Tiger Tears
Zodiac Shifters: Taurus
Catherine Banks
Contents
Chapter 1
Chapter 2
Chapter 3
Chapter 4
Chapter 5
Chapter 6
Chapter 7
Chapter 8
Chapter 9
Chapter 10
Chapter 11
Chapter 12
Chapter 13
Chapter 14
Chapter 15
Chapter 16
Chapter 17
Chapter 18
Chapter 19
Chapter 20
Chapter 21
Chapter 22
Chapter 23
Chapter 24
Chapter 25
Also by Catherine Banks
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TIGER TEARS by Catherine Banks © copyright 2018 Catherine Banks
* * *
All rights reserved under the International and Pan-American Copyright Conventions. No part of this book may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, or by any information storage and retrieval system, without permission in writing from the publisher.
This is a work of fiction. Names, places, characters and incidents are either the product of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously, and any resemblance to any actual persons, living or dead, organizations, events or locales is entirely coincidental.
Warning: the unauthorized reproduction or distribution of this copyrighted work is illegal. Criminal copyright infringement, including infringement without monetary gain, is investigated by the FBI and is punishable by up to 5 years in prison and a fine of $250,000.
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* * *
Had she known the night would end with a bullet in the shoulder, Tara might have skipped the concert.
* * *
Tara bobbed her head and swung her hips side to side with the beat of the music. She stood in the center of a huge crowd listening to a local rock band perform. This band was good and she didn’t doubt they would be on tour soon.
Most shifters didn’t enjoy crowds, but Tara loved concerts. She enjoyed the camaraderie she had with thousands of people, all enjoying the same thing.
It was why she loved comic and anime conventions too.
The people in the crowd overwhelmed her senses with color, movement, and a mixture of smells. The band’s set ended, and she hurried to one of the nearby drink vendors for water. Sweat trickled down her back, but the light breeze licked it away.
The rock music festival was held at one of the local parks. Unfortunately, this one had few trees, so she stood in the unrelenting sun most of the day. Normally, she brought a gallon of water with her wherever she went. But, the venue didn’t allow outside food and water. She knew it was to charge exorbitant prices for water bottles, and she’d rather not support it, but as a shapeshifter she required more water than the rest of the crowd.
“Four waters, please,” she ordered from the twenty-something vendor who was covered in beautiful dragon tattoos. His green eyes changed for a moment, the pupil becoming elongated. Dragon shifter. She let her eyes change for a moment too, to let him know she was in fact a shifter as well. Though, a white tiger slept in her core, not a dragon.
She gave him her money and he handed her six bottles instead of four. “Thank you,” she said with a wide smile. He winked at her then turned to the next customer.
Tara found an open spot on a hill that had little foot traffic, so she could relax a moment. Her distance from the crowd and concert made the music more gentle, like balm to her soul. After sitting in the grass, she slipped out of her shoes and ran her bare toes through the blades of grass. She chugged two bottles of water, then lay on her back and closed her eyes, enjoying the sun on her face. She would have preferred the sun on her fur, but humans did not know about shapeshifters yet. So, she stayed in her skin.
Something warm, squirmy, and reeking of booze fell onto her.
She let out an “oompf,” then pushed the man off her.
The man’s three friends ran over to collect him.
“Sorry,” the deep voice of one of the friends said.
She looked up into the face of a Greek god. Brown hair, a chiseled jaw, and an aquiline nose. His clothes were nice, not cheap knockoffs like hers.
“No problem,” she purred.
His eyes shifted a moment, frosting over to a bright blue pair of tiger’s eyes.
Mother of felines! A tiger male!
She let her eyes change and he smiled wide. He held out his hand and she took it, letting him pull her up. Her bare toes curled in the grass.
“What’s your name?” he asked her softly, their hands still locked together. The warmth of his palm against hers excited her. Could he feel her heart beat racing through their touch?
“Tara,” she replied and had to resist the urge to rub against him. Her jaw clenched. She had never reacted to a man like that before.
“It’s nice to meet you, Tara. I’m—”
“Alex! Come on,” one of the other friends who were herding the drunk man through the crowd called.
“I hope to see you again, Tara,” he purred, then released her hand to jog after his friends.
A perfect ass. Tara thought as she stared unabashedly at his retreat in designer jeans.
She plopped back down in the grass and drank from one of her remaining four bottles.
He had such a tight lid on his tiger, that she had not even smelled it. His strength was obvious, it took a lot of control to do that. More control than she possessed. Her heart still pounded in her chest and adrenaline coursed through her veins. She took a deep breath and closed her eyes, trying to calm down a little.
Who was he? And, how could she see him again?
