Tiger Bound

by Tressie Lockwood

  “How are you going to get there?” he demanded.

  “What, are you going to hold me here?”

  “Damn it!” He seemed about to shake her and then thought better of it. “Deja, use your head, honey. This is a trap. Who do you think is going to come all the way over here from wherever to meet with you to share secrets about Spiderweb? If it was a victim, don’t you think they would be afraid you were just an operative out to get them?”

  “I…”

  “Did they say where they were coming from? Did they give a name?”

  She frowned, scrambling for something to say that would make him believe she wasn’t a complete idiot. “Well if they were worried about whether I was Spiderweb, then why would they give a name?”

  “Look at the way we’re living.” He voice didn’t raise much beyond a whisper, and she heard the resignation in the tone, which tore at her. “What person who has been to their facility or has known someone who did can do anything other than keep their head low and survive? Do you think they could jump on a plane at the drop of a hat and come here?”

  She was about to say they might be local, but then what were the odds? Sure, it was possible, but there were so many factors against this being their answer that she choked on tears. Heath’s countenance softened, and he pulled her into his embrace. He raised her chin and kissed her lips then wiped the tears from her eyes.

  “I’m sorry.” She sniffed. “I just wanted to help you. I wanted to change your mind about me.”

  “My mind? What do you mean?”

  She lowered her lashes. “I know you blame me for keeping you from giving your all to find out who your real dad was. Your entire existence is filled with taking care of me, and I can imagine you resent it—even if your sexual desires keep bringing you back to me.”

  “Deja, I swear I don’t know why I love you, woman, because you’re crazy.” He chuckled.

  Her eyes widened. “What?”

  Before he could answer, someone knocked at the door, and they both froze. Heath glanced toward the door and then to Deja. He moved in a flash to help her to the corner out of the line of sight, and then he picked up his gun. Deja saw the shift in the shape of his pupils. If he thought he would rely on the weapon, he was mistaken. While he approached the door with caution, she scanned the room for a weapon of her own. She would not be placed in the corner and have him risking his life on his own.

  “Who is it?” Heath barked, standing to the side of the entrance.

  The knock came again, and this time, Heath reached for the latch. Deja bit her lip. She picked up one of the red heels Heath had bought her. Someone was losing an eye today. She stood up and crept closer to the door. Heath jerked it open and yanked the man outside into the room. Not even confirming whether he was the enemy, Heath tossed him like old garbage against the wall. The man smashed into sheet rock and cracked it with the impact, then crumpled to the floor.

  “He’s out, Heath. I think he’s not getting up again.” She took a step in the man’s direction, but Heath glared and pointed at her.

  “Stay there!”

  He did a quick search and found a gun on the man. Deja’s mouth went dry. She spun to jog over to the open door. A quick scan of the street below showed nothing out of the ordinary. Either they’d just attacked her informant or a scout agent from Spiderweb. They had to go.

  She slammed the door shut and tossed away the heels. After she’d pulled on flats, Heath gathered two bags, and they left the rest to hurry out to the street. Heath had scarcely unlocked the car before several thickly built men were on him, wrestling him to the ground. A shot rang out, and one of the men rolled away groaning in pain. Deja’s stomach churned at the blood spreading over the man’s shirt.

  When Heath went down to his knees, she dragged one of the bags from the pavement and swung it as hard as she could. The weight wasn’t enough to do more than knock the attacker’s head to the side. He snarled and turned toward her, lips drawn back over crooked, coffee-stained teeth. She stumbled in retreat and spun around, managing to put the car between her and the assailant. He moved faster than she thought a man that heavily-muscled could and grabbed her arm. He squeezed so hard, she cried out, but she would not go down without a fight. A knee to the groin almost did the trick, but the man backhanded her. The impact snapped her head on her neck and sent shockwaves of pain through her skull. The inside of her lip scraped her teeth, and she tasted blood.

  “Deja!”

  Five men flew in several different directions when Heath shook them off. Heath seemed to flex his shoulders once, and then he turned. Not with sharp teeth, cat’s eyes, and claws alone. He poised for attack as a full-grown tiger, and from the ear-splitting roar, he was not playing with these fools any longer.

