularly your things,” he told her, leaning against the doorframe. It was something he was hoping to avoid.

  “Everything?” She made eye contact with him.

  “Anything that could be salvaged, pictures, mementos, valuables, Jinx has a team there to gather them once the police are done with the scene. With clothes and things like that it would be best to get you new. If there is anything particular that you would like them to check for I can get them that information.”

  “Jamie had a music box that she loved. I’d like it. Mom’s jewelry. After a fire when I was a kid, she kept it in fire-safe box under her bed. Pictures. There are photo albums that line the bookcase in the living room. Dad always loved taking pictures.” She sank to the bed. “I thought I was coming to grips with this…”

  “It will take time, love.” He knelt in front of her. “It’s hard to lose your parents no matter how old you are. Even worse to lose a sister. I remember the pain I felt when my parents died. I bottled it up inside me. I couldn’t grieve, not when I had my sister to care for and the clan. But eventually it happened, and it was worse than if I would have dealt with it when it happened. Don’t put on a brave face for me. I love you no matter what. We’ll get through this.”

  A knock came from the door to his compound. “Go and let Connor in. Give me a minute and I’ll be out. I just want to wash my face and pull myself together.”

  “Don’t be long. You need some sleep before you pass out on your feet.” He kissed her.

  She’s strong. She’ll get through this. No one can replace her family, but hopefully Tora and the clan can help ease her pain.

  He opened the door to find not only Connor as he had expected but Lukas as well. “Come in. Bethany will be out in a moment.” He held the door wide, eyeing Lukas.

  “After Jinx spoke with you and Ty, I offered my services to Connor. Computers have always been my passion, finding people is new to me. My skills lie in hacking,” Lukas said when he noticed Raja watching him. He moved toward the couch.

  “He’s brilliant when it comes to hacking. It’s how we were able to find the information as quickly as we did.” Connor followed behind, carrying a laptop and a folder with what looked like printed papers hanging out of it.

  “If either of you ever betray us, we could be in serious danger,” Raja said offhandedly, not seriously considering either of them would betray the clan. Connor might be a wolf-shifter but he had found a place among the Alaskan Tigers he didn’t have before, and Lukas’s devotion to the tigers was pure.

  “Never,” they cheered in unison.

  “Then let’s hope they don’t have anyone as talented as you two on their side. Please have a seat.”

  “About that, I’m sorry to bother you at this unthinkable hour. But if we don’t have the right people, it would be wasted time going after the wrong lead. A quick confirmation from her and we can be out of your hair.” Connor looked at Raja nervously.

  Connor had a rocky past with shifters, first from his own kind and then with Pierce, making his apprehension understandable. “No worries. We’d rather be disturbed than have you waste hours looking into the wrong people.”

  “As Raja said, we don’t mind being disturbed. Whatever I can do to help.” Bethany entered the room and came to stand next to Raja.

  “I believe we might have found Robin. I have two pictures for you to look at. One is of Robert ‘Bobby’ Zimmer and the other is of Robin. I need to know if you believe there are the people you knew in school.”

  “Sure, but I don’t know if I can be of much help. He was a year ahead of me in school and we were just acquaintances, if that.”

  “Did you know Robin?” Lukas asked, setting up the laptop.

  “No. She was three or four years younger and was just coming into the high school as I left. I never did understand how they became a couple, especially in high school. She was so young, a freshman in high school, while he was alread
y in his second year of college.”

  “Before we go further, Bethany, that’s Lukas. He’s Jinx’s younger brother. I’m sure you heard from either Tabitha or Tora. He’s the tiger that appeared injured during Tabitha’s homecoming party.” Raja gently pulled Bethany toward the couch. He noticed her swaying with tiredness.

  “It’s nice to finally meet you.” Bethany smiled as she sat on the couch across from him.

  “Here’s what we could find.” Connor turned the computer screen around and two pictures side by side were on the screen.

  The woman looked no older than her late teens, early twenties if that. She had long black hair, and the terror in her eyes pained Raja. While the second picture of the man looked older. His face was harsh and weathered as if he had lived a hard life. His eyes were cold, and a look of hatred filled his face.

  “That’s them. What happened to them? He was an attractive guy when I knew him. He liked to drink and party, but look at him. The hatred is apparent in his body language. She looks downright terrified.”

