CHAPTER THIRTEEN
“Things are worse than we thought.” Kenyon and Sage were wrapped up in her hospital bed, which meant she was basically draped across him, but he couldn’t find it inside himself to move out from under her.
She ran her hand along the black lines on his body, tracing the one over his heart, forcing a low rumble from his chest. He realized he was purring. She was part of him. She ran through his veins and he knew he would do anything to hold onto her.
“What happened?” He could feel her heart racing against his chest. Pushing back a few errant strands of dark hair from her forehead, he placed a kiss to her temple.
“For one, there is a reward for Nik’s head. The owners of the truck stop have turned things around. They are saying a group of vigilantes came in and attacked them, freeing a very dangerous tiger. He supposedly attacked three men on the way out, killing one of them. Every fucking redneck or mercenary in the area is going to be looking for him.” Saying the words, reliving what they’d been through that night, still had him on edge. His brother’s situation was even more critical now.
“Is there any chance he will shift back into a human?”
He let out a long, low sigh. “I don’t know. This thing that’s inside him is so seductive, so hard to walk away from. You know how much willpower it takes to turn back into a human once you’ve been in the tiger’s skin? And he’s been changed for so long, I just don’t know. I’ve never known one of us to be a tiger for that long and be able to change back.”
“What do you plan to do?”
“That’s the other part of what has happened. Why I said things were worse.” He shifted so he could look in her eyes as he spoke. “I want you to know I did not remove your tattoo. I am not responsible for what happened to it or to mine. It was done without my consent as was several other things since that night.”
“Then who?” Confusion clouded her face.
“My mother. Himani is here, and she is planning to name me the new leader. The council is meeting tomorrow. At sunset. They are planning to tell everyone that I am the new leader and that our clan will be joining with the Canadian clan.”
“I thought you were already part of the Canadian clan. Through your mother’s family.”
“Not exactly. When she married my father, she became a Maddux for all intents and purposes. But when her brother died a few months ago, she saw the opportunity to force a union in a way that would expand her power. She wants us to form a large clan which spans the continent.”
“More tigers would mean more protection, right?”
“And more problems. Do you know how hard it will be to control so many people, with a family that spread apart? I think it would be a nightmare, and Nik must have thought that way too when he refused to go along with her plans.”
“So what does this have to do with me?”
He swallowed hard, not wanting to say the words, knowing if he said them it meant they were true.
“Tell me,” she insisted. He knew there was no way to hide anything from her. Like it or not, she was still his soul mate. Having their tattoos removed did nothing to release that bond.
“I am no longer bound to you. She made sure of that.” He indicated the marred tattoos. “Now I am required to bond with one of the Canadian tigers, a member of the Lenox family.”
He watched the reaction in her eyes, the way her mouth hung slightly open, a look of disbelief crossing her face. “So you had nothing to do with the tattoo? You didn’t have it removed?”
“I would never do anything that would take me away from you or you away from me. I don’t care what I said before. I won’t let you go. I love you, Sage, with everything I have, and I will find a way to be with you.”
“How?”
“Leave this place. My brother saw fit to leave it, and I can do that as well.”
If he were banished from the family, he would never be allowed to come back, to see his family and friends, to spend time with anyone he had ever known. But he would be with the only person who mattered. Perhaps Nik knew better than Kenyon thought. Being out from under the influence of the clan would be liberating in its own way, even if it meant he would be in certain danger from his mother if she decided to have him tracked down.
“You can’t be serious. You can’t leave. Where would you go?”
“Where would we go? This is not about me any longer. It is you and I. I would go wherever you want to go.”
“Would she allow you to go? Would your mother let you leave?”
“She would have no choice. I will go or I will kill her on my way out. I will not be part of her plans. She can’t control me.”
Her stomach twisted into a knot. Those words were so ominous. She ran her fingers along his jawline, then settled them onto his lips. He puckered to kiss them.
