Scorch: A Paranormal Shape Shifter Romance (The Tribe Series) (5 page)

I
drove
into town blasting a cheesy song on the radio. I was singing with the windows down. I had a meeting with the florist first. I couldn’t believe this was happening. Was it happening? I was getting married.
Married.

“How about tulips?” the florist asked.

I looked over the selection of flowers. It wasn’t as if we had time to have things ordered and delivered. I had to choose from what the local greenhouses had in stock.

“Tulips would be fine,” I decided. “White, please.”

“That sounds lovely. And what about your bouquet?”

“Hmm.” I flipped through catalogues and old pictures she used as a portfolio of previous brides. The flowers were gorgeous, but they seemed over the top.

“What does your dress look like, dear?” She pulled the glasses to the tip of her nose.

“Dress?” Holy shit. I knew Drew and I talked about a dress, but I hadn’t even added it to my to-do list today.

“You do have a dress, don’t you?”

I shook my head. “I’m headed to the bridal store next.”

She patted my hand. “How about this? I’ll get the tulips started. You come back with a picture of your dress and then we’ll choose the flowers that will complement it. I just don’t think I can do a bouquet without a dress.”

I chewed on my lip. I was a bridal novice and a nightmare to this woman. I had no idea what I was doing.

“Oh, all right. That makes sense.” I signed off on the tulip order and headed for the door. “See you soon.” I waved at the woman and walked across the street to Bella’s Bridal.

I was instantly hit with a barrage of satin and lace. It was almost blinding.

I didn’t know where to start. I could only think about Drew’s words. He wanted to peel this dress off of me. I blushed and started flipping hangers on a sale rack.

“Can we help you?” A saleswoman approached me.

“Yes, I need a dress.” I paused, embarrassed about what I had to tell her. “For tomorrow.”

Her eyes popped. “T-tomorrow?”

I nodded. “It’s a little sudden. But the wedding is tomorrow and I need something. He wants white.” I eyed a dress with delicate lace straps.

“And what do you want?” she asked.

I shrugged. “To be honest, just to make him happy.” I heard the words slip from my mouth and realized how lovestruck or idiotic I sounded. Two weeks ago, I would never have said something like that, but Drew had changed everything.

All I could think about was being with him and making him happy. It was a craving I couldn’t shake. To be honest, I didn’t want to shake it. I liked how he made me feel. I liked craving him. Needing him. Wanting him.

I turned to face her. “I want white, but sexy. Something fitted and feminine.”

“All right.” She turned her back to me. “That’s going to be on this rack over here. Why don’t you take a seat and I’ll pull a few things for you?”

“That sounds nice.” I waited on a faded velvet couch while she sorted the dresses into an enormous fitting room.

The instant I slipped into the first one, I felt like a bride. As if my entire life was meant for this moment. To be Mrs. Drew Maddox. To finally have a family. To finally belong to another shifter. To no longer be alone in a confusing world where I didn’t understand my strength and power.

I knew why I found Drew on the side of the road. Looking at the girl in the mirror, I understood why he was in my life. He could teach me. Show me how to harness my skills. Love the panther in me as much as the girl.

I flattened the satin with my palms. He was here to finally make me whole. Drew could bring both sides of my life together.

“Is this the one?” the girl asked after the fourth try.

I smiled at my reflection. My hands smoothed over the lace and the delicate crystals. “Yes, definitely the one.”

I
walked
to the door to let Josh in. He had driven from Georgia overnight and was banging hard.

“Hold on.” I pulled on the handle, worried he’d break down Francesca’s door.

“Can’t believe this.” He slapped me on the back as he walked inside.

“Me either.” I grinned. “Wait until you meet her.”

“Any beer around here? We need to celebrate your first wedding.” He strolled toward Francesca’s fridge.

“Yeah, yeah. Plenty.”

He tossed one to me across the kitchen. We cracked the tops and chugged a few times before stopping to talk.

“Have you had any luck?” I asked.

“We’ve met.”

My eyebrows rose. “And?”

“Working on it.”

I laughed. “The system has its flaws, I guess.”

“You think?”

I looked at him sternly. “Don’t let my brother hear you say that. He’s all in on this.”

“Yeah, your brother is a king. I doubt he’s going to have any problems getting his she-panther to agree to marry him.” Josh sat on the edge of the couch. “But in my case, she had no idea I was coming. It caught her off guard. I’ll work things out when I get back to town.”

I tipped my beer bottle back. “At least she knows where she came from. She knows her duty. I’m still going through the shifter encyclopedia with Francesca. She was adopted by humans. It’s like starting at the beginning of time.”

“Where is the bride, anyway?” He looked around the small house.

“She texted and said she was stopping by the florist one more time before coming home.”

“So how did the council do?” He waggled his eyebrows. “She’s hot, right?”

I growled. “You’re talking about my mate.” My protective instincts kicked in. Josh was my best friend, but I didn’t want him to think about her that way. One look and he might see what I did.

“So? Tell me, is she the mate you want?”

