Tiger Tears: A Zodiac Shifters Paranormal Romance: Taurus

by Catherine Banks

  He moaned again, making her even wetter. His moan was a deep bass that traveled through her entire body.

  Alex gently wrapped a hand around her cheek, pulling himself out of her mouth, and pulled her up. She met his gaze, full of fire and lust, with her own. Alex kissed her deeply and slowly, claiming her mouth and exploring at the same time. His hand wrapped around one of her breasts, squeezing softly, then moved lower, until he dipped his fingers in her core.

  She moaned into his mouth and rubbed against him, feeling like a cat in heat. She needed him to touch her more. Pressing her body against his hard one, she writhed against his hand as he drove her closer and closer to the edge.

  When she was sure she was about to explode, he spun her around, slid into her, then resumed rubbing her clit.

  She screamed and rested her palms on the wall of the shower as he began to slide in and out of her faster and faster.

  His hands slid up her body to cup both of her breasts, making her moan and arch into him more.

  “You are so fucking beautiful,” he grunted. He leaned down and licked her neck. “And taste amazing.”

  She couldn't respond, her words stolen by a scream as an orgasm shot through her.

  He spun her around, pushing her back against the wall, and raised one of her legs before sliding into her again. She wrapped her arms around his neck, sliding her fingers along his muscles.

  “I hadn't planned for this to happen so soon,” she admitted to him, leaning forward to lick one side of his neck.

  “Me neither,” he admitted and gripped her hips as she slammed their hips together harder. “But I'm not complaining.”

  She chuckled and then bit into his shoulder as another orgasm shot through her.

  He growled and then they both orgasmed, their bodies pressed to one as they found release together.

  They panted and her legs gave out from under her. Alex caught her, reached back to turn off the faucet, and gently set her on the floor of the shower.

  “Sorry. I forgot you were drained from our play earlier,” he admitted.

  “Don't apologize,” she chastised, offering him a soft smile.

  He smiled. “I'm not sorry for what we just did.”

  “Good,” she said and leaned her head back against the cool tile a moment before he helped her to stand. He reached over and turned the faucet back on, then used his washcloth to help her soap up. His touch was gentle and intimate.

  After a thorough washing, Alex wrapped her in a terry cloth robe, carried her downstairs to the living room, and set her on a couch. “I'm going to make us some food. You just relax, okay?”

  She nodded and looked around the room. What she'd seen of the house so far added to her knowledge of his wealth. The living room was huge and had a TV larger than any she'd ever seen at a person's house before. She didn't even want to think about how much that must have cost him.

  There were no pictures and from what she had seen, it didn't appear that he had any family. Was he an orphan? Like her?

  Alex handed her a bottle of water. “Food will be ready in a few minutes. Do you want to watch something?”

  He handed her the TV remote, then sat beside her with his arm around her shoulders. He had slipped into a pair of flannel pajama pants, but didn’t wear a shirt. She snuggled into him and rubbed her cheek on his bare shoulder once before turning the TV on. They flipped through channels and she stopped on the local news.

  “What was thought to be a gang related murder has now been classified as an animal attack,” the reporter said. The TV showed a picture of Jasper.

  Tara turned slowly and looked at Alex with wide eyes.

  He met her gaze and then his widened and he held up his hands. “Whoa. That wasn't me. I didn't kill him.”

  “They said it was an animal attack,” she reminded him, blinking between him and the television screen.

  “Yeah, but it wasn't me. I wouldn't kill him after the fact. Had I been able to stop him, I might have killed him that night. But, I wouldn't go hunt him down and kill him. That's not who I am.”

  Her brow furrowed as she looked into his innocent eyes. She strangely felt like she could take him at his word. She trusted him. “Okay. I believe you.”

  “I wonder who did kill him, though.” He frowned.

  “Maybe it was just a freak animal attack,” she murmured, knowing how unlikely that was.

  “He did have quite a few enemies,” Alex reminded her.

  He was right. As the leader of a biker gang, he had lots of enemies. It was possible that they had animals and used them to kill him.

  “I'm glad it wasn't you,” she whispered and leaned back into Alex.

  He squeezed her shoulder and kissed her temple. “I'd kill for you, but murdering someone like that isn't the same thing.”

  “I know.”

  A timer rang and he stood. “I'll be right back.”

  She turned to a different channel, watching people falling while trying to attempt crazy stunts. Who could have done it? Did her old crew have animals? Her throat constricted. Or, had they found another shapeshifter that they could blackmail? The thought made her sick.

  “You okay?” Alex asked. “You're pale.”

  “Yeah, fine,” she whispered and smiled at him. “Still tired is all.”

  He nodded. “After we eat, we can go to sleep. Okay?”

  Sleep? Here? Wow, they definitely had skipped a few steps in their relationship, hadn't they? Not that she minded. Sharing a bed with him would give her the best night's sleep ever.

  “Sounds great,” she said and smiled up at him.

  When he went back to the kitchen, she switched to the news channel again. There was something she saw that made her look again. Tara was about to turn off the TV, when she saw a piece of graffiti on the far building near the crime scene that made her heart stop.

  Catch the tiger by her toe.

