Night With a Tiger (5 page)

Instead of dismissing him, Ty turned to Styx. “If you could wait outside with the others.”

As Adam was Felix’s right hand, Styx was Shadow’s. They rarely separated when protecting Bethany. They too where a well-tuned pair, knowing each other’s moves.

With Styx’s exit, Ty focused on Tabitha. “That’s the best you get. Without Raja here, I trust the four of us to keep you and Bethany safe. Do what you need because time’s running short.”

“Maybe I should try healing her.” Bethany suggested. “If she’s not in so much pain maybe she won’t be so scared.”

Ty shook his head. “Not happening until she’s calmer. Doc gave her something for the pain, but until she’s calm enough that we can get close without the risk of her attacking, we won’t jeopardize you or Galen.”

Tabitha closed her eyes as she tried to reason with the scared tigress. “Harmony, if you could relax, Bethany can try to heal your leg.” Suddenly her eyes opened, her body rigidly tense. “Felix, go outside now.”

“What?” Felix frowned.

“Go outside. Send in Styx, anyone, just go.” There was desperation in her voice that Adam had never heard before.

“Just go, Felix,” Ty ordered. The authority in his voice made it clear that Tabitha wouldn’t have asked if there wasn’t a reason behind it.

Felix shrugged his shoulders and left without another word. Adam stepped into Felix’s vacated spot, ready to jump in front of Tabitha, to protect her if the situation called for it.

“He’s not the man you fear, I swear it. Felix is the Captain of my Guards and has been a member of this clan since he came into his tiger.” Tabitha words were meant to reassure the tigress.

Hopefully Tabitha’s plan would work with the tigress because Adam was confused. He didn’t understand why Harmony would fear Felix. He wasn’t small by any means, but he was less intimidating then their Alpha. Ty had an air of authority no one else matched, not even Jinx, the West Virginia Alpha.

More than an hour later, Adam was in the conference room with the Elders and their guards. He was anxious to get back to Robin, but the questions running through his head could only be answered by Tabitha, who left him waiting with everyone else.

Ty’s arm sat tight around Tabitha’s waist. He glanced around the room as everyone gathered. “Recent information has come to light that everyone here needs to know.” He turned to Felix and held his hand up for the guard to stand. “Felix, please share this information with us.”

Pushing away from the table, Felix rose from his chair. “The clan members who were around when I was a child might remember my story, but it is never spoken about. It’s not something the Elders or I publicized. We preferred to keep my personal issues private.” He paused, gazing out the window as if unable to meet anyone’s gaze. “I have a twin brother, Henry. Since the clan moved to Alaska, he’s been living with a clan in Ohio. To my knowledge, Henry is the first child of two shifter parents who can’t shift. The tiger inside him wants to shift, but his body won’t let him. Being unable to shift is driving him insane.”

Felix’s hands clenched into balls. “We both had the same symptoms—fever, body aches, pains, and stomach cramps. When the time came to shift, I shifted. My brother said he could feel the tiger clawing at the inside of his body, but the change wouldn't happen. We took him to Doc. He couldn’t determine the reason. Henry went through a number of treatments to bring the tiger out. All options available were explored. Nothing worked. The agony became too much for him. The vibrant twin I grew up with is no longer there. He is, for all purposes, insane. He fights anyone who gets close, so he has to be heavily drugged. Even though he’s not in tiger form, he’s still deadly. Henry has the strength and speed of a tiger. The Ohio clan has a doctor who works with mentally ill patients. He has been looking after my brother for some time. Henry is allowed to live among the clan as long as he is treated by their doctor.” Felix spit out the truth about his family and then turned to face everyone in the silent room.

“Doc is great, he just doesn’t have the experience with the mentally ill to help Henry. I visit my brother as much as I can. Most times, he doesn’t know who I am, regardless of his condition, I continued to visit him.
When Ty found Tabitha in Pennsylvania, I was in Ohio visiting Henry. When Ty asked for help guarding her, I left Henry and rushed to their side. My last visit to Ohio was the last time I saw Henry. I had no idea…” He shook his head.

Adam didn’t need to feel Felix’s emotions to know the man was tormented by his brother’s metal health. Felix had no mate to ease his torment, so he had to endure the pain alone. “You had no idea of what?” Adam encouraged him to carry on with his story.

