Two for Protection (10 page)

He
didn’t want their time at Lisa’s house to end. It would mean he’d have to get
back to his duties instead of spending every waking moment wrapped around
Courtney’s body. Time away made the heart grow fonder, but it also put his
beast on edge. The tiger within wanted everything, his duty, his mate, and as
much excitement as possible.

Chapter Twelve

The
snow had finally begun to lighten, teasing the residents and making them think
the storm had passed. It would be back with a vengeance before nightfall. Not
long after Tad, Milo, and Courtney had slipped out through the narrow window of
time.

“It
seems as though I’m losing another son to the tigers.” Devon sighed.

“You’re
not loosing any of us. Taber and Thorben have spent more time on the island than
at the compound, so don’t give me that, Dad. Milo has some things to attend to
at the moment, but as soon as it’s over I’ll bring them to meet Mom and the
others.” Tad hated the thought of returning to the island, and showing off his
mates when it inevitably meant Aunt Bev would have to attend the family
gathering.

“Seems
you also put the fear into Turi that he and Trey are next. He’s been adamant
that he’s not sharing a mate with his twin, no matter the costs.”

“Dad,
you know as well as I do that when he finds his mate it won’t matter if he has
to share her with Trey or not. Nothing will keep them apart.” Tad looked out
the window, watching as Tate and Turi marked a spot for Adam to land the
helicopter. “Are you sure you don’t want to return to the compound and have
Galan or Bethany heal your wound?”

“I’m
fine. It’s healing on it’s own, and it’s not serious enough to bother the
healers.” Devon rubbed a hand over the wound. “If you need us to come with you
for whatever Milo needs to accomplish, we can. Trey can manage the sleuth for a
short time.”

“Thanks.
I really do appreciate it, but things are under control. You’re the Alpha, you
need to be there in case any problems should arise. Plus, Milo has me. What
more could he ask for?” Tad joked.

“You’re
both lucky to have each other, not to mention Courtney. She’s a real gem. Ava’s
going to love her. Another daughter finally coming into the family. She’s going
to start pestering soon about grandbabies.”

“Dad!”
He shook his head, unable to believe his father. “We’ve just mated. Give
Courtney time to adjust to shifters and our lifestyle. Maybe you should start
bugging Taber and Thorben, they’re the oldest. They have the responsibility to
give you grandchildren first.”

“Then
when you bring Courtney to meet your mother I suggest Taber, Thorben, and
Kallie come as well. We can make it one big family visit if Theodore can tear
himself from the compound too.”

His
family was unbelievably insane, and their timing was often questionable, but he
wouldn’t change them for the world. Having a tiger as a mate, Tad had the
challenge of getting Milo to accept that the Brown family was part of the deal.

Tiger
bonds with their family were limited. Most tiger shifter offspring ended up
leaving the clan they grew up in, searching for another one to make their name
in. Separating families, across the country. They didn’t have the loyalty to a
family that their human counterparts did. The loyalty was only to their mate.
Parents and siblings were a different category altogether for shifters.
Siblings normally remained close despite distance, but parents seemed to drift
farther. Most believed it came from their beast; it was how they were in the
wild.

When a
tiger shifter mated with a human, it was different still because in most cases
the family would never know about the ability to shift, or the dangers that
shifters had to face. Human families were cut out. Bears shifters were always
close, and poor Milo was about to find out the hard way just how close. He was
about to be thrown into Brown family drama head first, and soon they would see
if he would sink or swim. If he sank, the other Browns would see him as weak,
something Tad would never stand for.

“Son…”
Devon laid a hand on Tad’s shoulder.

“Sorry,
what?”

“You
were a million miles away, thinking about your mates I presume. Mating is a
powerful thing, something that can get an excellent warrior killed if he’s
preoccupied.”

“Nothing
like that. I was thinking that we each have something to overcome for this
mating to work. At least Jeffery is behind us now.” He shoved his hands into
the pockets of his jeans and gazed out the window, his thoughts troubling him.

“What
has to be overcome for you and Milo?” His father had never been one to beat
around the bush. If he wanted to know something, no matter how personal, he
asked—especially when it came to his sons.

“Milo
has to prove himself by bringing Calvin, the Minnesota Alpha, on board. I
highly doubt that it’s going to be an easy challenge no matter how much history
the two have. Shifters are set in their ways and most are not willing to accept
change easily.” If he was honest with himself, he was concerned what they were
walking into when they made the journey to Minnesota. Their trio was just
getting on their feet, feeling their way through this mating blindly. To have a
challenge that could be so disastrous right at the beginning made things tense.
It would be the first time the three had to work together for a common cause, combining
each other’s strengths and hiding their weaknesses.

