The Tiger's Heart Read online

  Bethany leaned into the table, trying to catch Tora’s eye. “First you want me with Raja, now it sounds like you’re trying to scare me away from him. Which is it?”

  “I want you with Raja if you truly love him. I feel that you must know the complete truth. I want you to understand what you’re getting into. Raja’s position can be dangerous, and he’ll need a strong woman beside him. One that understands the dangers and will take precautions when necessary. It will make his job easier if he knows his mate will be safe.” Tora looked away from the silverware, finally meeting Bethany’s eyes.

  “I can’t honestly say I completely understand the dangers, but I’m aware of some of them. Yes, his job is dangerous, I’ll worry about him, but that’s what you do when you love someone. I thought I was living a quiet life with nothing to worry about, and look at me now…Pierce killed my family and has me on his hit list. I’ll do whatever I can to aid Raja rather than distract him.” She ran her hand down her arms, trying to rub away the goosebumps. “Before coming here today, he informed me he assigned guards for my protection. It’s not something I want or feel comfortable about. He explained it was normal for the Lieutenant’s mate to have them, but still it makes me feel awkward. Yet I didn’t fight him on it. I realize that when it comes to shifters, I wouldn’t be able to protect myself. The strength I have is nothing compared to what you have.”

  “Raja assigned you guards for your protection. It will also allow him to focus on his duties, knowing that your guards will keep you safe. We’re living in a very dangerous time, as things are changing for tiger shifters.” Tora’s nerves seemed to fall away with Bethany’s answers. “Who are your guards? Have you met them yet?”

  “Everyone keeps mentioning it’s a dangerous time. I’m getting this feeling it’s more than just Pierce people are referring to.” She shook her head, making a mental note to ask Raja about it later. “Shadow is the Captain of the Guards. I’ve met her. There are four other men I have yet to meet.”

  Raja opened the sliding glass door and stepped in before sliding it closed behind him. “I feel as if I interrupted something.” Raja looked at the silent women in front of him.

  “Go read to your niece before she falls asleep. She’s been waiting for her Uncle Raja all night.”

  He took a step close to Bethany, leaning down to kiss her before whispering in her ear, “You sure you’ll be okay?”

  Bethany nodded. He kissed her again and left the women alone.

  “You two make a remarkable couple.” Tora reached across the table to place her hand over Bethany’s. “Welcome to the family. It’s nice to finally have a sister. All Marcus gave me was another brother.”

  * * *

  Family dinner was a normal occasion that Raja enjoyed. The time he spent with Tora and her family had been limited in the last few months, making him appreciate these evenings more. He was anxious that Bethany would feel uncomfortable but as he watched her out of the corner of his eye, she seemed to be enjoying herself. Even James seemed to feel comfortable.

  The table was cleaned, leftovers stored, dishes in the dishwasher. The evening was winding down, and he couldn’t wait to get Bethany alone again. He could feel Tora watching him. There was something on her mind, and he was sure he would find out what before the night ended.

  There was a light knock at the door. “I’ll get it,” Raja told Tora as she served dessert.

  He stood, stretching. Wonder who it is?

  He wrapped his hand around the door handle when he felt Shadow’s presence on the other side of the door. He swung it open.

  “I’m sorry to bother you during your family dinner, but I need to speak with you.”

  Chapter Twenty-Five

  Raja stood by the window in Marcus’s office with Shadow and Styx sitting in front of the desk. Marcus was generous enough to allow them to use his office instead of standing out in the cold.

  “While we were training with Felix and his men…I received a message from Chris.”

  “The same Chris that betrayed his clan?” His anger raised a notch.

  “Yes. He wishes to speak with you. Connor could set up a video conference.” Shadow shifted her eyes toward Styx. “I brought him with me to stay with Bethany. Chris will only be available at the number he left for a short time. This is something that would need to be done quickly.”

  “What does he want?”

  “He only said he has some information he’s sure you would want.”

  He stared out the window. Chris was a good guard until his betrayal.