  Heath pounced on one man and swiped claws across his cheek, leaving it a bloody mess. Deja ducked her head from the horror, but cries of fear and pain split the air. The man holding onto her dragged her to the car and shoved her inside. He was about to climb in after when he fell on top of her, and his eyes widened with dread. Deja gasped when the man slid backward as if something pulled him, and she peered out to find Heath had bitten into the man’s ankle. Deja almost felt sorry for the dude when he cracked his mouth on the ground.

  The car door behind her opened, and she looked up. Another man started into the car with blood staining his sleeve, which meant he’d already been in a fight with Heath. The tiger roared, and he leaped into the car, missing Deja’s body completely before landing into the enemy’s chest and sending both of them back onto the pavement.

  Deja tried to pull herself up, but her body refused to cooperate. Darkness danced at the edges of her vision, and she shut her eyes to give herself a minute. When strong hands slipped around her waist, she swung her arms, but Heath made a clicking sound with his tongue.

  “Easy, baby, I’ve got you. I’m not going to let anyone hurt you anymore.” He helped her to sit up, and she glimpsed several men lying unmoving on the street. They would never be able to stay here, and from the siren blaring not far off, if they didn’t go now, they would be hauled into jail. Who knew what the townspeople thought when they saw a man turn into a tiger and back again. She just hoped not many were on this street during the scuffle, especially after the gunshot. “Don’t worry. I’ll take care of everything. Sit here.”

  She grabbed his arm. “Um, Heath, you’re naked.”

  He looked down at himself, surprise registering in his eyes.

  “You changed completely into a tiger. Don’t you remember?” She touched his arm and put her hand in his. He ran shaky fingers through his hair.

  “I remember feeling rage and the tiger rising in me like he’d done countless times before. Damn it, it’s like we’re one, and I don’t know where he ends and I begin. That’s why I didn’t fully realize I’d changed all the way.”

  “Hello there.”

  The man standing next to the car grinned at them. He dressed in cowboy boots, a Stetson, and ratty jeans, the typical cowboy, Deja thought. Yet, he was big with broad shoulders, and although she sat in the car, she figured him for well over six feet, about Heath’s height. Come to think of it…

  Heath growled at the man, but the cowboy held up his hands. “Whoa, partner, I’m on your side.”

  Deja looked past him and noted several other people with him. Somehow, they didn’t seem like citizens of this town, but rather outsiders. Could this be her contact?

  “Fuck you,” Heath snapped, and she tugged at his arm. The man needed to get a grip on the attitude, or the rampant testosterone, or whatever his issue was. She wondered if attacking the men had driven him to the edge, and she hoped all the more this man was who she thought he was.

  “I’m here because she contacted me.” He pointed to Deja. So this was the contact. The man glanced over his shoulder and nodded to one of the men behind him. “Handle that, will you, Joe?”

  “Sure, boss,” the man named Joe said, and Deja leaned forward to see around t
he edge of the car. Joe approached the sheriff. How the heck was he going to “handle that”? The lead man turned back to Heath. “I’m Ward. I suppose you should put something on. Your lady doesn’t seem like the type to want the whole world seeing what you have.”

  Deja frowned. “What type would want it?”

  Ward chuckled.

  Heath took the offered clothing and yanked on pants. He stood up bare-chested and bare-footed, half blocking Deja from the people surrounding the car. The way he stood, alert and fingers curled, she knew he still didn’t trust Ward or the others, and if they weren’t careful, they would find themselves face down with the Spiderweb operatives.

  Another man grinned and spit tobacco on the ground, but not near Ward or Heath, she noticed. That would have disrespected both, which she found interesting. “Yep, an ornery cuss, that’s your son all right, Ward. Looks just like you too.”

  Heath went still, and Deja started even though she’d figured it out from the start.

  “His son?” Heath’s words were more a sigh.

  Ward stepped forward and stuck his hand out. “Good to meet you, Heath. I’m Ward Taylor, your real father, and we’ve come for you and your mate, son.”

