Tiger Magic
Page 30
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“Days.” She sounded hesitant.
“Ellison.” Tiger thought of the phrase Liam and Connor used so often. “Shut it.”
“Goddess, now you’re starting to sound like a Morrissey,” Ellison said, never losing his good-natured drawl. “You’ve been living with them way too long.”
“Why do you live with them?” Carly asked Tiger. “You don’t want a place of your own?”
Ellison answered before Tiger could. “Shifters don’t have a choice. Only so many houses in Shiftertown, and we’re not allowed to live outside it. In my house, there’s my mate, Maria, Deni—she’s my sister—and Deni’s two sons, and hopefully a cub of my own soon.” His voice warmed when he spoke of the potential cub. “Tiger’s from . . . out of town, and there weren’t many houses with room for him when he arrived. Liam’s is one of the largest houses, and after Sean and his mate moved in with Dylan and Glory, Liam had an extra bedroom.”
“And no one else wanted me living in their house,” Tiger finished.
CHAPTER ELEVEN
He spoke the bare truth, but Carly stared at him, aghast. “Why not? Did they say that?”
“They didn’t have to,” Tiger said.
Tiger closed his mouth, unsure how to explain, but Ellison spoke up. “Remember what he did in the hospital room? Yeah, I heard all about it. Plus he nearly took out that human, Walker. The other Shifters are afraid he’ll do something like that.”
“But that’s not fair,” Carly said. “In the hospital, they had you scared to death. You knocked out Walker because he was spying on me and was carrying a loaded pistol. I mean, who does that?”
The warmth in Tiger’s heart escalated. Carly was looking at him in dismay, not fear, radiating anger at others for not understanding him.
They had scared him in the hospital—he’d been afraid he’d never see Carly again.
“And anyway,” Carly went on. “If you were attacking to hurt people, your Collar would have stopped you.” She pointed to the inert black and silver chain around his throat. “Shocks you when you get aggressive, right?”
Again Ellison jumped in before Tiger could speak. “You bet it does. Hurts like a mo fo.”
Tiger remained silent. Carly was his mate, and he trusted her, but he didn’t want to frighten her too soon with the fact that his Collar was a fake.
Carly leaned forward in the seat. “Ellison, you missed the turnoff. You take Koenig so I can get out to the gallery.”
Ellison glanced back through the mirror, looking at Tiger. Tiger gave him a nod.
“Sorry.” Ellison slowed and turned at the next intersection, driving north to make for the 290.
“Thanks. I really appreciate this,” Carly said.
Ellison had been heading for Shiftertown, knowing Tiger wanted to be alone with her. But Tiger was curious to see this gallery where Carly worked, wanted to make sure all was well there.
Carly settled back, her scent sweet and spicy, but also conveying to Tiger her underlying nervousness. Not fear for what Tiger and Ellison could do to her—it was more subtle than that, buried deep. Carly feared to trust at all. The man Ethan had taken her trust in him away from her by blatantly sexing the other woman. His house had still smelled of that encounter, despite the cleaning solution scent over it. The house had also smelled of Tiger’s blood.
Tiger had never trusted easily either. The things the researchers had done to him had made him close himself off, fearing to believe in anyone. Liam and his family were trying to instruct Tiger in how to trust, and so far, they’d not betrayed him. But when the researchers had taken away Tiger’s cub and then told him it had died, Tiger’s last spark of hope had died with it.
He’d watched the spark die in Carly when she’d seen Ethan and the woman. Whatever people had done to her in the past, they, like Ethan, had made promises, then withdrawn them, just as the researchers had poked things through the bars of Tiger’s cage to see what he’d do. As a cub he’d needed touch and caring, and he’d received none.
And then they’d left him alone. Completely alone, abandoned, not even having the courtesy to kill him.
Tiger would never let Carly feel that alone. Never. Not even if he had to stick with her day and night until she understood.
* * *
Armand’s art gallery lay outside the heart of Austin in a tiny town called Karlsberg that was being built up and gentrified. Large, historic homes mingled with new mansions, and several streets of art galleries, restaurants, and gourmet food shops attracted well-heeled tourists.
The long stretch of road where Carly had first met Tiger was again deserted as Ellison drove along it. They passed the place where the Corvette had broken down, not far past the sign saying that Karlsberg was thirty miles away.
Tiger recognized the spot too. He looked over at Carly, giving her his full stare. Nothing hinting or coy about it.
She knew she should talk to him. She should say, I can’t rush into another relationship right now. I need to figure out how I feel about my fiancé turning on me, and I have abandonment issues. Don’t make me care about you, only to have my world pulled out from under me again.
Carly would say all that if she were sensible. But no, she’d decided to kiss him, and to teach Tiger to kiss her. She’d fantasized about having crazed, intense sex in Ethan’s dressing room with Tiger, and not just as payback to Ethan.
She should slow down, until she was not needy, and then assess what she was feeling for Tiger. Things were moving too fast, as fast as Ellison racing down the highway.
But Carly would feel awkward saying such things in front of Ellison, Tiger’s friend and right now his watchdog. Watch-wolf? She’d have to wait until she and Tiger were alone, but that would be dangerous too.
Not that Ellison was paying attention to Carly right now. He kept looking into the rearview mirror, but not at Carly or Tiger. Carly saw a flash in the side-view mirror and turned around to see an SUV coming up behind them, very fast.
This wasn’t unusual. People got out here on these stretches of back highway and let it all go. It was dangerous, particularly on this two-lane road, but that didn’t stop people.
The SUV—black, like the one Walker and Brennan had used yesterday—zoomed closer. It pulled around their car into the oncoming lane, slackening its speed to run side by side with them. The windows were tinted, hiding the view of the driver and any passengers.
