The Tiger's Heart (18 page)

“
Sorry, it’s been so long
since I’ve been around other shifters, let alone a mated Alpha.”
James pulled his hand away as if Raja burned it.

“
Uncle James, I’m glad
you’re here.” Bethany turned slightly to see him. “We’re having a
service for Mom, Dad and Jamie this evening. I hope you’ll
attend.”

“
I’ll be there.” He stood
behind them as the plane landed.

A man in cowboy boots and
hat stepped out of the plane and wandered toward them.
Must be Jinx’s man who accompanied
them.

“
Bethany, Raja, I’m Jinx
the Alpha of the West Virginia clan. I have brought your family
home.”

“
Thank you.” Tears flooded
down her checks.

“
Welcome to Alaska.” Ty
stood, shaking his hand. “Thank you for bringing our clan member’s
family home.”

“
I’d like to ask for
assistance with the caskets. We can place them where you would
like, and then Bethany can have the time she needs. There’s no need
to do it out here in the cold.” Jinx spoke to Ty but his gaze, full
of sympathy, was on Bethany.

“
Styx, Marcus, would you
please gather other men and help him?” Raja rubbed his hand down
her arm.
They nodded and rose. “We’ll show
you to the area once you have unloaded them.”

Ty stood. “On behalf of Bethany and
Raja, I’d like to thank everyone for joining us. We appreciate the
support for Bethany. We’ll have the memorial service this evening
and would be pleased if you join us.”

No one moved as the caskets were
carried off. Ty, Tabitha and Felix led the men in to the ballroom.
It was the biggest room that would accommodate everyone attending
the service. It was already decorated with flowers and a large
picture of Bethany with her family in the center where the coffins
would go. Bethany and Raja, along with Shadow and James, followed
with Tora behind, giving them privacy.

“
Oh my.” Bethany stopped
as she saw the picture.

“
Jinx sent us the picture.
I asked Tora to have a larger one made and hung here. It seemed
appropriate.”

“
It’s wonderful. Thank
you, Raja.”

Jinx came to them, carrying an urn.
“Bethany, I’m assuming Raja explained to you that due to the
condition of your sister, she had to be cremated
immediately.”

Bethany nodded, running her hand over
the urn.

“
If you’d place her on the
small table between your parents, that will be fine.” Raja nodded
toward the table in question.

“
I want to see my
parents.” Bethany looked from Jinx to Raja. “Please.”

“
I don’t know if that is a
good idea, love.”

“
I have to. I need to see,
to know that this is real.”

“
They did the best they
could, but still it is an unpleasant sight,” Jinx said before
turning to place the urn on the table.

“
I wish you wouldn’t, but
if you feel you have to I won’t deprive you of that. If it will
help you find closure, then do it. I’ll support you.” Raja wanted
to wrap his arms around her, but those dang crutches were in the
way. Instead he rested his hand on the small of her
back.

“
I want to do it alone.
Just us. No one else needs to remember my family like this. When
they think of them, I want them to see the picture you
hung.”

“
James?” She shook her
head. “Okay, I’ll need a few minutes to clear the room. Why don’t
you sit down while I do it?”

* * *

Seeing her parents in the
caskets was an image Bethany couldn’t get out of her mind. She sat
curled on the couch, the cup of tea Raja made her untouched in her
hand, staring into space.
The undertaker
did the best he could, but you could still see they met a brutal
end.

“
I want him to feel the
same agony he put my family through. I want him to beg for mercy,
plead for his life to be spared.”

“
You’re angry now, but I
promised you we’ll find Pierce. When we do, your parents and Jamie
as well as Tabitha’s parents, will get the justice they deserve. He
has blood on his hands, and it’s only a matter of time before we
catch him. With any luck Victor could be a vital key to Pierce’s
location.” Raja squatted before her, taking her chin between his
fingers to make her look at him. “I need you to be strong. I’ll see
he gets what’s owed to him.”

“
No.” Horror shook her out
of her thoughts. “You can’t.”