“Milo
is a great warrior, and an excellent political member of the clan. Ty wouldn’t
send him if he wasn’t completely confident in him. Having you and Courtney with
him won’t hurt things either,” Devon reassured him. “Now what is it that you’ll
have to overcome?”

“You,
the whole family.” He laughed. It sounded so ridiculous now. “Milo’s not used
to things as we have them. A tiger’s devotion is only with his mate. Parents
and siblings aren’t important, but that matters to me. I can’t help but wonder
if it will cause tension between us.”

“Milo
cares more about family than you think.” Devon didn’t explain, but pulled his
hand away. “Look at Kallie, she’s a tigress and has accepted our family with
open paws. Give Milo a chance and I know he’ll surprise you.”

Ava
and Kallie spoke on the phone nearly everyday. For a tigress that had been kept
a prisoner, locked in her animal form, she had made a remarkable transformation
since mating with his older brothers.

“I’ll
keep my fingers crossed, but I doubt Milo’s going to have the same bond that
Kallie has formed.”

“What
about me?” Milo’s voice came from behind them.

“I’ll
take that as my cue. Turi and I will be on our way.” Devon gave Tad a nod.
“Remember what I said.”

“Safe
travels.” Milo held out his hand to Devon.

He
nodded and shook Milo’s hand. “Welcome to the family, look out for my boy.”

Once
Devon was gone, Milo wandered over to the window. “I was checking my text
messages. So what did I miss?”

“I was
telling Dad about the trip to Minnesota.” It wasn’t exactly lying, though it
was a little too close for Tad’s comfort when it came to his mates.

“And?”

With a
deep breath, Tad decided it was best to get it out in the open. “I’m concerned
that you’re going to be uncomfortable when it comes to my family. They can be a
little overwhelming, especially to someone who’s not used to dealing with
families.”

“It’s
not like I have no idea what I’m getting into. I’ve been to the island, family
dinners with everyone. I’ve worked with all of you on missions. I know your
family. Nothing’s going to be different just because we’re mated with
Courtney.”

“If
you believe that, you’re in for more of an awakening than I thought.” Tad
chuckled. “Being family, they will be in your business more than ever. Mom
might be the worst, but hell, Dad was just asking when they were going to get
grandchildren. Trust me, things are going to be different, they are going to be
unbearable. Maybe grandchildren will calm them.”

Milo
slipped his hand into Tad’s. “Things will be fine. Though I have to say I’m not
sure how Courtney’s going to feel about producing a child as quickly as Ava
might like. She still has a lot to adjust to.”

“I’m
fine with that. I’d prefer to enjoy my mates for a bit longer before there’s
children brought into the picture. When it happens, it happens. Let’s allow
things to go naturally for now. If she makes us fathers before we begin trying,
then wonderful, if not we can have a lot of fun attempting it down the road.”
Tad gently caressed Milo’s hand. “Anything important in the messages?”

“Yes,
Quinn knows that Jeffery has been taken care of. He is less than pleased. He
needs to deal with the former accomplice they had an arrangement with, but will
be flying to meet with Courtney soon.”

Tad
nodded. “I figured he’d be angry that a career making case fell apart before he
could claim credit for taking Jeffery off the streets.”

“Hey
everyone, your savior is here! I’ve come to get you out of this nasty weather.
Come sing your praises to me,” Adam hollered as he came through the front door.

Milo
shook his head, smiling. “Adam, you’re so full of yourself since you’ve found
Robin.”

“Just
wait until you spent a few months with your mates, always at your beg and call,
telling you how amazing you are. You’ll be just as cocky. Now let’s get this
show on the road.”

“I’ll
get Courtney, and then we’ll be ready. How about you make yourself useful and
take the bags to the helicopter,” Milo suggested, before strolling down the
hallway to where their mate was resting.

“Where
is she? I thought she’d be stuck to you two like glue.”

“She’s
laying down, she had a rough night,” Tad explained.

“Aww,
keeping her busy in the bedroom?” Adam grabbed the bags from the table and
turned on his heels.

“There’s
more to mating than just sex,” Tad called after him before he was able to close
the door.

“The
sex is one of the best parts, though.” Courtney smirked at him with Milo just a
step behind her. “Maybe we could stay here a few days longer and…” She wiggled
her eyebrows at him.

“I’d
like to but Ty nearly had to restrain your mother up to keep her at the
compound.” Tad made his way to her.