  She had to pry herself away from Alex the next evening. It was harder than she thought it would be. He kissed her goodbye and promised to see her the next night for a date. She slumped in her bathtub, pouting at her loneliness.

  Jasper's murder still bothered her. It also made her really nervous about herself. Had they talked to him? Had he told his attackers that he had seen her? She wasn't sure why, but she was certain it had to do with her old gang. She really hoped it wasn't them, but she somehow just knew it was.

  She pulled out her silver knives and set them by her bed and by the front door. It was better to be prepared and not need them than to be caught unprepared.

  The next night as she stood outside of the restaurant, waiting for Alex, she kept unconsciously reaching for the knife in her pocket. The night was eerily quiet and her nerves were shot. She'd jumped at every noise, almost punching a coworker when they called her name earlier in the day.

  “Hey,” Alex called in greeting as he walked towards her. He wore a nice pair of slacks, a burgundy button-up shirt, and shiny shoes. He was hot.

  “Hello, handsome,” she said and smiled at him. He glanced down, taking in her form-fitting blue dress, and appreciation tinged his returned smile.

  “Did I keep you waiting long?” he asked.

  She shook her head. “Nope.”

  With a quick kiss on the cheek, he took her hand and led her into the restaurant. She linked her fingers with his and followed him with a wide smile. He brought her peace and calm that she desperately needed. For the first time in over twenty-four hours, she felt the worries fade into the background.

  Once seated, she sighed as she perused the menu.

  “How was your day?” Alex asked, peering over his menu at her.

  “Long,” she admitted, dropping her shoulder a little. “Stressful.”

  He set his menu down and smiled. “I missed you too.”

  She chuckled and set her menu down atop his. “Okay, that might have been part of it.”

  His smile wilted and his brows furrowed as he eyed her. “What's wrong?”

  �
��Just paranoid,” she admitted and grabbed his hand on top of the table. “Don't worry about it.”

  He eyed her for a cool minute, and she offered him a relaxed smile. Just being with him was enough. She didn’t want to let those worries come to the foreground again. He must have seen as much in her eyes, because he squeezed her hand back and offered a tentative smile as he asked, “What are you going to have?”

  “Whatever you think is best,” she said. “You choose for me.”

  “Okay,” he said and gave a nod. The waiter immediately came over and he gave him their orders.

  * * *

  Try as she might, Tara was distracted and Alex could tell. The corners of her eyes were pinched and her smile didn’t have the fullness and abandon it had before they had watched the news report. The murder of the guy who had shot her was really bothering her.

  That made him wary too. Would the person who killed that guy come after Tara? Alex had to fight the urge to throw her over his shoulder and run back to his place to protect her. They weren't animals, or savages, so he needed to remain calm and enjoy the night with her. His calm would help her. If he let the anxiety get to him, she would only get worse. He purposefully relaxed his shoulders and steered the conversation toward lighter topics.

  “Any big plans this weekend?” he asked her.

  She smirked. “I actually have a gift for you.”

  His eyebrows rose. “A gift? You didn't have to get me anything.”

  “You saved my life and paid for a mage to heal me,” she reminded him. “It's the least I could do.”

  He waited impatiently as she pulled out an envelope from her clutch and slid it across the tabletop to him.

  It was a gift certificate for a day at the spa. A spa he knew was only for shifters.

  “This place is booked years in advance,” he whispered and glanced up at her. “How did you get me in for this weekend?”

  “I called in a few favors,” she said and shrugged nonchalantly.

  “Thank you. I've been wanting to go here.”

  She smiled, joy making her radiant and the shadow of worry finally leaving her. “I'm so glad you like it. I wasn't sure what to get you.”

  “This is great,” he said. “But, I insist you come with me.”

  Her eyes widened. “What?”

  “You can't let me go all alone. There're going to be a ton of women there. If I go alone, they're going to eat me alive.”

  She threw back her head and laughed, drawing attention from other males in the restaurant from her throaty and intoxicating laugh. He ground his teeth to keep from growling at them and focused on enjoying her laugh instead.

  “Really?” she asked him.

  He nodded. “I insist that you come with me.”

  “This was supposed to be me paying you back, not me going too,” she chided him, but her tone let him know her resolve was crumbling.

  “I won't enjoy it by myself. If you're there, I know I'll have fun. Please?” he asked and stuck his lip out in a pout. “With a cherry on top?”

  She smirked and leaned forward. “I can't say no to that now, can I?”

  He leaned forward and kissed her lightly. “I don't think you can.”

  She rubbed her nose against his and purred just loud enough for him to hear.

  He loved listening to her purr.

  * * *

  Tara tried to focus on Alex, but she was too worried about the graffiti she saw on the news. Part of her wanted to tell him, but she didn't want him involved in her drama. Their evening had been practically perfect, from the delicious food to the way he truly seemed to appreciate the gift she had chosen for him. Bringing up her nagging worries would only spoil the evening.

  The night air greeted them with the slights of chills as Alex opened the door for her. They stepped out onto the sidewalk and he gently raised her chin until their gazes met.

  “What's wrong, Tara? You've been distracted all night.”

  She exhaled loudly. “I'm sorry.”

