Tiger's Strength

by Kimberly A Rogers

  In my wonderful merciful nature, I kept my amusement out of my voice as I brightly chirped, “Did you get the picture I sent you?”

  My fondest hopes were answered when the TDS growled.

  However, I managed to avoid laughing. This time. Instead, I quite innocently asked, “Oh, did you not like it? I thought it would be something you’d like, if not love.”

  “Why in all creation would you believe that a picture of fencing supplies was something I would enjoy receiving?”

  “Because it proves I was thinking of you,” I offered cheerfully. “You know since your unhealthy attachment to boundaries, physical and emotional, led you to have a little hissy fit over your slightly damaged fence around your precious outpost.”

  Studying my nails, I grinned when Baran growled again. “I did not have anything remotely resembling a hissy fit as you call it. And, the damage to my perimeter fence was not slight in the remotest sense of the word.”

  “So you had a growling fit or a roaring fit? Was it a roaring fit? I mean, you are a Tiger and everyone knows you Tigers are so weird about having to do everything bigger than the rest of us in Clan Felidae. Personally, I think it is all a bunch of hooey.”

  “Raina.” At least that’s what I was fairly certain he growled.

  “Yes, dear?”

  “Why are you calling me?”

  I rolled my eyes. “Obviously because I so missed the sound of your growling while I’ve been gone.”

  Baran growled again.

  I feigned a love struck sigh. “Oh, be still my heart.”

  “Raina!”

  I made a face. “Oh fine, be that way.” Drumming my fingers against the steering wheel, I scanned the road. “I called because I got bored. I’m just sitting here on the road making absolutely no progress whatsoever.”

  “You do realize that being in a vehicle or simply walking would aid you in your quest to make progress, do you not?”

  I bit back a laugh as I pulled the phone away from my ear and stared at it. Had he done that on purpose? Oh happy days! Grinning widely, I tucked the phone between my ear and shoulder as I dug around in my purse in hopes of finding some gum. “No, that never occurred to me. You have solved my every problem, Baran. How masterful.”

  “Be careful who you bite at, kitten. Tigers have big teeth.”

  “You stole that from Little Red Riding Hood.”

  “I would never consider such a thing. That is about a crazy Lupine.”

  “You know, he’s just a big bad wolf in the story,” I reminded him.

  “Not in the Therian version.”

  “That’s because Therians have a somewhat twisted sense of humor.”

  “We shift at will into predatory species,” Baran intoned. “Our version is probably the true one.”

  I could hardly argue with that. “Probably.” I needed to ask Aita about that one. He would know. And even if it wasn’t, I wouldn’t be surprised if the Therian version was considered a bonus for the Lupines. They were rather notorious about letting any sort of fame, no matter how dubious, go to their collective heads. Of course, they liked to appeal to the human fascination with werewolves as an excuse for their bad behavior.

  Giving up on my hunt for gum, I looked over the winding stretch of vehicles all stuck at a standstill and nearly sighed. I wanted to be home. A trace of longing crept into my voice as I spoke without thinking, “I thought you would call more.”

  There was a pause, and I heard the rustle of clothing. Closing my eyes, I could almost picture Baran leaning back in the leather chair behind his desk. When he finally spoke, it was in a much softer rumble than before and not even a hint of a growl lingered. “I meant to, but I have enough new recruits on my outpost this season that I’ve been behind on the tasks I would prefer to do.”

  I smiled as I leaned my cheek against my free hand, resting my temple against the window. “I suppose I can forgive that sort of distraction. Although, you should know that referring to calling your wife when she’s out of town as one of your tasks doesn’t get you a lot of brownie points.”

  “I said it was preferred.”

  “I know, dear.” I smiled a little wider and teased, “As long you haven’t used my absence as an excuse to throw a wild party, you’re still getting brownie points.”

  Baran huffed in amusement. “Wild party?” he repeated. There was the rustle of papers, meaning he was probably picking up a report of some type. “You seem to have mistaken me for yourself.”

