To Tempt A Tiger (11 page)

Finally, he faced the call he was exceedingly nervous about because it mattered so damned much.

She wouldn’t recognize his number. Would she let it go to voicemail? And if she did, what kind of message could he leave to get her to return the call?

He was debating his options when Nila finally answered.

“Hello, this is Dr. De Luca.”

“Nila. It’s Vlad. Please don’t hang up.”

Silence.

“I need your help with something. Please.”

More silence.

He glanced at the phone to make sure it hadn’t disconnected or she hadn’t hung up on him. The seconds were still ticking by on a connected call.

“Why are you calling me for help?” she asked.

He put the phone back to his ear. “You’re the only one I can talk to who will understand.”

“Your brothers still want me dead, Vlad. Why should I trust you?”

“I helped save your life?”

“Hmm. I haven’t decided about that yet.”

“It concerns my daughter,” he said bluntly. Whatever else Nila might think of him, he knew from his research she was a compassionate woman. As a vet, she was known for her skill and empathy with the big cats she looked after. A woman who liked animals so much couldn’t refuse helping a little girl, could she?

“You have a daughter?” Confusion and curiosity lilted her voice.

That was good. She wouldn’t hang up on him yet. “She’s a little over three years old.” He paused, reminded himself his own phone was secure and no one was listening in on this call. His father might have managed that, but his brothers didn’t have the skills or connections to trace and tap cellphones. He let out a very quiet breath and leapt. “Her mother is human.”

Another ringing silence followed the admission. He could hear Nila breathing, but for long moments, she didn’t say a word.

Vlad was about to say more when she finally spoke. “You’re positive the girl is yours?”

“I am now.”

“Is this why you didn’t want me dead?”

“One of the main reasons.”

She snorted. “Well, that makes a lot more sense now. So you have a hybrid daughter. What kind of help do you need from me?”

“She’s…she’s not entirely like you. She can shift.”

“What?”

“She was born a shifter. At least… Well, that’s what I need help with.”

“I can’t shift. How can I help?”

“I need a woman to help me teach Zoe. She’s been raised by humans. I can’t just strip off my clothes and change in front of her the way I might a tiger child.”

“You changed in front of me without any worries.”

“You’re an adult. She’s three years old.”

“Watching you shift was still a fucking shock. I still have nightmares, you know?”

“I’m sorry about that, but it was necessary at the time. And if it scared a grown woman, how much worse will it be for a preschooler?”

“Yeah, okay. I get your point.”

“I’m actually more worried about the nudity than the shift itself.”

“Ah.” She paused, then, “Does your daughter know she’s different yet?”

“No. But she’s going through periods of severe pain because her body is trying to shift and she doesn’t even know it’s possible. I need to help her, soon, or the pain will only get worse. But teaching her myself is…complicated.”

“Fine. I still don’t see why you’re calling me?”

“I want you to ask Alexis to help me.”

“Alexis? Why?”

“She’s had three cubs herself, one of them female. And because of her relationship with your fiancé, she’ll do a favor for you where she wouldn’t necessarily help me.” He paused before adding, “I know she doesn’t share my brothers’ opinion of hybrids either. She’s the only female tiger I can be sure will treat Zoe with respect and not want her dead.”

“Elizaveta won’t want her dead.”

No. The powerful elder would probably want to study Zoe, just as she’d coerced Nila into allowing medical tests. “I can’t trust any elder yet,” Vlad said aloud. “You know why.”

One of them had helped his father hunt Nila.

Vlad had been quietly investigating, but he still hadn’t uncovered which one his father had been working with—both his father and the elder were too clever to leave evidence of their connection.

There were three elders on the council who shared his father’s opinions of half breeds—Adarsh Deosthali, Chen Yuditsky and Zhang Lei. There were four others with varying opinions on the matter, most of which involved a more wait-and-see approach that didn’t necessarily represent their true feelings about hybrids. And there was one elder besides Elizaveta, Kamal Ghosh, who had become very pro-hybrid since Nila’s introduction to the community.

Elizaveta Chernikova was the only one who, from the start,
wanted
to find hybrids. She was the one elder who would support Zoe’s entry into tiger society without qualms. But he couldn’t contact her without raising suspicions and getting his brothers’ attention.

Until he was ready to introduce his daughter to the community, the fewer tigers who knew about Zoe, the better.

He was risking a lot just calling Nila.

