You're Kitten Me (7 page)

Braden sighed and ran a hand through his hair. “Yeah.” He huffed. “Yeah. But she was a human who could become a tiger. A tiger that could pull your tail.” Tone grim, he put voice to the reason behind his hesitancy. “What would you have done if she was a small wolf?”

His alpha’s eyes widened and he knew the male’s thoughts mirrored his own. “Oh, shit.”

“Right.”

Ares eased toward one of the deck chairs and lowered onto the seat. “Oh, shit. You two…” He took a deep breath and released it slowly. “I don’t know that you two would ever have a full mating. Not without…”

Not without her tugging his tail. Mating bites were easily shared. A mate tugging his tail, being strong enough to take that last step and meeting him tooth and claw, was not.

“I know, but that doesn’t change the fact she’s mine.” Braden closed his eyes, imagining their future without that final step. “It doesn’t change the fact I’ll claim her in any way possible and keep her. I was ready to let her go because of that, you know? I was willing to live without her rather than only have half of her. Now… Now I won’t let her go and she wants nothing to do with mating.”

Braden gave a rueful chuckle. “She claims she doesn’t have a mate.”

“Maybe you’re wrong?”

“Nah,” he closed his eyes and breathed deeply, drawing in her lingering scent. “No, she’s mine, just like I’m hers. She just doesn’t want to admit it.”

“Damn,” Ares whispered.

“Yup.” Not much else to say.

“That is going to make what’s coming up next
really
fucked up.”

Braden knew he’d regret it but he asked anyway. “What?”

“We have a situation.” Ares grimaced.

“What kind of situation?”

“The one that involves a public hearing with Cadman from DoPE.”

Disbelief held him silent for a moment. “Hearing? What the fuck?”

“Our guy inside texted me from his throwaway cell this morning. Cadman will come to the den tomorrow morning to arrest Gannon and Murphy as well as you and Ronnie.”

“Why?” He frowned. “What the hell?”

Cadman and DoPE again. Interfering where they didn’t belong. He still remembered Veronica’s pain when they’d discovered that Cadman and DoPE were behind the attack on Claire. Veronica’s father had welcomed Cadman in his home, eaten at their table, hunted with the wolf, and was a friend of the family. Then the tigers came out and Cadman revealed his true colors.

“Why?” Ares sighed and leaned forward, resting his elbows on his knees. “Public opinion. The media didn’t protest when we enforced tiger law on our own lands. DoPE didn’t push because they haven’t decided if the men were on a sanctioned mission or rogue. They still aren’t standing firm on that issue.

“At this point, Claire’s mate is just that—a mate staying with her family. The other men are classified as trespassers as far as the media is concerned. It’s something humans understand from when the other apex shifters came out. Everyone gets that shifters are very territorial. Even more so on the night of a full moon.”

“And what do they think about this morning?”

Had it only been this morning?

“You four are responsible for the death of two humans, and the severe injury of a third, on a public road.”

Fury rose, rushing forward and consuming him before he had the opportunity to say a word. His tiger was there, slipping into his human body and seizing control of every inch of him. “They held a knife to her throat, Ares. A knife. To her
throat
. To
my mate’s
throat.”

“No one but you four saw the knife. The video they have is from a distance. The humans present didn’t see you rescuing a hostage, they saw three half-shifted tigers kill two men and critically injure a third before loading them all into your SUV and disappearing. We don’t even know what happened to the knife.” Ares lowered his voice. “Humans are calling for blood and demanding DoPE do something about us.”

“Our actions are sanctioned by tiger law, Ares. Public property or not. Tiger law prevails. It’s part of our declaration paperwork.” He couldn’t hold the growl back. It refused to be suppressed.

“I have Zoe already talking to legal.” Ares coughed. “As well as calling in an experienced consultant.”

“Who?” That growl was still present and some of it broke free. They wanted to arrest him
and
Veronica, along with those under his protection. The cat stretched and pressed against his skin, scraping him from inside out. It ached to be released, to hunt the humans who thought they could put its mate behind bars. “Can they be trusted? I didn’t know we added anyone to the payroll.”

Ares hesitated. “They’re trustworthy and they have a plan. They’re already packing and will be on a plane before sunrise. They should be here before Cadman shows up.”