* * *
Alex glanced back at the woman, Tara, from across the crowd. She pulled her long dark hair from her neck and laid back in the grass, a smirk on her lips. Was he the reason for that smirk?
The instant he had caught her scent – sexy, sultry, and strong because of her sweat, he had had to struggle with his tiger. He never lost control like that. His lapse in control was why he hadn’t been able to stop Mark from falling on her. He rolled his eyes at the man, stumbling along with a beer in his hand. Alex had met Mark in kindergarten and they had fast become friends. Normally, he avoided crowds like the one the concert festival drew, but John had begged him to come. John was his best friend and he couldn’t say no to him. Even though he knew John just wanted him for backup when a fight broke out. Because a fight always broke out when they were together and drinking.
After John, Tony, and Andy pulled Mark off Tara, he took one look at her and was overcome with lust. She was the most gorgeous woman he had ever seen. Perfectly symmetrical cheekbones, a cute nose, and sensuous lips.
And, she was a tiger.
He wasn’t one for one-night stands, but he considered breaking that rule for her.
“That girl was smokin’ hot,” Andy said.
“Yeah, she was. Did you see those curves?” Tony asked.
Alex definitely had. They were burned into his mind.
“Dibs,” Alex barked.
All four guys stopped and turned to face him. Shocked expressions registered on their features. He already knew what they were going to say.
“You claim dibs?” Tony asked, blinking through his glasses.
“You’ve never claimed dibs on any girl befor
e,” John said shaking his head with a wry smile.
“There wasn’t a girl like her before.” Alex crossed his arms and tried to keep from glancing back her way again.
“Dammit,” Mark muttered. “I was going to call dibs.”
“Too late, she’s mine.” Alex clamped his mouth shut. Too late. The words were out before he could stop them.
“Wow, she had that big an impact on you, huh?” Tony’s smile grew almost as wide as John’s.
“Let’s drop it,” Alex muttered and trudged forward.
“Did you get her number?” John asked, trotting to catch up.
Alex stopped and turned, looking over the heads of the concert goers, easy since he was over six feet tall, searching for her.
She wasn’t on the hill and he couldn’t see her.
“Shit. No,” Alex admitted. He didn’t usually pick up women at events like this, so he hadn’t even thought to ask.
John chuckled and patted him on the shoulder. “Maybe you’ll see her again.”
Alex hoped so. With so many people, it would be impossible to track her scent, but he found himself taking a whiff of the air anyway. He shook his head. Only way to catch her at all would be to head back to where he’d seen her. He would find her again, if serendipity was a friend to him at all. And when he saw her again, he could ask for her number then.
Alex grabbed Mark’s arm, stopping him from falling on another woman. He narrowed his eyes at his friend. Maybe Mark was doing it on purpose and wasn’t as drunk as he seemed. The group made their way through the thousands of people. He scanned the crowd, hoping to catch a glimpse of her. But no luck. Where was she? He couldn’t wait on serendipity. He needed to be the master of his own fate.
“I’ll meet you at the main stage for the final band,” he told them and hurried back the way they had just come.
“Where are you going?” Mark asked as he released his arm.
“To find her and get her number!” Alex called back. He’d find her, if it was the last thing he did.
* * *
Tara smelled him before she saw him walking towards her. Alex smiled when their eyes met and he maneuvered around people until they stood before each other. She could get used to a smile like that. So genuine and open. It made her want to smile back, no matter what she felt. His hands were shoved in his pockets, but his posture exuded confidence. Definitely an Alpha.
“Hey,” he said.
“Hello,” she replied, returning his smile.
“Mind if I hang with you?”
“Don’t your friends need you?” she asked and wanted to smack herself immediately.
“Naw, they can handle things for a bit.” Perfectly straight teeth adorned his lopsided grin.
She smiled wide and started walking towards the stage on the far left where a new band she had been interested in had begun playing. She hoped he would follow.
He stayed at her side and it surprised her how much calmer she felt just having him with her. Was this what it felt like to be around other shifters? She’d isolated herself and wasn’t sure what she was supposed to feel.
“Heading to see the local band?” he guessed.
She nodded. “I like hearing the local bands and buying their merchandise and CDs if I can.”
“Supporting local businesses, or bands, is something I try to do often.” His eyebrows raised over honest eyes. He wasn’t just patronizing her.
She stopped about midway to the stage in an open spot amongst those gathered. It used to freak her out being around so many people at once, but now, she loved it. The thrum of the music mesmerized the crowd so that they all moved as one. It was a sort of unity she liked to gain, even in short bursts, like the concert.
Alex pressed closer to her as more people approached and the band started another set. She swayed to the music as they played and it didn’t take long for Alex to move behind her and match her movements. She leaned back into him just a bit, enjoying the warmth that spread through her body.
He slipped his hand around her stomach and cheered for the band.