“I may not see you until this is all over. You’re healing well, obviously.” He grinned. “You can leave here later today once they take all these contraptions off you.” He gently tugged at her IV line that still worked its way into her left arm. “I want you to go somewhere safe until I can join you. I don’t want you to be here when this all goes down.”
His words hit her square in the gut. He was planning a showdown, and he didn’t want her anywhere near. He wanted to keep her safe even if it meant putting himself in harm’s way.
She didn’t know what to stay to him. She didn’t want to leave, but she knew there was really nothing she could do here. If his mother was here, it would be best to make herself scarce. She was not part of their clan, so her presence was neither needed nor welcome at their little gathering. Still, she had the unsettling feeling that if she left today, it wouldn’t just be for today. This would be the end of whatever it was that Kenyon and she had. Would Himani really just allow him to walk away? Somehow Sage doubted it.
Just a few days ago, all she wanted was to sever her ties with the Maddux family and walk away from all this blood oath business. She wanted to be free—really free—to do what she wanted and to continue fighting for her causes. There was a ranch in Oklahoma in desperate need of her help and another one in Florida that had recently been illegally raided by animal activists who did not have the animals’ best interests at heart.
Both those situations had been on her mind the day she had walked into the police station. Louisiana was just a stop for her, but once again, she had been dragged into the Maddux family’s mess by Kenyon and her connection to him.
Right now, looking into his yellow eyes, this was the only place she wanted to be. She wanted to run her hands along his body, trace the stripes on his skin, memorize every detail about him. But she wanted to do it in order to better familiarize herself with him rather than to put him to memory for when she had to leave. It hit her deep in the chest when she realized she did not want to leave. Not today. Not ever.
He nuzzled against her neck as her mind raced with a thousand possibilities. “I should get going. I have much to do before all this goes down.”
“Kenyon, I—”
He touched his fingers to her lips, then reached for her left hand and took it in his. “Do you see this?” They both looked at their tattoos, the pink Xs marking through them. “You are mine. We are bound to one another. The pink marks there only further bind us. We shared pain. We share love. Whatever it is that you want to say, don’t say it. I will see you soon.”
He took her into his arms and kissed her like his entire life depended on it. Her head was still reeling when he pulled himself out of the bed and walked away.
* * * * *
She was free to go. It was almost sunset, the IV had been removed, and her prescription for the remainder of her pain pills and antibiotics had been placed in a bag for her. The clothes she had worn the night of the attack had been ruined, but Melanie had gathered up someone’s hand me downs and brought them to her. She was thankful to be in clothes instead of a silly hospital gown, but she was not thankful to be leaving the family’s compound.
She had paced the room earlier, trying to think of a way to stay. Kenyon wanted her to leave, wanted her safe. But she couldn’t just walk away and leave him at the mercy of his clan. Not when she was what he was fighting for.
Someone had seen fit to bring her car to the complex, so she had the keys and her bag in her hand as she made her way to the front door of the facility. The sky was already turning orange in the distance, and she knew the fate of the clan was being decided. Kenyon’s brother would be excommunicated. He would not be allowed to return to the Maddux land, and he would not be the ruler he had been trained to be since birth.
She sat in her car, staring ahead, willing her fingers to put the keys into the ignition so she could drive out of there. They didn’t move. Instead of putting her car into gear and leaving, she saw her reflection in the windshield. She was changing into one of Kenyon’s female relatives, someone who wasn’t here, but whose presence wouldn’t disrupt anything that was taking place. As soon as the transformation was complete, she slid her keys into the glove box and put her bag on the floorboard. Then she opened the car door and walked away from it, heading toward whatever the hell it was she thought she was going to do next.
CHAPTER FOURTEEN
The traditional meeting place was in the center of the complex in an area that had long been swept free of grass. The dirt pit, as it was sometimes called, was surrounded by felled logs and the center was dug out to create a hole for the bonfire. His brethren had already gathered, most of them sitting on the logs, waiting for the sun to go down, and for Himani to stand before them with her proclamations.
