Authors: Bianca D'Arc
Not that it mattered much among shifters, but Gina had been raised a little apart from the rest of her kind. She didn’t always like the distance other shifters put between her and them when they knew who she was. And the only shifters she’d ever interacted with closely enough to want that normal shifter intimacy with were those she’d grown up with. In the city, she’d steered clear of Others of every kind and gave shifters in particular a wide berth. Until Cade and Mitch had sniffed her out, she’d never gotten close enough to another big
-cat shifter to have been discovered.
Mitch held her in his arms, his hold loosening by slow degrees as if he wasn’t quite sure what to do with her. It got to the point where she had a little bit of wiggle room and might’ve been able to counter the hold, but why would she? Her body was exactly where it craved to be—plastered against Mitch.
The only thing that would be better was if they were both naked. She looked up at him and their gazes caught and held. He dipped his head by slow degrees.
“I think you can let her go now.” Her father’s booming voice came from near the doorway.
Shit.
Mitch tightened
his arms for a fraction of a second before he complied, releasing her. Gina cursed inwardly. He’d been about to plant one on her and she’d had just enough of his kisses to crave more. She thought maybe she was becoming an addict. Addicted to Mitch. Yeah, it was a harsh truth that she’d have to live with. Gina almost laughed aloud at her thoughts, but her father was waiting and the king wasn’t known for his patience.
Mitch, to his credit, faced the tiger king after unwrapping his arms from around her, but he didn’t let go of her completely. He kept hold of her hand as they faced her father’s possible wrath side
-by-side. Together. A united front. Only she was pretty sure Mitch would jump in front of her if her dad made even the slightest angry motion toward her.
But her dad wasn’t going to get violent. He wasn’t that kind of guy. He enforced his will with loud words and frowns, more than anything else. At least where she was concerned. He’d never raised a hand to her in anger and she knew he never would.
“How much did you see?” she asked her father, trying to defuse the situation.
“Enough.” The king nodded, the frown on his face speaking of the intimate hold he’d broken up. But then his expression cleared and he looked intrigued. “Is this what the
tigre
Royal Guard is taught now? I have never seen anything quite like that fighting style. It’s athletic but subtle. More stealthy than our usual fare.”
Mitch finally let go of her hand and stepped forward, reaching for the towel he’d discarded earlier as he walked off the mats and went to talk with her father. Everyone else got up and toweled off, clustering around her dad to see what Mitch would reveal about the techniques that had put them all on their asses. It wasn’t something they were used to. Each one of the Millers and their extended family were highly trained and very capable warriors.
“I wasn’t trained fully by tigers. When it became apparent that I was outstripping my teachers, I was sent to the
pantera noir
for more advanced study. I was thirteen,” Mitch revealed.
“I knew you were working for the panthers, but I didn’t realize you’d trained with them too. How did that come about?” King Frederick asked. Everyone listened, waiting to hear what Mitch would say.
“One of my teachers had a contact among the
pantera noir
and he used it to get me into their training program.”
“The only Guard I knew who had friends among the panthers was Geir Falkes. His aunt m
arried into that secretive Clan, I believe.”
Mitch shouldn’t have been surprised by the exiled king’s knowledge. Geir had been a young Guard when the king had left. He hadn’t been part of Frederick’s inner circle, though he’d been a hellacious fighter, even back then. The void left by the departure of so many of the top Royal Guards and their families had allowed Geir to move up the ranks quickly so that he’d become a teacher of other Guards at a much younger age than most of his predecessors.
Mitch had been a protégé of sorts. Almost a younger brother to the highly skilled warrior, who was still in his prime. It had been hard for Mitch to leave Geir behind
when he’d finished his training, but he had known it was for the best.
“Master Geir was indeed the man who took me to the
pantera
. He looked after my training until I was old enough to be out on my own.” And that had felt good to his seeking soul. Geir had taken Mitch under his wing and treated him like a younger brother. He was still one of his most favorite people in the world.
“You were young to leave your kin,” Frederick observed.
“The Thorburns weren’t my blood, though I can never thank them enough for adopting me. I took their name out of respect, but I was born Mitchell Gustavson. The Thorburns told me my parents died in a car accident.”