“In a
few days we’ll be in Minnesota and I promise we’ll make time to show you just
how much we cherish you. With every inch of your body, we’ll show just how much
you mean to us.” Milo brought the hand he was holding to his lips. “But first
you must see your mother.”

“Speaking
of Minnesota, while you were resting we made reservations at a nice hotel in
downtown. We thought being off Calvin’s land would allow us time without the
constant eyes watching us, where we don’t have to worry about anything but
pleasing you.” Part of Tad was looking forward to the trip. He was excited to
get his mates alone again.

“That
won’t make things hard for you, Milo?”

“No,
I’ll still be able to deal with Calvin. Hopefully it won’t take too long, but
if I know him as well as I think I do, he’s holding out to get something for
himself. Now come on, Adam’s waiting and your mother’s probably driving Ty
insane by now.”

Tipping
his head back, Tad let out a deep laugh. “I’d say so. I’ve received more text
messages than I care to count from her already, and we haven’t even taken
flight.”

“I
don’t understand her.” She slipped her hand into Tad’s, holding both of them.
“She’s acting as if we’re close. It’s been weeks since we’ve spoken, and even
when we do it’s always quick and we don’t discuss anything important. Our
relationship is basically nonexistent.”

“Your
mother loves you, and has missed you. She talks about you all the time. I don’t
know what drew you two apart, but maybe this is the opportunity you need to
rekindle the relationship,” Tad suggested, before pulling her toward the door.

Chapter Thirteen

Courtney’s
hands sweated and her stomach turned as Adam sat the helicopter down on the
compound’s landing strip. Her mother stood not more than twenty feet away with
two men. It was almost enough to beg Adam to fly them away. She wasn’t ready to
deal with her mother, and maybe she never would be.

Leaving
home had been the one thing that made her grow up. No longer was her mother
there being overbearing, driving her crazy at every move. She had come into
herself, and she wasn’t willing to go back to the way it was.

“It’s
going to be fine,” Milo reassured her. “Lisa is only worried about you.”

She
wanted to say that her mother never worried about her, only tried to control
her. That was all she did her whole life, why would this time be any different?
Instead she kept her mouth shut and nodded for Milo to open the door. She took
Tad’s hand in hers and gave it a squeeze.

“We’re
right by your side, always.” Tad gave her a quick kiss before releasing her and
letting her slip out of the helicopter.

“Courtney!”
Lisa called through the slow whipping of the blades as the helicopter shut
down. She looked the same as when Courtney took off to Texas, the same attitude
of control radiating off her. Her short curly hair framed her face, making her
look younger than she actually was.

Courtney
looked to Milo and took his hand for comfort.

“Mom,
it’s good to see you.” Her mom rushed forward, wrapping her arm around
Courtney. Instantly, every muscled in her body tensed.

“Oh
baby, I’m so glad you’re okay.” She stepped back and looked behind Courtney.
“Taddybear.” She held her arms open, waiting for him to come to her.

“Lisa,
it’s a pleasure to see you again.”

“Thank
you both for keeping her safe.” Lisa stepped back, looking at the three of
them.

“We
can’t take all the credit, but what matters is she’s here.” Tad placed his hand
on the small of her back.

The
gesture helped calm her, but had the opposite affect on her mother. Lisa’s eyes
widened, and she took a step backward.

“I
explained this, Lisa.” A man with shoulder length black hair stepped up next to
her. The hard look in his eyes and the way he carried himself made it clear he
was in charge.

“That’s
Raja, the clan’s Lieutenant. The other man is Marcus, his brother-in-law,” Tad explained.

“It
can’t be.” Lisa’s voice trembled. “I don’t want this for her.”

“Lisa,
I told you Tad, Milo, and Courtney were mated. I tried to warn you before they
arrived. What you want doesn’t matter in this case, it was Courtney’s decision
and it’s clear what she chose.” Raja tried to calm Lisa.

“No, I
won’t have it. I had such big plans for her.”

Courtney
let out a deep exhale. “Mom, stop this. This is my life. I make the decisions
for myself now.”

“You
don’t understand what you’re getting involved with. Did they even tell you what
they are? The danger that they possess, that surrounds them? Damn it, Courtney,
this life isn’t for you.”

“I
know all about it, and I’ve made my decision. Now if you’ll excuse us, we would
like to see Tad’s brother and assess how he’s healing.” She nodded to Tad, who
led them around the still wide-eyed Lisa and toward the buildings.

