Trusting A Tiger (Alaskan Tigers) (2 page)

“There’s
a slight difference in your features. Your jawbone is a little more rounded,
the dimples are a little deeper, and your eyes are different. They still hold
the edge of danger, but there’s a touch of understand and friendliness to them.
The biggest difference between you two is your attitude. He’s, well…”

“Insane?”
he supplied.

“Yes.”
She shrugged. It was awful to say it aloud, but it was the truth. “I’m sorry.”

“There’s
no need to apologize. It’s true, and I’ve known it for years. When we turned
eighteen, our parents moved to Australia so they didn’t have to deal with it
any longer. The tiger inside him has driven him crazy from not being able to
shift. The only difference between Henry and a rogue is that rogues are put
down when the tiger takes over. Looks like Henry’s fate will be finding him at
last.” Felix turned the SUV onto a dirt road, doing his best to avoid the
potholes.

She
felt her eyes narrow down at him, watching him intently. “Even though he’s your
brother, you’ll kill him?”

He
slid the SUV into Park and looked at her. “Yes. Brother or not, he can’t do
what he’s done and get away with it. There’s no other recourse for what he’s
done.” He let out a deep sigh. “Years ago, when the tiger first started to
drive him toward madness, I wanted to do it then, before he could cause any
problems. It might seem heartless to some, but we’re not like humans. There’s
not a hospital we can put him in. It’s what our kind does when one is sick, we
put them out of their misery. Henry is driven by his madness. He’s no longer
the brother I grew up with.”

Without
thinking, she reached across the gap and laid her hand on his lap. It’s what
their kind did when someone hurt. Touch gave them comfort. Her fingers brushed
against the back of his hand, and unexpected electricity shot through her. “
No!
”
Tears welled in her eyes with the knowledge of what that meant.
Oh, shit
—
it
can’t be!

Electricity
coursed through Felix, stealing his breath and all intelligent thought. Could
this truly be happening? How could fate mate him with the woman his twin
tortured? He would constantly serve as a reminder of her past—a reminder of the
hell that she went through to regain her freedom.

How
did he not see this week’s ago when Bethany healed Harmony’s leg? After all, he
held her down—his hands were clasped around her ankles…no skin-to-skin contact.
Damn, that’s how he missed it. For the mating to start, it had to be triggered
from skin contact.

He
opened the SUV’s door, putting one foot on the running board. “Come on.” He
stepped out, shut the door and moved to the front of SUV, leaving her to join
him or stay in the car. At that moment, he wasn’t sure what he’d prefer her to
do…all he knew was that he couldn’t believe his luck. It ate at him that the
mate he knew he’d find one day was so distraught by his features. If it was
something he could change, he would have, but this was beyond his scope of modification.

Now he
knew why he was drawn to her, it was because she was his mate. Even without
touching her, his tiger was able to sense it in her. His tiger’s eagerness
toward her and the way he was drawn to her like a bug to a light should have
warned him.

He
should have known and ran for the hills. To leave the clan at least for a time,
away from Harmony would have been better for her then being mated with him.
They could have been brought together in another time and place and maybe
things would have worked for them. Here and now, what hope did they have for a
happy mating? They’d be forced together, neither of them able to deny the
mating once the painful desire kicked in.

He
looked out over the valley, the trees full of green and life again after a long
winters rest. From the hillside he realized just how small he was in the whole
scheme of things. Even after years in Alaska, he never got used to the beauty
of the land, there was always something to cherish. This was his home, the land
he’d fight for, just as he would for his clan.

Harmony
came to stand next to him. “You can’t just pretend that didn’t happen. It’s not
just going to go away.”

“I
know that, but, damn it, what am I supposed to do? This isn’t the mating I
expected. We both know I can’t just push you up against the side of the SUV and
claim you as mine.”

“What
are we going to do?” She leaned against the bumper.

That
was the million-dollar question. Did he have any hope of winning over the woman
his brother served to alienate? “What do you want to do about it?” He turned
enough toward her to watch the emotions play over her face. It was a rainbow of
emotions from anger to disappointment, finally settling on sadness. He could
see it glistening in her eyes, but still she remained silent, having no more
answers then he did.

Just
watching her, her long ruby-red hair flying around her face from the wind, he
wanted to pull her against his body, run his hand through her hair until she
was close enough to press his lips to hers. “There’s no reason to deny it. I
can see your anger and sadness over this mating, but I don’t know how to change
this. When Taber and Thorben first mated with Kallie, they looked to see if
there was a way out of it—there isn’t. So it doesn’t leave us with many
options.”