The king looked at him sharply. “If your parents were Emile and Maria Gustavson, they didn’t die in any accident.” Frederick turned to face Mitch, his gaze troubled. “They died protecting me and my family. They were both Royal Guards and two of my dearest friends. Sweet Mother of All.” Frederick’s gaze turned heavenward as his face showed the pain he felt at the memory.
He took a moment, during which Mitch’s mind spun. He hadn’t known. Nobody had ever told him the truth about his parents, though they all must’ve known. But why?
“Mitch.” The king looked back at him and put one hand on his shoulder. “I’m so sorry.” The king hugged him then, a back-pounding hug of both comfort and sorrow shared.
Mitch didn’t know what to say. He wanted to know the exact circumstances of his parents’ death, and yet…he was almost afraid to ask.
When the king let him go, Gina was beside Mitch, her gaze filled with understanding and compassion.
She reached for his hand and he took it like a lifeline. She was so good to him. He needed her touch to ground him, regardless of what her father might think. Mitch knew his place.
Mitch had just learned more about his true parents than he’d ever known. They’d been Royal Guards. Nobody had seen fit to inform him of that fact before
, and Mitch had to wonder why.
“What’s the big secret?” he asked aloud. “Why didn’t anyone tell me about them before?”
The king sighed heavily. “Probably because of the way they died. You see, it was the last straw. The final battle that decided me on exile. Gisli came at us himself, along with a group of his loyal followers. We only had the Gustavsons and Petries with us. Both couples died to give us time to escape. Your mother shielded Gina, who was only a cub at the time, until Candis was clear of the fighting. She suffered grievous wounds getting Gina to her mother and collapsed at my wife’s feet while your father was ripped open by Gisli, himself. The Petries held off the rest of the attackers until we could escape. Sadly, they too died in the attack. We met up with the Millers and a few others and hit the road. We left that very day. I didn’t want any more of my friends and protectors to die in my service. I knew you existed, but I was assured you would be placed with a good family.”
Mitch had to clear his throat before he could speak. “I was.” He cleared his throat once more and tried again. “The Thorburns were very good to me, but they had a hard time dealing with a child with Alpha tendencies and the desire to fight. They didn’t really understand me, yet they indulged me. They found me teachers and put me into the training I craved. And Geir did the rest. I was well looked after and protected—perhaps too much—from the truth of what happened to my blood kin.”
To say Mitch was stunned by these revelations would be understating it. A lot. But he was coming to some harsh realizations as well. Suddenly, things were coming into focus. Magnificent things of great scale and design. Destiny. Fate. The will of the Lady. Call it what you will, he realized events had led him to this place, this time, this woman and this king. He knew what he had to do.
“My existence as Mitch Thorburn is at an end,” he declared. “That name is known by our enemies
, and as far as I’m concerned, he died of the poison the day they burned Harris’s dojo in the city. But Mitch Gustavson lives, and it’s time to avenge my parents’ deaths and put right something that went wrong a long time ago.”
Silence greeted his softly voiced statement. He hadn’t expected cheering, but he didn’t know what to make of the silence until Gina squeezed his hand and drew his gaze down to meet hers.
“Whatever name you go by, you’re a man of rare honor, Mitch.” She reached up and planted a kiss on his cheek in front of all and sundry. It felt like a benediction. A touch of magic meant to begin healing the hurt places inside his soul.
He didn’t really know what had prompted his decision or his bold words, but he knew the Thorburns would understand. They’d always been there for him, even as he
’d grown into his Alpha role—something neither one of his adoptive parents were. They weren’t afraid of him, but he’d become the leader of their tiny familial Pride by virtue of his cat’s dominance. It was an odd arrangement, but Mitch would never take advantage of it and they knew he wouldn’t. Still, it did cause some tension.
It had gotten better when he ha
d been given the role he craved as a Royal Guard. He had taken the posting with the
pantera noir
and only went home to visit the Thorburns occasionally. They were good people, but it had become very obvious over the years that they didn’t really understand Mitch’s inner nature. They respected him, of course, and were proud of the man he had become, but they still didn’t quite understand him.
