A Tiger's Treasure (Tiger Protectors Book 2) (8 page)

“Gotcha,” Carter said. “Well, we can talk when we’re safely home.”

Perry kept flying but looked back curiously at the woman in his claws. She was glad she was pressed tightly to Carter. He would protect her from anything, but there was probably nothing he could do against one of these creatures if they wanted to hurt her.

“I wouldn’t hurt you,” Perry said lightly.

“Wait,” she said, frowning.

“Perry can read minds. Be careful what you say. Each color dragon has a different power. The silver ones are crafty SOBs, so watch out for them.”

Perry’s laugh twinkled in the air, and Amy felt deeply confused.

“Perry’s kind of a sweetheart, though,” Carter admitted. “Now, Torrance over there…”

She looked at the red dragon, who was patently ignoring them.

“You should probably just stay out of his way,” Carter said.

She looked at the ground flying under them and shivered at the cold air. “Are we almost there? No offense, but this is all kind of a shock. I think I could faint.”

Carter’s arms were tight around her. “I’ve got you. I promise. It’s going to be fine. More than fine. I promise.”

She nodded and rested against him, closing her eyes against everything overwhelming.

She didn’t know what was worse. The boring grind over the past few years when her sole goal was getting to work in Carter’s department so she could look into the case, or now, when she was no longer lonely but everything around her seemed to be going to hell.

Finally, after what felt like hours, the dragons started to lower down through the clouds. She looked beneath to see a giant mansion below them, surrounded by probably fifty acres of land and wooded lands all around it.

She felt her throat tighten as the dragon lowered toward the ground, coming in surprisingly fast as they got closer. She closed her eyes and tightened up, but Carter’s hold on her was warm and reassuring, his heartbeat slow and even against her back.

She tried to relax.

She felt her feet touch the ground, and the dragon let go of them, and they went rolling together lightly over the ground at the loss of momentum.

When they ended, she was lying on top of Carter, looking down into his green eyes, his dark hair mussed everywhere, and she grinned.

They were safe. They were far from those who had hurt her. It felt like some kind of fairy tale, especially as she looked up around her at the grounds and the mansion.

She hadn’t known places like this existed, where huge shifters could hide in the woods.

“You move fast, Carter,” a deep, sardonic voice said. “We just set you down and you’re already going for it.”

She looked up to see a man in a red shirt and black leather jacket walking toward them. He was tall, wide through the shoulders, and had brown hair that fell in a shag cut around his face. He had boyish, handsome features that leaned just a little toward rugged and a nose with a bump in the middle that looked like it had been broken and healed at some point.

“Carter? Moving fast?” a lighter, more familiar voice said as Carter rolled her to the side and off of him. She kind of missed his warmth, kind of wanted to be as close as possible to him while these strangers were around.

The man with the lighter voice stopped in front of him. She had to look up to see him. He was tall, like the brown-haired man next to him, but he was also unmistakably the dragon that had been carrying them. He had long, silver hair a little past his shoulders, silky and perfect. His face was masculine in a pretty way, his nose pointed and sharp, his chin obstinate. And he had long lashes obscuring what looked like silver eyes.

He was lean and willowy but muscled as well. Still, he looked slight compared to the man in red next to him.

So this must be the red dragon, Torrance, and the silver dragon, Perry.

“I don’t know what you remember,” Perry said, folding his arms and cocking his head down at them. “But I don’t remember him even looking at a female while he was with us.”

“Not like there are a lot of females to look at while undergoing dragon training,” Carter muttered.

“Well, you’ve got one now. Should we leave you alone?” the red dragon muttered in a flat voice.

Carter snarled. “Get your mind out of the gutter, Tor.”

Tor just shrugged and started away, leaving Perry to give them an apologetic glance. “He’s grumpy today.”

“Hell yeah, I am,” Tor said. “Tigers causing trouble everywhere. Why the hell did you ever think of this plan anyway?”

