A Tiger's Tale

by Lisa Oliver

  A large silver SUV overtook the bikes, roaring down the hundred yards left of the main road, its brakes squealing as it came to a sudden stop. Ra’s heart stopped as he saw Gareth and three other rabbit shifters leap from the vehicle. He had a strong urge to plow straight into the man as he stood with his arm up in the middle of the road, but a squeeze from Seth’s arms around his waist had him slowing down to a stop. The other bikes ranged around him and there was a sudden silence with the engines turned off.

  “I’ll take that man, thank you very much,” Gareth said, stalking forward. “Your club will be well rewarded for bringing in this criminal.”

  “Criminal?” Ra said loudly, catching Joe’s eye. He was pleased to see the big man moving quickly through the crowds. “It’s funny. None of the wanted posters you plastered around town mentioned the crime Seth is accused of. What’s he charged with?”

  “That’s herd business,” Gareth said shortly. “Seth is a member of our herd and what we do with him is no concern of anyone else.”

  “Actually, Gareth,” Joe stepped forward, his badge gleaming in the sun. “It is our concern. That’s the law here in Arrowtown. Anyone accused of a crime has a right to speak in front of the townspeople before any sentence is passed. You chose to live here, so your herd must abide by the laws same as anyone else. Now, as you couldn’t be bothered to go into the town hall like Ra and his friends were trying to arrange, you can speak your piece here. The townspeople want to know what Seth is being accused of.”

  “My father has already discussed this with the mayor and the sheriff,” Gareth sneered at Joe. “This is personal business and doesn’t impact anyone else in town.”

  “Actually, it does,” Ra stood up, still straddling his bike. Seth was now cuddling his ass, and Ra could live with that. “Good people of Arrowtown,” he said loudly, so everyone could hear him. “Seth is my true mate.” The crowd gave a collective gasp. “It seems when he told the alpha apparent about our mating he was informed rabbits aren’t allowed to mate outside their species. That’s why Gareth is trying to shut him up.” He pointed at the man concerned who glowered at him. “I was taught that interspecies matings are allowed regardless of animal form or gender. But it seems the bunnies didn’t get that memo. Does anyone have anything to say about that?”

  “Shame on you, Gareth,” Mrs. Hooper pushed herself out of her chair and hit Gareth solidly with her ever-present purse. “Are you hunting this poor boy because he wants to mate a tiger?”

  “No,” Gareth ducked and moved away. “He’s committed crimes against the herd. That’s all any of you need to know.”

  “What crimes, Gareth?” Ra roared. “You can’t say anything because you know I’m telling the truth. You ordered a hunt against Seth purely and simply because he told you about me. You beat on him, you hurt him and he’s been running scared for two fucking weeks.”

  “Is this why you haven’t been at work, Seth?” Barney sauntered forward, his hands hooked in his belt. No one would believe the man was a librarian. In his tight jeans, converse sneakers and mesh top, he looked like he was heading to a club. Seth peeked around Ra’s butt and nodded.

  “I wanted to….” He tried to say, but Gareth yelled over him.

  “Shut up, Seth! Don’t you dare say another word.”

  “Why can’t the boy speak? I want to hear what he’s got to say,” Trent called out and others in the crowd quickly took up the chant.

  “Let Seth speak. Let Seth speak.”

  If looks could kill, Ra would be six feet under, but Garth’s dirty looks turned into a smug grin as the mayor, sheriff and his father all came out of the town hall.

  “You’ll get yours now,” Gareth smirked. “Hand him over now before you and your club lose everything you’ve worked for.”

  Ra wasn’t about to do any handing over unless it was handing Gareth his balls in a bag, but Seth made to slip off the bike. A low growl stopped his movements although Seth’s frightened whimper broke Ra’s heart. He sat back on his bike seat, his finger on the starter button as the mayor and sheriff came towards him.

  “Ra, nice day for it.” Mayor Quincy was a buffalo shifter who’d watched too many westerns in Ra’s opinion. His red-checkered shirt was tight across his bulging stomach and his jeans looked as though they were one puff from falling off, pushed down as they were by his heavy paunch. Ra and his men hadn’t had much to do with the mayor. He ran his business from their club rooms, but until now the man had been pleasant enough.