“Gina’s right,” the king finally said, extending a hand for a strong shake. “It doesn’t matter what name you go by, though I see your reasons for wanting to leave your old identity behind—both to safeguard your friends and former colleagues
, and to honor your blood kin. It makes sense. And I give you your parents’ place in my Royal Guard. It is your birthright, and now that you are here, it is yours for the taking. If you want it.”
Mitch sank to one knee, beyond honored at the king’s gesture.
“It is my honor to serve you,” Mitch uttered the formal words, his head bowed.
“Then I charge you with my daughter’s safety,” the king commanded, surprising Mitch.
His first urge was to smile with satisfaction, but then he wondered, had the king meant more by his instruction? Had he just given Mitch implicit permission to date his daughter? Or was it what it sounded like on the surface? Mitch was confused.
“It is my honor to protect the tiger princess.” Mitch made the formal reply and rose. Gina looked thoughtful and a little miffed as she narrowed her gaze at her father. The king had a somewhat smug smile on his face.
“Now that’s settled,” Frederick went on as if something monumental hadn’t just occurred. “I think we need to talk about strategy. I assume from the performance I just witnessed that you’re back up to full strength?” His gaze shifted to Gina and back again. She was the doctor, after all, but Mitch knew his own body well enough to realize he was almost fully recovered from the poison.
“Almost.”
Paul Miller laughed out loud and drew Frederick’s gaze. Pinned by the older man’s stare, Paul spoke. “If that was his
almost
, then I’d truly hate to have to fight him at full strength.”
Gina felt a swell of pride. She knew full well that Paul wasn’t one to hand out compliments easily. The elder Millers had trained all their children and the children of the other families that had gone into exile with them to a high standard. They had been the best of the best when they’d left the tiger enclave, and they hadn’t let their skills or abilities fade over time. They still trained every day, as did their children.
Almost all of the progeny of those original Royal Guards had followed their parents’ inclinations. Only one or two of the younger generation didn’t have enough skill or desire to become Guards themselves. Such was usually the way with tigers. Most of the time, blood ran true. And the few that didn’t want to serve found other important roles in the Pride. They weren’t Alpha enough to serve and protect, but they had other qualities that helped their Pride survive and thrive.
The rest of the afternoon was spent discussing strategy and technique with her father, the Miller kids and their dad. Paul had called up to the house and asked him to come down to the barn at Frederick’s request. Mitch and his unique fighting style were the main topic of conversation. He was asked to demonstrate some of the holds, stances and other techniques he had been using during the earlier sparring practice.
And then, Gina watched in a little bit of awe as Mr. Miller and her father faced off against Mitch on the mats. Everyone watched in anticipation as the two best fighters of their small Pride took on the newcomer.
Things started slow and then built to a point where all three men were leaping, twisting and almost flying around the barn. It was two against one. Both older men—seasoned warriors—up against the younger. It wouldn’t have been a fair matchup for anyone else, but Mitch was not only holding his own,
he was prevailing at times, making the older men really work for the small hits they managed on him.
The gymnastic abilities of all three men came into play as they bounded off the mats, the apparatus that had been left around the edges of the practice area and even the walls. At one point, Mitch swung up into the high rafters of the barn itself to avoid a concentrated attack from Frederick, only to land behind Tom Miller, striking a point off the older man.
This went on for a half hour or more until the door to the barn opened discretely behind the watchers. A gust of cold air heralded the arrival of Gina’s mom and Joan Miller. Both women seemed surprised by the main attraction everyone was watching with such intense concentration.
“If I’d known this was what was keeping you all, I would have brought a big bowl of popcorn with me,” Joan Miller whispered to her eldest. Paul smiled and tucked his mother under one arm in a loose hug. She was shorter than every one of her sons, but still the clear Alpha female of the little familial Pride.
Gina’s mom took a spot next to her on the end. “Your Mitch moves like the wind,” she commented in a quiet whisper that wouldn’t carry over the background noise in the room.
Gina started a bit. While she agreed he did move like the wind, the part that stopped her short was her mother calling him
her Mitch
. Did her parents see what was happening between her and Mitch? Did they approve? Or was it simply a convenient phrase that meant nothing of the sort? She didn’t know, but she liked the tone of admiration in her mother’s voice. Mitch really was something to look at.