“Well,” he said when more silence followed his comment. “Will you help me? Will you contact Alexis for me?”

“Of course, because we’re talking about a three-year-old baby. You knew I’d help the minute you told me how old she was.”

He smiled but tried to keep his tone neutral. “I hoped.” He gave Nila directions to the Alpine cabin to pass on to Alexis. “The sooner she can get here, the better. Zoe needs to learn to shift soon. It’s the only way to keep her pain away.” And to keep her safe.

At least, he hoped it would help keep her safe. Unlike Nila, Zoe didn’t have to enter the shifter world with only a vulnerable human form to call on. If his daughter could learn to embrace her tiger side, she’d have an advantage.

He exchanged a few more details with Nila then hung up and hoped. If Alexis didn’t get here in the next day or two, Vlad would have to start teaching Zoe himself. Rose wouldn’t stay up here, away from work and her parents, indefinitely. They had to start Zoe’s lessons now.

He headed back to the cabin, taking his time as he considered what he had to do over the next few days. When he reached the front door, he started to knock to announce his entrance but paused when he heard a strange, discordant sound. He focused on the noise. When he realized what he was hearing, fear and adrenaline shot into his blood.

Zoe was whimpering in pain.

Chapter Eight

Vlad flung open the cabin door and hurried to the living room. Rose was on the floor, holding Zoe, rocking her as the little girl’s body seemed to seize, her limbs going stiff and trembling, before she relaxed and started to cry.

Rose looked up. “I can’t get through to her. She’s hurting too much to listen to the sensory thing you taught her.”

Vlad knelt beside them. As he watched, Zoe’s limbs jerked, a spasm that looked like a human seizure, but was actually her body trying to shift. Rose gasped as colorless fur sprouted from Zoe’s arm and disappeared the next instant.

“Zoe,” Vlad said near her ear, “can you hear me? Nod if you can hear me.”

No reaction. Her jaw was tightly clenched, her eyes squeezed shut, and a fine tremor coursed across her skin. Patches of white fur sprouted along her cheeks and didn’t immediately disappear. Zoe’s ears seemed to shift on her head, moving higher and lengthening, before snapping back into place.

Vlad’s heart thumped hard. She was fighting the shift and it was fighting back. Her tiger wanted out. Panic robbed him of thought for a split second. If she would just let go, she’d be fine. But she wasn’t ready yet.

“Vlad, do something. Oh, God. Help. Please.” Rose started praying, quietly under her breath, a Catholic recitation he wasn’t familiar with.

The terror and panic in Rose’s voice forced him beyond his own fear. He took Zoe’s stiff, trembling body from her. “Go find a needle, something really sharp.”

“She’s in enough pain. What the hell?”

“Rose, just do it.”

She scrambled to her feet and disappeared. While she was gone, Vlad murmured against Zoe’s ear. “It’s okay, sweetie. This is perfectly normal. Just relax. I have you. Stay with me. Do you hear me? I’ve got you. Nothing bad will happen.”

Rose dropped down next to him and handed him a sharp paring knife. “This was all I could find. What are you going to do? Don’t hurt her any more, Vlad, please.”

He met her gaze. “Trust me. I’m going to shock her out of this. It will require I hurt her just a little, but the pain will be different and enough to refocus her brain. I can’t pull her back without it.”

Tears dripped down Rose’s cheeks, but she nodded and gripped Zoe’s hand.

He set the knife down and took Zoe’s other hand. He pinched hard into the soft webbing between her thumb and first finger. The pressure point worked good on headaches in humans. In tigers, it had the added benefit of pulling their full focus. Zoe’s head twitched. He pushed harder and her eyes fluttered, not quite opening, but no longer clenched so tightly.

“I’m here, Zoe. I’ve got you. Are you listening? Concentrate on the feel of my hand on yours. Focus on the way your fingers feel. Flex them if you can hear me.”

Her fingers twitched, barely, but they moved.

“Good girl. Keep concentrating on your hand. Keep thinking about your fingers.”

He released his hold on the pressure point, picked up the knife and poked the tip quick and hard into Zoe’s first finger. Her hand fisted and relaxed in a quick jerk. A small drop of blood appeared. Her eyes fluttered, opened, and then closed again. Vlad poked the knife tip into her middle finger, just enough to draw a drop of blood.

“Ouch,” Zoe said through clenched teeth.

