Wish Upon a Tiger: A BBW Weretiger Shifter Romance (Fountain of Love) (5 page)

“
You
mentioned treaties before. I don't understand. What kind of
agreements have been signed?”

I started walking again, and Jenna moved at my side. “It
happened in the fifties, around the time Alaska became a proper
state. We always clashed with the pioneers who came into this region.
Even had a few scuffles with the US Army when they really stepped up
surveying this place to build the highway running up north from
Canada.”

“
Interesting.”
The girlish excitement in her voice was genuine.

All this stuff's really new to her,
I
realized with a smile.

“
It
is. My father has his name on the treaty. It's in our town hall if
you want to see it sometime. G-men came one day in a little plane,
all the way from Washington. The Alpha and his team were ready to
tear them apart, but the air support they brought held us back. The
older folks say they saw more helicopters in the skies that day than
they've seen the rest of their lives. The firepower forced us to
talk, and thankfully, it wasn't a total wipe.”

“
Wipe?”
Jenna shook her head. Mountain wind blew against our backs, urging us
on faster for warmth.

“
It's
happened to other shifters. Tigers, bears, and probably whatever else
exists out there.” I laughed at the shock frozen on Jenna's
pretty face. “Guess you didn't know there were more than just
tigers. Well, there are, and human governments have never taken
kindly to us. The treaty was basically a mind-your-own-business
agreement, and we took it. With the firepower they brought in, we
weren't given much choice.”

“
Damn.
I didn't want to believe most humans treat tigers just like Doctor
Tarken.”

I shrugged. “You get used to it after awhile.
Aside from a special contact with Alaska Game once in awhile, our
encounters with humans are so rare I could count them on one hand per
decade. Honestly, it could've been much worse.”

“
The
wipe?”

“
You
got it. Better sealed off and isolated in our own little corner than
extinct. Back when this clan had contact with other tigers, we found
out fast our brothers in Alaska and Siberia weren't as lucky as Tiger
Tree. The clans that rejected the government's offer were wiped. And
the ones over in Russia weren't even given a choice.”

Her face softened. “Horrible. What's to prevent it
from happening again?”

“
We
have more tools on our side than ever. If somebody lost their mind
and decided to raid us, all it would take are a few good shifter
videos slipped to the right media sources. We're separate from their
world, but we know all about it and how fast things travel on the
internet these days. Human governments don't want their people to
know we exist, and they've done a good job of keeping it that way.”

“
Too
bad Doctor Tarken wasn't in the dark.”

I nodded. Just then, I saw Zee coming toward us on his
morning walk.

“
I
see our guest survived the night, sir. Glad to see it.”

I turned to Jenna. “She's doing just fine. All
thanks to you landing on those human assholes with the sniper rifles.
Never seen a crew of guys turn tail so fast.”

Zee grinned. Like the other guys, he was one size
smaller than me. He was also our youngest, barely a day over twenty.

“
Where
you guys heading?”

“
Old
Tiger Tree. The ruins. Jenna wanted the grand tour, and who am I to
turn down a guest?”

Zee kept up his knowing smile. Damn, was it really so
obvious I wanted to show her a whole lot more than a bunch of old
artifacts?

“
I'm
off to drill and hunt. Following your orders to a tee.” Zee
brushed past me, giving the shoulder salute tigers used for their
superiors. “Have a wonderful day, sir.”

“
Sir?
Are you in charge here?” Jenna asked, as soon as he was gone.

“
Sure
am. I've been Tiger Tree's Alpha for the last five years. Zee's one
of my warriors. He was part of the team who rescued you. Harry, Egil,
and Christian are the others you met.”

“
Christian?”
She blinked.

“
The
only guy who adheres to a human religion here. And Zee got his name
thanks to the big Z-shape on his back when he's in tiger form, like
all his black stripes are connected.”

“
What
about the other two?”

“
Not
everybody gets cool nicknames,” I said with a smile. “That
means yours truly too. Not that I mind. I'd rather answer to Erik or
Alpha any day than Tangerine or something.”

That got a laugh. Jenna's sweet face glowed when she
giggled. Tiger need surged up inside me again, forcing me to look
away. I couldn't stare too long and tempt the big cat.

“
Alpha.
That sounds perfectly fierce.” Her lips relaxed, melting to a
soft and slightly curled state that still invited wicked thoughts.

Damn it. Everything about this woman invites the best
and worst in me.

I breathed deep before I answered her. Yes, the
pheromones had gone. Thank Gods.

If they were still in the air, I wasn't sure if I
could've taken her on this walk through town without throwing her
into the nearest brush and taking what I wanted hard.

“
I
think you've seen what I can do,” I said seriously. “An
Alpha's duty is to protect, to rise above all the egos for the clan's
collective good.” I used the same words my father had given me
when I was just a cub, explaining our ways. “I wish it were
always as exciting as it sounds. When we're not dealing with human
intruders or organizing big caribou hunts, it's really more like
being Mayor.”

“
Well,
Mister Mayor, I'm glad you're the one in charge of this place. I
don't want to think about what might've happened yesterday if you
hadn't shown up with your men.”

