Wish Upon a Tiger: A BBW Weretiger Shifter Romance (Fountain of Love) (7 page)

“
I'm
not sure I'm in the mood for more suitors.”

“
Oh,
you have nothing to worry about. It's not like any man is going to
club you over the head and drag you to his cave,” another
tigress, Jinx, chimed in. “My Siren is the only other
bachelorette in Tiger Tree. She can tell you, most of these fellows
have a roar far worse than their bite. We're lucky there's only one
man who's been declared Alpha, or else the tiffs over mates would be
a whole lot worse. Just like it was in the old days.”

“
I'm
surprised the genders are so uneven,” I said.

Jade flashed a forced smile. “The gods reap and
sew at their own pace, girl.”

I understood. My mother had used the very same phrase.

The tigress was about the same age as Mom before the
cancer claimed her. I wonder what Jade would think of a human woman
using their people's phrase.

“
Hungry?”
Erik appeared behind me.

I shook my head. Negative. He took me by the hand again
and pulled me along, taking me to his crew, the four men who'd helped
save me from Tarken.

His guys were friendly. We formally introduced ourselves
and I stood at Erik's side, listening to him chat about the dust up
with Tarken's crew. The five manly werecats had a good laugh about
the way the humans fled.

It wasn't as funny to me. But then, they were used to
fighting, used to driving away threats without a hesitant twitch of
the tail.

“
It
sounds like you're all forgetting our Alpha let them escape.”
The laughter stopped and everybody turned toward the sour voice
behind me. “If you had any common sense, Erik, you would've
drawn blood.”

I instantly tasted something bitter when I laid eyes on
Rufus again. He stood there, arms neatly folded, glaring at my
handsome host and all his men.

Erik took a step forward, putting a protective arm
between Rufus and the group. “That's why I'm the Alpha, and
you're not. I understand all the implications of tangling with men.”

“
And
I understand you're a big soft pussy cat.” Rufus snorted as
several gasps rang out around us. “Just look at this shit.
We're here having a social when those men are probably arming to come
back and take the whole village.”

Silence. My heartbeat picked up, thudding in my chest. I
eyed the two powerful tigers nervously, wondering if the whole place
was about to be turned upside down by a drag out brawl.

A few of the ladies whispered nervously in the other
corner. Except for their murmurs, the party had gone silent, and all
eyes were on Tiger Tree's Alpha and his upstart challenger.

“
I'm
going to give you one chance to rethink what you said. Only one.”
Erik's voice simmered down to a growl. I could practically hear his
muscles revving up to fight. “Now, what did you say, cousin?”

“
Sorry,
I don't talk to pussies.” Rufus started to walk past him before
he finished his sentence.

His sharp eyes were on me, and he wasn't showing any
signs of slowing down. I stepped back and nearly crashed into the
four watchful warriors behind me.

Not far enough. Rufus kept coming, and now he was right
on top of me.

“
I
like to mate with soft pussy cats instead. Come on, baby, my pad's
only a mile away. I can teach you things a dickless wonder like Erik
will never know.” His hot breath poured into my ears.

I screamed, jumped, and started to thrash. The guys
behind me pushed back.

All four of Erik's crew grabbed onto my arms, yanking me
out of Rufus' grasp. The force repelled the nasty tiger. I heard the
enormous crash, like something hard falling from the ceiling, before
I turned and looked his way.

People screamed. Erik and Rufus had shifted.

The two big tigers tore into one another, wrestling on
the ground. The big one had to be Erik. He fought to wrap his
enormous paws around his rival, claws drawn.

The lean, but fierce looking beast beneath him snapped
its jaws. Rufus' huge teeth raked across the Alpha's neck. Rufus bit
so hard Erik reared up and screamed, letting out a roar that shook
the rafters.

“
No!”
I yelled.

Total chaos broke. People ran past the very pissed off
fur ball rolling around the room, seeking escape.

They were moving too quickly to get a good view. Blood
soaked through someone's white fur. I had a bad feeling it was Erik
given the spot where he'd been pierced on the neck.

Zee and Egil rushed forward, trying to break up the
fight. Erik threw Rufus beneath him, fighting past his cousin's
claws. I winced as monstrous scratches sliced the snarling face on
the ground.

New roars thundered all around us. I pinched my eyes
shut, afraid to see what would happen next.

The commotion stopped. When I looked up, Erik's men were
dragging both tigers backward by the loose skin on their necks, and
the big cats weren't fighting their kin in human form anymore.

Erik shifted first. He stood, every muscle bristling.

The fierce scratches on his chest didn't seem to faze
him at all. Even wounded and angry as a thunderstorm, he looked sexy
as hell.

Fire roared at my core. I caught my bottom lip and
chewed.

Sure, it was the tension from the fight, but seeing him
roughed up and sweaty like he was caused something very primal to
pulse deep inside me.

“
You
fucking pussy! You can't even finish the job.” Rufus' voice
sounded frantic.

I turned, and he lay on the floor, in much worse shape
than the Alpha.

Erik's claws had sliced clean across his face. It was a
miracle the scratches missed his eyes and nose. I looked away, more
than a little sick.

Those kinds of marks would stick around as obvious
scars. And despite what must've been blinding pain, he still wouldn’t
shut up.

“
Pussy
cat! Paper tiger! You stupid idiots are damning yourselves. He won't
protect himself. How – how! – will this limp weakling
ever protect Tiger Tree?”

