The Tiger’s Ambush

by Tate James

  “Wes?” I whispered, splaying my hand across his chest and admiring his physique. There was absolutely no sign of him having just been in a fatal car crash, and damn if his typical oversized T-shirts and hoodies were definitely not doing him any favors. The boy was ripped.

  “Sweetheart,” he sighed with a contented sound.

  “Are you okay?” I asked, tilting my head back to look at him.

  “Me?” He snorted a laugh, but a small smile played at his lips. “Are you okay? You scared the crap out of everyone!”

  “Yeah, of course. I just ran out of steam. Is Caleb...?” I sat up a little and looked around the room we were in. It was a basic sort of bedroom with a queen-size bed, dresser with a mirror, and two doors leading off it, presumably one to a closet and one out to the rest of the house or apartment or whatever it was that we were in. But no Caleb.

  “He’s fine too. He recovered faster than me, apparently, and took off to take care of something. The guys said I was still out when we got back here, so they tucked us in together in the hopes of you soaking up a bit of energy while we slept.” He peered at me from the short distance, looking strange without his glasses on. “Did it work? You’ve been out for most of the day.”

  “Oh, I’ve been out? You weren’t taking a little siesta as well?” I teased, and he grinned back at me.

  “What can I say? You’re really good to snuggle.” His hand ran up my back, and he tugged me back down to the pillow. “So, are you feeling, like, recharged?”

  “Um, no?” I admitted. “Not really. Definitely better than I was, given the whole no-longer-unconscious thing, but still pretty drained.”

  “I thought as much.” He made a humming noise like he was thinking. “I figured you might get a small amount of energy transfer from skin to skin contact, but it’s not really enough for a full charge, right? For that you need, um, more.”

  His academic curiosity was clashing with his awkward nature, and I knew he was blushing again, so I shifted onto my side. Tucking the pillow farther under my head, I snuggled in so that we were face to face.

  “More. Yeah, pretty much. Seems like lots of, um, contact is only necessary from big healing, like bringing people back from near death or healing major injuries for myself. Both of which probably contributed to me passing out earlier.” I tried to keep the discussion factual so as not to make Wesley uncomfortable. “Do we know what happened? Was it an accident?”

  “Not an accident.” His lips turned down in an angry sort of pout. “The truck that hit us was gone even before River got out of the car.”

  “Huh.” I bit my lip as I pondered that fact. First a car bomb in New York and now a hit and run car accident in Seattle. “Someone’s trying to kill me, huh?”

  “Or us...” Wesley met my gaze with a sympathetic look and stroked a long strand of my copper-red hair from off my face. How it wasn’t a tangled mess was beyond me. “I had a suspicion after the car bomb that it might be someone who was testing your powers, trying to see if you could heal anyone else. But now I’m thinking they’re deliberately targeting us. Maybe trying to force you into choosing your dianoch so that you will gain your full powers sooner? I don’t know. Just a theory.”

  “Probably a pretty good theory, though. Except then they would need to have some idea of how to gain control of, well, me in order to use the power. Which can’t be good. So yeah, it definitely makes sense... but who?” I frowned, considering all my many enemies that I suddenly seemed to have. Dupree was dead, of course, but she had said there were other interested parties who were aiming to be the ones who restored the magic. Some sort of bid to become a supreme ruler, I assumed. There was Mr. Gray, my childhood abuser who had tried to purchase me in the Onyx Auction, but did he have any knowledge of the Ban Dia? I sort of had the impression that they, or we, weren’t a widely known race.

  “Hey.” Wesley broke through my thoughts, smoothing his thumb over the creases in my forehead. “We can discuss it with the guys when we’re all together. Right now, though, you look pretty damn terrible.”

  “Ah, thanks?” I laughed, and Wesley blushed red.

  “I didn’t mean—”

  “I know. I’m just teasing.” I smiled at him because I knew what he meant. I felt awful. Like I had just donated way too much blood at the Red Cross.

  “I should go get Cole or...” He ran a hand through his hair in a nervous gesture but made no move to get out of bed.