  “Like you said, he liked to drink. He cared more for the bottle than anything else. Seems he got himself into quite a bit of trouble with both the law and loan sharks. He’s been in and out of jail for the last few years, until he ended up dead. From what we were able to find on the police reports, I believe Pierce ordered the hit.”

  “What about Robin?” Bethany asked, still looking at the picture.

  “Her cousin filed a missing person report on her. According to the cousin, Robin was worried about someone that Bobby owned money to, and they were after her. That’s all we found so far. It’s possible Pierce and his gang have already found her.” Connor turned the screen around, closing the laptop.

  “No, he doesn’t have her yet. He’s after her. We need to find Robin first. Get us a lead, find out where she might have done. Find any family she might have stayed with. In the meantime, get me what you have on the cousin. Check the financials, maybe the cousin gave her money so she could find under the radar. Find me something.”

  “Yes, sir.” Lukas and Connor grabbed their stuff.

  “If you find even the smallest bit of information, I want to know,” Raja told them as they left.

  “You think she’s still alive?” Bethany asked Raja when they were alone.

  “She has to be. The book wouldn’t send us on this search if she wasn’t. I believe once we find her, she’ll be able to help us. If not then what’s the point of this?”

  “Maybe the point is to save her.”

  “We would have done it anyway. The book says she holds a key to finding Pierce. We need to find out who Pierce has in his pocket or as part of his clan before we can move forward in uniting the tigers. If we don’t, it will only lead to more betrayal.”

  Chapter Thirty-Two

  “Tora’s on the line. She wants to know if they can bring anything.” Raja held the phone toward her.

  “Tell her just bring themselves.” Bethany finished basting the chicken and slid the roaster back in the oven.

  “You heard her. Don’t forget my beautiful niece.” He paused when Tora said something. “Then bring Daniella along. She can take her back to your cabin for bed. I want to see my niece. James will be here as well tonight. See you soon.” He hung up before his sister could give him another excuse to leave Scarlet at home.

  “She didn’t want to bring Scarlet?” Bethany peeled potatoes over the sink.

  “Normally they put Scarlet to bed early when they have family dinners, as it allows the grownup time that she craves. She was going to leave Scarlet at home with Daniella. I hope you don’t mind that Daniella will be coming as well. She’ll be here to play with Scarlet and then take her home to bed.”

  “No, that’s fine. If there is anyone else you want to invite, please feel free.”

  “No, I don’t want any of them here. I want you all to myself.” He came up behind her to wrap his arms around her and kiss her neck. “I have to admit I find this awful sexy.”

  “What, me in the kitchen? With flour on my shirt, my hair clipped back in this messy style to keep it off my neck because of the heat? This turns you on?”

  “Umm-humm,” he moaned into her ear.

  “If I knew you were that easy to turn on, I wouldn’t have gone to all this work,” she teased.

  “This isn’t for my benefit. You’re doing this to repay Tora. Is there time for a quickie?”

  “No. You’ll have to wait. I’m going to put these potatoes on and then jump in the shower. Before you even ask, no, you can’t join me. You need to watch dinner.”

  “You’re taking all the fun out of this mating,” he teased, nuzzling her neck.

  “Tonight, I promise. Now go over to Tabitha’s, because she’s letting me borrow her cupcake rack. I was digging around in the cabinets trying to find something to display the cupcakes on when she stopped by earlier.”

  “You made cupcakes?”

  “I make a delicious devil food cupcake with buttercream icing. I made them when you were discussing guard schedules with Shadow. I thought it would be a nice dessert after the roasted chicken, rosemary potatoes and vegetables.” She seasoned the last of the potatoes before placing them in a baking dish and putting them in the oven. “Now, go get it so I can shower and get ready.”

  * * *

  Bethany iced the last cupcake and placed it on the rack. She licked the spoon clean of the remaining icing as she looked around the room. Everything seems ready but I feel as if I’m forgetting something. She left the cupcake rack on the kitchen bar and grabbed the dished to set the table.

  “Bethy.” She turned to find her Uncle James.

  “Uncle James, I’m glad you came.”

  “I wouldn’t miss it. You look beautiful. What can I do?”