Carter shook his head as he got to his feet, dusted himself off, and pulled her up with him. He noticed her looking hesitantly in the direction the dragons were walking and shook his head. “They’re good guys. I promise,” he said, leading her toward the house. “Sure, I mean, they’ve been around for centuries, plotting and scheming and keeping all of us safe. But they’re okay.”

“That Tor guy doesn’t seem okay.”

Carter shrugged. “He’s overprotective of Perry. And he doesn’t like anything that comes between them.”

She pursed her lips. “Are they…?”

“It’s not what you think,” he said. “Dragons are a little… different. Maybe we can explain it later. First, we need to get in and talk to them. I get the idea Perry knows something.”

“Because he said he knows something?” she asked, teasing him.

Carter laughed and nodded. “Yeah, because of that.”

“All right,” she said, still feeling daunted by the house. “I’ll trust you.”

“
G
ood
,” he said. “I’ll never let you down.”

C
arter had met
up with the dragons several times over the years, but he hadn’t been back to the mansion where he’d been trained as a teen in a very long time.

He could see why Amy would be experiencing trepidation, being here for the first time.

From the outside, the mansion looked like some kind of themed inn, with green turrets and white stucco and wrought iron gates. When they walked into the main courtyard, he saw her looking at the statues standing around it like ghosts. Some of them were missing arms or heads, just for effect.

He wondered if he should explain to her that these were actual antiques.

But she seemed overwhelmed enough.

They followed the dragons over the grassy courtyard and up the front steps and then to the huge, hand-carved wooden door. When they got there, Tor put his hand up to the fingerprint sensor and the door swung wide, despite being huge and heavy.

He walked inside in front of Amy and waited for her response.

The entire house was done in sparkling, creamy marble. There were columns surrounding a huge staircase that on both sides wound its way up to a balcony on the second floor.

But Perry raised a hand and beckoned them forward inside, between the staircases, toward a set of double doors, behind which was an office.

He walked in and sat down behind the huge desk and gestured for Amy and Carter to sit in front.

Tor poked his head in to say he’d be back later, that he was dealing with something, and Perry dismissed him with a nod.

They had an odd kind of partnership, and Carter had never thought it his business to question it.

Tor got business done when it was needed, and that was all that mattered.

Perry flipped through some papers on his desk, muttering lightly to himself.

“So what was it you knew? When were you planning to call?” Carter asked.

“Actually, right around the time you were almost blown into a million pieces,” Perry said. His tone was light, but Carter could hear the anger there. No one hurt someone Perry cared about.

“You would have been too late,” Amy said, sounding skeptical.

Perry looked up at her, raising one silver eyebrow. “My apologies for being too busy managing the safety of literally thousands of shifters and humans to exactly predict the next attack against you and Carter.”

Carter bit his lip as Amy frowned. That was just Perry’s way. Firmly logical. Nothing personal.

Amy sighed and slouched slightly in her chair. “I’m a bit tired of people trying to kill me.”

“Then you picked the wrong job, yes?” Perry said snippily.

She opened her mouth in offense, but then Carter put a hand on her shoulder to calm her.

“Listen, Perry, I saw Blake the other day…”

“I know,” Perry said lightly, pushing papers aside. “In fact, I have him here now.”

“What?” Carter said, feeling slightly angry at the implication. “How did you find him so fast.”

Perry raised an eyebrow. “You know we microchipped all the tigers,” he said.

Carter stood abruptly. “We aren’t your pets. We’re your employees.”

“It’s all the same to us,” he said. “We have to know where you are. You’re valuable assets.”

Amy snarled and stood, hands on the desk as she stared Perry down. “That’s all he is to you, an asset? He has practically given his life for you.”

Perry was unfazed. “And he has been handsomely compensated for it.”

“Stop it,” Carter said, pulling Amy back down. Yes, the dragons had always been utilitarian about him and his brothers, but it didn’t bother him. He was a tiger. That was what he’d been bred for.

He still didn’t know exactly how the dragons had done it, and the thought disturbed him, so he didn’t talk about it, even with his brothers.

