Tigress for Two (14 page)

“Go ahead. We’ll grab our stuff and take the helicopter. There’s no need to come back here.” Taber nodded at his brother before stepping around the counter with her in tow.

“Very well. It will take me longer to get to the plane. I’ll see you there.” Thorben’s gaze shifted to Kallie. “I wish the circumstances were better, but it’s a pleasure to meet you. My brother is stubborn and hard to live with, but he’s a good man.”

“Bears are always stubborn.” She teased. “I have no worries he’ll see my way in the end.”

Thorben laughed and left.

Taber turned to her. “So that’s how it is, mate? You’re planning to wrap me around your little paw, are you?”

“There’s always a good woman behind every man.” She smiled. “If it means I have to wrap you around my paw for you to do what’s right, then yes. I have faith you’ll keep me safe, and I don’t think your family is a threat we need to worry about. You speak of them with such love. I know if it wasn’t for me you’d never give it a second thought and you’d be on that plane with Thorben now.”

“You’re an amazing woman.” He pulled her tight against his body and kissed her forehead. “I wish you were meeting them for a better reason—at a better time.” He released her and stepped back. “I’ll grab the bags.”

Chapter Twenty-One

Tension surged through Kallie as the helicopter landed at the small airstrip on the Brown’s family property. Meeting your mate’s family was always a nerve-wracking experience, but add delivering the news that Travis died betraying Taber, only made the situation more tense. Stepping out of the helicopter, she zipped her thin jacket closed.

Knowing Taber was from Nome she expected him to live on the outskirts, not on an island inhabited only by the Brown family. The island was beautiful, stunning homes spaced off in the distance and plenty of undisturbed nature to make any shifter happy. Flying in, she had seen a small dock on the other side of the island, providing them easy access to Nome until the water froze.

Damn is it cold.
She rubbed her hands together and bounced on her toes to keep warm. Because she didn’t know she would be flying north, she had left her heavy winter jacket at the compound.

Taber slipped his arm around her and ran his hand up and down her arm, trying to warm her. “Nome is always colder and the breeze from the water causes it to always feel like winter here. Even in the hottest summer months the temperature barely reaches fifty degrees.”

Years of being Wesley’s pet had taken away her enjoyment for the cold. She seemed to have lost the ability to keep warm. During her captivity she had only been outside a few times. Taking a deep breath, she pushed those haunting memories from her mind. “I’m okay.”

Before they landed, Taber had strapped addition weapons to his body and handed her a knife she had attached to her thigh. They left their bags in the helicopter with the hopes to escape back to the compound in the coming hours.

She told him they could stay as long as he needed, but he reminded her that the Elders still needed his help to find Pierce. There was also the on-going search for Robin, if the rogues got their hands on her before the Alaskan Tigers it would mean her death, and they would never find out whatever information she had, leaving them a step behind Pierce.

“That’s my parents’ house.” Taber nodded toward the large log house sitting on the edge of the tree line. “But I thought we’d wait for Thorben. He should be there soon.”

She knew he’d want Thorben with him when he told his family of Travis’ death. Mates had the ability to remove physical pain from each other, but she was helpless against the grief he suffered with. She snuggled into him just to let him know she was here for him.

A plane engine hummed as it loomed over the trees, and landed on the airstrip. Moments later the small airplane shut down and Thorben stepped out, jogging toward them. He abruptly stopped in front of them, looking toward their parents’ house. “I’m surprised Mom isn’t out here. She had to have heard us land.”

“I haven’t seen anyone but Theodore,” Taber said. “Four houses over, under the deck asleep. He created a cave under there for his afternoon naps. When we were growing up, Mom never allowed us in the house in our animal form. She complained we were too large and always broke something. Under the deck has always been his spot.”

She followed the direction of his pointing finger and saw a sleeping bear. If he hadn’t told her Theodore was there she’d have never noticed him, he blended in the surroundings so well.

“Standing around, putting this off won’t make it easier. Let’s get this over with.” Taber kept his arm around her waist as he moseyed across his parents’ front lawn. With each step his back grew more rigid, most likely apprehensive about delivering the sad news to his mother.

As they neared the house Kallie’s stomach twisted in knots. This moment was very personal for a family, something she had no right to be part of. It wasn’t how his family should meet her. What if they thought back of how she came into their lives and they always remember this moment? At the bottom of the porch steps she paused, forcing Taber, who had his arm still around her waist, to stop with her.

“What it is?” He frowned.

“I should wait out here. I shouldn’t go in. This is a family moment. I’ll wait with Adam and Korbin.” She glanced over her shoulder at Adam still in the helicopter, Korbin outside leaning on it. She’d rather be freezing with them than go inside that house.

“You’re family.” Thorben smiled and reached for her hand. As his fingers wrapped around hers, electricity poured through her, sending goose bumps over her already chilled skin. Her hand sizzled as though she touched fire, tearing her breath away. “What the hell?” He released her hand.

Taber pushed her behind him. “She’s mine!”

