King's Throne (5 page)

“No matter where you go, I’ll follow and protect, Gina. If you let me.” His voice dipped low. “Please let me.”

Their eyes met and held, the silence between them charged.

But she was saved from answering by the loud knock on the cabin door. They had a visitor
, and visitors this late at night couldn’t mean anything good. Mitch jerked upright, willing the room not to spin. He was still too damned weak, but at least he was feeling stronger than he had before, even if his head spun.

“That’s not your dad,” Mitch whispered, pretty sure the soft knock wasn’t the Alpha of all Alphas.

Gina shook her head and tried to go to the door, but Mitch stopped her, rising to his feet. He couldn’t help swaying a bit, but he’d be damned if he was going to let her answer the door alone at this hour of the night.

“Is there any way to see who it is remotely?” he whispered.

Her eyes widened for a moment before she grinned. It looked like she’d remembered something. Reaching into the bedside table’s top drawer, she pulled out a small tablet. She pushed a button and the screen flared to life.

Camera feeds. Nice.

“It’s Mr. Miller. Looks like he brought us some supplies.”

“At this hour?” Mitch questioned even as Gina visibly relaxed. She put the tablet on the nightstand and moved toward the door.

“Relax. I’ve known him all my life. He helped me get you here.”

Mitch wanted to stop her but he was still too wobbly on his feet, much to his chagrin. He could only hope Miller was the friend Gina believed him to be and that he didn’t come bearing bad news.

Gina opened the door and Mitch held his breath.

“I hope I’m not bothering you, but I saw the light and thought I’d check in with some supplies.”

“Light?” Gina looked concerned, and Mitch realized that the windows weren’t just curtained, they were light-proofed. Nice.

“Up top,” Mr. Miller pointed above his head where a vent allowed air to flow into the cabin. There was a small flap of dark fabric pushed to one side near it that was obviously intended to cover even that tiny source of potential light at night.

Gina blushed and bit her lip. “Darn it.”

“It’s all right, sweetheart,” Mr. Miller reached out to pat Gina’s arm in a fatherly way. “Just be glad it was me who saw it and not the big guy. He’d chew your head off for forgetting even something as small as that.”

Gina tugged on a string that had been tucked next to the doorframe and the little flap came down over the vent. With that done, she stepped back to invite the man inside. He accepted her invitation, shaking snow off his boots on the doormat before entering, his arms laden with a basket that looked more suited to a picnic than camping. He handed it over as soon as the door was closed behind him.

“Joan sent some fresh bread and a few other things,” he said in a pleasant voice. “I see your patient is awake.” Mr. Miller focused on Mitch and he felt the piercing gaze of another Alpha.

Mitch was at a decided disadvantage, but he stood his ground. He recognized the look of the man. He was Alpha. Gina had said Miller had been a Royal Guard in his time. Mitch decided to go on the offensive—in what small way he could, weak as he was.

“I’m Mitch Thorburn.” He held out his hand and Miller grasped it for a firm shake, informing Mitch that his first name was Tom. “Thanks for helping get me here. Gina told me about the snowmobile ride.” Mitch smiled slightly, showing his teeth. He liked what he saw of the older man and knew this Alpha had been quite a tiger in his day. He was older now, but he didn’t seem to have lost any of his strength.

“Gina tells me you’re Royal Guard,” the man said with a measuring look in his eyes.

“I am,” Mitch confirmed but didn’t go into detail. The less people who knew about the Nyx being in the area, the better.

“Me too,” Miller confirmed, stepping back, giving Mitch space. “So is my wife. Our children guarded Gina when she was young.”

“Quite a family,” Mitch complimented the older man with a nod.

Being a Royal Guard was a very special thing. It required not only Alpha traits but a particular temperament that wasn’t common. It required selflessness and the instinct to protect others that not all Alphas could claim.

“The big guy said you work for panthers.” Again, Miller treated Mitch to a statement that sounded more like a question.

“I’ve decided to resign my post. I’m a liability now that I’ve been seen, though the attackers probably think I’m dead. I’d be more effective elsewhere for now.” Mitch looked at Gina, but her expression was unreadable.

“That’s more or less what Gina’s dad said as well,” Miller agreed. “But you have time to heal here
, and after you’re back on your feet, we’ll discuss a great many things.”

Now that sounded promising. Mitch was taken by surprise by the new, welcoming tone in Miller’s voice.

“I’ll look forward to it.”