  “If you want...” I raised my eyebrows at him in an unspoken challenge, and he held my gaze steadily, no blushing this time.

  “If I want?” he repeated.

  “Yes. I don’t want you to feel pressured or obligated, so if you want to go get Cole, that’s cool.” Without me really meaning to, my tongue slid across my dry lower lip, and Wesley’s eyes tracked it like a laser beam.

  “Pressured or obligated, huh?” This time when his gaze met mine, all awkwardness had gone and in its place was the heated desire he’d shown during our shared-dream bath.

  “Yes,” I repeated. “I don’t want to take advantage of you, seeing as I am now the older woman.” I laughed, and he groaned, burying his face in the pillow.

  “The guys will never let me live this down. It’s my birthday in just over a month, just so we’re clear.” His head popped back up, and he narrowed his eyes at me, inches from my face.

  “You turn twenty-one soon?” I clarified, and he nodded. “Can we go out?”

  “Can we go out? Or do you mean all of us?” His gaze darted between my eyes and lips, like he couldn’t decide which he’d rather focus on.

  “Either. Both?” I shrugged, but inside I was squealing like a little girl. I had such a crush on Wesley, and despite how things were—hopefully—about to progress physically, the idea of going on a date with him made my belly erupt with butterflies.

  “Hmm, I think we can manage that,” he agreed. “On one condition.”

  “Oh? What’s that?” I had a fair idea but was really enjoying this confident Wesley.

  “Kiss me,” he whispered.

  Believe me when I say I did not need to be told twice. Closing the short distance between us, I touched my lips to his in a gentle, teasing kiss. For a moment, he stayed still and allowed me to kiss him lightly, but when I made to move away, his hand grasped my face and pulled me back to him.

  This time as our lips met, it was with the urgency of months of pent up desire. His tongue met mine in a clash of passion while he rolled me onto my back and situated himself above me. Just as had happened in our dream-that-wasn’t-a-dream, it was like a switch had been flipped and all of a sudden we could barely get enough of each other.

  Hands were roaming everywhere, and before I knew it, my loose T-shirt was on the floor and Wesley’s lips were around one of my nipples while my fingers threaded into his hair. A breathy moan escaped me as he sucked and licked at my hardened peaks, causing little shock waves of pleasure to vibrate through me. My legs seemed to have a life of their own as they wrapped around Wesley’s waist and pulled his hips flush with mine, his rock hard shaft pressing through thin fabric against my throbbing groin.

  “Fuck, sweetheart,” he muttered, releasing my breast and reclaiming my lips in a searing hot kiss. My hands slipped from his hair down to his waist and quickly located the band of his shorts.

  His lips paused against mine as I slipped a hand inside his tight boxers and dragged a teasing finger down the length of his erection.

  “Kit,” he murmured, shivering visibly and grinding his teeth. “Don’t tease.”

  “Sorry,” I smirked, not the least bit sorry, but I did wrap my hand more securely around him and gave a few slow strokes. He groaned low in his throat, then recaptured my lips with a frenzy while my hand explored his rigid flesh.

  “Bugger, love.” River’s voice was like a bucket of ice water, and we froze. “You have no idea how bad I do not want to interrupt this right now.”

  “I think we have some idea,” I muttered, looking over to
the door where the sexy Brit leaned against the frame in sharply pressed suit pants and a white dress shirt. His sleeves were rolled up, showing his tanned forearms. Or rather, forearm. Singular. The other arm was encased in a sleek-looking black cast and suspended across his chest by a sling.

  “I just bet you do, Kitten.” His heated look reminded me of our bedroom session back in Alaska with Cole, and I gave Wesley’s cock another firm stroke while River watched.

  “Sweetheart, you’re killing me,” Wesley protested. “Can we kick him out and continue?”

  “Tempting.” I winked at Wes, then raised an eyebrow at River. “Mind giving us a minute or twenty, Alpha?”

  “I seriously wish I could,” River sighed. “But Director Pierre is here and demanding to see you. Figured you might not want him barging in here while you’re... like this...”

  “Shit,” Wesley swore, then gave me a quick kiss and rolled off to clamber out of bed. “Sorry, sweetheart. I need this job. To be continued?”