Erik twitched in the grip of his two men. It took both
of Zee and Egil's arms to hold each of his fists.

“
Get
him the hell out of here,” Erik growled. “Now! I'll
finish peeling his fucking face if I have to look at it one more
second.”

Still snarling, the other two guys hauled Rufus to his
feet and dragged him toward the door. He jerked violently, twisting
his head behind his shoulder. Our eyes met.

This time, I balled fists at my sides and forced myself
to look at him.

Take a good look, Mister,
I
thought.
You will never, ever touch me like that again. Not
if Erik has anything to say about it.

“
Fools!”
Rufus hissed, a little more quietly than before. “He's so close
to men, he gives them too much sympathy. Fucking this half-blood is
going to be the death of our town.”

It took all my willpower to hold my legs in place. My
tiger bowed up inside me, upset because I let this creep give me
crap.

She wanted to fight. Good thing the two men threw him
out the door on his ass a second later, and then slammed the door,
hiding him from view.

“
Holy
shit, sir! We've got to get you some bandages.” Zee looked up
at his comrades, alarmed. “You heard me, boys. Go down to the
clinic and bring back what we need. Now!”

Finally, I moved again. Zee helped his leader over to a
chair. I stopped in my tracks just a couple feet away when I saw
Erik's back.

Rufus had torn clean into him, ripping his flesh deep
where his sculpted shoulder met his neck. Erik braced his big hands
on the table, steeling himself against the pain.

“
You
saved me. Gods, what did that animal do to you?” I stepped in,
nudging Zee's hands aside.

I didn't hesitate as my palms surrounded his warm flesh.
His touch glowed hotter than ever, and blood pooled around my hands,
running in crimson streams around my fingers.

“
Keep
the pressure on him,” Zee said softly.

“
I
know what I'm doing. My mother was a nurse. Taught me a thing or two
about First-Aid.”

Erik's breath picked up. I increased my pressure,
working to seal up the wound with my hands. The nice new dress I'd
been given was getting soaked in blood near the skirt.

I ignored the stains, the heat. All I cared about was
showing him my appreciation, my gratitude for being the first man
who'd stood up to defend me.

Not once, but twice.

“
Can
you talk to me, Erik?” I whispered.

“
I
hear you, Jenna. Fucker did a number on me. My cousin's always been
fast, but not that fast. He's obviously been sharpening his skills
since we went at it as cubs.”

“
Forget
about him. You just focus on getting well.”

Erik rolled his shoulders and turned his head. I saw his
profile from the side, and he was giving me a firm smile. He reached
up with one hand, squeezing my arm.

“
He
can go straight to Hades if he thinks I'm in too deep with men.
Half-blood, tiger, bear, or woman, I don't care what you are. You
belong here, Jenna, and I'm gonna make damned sure you stay.”

“
I'd
like that.” I cut myself off, biting my tongue a little. It was
all I could do to hold off the emotional geyser of tears racing up my
throat.

The door burst open. Harry and Egil had returned, both
carrying big bundles of gauze, disinfectant bottles, and what looked
like giant leaves.

“
Need
to get in there, Miss,” Egil said. “We'll just be a
minute and – “

“
No,”
I snapped. “I'll do this. I've patched up some people worse
than this before. I think I can handle a big cut on the back. It's
the least I can do for him.”

“
I
trust her,” Erik said.

His men moved aside, setting the supplies next to me.

I went to work. He reared up, hissing and tensing
beneath my hands when I slathered his skin in cool disinfectant.
Sweat rushed out his pores, giving his huge muscular body an intense
sheen.

“
There.
Better. Now we just need to wrap you up.”

“
Those
leaves...put them between my skin and the gauze. We've used them for
generations to promote healing.”

I nodded. Erik relaxed a little when I did what he
asked, and then slowly began wrapping him in gauze around one arm.

It was a nasty wound, but it would heal. I had a strong
hunch he'd seen a lot worse.

“
Go
home, boys,” Erik said, as soon as I was finished. “Make
sure I don't catch sight of my cousin for a week. I'll decide if this
warrants an exile.”

“
Damned
right it should,” Egil growled. “Bastard's been pushing
and pushing for years. I can't believe he challenged you in front of
the whole town like that and grabbed at your mate.”

“
Yeah,”
Harry said, slicking his long hair behind his shoulder. “Send
the asshole packing before he really hurts somebody.”

We both stopped. I dropped my hands, wiping excess blood
and alcohol on my ruined dress.

I studied Erik carefully. My heart beat so loud I felt
it in my ears when several seconds passed, and he didn't deny what
his fellow tiger had said.

“
Justice
must be served. As far as I'm concerned, Jenna's a part of this town
now. Anybody who doesn't like that, or the decisions I make to keep
all of us whole, can pack their bags and hit the road to the Yukon.
I'll deal with Rufus later.”

“
There's
plenty of time for that,” I said, coming to his side and
placing a gentle hand on his good shoulder. “For now, let's
just get you home.”

I stopped to scoop up his tattered clothes. The gorgeous
uniform-like outfit he'd worn was ripped to shreds.

The only casualty here, Thank Gods. But is it the
first casualty of our love?

“
Ah!
Right there, Jenna.” Grateful steam hissed out Erik's lips.
“Why didn't you tell me you had such a lovely bedside manner?”

I rubbed the washcloth down his beautiful back slowly.
The wound was hidden now beneath his gauze, and he sat beneath me as
I cleaned the blood off him, wiping the rusty stains off his gorgeous
flesh.