Miller backed away, turning to Gina for a few quiet words about the supplies while Mitch pondered the undercurrents in the man’s words. It sounded like Gina’s dad was already thinking along the same lines as Mitch. If the tiger king was interested in secrecy, what better way to make sure Mitch didn’t give away his location than by taking him into his employ?

Miller stayed for a few minutes more, chatting with Gina in low tones. Mitch could hear them talk, but it was mostly about Miller’s children and how they were doing. He left a short while later without much further ado, shaking Mitch’s hand before taking his leave. All the same, Mitch was glad to see him go.

Mitch’s strength was failing again and the moment he was certain the door was secure, he sank back on the bed, grateful for its support. Gina came over to check on him, but he couldn’t rouse the energy to even open his eyelids.

The next thing
Mitch knew, he woke up what felt like it had to be hours later. Time was a fluid thing when you were on the mend, Mitch knew. And with the blackout curtains blocking all light, it was even harder to tell what time it was inside the cabin.

Mitch had lost track of how many days it had been since the attack. Had it only been two? Three? Four or more? He wasn’t really sure.

But what did it matter really? He was out of the action for now. Well out of it. Contacting his teammates would only serve to possibly put Gina and her family in danger. There was nothing Mitch could do from here to help the Nyx. Cade, no doubt, had the situation well in hand. There wasn’t a more capable Royal Guard than his soon-to-be
former
partner.

Mitch was better off laying low for now, healing and doing the best he could to protect Gina and her family from discovery. That was about all he was capable of at the moment. Which made him wonder where Gina was.

Mitch sat up in bed. It was a lot easier this morning and the room didn’t tilt. In fact, his head was clearer than it had been since he’d been attacked. Moving carefully, he swung his legs over the side of the bed and sat for a moment.

Still good. He might just be healed.

Mitch looked around the small cabin and spotted Gina curled up on the couch across the room in front of the fireplace. She was sound asleep, but she opened her eyes the moment Mitch stood.

And then the world spun.

So maybe he wasn’t completely healed yet. But he was a lot better than the last time he’d woken up. He’d take that and run with it. Well…not exactly run. He’d have to keep it to a careful trot for the time being.

“Good morning.” Gina stretched as she woke up, looking soft as a kitten and just as adorable.

Mitch wanted nothing more than to go over and cuddle with her on that couch, but he couldn’t. Not only was he not up to it physically, but he had to carefully control all the carnal thoughts he’d had about Gina over the past days. Now that he was more clear-headed, he realized he’d let his fantasies go a little too far. Sure, Gina was the most intoxicating woman he’d ever met, but she was also the tiger princess.

Too good for the likes of him. Way too far above his station in life.

He’d be a fool to fall for her. A fool who would live the rest of his life alone because he couldn’t have the woman of his dreams.

“Good morning, milady. Please tell me you didn’t sleep on the couch all night.”

“I didn’t sleep on the couch all night?” She said it like a question as she rose to a sitting position and began to tidy the blanket and pillow she’d used.

And that’s when he knew he’d stolen her bed. He’d thought nothing of the sleeping arrangements in such a small cabin until just that moment. He could only blame it on his fuzzy head and whatever poison he’d been dosed with.

“Damn. I’m sorry. You get the bed tonight. If I’m still here tonight.”

“What does that mean?” She paused, stilling her motions as she looked at him with a concerned expression. “You feel better
, right? Your vitals were strong all night. I checked your temperature and pulse every hour and you were okay.”

“I feel a lot better physically, but I’m feeling like a royal heel knowing you’ve been reduced to sleeping on the couch
and watching over me all night.” He filed away the realization that he hadn’t woken up when she’d checked him every hour. Normally, Mitch had much sharper reflexes. The slightest noise out on the street would wake him instantly. He was always on alert. And yet, somehow, Gina had touched him and he hadn’t woken up once.

“I’ve slept in a lot of worse places than this comfy couch,” she assured him, standing and continuing to fold the blanket. “And taking care of people is my job.”

He had to give her that point, but he didn’t have to like it. It rankled that he’d been so inconsiderate of her comfort, but he’d make it up to her. He promised himself he would. Somehow.

“Regardless, tonight we switch places.” He rubbed a hand over his hair and realized how grungy he felt. He probably smelled pretty bad too. “I need a shower.” He’d used the bathroom a few times, so he knew there was a fully equipped, if small, shower.