They’d had a mother. She’d died young, of illness. They’d come here after and found a purpose in life. That’s all that mattered.

Next to him, Amy was quiet but restless. “This is ridiculous,” he heard her mutter to herself.

“I believe you’re here at our mercy,” Perry said. “So I’d try to calm down a little if I were you, wolf.” He stared at her as he said it, and then his eyes narrowed in comprehension, and Carter saw shock flash in his eyes just for a second before he composed himself.

“What is it?” Carter asked.

“She seems… familiar somehow,” Perry said. “Never mind. I can’t think about that now.” He rubbed his temples. “So much to think about.”

“So what?” Amy asked. “We just stay here until we find out who’s blowing us up?”

“No,” Perry said. “We share info and decide on the next move. But yes, you should probably stay here at least for tonight.”

She sighed. “Fine.”

Carter wondered what was irritating her so bad but decided it had just been a hard day. They’d both been expecting to go home to an easy night together and make love, and now this had happened.

Perry’s eyes snapped up to his in amusement, and Carter realized he’d heard his thoughts. Perry could be rude like that.

“You know, you can still do that here,” Perry said. “I’ll make sure to put you in one of our best suites.”

“Do what?” Amy asked, glaring between them.

“Nothing,” Carter said.

Perry gave him a curious glance but then was distracted by finally finding whatever he’d been looking for. “Ah, there,” he said, pushing a paper toward him.

Carter looked down at it. It was a hit order. On him. “How did you get this?” he asked.

Perry folded his arms and sat back in his chair. “Blake. When we brought him in for… questioning, he said someone had hired a hit. Apparently, someone else staged a homicide and tried to attack you at the scene, but when that didn’t work… they reached a little higher.”

“Who is Blake working with?” Carter asked.

Perry shook his head. “Immaterial, for now. Anyway, look at the order. Can you think of anyone who would want to do that?”

Carter looked down at the paper, frowning. He had lots of enemies, but he’d killed most of them.

He couldn’t help feeling awful about the fact that there wasn’t someone after Amy. There was someone after him, and she’d nearly been caught in the crossfire.

He frowned. This was why he’d never planned to take a mate. It was too dangerous. There would always be people who hated him, and even though nothing like this had happened in the past, it could easily happen again when he pissed off the wrong shifter.

For the first time, he sort of resented the world he’d been born into. Resented being picked up by the dragons like he was their property. Resented always doing his duty.

Because it would mean he would have to walk away from Amy when this was over.

“Anyway,” Perry said. “We’ll have more information when Tor comes back from breaking Blake.”

Carter flinched. “What do you mean?”

“He didn’t come willingly,” Perry said regretfully. “We had to take him by force, and with some of the things he’s done, he could easily be up for termination. But we’re trying to make a deal with him. However, ever since he came into the house, he’s been stubbornly in tiger form, refusing to talk.”

“He’s locked away, though, right?” Amy asked.

Perry nodded. “You don’t have to worry about that. Tell you what. Why don’t I show you two to your suite and you can relax and have a bath or something? I know you’re stressed. It’s been a difficult couple of days.”

Carter’s hackles rose at that. Just how much spying on him did they do? He didn’t like it. He liked what they did for the shifter world and knew it was important. But he didn’t want to be watched for the rest of his life.

Still, he just wanted to be alone with Amy right now, to hold her and feel she was safe. To treasure another day with her, because they didn’t know how many they would have.

“Come on. I’ll show you to your suite,” Perry said, standing up and waving them to the door. “You can rest, and when Blake is ready to talk, we’ll come get you.”

“Okay,” Carter said. “And Perry?”

“Yes?”

“Go easy on him if you can,” Carter said. “You know he’s had a hard go of it.”

Perry nodded lightly, and Carter wasn’t sure if he was agreeing or just admitting he’d heard. But he had a feeling he wasn’t getting anything more from the mysterious dragon tonight.