  “Fine. Inform Ty of the situation. Let him know I’ll be there to speak with him after I find out what Chris wants. I’ll need a few minutes with Tora and Bethany and then I’ll meet you in the conference room.”

  Shadow left the office. “Styx, wait here,” Raja said before following Shadow out of the office.

  “I’m sorry for the interruption. Something has come up. Styx is in your office; he’s one Bethany’s guards. I need to deal with this now. Bethany, after you finish your dessert and wish to leave, he can escort you back to our quarters. I hope to be back before then but if not, he’ll stay with you until I’m home.” He laid his hand on Bethany’s shoulder, gently rubbing it.

  “Styx?” Tora glared at him, her eyes fiery with anger. “What are you thinking?”

  “He is a great warrior.” Raja nodded, still rubbing Bethany’s shoulder.

  “He’s ruthless,” she roared at him. “You’re trusting him with your mate…your future children.”

  “I know they would be in good hands. He’ll protect them at all cost.”

  “Who else did you assign to her guard?” Tora demanded.

  “The twins Drew and Jayden, and Milo.” He kissed her forehead. “I don’t have time to debate this with you right now. Styx is a great warrior and I trust him to keep her safe. She’s my mate—I wouldn’t put her in jeopardy.”

  “Bethany will be staying here until you return.” Tora slammed the dishrag down on the counter.

  “I can make my own decisions. If this man has Raja’s trust then he has mine as well.” She gave Raja’s hand a squeeze. “Check our quarters first. I need to put my leg up. It’s starting to throb a little. Go, my love. I’ll be fine.”

  “I’ll be back soon. I love you,” he said, kissing her again. He turned his head toward the office. “Styx.”

  After the introductions, Raja slipped quietly out. He hated to leave Bethany to deal with Tora’s anger over Styx as a guard, but he had little choice.

  * * *

  “Five minutes and I’ll have you connected,” Connor called out when Raja came into the conference room.

  “Ty said just deal with it and then swing by his quarters.” Shadow handed him a printout. “Connor traced the number. That’s the location. I contact Jinx and he has a team on the way.”

  “Jinx in West Virginia is the closest clan to Georgia?”

  “It shouldn’t be surprising there are no tiger clans in the South. The heat is not something most of us enjoy.”

  “Probably why he chose Georgia. Still no idea what Chris wants?”

  Shadow shook her head.

  “Raja, you’re almost connected.” Connor vacated the chair, allowing Raja to sit in front of the laptop.

  Moments later Chris’s face filled the screen. “Thank you for taking the time to speak with me, Raja.”

  “What is it you want, Chris?” Raja watched the screen with a lack of enthusiasm. He didn’t care to be there dealing with Chris. His betrayal was still a deep cut through the clan.

  “First I should apologize for what happened…”

  “You mean for your betrayal?” The outrage was raw in Raja’s voice.

  “Yes, my betrayal. If I had any choice…”

  “Chris, you had a choice. You chose the wrong option. Now get to the point of this call.”

  “I couldn’t risk my sister. They had her and would kill her if I didn’t assist them. You have a sister, so you have to un
derstand.” Chris leaned closer to the camera. “I hope the news I bring you might start building the bridge to forgiveness, that this news might take my name off your bounty list.”

  “What’s the news?”

  “Pierce’s trusted advisor, Victor, will be in San Francisco at the end of the week. He’s meeting with a high-ranking Russian tiger. If anyone knows where Pierce is or what his next move is, it will be Victor.”

  “What do you want in exchange for this information? As we know you’re not giving it freely.” Raja sat in the chair unmoving while his brain was running down the facts he knew of Victor, which were few.

  “I would ask that you call off your hunters.”

  “You were a worthy addition to the Alaskan Tigers before your treachery. Nevertheless, you were not worth sending a team after. If you have hunters on your trail, they’re not ours.” With that he turned off the communication.

  “Find out everything you can about Victor, report to me the minute you find anything interesting. If I don’t hear from you, we’ll have a conference at ten o’clock tomorrow morning,” he directed Connor, his thumb and forefinger rubbing the arch of his nose. “This could all be a setup.”