“I
won’t deny it, you’re not my first choice for a mate. Damn it, if I’m to have a
mate now while there’s this threat of Henry looming, I want a mate that I can
cuddle next to at night and know I’m protected. Not fear every bump and noise
of the night.”

He
spun around on her, his body inches from the front of her forcing her back
against the SUV. “Don’t stand there and imply that I’ve done anything but
protect you since you’ve arrive at the clan. Robin and I have done everything
we could to make you feel safe here. To imply otherwise does a huge disservice
to not only me but to Robin. She’s been dividing her time between Adam and you
and has been driving herself to exhaustion.”

“I
didn’t mean…”

“If Robin
isn’t there with you, she’s working with Connor going over leads trying to find
something that hints to where Henry is. That woman is doing more for you than
is expected, after all she’s human. She’s mated to a shifter, but that doesn’t
change that she still needs sleep, food, and can still occasionally become ill.
She has put her own needs aside so she could see that Henry was no longer a
threat to you.” He laid a hand on either side of her on the SUV. “She’s even
the one that’s stays on top of the Elders to make sure that Henry is dealt with
before they go deal with the Texas clan. She’s risking a lot for you and how do
you repay her? By standing here implying you’re alone with no one to protect
you.”

“Damn
it, if you’d let me finish.”

“Go
ahead.” He took his hands from the hood and stepped back.

“I
didn’t mean to imply that. I only meant…” She threw her hand up in the air. “Oh
never mind, you wouldn’t understand.”

“You’re
right I don’t, not completely, but try me. What can it hurt?”

“I’ve
always been reserved, never the go-getter of the clan. I realize and accept I’m
a weaker shifter then a lot of the clan members, but I don’t go looking for
fights. Even living with the Ohio clan, I spent most of my time alone. I don’t
understand clan living and being surrounded by people. To have one person that
I can rely on, his loyalty to me above all, and who can help me though this
world would be a blessing.” She stepped away from the SUV moving forward to
look out over the hillside. “Robin has her mate and the clan. Not to mention
Tex that she’s helping with his abuse under the Texas Alpha. As you said, I’m
making her sick because I need her too much. I’m just tired of being alone. You—well
you have Tabitha and your duties. Other than that, who do I have? I’m alone and
downright scared.”

He
stepped up behind her, laying his hand on her shoulder to guide her around to
look at him. “We can’t do anything about this mating—nor can I change my face
or who I am—but I can be what you need. Harmony, I’ve been protecting you since
you’ve came to the clan, that’s not going to change. On the same hand neither
will my duties to the clan. I’ve worked too hard to be where I am to give it
all up, and I wouldn’t want to be just a clan member again. I can’t go from
being in the action to living the life of a member again. Given a chance, we
could find a balance and work through it.”

“I
don’t know if I can or how it will ever work.”

“That
you’ll need to think about. In the meantime, how about I help you with
protection? You might not be able to stand up to stronger shifters physically,
but there’s always an equalizer.” He put his hand on the butt of the gun
sticking from his shoulder holster. “A gun will make the playing fields more
equal for you and give you a chance to get away.”

“I’ve
never shot a gun before. I don’t know if I could kill someone.”

“Anyone
will tell you that you should never point a gun at anyone that you’re not
willing to kill, but when it comes to shifters, only a shot through the heart
or in the head will kill us. A gun will give you a chance to get away.” He ran
his finger across her shoulder. “Don’t get me wrong—I believe you’re safe on
the compound, but it could give you a piece of mind. I will teach you how to
shoot if you’re interested.”

“I’ll
learn, but I don’t know if I can shoot someone.” Even through the reservation
in her voice there was a hint of excitement about learning to protect herself.

“Learning
is the first step. We’ll conquer your reservations next.” He pulled the gun
from his holster. Using his thumb, he ejected the magazine and shoved it in his
pocket. “When you take ahold of the gun, it’s your gun and no one should be
able to take it away from you. You hold it tight, but not tight enough that you
can break the handle or that your muscles strain under the pressure.”

He
pulled back the top of the gun showing her it was empty. “There’s no bullets in
it now with the magazine out. You have no chance of shooting anything. I want you
to hold it just like I was, just to get a feel of it.”