  Chapter Seventeen

  Heath sat in the middle seat of the pickup between his father, who drove, and another man named Carter. Deja sat asleep on his lap, and he held her tight to his chest, determined she would never be hurt again. Every time he looked at her and saw the bruise and the swelling on her cheek, it reminded him that he hadn’t protected her, and it killed him inside.

  Carter had been the one to reveal who Ward was, and Heath couldn’t wrap his mind around it. He’d known Ward existed, although he suspected he was dead, but having him here beside him took some getting used to.

  “Where are we going?” he asked Ward, not comfortable with the fact that he’d left the car behind, but then it was likely it had been reported stolen and that Spiderweb had its description.

  “We’re going home,” Ward told him with a wink. “To Siberia, Texas.”

  “Is there anywhere safe?” Heath wondered.

  “Siberia is,” Carter answered, his tone full of pride. “The town was founded by Ward something like thirty years ago, for us.”

  “Us?” Heath echoed.

  “Us.” Ward patted his knee as if he were small child. “For shifters. We’re all tigers, but I suppose if we ever find one that’s another type of animal, he can have a home in Siberia, Texas. Hot as hell and dusty, but we love it. Works for us. You’ll like it too, and your mate.”

  Heath glanced down at Deja and drew her closer to him. He dared to kiss the top of her head and didn’t care if they rode him for it. Neither of them said anything. “Why do you keep calling her my mate?”

  “Isn’t she?”

  Heath said nothing for a moment. He recalled the night his tiger claimed her as his and called her his mate. They were one, he and the animal, so maybe his dad was right. Deja was his mate. My dad. He’d dropped the title as soon as he learned Tate lied to him, and yet, a bit of guilt remained, along with the feeling that Tate was his dad.

  “Is there a hospital I can take her to? She’s been ill since they screwed with her, and she’s in so much pain most of the time.” Heath steeled himself against the desperation that entered his tone. After the fight, Deja had gone paler than usual, and she hadn’t stirred in his arms for several hours. “The only time it eases is when…” He couldn’t admit to his father that Deja found relief in sex.

  “Let me see. Carter, take the wheel a minute,” Ward ordered, and reached to peer in Deja’s eyes.

  Heath pulled her away. “Are you a doctor?”

  Carter laughed. “He’s the alpha, bub. Best listen to him and do what he says.”

  “I don’t know what that means.” A low-grade growl started in his throat.

  The window in the back of the pickup slid open, and one of the women slapped Heath on the shoulder. “Easy, no need to get worked up. She’s in good hands with Ward, and just like Carter said, he’s our alpha—your alpha. He can fix your woman.”

  Heath understood being able to hear far better than any human, but it pissed him off that the entire group had picked up on their conversation. Ward took control of the truck from Carter and drove a couple more miles before pulling into a rest area. The space was empty except for one or two cars, and from the look of it, the travelers were just finishing up using the facilities or getting snacks from the snack machines and would head out soon.

  “This way,” Ward told him, and he slid out of the truck.

  Heath held Deja in his arms and followed with the others trailing behind. They headed farther away from the road with the trees providing some cover. The group stood around, as if stretching their legs, while blocking anyone not in the group from viewing what they did.

  “What you need is for her to turn,” Ward explained. “If she doesn’t, she will die.”

  Heath stared. “Turn? What are you talking about? Deja is human.”

  “No, she’s not. That organization might be run by demons as far as I’m concerned, but they do know what they are doing splicing a human’s DNA with a tiger’s. What they don’t realize is that in order for the women to survive—and some men—they need an alpha to help them. That’s where I come in.”

  “But can’t you turn her back, I mean, the way she was?”

  The alpha studied him a minute. “Is that what you really want?”

  Heath looked down at Deja. Her lips parted, and her breath was so shallow. If he didn’t have advanced hearing, he wouldn’t pick it up. An ache constricted his chest, and he clenched his jaw. “I just don’t want her to hurt anymore.”