  “Well, that is a mildly terrifying thought,” I mused. “Being married to one’s self would be quite disturbing.” When he didn’t respond, I was fairly certain he had lost himself in paperwork again. It was so much easier to distract him from work when I was actually in the room with him. “Get your fence patched, by the way?”

  “No.”

  I tried to ignore the twinge of regret spurred on by the fact the softness had vanished from Baran’s voice and he was back to being curt. Only one way to salvage the conversation now. I feigned shock and concern as I asked, “Have you come down with something? A fever? Cold? Random feelings of laziness or a new appreciation for procrastination?”

  “I believe I am most grateful that you are not involved in medicine,” Baran grumbled.

  I laughed softly as I heard the papers drop back onto the desk. “I don’t remember you complaining the last time I had to patch you up or the disturbingly double digit number of times that I nursed you back to health.”

  “Clearly, your bedside manner is sweeter when you are not attempting to provide a diagnosis over the phone.”

  “So if I could kiss you, you’d be grateful?”

  Oh, what I could do with his answer! I waited eagerly for his response, but then I heard a knocking sound. Baran snarled and my Leopard tried to answer. No! This conversation was far too fun to just let it be interrupted. But, of course, the TDS did not respond to my last tease. Instead, I heard the rustle of clothing and the slightest squeak of his leather chair rocking back into place as he rose from his seat. I couldn’t hear him walking, he was too soft footed for that, but I did hear first one and then another door open. The second door closed after only a few seconds. Then, the first door. And, then there was the sound of a box being opened.

  Oh! That’s right! I started grinning. “What did you get? Cookies?”

  “Hush.”

  “If they’re chocolate, you better leave half for me.”

  “Why are Leopards such incessant chatterers?”

  I heard the rustle of paper, probably packing paper. Then, the TDS made a strange choking sound. What did his face look like though? Oh, I was really regretting not being able to see his face! There was no sound after that. What was going on? Ugh, I couldn’t take it anymore. “TDS? You still there?”

  “What were you thinking?”

  Yeah, I definitely regretted not being able to see his face. After that lovely question, I had no choice but to keep prodding the Tiger. Even if he had temporarily transformed from Tall, Dark, and oh so Serious to Tall, Dark, and Stunned. “I think quite a lot, yet people always seem surprised. So, you really should add context to clarify the parameters of your question or I will just have to rattle off all sorts of thoughts at you to see which one is closest to the one you actually want to know about and—”

  “Raina! What were you thinking by sending me this . . . this . . . thing?”

  I bit the inside of my cheek to keep from bursting out laughing. After counting to five, I felt like I could actually answer. “Baran—” I choked back a laugh and then managed to calmly continue, “You do realize that I cannot see whatever you are undoubtedly shaking at the phone right now, yes?”

  “I thought you learned your lesson after Elkhorn,” he hissed.

  “Which lesson? There were several if you recall. Not to mention the fact that they were mostly group project lessons.” I yanked the phone from my ear and adjusted the phone’s volume slightly as Baran interrupted with a roar. Such an overreaction. A
fter giving him a moment to stop roaring, I cautiously returned the phone to my ear as I innocently pointed out, “You realize that I still can’t see whatever it is that has your whiskers in a knot, yes?”

  “Raina.” He breathed heavily into the phone, not quite suppressing the vibrations of his growls. “You are an impudent, cheeky, mischief making little minx of a Leopardess. This goes too far.”

  “Still doesn’t tell me what was in the box,” I countered cheerfully.

  “In what reality do you think I would ever agree to wear anything that has that blasted cartoon tiger plastered over it?”

  Covering my mouth with one hand, I had to bite the inside of my cheek before my shoulders stopped shaking long enough that I could trust myself not to burst out laughing when I finally tried to speak. Even then I still had to count to ten before trying. And, I couldn’t help giving into the urge to grin as I answered, “I think it’s a bit of an assumption to think it’s for you. Maybe I got it for me. You know for when you’re off doing whatever it is generals do, when not being all broody in their outpost, and I’m at home alone.”