“
Shh, love. You’re shaking
like a leaf.”

“
Please, don’t. He could
kill you. I can’t bear to lose you too. Please, Raja.” Her body was
trembling with the terror she felt.

“
Bethany, nothing is going
to happen to me. I promise you. A bitten tiger couldn’t take me
down. His strength is nothing compared to mine. I’m not going
anywhere. You’re stuck with me for the long haul.” Raja’s hand went
to his ear. “We’ll be here,” he said, hitting the button on his ear
bud.

“
What’s going
on?”

“
Ty and Tabitha are on
their way. I should put more coffee on.” He rose, still holding her
hand. “I promise you everything will be fine. All you have to do it
trust me.” He seemed convinced that everything would be fine, but
still in the back of her mind worries lingered.

Chapter
Twenty-Nine

“
I’m sorry to intrude
today of all days.” Tabitha sat next to Ty on the loveseat. On her
lap laid the book her father passed down to her.

“
Tabitha, we’re family,
it’s not intrusion. You look as though something is bothering you.
What is it?”

“
Raja, have you explained
this to Bethany?” Tabitha ran her hand over the book.

He nodded. “Shadow as well. Being the
Captain of Bethany’s Guards, she needed to know what trouble could
lay ahead.” He wrapped his arm around Bethany, and she cuddled
against him.

“
After we separated
earlier, we took Jinx to his brother, Lukas’s cabin. Jinx is going
to stay on at least through the weekend, depending on what happens
in San Francisco. When we returned, I felt as if the book was
calling to me, the magic caressing my skin, drawing me to it,
impossible to deny. I went to it and found this.” She unlocked the
book, letting it fall open to where she bookmarked it, before
handing it to Raja.

Now that you have gone
through the change and your team is assembled, it’s time to begin
uniting the tigers. Having your Lieutenant, Raja mated makes for a
stronger core, and Bethany might be unaware yet but she’ll play a
key role throughout the transition as well. Expect a new tiger
named Galen soon. He’s a healer, he knows nothing of this
situation, and means you no harm. He has come to heal
Bethany.

Danger surrounds you not
only with your battle against Pierce but also with your tasks
ahead. You’ll need you core group and warriors at their full
strength, uninjured. Galen will see to your injuries and keep you
at your strongest.

Felix, Marcus and Thomas
are wonderful choices as your Enforcers. Shadow is also an
unexpected yet valued addition. She’ll be most helpful in the
coming months. Styx will also be a treasured addition as a warrior,
as well as a guard. You have chosen well.

The first step lies with
Jinx. He needs to be brought into your trusted confidence, and you
need to form a bond between the West Virginian and Alaskan clans.
The West Virginia clan has been run by family for generations. That
doesn’t mean they aren’t the strongest, because Jinx would put the
other members of his clan to shame if he showed his full
power.

This will help to put
fears to rest before they reveal themselves. Once the tigers are
united, they will remain as they are with an Alpha and Lieutenant
to each clan. However, instead of running things their way and
reporting to no one, they will report to you. Look at it as if the
ten of you are the Committee of Tigers. Tabitha and Ty being the
Queen and King, having the final say. This will calm some of the
disputes that could arise if shifters were losing their positions
of power.

There’s a young woman,
Robin Zimmer. She’s human, innocent, but was a pawn in a debt her
ex-husband owed to Pierce. Trading Robin for his own life got him
nowhere, as he’s dead and Robin is on the run. Find Robin. She
holds key information about Pierce and his members.

When Raja and Bethany finished reading
it, he handed the book to Shadow, who sat cross-legged in the chair
angled between the couch and loveseat. Felix sat beside her on a
chair he brought from the kitchen.

“
Have you put Connor on
finding this Robin Zimmer?” Raja asked.

“
Not yet. This was our
first stop. Connor’s still working on digging up any information on
Victor and the Russian tiger.” Ty shook his head.

“
Zimmer…Bobby Zimmer? No…”
Bethany whispered.