Raja’s
voice rang out behind them. “Lisa, if you continue to act as you have, I’ll
have you returned to your house in Nome. You might be a close friend of the
Browns, which is why we’ve opened our home to you, but I will not stand for you
to discriminate against my members. Courtney is now a member of this clan
through her connection with Milo and Tad.”

“She’s
my daughter!” Anger heated Lisa’s voice.

Milo
glanced back, frowning. “Lisa is not putting herself in the good graces of the
clan with her comments,” he said sadly.

Courtney
tensed. “I’m sorry if her attitude causes problems with your Alpha and
Lieutenant. She does this wherever she goes.”

Milo
gave her hand a gentle squeeze. “No, if she continues to stir trouble the
Elders will force her to leave. We have too much happening at the moment to
concern ourselves with someone who is against us because of what we are.”

“I’ve
known Lisa for years and never realized she had an underlying hatred to our
kind. After I’ve looked in on Taber, I’ll speak with her to see what has her so
angry.” Tad looked off into the distance for a moment before continuing. “I
thought Hazel might have told her years ago that we were to be mated. I thought
that’s why she came up with that little nickname for me.”

“Don’t
worry about her, she has insane mood swings. I wouldn’t be surprised if in an
hour she finds us and welcomes you to the family with open arms. She’s always
been like that.” She glanced to each of them. “It doesn’t matter to me. I’ve
made my decision, I want to be with you both, nothing will change that. In a
few days she’ll be gone and I won’t hear from her for months. We’ve never been
close, no matter what she tells people.”

“She’s
still your mother. Someday that relationship might be repaired. We’ll do what
we can to make sure there isn’t a grudge because of us.” Milo stopped and
pulled her close to him. “Love means making sure your mate is happy. If we have
to deal with a little anger from Lisa while she accepts this, we will.”

Tad
moved to stand in front of them, not touching but watching them closely. “We
love you, Courtney.”

“Oh
Tad!” She reached out to him and drew him into their embrace, tears formed in
her eyes. “I already realized I’d fallen in love with you two. I just couldn’t
bring myself to say it for fear I’d lose you.”

“You
won’t ever lose us.” Milo wrapped his other arm around Tad and they stood there
as minutes passed by, none of them wanting the moment to end.

After
years of being alone, she had finally found where she belonged. She belonged
with them, preferably naked in bed snuggled between them. Finally, everything
was falling into place.

Tad
kissed her forehead. “Come on, let’s get you out of the cold.”

“One
last thing. With my mother acting as she is, that’s not going to cause problems
with your clan accepting me, will it?” The fear of not living up to what the
clan wanted from her made her voice shaky. If they didn’t accept her, it could
cause problems for Milo and tension between them.

“There’s
no reason to concern yourself with that. The Elders and the clan won’t hold any
of Lisa’s action against you.” Milo caressed her cheek with the backs of his
fingers. “Everyone is going to welcome you with open arms. You have nothing to
worry about, sweetie.”

“Are
you guys going to stand outside all day or actually come in and introduce us to
your woman?” Looking toward the voice, there was a man standing on the porch.
It had to be one of Tad’s brother. The dark hair and build was nearly
identical.

“Thorben.”
Tad took hold of her hand and led them forward. “How’s Taber?”

“A
cantankerous fool.” Thorben opened the door as they neared.

“Quit
making a bad impression on our new family members.” Another male voice called
from inside the house, sounding as irritable as Thorben had described.

“It’s
okay, darling, I swear he doesn’t bite.” Tad pulled her along with him as he
made his way inside to where Taber was laying on the sofa, his mate with him.

“Don’t
lie to her.” Thorben plopped down on the chair closest to his mates, rubbing
his forearm. “That bastard has a ferocious bite.”

“Hey,
I don’t want to know what goes on behind closed doors.” Tad looked appalled by
the thought.

“Shut
up, Tad. I bit Thorben when he pulled out the bullet. The bastard did it while
I was unconscious. He got what was coming to him.” Taber shot a look at
Thorben, one that was full of daggers.

“Ignore
them. I’m Kallie, I’m sure you’ve already gathered this rather irritable man is
Taber, my other mate.” The woman between the men shook her head, drawing
Courtney’s attention. The white streaks in her long curly brown hair made her
wonder why anyone would want such striking highlights.

She
forced her gaze away from the woman’s hair and focused on Kallie. “I’m
Courtney, but I guess you already knew that.”

“Don’t
be nervous, we’re family. Have a seat and make yourself at home.”

