Tempted by the Tiger (The Alaska Shifters Book 2) Read online

  “It has worked,” Calvin said sharply. “I’ve seen it.”

  “What?” Zane yelled. “How…how do we not know about this? Calvin, are you joking right now?”

  “Now is not the time for jokes,” he said calmly. Then he turned his yellow eyes toward me. “It could work, but you need to do it now.”

  Derrick nodded and Zane started to pace somewhere behind us. What if it failed? If it failed, Fiona would die anyway and it wouldn’t be peaceful and painless. I had no doubt she’d been in pain from the gun shots and the fall, but her body was shutting down now. She’d lost so much blood she wouldn’t feel anything anymore. I could just let her go in peace. Just let her bleed out in my arms and tell her how much I love her.

  Fuck, I couldn’t lose her!

  “Major?” Derrick whispered.

  “This is insane,” Zane said behind me and Calvin told him to shut up or he’d rip his throat out. Zane bit his tongue but didn’t stop pacing.

  I looked down at Fiona, wishing I could fall into those green eyes again. She had embedded herself into my soul so deeply I knew I wouldn’t survive her death. I wouldn’t want to live without her.

  “Her heart is slowing,” Calvin said.

  “I know.”

  “You don’t have much time.”

  “I know,” I said a little more forcefully. “I know.” Placing a small kiss on her forehead, I whispered into her ear. “I love you, Fiona. Please come back to me.”

  Then I set her head back on the ground and stood. As I backed up, Zane moved out of the way, shaking his head in warning. He didn’t say anything but a part of me agreed with him. No, save her now, the tiger screamed at me. She is ours!

  “She is,” I said to myself a second before I let him have my skin. Our feet landed just inches from her head and Derrick and Calvin pushed themselves away from Fiona’s limp body. I knew what I needed to do, but I had a hard time taking that last step.

  Now! The tiger screeched.

  I can’t.

  You will! He pushed himself into my mind and took over. I felt myself jumping forward, lifting my lips, and plunging my incisors into her flesh. Over and over, we bit her. Not deep enough to hit bone, but certainly deep enough to mix blood and saliva. After we’d punctured every limb and several places on her torso, we laid down beside her and started to lick her wounds.

  Her blood tasted bitter, wrong almost. But we kept working through her injuries. Derrick, Zane, and Calvin stayed in human form and slapped together a makeshift gurney out of limbs and pine boughs while I protected my mate.

  I refused to leave her side. I just couldn’t.

  Please come back to me, I pleaded. I can’t live without you.

  The branches scraped my arms and the frozen ground sliced through my feet. But I couldn’t stop running from whatever was chasing me or it would find me. And while I didn’t know what it was exactly, I just knew it would kill me.

  A thick fog filled the forest and no matter which direction I looked, the whiteness surrounded us. Us. Me and the animal hunting me. I heard him running behind me, his thick feet pounding the ground. My legs worked slowly, as though pushing through syrup, yet I stayed ahead of him. I had to or I would die.

  My hair flowed around my back, suspended in this strange world. The lavender dress covering my body danced in the air with each step I took. I looked behind me, wondering if I could plead with him. Wondering if I could make him stop hunting me. Wondering what happened.

  Was I in heaven? Hell? Somewhere in between? I’d been shot. I’d died, or at least I thought I had. I’d watched Major leap over the ledge to find me. And then there was…nothing. Nothing but darkness and silence and stillness. A stillness I’d never experienced before.

  But then I’d been warned. Something, deep down inside of me, woke me out of the trance and screamed in fear. That voice told me to run, so I did. I’d jumped to my feet and ran through the fog.

  He was getting closer.

  I pressed forward, begging my legs to listen. Time had slowed and I moved as though trapped underwater. Even as I ran up the cliff’s edge, I feared I would be caught. A branch snapped behind me and I screamed. Please stop chasing me. Please leave me alone.

  I turned at the frightening sound of his breath. He didn’t speak, and in the fog I couldn’t see him. But I knew he was there. With one step backward, I edged closer to the end. A shadow rippled in the whiteness, a form almost taking shape. But when I whipped my head around to look below me, the dark spot had disappeared by the time I tuned back toward him.