“Anyone who didn’t live up to the clan’s standards, who was considered lesser tigers, was sent to my brother’s quarters where he tortured them.” Felix ran his hand over his face, before meeting Adam’s gaze. “It kept him calm and quiet. You have to know, I wouldn’t have agreed if I had known.”

“If you didn’t know, then how do we know now?” Styx asked.

“I learned it from Harmony. Once we cleared the room of some of the guards, I was able to connect telepathically with her. I saw the memories. It was clear why she was running. She thought Henry and Felix were the same person. It’s why I sent him from the room,” Tabitha explained.

Adam processed the information quickly, putting together the pieces. He knew Felix had a brother that he visited, but the rest was all new to Adam. “If Harmony was considered lesser to them, why wasn’t Henry?”

Tabitha shot Felix a look before answering. “All I’ve been able to gather is Henry proved to be helpful to the clan. I suspect by killing those they believed didn’t belong, Henry held a usefulness for them, as well as income from what Felix was paying them to care for his twin.”

Adam tried to wrap his head around Felix’s horrifying description of events. “We know all of this because Harmony was one of the tigers given to Henry?”

“Yes.” Felix’s one word response caused a whispered hush over the room.

* * *

Robin tried to read, but no book had any appeal to her. She pushed the curtain aside and peeked out window. More tigers covered the grounds. There was no way she could sneak away from the compound if there was never a break in the guards. Staying here wasn’t an option. She had second thoughts about the whole situation. They wouldn’t want her here once they found out she knew more than she shared. She had to find a way to escape, not that she had a plan, or even a winter jacket suitable for Alaska. April in Alaska was quite chilly. Robin wouldn’t survive long without shelter.

Stepping to the side of the window, out of the direct view of anyone who might be looking, she caught a glimpse of her reflection in the window. Dark circles shadowed her eyes like an awful makeup job. All of the color, that normally tinted her cheeks, was gone, leaving her pale. Her long, curly brown hair fell lifeless over her shoulders, her highlights having outgrown weeks ago. Running for her life had left little time to go to the salon for a touch-up. The girl next-door look she always resembled was gone, and replaced with something the cat dragged in.
I guess the cat did drag it in.
She chuckled at her twisted sense of humor.

Running from state to state, she had two goals, to stay alive and to live again. Yet here she was, in a compound of shifters she was running from. She may never have another chance at a normal life. Not like she had before. She couldn’t get her job back, what would she tell her boss? If she told him a bunch of shapeshifters were after her, her boss would call the paddy wagon. This meant if she managed to escape with her life, she’d never be able to return to Virginia without questions being raised. No one in her small town would give her a job after she disappeared from the last one without notice.

What was the point of running when nothing was left of the life she cherished? Maybe giving up the fight now and letting things play out how they were meant to, was the best option, even if it meant her life. The front door opened, bursting her thoughts. She stepped into the shadow of the curtains, hiding from whoever entered. Staying undercover helped keep her alive up to this point.

“Robin, it’s only me.” Adam glanced around the cabin, his sense of smell quickly narrowing in on her. He shut the door and walked toward her, his hands in the air, still trying to reassure her that he meant no harm.

Moving away from the curtain, she pushed away the thoughts of running. She didn’t want Adam to get suspicious. “Do your friends want me to leave?”

“You’re not the reason I met with the Elders. I have commitments to the clan, to keep the Alpha’s mate safe. They needed to know when I would be able to step back into my position. As the second of Tabitha’s guards, my unavailability is straining on the Captain of her Guards, Felix.” Adam leaned against the arm of the chair and sighed.

“I don’t mean to hold you back from your duties. If you could give me a ride to an airport or car rental company, I’ll get out of your hair.” She was successful at keeping the anticipation from her voice, but she doubted it went missing from her scent. She wasn’t used to anyone being able to smell her emotions.

Shaking his head, he smiled at her. “You’re trying hard, but you can’t hide anything from your mate. You’re not getting away that easy.” He approached her, reaching out to place his hands on her arms. “I know you’re scared. I swear I’ll protect you. I need to know what you’re so scared of. What are you hiding? Please, tell me and I’ll help you.”

