Claimed by the Tiger Read online

That damned tea.

  "No, no, I'm okay. Sit." She reached into her bottom drawer, making her best effort to ignore the hardening of her nipples.

  It's just from the cold. That's all.

  Once she had some paper towels in hand, she then had to decide how to essentially rub down her breasts without it seeming like a scene from a carwash porno. Luckily, his gaze had found her tapestries again, and she dabbed her chest quickly, before clearing her throat.

  "Like them?" She nodded toward the rich lavender and sage map of the towns from the stories of Jane Austen.

  "I do. I've never seen anything like them."

  "And you never will. My mother made them for me." She smiled fondly at each in turn. She'd gotten one for every birthday since she could remember. If her mother were still alive, Lord knew how many she'd have by now.

  "Anyway," she said. "You asked to see me?"

  "I did," he said.

  "Well, before we get started, I don't want to be rude, but I'm not sure you were in the right class today. I've checked the registry several times, and I haven't been able to find your name. I was told the system is down, but—"

  "Let's not worry about that for right now." He said the words calmly, like they were in the middle of a negotiation instead of a consultation.

  "I'm not sure what else there is to worry about, Mr. Navaro. My chief concern is the education of my students."

  "But you said I might not be your student."

  Her eyebrows pulled together. "Not strictly speaking—"

  "Look, can we just drop the act? You know why I'm here."

  Curiouser and curisouser...

  Her throat dried, and she looked around for a moment, as if trying to pull the answer from the air. Then, when she found nothing, she turned back to him. "I think I need a lifeline here. Did you tell me what you'd been hoping to discuss? I'm having difficulty—"

  "Ellie." The way he said her name made a rush of heat course over her chest, then travel lower...

  "Professor Ashford." she corrected, though her voice was more strained than she'd have liked.

  "Come on, let's be frank." He opened his hands wide. "I'm sure you want to get this over with just as much as I do, and I'm okay with doing whatever kind of, I don't know, roleplaying you want, but we do need to talk logistics first."

  Her mind sputtered. Had he said what she thought he said?

  She wrinkled her brow. "I beg your pardon? Role...?" She could bring herself to say the word.

  "Yeah, you know, I'm fine with it as long as the job gets done, but I would like to..." He stopped mid-sentence, his mouth thinned to a long, straight line as he surveyed her.

  "They told you I was coming, didn't they?" he asked.

  "They who? I just told you, I haven't heard anything from the office about your registration and, and," She tried to find the words, but rather than allowing things to get any more confusing, she simply said, "Honestly, I'm not sure what's going on here, but I feel inclined to inform you that I do not condone interpersonal relationships between staff and students."

  There. Simply put. That should do it.

  "You...?" He looked from the doorway to her and back again before finally focusing on her face. For a moment, she thought his eyes glowed a bright, electric green, and she leaned in closer, like a moth transfixed by the sun.

  "Who do you think sent me?" he asked, and his deep, rich voice filled her whole mind, shutting out every other thought.

  "The office." she answered simply. "I don't know."

  His eyes stopped glowing, and he sat back in his seat, his full lips pulled into a stern line.

  "Ellie, will you meet me for dinner tonight? I think we need to talk in private."

  "It's Professor Ashford." she corrected again. "And I just told you, I don't—"

  Again, his eyes glowed and she allowed her mouth to sag open as she stared at him. It was like he'd magnetized her to him, and she leaned forward again, desperate to catch his next words.

  "Meet me tonight near the reserve, just outside the library."

  "Okay," she murmured.

  He gave a gruff nod, stood, and then, just like that, he was gone.

  Chapter 2

  To Ellie's surprise, the staff meeting that night was blissfully short, though, to be honest, she still couldn't say what they'd talked about in the meeting's twenty-minute span.

  No, ever since the strange meeting this afternoon, she'd been completely and utterly focused on Silas’ words. No matter how she broke it down or scrambled it up, nothing about it made even the tiniest bit of sense.

  She shook her head, trying for the millionth time to put it from her mind as she started on the arduous trek from the conference room to her little Miata on the far side of campus. And, apparently, she wasn't the only one.

  No matter how distracted she'd been during the meeting, there was still no chance that she'd missed the way Dan had practically leered at her throughout. Like she was the last cupcake in a bakery and it was his cheat day. And though she'd tried again and again to ensure they hadn't parked near each other, he was following her stride for stride, apparently trying to make up for her head start.

  She'd kept a brisk pace, pretending not to notice him, though she did zigzag and occasionally check for hidden detours, but she'd had no luck whatsoever.

  Because, despite what felt like endless conversations, Dan was still intent on following her nearly everywhere she went. If she were a New Yorker or someone who'd been raised to speak their mind, she might have stopped in her tracks and told him that what he was doing did, in fact, constitute stalking in several states.

  He finally closed the distance between them and started chatting about whatever they'd discussed in the meeting. And "polite" as she was, she hummed along with whatever he was saying, waiting for the inevitable question to show up again, just as it always did this time of day.

  She could already feel it coming, the slight hemming before every statement, the timidity behind his words.