  “You can’t have me!” I cried out into the mist. “You can never have me!”

  His roar surrounded us both, as though coming from all directions. Shadows darted in and out of my vision as I took another step backward. In slow motion, I turned again, trying to see what lay ahead in the fog. The ground disappeared just a few inches from my bare feet but the forest wouldn’t reveal what secret she held below.

  Another roar.

  Closer.

  Louder.

  Fear shocked my heart and the pain skittered to my fingers and toes. My hair continued to dance around my head, the dress flowing through an invisible layer of matter. My toes began to sink into the moist dirt as though making the decision for me.

  No, I would not die here.

  His breathing increased and the footsteps sounded so close. I should have been able to see him, yet the fog kept his form well hidden. Behind me the ground dropped away. My heel slipped over the edge and I grabbed the thin branch of a nearby pine to steady me.

  “I’ll do it!” I screamed through my tears. “I’ll jump.”

  Silence.

  “Who are you?” I shouted into the mist.

  More silence.

  The dirt between my toes started to crumble. The ground slid beneath my body as the entire edge of the forest fell away. I screamed in fear, my voice dissipating into the fog that smothered this world. Falling backward through the air, I floated down to the depths beneath me—not fast enough to die but not slow enough to control anything.

  Turning my head, I searched for solid ground below. But the fog had thickened and the length of my fall remained a mystery. With arms flailing, I shouted into the space around me. The shadow had disappeared, the animal chasing me no longer a threat. And as I continued to fall in slow motion, I began to welcome death. The silence and stillness of nothing offered a peace I could never find while I was living.

  I would miss Major. I loved him. Loved him. The memory of our brief time together brought me comfort as I accepted the inevitable and stopped fighting against the fog. Spreading my arms wide, I closed my eyes and smiled up into the air. My heart slowed while I wrapped myself in thoughts of Major and the beautiful white tiger that had claimed every part of me.

  And just as I blew out the last of my breath, my back slammed into something hard and cold. A moment later, icy water surrounded me and my lungs filled with the burning sensation of a horrible death. The water was so cold I couldn’t move my arms. I couldn’t make myself push to the surface or kick my legs. I was stuck, frozen in place and drowning in this dark hole.

  A shimmer of light caught my attention overhead but then it passed. As I sunk deeper and deeper into the abyss, I realized just how much I really didn’t want to die. My life had just begun. I’d just started over and god dammit I wasn’t ready to leave it.

  I wanted more time with Major.

  Something grabbed my wrist. Just like Major had on that cliff, the firm grip stopped my descent. Only this time, it didn’t hurt. Whether it was the freezing water or the fact that I might be dead, I felt nothing as the hand yanked me upward. Seconds later, I found myself lying on my back on a sandy beach. The fog had cleared a little, letting me see the waterfall in the middle of a forest and the deep pool I’d fallen into.

  I looked up, trying to find the cliff’s edge and the animal chasing me, but the misty whiteness blocked my view. Pushing up on my elbows, I examined my surroundings some mor
e. Blue water as clear as a fresh mountain lake, mosses and plants as green as emerald, and a white sand beach out of place here. My lavender dress clung to my body like a second skin, but no longer did I feel the chill of the water. A small ray of sun broke through the fog and warmed me from head to toe. In no time at all, I was dry and clean and while I wondered how this could be, my brain stopped processing all thoughts of reality.

  This place wasn’t real.

  “Fiona?”

  I jumped to my feet and turned toward the sound of his voice behind me. “Major.” The mist parted and my white tiger shifter stepped onto the beach. He hesitated, watching me with keen eyes and lowering his gaze like he might scare me. “Major, is that you?”

  He smiled, and my heart warmed in relief. I wasn’t alone and Major had found me. He’d come into this place between to…well, I didn’t know what he was here for, but I didn’t care.

  I rushed toward him, jumping into his arms and loving the way they felt so solid against my back. Shirtless, his warm body pressed tightly against my dress, allowing me to feel every part of his hardness and excitement.

