Tangling with the Tiger: Lone Pine Pride, Book 5 (21 page)

Chapter Thirty-Five

Grace knew something was wrong as soon as Kelly stopped flirting.

There was a chance he was just pissed at her because of how they’d left things last night, but he’d been downright playful all morning in the car, offering to let her use his body as a pillow if she wanted to nap, and now nothing. Silence.

“Kelly,” she barked into the comm. “Status.”

Empty static crackled back. Grace cursed, waved the rest of her team to continue the search and pivoted, jogging back toward the cabin. “Xander. Status.”

Nothing.

“Fuck fuck fuck.” She turned her jog into a sprint, though her muscles were starting to protest being pushed to the max again so soon after her first race to the cabin. Not to mention the workout she’d given them last night and the sleepless night.

Those assholes better not be fucking around on the job.

They weren’t fucking around. They were unconscious.

Grace cursed. If another of the prisoners had gotten hold of a tranq gun—

She burst into the cabin and drew up short, gaping.

Dominec stood there, casual as anything, watching over the prisoners as if it was the most natural thing in the world as Rachel tended to the wounded Grace hadn’t been able to prioritize.

Which didn’t explain what Kelly and Xander were doing on the ground out front.

“Dominec, what the fuck?”

He gave her a nod and walked past her into the night. Of course he did. The asshole. Why should he explain his completely inexplicable behavior when he was so damn good at just
walking the fuck out
?

It was beyond tempting to go after him and tackle him to the ground, keep him from walking away, but Rachel was there, slumped against the wall, and the stench of fear was thick in the air. This need was more immediate.

“How did you know?” Rachel gasped.

“Kelly wasn’t responding. He’s a pain in the ass on security detail because he can’t go for five seconds without flirting over the comms, but he’d been silent for almost ten minutes. Figured he had to be unconscious or dead,” Grace said, still glaring out the front door, though she couldn’t see Dominec’s retreat any longer.

“Dominec tranqed him.”

Grace barely stopped herself from snapping at the obviousness of the comment. The question was
why
Dominec had tranqed him. To get a shot at the prisoners? If so, why hadn’t he done anything? Out of jealousy? If so… “He’s going to be a problem.”

“Wasn’t he always?”

Grace pulled a face and turned to Rachel. “Believe it or not, he was keeping together relatively well before. But ever since the raid where we picked up you, when he went batshit crazy, he’s been chugging the extra special psycho Kool-Aid.” Which wasn’t the whole story and wasn’t entirely fair, but she wasn’t feeling particularly fair at the moment.

“Lucky us,” Rachel grumbled.

“Lucky you.” If he had been going after the prisoners… “How are you still alive, Doc?”

“I reminded him I was on his side.”

“And that worked?” Was he actually going to become a team player now?

“I’m alive, aren’t I? Did you find Madison?”

Madison. Rachel had personal experience with the Organization’s uber bitch who had been hiding her identity among the prisoners by pretending to be a low-level lackey. The same piece of work who had stabbed Parker in the throat and led the escape. Even as Grace had run back to the cabin, she’d kept an ear on the chatter from the tracking party—who were resorting to a grid search since Madison’s trail had dead ended into the lake.

The Hawk might have eyes on her, but he couldn’t wear comms as a bird so she had no way of knowing.

And they still had to find the other three.

She wanted to go after Dominec, to hold him down until he finally told her what the fuck his deal was, but she was a Lone Pine lieutenant and he couldn’t be her top priority now.

Grace brought Rachel up to speed and then reached for her cell to call anyone who wasn’t already assigned a task to come help her get the doc and her patients back to the infirmary.

It was going to be a long night.

“I heard someone tranqed Xander and Kelly. Did you finally get tired of them panting after you and decide to put them out of their misery?”

Grace rubbed at tired eyes and glared at her Alpha. “I’m the funny one. When you try to be funny, it’s just sad.” But she hadn’t felt very funny lately and now was no exception.

Madison was still on the loose. The Hawk was still tracking her, as far as they knew. The other three escaped prisoners had been recaptured—one of whom was found unconscious within throwing distance of the cabin, covered in Dominec’s scent. Which just added to the
what the fuck
that was surrounding him lately.

The remaining security forces were doing a grid search for Madison—but it would take a while. Lone Pine was
huge
.

Grace would rather be out in the middle of the search herself, but Roman had called her up to the Alpha’s mansion, sending Kye out in her place—and she couldn’t even argue against that since Kye was fresher and had the best nose in the pride.