“Who?” His alpha still hadn’t said.

“He would have come whether this problem arose. Remember that. It would have happened eventually.” Nervous tension filled his alpha’s voice.

“Who?”

“I’m just saying you’d have to face him at some point.”

“You sound like a pussy. Who?”

“I’m saying this as your best friend, not your alpha. I don’t sound like a pussy. I sound like a friend trying to help a guy out.”

“
Fine, as
my friend,
quit pussyfooting around and tell me who?
”

Ares sighed. “Walter Barrington.”

“Shit.” Braden squeezed his eyes shut, tipped his head forward and pinched the bridge of his nose. Walter Barrington. Walter-motherfucking-Barrington. Or rather, alpha of the national wolf pack, aka Veronica’s father.

“Pretty much.”

“Can’t we, I don’t know, deny him?” At least until he and Veronica formed a bond the wolf couldn’t destroy. Hell, he wasn’t above just flat out lying to the wolf. Veronica was unwilling to verbally claim him. Maybe they could keep it a secret…

“We have two choices. We can let him come, and you deal with the bullshit between you while he saves all your asses with whatever trick he has up his sleeve. The other option is to deny him and you four go on the run while we try to untangle it ourselves.

“My tigers won’t be arrested. This is non-negotiable.” Ares’s voice was hard and unbending. “The problem is we’ve never dealt with the U. S. government in this way. They didn’t push with their soldiers and Claire. They’re pushing now because those three were just regular citizens. Idiots, but untrained.”

“Dammit,” he hissed.

“Yeah.”

Braden ran a hand through his hair, his frustration and anger growing with every heartbeat. He’d known there would be repercussions, but he hadn’t imagined going to jail. Their actions were more than sanctioned by tiger law, and tiger law trumped the human’s law. Always. Their inner animals made it too difficult to adhere to the restrictive rules non-shifters lived under. When a shifter was attacked, he or she attacked back. Survival of the fittest and death to the dumbasses.

Some said it wasn’t fair. Shifters could sense another’s dominance, which allowed them to decide whether to advance or retreat. It was a built-in survival instinct. That was how it’d been explained, in very small words the pencil pushers could understand, that no one—
no one
—could rival a shifter in strength. A human’s automatic response when facing a shifter should be to back down.

“What time are we expecting him?”

“I figure by seven. Eight at the latest. I’m going to have Hawke and Daniel pick him up. Gannon and Murphy will remain home. I don’t want anyone else leaving pride lands.”

He raised his eyebrows in surprise. “Hawke is going to willingly leave Claire’s side?”

The male hadn’t budged since the tigress was unwillingly mated.

“He doesn’t have a choice. I feel for them both, I do, but the good of the pride needs to come first right now. She’s safe, she’s healthy, and once this settles,
and I get a new pilot
, the cousins will be here.”

Braden winced. “Yeah, about that—”

“It doesn’t matter. We’ll deal with that later. Warn Ronnie about her father, and brace yourself—you’re gonna have to tell him you’re her mate. It might change his approach. There are laws about tigers and mates.”

Yeah, there were, but at the moment Braden was torn between anger at having his hand forced and panic. He was a strong tiger in his own right, but Walter was a national alpha. He had a feeling the wolf edged him out when it came to dominance and strength.

Tomorrow was gonna suck. Tonight… tonight he’d crawl into bed beside her and hold her close, take what comfort he could. There was no telling what was in store for them once the sun rose.

“Fine.” It was so not fine, but there was nothing he could do about it. “I’ll speak with Veronica. Have someone notify us when he lands.”

In the meantime, he’d try to figure out how to save their asses—from Cadman and Walter.

He wasn’t sure who was the worse threat.

Fuck that, he knew—Walter.

Ronnie forced another smile to her lips, fighting to keep the light banter rolling while she made breakfast. She’d crawled from Braden’s bed, intent on cooking breakfast and then returning. Food, then more mating discussion.

And it was kinda sorta important considering she’d kinda sorta eavesdropped and discovered her father was coming.

Her father.

And her mate.

Together.

She wasn’t sure how that was gonna go.

Because of course her dad remembered that night all those years ago. The tears. The blood. The bruises and deep gouges. She figured he was just as anti-mate as she was.