  “I see you’ve brought Seth in for justice.” Quincy plastered on a fake smile. “You’ve done good work. Shifters like this young criminal have no place in Arrowtown.”

  “We want to know what Seth’s done,” Mrs. Hooper pushed forward and poked Quincy in the chest. “He’s never been a bother around town, not like some I’ve seen.”

  “It is rabbit business,” Quincy looked around the crowd as it moved closer. “This is a herd matter,” he called out, spreading out his arms. “Nothing to worry anyone here.”

  “We heard it was a mating matter,” Barney said just as strongly, his voice loud against the grumbling crowd. “If this young man is being hunted simply because of an archaic law abolished a century ago, then we have a right to know about it.” The crowd roared its assent.

  Quincy went to open his mouth, and then snapped it shut. Ra smiled. No one could get away with lying in a paranormal town. Not even the mayor. “Alpha Simpson assures me this is an internal matter and we should respect the rabbits’ rights to handle it themselves.”

  “Handle it how?” Trent said angrily. “I had goons from the herd in my garage only yesterday wanting to know if Seth rented a car from us. They frightened Joanna, tried to bully my young apprentice and were rude to my customers. That is not how we handle things in Arrowtown and I for one want to know what’s going on.”

  “Yeah!” The crowd was moving closer and Ra saw Quincy share a worried glance with Simpson and his cousin the sheriff. The sheriff stepped forward and said in his best crowd-moving voice, “There is nothing to worry about. This is a herd matter. Let them deal with it.”

  “But it’s not just a herd matter, is it, Buffy?” One of Cam’s patrons waved his bottle of beer at the sheriff and Ra covered his mouth with his hand. The sheriff hated his nickname. “It seems if that little bunny is mates with a tiger, then suddenly it ain’t a herd matter at all. It affects all of us.”

  The sheriff’s darks eyes narrowed. “They haven’t claimed each other yet,” he said in a growl. “Isn’t that right, Ra?”

  I knew I should have claimed him when I had the chance. Seth was trembling so hard against his back, Ra thought he’d shift. Ignoring the sheriff, he addressed the crowd. “Seth has a strong sense of decency. He hasn’t allowed me to bite him or claim him in any way because he knows his herd is hunting him. He’s trying to protect me. The only crime he’s committed and it isn’t a crime at all, is that he told Gareth his mate was not a rabbit. Gareth BEAT him for that.”

  The crowd shifted their angry mood to Gareth, who hurried over to his father’s side. “Is that true, Gareth?” Mrs. Hooper demanded. “Did you beat on poor Seth because his mate wasn’t another rabbit? He’s half your size. How dare you do such a thing?” Mrs. Hooper’s three sons wore menacing looks on their faces and a look of panic flew across Gareth’s. Mrs. Hooper and her boys were legendary in Arrowtown. One of the founding families, the Hooper’s were Texas Longhorns and in their shifted form, those boys were formidable animals even though they were still in their teens.

  “It’s the law,” Gareth cried out quickly, ducking his father’s open hand. “Herd law. No outside matings. Ask him.” He scampered away from his father’s hand and fell straight into Barney’s claws instead. No matter how much he wriggled, Barney wouldn’t let him go. His father glared at him, but Quincy quickly diverted his attention to the crowd that was getting angrier by the minute.

  “I demand a meeting,” Ra said firmly. “Seth has a right to speak and ans
wer the charges laid by the herd.”

  “Seth doesn’t have a herd,” Alpha Simpson said dismissively, his harsh words cutting through the crowd’s chatter. “He’s being hunted because he’s a defect; an abomination of our kind. His parents found him on the side of the road just outside of town as a baby and begged me to let him be raised with their other children. Out of the goodness of my heart, I allowed it. But now,” he sniffed. “You’re welcome to him, tiger; he was never good enough to be one of ours. I’ll call the hunt off but see to it he never comes near the herd grounds again.”

  There was a shocked silence as Alpha Simpson turned to leave. Seth’s voice stopped him cold. “Wait.” Seth slipped off the bike and this time Ra let him go, although he kept a firm eye on his shaky mate. Seth was even paler than usual, which shouldn’t have been possible, but his spine was straight and he held his head high.