  “Count on it,” I promised, watching him quickly dress but making no sudden movements myself. Once he had yanked on a pair of loose jeans and one of his signature oversized T-shirts, he leaned back over the bed and kissed me again, this time more slowly. Taking his time, almost like he was memorizing the shape of my lips, he cupped one of my bare breasts in his palm and rolled the nipple between his fingers until River cleared his throat loudly.

  “I’ll get to planning my birthday date then,” Wesley whispered to me, then darted out of the room past his scowling team leader.

  “Kitten,” River prompted, raising an eyebrow over one of his beautiful golden eyes. “Are you going to get dressed?”

  “Do I have to?” I pouted teasingly, running my hands across my naked chest and resting them on my breasts. “What if I’m not fully back to normal yet?” That actually wasn’t a line. My energy was still noticeably low, but it wasn’t exactly surprising given the amount of magic it must have taken to heal myself, Wesley, and Caleb.

  “Then I have no doubt we will be able to help you out after your father leaves the apartment. But none of us particularly want to be caught with our pants down around his daughter, as I’m sure you can imagine.” River’s words made logical sense, but his gaze followed my hands as I gently caressed my own breasts then slid one hand down my belly until it reached the waistband of my panties.

  “Sounds fair,” I agreed, sliding my panties down my legs and kicking them aside. “But I’m not going to sit there and be berated by my Dad while I’m this worked up. So come in and watch or don’t, but either way, close the door, would you?”

  River said nothing but took a step inside the room and slammed the door tightly behind him before leaning his back against it and pinning me with an intense stare. “Quickly, Kitten. These doors don’t have locks.” His rich accent rolled over me, and I grinned. Quick, I could do.

  Wesley had already gotten me hot and bothered, so it barely required much effort at all before I came hard around my own fingers while River’s unblinking stare seared into me. His suit pants were looking rather snug by the time I was done, and he crossed the gap between us in two long strides to kiss me hard before making a somewhat animalistic growl and slamming out of the room again.

  Biting back a laugh at his expense, I heaved my exhausted ass out of the bed and scouted around for some clothes.

  Hopefully the weird vibe I had been getting from Jonathan was just gas or something and we’d be back to normal when we spoke. I guessed we would soon find out.

  5

  Why do they even make coffee mugs this small? Who drinks so little coffee? I had reached the bottom of my cup, again, and stood to refill it. As helpful as that quick makeout with Wesley had been, it hadn’t been anywhere near enough to fully recharge me after healing myself and the two boys from near fatal wounds. No two ways about it, I was wrecked.

  Jonathan didn’t seem like he was in any great hurry to leave, either, so I was trucking along on a solid-caffeine fuel system. Until now. How the fuck was the coffee pot empty?

  “Don’t give me that look,” Caleb chuckled, having followed me over to the kitchen. “You’re the only one that has been drinking it.”

  He had been waiting out in the living room when I’d finally redressed myself and come to join everyone and he was being... weird. To say the least. My only guess was that he was freaking out about what my healing him might have done, and that was understandable. I was freaking out, too.

  Shaking the coffee pot a couple more times, just in case I’d missed some, I pouted and gave Caleb my very best please caffeinate me face. He rolled his eyes at me but did dig around in the fridge and pass me out a bottled Starbucks Iced Latte.

  “Better than nothing,” he told me as I read the label and wrinkled my nose.

  “Pumpkin Spice Latte? Blergh. Pumpkins are vegetables and don’t belong in coffee, Cal.” My exhaustion was making me bitchy, but that was an opinion I’d stick by.

  “Oh, well, if you don’t want it...” He reached out to take it from me, and I snatched it away with a decidedly Gollum-sounding noise.

  “It’s caffeinated; I’ll take it.” I grumbled my way back to the living area and took my seat on the couch between Cole and River once again. The two of them had been maintaining as much skin to skin contact with me as they’d been able to without it turning into a dirty makeout session in front of my adopted dad, who was also their boss. It was definitely helping, but it was also making me edgy and fidgety waiting for Jonathan to leave already.