“Patch thinks I’m funny,” Roman said, sprawling behind the massive desk he’d inherited from Greg when he took over as Alpha.

“Patch is humoring you.”

“I don’t think she knows how to humor me,” he rumbled. “It’s one of the reasons I need her.” He rocked forward in his chair, bracing his arms on the desk. “Which leads me to the reason I called you up here. You never humor me either. In fact when Patch and I first got together you were the only one who was brave enough to give me shit about it until I did the right thing.”

“Are you sure this is the best time to be talking about your feelings, boss? We kind of have a lot of shit going down right now.”

“Which is why I wanted to talk to you now. I need a Second.”

The words were so unexpected—and her brain was so tired—it took her a solid three count before she could make sense of them. “Are you asking me?”

“I was hoping I could just command it to be so, but yeah. I guess I’m asking.”

“But Hugo…”

“Was Greg’s Second. Unofficially. But the pride was smaller then and dealing with a lot less shit, as you put it. I need someone who can speak for me. Like you did with the wolves. And someone who isn’t afraid to tell me when I’m being an ass. Someone who respects Patch and will listen to her as well as to me. And someone who will always put the pride first. Seems to me that’s you.”

Alpha’s Second. She still couldn’t quite wrap her brain around it. The only—completely unwelcome—thought that kept pinging around in her head was that her parents might finally understand that what she was doing was valuable. But she couldn’t take the job just because of that.

She couldn’t think of a single reason not to take it—but she also knew she wasn’t thinking particularly clearly at the moment. “Can I think about it?”

“Yeah. Of course. Take some time to think it over. Just give me your answer by Sunday.”

“Right. And what’s today?”

He grinned at her tone. “Monday.” His eyes flicked to the clock, where it showed past midnight. “Technically Tuesday.”

They’d made it back before Thanksgiving after all. She should touch base with her parents. Talk to Dominec about his latest episode. Check in with Mateo. And the wolves… And…

Her brain shut off in protest.

“You should get some sleep,” Roman said, rising. “But before you go, Patch wanted me to ask you how picking one of your suitors worked out.”

Grace stood as well, making a face. “It wasn’t as cut and dried as I’d hoped. I forgot all men are brain damaged from testosterone poisoning.”

“Gee, thanks.”

“You can’t help it. It’s your curse.”

“You sure you didn’t tranq Kelly and Xander?”

“It was Dominec, actually.”

Roman frowned as they walked out of his office together. “Is that going to be a problem?”

The words echoed her reaction, but she didn’t want to say yes. He deserved the benefit of the doubt. “I have no idea what the fuck is up with him. I can never tell what that man is thinking. But I’ll find out. Right after I solve world hunger and the conflict in the Middle East.”

Roman snorted. “Yeah. Get right on that.” He paused at the stairs—the exit down and his own rooms up. “Thanks, Grace. You’re irreplaceable.”

The words hit her hard, right in her heart. It was a sign of how tired she was that tears actually rose to her eyes. Choked up as she was, she didn’t try to speak. She nodded jerkily and jogged down the stairs.

Irreplaceable.
It was just a word, but it felt like everything she had ever worked for coming to her—right as the entire pride was falling down around her ears and she couldn’t keep up with all the chaos.

And one more thing to do before she could sleep.

Chapter Thirty-Six

He’d thought she would come sooner.

He hadn’t meant his actions at the cabin to be a gauntlet thrown down between them, but Dominec was still amazed that Grace hadn’t taken them that way and immediately charged after him to have it out. She wasn’t exactly known for her patience. Even in bed she’d rushed, pushing toward her climax like it was a race.

He shook his head sharply, trying to shake the image of her racing toward climax out of his brain.

He’d gone back to his condo, not even realizing he was waiting for her until he found himself pacing and watching the door. He couldn’t remember the last time he’d actually slept here. It had never really felt like his place, but he stayed because this was where she would look for him and tonight he wanted to be found. Though he didn’t know why.

He didn’t know what he felt tonight, didn’t think he would know until he saw her. She clarified things.

He would go to her, but he wasn’t sure where she was and tracking her by scent would take longer than just waiting for her to come to him. He was certain she would come to him.

Or he had been two hours ago.

Now he paced, eyeing the clock, needles of impatience piercing his skin. He didn’t know when his life had begun to circle around her, like a planet in orbit around the sun. He only knew it had been going on for longer than he’d been aware. She had become due north. He needed her to know where he was.

But he lost himself in her.

Dangerous.

So dangerous.

He shouldn’t wait. He should go. Leave the pride. Run far away from Grace.

