New Species 07 Tiger (2 page)

“Stop,” he snarled, not hesitant to use fear as a way to empty the bar.

A female scream sounded from the back of the room and Tiger’s head jerked in that direction. The female sounded terrified. His gaze fixed on a redheaded female cowering on top of a table in the far corner but she suddenly fell to the floor and out of sight.

Tiger glanced at his men who were working to herd the humans outside but it wasn’t fast enough to reach the woman quickly. He kept looking toward where she had disappeared. He was taller than the humans and had a better view but he didn’t see her head reappear.

What is a small human female doing in the middle of a fight?
He had no answer but figured she had no common sense. Human females were fragile and nonaggressive. Tiger’s instincts screamed that she was in danger. He decided to wade in to get her and shoved his way in that direction.

“Get out,” he snarled at the humans, grabbing them without care and pushing them apart. The small female still wasn’t visible but he saw males dropping in that area. He watched another face disappear in the sea of heads and had a horrible feeling that the woman was somewhere in that tangled mass of falling bodies.

A drunk human spun and threw a fist at Tiger’s face but his reflexes were better. He jerked his head to the side. The fist missed him by an inch and his large palm closed over the hand before it could draw back to take another swing. His temper boiled over and he applied a little too much strength. The male he gripped screamed as bones broke and Tiger roared at the drunk before releasing him.

The drunk yanked his injured hand to his chest, began to sob as if he were a female and stumbled toward the bar exit. Tiger moved on, his gaze searching for a small redheaded female as he tossed bodies out of his way.

His enhanced hearing picked up a soft feminine whimper seconds later over the cursing, the sound of flesh hitting flesh, the heavy breathing of the people around him and of furniture being broken. He zoned in on that area, plowed into the bodies and tossed them behind him. The female was in serious trouble and he didn’t give a damn if he damaged a few humans in the process of finding her.

Tiger halted where he’d last seen the redheaded female and found a group of males sprawled on the floor. They were throwing punches with elbows and fists. One man kept tossing his head back into the stomach of a man under him who pulled his hair. Tiger quickly scanned the pile and spotted a dainty arm sticking out from under it all. It was a thin, pale one and distinctly female. Her hand was palm down next to the leg of a table, light-pink polish on her fingernails. She didn’t move.

Rage tore through Tiger. The drunken idiots were on top of the female, crushing her under their bigger bodies and only that small amount of her could be seen. He couldn’t spot any of her body except for her lower arm, her wrist and her hand. Another roar tore from his throat. He bent, roughly grabbed the first body he reached and threw the male away from the pile. The male screamed as he flew through the air and crashed into the wall. Tiger didn’t give a damn. He grabbed another male, pitched him in another direction and freed one of the woman’s legs.

He finally freed her and dropped to his knees next to the very still female. Her head was turned his way but her long red hair spilled over her features, hiding them. He roared again, demanding help from his males when he realized her chest wasn’t rising and falling. Slash suddenly appeared on his knees across from him with the female between them. More males came to his aid, keeping other humans away and cleared the area.

Tiger’s hands shook as he quickly but gently assessed the woman. She had footprint marks on her ass, back and thighs where males had stepped on her body. A snarl ripped from his throat. He wished he had killed the ones who had done this to her. He took great care when he turned her over in case of broken bones.

He gently eased her onto her back, guessing she only weighed about a hundred thirty pounds and stood about five-foot-four in height. She wore jeans and an elbow-length pink shirt. The sleeve was torn from elbow to shoulder, proof that she’d not only been trampled but hit. Her bones were small and he quickly pressed his head sideways over the mound of her soft breasts. He heard no heartbeat and made an anguished sound.

“Shit,” Slash hissed. “They killed the small female.”

Tiger rose and gripped her rib cage, checking it for fractures, but didn’t feel any. She was warm as he touched her skin. He calculated how long it had been since he’d heard her whimper and guessed it was under a minute. It wasn’t too late. He checked her ribs again, knew if they were crushed it would be hopeless, but again didn’t find any broken bones.