  As Raja stood from the chair, Shadow moved toward the door. “Shadow, get back to your evening off. They might be few and far between if things continue on this path. I’ll speak with Ty and then I’ll find Bethany, and we’ll be retiring for the night. You won’t be needed unless something happens.”

  “Thank you.” She nodded, following him out of the conference room. She made the left, as he turned right toward Ty’s quarters.

  * * *

  “Aww, Raja please sit. Can I get you anything to drink? Coffee perhaps?”

  “Thank you, Tabitha, but no. I just need a moment of Ty’s time please.” Raja yawned. His eyes felt grainy from lack of sleep.

  “He’ll be right out. He was meeting with Felix in his office.”

  Tabitha was curled up on the large black sofa, the red throw pillows used to prop herself up, and a romance novel carefully laid aside to keep the page. Looking around the room, he could see the small changes, the female changes, making the place feel warmer. The red throw pillows, new curtains with brighter prints, everything brought a female touch.

  “Sorry to keep you waiting. Felix and I were going over the changes in the guard schedules now that you have taken Drew and Jayden from the grounds guards, not to mention Styx and Milo.” Ty stepped out of his office followed by Felix.

  “If it is inconvenient, I can make other arrangements.”

  “No, it’s fine. We have promoted two boys from the training class for grounds duty and will be testing some of the guards to move into the positions Milo and Styx left. Keeping Bethany safe is priority as well. Now, what did Chris contact you for?”

  “Victor will be in San Francisco at the end of the week.” Raja leaned forward, his elbows resting on his knees.

  “It could be a setup.”

  “I thought of that as well. But he asked for us to remove the hunters we had on him.”

  “We didn’t send hunters after him.” Ty took as seat next to his mate, pulling her feet into his lap as she lay with her romance novel in hand.

  “I’m aware of that. I believe they’re Pierce’s. If someone betrays someone for you, it would be hard to trust them. If he has any sense, he would realize the need to exterminate him. I have Connor working on finding out everything on Victor.” Raja rubbed the arch of his nose. “Chris honestly believed the hunters were ours, never expecting Pierce. He exchanged the information for the safety of himself and his sister. He hasn’t changed—he’s selfish. He only contacted us to get the hunters off his ass. He’s still probably thinking if the information is correct then we’ll take the hunters off him.”

  “Even if the information is good I want him taken out. He’s too dangerous to keep alive. He betrayed us once, he’ll do it again if the chance is given. Our mates are much too valuable to risk it.” Ty rubbed his hand lazily over Tabitha’s leg.

  Raja nodded. “I told Connor to be at the conference room at ten o’clock. Just the key people for this meeting, since Chris still has friends among the clan. I doubt anyone else will betray us. Still I don’t want to give them the opportunity. Just Felix, Marcus, Thomas, Adam, Connor, Shadow, Styx, and us and our mates.”

  Ty nodded. “Let Lance and Spencer know they’re on standby until further notice. I want them ready to leave at a moment’s notice. They’ll be the ones we send to deal with Chris.”

  Chapter Twenty-Six

  Raja opened the door to his quarters to find Styx standing close, looking as uncomfortable and on guard.

  “While here you may make yourself at home, as long as you are ready to spring to action if the situation calls for it. You don’t have to stand by the door at all times,” Raja said, closing the door behind him.

  “That’s what I told him.” Bethany sat on the couch, her knee propped up on pillows.

  “Styx, I appreciate you bringing her back here. I hope my sister didn’t give you too much trouble.”

  Styx’s shake of his head was met with Bethany’s laugh, lightening the mood throughout the room. “Don’t lie to him.” She laughed again. Finally getting control over herself, she added. “Tora’s very special and I like her, but she has a stubborn streak. It wasn’t until Marcus stepped in that she backed down.”