  “Is it true what you just said about my being adopted?” Seth asked as soon as Simpson faced him.

  “You never considered it?” Simpson sneered as he looked him up and down. “You’re a mutant runt; the wrong color, half our size. You can’t believe you were born to be one of us, do you?”

  There was angry muttering around the crowd, but it stopped when Seth spoke again.

  “My parents never made me feel anything but loved,” he said proudly and Ra’s tiger wanted to roar. “They care for me, raised me as their own and for that I will always be grateful. But you, what you are doing to the other members of the herd. It’s wrong. How many rabbits have true mates outside their species? How many other matings have you prevented with your illegal law?”

  Simpson’s face flushed but he didn’t say anything.

  “That’s what I thought,” Seth’s voice wobbled. “Finding your true mate is the most wonderful, amazing thing that can ever happen to you. My mate took the time to look for me even though he knew the hunters were after me. He took the time to source food he knew I’d like and wants nothing more than to keep me safe. I will cherish him for the rest of my days. I want other rabbits to know that, the people I grew up with. Adopted or not, most of the herd are good people. They deserve better than you and they deserve to be with their true mates if they have them.”

  “What would you know about a herd, runt?” Simpson glared at his son. “You don’t have one anymore. Come on Gareth, we’re going home.”

  Gareth struggled in Barney’s arms, and after a long moment, the big cat shifter let him go. But Ra was curious especially with the heated looks the two men shared as Gareth stumbled after his father. He caught Barney’s eye, raising his brow and the man winked.

  “You might want to think about changing your attitude, Simpson,” Mrs. Hooper called out, determined to have the last word. The crowd yelled its approval, well after Simpson and Gareth had disappeared.

  The sheriff strode over, his handcuffs swinging from his fingers. “You’re coming with me, Ra.”

  “Why?” Ra opened his arms, and Seth flew into them, the smell of his tears causing his tiger to fidget.

  “Disturbing the peace, interfering in herd business, disrespecting the mayor.”

  “You can’t do that, sir,” Joe appeared by Ra’s side. “Ra wasn’t disrespectful and this was a matter that should have been brought to the town’s attention long before this. The hunt for Seth has been in place two weeks and I’ve had to deal with a lot of concerned citizens who know Seth and didn’t believe him capable of any wrong doing. Ra’s done us all a favor, I reckon.”

  “I’m handling this,” the sheriff said firmly. “Ra, step away from that rabbit.”

  Seth clung tighter, but Ra wasn’t going anywhere. “Simon,” he called out. “What’s the shifter council law regarding elected officials found to be favoring one species or groups of persons over another?”

  The Sherrif’s face blanched.

  “Article 3; subsection 44, pertaining to all elected officials in a shifter town: Whereby if any shifter abuses their position, for any reason, thereby placing the safety and needs of one shifter group or person over another, that person will thereby be deemed unfit for office. They will be stripped of their position immediately and recalled to the council for further punishment.” Simon’s hiss added emphasis to certain words but they were clearly understood.

  “Are you sure you want to do this, Sheriff? You can’t lock all of us up; this meeting was my idea and the moment those handcuffs go on, my friends will call the council and make sure there’s a full investigation into this and the hunt for Seth,” Ra met the Sheriff’s scowl with a smile.

  “Just watch yourself, Ra,” the Sheriff pocketed his cuffs. “One wrong move and I’ll have you behind bars so fast your head will spin.”

  “Don’t forget it’s an election year, Sheriff,” Cam called out, holding his beer bottle up in salute. “You and your cousin; none of us want to be responsible for breaking council laws and we won’t elect anyone who does.”

  Muttering under his breath the sheriff stormed away. Ra could almost see the steam coming out of his nostrils. He looked down. Seth’s eyes were closed, his face was wet and he didn’t seem to have any control over his muscles.

  “You were very brave,” he said quietly as the crowd around them came forward, patting Seth on the shoulder, others calling their greetings to Ra. Everyone had something positive to say about their mating, and yet Seth didn’t seem to be able to respond. Ra wasn’t sure if he even heard any of the lovely things people were saying about him.