“What the hell are you doing?” Sheriff Cooper gasped. “Are you feeling that woman’s boobs?”

“No,” Tiger snarled. He tore at his vest, ripped it off, and gently lifted the female’s head enough to use it to pillow her from the floor.

“She’s not breathing,” Slash informed the older man. “Those drunks crushed her.”

“Son of a bitch!” Sheriff Cooper sighed. “Just son of a bitch.”

Tiger ignored the males to concentrate on the female while he tipped her head back and laid her flat on the floor. His heart hammered but he’d been trained to respond to emergencies by Dr. Trisha. Justice had insisted all the officers know basic lifesaving skills and Tiger had agreed. He’d never been happier for those classes than he was at that moment.

His hand shook slightly as he shoved the red hair out of the woman’s face. She was pretty with her delicate human features, full, pouty lips, and slender nose. Her cheek that had been against the floor was slightly red but the rest of her skin was entirely too pale. She still wasn’t breathing.

He sat up and located the correct area then placed his hands between her breasts. He hoped their generous size cushioned his palms enough to prevent bones from breaking. He did thirty chest compressions.

“What the hell are you doing now?” The sheriff inched closer.

“CPR,” Tiger growled.

He tore off his shirt, balled it up, and shoved it behind the back of her neck to keep her head angled. He checked to make sure her airway was clear, pinched her nose carefully, opened her jaw to part her soft-looking lips and pressed his mouth over hers. His gaze diverted to her chest. He stared at creamy cleavage peeking from the top of her shirt and forced air into her lungs. Her chest moved as he breathed for her.

Tiger sucked in air, covered her lips again and blew air inside her. His gaze locked on her cleavage, saw her chest expand. He started a new cycle of chest compressions and she jerked a little under him. He pulled back and watched her facial muscles twitch. He lowered his head to rest his ear over her breasts and heard her heartbeat. She inhaled on her own, a gasp more than a breath, and he relaxed as he straightened.

“She’s breathing again and has her heartbeat back.” He stared up at the sheriff. “They must have pressed all the air from her lungs until her heart stopped but I got to her in time.”

“I’ll call an ambulance.” The older human grabbed his radio. “Thank you so much.”

Tiger studied the female carefully. Her color improved as she breathed and he hated the sight of her on that floor. He had been trained to protect a downed, injured person and wait for assistance once he he’d done whatever he could but something inside him abhorred her lying where humans had injured her.

He bent forward and gently eased his arms under her. She was as light as he’d guessed as he lifted her against his chest and used the strength in his legs to stand. His gaze met Slash’s.

“Grab my stuff. I’m going to take her outside for fresh air while we wait for the ambulance.”

Slash nodded, grabbing Tiger’s destroyed shirt and discarded vest. Tiger shifted his precious burden and turned, assessing the rest of the bar. His males had cleared the humans. The fighting had ceased and his officers attended to the injured. A few of them were the ones he’d thrown to reach the female but he didn’t feel guilty.

He strode out of the bar and walked around the building, desperate to get away from the humans who’d harmed the female. They were drunk, stupid, and he didn’t want to risk her being in danger again. He carried her to one of the Jeeps they’d arrived in. He used his elbow to test the heat of the hood before he gently laid her across it sideways and kept his arm in place to cushion her head while he studied her face.

Her coloring was much improved, nearly normal but still pale. He surmised it might be her natural coloring with her red hair. The long strands were curly, long and beautiful. It fell probably halfway down her back and was soft. The woman stirred a little, moved one of her legs and her lips parted slightly as a sigh left her.

Tiger prayed she wouldn’t wake until the ambulance arrived. She’d see his altered features, realize he was Species and perhaps start screaming. The parking lot lights were bright and she’d see him clear enough to know he wasn’t one of her males.