I dropped my head. How did I even begin to answer that question? Could I tell Josh or Case what Francesca meant to me? Were there words for it? I barely knew the girl, but I knew she was mine. I wanted her. I wanted to make her mine forever. Bond us for a lifetime with a shifter child. It had moved beyond my primal instincts. She was in my heart. I could feel her. Sense her. I wanted to be close to her. I wanted to erase all the space between us until we were one beating heart. I doubted Josh had a fucking clue what that felt like.

“Yeah, yeah, she’s going to be an excellent mate.” I gave him the answer he wanted. “She’s excited about the ceremony.”

I placed my bottle on the coffee table. I’d leave it at that. My feelings for my mate were mine. How could Josh understand? He was still on a selfish quest. Mine was only beginning. My selfishness had been replaced with a desire to make her happy. To give her everything she wanted.

“Good. I’m glad this quest worked out for you.” He raised his bottle to toast me.

I crossed my ankle over my knee and leaned into the couch.
This quest
. It hadn’t really registered that this was only the first part of my journey as a member of the Tribe. I didn’t want to think about that now. I wanted to focus on Francesca and the wedding. Focus on however long we had together. Our future. Our life.

“Seems like it should be simple.” Josh mused.

“What’s that?”

“Find the girl. Get the girl. Ask her to be your mate, and then on to the next.”

I swallowed hard. That was the part I didn’t want to think about.

“There’s nothing simple about it.” I stared into the bottom of my empty beer. “Hey, Josh. Francesca is still learning all the shifter history. Could you maybe not mention anything to her? As a favor? I’d like to explain it to her. She doesn’t know about the list.”

“Sure thing. I don’t want to be the one to have my eyes clawed out.”

I clenched my teeth. Neither did I.

T
here was
a freakin’ wedding dress hanging in the back of my car. I pulled into the driveway, noticing a car I hadn’t seen before. Drew mentioned his brother and friend would be driving to Mill Valley for the wedding.

I carefully laid the dress over my arms. It was enclosed inside a satin cover. Drew wouldn’t be able to see it. His first glimpse would be when I walked down the aisle. And his last would be when he unzipped it and slid it off my hips. I shivered thinking about what tomorrow meant.

It wasn’t only a wedding. It was a shifter bond. I didn’t know exactly what was involved with becoming his wife, but with this ring on my left hand, I wasn’t turning back now. I needed him. I needed to be his mate.

“Hey.” I kicked the door closed behind me, shuffling the dress in my hands.

“Hey.” Drew grinned. “This is Josh.”

His friend stood to greet me. “Hi, Josh. I just have to run and hang this up so it doesn’t wrinkle. I’ll be right back.”

I felt two pairs of eyes on my ass as I walked down the hall. I smiled. Maybe all jaguars were the same.

I made space in my closet, making sure none of my clothes cramped the dress. I wanted it to be perfect when I put it on tomorrow.

I greeted the guys in the living room. I walked to Drew and put my arms around his neck. He pulled me in for a kiss. “Hi,” I whispered.

“Hi.” His eyes flickered.

“Umm.” Josh shifted uncomfortably on his heels.

“Sorry.” I stepped back. “Thanks for coming, Josh.” I held out my hand. I felt the shifter magic circling him, but the energy around us wasn’t charged like the energy I had with Drew. I didn’t realize how relieved I felt to discover that what was between Drew and I was unique.

“I wouldn’t miss this for the world.” He grinned. “Your man and I have been going through your beer this afternoon celebrating the big day.”

“Can I join you?” I asked, walking to the kitchen.

Drew raced in front of me. “Want to go out to dinner? Celebrate before the big day?”

“Like a rehearsal dinner?” I asked.

“Yeah. I guess so. Just because this is small doesn’t mean we can’t have all the traditional things.”

“Only if you want to.” I looked into his eyes, trying to read his expression. I didn’t want to drag him to a dinner if this wasn’t part of shifter tradition.

“Of course I want to.” Drew’s arms fit perfectly around my waist. “Tomorrow you’re mine. Tonight I want to celebrate it. Dinner, champagne, anything you want.”

I smiled. I swore I was still sleeping. None of this was real. Not the sexy man holding me. Not the other jaguar watching us from my living room. Not the shifters en route to watch our nuptials.

I shook my head. “This is all happening?”

“Oh yeah. It’s happening.” He grinned. “So, yes on the dinner?”

I nodded. “Yes.”

“Okay, call Alexa. She’s your maid of honor, right?”

“She’s the one. The only one.”

“I’ll let Case know where we’ll be. I think he said Noah’s going to be with him.”

“Noah?” I asked.

“Another guy in the Tribe.”

“How many are there?” It was starting to sound like the Tribe was an army.

He squeezed my shoulders. “Tonight is a celebration, not a history lesson. Go get dressed and I’ll make reservations.”

I turned from him. “All right. But later, I want to know everything.”

“And you will.”

I closed the bedroom door behind me and started looking for something to wear.

