Royal Line (2 page)

"Let me out!" The roar was impressive, wild.

It sent a shiver down his spine. He wanted to fucking bow down to the man. Once Phoenix shifted, he would have to--this man was his prince, there was no doubt of that now. Grio could feel it in his gut.

"Sit," he snapped. "Sit and shut up." He was not going to lose it here in the car and kill them both. He was trained better than that.

He followed the road out of town, speed increasing as the traffic became much thinner. Phoenix was panting, breathing hard, and readying himself to attack.

"Not while I'm driving," he warned the man.

"I want out. I won't call the police."

"When we get there." He was not leaving the prince of the Saffron Tigers on the side of the road.

He couldn't wait to let his bosses know about this. It was the biggest find in two generations.

"We're almost there." He turned off the highway, turning again shortly after that onto a dirt road that took them into the woods.

"You're like a fucking axe murderer, right?"

"I swear I'm not. I don't want to hurt you. At all."

Though he could see why Phoenix might be concerned. He'd kidnapped the man and now he was taking Phoenix to an isolated house off the beaten track in the middle of the woods. Yeah, he'd be nervous, too. This was why he'd tried to get Phoenix alone on the man's own turf.

Still, the whole thing with the royal bloodline had thrown him off, totally.

Pulling up in front of a large house in a small clearing, he parked the car. "Here we are. It'll be night soon so please just come on in."

"What the fuck is going on?" Phoenix had his phone in hand, clutching it.

"Come inside." He needed to keep Phoenix contained for his first shift. If that happened, the guy just might shut down, he was pretty freaked and they didn't need a tiger out there scaring the public. Things could get messy fast.

Getting out, Grio went around to let Phoenix out, keeping his hand around Phoenix's arm as soon as he had the car door open. Phoenix pulled hard, tugging at his hand, feet digging in to run.

"You'll get lost, you'll get cold and I'll be lucky if you don't die. And that's only if I don't chase you and tackle you to the ground first." Maybe that's what Phoenix needed, though, the show of strength. He looked the man right in the eye. "I am not going to hurt you." Then he let go of Phoenix's arm, totally ready to give chase.

"I..." Phoenix stepped away, eyes glowing in the darkness.

He could feel the beast inside him respond and he wondered how Phoenix was going to react if his eyes were glowing as much as Phoenix's.

"Give me five minutes." Grio wasn't sure five minutes was going to be enough time, but at least it was a start.

"Five minutes and the door stays open."

Considering that, he nodded. Even if Phoenix shifted, Grio had confidence he could get to the door and close it before the royal tiger could escape. And if he couldn't, surely a large, well-maintained male like himself could outrun a confused virgin shifter. Even if that virgin shifter was the long lost royal prince.

"Deal." He headed for the house, grabbing the keys from under the dilapidated flowerpot on the veranda.

Phoenix followed him cautiously. "And then you let me go."

Grio didn't bother answering that. How could he?
No, I won't because you're a shapeshifting tiger and I have to teach you how to live with that?
Better to just stay quiet and make the crazy-sounding statements once they were both inside.

Opening the front door, he went in first, figuring Phoenix would be more comfortable following. Phoenix stepped over the threshold, but stayed right there by the door, nearly hidden in the shadows. Amazing instincts.

Reaching along the wall, Grio flipped the switch when he found it, sending a silent prayer thanking headquarters for keeping these safe houses connected. If there was electricity there would be water and food as well.

Moving farther into the room, he hoped to draw Phoenix away from the door some.

"Five minutes. Talk."

He figured Phoenix was not going to believe him if he just blurted it out. He had to finesse a little. "I know a secret about you that not even you know. It has to do with your mother's beliefs. She wasn't crazy. She was like you. Tell me you don't feel different from others around you. I know you do. It's because you're wired differently."

"Oh, God. This is a gay thing. Yes. Queer. Out. It's okay."

"This isn't a gay thing, although I guess it's similar." Grio was gay, too, which headquarters hated. Gay beasts didn't father children and that was an issue when one's species was nearly extinct. He contributed by doing this, though, by "rescuing" shifters who didn't know what they were.

