Page 20 of Catch a Tiger

The rotten stench of angel blood always clung to her.

Turning back to him, she saw he was now sitting on his haunches – looking so regal, and almost like hebelonged. Vix could scent him, but she didn’t know if she could trust any of her senses right now, not when such a beautiful dream kept beckoning her closer.

“Tiger, Tiger,” she whispered, unable to stop herself from taking another step forward. “Burning so bright.”

His attention sharpened, and she tilted her head slightly.

“In the forest ofmynight,” she purred, feeling the animal dancing inside herdemandshe reach out to touch him. “My tiger of winter and frost, aren’t you?”

He huffed at that, and she crawled a tiny bit closer, unable to resist the need to scent him – to touch that frosty fur that beckoned like the bed piled high with furs in her den.

Something strange was pushing her closer and closer…

“So cold,” she murmured, seeing the chill in his eyes for what it was. “Are you made of ice too?”

He didn’t move when she got close enough to touch him, but his scent suddenly became anxious. Vix went completely still again, making sure to stay lower than his head so he wouldn’t think she was going to attack or challenge.

Then he finally rewarded her for her patience, dipping his head down to sniff her fingers and growl at the scent he found there.

“Shh,” she tried to soothe. “It’s a horrible stench, I know, but what can you do? Someone has to keep the infestation from spreading.”

Just a little closer…

There.

She dropped her eyes to appear as nonthreatening as possible despite the blood all over her and then slid her fingers through the white and black fur on his face. Her lips parted in awe when he didn’t try to bite or claw her.

His fur was soroughand thick and warm that she couldn’t help inching a little closer. Another scent surrounded her, and she snatched her hand away as if she’d been burned.

This wasn’t a mundane tiger and he wasveryreal.

No, he was like her, but…not.

Vix crouched down lower to put her face below his so she could peer up at him, hoping it would keep him from feeling anxious. “Hello, Alpha.”

Something in his eyes flashed at her and she could have sworn it was a flicker of gold. He was definitelymorethan just an animal, and she couldn’t help but wonder why he was here.

“What are you doing in my forest, pretty tiger made of winter?”

For whatever reason, it was impossible not to touch him again. This time though, she slid her fingers down his front leg so softly it was barely there, and her gaze fell to his paws.

Sobig.

Dropping to her stomach, she walked her fingers over the top of those paws, air between the tips of her fingers and his massive toes. If he wanted to attack her, he could, but Vix wasn’t too worried about it.

Not much could kill her.

Probably.

But she couldn’t help wonderingwhyhe was letting her get this close when they didn’t know each other. There wasn’t the usual wildness coming from him either like with the ravens or the coyotes, but still, his well of dominance wasendless.

“I want to touch his murder mittens,” she confessed to the snow. It laughed at her and Vix grinned, rolling over to show him her stomach to prove she wasn’t the threat all the blood and the mutilated body promised she was. “Can I?”

The tiger stared down at her with disbelief dancing in those ice-blue eyes and Vix suddenly felt reckless. Grabbing his face like she had Rain’s, she turned it from one side to the other and bit back her amusement when he seemed shocked that he was letting her.

“Please let me touch them, Alpha?”

He huffed again and looked away as if in agreement, which delighted her.

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