Freeing a Tiger's Soul (Tiger Series) (14 page)

The family and friends that were gathered in the Hall were astonished by the change in Krisi and those evident in Euan.  Evan kept touching Euan’s ears and Euan kept batting his hands away.

The other Fairborns in the room found it humorous and chuckled openly each time Euan swatted at his brother.

It was much later in the evening when Evan exclaimed, “Why didn’t ye say so!  I would not have tried again!”

This brought a fresh round of laughter from the Fairborn and many others who understood the statement. 

Evan and Euan both turned identical shades of crimson as they realized their words had been overheard and understood.  Then both brothers burst out laughing.  The rest of the evening was filled with laughter and song, but no one had forgotten
the bleak welcome Krisi had received.  When Henry stood and motioned for the men to follow him they did without pause.

23

Euan settled himself in a cushioned chair near the fire in Henry’s study.  He didn’t speak until everyone was seated, then he met Henry’s eyes.

“The women in the bailey insulted and frightened my mate.  I could have taken them down for that alone, but I would not want to show disrespect in your home.”

“I appreciate that Euan and I understand.  I am afraid I would not have been able to show the same restraint in your place.”

Henry’s words meant a great deal to Euan.

“What will be done?”

“They will be sent away.  I am afraid I have been dealing with problems caused by them for a while and it is no longer worth it to me.”

“What is their reason for attacking my mate?”

“I listened to their thoughts.  They feel that Krisi is stealing you from your own kind.  They believe she had bewitched you.”

“Do they have mates?”

“Out of the five women only one has ever found her mate and he was unable to stay with her after she was used by another.  She was unable to be the wife that he needed and he left her.  He was killed shortly after and she blames herself and she is bitter.  The others have not found their mates and grow weary of their wait.  They feel that if Krisi can bewitch you then their mates could be taken from them as well.”

“That is not true Henry.  She is my mate.”

Henry smiled.  “Do not forget that my Amelia is half Fairborn as well.  I know Krisi is your mate.  I do not doubt your bond.  The women will be dealt with, but I am troubled about sending unmated women away.  We need them.  I will send the widow to another keep.  I will send word of her offenses and she will be watched.  It is my hope that the others will be less hostile if the widow is gone.”

Euan nodded.

Deaglan spoke next.  “Well, now that we have settled that issue I want to see those damned pointed ears!”

Euan and Evan turned red again and the men erupted in laughter.  Deaglan reached over and ran his finger over the tip of Euan’s new appendage and flinched when Euan growled.

“I wouldn’t do that.  He said it feel just like the end of his…”

Evan broke off when Euan planted his fist in his brother’s gut.

There was another round of chuckles and the men decided to retire to their chambers.

Euan found Krisi huddled on the floor of her chamber when he entered.  She had her face buried in her hands and she sobbed great wrenching sobs.  Euan rushed to her side and pulled her into his lap.

“What is the matter love?”

Krisi didn’t speak.  She just buried her face in his warm chest and pointed a trembling finger to the bed.

Euan looked in the direction she indicated and saw the deep red liquid dripping from the linens and pooling on the floor.  He stood and prowled to the bed to find a mangled carcass lying there.  It was the body of a young doe.  Her body had been ripped open to reveal her young fawn still too small to be born.  Someone had butchered mother and child to send a message to Krisi.

Euan went back to Krisi and scooped her into his arms.  He no sooner opened the door than Eva and Cara rushed inside.  Their faces were pale and they were shaking.

“What has happened?  We felt her terror and came as quickly as we could.”

Euan shook his head.  He did not understand this connection the three women shared, but he was thankful for it at the moment.  He jerked his chin to tell the women where to look and took Krisi out into the hall.

In a moment the women joined him with tears streaking their faces.

“Bring her to my room.”  Cara said.  “Liam and the others will know what to do.”

Euan couldn’t speak.  He followed Cara to her chamber and placed Krisi in a chair beside the fire.  He let his mind fill hers and he felt her utter despair.  He let himself sink into her mind and found their child shivering with fear.  He pushed his reassurance into them both and felt Krisi relax as their son grew stronger again.

“Krisi I must go see about all of this.  You will be safe here with Cara and Eva.”

She nodded.  Her blue eyes were big and wet and he wanted nothing more than to hold her until she felt safe again, but he knew he must see to the bloody mess left in their room.

“I will be back as soon as I can.”

She only nodded.  Before he could move through the door though he heard her voice catch.

“Euan!”

He turned and was able to open his arms before she hit him in the chest.

“Euan I love you.”

“I love ye to lass.  Now go and talk this out with the women and I will be back.”

She nodded and allowed Eva to take her from Euan’s arms.

24

Euan stepped through the chamber door to find his friends standing grim-faced around the carnage lying on his bed.

Liam spoke without looking at him.  “We need yer nose Euan.  We also need yer promise that ye won’t eat whoever ye find at the end of the trail.  We need information first.  Ye’ll get yer vengeance, but we need facts first.  Can ye agree to this?”

Euan looked to Henry.  “We need your assurance.  I though you would be more willing to give it to Liam than to me.”

“I am loyal to my kind.  You are our leader so that means my allegiance lies with you first.  Why would this be doubted?”