But at least they were somewhere safe, he thought as he followed the dragon up the stairs. They could spend the night together without worrying for their lives.

He intended to savor every moment of it.

A
my felt completely numb
until Perry left them in the suite together after announcing that they could call down for dinner anytime.

Did they have slaves for that too?

She’d seen Carter’s reaction to the microchipping. It didn’t seem like it had been a surprise they were chipped, but it was a surprise they were actually tracking him.

She wanted to punch them for not trusting him. And for not stepping in sooner if they knew what was happening.

No wonder Carter was all about work. No wonder people thought he was cold. No wonder he had a hundred percent focus. He’d been trained here to feel like he didn’t matter except for what he could do.

His duty.

She watched him move around the suite, checking it just in case. Then he took off his jacket and set it on a chair and turned to face her. His face was tired but handsome, the lines there seeming deeper than usual as he sat down on a chair and motioned for her to join him.

She sat and watched him lean back with closed eyes. As she observed him, she couldn’t help thinking they were more similar than she’d ever imagined.

They’d both been raised with the idea that what they did mattered more than who they were.

Perhaps it had been easier to latch onto the mystery of her parents’ death than to face the reality of a life where she had no choice but to do what was expected of her.

What would finding out what happened to her parents really do for her? It wouldn’t bring them back. Her heart pounded as she realized she might not really want it solved, because then she wouldn’t have an excuse to not go off and get mated.

But when she saw how defeated Carter looked, despite always doing his duty, she wondered if just always adhering to duty was the right thing after all.

“They aren’t that bad,” Carter said, opening his eyes and dragging his hands over his face in frustrated exhaustion. “They just have a lot on their minds. All of shifter kind.”

She nodded. In her mind, that didn’t excuse them for treating him like some kind of toy, though.

“I guess… I’ve never minded it,” he said. “I’ve always been a tool for them. Up until this moment, when it nearly got someone I cared for killed with me, I didn’t realize how much I
do
mind it. But it’s too late now. This is all I know how to do.”

“Do your brothers do this as well?” she asked. “Are they their servants too?”

Carter nodded. “Well, my middle brother, Jace, is a bounty hunter. Our senses work well for that. And then my youngest brother, he’s a white tiger and stands out more than the dragons would like, so he went freelance with their blessing.”

“Why do they even get a say in this?” she asked, feeling frustrated. “It’s your life.”

“They took us in,” Carter said. “They gave us a place to be valued. I owe them for helping me and my brothers.”

“More like
owning
you and your brothers.”

“Look,” he said, getting defensive. “This is my life. I felt so helpless, trying to support my brothers. When the dragons came for us, it was kind of a miracle. Suddenly, we had a place to live. Food in our stomachs. So don’t go blaming me for feeling slightly loyal to them.”

She stood and walked to him, putting her arms around his solid waist, feeling him relax against her.

“I wouldn’t blame you,” she said. “You’re the most honorable, wonderful man I’ve ever met. But just because someone did something nice for you, it doesn’t mean you owe them for the rest of your life.”

She blinked. What she’d just said could apply to her too. What would her parents want if they saw her now? Would they want her looking into their case, or would they want her to live?

They would probably want her to mate.

But she didn’t want to. And even if she’d decided she would when they died, being with Carter was making it harder and harder to think about.

“I’m sorry the day got ruined,” he said, sitting and pulling her onto his lap. His thick thighs were wide and sturdy, and she enjoyed resting on them for a moment as she put her head against his chest.

They’d only made love once together, but there was a closeness between them that had started before that.

When they’d been assigned together as partners and been surprised to find someone like them, someone equally honest, responsible, and trustworthy.

She ran a hand over his tie and then loosened his collar. “I can’t believe you threw yourself over me in the explosion.”

“Really?” he asked wryly. “How could I do anything else?”

“I suppose,” she said, “that’s what I like about you.” She ran a hand over his stubbly jaw, enjoying the rough texture there. “You know what I worry about?”

“No, what?” he asked in a low voice.