“The only thing to say is, I shouldn’t be here. I need to go. They’re going to find me. I’m a risk for your clan, and your Elders. Just take me to the airport.” It was stupid to hold out for hope that he’d let her walk out of his life. She didn’t want to deal with any of this. Was having a normal life too much to ask for?

“That’s not going to happen. Even if rogues weren’t after you, I wouldn’t let you walk away from our connection.”

“There’s nothing between us. Nothing.” She stressed her words, hoping he’d take the hint. He seemed like a nice guy, and her body was affected by him, but she didn’t want to get involved with the same kind she was running from. Robin couldn’t befriend a shifter no matter how much they tried to probe into her life.

“There will be, you’ll see. We’re meant to be together. First, I have to gain your trust.” He slid his hands up and down her arms. “As your mate, I
can’t
lie to you, and you could feel a lie if you focused.”

“What do you mean?” Fear ran through her mind. It was one thing for him to feel her emotions, but to know she was lying…how would she keep anything from him? She had to get out of here.

“Come sit and I’ll show you.” He slipped his hand into hers, leading her toward the couch. Once they were both sitting, he turned to face her. “Clear your mind and focus. Ready?”

She nodded, unsure what to expect. She was as relaxed and focused as possible under the circumstances.

“I’m a guard for the Queen of the Tigers.” He paused, as if letting his statement sink in. “Do you feel the truth to the statement—the sweetness on the back of your tongue, the honesty in the words?”

Running her tongue over the top of her mouth, she took in the taste. “I don’t know. I mean, I guess. I do have a sweet taste in my mouth, almost like rich chocolate.”

“Now, feel the difference with this one.” He gave her a moment to focus again. “I work for Pierce and he sent me to find you.”

Her body stiffened and a lump formed in her throat. When he laid his hand over hers, she fought the urge to pull away.

“I know that statement frightens you. It’s only a test for you to be able to sense the lie. Focus on my words. The hairs on the back of your neck should be standing, the air should be heavy and harder to breathe, and the taste in your mouth changed. It’s now coppery. Those are the signs that it’s a lie. Can you feel them?”

Her mind screamed for her to run. Surprisingly, everything he described was there. “How can that be?”

“It’s a safety feature for mates. If we were in a situation where a lie might be needed, our mate would know we were lying. Shifter mates have a couple of safety features, that’s one of them. The connection will get stronger once the mating is complete. Other links will develop as well. Since you’re not a shifter, you don’t understand the full process. Your body isn’t recognizing the signs yet, but you will. I can feel your emotions without even thinking about it. It’s why I know you’re hiding something. Tell me, so I can help.”

Sidestepping his last comment, she changed the subject back to the bond shifters have. “What abilities do the other shifters have?”

“Some shifters can communicate through thoughts, especially in stressful situations. Some can only do it when in their animal form. Tabitha is able to communicate in human form with animals, and in both forms with her mate. It’s rare but as she’s our Queen, she’ll have abilities others don’t.” He ran this thumb over Robin’s knuckles. “You’re avoiding my question. What are you hiding?”

“Please, Adam, I can’t.” She couldn’t tell him, fearing it would jeopardize her safety. His clan would no longer protect her or they’d want her killed for the same reason Pierce did. If only she had never told Bobby, then no one would know. Why did she think she could trust Bobby? He’d sell his best friend’s soul to the devil if it got him out of whatever trouble he was in.

“Robin, you’re going to have to trust me if you want me to keep you safe. I can’t help you if I don’t know what I’m supposed to protect you from.”

She shot up from the couch, putting distance between them. “Damn it, I don’t need you to watch over me. I was doing fine before. Just let me leave and you won’t have to worry about me.”

“Running from state to state, and from motel to motel, you call that doing fine? That’s no life. You can’t run like a scared animal for the rest of your life. We need to stand together and remove what you’re running from. Robin, you’re not the only one running from Pierce’s gang of rogues. He’s killed people I care about. He’s got a long list of deaths in his wake. I don’t want to see your name on that list.” He pushed from the couch. She could sense the anger rolling off him in thick waves. He stood in front of her. “Why won’t you trust me? Do you not understand what kind of danger you’re in? You have to help me, help you. That’s the only way we’re going to work.”