Headquarters wasn't going to be happy that they were going to lose another male, although maybe Phoenix would donate sperm. That would be a huge help. The fact that Phoenix was from a royal line was going to make progeny even more valuable to Headquarters.

"What is it? Are you working for someone?"

Answering that would just confuse the matter so he left it for now and decided to jump in with both feet. "You're a shapeshifter. A Saffron Tiger to be specific." There it was, as bald and plain as day.

Now came the disbelief and the laughter--he'd done more than a few of these and knew how it went.

"Fuck you. That's not cool. What? You got Mom's medical records? You're a sick fuck."

"I had no idea your mother was committed until you told me. But once you did, I knew why." Grio shook his head. "I know it's not easy to believe, but it's true. And I'm willing to bet that you know it. Deep down inside you've always known you were different."

"Everyone's different. You're insane."

"No, I'm not." He shook his head. "Indulge me a moment--I've still got two minutes left. What did your mother tell you about yourself?"

"The same shit every mother does--I was special, magical, that our family was special. The difference is that she believed it."

"The difference is that she was right. Did she never tell you why or show you?" That was the part that confused him. If Phoenix's mother had known, why hadn't she offered her son proof?

"Show me what? She was insane, man. She was on lithium for her entire life."

Ah, that would explain it.

Grio pushed away the anger that someone would drug a Saffron Princess into oblivion. She should have been revered, pampered and cared for. He couldn't change that now, though, none of them could. He could, however, bring her son home to his true being.

"Show you this." With that, he thought of his beast, drew it out of hiding, knowing his eyes would be glowing, and then the air would shimmer and then he would be his tiger.

Shaking off the remnants of his tattered clothing, he pawed the ground and bowed to his Prince--he might have been able to fight that instinct as a man, but his beast knew better.

"Oh, Jesus fucking Christ. She was right. I'm crazy, too."

Grio shook his head from side to side. That was
not
the take-away here. Amazing Saffron Tigers was the take-away. He was one--big and strong--and so was Phoenix. He hadn't counted on Phoenix not believing his own eyes.

"Okay. Okay." Phoenix's fingers wrapped around the door handle.

Changing back was harder, especially so quickly, but Grio did it because his tiger was clearly not helping Phoenix believe in shapeshifting man tigers. Now the question was, which would Phoenix find scarier--a tiger or a big naked man?

Phoenix bolted mid-change, slamming the door behind him and taking off.

Fuck. Grio was already mostly human, so he stumbled to the door as he made his change the rest of the way, pulling it open and taking off after Phoenix.

Phoenix was fast and fueled by fear and utter panic, feet pounding on the dirt. Grio was tapped into his beast, though, and it fueled him. As did the knowledge that he couldn't let Phoenix get away.

He was soon on Phoenix, leaping for the man and bringing them both down. They fell hard together, but he couldn't help that.

Phoenix roared, the earth seeming to shake for a moment. Oh, that had to hurt a human throat.

Staying right there, Grio kept them both down. "Easy, Phoenix. Easy."

"Let me go. You don't tell them I'm crazy, I won't tell them you grabbed me." Phoenix sounded hysterical, the words coming out as near screams.

"You're not crazy, Phoenix. You're a tiger like me."

"People aren't tigers. People aren't tigers." Phoenix repeated the words like a mantra.

"No, but Saffron Tigers are people."

"PEOPLE AREN'T TIGERS!" Oh, Phoenix could shout. It was rather magnificent. He was going to be something else when he finally believed.

"You saw for yourself," Grio pointed out. He was prepared to make another demonstration, too.

"I've lost my mind."

"No. You've found yourself." He stood, grabbing Phoenix up.

Phoenix's muscles were jerking, rippling, the pheromones in the air too much to resist. They called to each other. It was everything he could do not to slam their bodies together. Instead, he dragged Phoenix back toward the house, moving more and more quickly.

The tiger was coming, Grio could smell it, giving every movement more purpose, more urgency. He needed to get Phoenix back to the house where he could contain the man's tiger until Phoenix had more control. And believe in it.

It seemed that was going to take a little bit of time.