“Okay.”
She took the gun from his hand, doing her best to copy his moves. Holding it
out before her like it might bite her.

“Now
with your right hand, cup the grip with your palm, making sure there’s no air
pockets.” He nodded, watching as she did it. “Pretty good. I’m just going to
adjust your hands. Think of it as loaded and remember to keep your fingers off
the trigger until you’re ready to shoot.” He curled his hand around her left
one, forcing her fingers around the gun to lie on top of the right hand
fingers. “Keep your hands together because they will give you stability.

“Now
lay that thumb on top of the other. This gun doesn’t have an external safety. It
has an extra-long trigger that acts as your safety. On guns with a safety, your
top right thumb will be used to take off the safety. Just holding it, how does
it feel?” He removed his hands from hers, but still stayed close, his chest
brushing against her arm.

“Dangerous.”
She let a nervous laugh.

“Good,
you never want to forget that. Even shooting a shifter somewhere they can heal,
it will serve to piss them off, so you need to get away before they can heal
it. But it will give you a way to protect yourself. To have it in the back of
your mind that you can protect yourself if anything happens, does that not
outweigh your fears of the gun?”

“Somewhat.”

“Very
well. Wait here.” He stepped back from her, walking the couple steps back to
the SUV.

“What
are you doing?” She turned to him, holding the gun at the ground.

“Getting
you a target, we’ll do some target practice up here.” He pulled out a sheet of
paper with a large red bull’s eye from the back, along with a box of bullets.

“Here?”
She asked looking around at the area.

“It’s
private property, why not?” He walked past her to the post just before the
trees and stapled the target to it.

“Private
property? Are we trespassing?” Fear creeping back into her voice.

He
came to stand beside her, taking the gun from her and sliding the magazine back
into it. “No, the clan owns it. Look below us…that’s the compound. All I did
was bring you around the back of it where the steep mountainside behind the
creek is. If we could jump down and live, you’d find yourself almost in the
same spot I found you by the creek.”

He
held the gun in his hand to keep him from wrapping his arm around her waist.
“This is one of my favorite stops when I get some down time. It’s beautiful to
stand here and see the home I’ve worked so hard to protect. Now come on, let’s
see how you do.”

He
could feel her pulse speed. “I don’t know.”

“Nerves
are good, but just try it once.” He held the gun out to her. “It’s loaded, so remember
to keep your finger off the trigger until you’re ready to shoot. All I want you
to do is take it into your hands again. Once you have the position again, we’ll
go from there.”

She
took the gun from him, careful to avoid the trigger area. Wrapping her hands
around it, she took a deep breath. “Is this right?”

“Almost.”
He adjusted her hand, moving her fingers slightly. “Remember, no air pockets
around the handle.”

She
turned enough to look at him but kept the gun pointed straight ahead at the
target. “What if I shoot someone and get brought up on murder charges?”

“That’s
not going to happen. You’re not going to kill someone that isn’t trying to harm
you. If you do it with witnesses that aren’t shifters, they’ll see you were
defending yourself and no charges will be brought against you. Alaska has a Stand
Your Ground law, but none of this matters. We deal with those issues, the
bodies and everything. The important thing is to protect yourself.” He slid his
hand around her waist.

“But
what if…”

“Harmony,
you’re worrying for nothing. You won’t do it to someone who isn’t trying to
kill you. Right now, all I want you to do is shoot it here for target practice.
There’s no way you’re going to hurt anyone right now. If you decide you’re
willing to keep a gun on you, we’ll face that next.” When she continued to
stare at him, he added. “My view has always been ‘it’s better to be judged by
twelve than carried by six,’ but it will have to be your choice. Just try
shooting the gun, and we’ll deal with all the other stuff later.”

She
nodded, turning back to the target and positioning her hands as they were
before. “Let’s do this.”

Her nerves
teased along the edges of his skin, creating goosebumps. The point of teaching
her to shoot and carry a gun was for her protection and to make her feel more
ease, but it would only work if she was comfortable with the gun. He wouldn’t
force her to carry a weapon that she wasn’t comfortable with. It would only
increase the chances of it being used against her. “Okay, look down the length
of the gun. Those three dots you see are your sights. You’ll look down between
these two and aim the one single dot over where you want the bullet to go. In
this case, you’ll aim it so it’s over the bull’s eye. Look between the first
two dots, not over them, and down at the last to the target. There should be
equal amount of light on each side of your third sight.”