“I’m way ahead of you. Dad stopped by earlier this morning and dropped off some clean clothes for you.”

Damn. Not only had he not woken when she’d checked on him
every hour
last night, but he’d slept through the king’s visit to the cabin entirely. He was really slipping.

“What time is it? I’m all turned around.”

“It’s almost noon.”

Mitch was a little shocked. “I lost more than a few hours in there somewhere.”

“Yeah, I know you were sleeping really deeply, but it appeared to be a normal sleep and you were doing a lot better than you have been previously, so I concluded that your body was working through the remnants of the poison. If I’m right, you’re out of the woods. I’m still ordering bed rest with maybe a little gentle exercise later today if you’re still feeling good.”

“I’d love to go for a prowl.” He knew running was beyond him at this point.

“It’s just possible that could be arranged, but only if you’re still in good shape later. For now, I think the shower is a good idea, as long as you’re steady enough on your feet. Can you stand on your own?” She had walked toward him until she stood in front of where he still sat, his hands grasping the edges of the mattress.

He’d be damned if he was going to continue to coddle his weakness. Mitch gathered himself and pushed to his feet. Only a moment of disorientation hit him, but it wasn’t as bad as it could have been. Still, Gina reached
out and placed one soft hand on his chest and one around his shoulder.

He loved her nearness but not the reason for it. He had to be stronger than this. But having a gorgeous woman’s hands on his body wasn’t something he’d pass up lightly. He allowed her to help him regain his balance and then walk with him toward the small bathroom.

“Don’t lock it,” she cautioned, nodding toward the bathroom door as he reached out to grab the doorframe and she let go. “Just in case.”

He wouldn’t let himself pass out, but he understood her advice. It was only wise to take precautions.

“I won’t. But I’ll be okay.” He didn’t like the worried look on her face, so he decided to tease her a bit. “Of course, if you want to come in and scrub my back, I wouldn’t say no.” He let his voice drop into suggestive tones and shot her a wink for good measure. It was way over the top and he knew it. He wasn’t surprised when she laughed. In fact, it was precisely the reaction he’d wanted.

“Nice try, Casanova, but I’ll take a rain check.” She was still smiling when he closed the door between them.

Chapter Four

Gina did end up opening the door to the bathroom before Mitch was done with his shower, but it wasn’t for any sort of exciting reason. He heard her come in and turned toward her, but the frosted glass showed only the vague outline of his magnificent body.

“Just dropping off th
ese clean clothes. Some big guy distracted me before.” She joked with him, trying to forestall the unreasonable attraction she felt for Mitch. “How are you doing in there?”

“Why don’t you come in and check for yourself?”

If he only knew how much she wanted to. But she feared his teasing was just that. Teasing.

He knew who she was. Her secret was out—at least to him. She couldn’t be sure he was flirting with her for the person she was or for the princess she had never really had a chance to be. Anything that happened between them—romantic or otherwise—would be colored by that annoying little fact of her birth. She was royalty. And he was a Royal Guard. Alpha. Strong enough to guard, but not elite enough to mate.

No matter how much her inner tigress urged her to open that shower door and jump his bones. Tigers liked the water, and her cat wanted desperately to come out and play, but Gina didn’t dare. She didn’t allow the tigress to rule her. She never had. She’d made a deal with her wild half long ago.

She let the cat run, but she didn’t allow her to dictate Gina’s actions in the human world. There was an uneasy peace between her two halves, but she made it work for the most part.

Until now. Until Mitch had crashed into her life, changing everything. She wasn’t even sure she’d be able to go back to her life in the city. Or her job.

“If you’re strong enough to flirt, you’re strong enough to finish your shower and dress yourself,” she quipped. “I’ll be outside if you need anything. We’ll eat and then we’ll see about that little walk outside.”

She left the steamy bathroom and shut the door behind her. The scent of soap and clean man was kind of intoxicating, and the tigress was scratching at her insides to get out, but Gina kept hold of her control. Just barely. She made it out of the room with her pride intact and then leaned against the closed door, trying to catch her breath.

She spent a few minutes putting a meal together, figuring she could gauge Mitch’s physical status best by watching him rather than asking questions. A tough guy like him would probably answer every one of her questions with the standard
I’m fine
. Well, that wasn’t going to be of any help. She had to gauge for herself whether or not he was up to shapeshifting and taking a prowl around the property.

Mitch came out of the bathroom dressed in some of her dad’s sweats. They were about the same size. Powerful Alphas in their prime.