“What the hell is going on here?” At a complete loss for what just happened, Kallie glanced between the brothers. If she hadn’t already mated with Taber she’d have sworn she was destined to be with Thorben, but that wasn’t possible. Shifters only had one mate.

The brothers
glared at each other.

A woman stepped out of the house, her brown hair streaked with grey, and holding a little extra around the middle of her body, but it was the woman’s height that caught Kallie’s attention. She stood over six feet tall. Her gaze shined at her boys. “Damn it, you two! You’re not home five minutes and already fighting.”

Kallie noticed how quickly the demeanor changed between the brothers. Instead of arguing with each other, they turned to their mother, both sighing and stepping next to Kallie on different sides. Electricity soared through her arms.
What the hell is going on?

“Bring her with you. You’ll need to explain what’s going on between the three of you. I’ll find your father and brothers, they’re hunting.” She sauntered down the steps and off toward the trees. Over her shoulder she hollered back. “No fighting while I’m gone.”

“Explain what?” Kallie’s body fought for control as a turmoil of emotions poured through her.

“Come sit.” Taber held her waist and forced her forward.

She slowly climbed the steps, exhausted as if climbing a mountain. He led her to one of the wooden rockers decorating the porch. When she sank onto it, he reached for her hand. Thorben stayed back, leaning against the railing, his fingers white where he gripped the banister. He stared at her, his eyes wild and full of desire.

“Will someone please explain what the hell is going on?”

“Occasionally bear shifters will mate like we do in the wild, where there are multiple men for the same female. It is rare, but it does happen.” Taber’s lips pressed tight together.

Kallie’s vision blurred. “No!” She knew where this conversation was going and didn’t want him to continue.
As if it wasn’t bad enough I found a bear as my mate, fate has decided to give me two!

“Kal, I’m trying to explain.”

“Damn it Taber, I know where this is going and I’m telling you here and now, no. This is not going to happen!” She wanted to rant and rave until she lost her voice, but deep down she knew this rare occurrence wasn’t Taber’s fault. Taber and Thorben had no more say in this than she did, and from Taber’s first reaction, he was even less happy about it than she was.

“Mating doesn’t give any of us a choice.” Thorben finally spoke, his tone both furious and compassionate. “From the day we’re born we’re destined to a particular mate. There have been cases in the past when one of the mates die the one left behind will eventually find another, but I don’t care to test that theory.”

“What if I refuse this?”

“Have you experienced the desire with Taber? Has the need gotten so bad that it’s painful?” Thorben shoved his hands into his jeans pockets and met her gaze. “That’s what it will be like if you deny one or both of us.”

Taber, still holding her hand, stepped in front of her. “You’re talking about sharing her. We both know that won’t work. It’s been years since we got along for more than a few hours and now you want to implant yourself into our lives, and take my mate as your own.”

“Do we have a choice, Taber? Because I don’t see one, but please enlighten me if you do.”

Kallie snatched her hand, annoyance coursing her thoughts. “We don’t have time for this shit. We’re here to tell your parents what happened to Travis. We didn’t need this now, and we sure the hell don’t need you two going at it.” The men stared at her, and she shook her head. “Why would I be mated to brothers?”

“I think I can answer that question better than my sons.” Taber’s mother stood at the far side of the deck.

“Mom, I’m not sure this is the best time.” Taber peeled a heated glare off his brother, to look at his mother.

“Actually it’s the perfect time. It will help explain this bizarre situation to your mate.”

“Ma’am, I’m Kallie. I apologize for the timing.”

“No ma’am here, I’m Ava.” She claimed the rocker next to Kallie. “I’m afraid your current predicament is my fault.”

“Mom, be serious, this has nothing to do with you. Fate makes the decision.”

“Taber, you know better than to interrupt your mother. Now sit and listen to what I have to say.” Ava turned her attention back to Kallie. “My mother, Annabell, was in the position you find yourself in now. My fathers were twins and both mated to her. They sought high and low for a way to break their joined matting—for something that would remove the connection, and allow them to each find their own woman.”

“And?” Kallie probed when Ava paused.

“They found nothing.” She smiled at Kallie. “When denying the matting the longing became excruciating. They were left with no choice than to return to my mother.”

“Why didn’t you ever tell us this?” Taber raised a brow.

“It didn’t matter prior to now. My parents were gone before you were old enough to remember them. It seemed useless to bring up something unless I had to. But know this, I loved both my fathers and was never ashamed of them.” She closed her eyes for a moment. “My fathers were just like you two, but over the years they learned to work and live together. They were not only my mother’s mates and her lovers, but they were also her protectors.”

“So it’s the twin connection?” Kallie started to understand. “But it would make more sense if the twins were close and shared willingly. These two…” She glanced at Taber and Thorben.

“These two boys can barely get along for more than ten minutes when they’re together.” Ava tapped Kallie’s hand. “Trust me they weren’t always like that. Years ago they were as close as any two bear cubs. I don’t exactly know what happened, but you’re just the woman to bring them together. Identical twins have the same DNA, which is why they normally end up with the same mate. It’s rare for bear shifters to have twins. I was blessed with two sets, which means I believe it will be time to tell Turi and Trey what is possible for them.”