  “If she’s one of us, she will never get sick. She’ll live a long time, and most of all, she’ll be able to stay by your side as your companion and mate.”

  “But you said she needs your help changing. The people at that lab said every one of the women changed and died, but Deja didn’t change. They seemed to think that meant she was worse off than the others.”

  Ward dropped a heavy hand on his shoulder. “Like I said, that’s where I come in. I not only help her to change. I guide her two sides to live as one, to work in unison instead of fighting each other. Only an alpha can do that, something Spiderweb never knew, and not every one of us can be an alpha. Now we have another potential one.”

  Heath frowned. “Where?”

  “You.”

  “Me?” What Ward said to him was hardly believable, and now he claimed Heath was able to do it as well? “I’m not sure I follow.”

  “You’re my son. That means you can be an alpha. The fact that you made Deja feel better, even temporarily, proves you have the ability to help her to turn. But she’s in trouble now, so I’ll take care of it, and you can learn later as I teach you.”

  Heath snarled and backed up. “You are not having sex with Deja. I will kill you first.”

  Both Ward and Carter burst out laughing. Ward wiped his eyes when he was done, and Heath felt heat in his cheeks. So far, these people were not on his favorite list.

  “No, no, son, I apologize for laughing,” Ward said. “You, because you’re unlearned and because she’s your mate, can help her when the two of you become one. I wouldn’t dare touch your woman that way, and I don’t need to. Trust me.”

  Heath knelt down when Ward indicated for him to, and he laid Deja in the grass. “I will let you try, but I don’t trust you yet. I hope that doesn’t offend you.”

  “Not at all. In time, I’m sure.”

  Heath watched in wonderment when Ward laid big but gentle hands on Deja’s head. He leaned in close to her, and Heath dropped forward with one fist on the ground when a wave of something rippled through the air. He caught his breath and looked to the others, amazed that every man and woman who had been standing around took a knee and bowed their heads. Only one still stood, dazed and as shocked as Heath.

  He turned back to watch Ward with Deja, and was bl
own away once again. His lover went from being a woman to a beautiful tiger in the blink of an eye. A sweet purr rose from her throat, and she raised a paw to lick it. Her clothes lay in a pile on the ground.

  “Deja?” He reached a hand out to touch her head, and she growled at him, tail snapping side to side. He laughed. “I can imagine her saying, ‘I’m not a pet, mofo.’”

  The others chuckled.

  Heath didn’t need Ward to tell him Deja was well now. He sensed it, saw the vibrancy in her eyes, and knew the pain had gone. Relief flooded his system, and he had to resist gathering her into his arms and rubbing his face into her fur.

  “Now you,” Ward said, and Heath glanced up. The man who hadn’t felt the impulse to bow when Ward unleashed his power stared at Deja in abject terror. He seemed rooted to the spot, unable to move, but when Ward held out his hand, he shook his head, stuttering.

  “I’m not… I can’t…”

  “Jake, it’s okay,” Ward said. “I know what they did to you, and I can help.”

  Heath examined the man for the first time. His clothes were rumpled, dirty, and blood-stained. One sleeve had been torn away to reveal bruises on his arm. Heath recognized the marks as those left from repeated injections from the experiments. This was another victim. Anger rose in him at the way Spiderweb treated people. They needed to be stopped permanently.

  Deja wandered over to Heath and rubbed up against his leg. He rested a hand on her head, and this time, she allowed it, purring. Heath looked at his dad. “You rescued him?”

  “Yeah, I had a friend on the inside. She tipped me off that my son was at the facility in Nevada, one I never knew existed. I thought you’d died with your mother back then.”

  All of them fell silent at this news. A desire to know more rose in Heath, but he thought there was time for that. Right now, they needed to help this man.

  Ward continued. “When my friend told me you were there, I came right away to get you with the others, but you being you had already ripped the place apart and escaped.” Ward beamed with pride. “I tracked you, but you stayed ahead of me. Of course I also ran into trouble trying to keep Spiderweb’s people off my ass. Anyway, we found Jake at the same facility as you. We freed him and brought him along.”