  He was going to ask. Again.

  She took a deep breath as they rounded the corner near the library. Maybe she could pretend she needed to get a book. That might shake him off.

  Yeah, or he could just follow me around like the lost little puppy dog he is...

  She stared toward the tree line of the nearby reserve, searching out the tiny red speck that was her car. Best to keep going and do the same thing she'd done every other time he'd cornered her.

  "So, listen, Ellie, I've been thinking."

  She hummed again, trying her best not to look him in the eye.

  "Just...I know we've talked about this before, but what exactly was the deal?"

  There it was, her Miata. A tiny, gas-efficient spot of joy in an unforgiving world.

  Her heart sank. Two spots over was Dan's dull blue Volvo. Had he driven to a closer parking spot just so he could harass her?

  He had to have. There was no other explanation. She'd waited until he'd already parked and gone to his office to find a space, specifically to avoid him. The nerve of it.

  Frustration roiled in her stomach and she stopped mid-step to face him. "I think the deal was that you weren't supposed to come into my office or follow me to my car."

  She wasn't sure why the words came out, but they just did. Honestly, how many times could she answer the same question? How many ways could a person politely cast someone off?

  "Right. And I will." He speared a hand through his hair, but based on the fact that he didn't turn on his heel and head for his Volvo, she could already hear the "but."

  "But—" There it was. "I've asked you so many times, and I still feel like I haven't gotten an answer. What was it about me that made you, you know, call things quits?"

  "Nothing about you. It wasn't you at all, it was me." She knew it sounded like a line, but it was the truth. That was all she had to say, wasn't it? It wasn't like she'd just texted him that they were through and then moved on with her life.

  She'd been patient and sensitive. She'd been considerate and tried to make things comfortable at work. It was him following her to her car after all.

  "Do you really expect me to believe that?" He raised his eyebrows. "Look, if you never want to see me again, that's fine, but I want to know where things went sour. You're a great girl and if I keep losing people like you, then I need to know why."

  A twinge of guilt coursed through her and for the smallest fraction of a second, she considered telling him the whole dirty truth. He might lie and say it didn't matter, but it would. One day.

  "Dan, please. You're going to find someone great, but I'm done talking about this with you. Forever. Please don't ask me again."

  He blinked, but finally, her words seemed to sink in and he stared back at her with a solemn disappointment etched into every feature. "Yeah, alright. Have a good weekend."

  "You, too." She watched him go, and when she was sure it wasn't some ploy to throw her in the back of a work van when she least expected it, she hitched her bag higher on her shoulder and sprinted the rest of the way to her car.

  Once inside, she sat behind the wheel and stared out at the vast expanse of trees in front of her. She had to clear her mind, to put aside the school day, and Dan, and Silas...

  God, Silas.

  She rested her head on the steering wheel. What the hell had she been thinking, saying she'd see a student outside of school grounds? She'd been so sure of herself when she'd first tried to rebuff him, but then...

  Then what? She still couldn't figure out what had changed her mind. It was like a mini psychotic episode. It wasn't ethical, not even a little bit. Though, of course, he was an adult, so she might not get fired...

  No.

  She really was losing it. She was not, repeat, not going out to see
him tonight. It would be rude not to show, but at least he would get the message. She'd been right the first time. She just had to trust herself and everything was going to be A-Okay.

  Or, at least, that's what she thought until she heard the passenger door open.

  This was it. Dan was coming back for his vengeance. He was going to peel off her skin and wear it like a sundress, Buffalo Bill style.

  Her heart was beating out of her chest, but she turned to look at the interloper, only to find Silas's electric green eyes staring back at her.

  "So, why did you dump him?" He settled deeper into the passenger seat, then clicked the door closed behind him.

  "I—Wait, no. You can't be in my car,” she spluttered, but he only smiled like she'd offered him a warm greeting.

  "He doesn't seem like he'd be much fun in bed. Was that it?"

  "I—You know what? That's none of your business—"

  "Ah, so it was something else." He nodded knowingly.

  She opened her mouth to argue, then shook her mind free of the distraction. That was what he wanted. God only knew why he wanted it, but there was no mistaking his goal.

  "You can't be in my car. And I'm not going to see you outside of the college. I know what I said before, but I've had a long think about it, and it's just not professional for me to spend time with students."

  "Romantically?" The corner of his mouth tilted upward, like he was mocking her.

  "No. At all. I'm not—I mean, you're not—" He wasn't what? Completely gorgeous? Surprisingly intriguing?

  Wrong on both counts.

  "Well, whatever it is, you don't have to worry about it. I'm not a student." He said it so nonchalantly that she half expected him to clasp his hands together and say something like "problem solved." Which, in truth, might have been a good thing because, at the moment, her brain was pulling a total misfire.

  "You're...not." was all she could manage.

  "Nope. I mean, I was almost decade ago. When I was in my twenties."

  She blinked again. Now she was supposed to believe that not only was he not a college student, but he was also her age?

  "But you were in my class," she said.

  "Right, to meet you." He nodded. “I wanted to see what you were like in your natural environment. Get a sense of who you are.”