  “Then I apologize for her actions. Tora has heard rumors from the battlefield. It has left her a little cautious.” He laughed, remembering Bethany saying that she backed down to Marcus. “Marcus is a smart man. He knows better than to question my decisions. Tora, however, likes to press her luck. You think she is bad now, she was a handful before she mated. She’s always been one to speak her mind and didn’t care how much trouble that got her in.”

  “I’ll understand if you wish to override Shadow’s decision for me as Bethany’s guard.” He stood there with sadness in his eyes, making it obvious that he wanted to remain her guard.

  “No. I trust you to keep Bethany safe.”

  “Very well.” He moved away. “If that is all I’ll retired to my cabin.”

  “Be at the conference room at ten o’clock tomorrow morning,” Raja told him, moving toward the woman who meant the world to him. The desire to feel her hands on his body again driving him to the brink.

  “Very well. If you need me, I’ll keep my ear piece in.” Styx slipped out the door, leaving them alone.

  “What happened?”

  “Into bed.” He lifted his mate from the couch as if she weighed nothing. She wrapped her arms around his neck, snuggling her head into his chest.

  “You’re tired. I can walk.”

  “I know you can, but I want to feel you against me.” He nudged the door open with his foot, laid her on the bed and slipped off his shoes and his gun holster before crawling in next to her.

  “You’re still dressed.” She rolled to cuddle into his body.

  “I don’t care. Undress later.” His eyes fluttered as his head hit the pillow. “Chris contacted us tonight. I had to take care of it.”

  “Who’s Chris?”

  “He…betrayed…” He fell asleep, leaving her with unanswered questions.

  * * *

  She lay their wondering what happened, when she caught sight of his phone still clipped to his pants. She gently unclipped it and found Ty’s cell number. She texted him, hoping Tabitha was still awake. Tabitha, it’s Bethany. Who’s Chris? Raja fell asleep before I got the whole story.

  Moments later the cell phone vibrated in her hand. He betrayed us to Pierce. Tried to trade me for his sister.

  She laid there holding the cell in her hands for what seemed like ages, when it vibrated again. Said he has info about a member of Pierce’s gang. Geek Connor is on it. We’ll know more tomorrow. Sleep. You both need it.

  * * *

  “What’s this?” Raja asked Bethany sometime in the middle of the night. Her hand was still clenched around the ce
ll phone.

  “Umm.”

  “Who did you call?”

  “No one.” She dropped the phone to the comforter as if it burned her.

  “You’re not a prisoner here, Bethany. If you want to call someone, you can as long as you’re careful not to give our location away.” He grabbed the phone before rolling over to place it on the nightstand.

  “I didn’t call anyone. I texted Tabitha.” She pulled her bottom lip between her teeth, biting it.

  “Tabitha doesn’t have a cell phone. We ordered a new untraceable cell for her, but it hasn’t arrived yet. Our cells are custom-ordered to make them harder to trace. Which reminds me that I’ll have to order you one as well.”

  “Ty’s cell phone. Check if you don’t believe me.”

  “I believe you.” He put his hand on her waist, pulling her closer to him. “Why?”

  “You fell asleep on me. I couldn’t sleep not knowing who this Chris was.”

  Raja laughed, a rich laugh that gently caressed her skin. “Sorry. I was exhausted. I didn’t mean to fall asleep on you. Did they answer your questions?”

  “Somewhat. He deceived the clan.”

  He nodded, kissing her neck. “He gave me information on Victor, Pierce’s trusted advisor. We have a team ready to move on him if the information is true. Connor’s working on it. There’s a briefing at ten you’re more than welcome to attend.”

  “The plane…”

  “Oh, that’s right, your parents’ and sister’s bodies will arrive for the services today. We’ll find out what time. I’ll reschedule the briefing if I have to, I’ll be there with you.”

  A lump rose in her throat as her loss struck home again. She swallowed forcing it to go away, and took a deep breath. “Uncle James will be there, if you have other things that you need to attend to.” She ran her hand over his chest, playing with his soft black chest hair.

  “I’ll be there.” He kissed her forehead. “I love you, Bethany.”