  Major kissed my forehead and set me down. Grabbing both of my cheeks, he forced my eyes toward his. “Fiona, are you here?”

  I tried to pull away in surprise, but he held me tight. “Here?”

  He shook his head and then smashed his lips against mine. His tongue pushed inside with a need I hadn’t sensed from him before. My legs melted as I returned the gesture and allowed him access to every part of my body. And that kiss…that kiss made me feel alive again. Like Major himself had given me the pulse of life. Shocked at the rush of heat soaring through my body, I pulled back and sucked in a deep breath.

  “What’s….what’s happening to me?”

  He pulled me close and whispered into my ear, “Let me help you.”

  I melted the second he sucked on my earlobe and trailed his amazing kisses down my neck. With a mix of teeth and lips, he moved to my collarbone and slipped the straps of my dress down over my shoulders. I let out a small moan, delighted that I could feel again and that his touch felt so fucking exciting. It was as though every place his skin met mine, a fire spread to my core, giving me increased energy and making me crave him more than I already did.

  When his mouth brushed against the tight nub of my nipple, my knees buckled. As gentle as possible, Major lowered us to the sand below while he continued to send his warmth through me. I grabbed his dark hair in my hands and held him close to my breasts. He bit them both, a slight tease at first, but getting more intense with each moan that escaped my lips.

  “More,” I breathed, pushing his head lower.

  He chuckled and sat up long enough to rip the dress from my body. His eyes had turned the golden-orange of his tiger and I swear something inside of me growled at that. The animal, so close to the surface, had me begging for more. And when he pushed my knees wide, I invited him in with a quick roll of my hips.

  With fingers wrapped in his hair, I lowered his face between my legs. The moment his tongue darted against my clit, I screamed his name. Wherever we were, in this world between the living and the dead, every touch of his had an exaggerated sense of pleasure. And every time a piece of his skin brushed against me, that warmth from before heated my blood and made me crave his touch with an intensity unmatched before now.

  His tongue moved eagerly against my folds, making me twitch with each sensation. I held him close, burying his face in my sex as we made love on this imaginary beach. With fingers digging into my thighs, Major complied. He pulled and teased and sucked until my orgasm built to a point that couldn’t be contained. When he slid two fingers inside of me in time with his tongue movements, I knew I couldn’t hold on for long. My hips bucked against his face as the energy broke free. And in this odd world, the orgasm lasted much longer than possible. Waves upon waves of hot energy flowed from my sex to my toes, and I cried out into the fog around us.

  Major continued to stroke my folds until the last pulse faded. But he didn’t stop. Strong hands grabbed my thighs and a moment later I looked at him in shock as I felt the soft pinch of torn flesh. “Did you just bite me?” I asked, surprised by how good it felt.

  He looked up at me, head still lowered against my inner leg, and smiled. The slightest hint of crimson danced across his lips as he teased me. “You like it,” he replied.

  Laying my head back in the sand, I smiled up at the fog. “I do,” I whispered, just as he bit the other leg. That warm energy was back, coursing through my blood like an aphrodisiac. So as Major continued to nip every part of my body, I decided I wanted to take control. Not satiated yet, I quickly sat up and pushed against his chest. He looked surprised as I flipped us around and pressed his back into the sand. As he’d done with my dress, in one quick move, I pulled his jeans free. Had I been able to focus on anything more than his rock-hard body below me, I would have wondered just exactly how that happened. But Major’s large erection, tanned skin, toned body, and defined muscles had my attention drawn elsewhere.

  “Fiona?” he asked with a partial grin. “Are you okay?”

  Am I okay? What an odd question to ask. Sure, I felt stronger and was a little surprised that I had that kind of strength, but I was more than okay. I was wild. Feral. Strong.

  And Major was about to enjoy just how good I felt.

  Pressing my lips against his pecs, I kissed the area around his nipple before taking it between my teeth. With a teasing nip, I enjoyed the feeling of him writhing underneath me. He’d grabbed my hips and started pushing them back and forth over his cock. My moist folds welcomed the feeling, the wetness increasing with each stroke. Our bodies warmed against each other, a fire taking hold deep inside of me. The flames wanted to consume me, consume us. They danced between our naked forms in an invisible display, binding us together even more.

