Tigress for Two (12 page)

The campground sat higher in the mountains where there was snow no matter the time of year. The trees around the cabins glistened with a fresh layer of white powder, and the dark wood of the cabins stood out against the pristine landscape. Her heart skipped a beat knowing whatever happened here in the next few hours could change everything. She might never see this land as beautiful again, instead only as battlefield.

“Everything okay?” Taber slung his duffle bag over his shoulder, hers in his other hand.

“Yes, it’s beautiful here.” She glanced around, taking in the rest of the area including the other nine cabins. “Why so many cabins?”

“My family uses this area for an escape, vacation, and hunting. Sometimes there are groups of us that come together. We each prefer our own space rather than being in one house together. With seven siblings, you really need the extra space. Even now that we’re older, in Nome we have our own homes, but close enough we can walk next door, and have family dinners weekly. You know, the normal family shit.” He led the way toward one of the large cabins slightly higher than the rest.

“My family never did any of that stuff. It wasn’t until I came to the clan I realized how people are so close. Heck, Raja and Bethany still have family dinners with Tora and her family each week. They rotate hosting weeks now that he’s mated, but he still finds time for family even with his position and responsibilities within the clan. It’s something I never experienced before. Dad was always too busy.” Sadness wrapped around her like a thick blanket, nearly taking her down a sink hole of depression. All her life, she wanted what so many others seemed to take for granted—a loving family that cared for each other and spent time together. She had a family that never provided emotional or physical support, only to grow worse as she began her transition into her tigress.

“It’s never too late. I won’t tell you my family is easy to live with, but they’re supportive. Thorben’s a pain in the ass, but the rest of my brothers are less stressful.” He sat the duffle bags on the deck, and turned to pull her into his arms. “When this mess is over, we’ll go to Nome for a couple days and you can meet them. You’ll be dropped into the center of family drama and quality time. I can’t promise you’ll enjoy every minute, but there’s good parts too. Mom’s going to love you.”

“I’m a tigress. I’m sure they want you to settle down with a sow.” She realized she was slowly coming to accept that while they were different species, she didn’t want it to get in the way of what they have.

“We don’t always have a say in who our mates are. You and I are proof of that.” He smiled. “We’ll be happy, I’ll make you happy.” He brought her hand to his lips, gently kissing each of her knuckles. “Come on let’s go inside. I want you naked.”

She followed him up the three steps to the cabin’s wrap around deck. He let go of her hands to grab the bags, before opening the door. When the door shut firmly behind them, she swung around to him, her tigress crying out for him. She wanted him and hated the words that were about to come out of her mouth. “Do you think now is the best time to be naked? What if there’s an attack?”

“The others are already here watching the grounds, and Adam is next door. We’ll be safe. I’ll recognize their scent before they’re close enough to be a threat.”

“If you can smell them won’t they smell the others?” She glanced around the cabin. The large comfortable furniture dominated the living room, with a large hearth on one wall. It would be a cozy place to spend a snowy evening. Just past the living room she could see a large updated kitchen. The cherry wood cabinets blended in nicely with the cinnamon and cream granite countertops. It was a kitchen worthy of any chef. For a vacation house, this was pure luxury.

“Our team will have their scents covered. It’s a trick your clan discovered and I’ve never told my family. Anyone approaching will only smell Adam and us. Once they see the helicopter they’ll realize why Adam’s here. I have my pilot’s license, but I’m not certified for a helicopter yet.” He left the bags where they sat and took her hand. “Now stop worrying. I want you naked and under me. We should have a few hours before anyone arrives and I plan to take advantage of every second.” He scooped her up in his strong arms and carried her to the bedroom.

The master bedroom was just off the living room and was the only bedroom downstairs. Taber explained that two spare bedrooms were upstairs. A huge bed filled most of the large room, leaving only a pathway to each side of the bed and to another room, she assumed was a master bath. The room was done in warm browns and ebony furniture. The comforter was a creamy white with brown swirls throughout. “That bed is huge. It’s got to be bigger than a king?”

“Oh, it is.” He smiled at her. “Bears are big and we like our space. We spend a lot of time in bed, so why not make it something we’ll enjoy. My youngest brother, Theodore, he crafts custom furniture. He made the beds, dressers, and tables for all the cabins. He’s the handiest of all of the siblings, not that the rest of us lack in that department, he just makes it an art form.”

Taber lowered her onto the bed, before unclipping the gun holster. “Enough talk. I want you out of these clothes.” He placed the holster on the night table, and then tugged her form-fitting sweater over her head. “Get out of the pants, while I get my weapon bag.”

Not wanting to waste a minute, she stripped out of the rest of her clothes and let them fall to the floor. “Hurry up.” She called to him. Naked she sprawled on the bed propped up on her elbows watching the door for Taber.

He ambled in, tossing the bag within easy reach of the bed, before stripping off his own clothes. “Did my mate need something?” He teased.

“I need
you
my bear. You’ve kept me waiting long enough.”