  What was she supposed to say to that? This person who was not, in fact, a student, but had been posing as one to meet her, asked her out, and was now sitting in her car without her permission and fishing for details about her break up?

  For what felt like the millionth time that day, her mind stalled and she blurted out the first question she could think of.

  "Do...you have a weapon?" she asked.

  He laughed. "I don't, I promise. I'm sorry, this must be sort of shocking for you."

  "Just a little." Her mouth went dry, but she plugged on, hoping if she dug deep enough, something would eventually make sense. "So, why would you want to meet someone like me? How do you even know who I am?"

  It was a simple enough question, but when she saw the dark shadow pass over his face, she wasn't sure she wanted to know the answer.

  * * *

  "Ah, that." He eyed her skeptically, then let out a long breath through his nose. He had to be careful. If she knew as little as he thought, one wrong move could send her straight over the edge, running for dear life.

  Gentle, he reminded himself. I'll start out gentle.

  "To be honest, I'm just as caught off guard as you are. Normally..."

  He stopped himself. Already, he was going too fast, getting ahead of himself.

  If he told her how it really went, with the random selection of pre-arranged mates and the notices of their mating schedules, it would sound cold and clinical, like she'd been selected as an experiment in a science lab. Then again, even in all the horror stories he'd heard, no one had ever mentioned the possibility of their mate not knowing.

  After all, how could it be possible that she hadn't received the same summons from the pack elders that he had? She was supposed to be expecting him. That's how it worked.

  In his estimation, though, not only did she not know he was coming, but she also didn't even know who, or what, he was.

  Which left a darker, heavier question to be answered. Did she even knew about herself?

  "I'm going to need some clearer answers, if you don't mind." Then, apparently hearing herself, she shook her head and rushed on, "Actually, you know what? I don't need any at all. I just need you to leave."

  She stuck her keys in the ignition and turned the engine.

  "Ellie, wait. I can explain."

  "I don't think I want you to—"

  Okay, so much for doing things the easy way.

  He concentrated hard, stared deep into her eyes and said, "Turn the car off." He felt the command echo in his brain, but when the sound died away, so did the purring of the engine.

  She looked down at the keys in her hands like they'd betrayed her, and he stared at her again. "Follow me."

  He climbed from the car and walked slowly into the woods. At the forest’s edge, he turned to find her following him, almost as if in a trance. Her blue eyes were glassy and a sickly, vague serenity hooded her eyes and slacked her jaw.

  Just looking at her sent guilt sloshing in his stomach and coiling through his veins.

  He hated this, hated forcing people and commanding them. That's what had gotten them into trouble in the first place. But what other choice did he have? If he didn't get her to listen, and if they didn't produce offspring...

  He couldn't think about that now.

  When he'd reached the heart of the wood, he halted, and then paused. When at last she'd joined him in the tiny clearing, he broke his concentration and waited for her to be dragged from the trance.

  "I—" She pressed her palm to her forehead, and he winced. There was always a ringing at the end, and the pounding in her head would probably last for the next ten minutes at the least. As if losing total control of her faculties wasn't bad enough.

  Another wave of guilt-tinged regret swelled inside him, but he tamped it down.

  She'd simply left him with no other option.

  She glanced around, and her eyes widened as she took in the brush and leaves. "This is too weird. Why did I follow you here?" She swallowed hard and then her eyes widened, her face paled, and she started to slowly back away. "What are you doing? I’m a fighter, you know."

  A twig snapped under her heel and made her jump. She was going to run. He could see that plain as day.

  And could he blame her?

  With another surge of self-loathing, he focused again and boomed a command. "Everything is all right. Calm down."

  She nodded, and when he released her, she shook her head and took a deep breath.

  "We're in the reserve," he said.

  "There are supposed to be all kinds of animals out here. Predators. And it's nearly nightfall." She said it matter-of-factly.

  "We'll be okay. Now, could you sit? We have some things to talk about."

  "I guess I don't have a choice." She tucked her gauzy skirt under her, then plopped onto a pile of leaves. "And, I guess, this is where you tell me you were in my class because I meet your oddly specific serial killer requirements and now you're here to kill me."

  "No, sorry."

  "So, you're a friend of Dan's, then." She began pulling grass up from the roots all around her. "In which case, you are also here to kill me."

  "I don't plan to kill you or do anything else to you. It's just...I'm not exactly sure how to tell you this."

  She stared at him blankly, apparently out of witticisms.

  "I'm going to answer your questions. I promise. But first, I need you to answer a few of mine. For example, has anyone ever told you there's something...unique about you?"

  "Other than my mom?" She shook her head. "Nope, perfectly normal in every way. That's sort of what I'm known for."

  "Right...so, no odd occurrences in your teenage years? Nothing strange you noticed about your parents?"

  "Nope."

  He sighed. "Right."

  What the hell? How had her parents gone her whole life without so much as mentioning her skills? And how had the council completely failed to notify her parents of their arrangement?

  "Well, I guess there were some things, but it's nothing, you know, life changing."

  "Right?" He waited for her to go on.