The Tiger's Heart (14 page)

“
You have to understand
how it started. It started with me and my wife, but it ends with
Pierce.” James played with his short goatee as he spoke. “Six
months into the pregnancy she had a breakdown one day when I was
working a double. I got the call from her sister. She was admitted
to the hospital after trying to drown herself. She survived, but
she was never the same. She became a shell of herself. Giving birth
to our son made thing worse. She wanted nothing to do with him.
They wouldn’t discharge her from the hospital, and eventually she
was transferred to a long-term mental hospital to receive the
treatment she needed. Her younger sister moved in and helped with
James Junior—J.J.—while I worked. He was seven when she married and
moved away, and he was already showing signs of his instability.”
He paused, looking down at his hands. “When J.J. shifted, things
became worse. Six months after his first shift he attacked
Pierce.”

“
Where is J.J. now?”
Shadow asked softly.

“
You know our
law…”

“
He’s dead?”

“
Yes. He was my son. I
took care of it. I should have acted sooner, but I never thought…I
guess that’s just it—I never thought.”

“
That explains the
statement in the video.” Raja pushed back his chair. He couldn’t
sit there any longer.

“
Statement?
Video?”

“
Pierce has taken to
sending us videos of his actions. We received one when Bethany was
kidnapped, and one of the murders.”

“
Kidnapped? You said she
was safe!” James hollered, slamming his hands down on the
table.

“
She’s safe now, because
Raja went after her. The kidnapper is dead. Unfortunately, Raja
wasn’t able to get to her before some damage was done to her. Her
captor took a steel pipe to her knee to ensure she wouldn’t escape.
When Raja brought her here, Doc performed surgery to save her knee.
She’s recovering and doing very well.” Ty slid another photo across
the table. “This is the man who kidnapped Bethany. Do you know
him?”

James shook his head. “No. What’s this
about a statement from the video?”

“
In the video Pierce said
‘tonight the family will have to face the beast their uncle
created.’ Has Pierce made any contact with you?”

“
No. I haven’t heard from
him. After I became aware of what J.J. did, I dealt with the issue.
I went to Pierce all those years ago and tried to teach him the
ways of our kind. I wanted to help him adjust. He was angry and
didn’t want anything to do with me. I didn’t create
him.”

“
Regrettably I believe he
places the blame on you, which is why he targeted your family.”
Raja leaned against the wall, his hands in his pockets.

“
He’ll come after Bethany
again.” James said as more of a statement than a
question.

Raja nodded. “I won’t let harm come to
Bethany. That’s why we insisted on the meeting before reuniting you
with Bethany.”

“
You thought…I had
something to do with all this? With Pierce?”

“
It was a possibility we
couldn’t rule out.”

“
And now?” James asked,
fiddling with the picture that still lay on the table.

“
Shadow?”

“
His wants matches ours.
He wants Bethany safe and Pierce taken care of.” Shadow took one
last look at James as she turned around to face Raja. “His words
are true. I can feel his agony for the loss of his family and the
concern for Bethany.”

“
What’s the meaning of all
this?”

“
Shadow here is very
valuable. We’re lucky to have her as a part of our clan. She can
get into your psyche, she knows if someone is lying. I asked her to
attend this meeting to give us a read on you. I wouldn’t risk the
clan or reunite Bethany with someone that will only bring her
heartbreak and pain in the end.” Raja pushed off the wall. “Shadow,
give us ten minutes and then escort James. We’ll be
waiting.”

Chapter
Twenty-Two

“
James cleared the
security meeting. Shadow will be escorting him shortly, but I
wanted to debrief you on the meeting first. There are a few things
I believe you should be aware of and if after you know them, you
wish not to see him that’s your decision.” Raja sat on the couch
next to his lounging mate, her hand in his, and went over what
happened at the meeting.

“
Uncle James is cleared?
You don’t suspect he had anything to do with what’s
happened?”

“
If I doubted him for a
second, he wouldn’t be on his way to our quarters.” Raja nodded.
“He’d be out on his ass instead. Family or not.”

“
He’s all I have
left.”

“
You’re wrong there,
love.” He lifted her hand to his lips, placing a soft kiss on her
knuckles. “You have me and the Alaskan clan, not to mention my
big-mouth sister.”

“
I like Tora.” She
squeezed his hand.

“
Good because she is
already nagging to find out when you will officially be her
sister-in-law and telling me Scarlet wants cousins.”

They were laughing when Shadow open
the door. “May we enter?”

Raja nodded before kissing Bethany’s
hand again. “I’ll leave you two to get reacquainted. I’ll be in my
office if you need me.” He rose from the couch, already missing her
touch. “Shadow, if you could stand guard at the door.” His office
was just off the living room, giving the impression of privacy
while still allowing him to be close enough to her if he was
needed. He couldn’t afford to lose her. His heart and soul were on
the line.

* * *

“
Oh Bethy.” He took a seat
in the chair across from her. “Your knee.”

“
Uncle James, I’m fine.
It’s been much too long since anyone’s called me Bethy.”

“
Your father started that
when you were just a child. Oh how he adored you. You were the
apple of his eye. My sympathies on your loss.”

“
They will be missed.” Her
eyes moistened at the thought of her parents and sister.
He looks so much like Dad. A little greyer around
the temples, but other than that I’d swear he was Dad.

“
What’s going on with you
and that man?”

“
Raja? He saved
me…”

“
Don’t give me that,
Bethy. I’m not blind. I can see there’s more than just that between
you. I can smell him on you. You’re sitting in his living room
looking as if you belong here.”