“Ellison.” Tiger thought of the phrase Liam and Connor used so often. “Shut it.”
“Goddess, now you’re starting to sound like a Morrissey,” Ellison said, never losing his good-natured drawl. “You’ve been living with them way too long.”
“Why do you live with them?” Carly asked Tiger. “You don’t want a place of your own?”
Ellison answered before Tiger could. “Shifters don’t have a choice. Only so many houses in Shiftertown, and we’re not allowed to live outside it. In my house, there’s my mate, Maria, Deni—she’s my sister—and Deni’s two sons, and hopefully a cub of my own soon.” His voice warmed when he spoke of the potential cub. “Tiger’s from . . . out of town, and there weren’t many houses with room for him when he arrived. Liam’s is one of the largest houses, and after Sean and his mate moved in with Dylan and Glory, Liam had an extra bedroom.”
“And no one else wanted me living in their house,” Tiger finished.
CHAPTER ELEVEN
He spoke the bare truth, but Carly stared at him, aghast. “Why not? Did they say that?”
“They didn’t have to,” Tiger said.
Tiger closed his mouth, unsure how to explain, but Ellison spoke up. “Remember what he did in the hospital room? Yeah, I heard all about it. Plus he nearly took out that human, Walker. The other Shifters are afraid he’ll do something like that.”
“But that’s not fair,” Carly said. “In the hospital, they had you scared to death. You knocked out Walker because he was spying on me and was carrying a loaded pistol. I mean, who does that?”
The warmth in Tiger’s heart escalated. Carly was looking at him in dismay, not fear, radiating anger at others for not understanding him.
They had scared him in the hospital—he’d been afraid he’d never see Carly again.
“And anyway,” Carly went on. “If you were attacking to hurt people, your Collar would have stopped you.” She pointed to the inert black and silver chain around his throat. “Shocks you when you get aggressive, right?”
Again Ellison jumped in before Tiger could speak. “You bet it does. Hurts like a mo fo.”
Tiger remained silent. Carly was his mate, and he trusted her, but he didn’t want to frighten her too soon with the fact that his Collar was a fake.
Carly leaned forward in the seat. “Ellison, you missed the turnoff. You take Koenig so I can get out to the gallery.”
Ellison glanced back through the mirror, looking at Tiger. Tiger gave him a nod.
“Sorry.” Ellison slowed and turned at the next intersection, driving north to make for the 290.
“Thanks. I really appreciate this,” Carly said.
Ellison had been heading for Shiftertown, knowing Tiger wanted to be alone with her. But Tiger was curious to see this gallery where Carly worked, wanted to make sure all was well there.
Carly settled back, her scent sweet and spicy, but also conveying to Tiger her underlying nervousness. Not fear for what Tiger and Ellison could do to her—it was more subtle than that, buried deep. Carly feared to trust at all. The man Ethan had taken her trust in him away from her by blatantly sexing the other woman. His house had still smelled of that encounter, despite the cleaning solution scent over it. The house had also smelled of Tiger’s blood.
Tiger had never trusted easily either. The things the researchers had done to him had made him close himself off, fearing to believe in anyone. Liam and his family were trying to instruct Tiger in how to trust, and so far, they’d not betrayed him. But when the researchers had taken away Tiger’s cub and then told him it had died, Tiger’s last spark of hope had died with it.
He’d watched the spark die in Carly when she’d seen Ethan and the woman. Whatever people had done to her in the past, they, like Ethan, had made promises, then withdrawn them, just as the researchers had poked things through the bars of Tiger’s cage to see what he’d do. As a cub he’d needed touch and caring, and he’d received none.
And then they’d left him alone. Completely alone, abandoned, not even having the courtesy to kill him.
Tiger would never let Carly feel that alone. Never. Not even if he had to stick with her day and night until she understood.
* * *
Armand’s art gallery lay outside the heart of Austin in a tiny town called Karlsberg that was being built up and gentrified. Large, historic homes mingled with new mansions, and several streets of art galleries, restaurants, and gourmet food shops attracted well-heeled tourists.
The long stretch of road where Carly had first met Tiger was again deserted as Ellison drove along it. They passed the place where the Corvette had broken down, not far past the sign saying that Karlsberg was thirty miles away.
Tiger recognized the spot too. He looked over at Carly, giving her his full stare. Nothing hinting or coy about it.
She knew she should talk to him. She should say, I can’t rush into another relationship right now. I need to figure out how I feel about my fiancé turning on me, and I have abandonment issues. Don’t make me care about you, only to have my world pulled out from under me again.
Carly would say all that if she were sensible. But no, she’d decided to kiss him, and to teach Tiger to kiss her. She’d fantasized about having crazed, intense sex in Ethan’s dressing room with Tiger, and not just as payback to Ethan.
She should slow down, until she was not needy, and then assess what she was feeling for Tiger. Things were moving too fast, as fast as Ellison racing down the highway.
But Carly would feel awkward saying such things in front of Ellison, Tiger’s friend and right now his watchdog. Watch-wolf? She’d have to wait until she and Tiger were alone, but that would be dangerous too.
Not that Ellison was paying attention to Carly right now. He kept looking into the rearview mirror, but not at Carly or Tiger. Carly saw a flash in the side-view mirror and turned around to see an SUV coming up behind them, very fast.
This wasn’t unusual. People got out here on these stretches of back highway and let it all go. It was dangerous, particularly on this two-lane road, but that didn’t stop people.
The SUV—black, like the one Walker and Brennan had used yesterday—zoomed closer. It pulled around their car into the oncoming lane, slackening its speed to run side by side with them. The windows were tinted, hiding the view of the driver and any passengers.