Tad
led her around to the other side of the sectional, Milo coming up behind them.
“How are you doing, Taber?”

“I’m
fine.” Taber growled. “I wish everyone would stop hovering.”

“We
only hover because we love you.” Kallie smoothed her hand over his shoulder.
“He was shot in the chest, just missing his heart. Too damn close for my tastes,
but it was a through and through shot. A lot of blood was lost, so he’s
supposed to be resting for a few days, to give his body time to heal the
remaining injuries Bethany wasn’t able to heal.”

“You
said Thorben pulled the bullet out,” Milo said, confused.

“He
was hit in the shoulder as well, that’s what Thorben pulled out,” Kallie
explained over Taber’s growling, as she laced her free hand through Thorben’s.

“You’re
supposed to miss the bullets, you dumb animal.” Tad scolded his brother.

Before
Taber could come up with a witty comment, Kallie spoke up. “Bears are big
targets, he was easier to hit than us sleek tigers.” She winked at Milo.

Courtney
nodded in understanding. “You’re a…”

“Tigress,”
Kallie supplied. “I change into a white tigress, hence the white stripes in my
hair.”

“Milo
doesn’t have orange highlights from his tiger. Does it only affect women?”

Deafening
silence settled over them, making her feel uncomfortable before Thorben scooted
closer to Kallie, wrapping his other hand over their already joined ones.
“Kallie spent years locked in her tigress form. Thankfully for us, she didn’t
lose herself to her beast. The consequences for those years show in her hair.”

Courtney
swallowed, feeling awful she asked. “I’m sorry.”

“It’s
fine.” Kallie smiled. “I don’t like to talk about my life before I met my mates,
but as you can see it’s part of me. Hell, it’s what led me to find them, and I
wouldn’t change that.”

“Dad
tells me you almost thumped Turi. What did the boy do now?” Taber ran his hand
down his mate’s arm, clearing willing to change the subject to ease her
discomfort.

“That
idiot brother of ours cornered Courtney and started to tell her about
Rosemarie. I ended up telling them.” Tad laced his fingers through Milo’s,
bringing the trio’s connection to its fullest. “It wasn’t his place. I swear
that boy’s never going to learn to keep his mouth shut. If anyone gives away
the family secret, it’s going to be him.”

“Turi’s
always been the most open and outspoken of us. He should have come to you
before going to your mate, but it needed to come out. They deserved to know.”
Taber yawned.

“You
need rest for your body to finish healing.” Tad rose, bringing Milo and
Courtney with him. “The day after tomorrow, we’re going to Minnesota to attend
to some business for Ty, but when that’s done we’ll be back. Just don’t get
your stupid ass shot again.”

“Give
it to him,” Taber ordered, looking back at his twin.

“We’ve
arranged for you to have cabin twelve.” Thorben stood, pulling a key from his
pocket. “Milo’s place is too small for the three of you, and this cabin is at
the far end of the compound close to the creek and near us.” He tossed the key
to Tad.

He
left go of Courtney’s hand and caught the key midair. “Thank you.”

“There’s
enough room for your cabin to be built next to ours if you’re going to make
this your home. It would be nice to have you guys as neighbors. I’m sure
Courtney and I will be close friends in no time, as we try to escape from the
four of you,” Kallie suggested. “If you’re going back to the island, I’m sure
Mom would be thrilled to have you.”

With a
smile, Tad glanced to Milo. “Actually, we’ve agreed to stay here. Milo’s
position in the clan means a lot to him, and Dad isn’t giving up his role so
there’s little we can do for the sleuth now anyway. When we return from Minnesota,
we’ll speak to the construction crew.”

“Very
good. Have a safe trip if we don’t see you before you leave,” Kallie called
after them as they left.

Outside,
Tad looked down at Courtney. “I want you and Milo to go to the cabin, I need to
find Lisa and see what got her so worked up.”

“Don’t
worry about her.”

“I
must, this is so unlike her.” He dropped the key into her hand. “I’ll be there
soon.”

“If he
can help Lisa see what she’s doing, it’s worth a try. Come on, sweetie.” Milo
slid his arm around her waist and led the way to the cabin as Tad made his way
in the opposite direction.

“This
is stupid, she’ll never see what she’s doing.”

“He
has to try, as I would if I was in his shoes. You’re our mate, and no matter
how much you deny it her actions affect your happiness. You just want her to
let you live your life, to care about your happiness. If Tad can get that to
happen, it will make you feel better. He’s doing it for you.” Milo’s fingers
teased along the waistband of her jeans. “That’s our cabin.”