Rose sucked in a breath.

“Ah, there’s my girl. Good job, sweetie. Come on back to us.” He set the knife down and pinched the pressure point again, keeping her brain focused on that hand, on her fingers.

Slowly, her breathing eased and her body relaxed. Her jaw loosened enough for her to say. “Mommy?”

“I’m here, baby. I’m right here.” Rose met his gaze and he handed Zoe over to her mother. She scooped her up into a tight hug, holding her close and running a hand through her hair. “How are you doing, baby?”

“That hurted, Mommy.”

“I know. I know it did. How do your fingers feel?”

She was quiet a minute, then, “Like when stupid doctor pokes me.”

Rose chuckled, a shaky sound that went a long way toward easing Vlad’s worry.

“We don’t use the word stupid, baby, remember?” Rose said.

“Don’t like doctors.”

“I know. Are you feeling better now?”

“Yeah. Tired.”

“Okay, baby. You take a nap. I’ll be right here when you wake up.”

“Love you, Mommy.”

Tears fell fast down Rose’s cheeks now. “Love you too, Zoe.”

They sat on the floor, Rose cuddling Zoe, until Zoe’s body relaxed fully and her breathing grew deep and even.

“Do you want to take her to the bedroom?” he asked.

“No. But help me get her onto the couch where she’ll be comfortable.”

He stood and lifted Zoe so Rose could get to her feet. Then he settled the little girl on the couch, and Rose gently tucked a blanket around her. She stared down at her daughter for a moment before turning into his arms and bursting into such heavy, sobbing, silent tears, she broke his heart.

He didn’t have words. He just held her, tucking her head against his shoulder, and let her cry out her fear.

Her breath stuttered out as the tears eased. Finally, she pushed away from him. Keeping her head down, her hair curtaining her face, she said, “Keep an eye on her. I’ll be right back.”

She disappeared down the hall and he heard the bathroom door shut.

Seeing Rose cry had torn him apart like nothing else he could have imagined. The ache of that was second only to the fear he’d felt for Zoe in those moments before he remembered how to help her.

Rose never cried. At least not in front of him. He’d been with her on a hike when she fell and twisted her ankle so badly he’d worried it was broken. And she’d never once cried, despite the pain. Her tears now were like bullets punching into his chest, and his guilt nearly choked him.

He watched his daughter breathing easily now, her body lax in sleep, and knew he wouldn’t be able to wait for Alexis. They had to tell Zoe everything. They had to teach her what to do. Fending off the shift like this, he wasn’t sure her little body could survive much longer.

They’d run out of time.

Rose splashed cold water on her face, washing away the tears as best she could, though a few continued to leak out. Then she hung her head and focused on breathing steady and slow. The adrenaline of her panic was fading now, leaving her limp and exhausted. Her chest ached, tight with anxiety and terror for her daughter.

Finally, she sucked in a breath, splashed more water on her face, and dried off. When she glanced in the mirror, she grimaced. Her pale skin turned mottled red when she cried, patchy and not attractive. She hated crying, but she hated crying in front of people more.

Though, the relief of actually having someone to cry on had been overwhelming. He’d helped her daughter, pulled her back from a brink Rose couldn’t even quite comprehend, and then he’d held Rose without saying a word, just giving comfort.

She loved him. Despite everything that had happened between them, she still loved him. And she was only just realizing how much she needed that love and support. If he left them now, he’d take a part of her soul with him. She’d go on. She’d be strong for her daughter, and she’d learn to enjoy her life. But she’d be missing something.

She glared at her reflection. “Well, that sucks.” With a groan, she left the bathroom and went to stand next to him where he was still watching over their daughter.

“Thank you,” she said, her gaze on Zoe, as she carefully avoided touching him. “I didn’t know what to do.”

“I’m sorry I wasn’t here when it started, to keep it from getting that far.”

“We can’t delay teaching her anymore, can we?”

“No.”

She’d been afraid of that. Seeing the fur sprout out of her daughter’s skin, the way her body moved and shifted in ways that shouldn’t have been physically possible, had driven home the reality of Zoe’s situation. A part of Rose was still trying to deny the shifter thing, secretly believing Vlad was wrong and this was something else. Even after seeing him change, knowing tiger shifters were a reality, she hadn’t been able to dismiss the quiet little voice in the back of her mind whispering that Zoe couldn’t be a shifter and all this was bullshit.