Tiger Magic
Page 46
“What name?” Carly asked. “In the database? Wait, there’s a database?”
“The name is Rory Sylvester,” Walker said. “Any ideas?”
Tiger didn’t change expression. Carly shook her head. “I haven’t met enough Shifters to know.”
“Someone has a sense of humor,” Walker said while the bears and Elizabeth remained silent. “Felis silvestris is a wildcat. Rory . . . maybe for roaring? Whoever inserted that name thought he—or she—was being funny.”
“Doesn’t the Shifter Bureau input the records?” Carly asked. “The name had to come from somewhere.”
“I know it did,” Walker said. “I look at the databases every day. When the name popped up overnight, and no one at the Bureau admitted to entering it, I decided I wanted to know who it belonged to.”
“I don’t like that name,” Tiger said flatly, breaking in. “It isn’t mine.”
CHAPTER SEVENTEEN
Walker was the only human Tiger had met so far who didn’t immediately look away from him. Except Carly, of course. She looked at him fully, with no fear, no submission.
“We’re on the same side,” Walker said to Tiger, holding his gaze, ignoring Tiger’s statement about the name. “We’re trying to figure out who you are, where you came from, and why you can do what you do. You should be dead, but you’re walking around. Not even in pain.”
No, Walker was wrong about the pain. Tiger’s pain had been immense, and he was still sore. Being with Carly helped, but the healing wasn’t instantaneous.
“Why do you want to know who I am?” Tiger asked. “I’m nobody. I live with Liam and help Connor fix Shifters’ cars.”
“You’re not nobody. You’re different. And I mean more than you being the only Bengal tiger around.”
Tiger sat straight in his chair, liking that Carly was so near. Her presence, her scent, the lingering feeling of being inside her, gave him strength. “When you find out all about me, what will you do?”
Walker shrugged. “Don’t know. Whatever my commander and the Shifter Bureau decides.”
“That doesn’t sound good,” Carly said.
“They’ll study you, probably,” Walker said. “Find out what makes you different.”
“Still not sounding good.” Carly’s indignation touched Tiger with a scent like wood smoke.
“We need Liam.” Ronan broke in from down the table. “I don’t like this.”
Tiger didn’t like it either. His heart beat faster, sending tingles of fear through his body, though he didn’t let himself show any discomfort. “They’d experiment on me.”
“Maybe,” Walker said. “Not really my decision.”
Carly tensed behind Tiger, the wood smoke scent turning sharp with her anger. “What do you mean maybe?” she demanded. “You don’t experiment on a person. That’s weird, and wrong.”
“Like I said, not my decision.”
“Then whose decision is it?” Tiger asked.
“My commanding officer’s. Or the head of the Shifter Bureau. I don’t know. I’m not that high in the food chain.”
Carly leaned forward, resting her arm on the table. It just touched Tiger, the warmth of her stilling his fear again. “I bet you’re higher than you let on,” she said.
Tiger knew she was right. Walker was playing the junior man, pretending he knew only what he’d been told, giving up to them nonessential things that Shifters could have found out without much effort. Tiger was willing to bet Liam already knew most of what Walker had said.
Walker hadn’t lied to them—any Shifter would have detected that. But he hadn’t said everything he could have.
Tiger wasn’t sure what to do now. He’d been bred to fight, not to interrogate prisoners or think up strategies. Every test on him had been about strength, endurance, stamina—not problem solving.
“Find out,” he said.
Walker blinked, his blank expression finally cracking. “Sorry?”
“Go back and find out what they want to do, and why, and then tell me.”
Ronan growled. “What are you talking about, Tiger? If we let him go, he’ll run back to the Bureau and report this little escapade, especially the part about being chained to the wall. I don’t need human cops arresting me and messing with my family, or coming to Shiftertown at all.”
“They won’t,” Tiger said. “Walker will make sure of it, because he’s interested in me for his own reasons. He reported me to his bureau because he wanted them to find out about me, but he’s afraid they messed up and tried to kill me instead. He’s angry at them for that, but he’s still curious about me. I am too. I want to know what they know, and so does Walker.”
Tiger felt their stares—Carly’s, Ronan’s, Rebecca’s, Elizabeth’s. Ronan cleared his throat. “What, now you read minds?”
“Scent,” Tiger said. “What he said with his words and what he said with his scent are two different things.”
“Shit,” Walker said softly. “Remind me to take a shower before I talk to you again.”
“Yeah, I read scent too,” Ronan said to Tiger. “But I didn’t catch all that or figure out what he didn’t say.”
“He wants to know about me,” Tiger said. “And he wants to use me, maybe, but not for a bad reason.”
Rebecca said, “Huh. That comes to you through smell? All I get is that he’s nervous, really curious about Tiger, and wonders what it would be like to sleep with me.”
Walker went beet red, and Ronan rumbled, “Becks, would you cool it? I swear, we need to get you mated. You’ve rejected, like what, twenty mate-claims?”
“Haven’t met anyone who turns my crank. Not enough to stay with him for the rest of my life anyway.” Rebecca smiled at Walker. “Shifters have long lives. I’m only a hundred.”
Walker was growing more and more uncomfortable. Tiger read his desire for Rebecca loud and clear. He didn’t need to be a super Shifter to get that.
“Make a promise to me,” Tiger said to Walker. “Go back to your Shifter Bureau. Find out what they know about me, and share the information only with me. In return, I’ll tell you what I know about myself.”