“’Tis not!  We are closer.  I ken how ye like to do things and I ken ye’ll want blood for this.  Henry would feel the same way and he didn’t think it right to ask something of you he wasn’t sure he would be able to accomplish himself.”  Liam said with complete conviction that told Euan he was telling the truth.

Euan nodded once.  “I understand and I will try, but I cannot make a promise.”

“’Tis all we need.  Change and find the one who did this.”

All of them had the ability to track and find people, but Euan had a much stronger sense of smell.  It enabled him to smell illness as well as anything else.  He dropped to the floor and changed quickly.  He found the stench of hatred easily and followed it through the keep and into the kitchens.  He saw a small wench huddled in the corner and smelled the hatred on her, but it was not hers.  It had been directed at her and Euan could see the bruises on her face from the beating she had suffered. 

Evan stopped at the woman and spoke to her gently as he helped her stand and had another young woman take her to Cara’s room.  Then they were off again.

Euan followed the stench of bitterness to a tiny hovel near the stables.  He heard voices and snarled at the words he heard.

“She will think twice before flaunting herself around here again.”

“Elfen whore!  She thinks she can steal our mates?”

“Euan could have been mine.”

“I heard she tried to take Deaglan from young Angelica too.  I heard it from her own lips.  She saw them together after she had mated with Euan.  That proves that she can nay be a true mate to him.”

Euan looked to the others and they spread out around the tiny shack.
  He found Deaglan and pressed into his mind.  He found the answers and the memories and felt shame for his part in the turmoil.  He also felt Deaglan’s shame at hearing his little mate had anything to do with this mess.  Euan found similar shame in Liam’s thoughts when he allowed himself to listen to
them.  He knew that the girl would be punished and let the worry of it leave him.
 

When he was certain no one could escape Euan burst through the door with a horrendous roar.

The women screamed and tried to run, but they were caught by the others and led into the bowels of the great stone keep.
  They resisted only until they realized it was useless and then they started babbling about others who had helped them.

Euan’s tiger raged.  It wanted their blood, but he held it back.  He changed and took the pair of trousers offered to him by the stable master.  Then he made his way to Krisi.  Let the others deal with the depravity of the women.  He wanted to be with his mate.

He found her still huddled in th
e chair he had placed her in.  S
he looked up when he entered the room and rushed to him.

“I felt your rage.”  She whispered.

“It is all gone.  Those women are in the dungeons and will hurt no one else.  You are safe.
  My rage was healthy anger after what was done to ye lass.  The darkness has no hold on me now.
”

Krisi sighed and Euan felt her worry melt away.

“This does bring to mind a problem though.”

“What?”

He smiled.  “Where do ye want to live love?”

Krisi beamed.  “With you.  Anywhere as long as it’s with you.”

“I don’t have a lot to offer ye.  I have that little cottage by the stream, but it isn’t fit for ye to live in.”

“Oh Euan!  It is perfect!  It is so pretty there and we can make the cottage bigger when the children arrive.”

Her smile lit up the room and made the slimy tendrils of anger float away.

He knew that they would survive this and any other obstacle that came their way.  He held her close and stroked her hair.

“Where are we to sleep tonight love?”

“Amelia said we can have the room across from here.”

“Ahh good then.”  He lifted Krisi and took her across the hall.  Her laughter filled the dark corners of his heart as he tossed her on the soft bed and came down with her.

Hate hadn’t touched them and vengeance had no pull on him.  He was wrapped in the loving embrace of his beloved mate and happy to let the others deal with everything else.
  He allowed his joy to flow within him and found a peace that had been denied him for so long.  He saw the face of his mother and knew she was in a place of unending joy and repose.  He let go of his hate and his anger and allowed only peace to flow within him.

Then Krisi smiled and his world exploded with color and light in a way that should have made him quake with fear, but he knew it was their combined love and power that crashed around them as it too celebrated their love.

Euan allowed his lips to caress Krisi’s neck along the mark he’d made to claim her.  She shivered in his arms and he began to love her in earnest.

Prologue

The beast paced as he watched the beautiful women lying beside him.  He’d known what she was the moment he’d laid eyes on her, the day she was born.  His mate.  Her scent reached out to him and he inhaled deeply.  It was rich and spicy with the slightest hint of something he could not identify.  The warmth that spread through his body only made him more sure that she was his.

  She was the most magnificent creature he had ever seen.  Her silver hair was spread about her as pale as the moon beams dancing on her skin.  He closed his eyes.  Her eyes rivaled the summer sky for brilliance.  She was the one bright star in his life.  A life that had been filled with little joy.

She was ready now.  She was feeling the changes in her body.  She would soon understand them.  He would teach her the ways of their people.  He would have to get around her father first, but there was no denying her awakening was near.  Her father would sense it upon his return. The beast sighed; he would have to work fast before her father discovered his intentions.  Others would smell her too and flock to her in hopes that they might win her and deny him an heir.  She would have no other. He was her only mate.  He’d watched the others sniff around her tonight until he thought he’d burst.  He hadn’t marked her, but he’d left enough scent to warn the others.  If any were fool enough to test him?  He would kill them.  If any were stupid enough to try to claim her?  He would destroy their entire family.   His kind only had one mate and she was his only chance at happiness.  She was his only chance to help save his dying race. He would not fail.