  “You need to take him home,” Cam came over, nudging his shoulder gently. “Learning about the adoption. Being banished from his herd. He did freaking well standing up to his alpha, but I think your little bunny has had all the excitement he can take.” He passed over a six pack of honeydew beers. “Get some of them down him. If anyone deserves a night to cut loose, it’s him. It’s my mating gift.”

  Ra nodded and edged Seth towards his bike only to find Mrs. Hooper standing there. “Can I help you, ma’am?” he asked politely. The local store owner had given him grief about the loud bikes roaring through town more than once, but Ra always found a little treat in his bag when he shopped there.

  “Seth needs a good meal and none of you can cook worth a damn,” she said curtly. “I’ve put stuff in your saddlebags, enough for all of you.” She looked at Seth’s hair, the only thing visible above Ra’s arms. “I’d like you to bring Seth to see me when he’s feeling more like himself,” she said in a quieter tone. “There were things that happened the night he was found by his adoptive parents. He’ll want to know about it.”

  “Why haven’t you told him before, if it’s important?” Ra hugged Seth even tighter although the man seemed beyond comprehension at this point.

  Mrs. Hooper snorted. “That Simpson is an upstart and a jackass,” she said. “But none could complain when he allowed Seth into the herd. I didn’t think it was my place to interfere. But now….” She trailed off and Ra nodded. Without a herd, Seth was going to need all the support he could get.

  “Thank you. I’ll bring him by once he’s had a chance to settle in.”

  “Make sure you look after him,” Mrs. Hooper warned. “Don’t you go letting that tiger of yours frighten his poor rabbit or I’ll set my boys on you.”

  “Seth will be pleased you care about him,” Ra smiled.

  Mrs. Hooper snorted. “There’re a lot of folks around here care about that boy. He just never noticed.” She looked around. “Where're those damn boys of mine? Gods, always under my feet when they’re not needed and when I want something, nowhere to be found.” She hobbled off, scolding loudly when she saw them hanging around Cam and his beer cooler. “You’ve got better things to do standing around drinking in the middle of the afternoon. Get me back to my shop. There’s no telling what Cyril’s done to it since I’ve been gone.”

  “Can you take me home?” Seth asked, his voice so faint, Ra almost missed it.

  “Did you want to shift? I can put you in my jacket,” Ra said softly, strokin
g Seth’s hair from his face. Seth’s eyes were red rimmed and puffy and he swiped his fingers through the tear tracks on Seth’s pale cheeks.

  Seth shook his head. “I can hold on. If it wasn’t for you…just take me home, please.”

  Ra swung his leg over the bike seat and Seth climbed on behind him. Looking around, he saw Liam and Lucien watching them, sadness etched on their faces. “You guys staying in town?” he asked.

  “Yeah,” Liam said, forcing a smile. “Don’t eat all that lovely grub Mrs. Hooper left for us. We’ll be at Cam’s if you need us.”

  But all Ra could think as he carefully turned his bike and headed out of town, was that the only thing he needed was clinging to his back like a limpet. Unfortunately, the claiming he and his tiger craved wasn’t likely to happen anytime soon. After the shock revelations of the day, Seth was likely to want someone to talk to. Reminding himself he had a lifetime to be with his mate, Ra vowed to give Seth anything he wanted – time, hugs, a shoulder to cry on. Ra would keep his needs in check and concentrate on his mate.

  Chapter Six

  Seth woke with a start, unsure where he was for a moment. A deep rhythmic rumbling filled the air along with the musky scent he was coming to love. He was in his tiger’s bed and from the dimness of the room, he’d been asleep for hours, Ra’s huge body curled around him. Slipping out of Ra’s arms, Seth found the bathroom and clicked on the light, making sure the connecting door was pushed against the frame so the brightness didn’t wake his sleeping mate.

  “Gods, you look a fright,” he grumbled to his reflection in the large tiled mirror. His hair was sticking up at all angles, his eyes were still puffy and his skin was pale enough to do a vampire impersonation. Stepping over to the toilet, he took care of that little problem and then went back to the sink to wash his hands and face.

  “What we gonna do now?” He whispered to his reflection. After being on his own for two weeks solid, talking to himself was becoming second nature. Unfortunately, his reflection wasn’t forthcoming with any answers. Rubbing his face with his hands, Seth sat on the edge of the tub and contemplated his options.