“I worry that after I leave, you’re going to be unhappy. That all you’ll do is serve the dragons for the rest of your life and never find any real happiness.”

He tightened at that, but simply looked at the huge bay window in their room. It was surrounded by floaty, silk curtains and looked out on the green grounds below.

“I don’t know,” he said. “Sometimes doing the right thing
is
happiness.”

“That sounds like a cop out,” she said, tracing a finger over the top of his chest and then undoing the top button of his shirt. Already, her wolf was growling for him again. It seemed the more she was with him, the more insatiable it was.

He put a hand over hers, stopping her from going lower. His green eyes looked like wet grass, deep and sparkly. “What if happiness isn’t possible?” he asked, clasping her hand in his. “What if I can’t have what would make me happy?”

Her heart pounded. By the way his body tensed around her, she knew he was talking bout her.

“Please, Carter. You’ll forget about me. You’ll find some hot female tiger…”

“There are no female tigers,” he said. “That I’m aware of.”

She bit her lip. “Carter… I…”

“I know,” he said, running a hand over her hair. “I’m not going to make it difficult. But don’t take issue with me doing whatever I have to after you’re gone. Don’t expect me to go off and be happy.” He sighed and rested his chin on her head. “You would have made me happy.”

“Hey,” she said, raising his head so he had to look at her. “I’m still here. I can still make you happy.”

“Is it worth being happy if you just have to give it up?” he asked, looking like he truly didn’t know the answer.

“It’s better than not being happy at all,” she said simply. Then she put her hand around his neck as she reached up to take his lips in a soft kiss. She felt his hard body relax against her, his hands snaking around her waist to hold her closer.

Just for right now, everything in the world felt so fucking good. What the hell was she doing? She knew it was wrong, but she kept taking steps toward him when she should have been walking away. But everything in her screamed for him. And the more she listened, the louder it seemed.

She couldn’t go back to how she was. One-track minded. Focused. All business.

Totally dead inside.

She woke up when he touched her, and she never wanted him to stop. When he did, she would go to sleep again. Leave this colorful, exciting world and go back to one that was dark and gray.

She was so close to finding out what she’d wanted, and now this had to happen, making everything suddenly not matter the way it should have.

She was falling in love with Carter.

It shouldn’t be possible, but it was easy.

She unbuttoned another button, revealing more of his chest. His breath caught as her finger grazed the hair there. So masculine, so strong. She let her fingertips feel the swell of his pecs, hard and velvety.

He was quiet, patient, waiting to see what she did. But she could feel the predator in him, sense the heat rising in the room the longer she touched him.

She didn’t care. She wanted him.

She grabbed him by the tie and pulled him from the chair and toward the master bedroom. Tonight, in this new and strange house, she wanted privacy.

The suite was beautifully appointed; the furnishings looked to be mostly high-end antiques. The carpet was inlaid with interesting patterns in rose on cream, and the curtains on each of the windows were heavy, embroidered with velvet accents and hanging with gold tassels. The whole place had a baroque feel to it, the bathroom most of all.

She could see it as she led him through the master bedroom and pulled him over to it.

“Wow,” she said, mouth falling open as she looked in.

He just nodded. “Dragons are a little obsessed with luxury,” he said.

She grimaced at that but decided not to start an argument about the dragons again. She could admit that maybe she didn’t understand them, but she didn’t like how they were using Carter.

The bathroom in front of her looked like some kind of water-based mini theme park. There was a huge tub, big enough to practically swim in, with sparkling granite stairs leading down into it. There was a group shower, with five showerheads, encased in glass and about ten feet long by five feet wide.

She wondered what people did there.

She didn’t think the dragons often had company.

“What’s up with the shower?” she asked.

He frowned. “I don’t know how much I should tell you,” he said. “But I will say this. Dragons don’t mate in pairs. They mate in triads.”

“Huh?” she asked, blinking wide. A shifter sharing a mate with another shifter? She’d never heard anything like it.