  To my disappointment, the weirdness I’d been getting from him after Vali’s near death, and my subsequent rescue from what could have ended up as a life of sex slavery, was not all in my head. If anything, it was worse now.

  “All right, I think I have all the relevant information now,” Dad finally said as I twisted the lid from my gross pumpkin coffee thing and Cole slipped his hand under my T-shirt to rest on my lower back.

  “Finally,” I grumbled, and he gave me a look. A typical parent type of look.

  “Do you have any leads on who might have been responsible for this crash today?” Jonathan continued, turning his attention back to River, who shook his head.

  “No, sir. Not the crash or the car bomb. But whoever it is, we’ll find them sooner or later,” River stated confidently, and Jonathan raised his silver eyebrows.

  “But you have no leads?” my Dad clarified, and River shrugged.

  “We’re the best for a reason, Director. After all, we did catch the notorious Fox, didn’t we?” River’s knee bumped mine, and I snorted. Technically yes, they had caught me. But if we were being technical about it, they were also going to let me go.

  “Mm, and now that brings us to you, darling daughter.” Jonathan turned his business face toward me, and I just grinned at him. Maybe if I acted like nothing was wrong, he’d stop being a damn weirdo.

  “Yes, Father dear?” I teased back, and he grimaced. Our relationship had really never settled into a true parent/child situation, so the titles made us both cringe a bit.

  “Tell me what you learned from this Vic character? Did he give you any insight into your powers? Or your history?” He leaned forward with his forearms resting on his knees, and I caught the guys glancing at me.

  “Um, a bit, yeah.” Ugh, this is hard. I had no idea how much I was really prepared to tell him about all of this. Yes, he was the closest thing I had to family, other than Lucy, but he was also the owner and director of a secret intelligence organization. Did I really trust that he wouldn’t try and utilize my abilities to further his own agenda?

  “Well? Are you going to fill me in, kiddo?” Jonathan frowned, and I knew he thought I was being cagey. Which I absolutely was.

  “Maybe later? I’m still processing all the information. It was a lot to take in. Oh, but apparently I’m already twenty-one! My name and age that I thought I knew when social services took me in was apparently planted information. So... there’s that.” I shrugged uncomfortably a
s his brows shot up in surprise.

  “ All right, maybe tomorrow you might tell me more?” Jonathan suggested gently, and I nodded. “For now, let’s sort out what is to happen here. Kit, the new recruit class already started two weeks ago, so you’ll need to do a bit of extra work to catch up. You’ll be assigned a room in the girls’ dorms, and someone can come by later this afternoon to show you the way. Alpha team, I understand that Kit is taking responsibility for your insubordination, but I am assigning you office duties for a month regardless. You can stay here in this apartment for the duration, until your next assignment.”

  “Wait.” I sat forward. “You mean I can’t stay here with them?”

  “You’re a new recruit, not a member of their team,” Jonathan explained. “Regardless of our personal connection, it simply doesn’t make sense to have you up here in the apartment tower when the rest of your class will be in the dorms.”

  “That’s not going to work for us, Director,” River interjected, taking one of my hands with his non-injured one. “Respectfully, Kit is not like your other recruits. We’d prefer she remain up here with us, and one of us will need to sit in on her classes. Someone has tried to kill her, I can’t even count how many times, and I know I speak for the whole team when I say I’m simply not comfortable letting her out of our sight at the moment.”

  Jonathan opened his mouth to respond, but Cole cut him off. “As her father, I don’t imagine you have an issue with this request. Right, Director?”

  For a split second, Jonathan looked almost annoyed, then a very brittle smile pasted across his face. “Of course not. I simply thought it would be better for Kit to fit in if she were in the dorms with the other new recruits. But you’re absolutely right that her safety is my top priority. Which would you prefer, kiddo?”

  “Uh.” I frowned at Jonathan, considering his reasoning. But I wasn’t a new high school kid trying to fit in, and I really couldn’t care less if the other recruits didn’t like me over something as stupid as where my bedroom was. “I’d prefer to stay with the guys, thanks.”