If he could.

Footsteps on the stairs. She was here.

Dominec went to the door, opening it as she stepped out of the stairwell and into the hall. She looked exhausted. And magnificent. And suddenly he knew exactly how he felt. All the mismatched pieces fell into place.

Angry. He was angry with her.

“You didn’t call me.” He didn’t wait for her to get in the door.

Her brows drew down and she glared as she stepped past him inside. “I wasn’t aware I needed an appointment.”

“At the cabin,” he clarified, kicking the door shut. “You called Kelly and Xander.”

She faced him, eyes widening. “Tell me that isn’t why you tranqed them.”

“You turned to them. You should have turned to me.”

“Do you hear the words coming out of your mouth? You don’t even have a phone. And I called Xander because guarding the prisoners was his fucking
job
and I told him to bring Kelly because he was the first person I could think of who wouldn’t try to eat the prisoners.”

“I didn’t eat them.”

“Are you telling me you weren’t tempted? You’re volatile around them. I needed someone I could predict.”

She didn’t trust him. But could he blame her? He didn’t trust himself. But the others… “They can’t protect you.”

“I don’t want protection!” she shouted. “I’m about to the Alpha’s
Second
, for Chrissake—” She broke off, eyes widening. “Which admittedly I didn’t realize I had already decided to do until I was yelling it at you, but the principle is the same. I can take care of myself. I’m not looking for a big strong man to protect me. But I wouldn’t mind a guy who stuck around until my skin cooled off after sex.”

Warmth crept up the back of his neck. But the fact that he wanted to be the one to hold her as her skin cooled changed nothing. “I can’t be what you need. I’m too broken to be with you.” Those needles of agitation jabbed at him again and he began to prowl the room. “But I can’t stand seeing you with them. They don’t deserve you.”

“That isn’t how this works. You can’t just claim me and not claim me.”

“I can’t keep you safe.” And the idea of anything happening to her was like acid in an open wound. He had wanted to prove he could protect her, to redeem himself, but he’d failed. Those fucking wolves had tranqed him and put him in a cage. But the others weren’t good enough for her either. She deserved… His thoughts scattered, breaking off into pieces again. He couldn’t seem to hold onto the focus she gave him.

“No one is ever completely safe, Dominec,” she said as she watched him prowl the room, never coming within five feet of her. “That doesn’t mean we stop ourselves from caring about them.”

“Yes. It does.”

But how? He needed her. He couldn’t breathe unless he breathed her air, so how the fuck was he supposed to get the distance he needed for his icy calm?

Distance.

He was stronger than this. He would beat it. Dominec Giroux didn’t care for anyone. He didn’t need anyone. He was an animal. A machine. A fucking island.

And he would not be caged, even by his own heart.

“Yes, it does,” he repeated, pivoting and walking out the door.

She didn’t shout after him that it was his room this time. It wasn’t his really anyway. Just a place at the pride to store a few things and crash on occasion. Nothing had been his in years. And he wasn’t going to start with her.

Dominec stripped out of his shirt as he jogged down the stairs, losing his fatigues at the bottom and shifting. The tiger twisted and snarled, as tangled up as his human half. He stretched out his legs, racing toward the pride’s training course. Outpacing the demons on his tail.

“That went well,” Grace said conversationally to the empty room after Dominec bolted.

Again.

At least this time she wasn’t naked.

Unfortunately, she was still just as confused as when she’d set out to find him—though that might have been a function of her exhaustion.

She didn’t bother returning to her own place. If he wanted to leave her here, he could deal with the consequences. There was a dark duffle bag to one side of the couch. She unzipped it enough to pull out one of Dominec’s black T-shirts. Stripping out of her own clothes, she pulled the soft cloth over her head and flopped down onto the couch. His scent on the cushions was faded and mild, but it was there and she inhaled deeply as she burrowed down, finding a comfortable position.

She didn’t know what was going on with her and Dominec. Nothing, perhaps. But it didn’t feel like nothing. It felt like something big. Something that could be good. Although good seemed like too tame a word to ever apply to the tiger. Powerful. That was Dominec. Rarely good, but always strong. They were alike in that.

She’d never aspired to be the good girl. The nice girl. She’d wanted to be the best. The strongest.

Kelly was too nice for her, but Dominec might be too much for her. How did she bring a wild tiger to heel? She felt like whatever she might have had with him was already slipping through her fingers. Everything was out of control. Racing toward some finish line she couldn’t see or predict.

She just hoped they all survived to cross it.