  In just a few minutes, I thought I would explode. This energy pulsing through me felt better than anything else. And even though I had no idea what was happening to me, to us, I smiled at the intense cravings controlling my urges. Wrapping my hand around Major’s thick cock, I stroked it while rocking my hips back and forth. He said nothing but growled underneath me while I demanded his attention.

  Heat. Energy. Fire. The fire in my core needed a place to go. So, without hesitation, I lowered myself onto him and enjoyed the way he stretched and filled me up from the inside. His fingers dug into my hips, pulling me closer and forcing him deeper. I called out into the air, the noise sounding eerily like one of Major’s roars. He tensed beneath me but when I looked back down at him, his smile had grown.

  “You are beautiful,” he breathed.

  In response, I pounded my sex against him, riding his cock faster and faster. His eyes closed when I pushed on his chest and he whispered my name. I reveled in the power of controlling this tiger. And I was in control. I’d never felt better as I got closer and closer to orgasm. Major sat up, repositioning me in his lap, so that he could lose his face between my breasts. I continued to rock back and forth while he buried his mouth against my flesh. The sand grains dug into my knees, that pain matching the ecstasy and making the whole experience more intense.

  Major pulled my ass closer, increasing the speed in which I pounded against him. Each press of his pelvis against my sex brought me closer to a second raging orgasm. I screamed his name when the energy exploded inside and I swear I caught on fire myself. The heat of the electricity scorched my skin from my head to my toes, lasting longer than any other orgasm yet. Major’s hot seed pulsed into me in waves, each twitch of his hips making me smile wider. We rocked together with every muscle contraction, my folds tightening and holding him inside.

  Our sweaty bodies glistened when the sun ray broke through the mist again. My brown skin matched Major’s and I watched the moisture sparkle in the sunlight. His tiger eyes studied me as I explored my body. My arms felt stronger and I was moving faster. No longer did I feel like I was trapped underwater yet the fog still surrounded us
in this strange world.

  “Where are we?” I asked while watching a drop of water roll off my hand.

  “We’re on the beach,” Major whispered, enthralled with what I was doing.

  “I don’t want to leave this place,” I said.

  “We can’t stay.”

  I looked down at him and smiled. I could still feel him inside of me and I never wanted to pull us apart. “Why not?”

  Major cupped my cheek and let his palm brush against my face. I leaned into the touch and closed my eyes. “This isn’t our home,” he finally said.

  With a sigh, I pushed him back down to the ground and I rested my head against his chest. This wasn’t our home? Could it be? It felt amazing and it was just us. We could make this work, right? Why did we have to go back to before? Why couldn’t we stay in the now?

  Major’s fingers danced over my head and trickled down my back. The shivers sent another wave of need to my core and I squeezed his cock still inside of me. He wiggled with a laugh and wrapped his arms tightly around me. I wanted to take him again. I wanted to fuck him through eternity. But as I settled against his warm chest, I felt my eyes grow heavy.

  “I sleepy,” I said.

  “I know.”

  His voice drifted away, like my screams had earlier. I briefly wondered if he would disappear but couldn’t force my body to stay awake. So, before I let the darkness suck me down, I took a deep breath and told him how I felt.

  “Major, I love you.”

  The world around me faded, even the sound of the waterfall dissipated into muffled waves. But just as the last of the noise drifted into the fog, I heard his voice.

  “I love you too, Fiona,” he whispered. “And I need you to wake up now.”

  “You’ve fucked us.” The heels of Danika’s boots scraped against the wood floors of the cabin. “How could you be so reckless?”

  “Give him a break,” Bo said from the doorway. “Only a few of us know.”

  Danika whipped her head around and glared at the grizzly. Her eyes morphed into her beast and she thrust her hands against her hips. Almost the same height as Bo, and way more powerful, she marched over to him and stuck her finger against his chest. Even as Bo growled, she let her animal exude its dominance. I felt the air grow heavy with her threat. “Someone will find out,” she pushed through gritted teeth.