He began running again, pulling Phoenix along behind him, his instincts telling him to get in the house. Now.

"No! Let me go!" Each roar got louder. The tiger was so close now.

They stumbled through the door and Grio slammed it closed behind them, hitting the locks closed through the security system. Then he faced Phoenix, head on.

The tiger was right there, Phoenix's face flattening out.

"Don't fight it. It will feel strange but it shouldn't hurt." He remembered his first time. He'd been young, with his family, and it had been so much fun to run and leap and simply be a baby tiger. He felt bad for every single one of them who didn't get to experience that, but it seemed especially unfair for Phoenix, having spent his whole life thinking his mother was insane.

"Fi-i-i-i-i-i-i-ight." Phoenix's word was a yowl.

He went to Phoenix, stroking the broad, still changing face. The harder Phoenix fought it, the longer it would take. "You're doing great. Just feel the change, let it happen."

Phoenix's golden eyes were terrified. Utterly terrified.

Grio rubbed their noses together, growling deep in his throat. Calling to Phoenix's tiger. The seams of Phoenix's clothes started to go, tearing away, and Grio felt his own tiger surging to the forefront, called by Phoenix's change.

Suddenly, a regal male stood before him, perfect, lovely. Fucking breathtaking.

Grio changed again--he couldn't have stayed human in the face of his prince in full-blown tiger mode.

As soon as he'd changed, he bowed again before his prince.

Eyes the color of jewels examined him as Phoenix stared at him. He raised his head and called out softly to Phoenix. He meant no harm. He was not a threat. Phoenix sat, never looking away. The cat wasn't panicked, was calm and quiet. Phoenix might not have known what he was, but the tiger prince had amazing instincts.

Grio bowed again, then very deliberately turned his back on Phoenix. He sat and began grooming, offering his submission to his prince. He was no threat, and he knew his place was beneath his prince.

Phoenix huffed softly and then headed off, curious and exploring, trying the doors, the windows. Grio pretended to be absorbed in his grooming, but he was watching, admiring.

A low rumbling filled the air, the prince searching for an escape. Even in tiger form, he remained suspicious.

Leaping to his feet, Grio headed toward Phoenix. It was time to get them back to human. He was sure Phoenix had a lot of questions and tigers were a lot of great things, but being a conversationalist was not one of those things.

As soon as Grio came close, the prince snarled, warning him back. Oh. Prickly. He would be less threatening as a man now, so he thought about his human form and changed back, standing before the beautiful tiger that Phoenix had changed into.

"Time to change back, Phoenix. We need to talk."

Phoenix's upper lip curled, his eyes cutting to the door. The need to escape was still at the forefront of Phoenix's mind. The door was locked, though, and Grio wasn't worried about Phoenix escaping.

"Think about being human and let the change take you." Learning to do this at will was one of the hardest lessons.

Phoenix shimmered, but the tiger held on.

"Come on, man. This is an important skill, but you're a smart guy. I know you can figure it out. Think about your human self. Hell, think about how mad you are at me and how you have to have a human mouth to yell at me."

Phoenix looked at him and roared, the sound pushing him back. Oh yeah, Phoenix was still pretty damn mad.

"Stunning beast." Fucking beautiful. Grio had never seen his like.

Phoenix roared again. And again. The message was crystal clear. Let me out.

He shook his head. "I can't."

Another roar and then Phoenix attacked the door, paws tearing and beating at the wood.

"Come on, Phoenix. I need to talk to you."

The heavy paws landed on the floor, and Phoenix started to shimmer, the cat finally fading away.

"That's it, Phoenix, good job."

Shit, Phoenix had a sweet body. God knew where the man's glasses were, hopefully on the floor where he'd first changed and not broken. Grio forced himself to look up at Phoenix's face instead of letting his gaze wander over the delectable body.

"Don't call the psych ward, please."

Grio snorted. "They'd lock me up first. But why would I call them when I know what you are, what I am? It isn't an illness, it's our species, and it's a gift."

Phoenix shook his head. "I was having a hallucination."

"Wow, you are stubborn." If him shifting didn't do it, most people began to believe once they'd actually shifted themselves.