“
We
knew something was wrong.” I stopped near the latest tiger
statue. “Harry and Egil were already out on the hunt to build
up our reserves for winter when they smelled you. I've trained my
guys well. They came back and alerted me, rather than pursuing you.
The man who kept you hostage is a real fucking fool.”

“
You
can say that again.”

We walked on. Winding past several cabins, I walked slow
to let Jenna take in the scenery.

And there was a lot to see. The cabins were followed by
the well tended little patch of forest we had to pass through before
reaching the mountain's base.

If you stared hard at the stones, a person could make
out the faint etchings of our ancestors. Claws and small lines of
text were pressed into the stones, though the wear of centuries had
rubbed away many to a nearly faded nothing.

I could tell she had a deep appreciation for history.
Part of me wanted to pick one up and place it into her eager hands,
but it would ruin the big surprise.

Jenna gasped and stopped in her tracks when we reached
the other side of the forest. A little ways down the path, there was
an enormous pool carved from solid rock. A fountain sprang up in the
center, keeping its majestic waters flowing from underground streams.

Above, two stern faces looked over the majestic water,
one human and the other tiger.

“
What
is
it?”
she asked, wonderment lighting up her eyes.

“
Nobody
knows for sure. It's been here so long its true purpose has been
forgotten. The local historians thinks those faces are from the same
king, showing his two sides. Come on. I'll take you closer.”

I took her hand. Jenna didn't resist, but wrapped her
small fingers tight in mine.

Repressing a growl of satisfaction, I walked her to the
pool. The fountain's trickle was loud, adding new pristine waters to
the pool from an ornate spigot in the center. The long spout was
carved with tiger's stripes.

When we stopped at the
pool's wall, Jenna's hand tightened on mine. I closed my fingers
around hers tighter still.

Her warmth, her flesh, her beauty.

Everything about her set the man and the tiger within me
on fire. It was hell suppressing the desire to do more than just hold
her hand, especially in this romantic, cool setting.

“
Welcome
to the world of the ancients, Jenna. Tiger Tree people come here on
long walks to meditate. We also give thanks to the Gods here twice a
year with mass ceremonies. It's where new Alphas are sworn in and
where marriages take place. This place is sacred.”

“
I
can feel it just by looking at it,” she purred. “Is it
bad that I want to see it through tiger's eyes too?”

She looked at me imploringly. I smiled, turned to the
pool, and slowly threw my cloak off my shoulders. It slid to the
floor, exposing my nakedness.

I wasn't shy. Not in front of her. Hell, I had a feeling
she liked what she saw.

Flexing my muscles, I turned slowly, letting her see
every inch of me. She blinked when I started to speak.

“
Take
off your cloak and follow me. See those stairs up there?” I
pointed to the thin steps going into the mountain above the pool.
“They're a little too steep and unwieldy for human legs
anymore. But a tiger's will do just fine.”

I turned back just in time to see her grin. She flushed
red before turning away from me, dropping her cloak, and shifting.

I joined her on the ground. When I looked up, she was a
beautiful bright tiger striding toward me.

Instinct fired in my tiger brain. I moved close to her,
brushing her soft fur with mine, showing her she had absolutely
nothing to be afraid of.

Let's go,
I said
with my body, swishing my tail.

She followed me at a steady run as we passed the pool
and bounded up the staircase. The stairs actually ran high into the
mountain where the Elder had his cave.

We wouldn't be going so far today.

The stairs split at a large stone platform with a
banister. It hovered above the giant stone heads, giving an amazing
view of the waters below and much of our village when the mountain
fog wasn't at its worst.

Jenna was right behind me. I jumped, putting my big paws
on the ancient banister. She hung back a little, nuzzling her face
against my side.

Together, we looked over our little kingdom. For all
intents and purposes, the last place in the world where tiger
shifters embraced their nature, free from interference on their own
turf.

The furry softness at my side disappeared a couple
minutes later. I looked over in surprise. Jenna turned human again,
naked and beautiful.

I let all my legs fall to the ground and shifted too. We
stood together. My eyes wanted to wander across her glorious curves,
but I managed to keep them straight, fixed on the pure landscape
below us.

“
It's
so beautiful,” she whispered. “I never imagined there was
a place where I'd really feel at home. This is going to sound
crazy...but I think it's here.”

“
Not
crazy at all. This land calls to us, Jenna. It's in the blood. Hardly
anyone has ever left the clan to pursue different lives in the human
world, though they're free to do so. This is
our
kingdom,
the home of our ancestors. Maybe even yours.”

I looked at her. She returned my smile, grinning the
grin that comes when someone's been fully overwhelmed by all the best
emotions.

“
There's
nothing for me in Georgia.” She sighed. “Maybe some good
will come out of Tarken's plot if it's brought me to the right
place.”

“
Maybe,”
I agreed. “You don't have to decide today. Take your time to
get to know the place. I'll introduce you to the town and we can find
somewhere for you to settle in. Tigers enjoy building new cabins. At
least those of us who aren't living in caves like the old timers.”

We admired the beauty below us for a little while
longer. When I felt like she was ready, I shifted, and took the
stairs more slowly, making sure Jenna was safe behind me.

At the bottom, we found our cloaks and donned them after
turning human. The sun glowed brighter, high in the sky, a
surprisingly balmy and clear day for an Alaskan October.