The council would follow whatever she wanted, he was certain of that. But he was also certain he would either die here tonight or he would be set free to be with Sage. Every muscle in his body vibrated with that thought, and it drove him forward as he stepped into the dirt.
Tigers he didn’t recognize stood, arms folded across their chests, a look of stern determination on their faces. They were colored differently from Kenyon’s people, lighter skinned with lighter hair and eyes. Of course, being from the North, they had probably adapted to the climate there just as Kenyon’s people had adapted to the Southern clime.
Kenyon stood facing the four men who he knew would be guarding Himani’s entrance. She had enough muscle to render him powerless if she so chose, but he hoped he would be able to overpower her guardians. He had to do it, for Sage’s sake.
When Himani finally entered the area, she looked like a typical grandmother wearing business attire. Her navy blue suit belied the beast inside her and the way her long, white hair was pulled into a bun made her look like a formidable opponent in a battle of wits, but not in a physical battle. All this was meant to throw him off his game. His mother was one of the most lethal tigers of her generation, which was one reason why her sons were of such importance.
She nodded toward Kenyon, but he stood there, stone still, refusing to acknowledge her.
“We have come here tonight,” Himani began, her voice thick with the Canadian accent she had picked up during her time away. “To pass judgment on one of our own who has made moves to put our entire way of life in jeopardy. I am sad to say that my oldest son, Nikhil Ashad Maddux has willingly exposed himself to the general public and has put himself, and all of us in danger.”
Kenyon loved that Himani equated a family meeting with death and danger. He rolled his eyes at her drama. This was a serious situation, and Nik had caused it when he decided to run wild as a tiger and had gotten himself caught, but playing up the incident as if it were the end of their people was pushing things a little too far.
“As you know, we cannot be without a leader. Your generation, the generation that is ruling now, is responsible for the well-being of our family, for continuing the traditions that began long ago in Asia, then traveled across Europe before becoming
changed
here in the New World.”
“I am the oldest living Maddux in direct line from our ancestor, Maddux Ashad, who changed our name and bestowed this gift upon us. It is in my hands to decide what happens next.”
The knot which had been in his stomach all day twisted, making itself known and he caught a scent on the air that should not be here, one that was foreign in this setting, but that he knew as well as he knew his own name.
Sage.
She was here somewhere, once again putting herself in danger. Part of him wanted to seek her out, but he knew she was smart. She would not be here as herself, but would instead take on the form of someone who could blend in with the tigers. He was the only one who would know any different.
“I have put much thought into this and the only course of action, an action that has never taken place in the modern history of our clan, is needed. The clan’s second born will be moved into the position of power. From now on, Kenyon Maddux, descendant of Maddux Ashad, is your new leader, and for all intents and purposes, Nikhil Ashad Maddux is dead.”
There were no cheers. There was nothing to sign, no jumping over the fire. Just a series of words spoken by his mother. And now Kenyon was the leader and Nik was considered dead.
“As leader of the clan, Kenyon will no longer carry on the blood oath with the Villalobos. He will be expected to marry immediately in order to fulfill his duties as leader, and will be meeting with the blood heir of the clan in Canada in order to do so.”
Sage watched as Kenyon turned to face the crowd, his face stone serious, the tic at his jaw evident to her alone.
No.
The word hung in her throat, but she didn’t say it. Instead, she stood there and watched as her stone-faced lover bowed to his mother, then to the crowd. He didn’t speak. He didn’t protest any of this, but the look on his face said that he had given up. He would be forced to take Nik’s place and marry the woman Nik had refused.
Now was the moment to walk away. She needed to get into her car and leave, say good-bye to this family, to the man who had taken her soul. She looked down at her wrist. Her tattoo was starting to reappear, that hideous X marking through it, proving to her that it was over, that she had lost him. She was losing control of her façade, and soon she would be standing there, Sage Villalobos, in the tiger’s den.
She moved further into the shadows and waited for her breathing to slow. Right now, she was hyperventilating and knew she was going to pass out. Whoever she had been a few days ago was gone. This person whose skin she was in was weak with need for the man she had been bound to since birth, the man whom she swore she would never fall in love with, the man who owned her soul.