“He’s amazing,” Gina agreed, not bothering to hide her true feelings. If her tigress had her way, Mitch would be her mate. Her mother would have to get used to that idea sooner or later—assuming Mitch cooperated.
“Have they been at this long?” Her mother hopped up to sit on the ledge behind her, getting comfortable.
“About forty minutes. Maybe a little more. But Mitch had already grounded all of them
—” she pointed to the assortment of younger people seated next to her, “—and me, before Dad got here. One at a time and as a group. He’s really something to behold when he gets going.”
“His fighting style is like nothing I’ve ever seen,” her mother commented, her gaze transfixed on the amazing speed and athletic motion of the three men fighting at the center of the
dojo.
“He learned from the
pantera noir
. They trained him from the time he was thirteen.” Once again, pride filled her voice.
Mitch was like no man she had ever known. He’d faced such adversity
in his young life, yet he’d found a way to grow into a man of uncommon skill and unquestionable honor. He’d been accepted by one of the most secretive and selective shifter Clans. The
pantera noir
were notorious for not accepting just anyone among them. They were especially protective of their monarch. Mitch had to have proven himself in some way to even be allowed to train with them. To be trusted with the life of the Nyx, he must have done something even more powerful.
Just watching him face off against their best fighters—her father and Tom Miller—it was clear he was in the same class as both of them. Maybe even better. After all, he was coming off a grievous injury. He had admitted that he wasn’t yet fully recovered. And still, he took on two of their best as if it were nothing. No sweat. No big deal. Just another day in the
dojo.
He was beating them to
o. It wasn’t an obvious, flat-out victory, but it was clear as the bout went on that Mitch was scoring more points on them than they were on him. Gina was impressed all over again. If he could do this now, what would he be like at full strength?
Most importantly, would he be good enough to take on Uncle Gisli and win? She sent a prayer up that it would be so. She couldn’t lose him. Not now. Not ever. He was hers and she was his. It would just take a little more time to convince him of that unrelenting fact. She needed that time. Desperately. But she didn’t think they were going to be allowed that luxury. Things were moving fast now and she had
a premonition that events were speeding along and she had no choice but to be caught up in them. The whirlwind was coming and she could either fight it and lose, or allow it to sweep her along toward their destiny.
“You could do worse than a man like that,” her mother observed, still in that low tone that wouldn’t be heard beyond the two of them
in such a large space. She nodded toward Mitch, now running literal circles around Tom Miller, much to the delight of his sons if their heckling hoots and hollers were anything to go by.
She turned to look at her mom, more interested suddenly in her opinion on Mitch as a mate than the mock combat taking place in the center of the room. Her mother’s opinion mattered greatly to Gina.
“Would you and Dad object if it turned out Mitch was my mate?”
Her mother turned to meet her gaze. “Is he?”
The sounds of the room faded as the moment of truth hit her. Silently, she nodded, holding her mother’s gaze. She wasn’t sure what to expect, but the tears that came into her mother’s eyes sparked an answering moisture in her own. Why were they crying? Was it bad? Or tears of joy? Or what? Gina was so confused.
And then her mother reached out and hugged her.
“Oh, baby girl, I’m so happy for you.” The whispered emotion was thick and sweet. It was good. Her mother was happy with Gina’s choice. “Does he realize it yet?”
“I’m not sure.” Like a magnet, Mitch drew her gaze. “I think he’s fighting it, though the indications are there…” She trailed off, not wanting to go into explicit detail with her mother.
“Sometimes men need a little push in the right direction,” her mother surprised her by saying.
“But he’s the dominant
partner in our pairing. My cat knows and accepts that.”
“That’s good,” her mother replied with a satisfied smile. “Having your tigress on board means this is a good
match. But maybe you can coax her to be a little more forward in getting him to take the lead.”
Gina wasn’t quite sure what her mother was driving at, but she was getting some particularly naughty ideas. It was clear her mother wouldn’t object to Mitch. And if
Mom didn’t object, Dad wouldn’t either. It was clear just by watching them spar that her father already had a healthy respect for Mitch’s fighting abilities. They’d also discussed the Rule and the history of the Clan and she knew the signs that told her without words that her father liked the way Mitch’s mind worked. They’d talked a lot about Mitch’s business background and experience, including his take on the world economic crisis and what could or should be done to fix it. The fact that he came from a family that had been close to hers in the past counted in his favor too, though he had been raised by others.