The song ended, and she stilled, breathing heavy, but not from dancing.
* * *
Alex hadn’t felt so comfortable with a woman, well, ever. Tara calmed his tiger like none before her. She also drove his hormones wild.
Had they been on a date, he would have asked her to go home with him already. The scent of a berry shampoo and her musk intermingled with each breath he took of her dark hair. Her skin felt like satin under his fingertips. She was hot.
“You’re a pretty good dancer,” she commented. He had felt her heart race when he had slid his arm around her and he’d had to adjust himself and pivot his hips back so she wouldn’t feel how much that excited him.
“Thanks, you’re not so bad yourself,” he replied with a smirk.
She giggled and then spun back around to face the band when they started playing their next song. The band was good and he’d have to remember their name to look them up later.
The people in front of them moved and Tara took a step forward, then started swaying her hips from side to side. Alex watched her hips, transfixed by their movements.
A tall, muscular human male stumbled towards her and Alex’s head whipped up. He’d left space between them so he could watch her, but he stepped forward, closing the distance and staking his claim non-verbally.
The guy stopped, scowled at him, and ambled back towards his friends who were eyeing Tara too.
“You don’t need to be jealous of humans,” Tara whispered after leaning her head back against his shoulder, still swaying from side to side with the music. He wanted to nip her.
“Why would I be jealous of anyone when I’m with the sexiest woman here?” he asked her in a gruff voice and settled on licking her earlobe.
She gasped and arched into him, making him wish they weren’t in public. “Such a tease,” she growled, then ground her ass into him before moving forward and smirking back at him. “Naughty.”
He smirked. She was feisty. He liked her already.
His phone vibrated. He half considered ignoring it. But he pulled it out of his pocket and swiped his finger across the lock screen. Experience had told him what to expect, and he sighed when he saw what he’d expected - a picture of Mark in a fight with someone and a text from John that read, “Help.”
“I’ve got to go. My friends need me,” he said in her ear. He slid his business card into her back pocket and patted it lightly. “Call me.”
“Wait,” she said, pulling his phone from his hand and hitting a few buttons. He watched as she put her number in his phone, his chest heating up, and a smile playing on his lips.
When she handed him back his phone, both their hands stayed on it for a few moments, and their eyes just fixed on each other. Then the phone in their hands vibrated again.
He frowned, and she let go. He suppressed a growl. “I really have to go.”
She pouted but nodded, and it took everything in him to leave. He really wanted to nibble that lower lip. Instead, he shoved his phone in his back pocket and fisted his hands. He would kill his friends after he saved them from the fight they were in.
* * *
Tara stood in line for the portable bathrooms, wishing she could turn off her enhanced senses. The last time she had used a portable bathroom was two years ago, when she had been part of the Tiger Claws biker gang. That night she’d had to beat up four guys before they had been able to get to their bikes and sped off. They’d all been hammered and the fight started because she had spilled some guy’s beer.
She shook off the bad memories. That life was over. She had escaped and she would never return to them or that life again.
After using the bathroom as fast as possible, Tara made her way to the main stage, where her favorite band was about to play. The breeze had picked up, pulling some of the salty air off the nearby river. White fluffy clouds had covered the sun, casting the park in a comfortable shade. On stage, the guitarist
strummed a few chords in soundcheck, and Tara’s heart fluttered because she recognized the song.
Did Alex like this band too? She wished he hadn’t had to go after his friends, but would definitely call him soon and see about going on a date. Just thinking about him made her heart beat wildly in her chest a moment. Such a strange reaction for a guy she’d jut met, but then again, how often did she meet other tiger shifters?
Tara stayed to the edge of the crowd. Since this was the last band, there would be a rush of traffic to leave. The easy-going beats strummed through her core and gave her a peace similar to the kind she’d had when Alex had been nearby earlier.
Tara sang along to every song. As the band began their second to last song, she made her way to the parking lot. Gravel crunched underfoot like another instrument, adding another element to the song. The thought made her smile. She peered around, wondering for a half a moment if she might catch a glimpse of the man who’d made her both comforted and excited at the same time. But a crowd was already starting to form in the lot, too.
Several other concert goers had the same idea she did about leaving early, but she was certain it wouldn’t take her too long to get out.
She paused by a row of motorcycles. The one in the middle looked familiar. It wasn’t one of the Tiger Claws’. Still, it struck a familiar chord. How did she know it? Who did it belong to?
“You!” a familiar male voice yelled, malice dripping from the tone.
She turned and her eyes widened. Jasper, leader of the Sabertooth’s, the rivals of the Tiger’s Claws stood there with a sneer on his face.
Tiger Tears: A Zodiac Shifters Paranormal Romance: Taurus Page 1