“The name is Rory Sylvester,” Walker said. “Any ideas?”
Tiger didn’t change expression. Carly shook her head. “I haven’t met enough Shifters to know.”
“Someone has a sense of humor,” Walker said while the bears and Elizabeth remained silent. “Felis silvestris is a wildcat. Rory . . . maybe for roaring? Whoever inserted that name thought he—or she—was being funny.”
“Doesn’t the Shifter Bureau input the records?” Carly asked. “The name had to come from somewhere.”
“I know it did,” Walker said. “I look at the databases every day. When the name popped up overnight, and no one at the Bureau admitted to entering it, I decided I wanted to know who it belonged to.”
“I don’t like that name,” Tiger said flatly, breaking in. “It isn’t mine.”
CHAPTER SEVENTEEN
Walker was the only human Tiger had met so far who didn’t immediately look away from him. Except Carly, of course. She looked at him fully, with no fear, no submission.
“We’re on the same side,” Walker said to Tiger, holding his gaze, ignoring Tiger’s statement about the name. “We’re trying to figure out who you are, where you came from, and why you can do what you do. You should be dead, but you’re walking around. Not even in pain.”
No, Walker was wrong about the pain. Tiger’s pain had been immense, and he was still sore. Being with Carly helped, but the healing wasn’t instantaneous.
“Why do you want to know who I am?” Tiger asked. “I’m nobody. I live with Liam and help Connor fix Shifters’ cars.”
“You’re not nobody. You’re different. And I mean more than you being the only Bengal tiger around.”
Tiger sat straight in his chair, liking that Carly was so near. Her presence, her scent, the lingering feeling of being inside her, gave him strength. “When you find out all about me, what will you do?”
Walker shrugged. “Don’t know. Whatever my commander and the Shifter Bureau decides.”
“That doesn’t sound good,” Carly said.
“They’ll study you, probably,” Walker said. “Find out what makes you different.”
“Still not sounding good.” Carly’s indignation touched Tiger with a scent like wood smoke.
“We need Liam.” Ronan broke in from down the table. “I don’t like this.”
Tiger didn’t like it either. His heart beat faster, sending tingles of fear through his body, though he didn’t let himself show any discomfort. “They’d experiment on me.”
“Maybe,” Walker said. “Not really my decision.”
Carly tensed behind Tiger, the wood smoke scent turning sharp with her anger. “What do you mean maybe?” she demanded. “You don’t experiment on a person. That’s weird, and wrong.”
“Like I said, not my decision.”
“Then whose decision is it?” Tiger asked.
“My commanding officer’s. Or the head of the Shifter Bureau. I don’t know. I’m not that high in the food chain.”
Carly leaned forward, resting her arm on the table. It just touched Tiger, the warmth of her stilling his fear again. “I bet you’re higher than you let on,” she said.
Tiger knew she was right. Walker was playing the junior man, pretending he knew only what he’d been told, giving up to them nonessential things that Shifters could have found out without much effort. Tiger was willing to bet Liam already knew most of what Walker had said.
Walker hadn’t lied to them—any Shifter would have detected that. But he hadn’t said everything he could have.
Tiger wasn’t sure what to do now. He’d been bred to fight, not to interrogate prisoners or think up strategies. Every test on him had been about strength, endurance, stamina—not problem solving.
“Find out,” he said.
Walker blinked, his blank expression finally cracking. “Sorry?”
“Go back and find out what they want to do, and why, and then tell me.”
Ronan growled. “What are you talking about, Tiger? If we let him go, he’ll run back to the Bureau and report this little escapade, especially the part about being chained to the wall. I don’t need human cops arresting me and messing with my family, or coming to Shiftertown at all.”
“They won’t,” Tiger said. “Walker will make sure of it, because he’s interested in me for his own reasons. He reported me to his bureau because he wanted them to find out about me, but he’s afraid they messed up and tried to kill me instead. He’s angry at them for that, but he’s still curious about me. I am too. I want to know what they know, and so does Walker.”
Tiger felt their stares—Carly’s, Ronan’s, Rebecca’s, Elizabeth’s. Ronan cleared his throat. “What, now you read minds?”
“Scent,” Tiger said. “What he said with his words and what he said with his scent are two different things.”
“Shit,” Walker said softly. “Remind me to take a shower before I talk to you again.”
“Yeah, I read scent too,” Ronan said to Tiger. “But I didn’t catch all that or figure out what he didn’t say.”
“He wants to know about me,” Tiger said. “And he wants to use me, maybe, but not for a bad reason.”
Rebecca said, “Huh. That comes to you through smell? All I get is that he’s nervous, really curious about Tiger, and wonders what it would be like to sleep with me.”
Walker went beet red, and Ronan rumbled, “Becks, would you cool it? I swear, we need to get you mated. You’ve rejected, like what, twenty mate-claims?”
“Haven’t met anyone who turns my crank. Not enough to stay with him for the rest of my life anyway.” Rebecca smiled at Walker. “Shifters have long lives. I’m only a hundred.”
Walker was growing more and more uncomfortable. Tiger read his desire for Rebecca loud and clear. He didn’t need to be a super Shifter to get that.
“Make a promise to me,” Tiger said to Walker. “Go back to your Shifter Bureau. Find out what they know about me, and share the information only with me. In return, I’ll tell you what I know about myself.”