It looked like green lights on all fronts, except where it counted most. Mitch had kissed her. He’d even gone a little farther than that, but he seemed to shy away from the final step toward a deeper relationship with her. She’d have to fix that at her earliest opportunity. Maybe even tonight. If she could wangle a way.
She lapsed into silence, watching Mitch move around the dojo. He was poetry in motion, but her mind was on the possible scenarios she could engineer once she had him alone again. Night couldn’t fall too soon as far as she was concerned.
Eventually the bout came to an end with no clear winner, but all three men were smiling and sweating. There was a bank of showers along one wall of the
dojo and everybody was able to clean up a bit before heading back to the Millers’ home. Joan had insisted everyone stay for dinner.
It turned into a raucous evening with all the Millers, including Tad and Mandy’s baby, young Addie. She was adorable and was passed from adult to adult to coo over and cuddle. She was a peaceful baby whose true name was Asdis, which meant goddess in Icelandic, and Gina had always thought there was something a little fey about her.
Unlike her parents, little Addie had clear blue eyes that she had never grown out of. She wouldn’t begin to shift until her teenage years, but Gina privately wondered what kind of tigress she would turn out to be. Very few golden tigers had blue eyes.
One other good thing to come out of the meal was that Maribeth had visibly backed off. She no longer flirted with Mitch, which calmed Gina’s tigress. In fact, Maribeth had given Gina a little wink and thumbs-up when Mitch wasn’t looking, wishing her good luck in the silly way they had as schoolgirls. Maribeth had ceded the conquest to Gina. Thank goodness. Gina hadn’t wanted to fight with one of her oldest and dearest friends over him, but she would probably have been pushed in
to it if Maribeth had continued her flirtatious ways.
When the meal was finally over a
nd the night had grown dark and cold outside, they lingered for a while over coffee in the Millers’ big living room. Eventually though, it was time to leave. A contingent of Millers—both old and young—formed an informal Guard troop of sorts to escort the king and queen back home. Some of the others wanted to do the same for Gina, but Mitch declined their help, saying he could protect her well enough on the short ride to the cabin.
After everything they had seen him do in the
dojo that day, nobody cared to argue the point. Of them all, Mitch was the superior fighter. If he couldn’t keep Gina safe, nobody could.
They set out quietly from the big house, taking a different route than the royals, moving stealthily back to the
dojo to retrieve their snowmobile. Mitch checked it over before starting it up, exercising some of his ingrained Royal Guard caution. He waited only for Gina to hop on the seat before taking off toward the cabin.
When they got close, he stopped the vehicle a short distance out, going the last yards on foot. His approach was again, cautious. It was clear he wasn’t taking anything for granted. They’d left the cabin secure, but they’d been gone for hours. Anyone could have infiltrated the building during that time.
Gina pulled out her smartphone and started accessing the cameras both inside and outside the cabin that she had set to broadcast to an incredibly well-hidden internet address. While she checked the small screen for any possible evidence of intruders, Mitch did a more physical inspection. Between the two of them, they soon established that nothing had been disturbed since they’d left.
Mitch parked the snowm
obile on one side of the cabin where it was hidden from view and joined her inside a moment later. The place was toasty warm and closed up for the night. Gina had shut the blackout curtains before they’d left, knowing they’d be returning after dark. And this time, she hadn’t forgotten to close a single one. They were as secure as they were going to get.
Which meant the moment of truth had arrived. Gina had been going over the discussion she’d had with her mother earlier that evening for the past hour or two. She was as certain as she could be that Mitch was her destiny. Her future. Her mate.
Drastic measures were called for in order to get him to admit what she knew in her heart was the truth. He was hers, just as she was his.
And there was no time like the present.
She shed her coat, walking up to Mitch as he did the same. She didn’t stop to think or give him time to move away. She simply stepped right into his arms and hugged him close.
He was so warm. So vital. So alive.
She could tell he was confused by her actions when his arms seemed to pause before slowly wrapping around her. He let her rest her head against his shoulder for a long moment before she felt him move back a bit to look down at her.