He was using a towel to rub his wet hair. He wore it short. Clean cut. No nonsense. Masculine. And all too attractive.

Down, girl.

He walked over to her on only slightly shaky bare feet to claim the place at the small table that she had set with a plate and silverware. His scent had changed. Up to now, he’d emitted a thick chemical smell that she could only assume was from the poison with which he’d been injected. As the days wore on, the scent of his illness had grown strong, though she had done her best to keep him clean while he’d been out of it.

But now he was completely clean for the first time since she’d met him. His natural scent was almost clear of the chemical taint. Her sensitive nose told her that the poison was well on its way to leaving his system altogether.

If he was strong enough after lunch, she would not only permit, but encourage, him to shift form into his tiger. The magic of the shift would, in all likelihood, remove the final bit of the toxin. If they were very unlucky, it would trigger something worse. But she really didn’t think it would. She wouldn’t risk his wellbeing if she thought shifting would harm him more. All the same, she’d be watching carefully to make sure all went well and be prepared in case something went wrong.

“I’m feeling a lot better since that shower,” Mitch said in between bites of the thick, roast
-beef sandwich she’d prepared for him. “Will it be a problem to prowl a bit in the immediate area?”

“Dad owns
all the land around here and the perimeter has state-of-the-art detection equipment. If a chipmunk enters the area, Dad’s security knows about it right away. So the short answer is, yes. Plus, I think a shift will help clear out the rest of the toxin. I would’ve recommended it right away except for the convulsions. I’ve never really seen a shifter have them before, and knowing this poison was probably designed for our kind, it’s just possible that doing a shift while the chemical was still at full strength would’ve killed you for sure. But at this low concentration, I think your normal shifter magic will clear up the rest of it. Just don’t overdo it. A quick shift. A gentle walk. No running. No battle form. Taking it easy is the order of the day.”

Mitch smiled as he wiped his mouth with a paper napkin. “All right,
Doc. I hear and obey.”

“I’ll hold you to that.” She motioned him to sit while she collected the few dishes they’d used and put them in the sink.

She’d deal with the rest of the cleanup later. For now, he was looking refreshed after eating his first really good meal in days. Now was the time to try the shift.

“There’s a special feature of this cabin that I think you’ll like.” She led the way over to a hidden door concealed in the rough wood timbers of the cabin. “There’s a passageway between this wall and the outer wall of the cabin. It forms an L-shape around this side of the building and the door on the other end leads directly into the forest. Dad designed it. We can leave our clothes in the passageway. There are hooks for that purpose.”

Mitch peered into the passageway after she opened the hidden latch and looked around. “Ingenious,” he murmured, inspecting everything he could see in minute detail. She liked the way he took in his surroundings. Cats were naturally curious and he seemed even more curious than most. “I never would have suspected this was here and I’ve been trained to look for hidden passageways.”

He stepped into the passage and started to strip off his borrowed clothes by the light coming in through the open door. Getting naked in order to shift was something Gina knew about, and she was a doctor, after all. She’d seen and handled naked men in her time. But she’d never seen Mitch entirely in the buff. And definitely not when he was conscious and moving around under his own steam.

She’d noticed his muscles and the broad planes of his chest with interest even when he’d been close to being comatose. It wasn’t professional, but then nothing about this situation with him was normal. He was outside her experience entirely.

It seemed he thought nothing of stripping off in front of her and she supposed if she’d been raised among a normal group of tigers, she would think nothing of it—though how any red-blooded female could take Mitch’s nudity casually, she’d never know. The man was stunning. Every inch a male animal of superior strength and breeding. His body showed the obvious physical training he did, but far from being a muscle-bound Neanderthal, he was sleek like the cat that shared his soul. There wasn’t a spare ounce on him—especially since he’d been so ill of late. His muscles were hard and long, powerful and lithe.

He was a work of art. And she was duly impressed. A little too impressed, if truth be told. She felt her body responding, the tigress inside clawing to get out. Gina was almost afraid what would happen when she let her cat out to play. Would she pounce all over the big male or play coy? Gina hoped like hell she was able to exert some control over her animal half. The last thing she needed was for the tigress to play games with Mitch.

Without asking for advice or permission, Mitch began his shift almost the moment he was completely nude. The shift was slow, cautious, which she
approved, but when his fur began to sprout, he turned his half-human face toward her and his eyes held confusion.

