Page 41 of Tiger Born

Stellan frowned. “No. She’s mine.”

Dame turned and pulled his shirt off him and threw it on the ground, and gave his back to the cage.

“Whoa,” Mars said low as he saw the claw marks Misty had made on his back. “Hey man, it was one thing to mark her. Do you understand what you have done now with this little move?”

“I know exactly what I’ve done. I wanted it. I’ll always want it. If you kill her, it’ll kill me,” he told Stellan. “And I want to live. I need her to live. So, if you come at her, I will make a choice.”

“Guys,” Mars warned.

“I’ll choose her.”

Stellan’s eyes flashed with rage. The tension in this room was so thick, she could cut it with a knife.

While she loved that declaration of loyalty, even against his own family, she did not love the new wave of rage that washed through Stellan’s face when he looked at her. Or the way he shook the bars so hard, the whole cage rattled. Or the way he was now pacing back and forth like an animal at the zoo and never breaking eye contact with her. “You did this,” he growled. His voice couldn’t pass for human anymore.

“Me?” She asked. “Pretty sure I just came out of my house five years ago for an early shift and you were the one who attacked me.”

“Not you, Rabbit! I mean Dame!”

Okay, this was officially too much.

“I’m pretty sure you did this,” Misty said, standing. She threw back the shot of whiskey and handed the empty to Mars. “I think I need another.”

“Fair,” Mars muttered, taking it back to the table. “That’s fair. It’s a real weird night.”

“You did this the day you attacked me in my own driveway! Do you think it is fair for me to come outside before work and see a freaking tiger running full speed at me? You think it’s okay for me to see your brother change from a man to a tiger while leaping through the air. Do you know the shock you caused? Do you understand the pain? Not just in my arm as you clawed me either, Stellan, I mean do you understand the aftermath? Hardly anyone believed me. I lost friends. I got scared of my own home. Do you understand that? I was scared to go to my driveway. I would have these recurring visions of the moment you slammed into me and I was pinned against the garage door, certain I was going to die. It played at least a hundred times and at the least opportune moments. Everyone thought I was crazy, and meanwhile I’m having PTSD flashbacks that I can’t control. I had to go to counseling for two years for something everyone thought I made up in my head because the tigers were never found. So, I’m just crazy. I couldn’t sleep. I had to move. I moved out of a house I loved to an apartment where I would be surrounded by other people because I thought maybe just maybe there would be safety in numbers and I could get a fucking night of sleep!”

Her voice echoed through the barn, and Marsden flinched like she’d hurt his ears. “Here.” He handed her another shot, and she took it neatly. It didn’t burn half as bad as her arm did right now.

“And then just when I finally, finally start feeling safe. Just when I can sleep and not check the door locks a dozen times before bed, Dame shows up by my car, and you tried to kill me. Again! And for what? I did nothing to you!”

“You existed,” Stellan said softly. His face had softened.

“Stellan?” Dame asked, approaching him. “Are you here with us, man?”

“I…I don’t know for how long. He’s mad. He doesn’t like any of this.”

Dame jammed his finger at him. “You have to be stronger.”

“What’s happening?” she asked Mars.

He took a shot of whiskey himself. “The human side is back. For now, at least. Misty, meet Stellan. Stellan? Misty.”

“I’m so sorry,” he choked out, and wore this helpless look on his face. “I’m so sorry, but you should run. You should go far away from here and never post anything online about where you live. Never let me find your address. I’m so sorry. Mars, Dame, please put me down—” Suddenly he doubled over and groaned, and in horror, Misty watched the monster of her nightmares rip out of him.

His jeans were shredded in tatters across the floor, and the enormous tiger stood slowly, it’s gold eyes on hers. He was the deep orange with the close together stripes she remembered. He snarled a terrifying sound and began pacing the cage, eyes on her, eyes on her, eyes always on her.

“He’s not unsalvageable,” Mars said low to Dame.

“I know.”

“He’s still in there—”

“I said I know! Why do you think I haven’t put him down yet?”

“You can’t make a decision like that without me—”

“Why are you even still here?” Dame demanded. “Huh? We all know the second I get some relief and start to depend on you, you’ll bounce and leave my life even harder than it was. So tell me, Mars, why are you here?”