  I could almost see Baran’s annoyed expression as he growled, “You put a note on here that says ‘Tigger for my Tigger.’ And, this shirt would swallow you.” There was a pause and then he grumbled, “It’s worse than those hideous Beast of Bray Road shirts. I told you, no more tourist shirts.”

  “That’s because you don’t understand the appeal of them, dear.”

  Before I could continue, he groaned. “Why did you get this lamp? It needs to be broken.”

  “Don’t break the Tigger lamp, I got it for aesthetics.”

  “Send it to your brother, Connor. His mate might actually have a use for it with their cub.”

  “Aiden is a leopard. Why would he need a Tigger lamp?”

  It was probably a bad thing that I laughed at Baran’s pained groan. I couldn’t wait to see what happened when I delivered the lamp in question to his outpost for use in his office. Taking some pity on him, and honestly this particular conversation just wasn’t as fun when I couldn’t see his reserve imploding, I changed the subject. “You know, you never said you missed me.”

  “I did until I opened the box,” he deadpanned.

  I laughed. Propping my chin on my hand, I gazed out at the line of idling cars. Still no progress. Typical. “Well, I miss you.” I sighed. “When I borrowed your truck, I had no idea that Matahari was going to make me drag Sully all the way back to Florida. After waiting around for four hours for the king to finish interviewing him.”

  “I thought the Lupine was in trouble in Saint Augustine.”

  “He was, but apparently it was decided the justice in Miami would provide a fairer hearing than in Saint Augustine.” I sighed at the reminder of how my part in the little drama had been unfairly extended. I hadn’t completely made up my mind if Matahari was attempting to teach me a lesson by making me escort the deadbeat all the way to the tip of Florida when I should have been able to just turn him over to one of the commanders who oversaw territories in Florida. Brushing my hair back so it no longer covered the tips of my pointed ears, I mused, “I actually wouldn’t have minded going to Saint Augustine. It’s supposed to be really neat there what with the fort and all the Old World embassies.”

  “You’ve never been to Saint Augustine?”

  “I know. It’s a sad thing given that I have two brothers who are diplomats to the Old World, but no, I’ve actually never been there.” It took everything in me not to confess how much I wanted to go. Or that I had been quite a bit jealous that Baran was able to spend enough time there for the sun to add those caramel colored stripes to his dark brown hair.

  His deep rumble filled my ear, “I’ll take you.”

  A smile appeared. The TDS was learning. He could almost be sweet when he really tried. “That would be nice, Baran.”

  I wanted to say more, but I decided that I could thank him more appropriately when I got home. If I ever got there. A sigh escaped me as I tried to think of something else to discuss. It had been a week yesterday since I had seen or talked to Baran, and to be perfectly honest I didn’t want to hang up yet.

  Then Baran surprised me as he murmured in a tone that would have been called sly had it been anyone but the TDS talking. “Commander?”

  I rolled my eyes. “I should have known you would pick up on that.”

  “Well, you looked as though you had bitten a lemon . . . or been tossed into a lake while a Leopard when he said it.” Baran paused and then continued, “You didn’t tell me you had a Jaguar added to your command.”

  “Well, Jeffery is new. So new that I only got him that morning.” I resisted sighing again as I recalled how that day had gone. “Of course, since I was surprised with the assignment of mentoring him, I don’t have as good a read on him as I would like before starting. And, then we topped the first day off with chasing our friend Sully.”

  “He seems . . . formal.”

  I groaned as I covered my eyes with my free hand. “Please don’t remind me. Having someone replace Louisa was inevitable because she’s officially retired from the Trackers now, yay me. But, giving me the stiffest potential recruit for Trackers in a hundred years? Matahari said she wasn’t mad at me, but I have my doubts now. They grew with this trip to Florida.”