She doubled over, her hands on her knees, in an attempt to still the world around her, which was rapidly spiraling out of control.
The crowd dispersed, luckily not coming in her direction. Finally, only two people were left: Kenyon and Himani.
“I see you have come to your senses.” Himani’s voice echoed over to Sage, who was still hidden in the shadows. Her henchmen and the other tigers had dispersed. The evening’s event was over.
Kenyon let out a low rumble before he spoke. “How dare you come here and make demands of me, declare your oldest son to be dead? You have no fucking right.” His voice was louder than he had intended, she was sure. If anyone else had hung around, they would have witnessed this scene, would have watched as his face started morphing a little more with each word, the beast inside him threatening to come out.
“I have every fucking right. It is my responsibility to clean up this mess. There is so much more at stake here than what you or your brother may want to do.” Himani looked up at her son, but she in no way looked diminutive. Instead, she looked as if she had the upper hand and could easily put him in his place even though he was physically bigger and stronger.
“You want me to just step into his place? Get married? I am the second born. I already have a responsibility to the clan, and it has nothing to do with all this.”
“This is your responsibility. As second born, you will fulfill what Nik did not. You are absolved of your connection to the Villalobos and you are now in line to marry the blood heir to the Maddux Clan.”
“Sorry I didn’t see that in the miserable second born handbook. Must have missed it next to the kick ass insurance benefits.”
“Do not challenge me on this.”
“I will fucking challenge you all that I want. You are not even part of this family anymore. You chose a different life long ago and now you want to step in and tell two thousand of your family members, whom you walked away from, what they can and can’t do, who their leader will be. You ask them to declare a man dead who, for all we know, is in trouble. And you call yourself a mother.”
“I am your fucking mother, and you’d do well to remember that.”
They had circled around each other so that Himani’s face was now visible to Sage, and her tiger features were on display as well. They both looked as if they were wearing tiger war paint on their human faces as they stalked one another, sizing each other up.
“I want no part of this.”
“Why? Because it means that you can’t have your little wolf?”
Kenyon’s eyes blazed at her comment. “I will kill you for what you did to her.”
“You did it to her, my son, the moment you chose her over your family, the moment you decided you would disobey me.”
“You didn’t even give me a choice.”
“So I give you one now, her or us. Choose wisely.”
“I tell you what,
mother
.” He practically spat the last word. “Why don’t you get back on your private jet and fly the hell back to wherever it is you have been hiding, and I will move this family into the twenty-first century.”
Sage watched in horror as both humans completely disappeared and two large, ferocious tigers took their place. Himani’s white fur with black stripes glowed in the darkness while Kenyon’s orange fur with black stripes reflected the firelight. Both emitted low growls before pouncing on each other.
She had only ever seen tigers fight on the Animal Channel, and this was nothing like what the cameras had captured. This was a struggle between two generations, each seeking something different for the family they supposedly loved. Their roars and growls drew a crowd as several members of the family returned, the beast evident on their faces, as they all prepared for a battle.
No one joined the struggle as mother and son tumbled in the dirt, each biting and clawing at the other, trying to establish dominance. Sage’s disguise completely disappeared as she stood there, watching the man she loved possibly fight to the death with the animal who had given birth to him. She mused for a second that most women hated their mothers in law, but few could say that they were actually beasts.
Deciding that she was obviously going insane from the past few days and seeing what may be her lover’s demise, she tried to get a hold of herself, but her heart was pounding so fast and her breathing was shallow again. Maybe she hadn’t quite healed from her encounter with Nik, and her rush to heal was catching up with her.
She saw blood on Himani’s coat, and she wasn’t sure whose it was. Finally, Himani rolled onto her back, exposing her stomach in defeat. Kenyon had won.
Himani slowly transformed back into a human and Sage could see that the blood was coming from his mother’s side. Kenyon looked up, and she swore his eyes made contact with hers before he pounced, leaving his mother in the dirt and disappearing into the night.