“I’m glad I’m not a dragon,” he said, pulling her close as they looked over the bathroom. “I could never share you. Not even if the rules said I had to.”

“Then how can they do it?” she asked, holding his arms.

“They have a bond we can’t really understand,” he said. “They’re paired young. I guess you can do a lot of things if you’re trained for it when you’re young.”

There was sadness in that, and she turned to touch his face. She’d never thought she’d get this far under his tough exterior in just a few days. But she loved seeing new facets of him. She didn’t think she could ever get tired of that.

She ran her hand over each line in his face, the ones on the side of his mouth, the crinkles at the sides of his eyes, the little thought lines between his brows. All the time, he watched her curiously, heat building between them as she thought about what she would want to do first.

Carter moved around her for a moment to turn on the tub. “Just in case,” he said. “It takes a minute to fill.” He grabbed a bottle off the counter and unscrewed the lid. Then he poured some purple liquid into the running water.

The water was rushing to fill the huge basin of the tub, and the sound of it filled the air, a thumping, primal rhythm as she looked at the man she would choose for a mate if it were up to her to choose.

“Don’t look at me like that,” he said, coming closer and running his hands under her shirt, gently lifting it. “I can’t help taking you if you do.”

“I can’t help looking at you like that,” she said. “Because I can’t help wanting you to take me.”

“We’re messed up, right?” he asked, lifting her shirt up and over her head and going to work on her bra, reaching around her, his finger deftly unhooking the clasp. He let the bra fall away from her and stepped back, eyeing her topless.

She was fit but curvy. She loved her body despite knowing it wasn’t the human ideal, because she’d been raised in a world where it was ideal. But it was also strong and capable and had carried her through everything.

And now he was looking at her like she was the most beautiful woman in the world.

“Yeah,” she said. “A little messed up. We almost got blown up today. We almost died.”

“What better time to remember to live?” he asked, working the button of her work pants. She stepped back from him, undoing them herself, and nodded at his own clothing. She wanted to see her powerful alpha naked.

“Strip,” she commanded.

A grin lit his face and he did as she asked, undoing the rest of the buttons in a methodical, deft manner that left her breathless and face to face with a stunning set of abs, a perfect male torso. At well over six feet four, Carter was impressive.

He undid his pants and stepped out of them, now only in a pair of blue boxer briefs that made him look like an underwear model.

She wanted to rip them off with her teeth.

“Easy,” he said, coming forward as she dropped her own jeans, leaving her in her underwear. He put a finger under the side and tore them easily off with one claw.

She wanted to know everything about tigers. How they could use their claws and teeth without shifting. How they came to be. How they claimed a mate…

“You’re mine,” he said, pulling her close, holding her possessively, a low growl in his voice that said his tiger was close to the surface.

It made sense. He’d fought another male for her, protected her with his life. He was doing all the things a mate would do, and it made sense he would feel ownership.

And she would let him. They could both live in that fantasy for a while.

“The tub,” she said, noticing it was mostly full and topped with fragrant, milky bubbles and steam. It looked amazing, the perfect thing after the day they’d had. She could finally scrub away all evidence of the explosion. She took his hand and led him to the tub. Taking her first step into the steamy water, she moaned at the experience.

“One second,” Carter said, suddenly alert and protective. “I’ll be right back.”

He strode away, and the next second, she heard a lock on the outside bedroom door turn with a click. Then he came back in and locked the inside bathroom door with a deadbolt. Then he looked around the room.

“Just want to make sure we have privacy,” he said. “Make sure there aren’t cameras. I mean, this is a suite that generally the dragons would use, so I imagine they have no reason to spy.”

She covered her breasts with her hands at the idea. She was now waist deep in the water, slightly paranoid.

He came toward her and pulled her hands down, baring her to him. The dusky tips of her breasts called to him, and he kissed each one.

“No one is watching. I assume Perry gave us this room for privacy,” he said. “I just can’t help but be paranoid when you’re around. I don’t want anyone to see you. Hear you, even.”