  A chuff of amusement was his response. Amusement tinged his voice now as he drew out his reply, “I cannot imagine what you might have done to irritate the Supreme Commander.”

  I laughed in spite of myself. “You are not being a nice Tiger right now. Just so you know.” I ran a hand over my hair toying with the strands that had escaped my chignon. “Most Trackers join because maintaining the amount of discipline and formality required by the military makes them break out in hives. Or they bite people they aren’t supposed to, which brings its own issues. But this Jaguar.” I shook my head with a sigh. “I don’t know, Baran, he seems much more suited to military life than the Trackers. I hope he doesn’t stay past the mentoring.”

  “Why?”

  “I’m not sure. Just a feeling. Something I’ll know more about after I get back and run some more training missions with him.”

  “Keep Omar or Lena at your back until you get a read on him.”

  I smiled. “Or I could just invite you to come by my field office. I would say you could drop by unannounced, but that concept would probably give you hives.”

  Before the TDS could respond, someone lost their temper and blasted a horn. Like that was going to help. Some people just needed to learn patience and today was apparently an excellent opportunity according to the Creator. I sighed as chaos broke out on the road again. Lovely.

  “Where are you?”

  “Currently? I’m twenty miles south of North Carolina. Stuck in traffic because someone released a stable of horses on the road, and mister road rage has just spooked a good number of them into running again. We were so very close to being able to move again.” Closing my eyes, I sighed. “Clearly, I’m not going to get home anywhere near when I wanted.”

  “Maybe you should grab one and bring it back for dinner.”

  “Grab one what?”

  “A horse.”

  I opened my eyes at that and graced the phone with a skeptical look. Was he joking? I couldn’t tell. But just in case he wasn’t attempting a joke . . . “There will be no horses on the menu at my house ever. Not even for Thanksgiving and definitely not for Christmas.”

  There was a pause before Baran asked, “Are you certain your plans for Thanksgiving are immovable?”

  How did I know that we would eventually get back to this topic? Oh, maybe the fact that this had been an issue for him since I first told him about the plans. I rolled my eyes. “Yes, I’m certain and you should be thanking the Creator that the majority of my family is in England visiting Connor. Otherwise, you would have to deal with everyone and not just the Emperor and his fiancée.”

  “The Emperor is the most vexing of your siblings,” the TDS
grumbled.

  I laughed at that. “You only say that because Constantine is the one who’s been around the most. And, this is in spite of the fact that he went from serving in Germany to Greece this year.”

  “No, I say it because it is true.” There was a hint of exasperation seeping into his voice as he continued, “Every time we meet, your brother insists on bringing up the fact that I attacked him once instead of allowing the matter to fall by the wayside.”

  “Baran, there is no wayside in my family. We don’t let anyone live anything down until it has been replaced by an even bigger embarrassment.”

  “He could at least acknowledge the fact that I only attacked him and Connor because I thought they were attacking you. Defending one’s mate shouldn’t be a matter of mockery.”

  I chuckled at that. “Baran, the only reason you didn’t know they were my brothers is because you never met them until then. However, I suppose you could always tackle and threaten Aita if you really want the Emperor to stop bringing up the February incident.”

  “So he can mock me for attacking my father-in-law,” Baran deadpanned. He sighed, and I heard his chair squeaking as he leaned back. “How did anyone in your family merit appointments as ambassadors?”

  I shrugged. “Honestly, I think Caderyn just wants to punish the Old World Therians with my brothers.”

  “That I can almost believe to be true.”

  I smiled. “You know I’m only asking you to make it through Thanksgiving with family. Christmas we can have to ourselves. Doesn’t that sound nice?”

  “Raina.”

  “This is where you’re supposed to say ‘yes, dear’ and accept my magnanimous efforts on your behalf.” I paused as I recalled something that had been nagging at me the whole time I’d been gone. “Hey, if you do see the Emperor before Thanksgiving, be nice to him.”

  “Why?”