“
What?” Raja asked at his
mate’s mumbles.

“
In high school I knew a
Robert ‘Bobby’ Zimmer. He married a girl, but I thought her name
was Rose. It could have been Robin. We weren’t really friends, more
like distance acquaintances. I remember Mom telling me he died a
few months ago. But it couldn’t be the same Bobby, could
it?”

“
It’s a good lead. I’ll
have Connor start there, and we’ll see if we turn anything up,” Ty
said, taking his arm from around his mate to lean forward. “I know
it’s bad timing, but I’d like to meet with Jinx today. It’s
something I don’t want to put off any longer. Raja, I’d like you by
my side, but Bethany, I understand and am sure Jinx will as well if
you wish to rest.”

Before Raja could speak, Bethany did.
“We’ll be there. When?”

“
If you’re okay with the
decision, I’ll send for Jinx now. I’d say it’s best to get it over
with quickly. After the service this evening, I’m sure you’ll want
to be alone.” Ty cocked his head slightly toward Felix. “Would you
see if Jinx is available to join us?”

“
Very well.” Felix
rose.

“
I’ll bring in a kitchen
chair.” Shadow unfolded her small frame from the chair and
stood.

“
What do you think the
book meant when it said I’ll play a key role through the
transition? I’m merely human—how could I be of great
assistance?”

“
Only time will tell, but
if it’s in the book you can count on it. As for your merely human
comment, you couldn’t stand against Pierce and his gang in
hand-to-hand combat, but there are still things you can do. Once
your knee is healed, Raja will work with you, training you to
defend yourself if the case calls for it. As well as weapon
training. We won’t have you unable to protect yourself. I hope that
you’ll never need the skills he gives you, but it’s better to have
them than to be in the situation and not have them. We have
assigned you guards not because you’re human, but because you’re
Raja’s mate. You and Tabitha are the Alpha women of the clan—you’re
to be protected at all costs. The guards will be there to protect
you if we cannot be.”

* * *

Jinx strode into the room, pulled his
cowboy hat off and ran his hand through his dark hair. Felix
followed behind him.

“
Jinx, thank you for
joining us. Please have a seat.”

“
My pleasure. What can I
do for you?” Jinx took the chair that Shadow vacated
earlier.

“
Do you know the legends
of a Queen of the Tigers?” Raja jumped right into the reason for
the meeting.

“
Doesn’t everyone?” Jinx
shook his head.

“
Tabitha is the Queen of
the Tigers. She comes from the line of tigers, and her father
passed down this book to her. It explains everything and will walk
her through the trials and tribulations of uniting the tiger
shifters.” Ty ran his hand over his mate’s leg.

“
How do you expect to
unite us?”

“
It will take time, there
will be many steps. According to the book we need to form a bond
with you, unite the West Virginian and Alaskan tigers.” Tabitha
held open the book to the most recent page and handed it to Jinx.
“We found this in the book today, after we left Lukas’s
cabin.”

“
I always hoped that I
would live to see the day we would be united. I never thought I
would have anything to do with the process, let alone hold this
book in my hands.” Jinx looked down at the book in astonishment.
“Anything you need from me you shall have. My clan is small, there
are only fifteen of us, but we’re at your disposal. Does your clan
know she’s the Queen?”

“
Not completely. Some
suspect but since Tabitha arrived it has been nonstop. First, the
homecoming ball, then the videos from Pierce, finding Bethany, her
family murder… There hasn’t been time to explain things to them.
There are approximately ten who do know—the ones in this room as
well as Connor, Marcus, Tora and Thomas. We’ll be briefing Styx
today as well. The Alaskan clan will be briefed soon, with any luck
before you return to West Virginia, but when would depend on how
the Victor situations turned out.” Ty ran his hand through his
hair. “Once the clan is told it will still need to remain quiet
until we’re ready to start the process of uniting all tigers. When
you return to your people, you can give them the information as
well, as long as they keep it amongst themselves.”