“Something’s different,” he growled in a voice that wasn’t quite human. He passed quickly through the battle form and into his full tiger in the shadows of the passageway, but she could see enough to…

“Sweet Mother of All,” Gina exclaimed when she got her first good look at the tiger Mitch had become.

His eyes were troubled and she thought she sensed worry. She could understand that. Mitch had shifted into—

She didn’t dare put a name to what she was seeing.

“Come inside,” she counseled, wanting to take the worry out of his golden eyes. “You’re okay, but…” She trailed off, leading the way toward the small bathroom at the other side of the cabin. She threw open the door and he padded in behind her, stopping short as she flipped the switch to flood the room with light.

And there in the mirror was Mitch. A newly minted white tiger.

Mitch couldn’t quite believe what he thought he was seeing. He looked okay in the bathroom mirror. He’d put the pads of his front paws on the vanity so he could reach upward to look at his face and as much of his body as he could in the mirror that started about waist-high on a human.

From the tip of his nose to the end of his tail, he had lost his golden color. He couldn’t see all of his mid-section, but judging by the way Gina was staring, he thought he was probably bleached out there too. He was still striped. Only the black and gray stripes were on a field of pure white instead of his usual orangey-gold color.

Holy shit.

He looked at Gina and a sound of distress came out of his mouth. Even his tiger half was confused. He’d known it when he first started to shift. It felt different. Not bad, but somehow easier. More natural. Not at all painful and very, very magical. Mitch had always been a strong Alpha, but now he felt like he could take on the world. It felt like the shifter magic was shooting through his paws and down deep into the earth.

And he was…aware of things...on a whole new level. He felt the pulse of the earth coming up through his claws and into his body, aiding his shift. As if the magic that made him what he was came from the Earth Mother Herself. Gaia. The Goddess. The Mother of All.

Mitch couldn’t get over it. He was
tigre blanche
, and he thought he finally understood what it was about these rarest of tigers that gave them domain over all others. Magic. Incredible magic.

Would it last? Was it some temporary gift of the blood Gina had given to heal him? And most of all…what did it mean?

One thing was for sure, the tiger was mostly in control at the moment and would not allow him to shift back to his human form. Now that was odd. Mitch hadn’t had to fight his tiger for supremacy since he was just a youngster learning how to shift. He and his animal side had a nice partnership going on and they had nurtured each other through many escapades and deadly situations over the years.

But something was different now. The tiger was stretching. Becoming.

The tiger wanted to go out into the snow and practice blending. Stealth. He wanted to try out his new stripes and see what they could do in this best of environments for a white animal. Snow. The only thing better would be ice fog. For now though, the cat wanted to play in the snowpack and frolic in the flurries.

And
he wanted Gina’s cat prowling alongside him. Forever.

What was he thinking? Thoughts like that were all too tempting—and forbidden. Gina was a princess. Royalty.

He nosed past her, prowling with determination toward the secret passage. The door was still open. He’d figure out how to get out on the other end. It couldn’t be too hard, right? It was designed for people with paws, after all.

Something was calling him. Making him go outside. To be in the snow. In the ice. In touch with the earth.

Here in the mountains, the early season snow was thick on the ground. It hadn’t yet snowed in the city at its lower elevation. The concrete jungle had almost completely stifled Mother Nature with its steel and asphalt. Only in small green places did She show Her face.

Not like here. High in the mountains, well north of the city that never slept, there was only one road and a few gravel lanes leading to the dwellings that were built of wood and natural stone, part of the earth and its creatures. Part of the heartbeat he could feel under his paws. The slow, steady, strong beat of Mother Earth.

She was fire and She was ice. She had hidden depths where lava flowed and sparks danced with untold energy. Up here on the surface, She was sometimes tranquil, as now, and sometimes the tempest itself.

He could feel all of that through the pads of his paws. He felt it in his newly awakened heart. In the beast-half that had always been closer to nature than his human form. He felt it in his soul.

As anticipated, the latch to get out of the secret passageway wasn’t hard to operate with paws. There was also a tiger-height display that let him see what was waiting on the other side of the door from four different camera angles. He checked it before he opened the door, noting the squirrel gathering nuts in the upper right quadrant of the screen and the birds pecking at some kind of hardy berry in an evergreen bush on the lower left. The small animals weren’t disturbed by anything and he couldn’t see any obvious threats, so he proceeded to open the door and step out into the sun.