Maybe. If her mom got ahold of him though… Talia Barrington was all about grandcubs. The more the merrier.

Nothing for it, they were going to have to face the mate-ish problem head on. Hopefully, before the Barringtons showed up on the doorstep.

Her wolf yearned for Braden, whimpered and whined and begged her to go to him. It wanted to bare her neck and beg for his… bite? Yes. His bite. The beast understood her hesitance and worry. It remembered that time all those years ago. The strong hands holding her captive, the bared fangs, the snarled demands…

So, she’d woken with every intention to grab food and go, but instead of finding the room empty, she discovered Claire sitting in the dark, unfocused gaze trained on the brightening sky.

And it’d broken her heart. The young girl was tortured by what’d happened, and Ronnie couldn’t blame her. To be violated—betrayed by her tiger—in such a way… It made a woman doubt everything. Men. Her beast. The world.

Ronnie pulled a smoking baking dish from the oven and Claire chuckled, the sound soft, but present. “I don’t think those should go on the plate.”

Finding the quiet tigress in the kitchen had revised her original plans. Now she cooked for the whole house. Mating discussions with Braden would have to wait. Her wolf wouldn’t allow her to walk away from the damaged tiger.

Staring at the blackened mounds of what was supposed to be cinnamon rolls, she knew they shouldn’t be offered to the gang. “You’re probably right.” She met Claire’s stare. “How much more flour do we have? Enough for me to try another batch?”

She hoped so. She had a feeling it’d take a lot more since baking wasn’t her forte. Eggs and bacon, yes. They were pretty idiot proof. The rest… not so much.

“Maybe?” Claire raised her eyebrows.

“You know,” she shook her head and placed the hot pan in the kitchen sink. She’d scrape everything off once it cooled. “This is a lot easier when I have my mom.”

“Yeah? She cooks with you?”

Ronnie nodded. “Yeah. She’s always there for me, you know? To, like, help me through anything.” She grimaced. “Everything.”

“Oh.” The woman’s voice was soft. “Mine… I love her, but she’s…” Claire shrugged. “She’s an alpha tigress.”

She moved to the counter and leaned on the granite, placing her forearms on the smooth surface to support her. “What’s that mean?”

“She was just… Tigers aren’t pack animals.”

“Uh-huh.” She nodded, encouraging the woman. Ronnie had a feeling not many just sat with her and listened. Sure, her family was probably well meaning, but many people were all about fixing things instead of just listening.

“We have a pride and an alpha, but tigers don’t need the support of others.”

“Your kind is solitary in the wild.”

“Yeah,” she whispered. “The women are fierce protectors, but the mother-child bond is less than others. In the wild they look after their young until they are able to take care of themselves and then the kids sorta get shown to the curb.” Claire swallowed hard and her stare shifted to the stone counter. “It’s not that she didn’t—doesn’t—love me. She doesn’t know how to be different than how she is.”

“That’s why she’s not here,” she whispered and Claire nodded.

The young tigress focused on Ronnie. “She’s not a bad person. I don’t want you to think that. She called.”

“No, sweetheart, no. I get it. We’re not just human. We’re
other
, too.” Ronnie thought about their impending visitors, her father and the cousins Ares called for. “That’s why your cousins are coming?”

“Yeah. I wish they wouldn’t, but yeah.”

“Why not? It really helped me whe—” she swallowed the rest of the words. “It could help you deal with everything.”

Claire shook her head. “No, I just…” Tears filled the tigress’ eyes. “I need something, and I don’t think they can give it to me. They’re tigers.”

Ronnie knew the feeling well, knew what it felt like to need, but not being able to pinpoint exactly what. She’d only managed to endure her own experience because she’d had her mother. Her mother, who seemed to simply
know
.

Ronnie stretched out her arms and grasped Claire’s hands. There was only one place for the young tigress. Wolf land. Specifically, her mother’s care. Just like Wilden was called the Den or the Wild, the home of the national wolf alpha had its own name. “I think you should go to the Lakes.”

“The wolves?” Claire’s disgust was quickly hidden and Ronnie ignored the expression. Before she’d gotten to know the pride, she would have said the same about tigers.

Tigers had tiger cooties to put it mildly.