  “Thanks. Everything’s almost ready. Tora and Marcus should be along soon. Until then we are just waiting. Can I get you something to drink? A beer? Coffee? Soda?”

  “Have a beer with me, James.” Raja came strolling into the kitchen freshly showered and dressed. His hair still damp from the shower hung loose, giving him an angelic look.

  Wow. I thought he looked killer in jeans. It’s nothing compared to how he fills out those dress slacks and pullover green sweater. Keeping my hands off him until everyone leaves might be a challenge. Wonder if anyone would notice if we slipped away? What am I saying—they would hear us.

  “Sure, I’ll have a beer.”

  “I’ll get them,” Raja told Bethany as she set down the plates and turned toward the refrigerator.

  Her eyes followed him as she sat the table. I want to run my hands over his body. She took a deep breath, trying to push the lust from her thoughts. “You’re having a beer?” She was shocked he was drinking anything but coffee.

  “Once in a while it’s okay to enjoy a cold beer.” He ran his hand down her arm and kissed her check as he walked past. “Tora texted while I was in the shower. She’ll be here shortly. Scarlet spilled her apple juice down the front of her dress. Marcus was giving her a quick bath, as she was a sticky mess.”

  “Ahh, that must be her.” Raja handed a beer to James before answering the door.

  “I hope you won’t be uncomfortable tonight,” she whispered to her uncle as she neared him, placing the last plate at the end chair.

  “It’s fine. They’re part of your family now. Tora did a beautiful job on the service.”

  He’s right—they’re my family now. Then why am I so anxious? Deep breaths, you can do this.

  “How’s my Scarlet?” Raja took his niece from Tora, tossing her slightly in the air to make the toddler giggle.

  “If you make her sick, Raja, you’ll be cleaning it,” Tora scolded.

  “She loves it.”

  Bethany stood close to the kitchen counter, watching them. When Tora rolled her eyes, she couldn’t help but laugh. “Thank you for coming.”

  “It’s our pleasure. I wish you would’ve let me bring something. Can I do anything in the kit
chen?”

  “I told you she’s used to being in control when it comes to family dinners.”

  “Thank you, Tora, but I have it covered. Everything’s in the oven and should be ready in fifteen minutes. Until then please make yourself at home.”

  “Have a seat. Marcus, want a beer? Tora, that revolting root beer that you prefer?” Raja asked as Scarlet tugged on his hair. When they nodded, he placed Scarlet on the floor and headed to the kitchen. “Where’s Daniella?”

  “Tonight’s the night for the monthly chat for her online college class. She’ll be over after that to take Scarlet home. I brought her a few toys that should keep her occupied.”

  Bethany watched as Scarlet came toddling toward her. The pudgy little legs looking unsteady as she made her way across the room. When she came close, she tugged on Bethany’s jeans with her little chubby fists.

  “Seems as if she likes you.” Tora laughed. “She wants you to lift her. She’s our cuddling kitty.”

  Bethany leaned down and picked up Scarlet as if she was fine china.

  “She won’t break,” Tora teased.

  “I haven’t been around children this young in a long time. Jamie was the last toddler I had any real contact with, she’s…umm…was…seventeen.” Scarlet wrapped her arms around Bethany’s neck, bringing her closer, before giving her a slobbery kiss.

  “You were always so caring with Jamie. You were like a little mother to her. You’ll make a wonderful mother when your time comes.” James leaned against the wall, drinking his beer and watching Bethany closely.

  “She’ll have you wrapped around her fingers before long. She’s had Uncle Raja there since she was just an infant.” Tora unloaded the bag of toys she had, putting them on the living room floor for Scarlet to play with. “Look on the bright side—she’s the perfect introduction to your own.”

  Chapter Thirty-Three

  The table was cluttered with documents and pictures. Two different groups were working on different situations. Connor and Lukas sat at the far end, their eyes unblinking from the laptops in front of them. Behind them, there was a board with a map of the United States, with different colored pins poking out. Each pin represented a place Robin was seen and her trail zigzagging across the U.S.A. While at the other end of the conference table Marcus, Thomas, Shadow and Felix worked feverishly, trying to gather information on Victor and the Russian tiger that were set to meet in less than twenty-four hours.