Page 6 of Catch a Tiger

“This is the third time in the last week,” he admitted, dropping his voice so the winter wind would rip away his words and carry them back to those trees he couldn’t tear his gaze away from.

It almost felt like they were watching him.

“Now it’s affecting Mylo.”

“And you?”

Bloodlust roared through him as he thought about all the ways he could reward those two when he went down there andallthe ways he could punish them if they disobeyed.

“It’s manageable.” Samuel tugged on the necklaces around his neck that always burned as an endless reminder. The charms tinkled against each other, telling him those two were still alive – that there wasn’t a single fae within a hundred miles of him, and his pride was safe.

For now.

“You cannot fall,” Morgan murmured, something in her voice making that bloodlust die like a fire being smothered by a foam extinguisher.

“And why is that?” he snapped, releasing the necklace. The sting when it bounced against his chest became dull when the familiar ache settled against his skin in an endless cycle of burning and healing that kept him grounded.

“You are vital to so many things,” Morgan whispered, her voice suddenly not one, but thousands. “This world will crumble if you do.”

He rolled his eyes but said nothing.

“Don’t you dare roll your eyes at me,” she snapped, her voice suddenly back to normal.

Samuel sighed, remembering why he avoided her despite the fact that she’d been one ofhissince she was nothing but a small child and he a brand-new alpha.

Whatever god had chosen to put Morgan on this earth had a sick sense of humor, and the worst part of that thought was he knew she would wholeheartedly agree.

“What do you need?” Morgan asked, suddenly sounding exhausted. “Whatever it is, I’ll make it happen.”

“A dangerous promise,” he purred, a splinter of that psycho deep inside him slipping out. “I taught you better than that, didn’t I?”

Old habits were hard to kill.

“You could collar and cage me, and I’d let you,” Morgan whispered. “That’s how badly I need you to be a part of this fragile foundation. Your strength and tenacity are…priceless.”

His monster purred and Samuel considered how lovely a silver collar would look on her neck. She would be so pretty kneeling in a matching cage. Maybe he could find a diamond the same color as her eyes…

“I’m not enough to hold them together,” he told her, waving those destructive thoughts away like they were nothing more than smoke. “I’ve tried for over a year now. It’s held while I’vesearched for her, but our bond is fraying. We need the final piece. It might be the only thing that can save them.”

“Your mate?”

Theirmate, not his.

Samuel eyed the black nail polish on his fingers, relieved to see the claws were gone, knowing she could see more than any witch had the fucking right to.

“It’s funny. Shifters are so enamored with the idea of fated mates, and yet you’re disgusted by it.” Morgan chuckled, but it wasn’t mean-spirited. “I like that about you, Alpha.”

“Fate is a fickle bitch,” he muttered, spinning the ring on his thumb over and over. “Fate ruined my life once. It can do it again.”

“Oh, I promise it will,” Morgan said, her voice seductive once more like she fuckingknewhow much it repulsed him. “I can find your pretty little mate for you, Sammy, but will you be able to handle her?”

“I won’t kill her.”

Another throaty chuckle sent spiders crawling across his skin and into his ears. The sensation made him want to rip his fucking skin off. “Maybe not, but she’s not going to give you the same promise.”

A mate that wanted to kill him?

Despite himself, Samuel found that interesting. If nothing else, it meant she wasn’t a weak little princess who would see them as her knights in shining armor.

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