I
didn’t expect
to be the guy planning a rehearsal dinner for my mate. Until tonight, it never occurred to me that it would matter. But Francesca made things matter. In a short amount of time I had fallen hard. Harder than I wanted to admit. Least of all to my brother.

Case assumed his duty as king, wanting to conquer panther territories. He was hungry for land, and he had no problem pleasing the council. To him, the she-panthers were only names on a list. He didn’t care as long as he got what he wanted. He was looking forward to working his way down the wife lineup. In fact, I think it excited him to obtain as much power and land as quickly as he could. He wasn’t the kind of brother who would suddenly understand that things had changed for me.

I hated the list, despised it, dreaded it in my bones. I still hadn’t figured out what I was going to do about it. I pushed the worry out of my head as I saw my brother stroll in.

Case slapped me on the back and took a seat next to me at the table. The restaurant had given us a private room after I explained it was an impromptu rehearsal dinner.

“So? Where is she? I want to meet your first wife.” He winked. He picked up a glass of wine.

I turned to see if Francesca was anywhere near us. She had excused herself to powder her nose.

“She doesn’t know about the list, man. Don’t say anything like that around her. Let’s just keep the talk about the wedding, okay?”

“What you’re telling me is your mate knows nothing about her role? Her duty?”

I nodded. The red wine was necessary tonight. I poured another glass for myself. “That’s right. Human parents who kicked her out when she turned eighteen. She hasn’t had it easy. I don’t want to make things worse for her. Don’t mention the damn list. I’ll tell her when the time is right.”

Case laughed. “If that’s how you want to play it.”

“It is.” I had gone back and forth about the list. If she had been any other she-panther, she would already know this. She would know I had to do what the council had dictated from the time I was born. It wasn’t as if I had any control. I was the prince, not the king.

But nothing about Francesca was ordinary, or like any other she-panther. She was smart and determined. She was independent. She was guarded. And I knew she had a hard time trusting. If I told her this now, it would ensure there wouldn’t be a wedding tomorrow, and I wasn’t willing to take that chance. The half truth would rip us apart.

I knew I was capable of lying to her a little bit longer if it meant I could make her mine. I needed her that much. I was that selfish. I wanted her.

“Tell me. How are things in Sullen’s Grove?” I asked, detouring the subject away from my love life.

Case smiled. “Actually perfect.”

“That good? I thought there was a problem with the panthers there. Not true?”

His eyes hardened. “Unlike you, I have plenty of time. And I’m letting her fall for me so by the time I tell her who I am, she’ll be halfway through planning the wedding.”

I chuckled. Case hadn’t changed. He wasn’t any more honest with his mate than I was with mine. “Your mate doesn’t know she’s your mate?”

He tossed the wine glass back. “Not yet, but we’ve gone out every night this week. She’s into me, and that’s all that matters. I’ve got a year until she’s twenty-two.”

I shrugged. I didn’t want to get involved in Case’s plans. His methods would be unorthodox, and I wasn’t exactly wearing a halo.

“Good luck to you, brother.”

He tipped his glass to mine. “And to you.” His eyes darted toward the French doors. “Ah, this must be the bride.” He hopped to his feet to meet Francesca.

I stood next to her, wrapping a protective arm around her waist. “This is my brother, Case.”

“You were right, Drew. She is gorgeous.” He grinned widely before hugging her. “We’re going to be family tomorrow.”

Francesca stumbled into the hug. “I guess so.” She patted him on the back. “I’m glad you could be here for Drew. Thanks for coming.”

Case pulled her chair out for her. I grumbled, knowing he had turned his charm up. He’d do anything he could to impress a pretty girl, even my pretty girl.

“I want to hear all about my future sister-in-law.”

She blushed. “I don’t know that there’s much to tell. I’m about to graduate next week.”

“Really? What are you studying?”

“English studies with a focus on the classics,” she replied.

I didn’t know if Case could see it, but I noticed how her eyes lit up. I thought about the piles of books littering her house. They were stacked up next to the couch and her bed. They spilled off the bookcases in the hall. Books were everywhere.

“And what is a pretty she-panther planning on doing with that?” He had turned in his seat so he was facing her completely.

“I, uh…I want to teach literature.”

“You want to be a teacher?” he asked.

I could see Francesca sinking in front of me. Case was too intense. It was feeling less like a celebration and more like an interrogation.

I squeezed her on the knee. “Do you think you’re ready to order? It looks like everyone’s here.”

Noah was at the corner of the table talking with Francesca’s friend, Alexa, and Josh was working his way through a bottle of scotch.

She nodded. “I think so.”

“All right. I’ll get the waitress and have dinner brought in.”

I stared at my brother, warning him to stop giving her a hard time. She was the bride, after all. The longer they talked the more worried I was that he would let something slip about her panther duties. I couldn’t have that happen tonight.

Francesca smiled. “Do you have someone special in your life, Case?”

I laughed. Apparently I had nothing to worry about. With one question she had Case squirming in his seat. I left the room, knowing my she-panther could handle herself with my big brother without my protection.