He really hated it when human females saw him and pierced his eardrums with their shrieking. Sometimes they did that and it drove him nuts. He watched her face, hoping she wouldn’t wake but he could tell she was going to.

She moved again, shifting her head in the crook of his arm. Tiger looked down at her as she blew out a breath, scenting a pleasant fruity smell. Her eyes opened. Tiger waited for her to notice his features and start screaming.

Her eyes were dark green and beautiful. She stared at the sky, blinked, and finally focused on him. Confusion was an easy emotion to read. She blinked again and studied his features. She took a breath and her gaze traveled over his bare shoulders, arms, and chest. He winced inwardly. He had forgotten that he’d torn off his shirt and knew she’d probably believe she was being sexually assaulted at seeing his upper body displayed.

She didn’t scream but instead did the last thing he expected when she looked back up at him. A smile curved her lips and he could have sworn he saw amusement flash in those beautiful eyes.

Zandy had opened her eyes to a sea of stars in a dark sky. Her mind felt foggy, as if she’d just come out of a deep sleep, but she wasn’t in her bed. She blinked and shifted her gaze a little only to stare into the most striking pair of catlike blue eyes she’d ever seen. Their color, shape and the really long eyelashes framing them mesmerized her.

The shade of blue was unique and she realized gold encircled the outer rims of the oval irises. She could have stared into them forever but curiosity made her study his regal bone structure, also strange with thicker, raised cheekbones, yet very appealing. He was the most masculine man she’d ever seen—handsome, striking and fascinating all at the same time.

His golden skin tone flattered the mane of thick hair framing his face. Streaked colors of light-to-sandy blond mixed with red were woven through locks that fell over a pair of really broad shoulders. Her gaze stopped just above dusky-colored, flat nipples.

She savored the sight of his hairless, wide, perfect chest. Lots of tan skin, well-defined muscles and impressive-sized biceps snagged her attention. Her gaze dipped lower to his flat belly, his tight six-pack abs clearly displayed. Her heart speeded up to thump wildly against her ribs. He was magnificent—a god.

Not a god
, a small voice of consciousness stated.
He’s got to be an angel.
She frowned, trying to think past her confusion.
Does hell have angels? Wasn’t Lucifer a fallen angel?
She was foggy on her bible studies from her childhood but she was pretty certain that’s what he was. That meant the gorgeous creature before her had to be a fallen angel too.

“I’m ready to go with you,” she whispered.

He blinked and his eyebrows rose slightly. “Go with me where?”

He had a deep, raspy voice and it gave her the good kind of chills. She’d heard the devil could tempt anyone to sin and if he sent fallen angels who looked like this one after the newly dead, she was totally agreeable to do anything he wanted.

She smiled. “You can take me straight to hell if you’re there too.”

A smile softened his features and made him even more handsome. “You have been drinking too much.”

She had known her life would bite her in the ass one day. She should have listened to her mother but it was too late now. Zandy tried to sit up. She wanted to get a better look at him. The pillow under her head turned out to be one of his arms as he gently pulled her up. His other hand curved around her waist, steadied her as she turned to face him and her gaze locked on his abs again.
Pure perfection.

“I know. I’ve done a lot of things that I knew I shouldn’t. That’s how I got here.” She licked her lips and noticed how his gaze lowered to her mouth. He was so gorgeous, the best-looking man-creature she’d ever seen, not that she’d ever really seen one before. That was beside the point. She scooted closer to him and smiled.

Oh, to hell with it. I’m already going to hell so why not really earn it?
She feared he’d just escort her there and leave. She mentally ticked off the list of bad things she’d done. Premarital sex. She’d stolen pens from her last job. There was that time she’d kicked one of her exes in the balls when she’d found him cheating on her. It had been wrong but, man, had it felt good to watch him hit the floor groaning. He’d broken her heart and hadn’t even apologized so she’d made sure he suffered a little too. That brought her to the divorces and she stopped listing her sins.