  “Is it about this weekend. If you're-”

  “No!” she yelled over him, then lowered her voice. “No, that's not it at all. I'm sorry I've been distracted.”

  The sound of several motorcycles revving their engines made her jump. She chastised herself and refused to look. No, it couldn't be them.

  “Why don't we go back to my place and-” Alex began, but his words were cut off by loud yells from the approaching motorcyclists.

  Ten men on motorcycles pulled to a stop a few feet from them. Terror reared its head as Tara's gaze locked with the leader, Sam. Her heart pounded against her breastbone. Sam hadn’t changed much except the menacing look in his eyes had grown more murderous. His greased back blond hair had the slightest curl around his ears, and the chip in his tooth had grown more prominent when he flashed a sinister grin.

  “Go,” she ordered Alex, but he didn't move. She turned and looked at him with pleading eyes. “Go!”

  He stepped in front of her and gave the gang a bored once over. “What do you want?” he asked them.

  Sam leaned on his bike to look around Alex at Tara. “Who's this? You fall so far that you started dating suits?”

  “Go away,” she ordered him. “Or, I won't be merciful, like last time.”

  His eyes flashed gold. Werewolf.

  Fuck.

  “We aren't as easily scared this time, Princess,” Sam said with a cruel smile.

  Alex scoffed. “Like a few dogs are a problem.”

  Sam started to climb off his bike, but Paul, his second, grabbed his arm and motioned at a pair of cops walking towards them.

  “We'll be seeing you, baby. If you don't come to us first,” Sam said.

  “You know you miss us,” Paul said and smiled, the leering look disgusted Tara. He’d always done everything he could to get into Tara’s panties whenever Sam wasn’t around. His grin only confirmed he’d still treat her the same – as meat.

  “We'll forgive everything if you come back,” Sam said. “Or, we'll have to consider you our enemy. You know what happens to our enemies.”

  They drove off, laughing and yelling, their bikes causing car alarms to go off down the road.

  Tara's body felt cold. She wasn't scared of them hurting her. She glanced at Alex. No, she was terrified what they would do to him.

  He said something to her, but she didn't hear it.

  “I have to go,” Tara said and walked away, ignoring his calling after hers.

  She turned down the next block and an arm wrapped around her throat before she could react. They put a cloth over her face and she got one growl out before the darkness swallowed her.

  * * *

  Tara had been missing for three days. Alex had called her work each morning, hoping she would be there and feeling like a stalker. She never showed at work. His leg bobbed up and down at a feverish pace under the boardroom table at the thought.

  Trying to find the biker gang had turned up squat. It was like they'd all just disappeared.

  The marketing manager at the end of the table droned on. Sitting in yet another meeting he didn't pay attention to, Alex had started debating hiring a private investigator when his cell rang.

  All eyes turned to him and he chuckled. “Apologies. I need to take this.”

  He all but ran from the conference room to his office and hit accept.

  “The Council is holding a hearing at six o'clock. All councilors are required to attend,” a robotic voice informed him.

  Alex had a very bad feeling Tara's disappearance had just been explained. He prayed he was wrong. He started down the industrial carpeted hallway, his eyes focused on his exit.

  “Cecilia, I'm leaving for the day. Cancel all my appointments,” he told his secretary as he walked to the elevator.

  “On it, boss!” she called out behind him.

  * * *

  Tara thought the scariest place she could wake up in would be a warehouse with the gang. Waking up in the cells of the Shifter Council s
tronghold was much scarier.

  The cells at least had soft beds and a working toilet. A single recessed light provided the only illumination in the small six foot by six foot cell. She could hear growling, snarling, and crying from the other cells, but didn't bother venturing to the door to peek out. The environment smelled nearly as sterile as a hospital. She wondered if they used the same type of cleaners.

  Aside from the bed and toilet, the only other item in her cell was a tray of food.

  She sat on the floor and ate it, not wanting to be hungry if she needed to fight later. Tara honestly had no idea what to expect or why she had been locked up.

  It probably had to do with her gang. They most likely had done something they needed to see if she was a part of or not. She had no problem informing them that she had absolutely nothing to do with the idiots.

  “Let me out!” Sam bellowed. “Let me out!”

  Tara rolled her eyes. What an idiot. Yelling would get him no where. Most likely, there weren't even any guards down here. The last time she had been at the stronghold, she'd been given a tour and she knew that there was only one door in and out of the cells and two guards were stationed on the outside, so they didn't have to listen to the prisoners.

  “Give it a rest, you moron,” she snapped at Sam after the tenth time he yelled. “No one down here is going to help you.”

  “Tara,” he snarled. “What did you do?”

  “Me?” she scoffed. “What did you morons do? I haven't done anything wrong. They must have brought me here thinking I was involved in whatever idiotic thing your gang did.”

  “You know where we are?” he asked.

  “This is the Shifter Council's stronghold. They keep prisoners here until they bring you up for your trial,” she explained.

  “Shifter Council? What's that?” he asked.

  She sighed and pinched the bridge of her nose. “How did you guys get turned into werewolves?”

  “We found a werewolf and convinced him to turn us,” he replied as thought it were so simple.