“
Maybe I do…Uncle James, I
never believed you could fall in love with someone in such a short
time, but I love him.” She played with a strand of hair that fell
out of her ponytail. Wrapping it around her fingers, looking at the
ends. It was something she did when she was nervous.

“
I was afraid you would
say that.”

“
Uncle James. I don’t need
a lecture right now. If you don’t support it, that’s your right but
please, I don’t need this now.”

“
It’s not that I don’t
support you. I just hoped you would settle down with a human.
Shifters can be dangerous. Did he at least explain things to you?”
He propped his ankle on his knee and leaned back in the chair. His
well-worn cowboy boots caught her eye.
Dad
always loved cowboy boots. His were normally black and cared for,
but had an office job. He didn’t have to do the hard work Uncle
James did.

“
You mean mating?” When he
nodded, she continued. “Yes, he has told me everything. It hasn’t
changed my mind. I love him and want to be with him. If he asked me
to marry him—if shifters even do that—tomorrow, I’d say yes in a
heartbeat. I don’t care that he’s a shifter.”

“
As long as you know
what’s in store for you. You realize your children could be
shifters as well?”

She nodded. “Why haven’t I seen you
since I was a child?” she asked before she could talk herself out
of it.

“
Did Raja brief you after
the meeting?” She nodded. “Then you know of my son J.J. After that,
I withdrew, keeping mostly to myself, only venturing into town once
a month for food and supplies. Your father and I exchange letters a
few times a year, but I never came to visit. Seeing him happy with
his family when mine was taken from me was too hard.”

“
Through the years I asked
about you. I missed you coming to visit, the way you would toss me
into the air. Dad would tell me stories about you. He even told me
about shifters, but then I thought he was making it up. Fantasy
stories to put me to sleep. Now I realize he wasn’t.”

“
Bethy, I missed you more
than anyone else. You were like the daughter I never had. I hope
you won’t push me away now that you found someone to
love.”

“
I won’t.” She yawned, her
eyes getting heavy and her voice full of sleep. “Sorry, it’s been a
long few days.”

“
Would anyone like
anything to drink? I was going to put another pot of coffee on.”
Raja stepped out of the office.

“
Is that all you drink?”
She laughed.

“
It’s the only thing worth
drinking.” He shrugged.

“
Thank you, but I believe
Bethy is tired. I should let her rest.”

“
Want me to help you into
bed?” Raja asked.

She nodded, thankful for the help. She
was exhausted and wasn’t sure she could make it to the bedroom with
those damn crutches.

“
I’ll get her settled. Why
don’t you stay and have a cup of coffee with me?” Raja asked James
as he scooped her into his arms.

“
Uncle James, please don’t
leave while I’m asleep.” She rested her head on Raja’s chest, her
eyes at half-mast.

“
I’ll stay as long as you
want me to and your friends allow.”

“
Thank you.”

Raja carried her from the room as she
fought sleep. He kicked the door shut after they entered the
bedroom. Then he laid her on the bed.

“
Here you go, love. I’m
going to talk to James for a bit then I’ll check on you. If you
need anything just holler.”

“
You won’t make him leave
while I’m sleeping, will you?” she asked her arms still around his
neck as he lowered her to the bed.

“
No. He’s welcome to stay.
We’ll put him up in one of the guest cabins. Now rest.” He kissed
her before covering her with the blanket.

* * *

Two strong black coffees set on the
table in front of them, and silence weighed heavy in the air while
the two men stared at each other.

“
You mated my niece.”
James finally broke the silence.

“
So I did.”

“
I don’t want to see her
hurt.”

“
Neither do I. I love
her.”

“
But you’re the Lieutenant
of the Alaskan Tigers. Danger follows you.”

“
I am, but she’ll be
protected. I’m assigning guards to her. Danger follows every
shifter. If anything, she’ll be more protected as my mate than some
shifters. Any threat against her could be seen as a threat against
me, and you know what happens then.”

“
You would kill someone…”
James’s hands were around the coffee mug as it set on the
table.

“
It’s the life of being a
shifter. If it came down to it, yes I would. I’m secure in my
position and will protect it and my mate to the death.”

“
I’m not sure if that
makes me more worried or comforted.” He raised the mug to his lips
and took a drink.

“
You should be reassured
by the fact your niece will be safe. That I will protect her at all
costs. Could she get that with a human? I think not. A human
wouldn’t be able to stand against Pierce and his men. A human
wouldn’t be able to keep her safe.”

“
As a shifter you should
be able to feel the love and bond between us. Besides, you heard it
from her lips that she loves me.” When James’s mouth opened
slightly as if surprised, Raja added, “Yes, I heard that. Did you
really think I was far enough away not to allow my extra sensitive
ears to hear? The place isn’t big enough to give you that kind of
privacy. In addition, you might be family but I don’t know you
enough to trust you mean no threat to me, to her or to the clan. I
won’t allow you to ruin her happiness. Furthermore, keep in mind I
won’t stand by idly and let you hurt my mate. And you would hurt
her by coming between us.”

“
I have no desire to cause
her any heartache. If she loves you, then I want her happy. But if
she’s hurt because of you, I won’t stand by idly either.” James
took the last sip of his coffee before setting the mug
down.

“
Good. Now that we have
come to an understanding, we have a guest cabin that you’re more
than welcome to stay in. Bethany would like you to, unless you have
some other engagement that you need to return to.”

“
No, I told her I would
stay. Thank you. I left a small suitcase in the
helicopter.”

“
I’ll have Shadow show you
to the cabin. You can stop by and pick up your suitcase on the way.
If you would join us for a family dinner this evening, I’m sure
Bethany would like that. It’s at my sister Tora’s house, but she
won’t mind an extra person and it will give you more time with
Bethany.”