He grinned and he slipped into the bed beside her, pressing his lips to hers. He stroked the length of her body and slid a hand between her legs in search of her core.
His fingers delved inside, stealing the remaining sliver of her control. As he worked his fingers, her body moved with the motion.

She twisted her fingers through his hair, the fierce need rising within her turned into a storm.
His lips tore from hers, working their way down her neck. He slipped on top of her, nudging her legs further apart with his knee.

Her cat’s impatience flexed and she wrapped her legs around him, dragging him closer. “I need you,” she whispered, her body full of desire and need.

“Unwrap your legs.” He winked.

When she obeyed, he speared her with his shaft and thrust, filling her completely. Her back arched and she leaned into him. She needed him inside of her like she needed her next breath. He pulled out and she wrapped her hand around his shaft. Teasingly, she ran her fingers down his length. Feeling the hardness in her hand, she leaned into him. His erection was pressed hard between her hand and stomach. Her mouth was just above his as his hot breath caressed her face, increasing her need. “I want you.”

When her hand loosened his shaft, he lowered, angling his body to the opening of her core. “You told me once, you wanted me for my heat. How do you want me now?” he asked, rubbing his hardness against her core.

“I want all of you.” Impatience shivered through her, catching her breath in her throat. “Now.” Her voice was breathy and full of desire.

Without further demand, his mouth found her nipple as he slid his hardness into her. She arched her body, clawing her nails into his back until she scratched him. He started slow—a pleasurable torture, an inexorable build. Her hands roamed over him, petting him, teasing him, she loved the feel of his tight body under her fingers.

“Faster.” She clenched her inner muscles around his shaft, his thrusts growing deeper and faster, sending the world into a shimmering bliss. They rocked back and forth in rhythm, until she screamed for release. He pumped her twice more before pure ecstasy found them.

“My mate, I love you,” Taber whispered, nuzzling against her neck, kissing the vulnerable point behind her ear.

Chapter Eighteen

Dusk blanketed the room and Taber still had his arm firmly wrapped around Kallie’s body. They hadn’t left the bed since they arrived. He fully understood the reasons to have such large, comfortable beds and he wasn’t sure if he ever wanted to move from this room. He sighed, eventually they’d get hungry and would have to go in search for food, but until then he wasn’t letting her out of his reach.

The muscles in his shoulders tensed as the beast within him caught an unfamiliar sound. Someone was moving in the woods, just downwind of him so he couldn’t quite pick up on the scent, but the distinct crunch of snow under their weight and the changes in wildlife let him know there was more than one body heading toward the cabin.

“Get dressed.” He gently shook Kallie and slipped out of bed, pulling his jeans on.

He listened carefully as he laced his boots and grabbed his gun. Kallie dressed swiftly, her head cocked to one side. He counted at least four more bodies in addition to the first. Not bothering with a shirt, he reached into his weapon bag. “Get your gun.” He strapped the knife to his thigh before walking toward her. “No matter what happens I want you to stay in here, and have your gun ready.” He brushed a kiss across her lips. “I’ll be back for you.”

He secured the bedroom door and headed to the living room to peek outside. He had to get a superior view of the approaching threats. Squatting near the sofa, he opened the window just a crack to gain a whiff of their scent. Anything to find out what they were dealing with before danger ignited around them.

He closed his eyes, focusing only on his sense of smell.
You’ve got to be shitting me!
His eyes shot open, and his body coiled like a snake ready to spring into action.
Travis?
One of his brothers and someone he never suspected.
When I get my hands on that boy.

Adam slipped through the darkness and onto the steps. “Taber, it’s me.”

Still in a crouched position, Taber unlocked the door and let Adam in.

“There are five of them.”

“Yeah, I caught that much. Three shifters and two humans. Travis is there.” His tone held disgust as he thought of his brother giving information to an enemy. He had drilled it into Travis and the rest of his brothers repeatedly—you don’t betray your kind to another.

“Travis?” Shock marred Adam’s voice. “Damn, I met him once. He seemed like a good kid. We’ll do what we can to take him down alive.”

Chapter Nineteen

Kallie stood in the corner of the room, fighting the surges of Taber’s pain as if it was her own. He might be in the other room, but his anger and deep sense of betrayal ate at her heart. He had entered the bedroom to tell her about his brother’s betrayal, kissed her briefly on the forehead, and then returned to the living room.

How could someone betray a family member? Especially a brother. She might not have had the close family and bond that she longed for, but she would have never betrayed her family. Why was Taber’s brother here? Does he still play into Wesley plan? They had to be here for her. If they wanted Tabitha, they would have attacked the compound and not here.
Kallie held the gun tight in her hand, determined not to fall victim again.

She heard the footsteps of five men tramping toward them, near the cabin’s step. Her heart pounded so loudly in her ears she could barely focus.
Damn it, don’t fall apart now. You have to focus.
The only light in the room came from the moon shining through the slats on the window blinds. If someone entered the room, she’d have to rely only on her sense of smell, instead of vision.