leaped.
A bang sounded. A bullet grazed his whiskers, leaving a burning trail along his skin. Blood splattered over his forehead.
Gaur bellowed and pitched forward. Nikhil grabbed him by the throat, sinking his teeth into his veins, and he yanked the bovine’s head to the side. Gaur’s legs kicked air and then stilled, blood pooling around them.
Nikhil released Gaur’s neck and roared his triumph, his enemy defeated, his mate safe. Exhilaration flowed through his body.
“I killed him,” Violet whispered. She sank to the floor, the gun dropping from her fingers. “For real. This isn’t a video game.” She covered her face with her hands. “I killed him.”
Nikhil glanced at the dead bovine and then at his distraught mate, his blood-hungry tiger fighting his human’s concern. Protect mate . He walked toward her, shifting, his fur becoming skin, his forelegs shortening to arms, the wound on his leg pulling closed. “He would have killed me,” he rumbled.
“I killed him.” Violet quivered.
“Look at me.” He pulled her hands away from her face. Their gazes met, her violet eyes red, her cheeks damp, and Nikhil’s heart squeezed. “I attacked him, knowing I would die.”
“You’re just trying to make me feel better.” She lifted her chin. “You wouldn’t risk your life like that.”
“I would, to protect you.” Nikhil sank to the floor beside her. He put his arm around her plush form, relishing her curves, her body heat, her scent. “But I didn’t die. You saved me.” Violet released a heart-wrenching whimper and buried her face in his shoulder, wetting his skin with her tears. “He would have killed both of us. You had no choice.”
He held her. Sparks snapped from the broken monitors. Violet’s breaths wafted against his neck. The pain from his wound dissipated. The gunfire outside the room stopped.
Boots pounded against tiled floor, and the scent of bear shifter tickled Nikhil’s nostrils. Bruce .
“The threat is eliminated, boss.” His head of security entered the room. “Gaur wasn’t --” He skidded to a stop. “Oh.” A grin spread across his face. “Well done, boss.”
Violet shuddered. Nikhil swung her into his arms. “We’ll be in the bedroom.” He nodded at Gaur’s massive corpse, his mate not needing to see that. “Have this cleaned up. Knock if you need me.”
“Yes, boss.” Bruce bobbed his head.
“We’re safe, Violet.” Nikhil walked through their battle-ravaged home, his mate carefully cradled in his arms. “We survived.” He glanced at the gaping hole where their front door had previously been, the destruction a small price to pay for Violet’s safety. “Though I could do without your chaos and anarchy for a while.”
“Me too,” she whispered, giving him a wobbly smile.
Chapter Five
“Ice cream for breakfast.” A week later, Violet set the empty sundae glass on the nightstand and reclined on the bed, resting her head on her tiger’s large form. “That’s my favorite form of anarchy.” She held up her deliberately sticky fingers, and Nikhil licked them clean, his tongue rough and warm. “Everyone should break those absurd rules about when we eat dessert.”
Nikhil purred, his belly vibrating against her, his tail batting her arm. “Life is too short for unquestioned compliance.” She stroked his soft fur, tracking his black stripes, the markings vivid against the orange base. “When I thought I might lose you --” Her voice broke.
Nikhil nudged her with his head, rubbing his whiskers over her waist, his touch comforting -- a physical reassurance that he lived. She felt along the scar on his leg. His wound had healed, yet the fear lingered, the terror of a life spent without him, a life of conformity, of the same dreary grayness day after day.
Violet took a deep breath, held it for five heartbeats, and exhaled. “The cautious thing to do is to wait, to keep these feelings to myself.” She forced a smile, butterflies fluttering
A bang sounded. A bullet grazed his whiskers, leaving a burning trail along his skin. Blood splattered over his forehead.
Gaur bellowed and pitched forward. Nikhil grabbed him by the throat, sinking his teeth into his veins, and he yanked the bovine’s head to the side. Gaur’s legs kicked air and then stilled, blood pooling around them.
Nikhil released Gaur’s neck and roared his triumph, his enemy defeated, his mate safe. Exhilaration flowed through his body.
“I killed him,” Violet whispered. She sank to the floor, the gun dropping from her fingers. “For real. This isn’t a video game.” She covered her face with her hands. “I killed him.”
Nikhil glanced at the dead bovine and then at his distraught mate, his blood-hungry tiger fighting his human’s concern. Protect mate . He walked toward her, shifting, his fur becoming skin, his forelegs shortening to arms, the wound on his leg pulling closed. “He would have killed me,” he rumbled.
“I killed him.” Violet quivered.
“Look at me.” He pulled her hands away from her face. Their gazes met, her violet eyes red, her cheeks damp, and Nikhil’s heart squeezed. “I attacked him, knowing I would die.”
“You’re just trying to make me feel better.” She lifted her chin. “You wouldn’t risk your life like that.”
“I would, to protect you.” Nikhil sank to the floor beside her. He put his arm around her plush form, relishing her curves, her body heat, her scent. “But I didn’t die. You saved me.” Violet released a heart-wrenching whimper and buried her face in his shoulder, wetting his skin with her tears. “He would have killed both of us. You had no choice.”
He held her. Sparks snapped from the broken monitors. Violet’s breaths wafted against his neck. The pain from his wound dissipated. The gunfire outside the room stopped.
Boots pounded against tiled floor, and the scent of bear shifter tickled Nikhil’s nostrils. Bruce .
“The threat is eliminated, boss.” His head of security entered the room. “Gaur wasn’t --” He skidded to a stop. “Oh.” A grin spread across his face. “Well done, boss.”
Violet shuddered. Nikhil swung her into his arms. “We’ll be in the bedroom.” He nodded at Gaur’s massive corpse, his mate not needing to see that. “Have this cleaned up. Knock if you need me.”
“Yes, boss.” Bruce bobbed his head.
“We’re safe, Violet.” Nikhil walked through their battle-ravaged home, his mate carefully cradled in his arms. “We survived.” He glanced at the gaping hole where their front door had previously been, the destruction a small price to pay for Violet’s safety. “Though I could do without your chaos and anarchy for a while.”
“Me too,” she whispered, giving him a wobbly smile.
Chapter Five
“Ice cream for breakfast.” A week later, Violet set the empty sundae glass on the nightstand and reclined on the bed, resting her head on her tiger’s large form. “That’s my favorite form of anarchy.” She held up her deliberately sticky fingers, and Nikhil licked them clean, his tongue rough and warm. “Everyone should break those absurd rules about when we eat dessert.”
Nikhil purred, his belly vibrating against her, his tail batting her arm. “Life is too short for unquestioned compliance.” She stroked his soft fur, tracking his black stripes, the markings vivid against the orange base. “When I thought I might lose you --” Her voice broke.
Nikhil nudged her with his head, rubbing his whiskers over her waist, his touch comforting -- a physical reassurance that he lived. She felt along the scar on his leg. His wound had healed, yet the fear lingered, the terror of a life spent without him, a life of conformity, of the same dreary grayness day after day.
Violet took a deep breath, held it for five heartbeats, and exhaled. “The cautious thing to do is to wait, to keep these feelings to myself.” She forced a smile, butterflies fluttering
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