Page 19 of Catch a Tiger

Abomination.

Seeing his wings had shattered the pretty illusion she’d been living in. It had reminded her ofeverythingthat had been stolen from her – everything she still needed if she wanted to be whole.

He’d taken her memories from before, and then he’d taken her memoriesagain– stealing away the time she’d spent with him in the heavenly realm where it was so coldit burned.

Vix stared at the sky, waiting just as she always did.

Nothing descended on her other than the softest snow, swirling down apologetically like it could soothe the ache of abandonment.

Only the cold could erase that pain these days.

Years.

This time, she stuck out her tongue and let the snow land. The ice contained a tiny drop of that refreshing wildness that told her it wasalive,and it cleansed the horrific stench from the back of her throat.

Breathing deep, she reached up, wishing she could pluck him from his perch and drag him down to answer for all his crimes, but Vix didn’t have wings.

Her hand dropped to her side and her lips peeled back from her teeth in a silent snarl, tongue running over the sharp canines that she could never hide.

Choosingthiswas all she could be. There was no more pretending, and shedding the expectations of humanity had freed her to become exactly what he’d made of her.

Tauriel…Gabriel’s warrior.

A little noise of disgust escaped her before she gave up, stepping over the body and heading towards the nearest tree. He wasn’t going to come this time either.

That was fine. She’d try again and again andagainuntil he finally did.

Settling her hand on the bark, she rested her head against it and closed her eyes. Disconnecting the glyph from the trees she’d used to anchor it, she took its pain away in silent thanks.

Activating another glyph sucked the angel’s blood from the earth until there was nothing left, shifting it through the universe to her secret place. She took the remnants of his wings as well before destroying any trace of the seal.

All the rest of the trees around her seal cried in relief when their agony eased.

She would leave the body. No one but an angel would know what they were looking at anyway. The flesh and bone would decompose and give new life to her garden of death just like all the others.

Gabriel had made her into his warrior and her body remembered what she couldn’t.

Vix had all the time in the world to hunt them down one by one if that’s what he wanted from her. If that didn’t work?—

Snow crunched and her eyes opened to see something…unusual.

A tiger made of winter.

He was massive as he prowled through the snow toward her, bigger than a bear, but it was the white fur that held her attention.

Vix slid down, using the trunk of the tree to hide behind. Peering out at him as she crouched, she couldn’t help but wonder if this was real or if it was nothing but another memory she wasn’t allowed to possess.

If it was a dream…what was the harm in giving in to the intense curiosity urging her to get closer?

It was as natural as breathing to use her claws and boots that were just as good as paws to move through the snow toward him in a low prowl, but the tiger went completely still when she did and Vix tilted her head as she wondered what that meant.

Unfamiliar animals never saw her asother, but this one did.

She watched as those ice-blue eyes studied her, staying completely frozen until she felt his nerves ease.

He was wary of her.

Glancing over her shoulder at the mutilation she’d left for Gabriel, it occurred to her he might have seen it. If he hadn’t, then he’d definitely smelled it.

---