Tigress for Two

Tigress for Two

Alaskan Tigers Series: Book Three

Marissa Dobson

Chapter One

Taber Brown rubbed his eyes with the back of his hand for the umpteenth time in the last twenty minutes. Hour after hour, they scanned every shred of evidence Adam’s team brought back from San Francisco once they seized Victor. They hoped to discover something that would lead them to Pierce, but nothing so far. Everything they discovered reinforced their belief—Victor only teamed with Pierce to further his own agenda.

Could Pierce be so daft he wouldn’t have seen Victor’s true motivation? That was the question haunting not only Taber, but the Elders of the Alaskan Tigers as well. If they could see through Victor, surely Pierce had as well.

The papers cluttering the table detailed Victor’s plans to bring Bratva—the brotherhood, a Russian shifter terrorist group—to the states. Over the years, it appeared Victor had been gathering followers from different shifter groups with like-minded beliefs.

Taber pushed papers aside, searching for his squeeze bottle of honey buried somewhere under the clutter. With hours left, before the day’s end, he needed his honey to see him through.
Where did that damn bottle go?

“Bear.” Adam growled when Taber shoved more papers out of the way. “You finished your honey an hour ago.”

“Shit.”

“We stocked some for you in the compound’s kitchen. Go get a refill and then get some damn sleep. You’re grumpy when you’re tired.”

“I’m a bear, damn it.” He rose, stretching his long legs. To him being a bear explained everything, but to the tigers well it might have been another story, especially after Adam raised an eyebrow. At that moment, Taber didn’t care.

He’d swing by the kitchen for another bottle of honey before checking in with the men guarding Victor. He also hoped to find Ty or Raja before hitting the sack, to see if any progress was made gaining information from Victor.

The kitchen was on the far side of the main compound building, away from the private quarters of the Alpha and Lieutenant, giving them both seclusion and security. He slipped his hand into the front pocket of his sweatshirt, his fingers wrapping around his cell phone. As he turned the last corner, leading to the long hallway toward the kitchen, he collided with a woman.

“Shit,” she said. Coffee covered the front of her shirt.

“I’m sorry. I didn’t expect anyone to be around here this time of the night.” Being nearly seven foot, he stared down at her. The white stripes sprinkled through her long, curly brown hair caught his attention.
Did she do those on purpose?
According to his cousin, they were highlights, but Taber couldn’t fathom why anyone would want such stripes painting their hair.

“You’re a damn shifter. You should have sensed me coming!” She growled at him, blotting the coffee stain with a napkin, but it only served to make matters worse.

“I said I was sorry, what more do you want woman?”

“Obviously nothing.” She snarled, shoving the napkins in her nearly empty coffee cup. She released a heavy sigh and moved to pass him.

He reached out, wrapping his hand around her small arm. She winced as if expecting him to cause her pain. He hated seeing fear resonating in her eyes.
What happened to cause her such distress?
“You’re right, I should have sensed you, but I wasn’t paying attention. Let me get you another cup.”

A sudden shot of electricity vibrated through their contact. He couldn’t tear his gaze from her.

This can’t be happening. My mate can’t be a tigress. I won’t have it. Especially a tigress with haunting in her eyes.

“So you can spill it over me again? I think not.” She pulled her arm free and pushed past him. He turned, his gaze following her as she sauntered down the hallway away from him. The sway of her hips drew his attention to her long, lush legs. The three-inch high heels she wore only served to add more sashay to her swaying hips. He wanted to run after her, to explore the electric jolt he received from her contact, but he instructed his feet to remain where he stood. He didn’t want a tigress as his mate, and he doubted he could help ease the pain within her eyes.

* * *

Unwilling to go back to the kitchen for another cup of coffee, Kallie walked across the compound back to her room. The cold night air sent shivers down her spine, thankfully it wasn’t snowing again. She loved winter and all the white, fluffy snow, but they had more than enough the last few days to satisfy her need.

Damn, bear. Who the hell does he think he is, laying a hand on me?
A simple touch served to remind her of all the years she suffered at the hands of another. She did her best to block the haunting memories and thanks to Adam’s appearance she managed to keep them at bay again.

“Hey Kallie, what you doing out at this time of night?” Unlike with Taber, she now had her senses on high alert and smelled Adam before he stepped from the darkness. Heavy circles shadowed under his eyes and his shoulders sagged in defeat.
Whatever is going on is taking a toll on the lead guards.

“I was grabbing a cup of coffee before my shift at command central.” When Adam’s gaze fell to her empty hands, she pointed to her solid sweater. “That damn bear wasn’t paying attention and spilled it on me. I’m just going to change quickly.”

“Tigers are quiet creatures, unlike bears. He probably didn’t hear you coming.”

“I guess.” She glanced down at one of her favorite green sweaters and hoped the coffee would wash out. “I’ll see you later. I have to change. Mark gets grumpy when I’m late.”

“Be safe. You know we have a prisoner on the grounds.”

She nodded and left to change.
Who is this prisoner?
Many in the compound assumed because of her job in command central she might have inside information, but in reality she was in the dark as everyone else. The Elders and their guards were tightlipped when it came to security issues, unless they were briefing the whole clan.

Her apartment was a studio at best, with a small kitchenette, sitting area, and a bed that dominated most of the room. Many of the unmarried guards lived in similar styled studios. The small space didn’t bother the male guards since they rarely cooked, but she missed having a house and privacy without neighbors on each side. Every time she opened her door there was someone nearby. Since moving to Alaska, her clan had been building new cabins for the guards, and her name had nearly reached the top of the list. It wouldn’t be much longer until she had a real home to call her own.

The only one benefit to her current living arrangement was that she didn’t have to do the laundry. Twice a week some of the clan woman would come by to pick up her linens and clothes. They’d be returned later that day washed, and folded neatly on her bed. Doing laundry had never been high on Kallie’s enjoyment list.

Slipping the soiled sweater off, she tossed it into the laundry bag, before grabbing another from the drawer. Another favorite sweater, a warm, heather grey with bright white stitching, and rosy pink trimming around the collar, waist, and sleeves.

If that bear came near her again she’d be sure to stay a good distance away, especially if she had anything to drink in her hands. She wouldn’t tolerate him ruining another favorite sweater. This particular sweater gave her a confidence she didn’t normally have, even helped her forget about those damn white streaks in her hair.

Changed, she headed back to command central, where she dreaded seeing Mark who would be irritated for cutting her arrival so close to shift change. She avoided stepping on any slick icy spots along the way. Yes, high-heeled, knee-high boots weren’t best for this climate, but since finding the security of the Alaskan Tigers, she favored heels. For the first time, she could embrace being a woman and not just a tiger. She had heels to go with every outfit, for every occasion.