Page 96 of Catch a Tiger

If only he would stop worrying so much. Vix wouldn’t survive if he worried himself to death.

Metal glinted as her blades entered her peripheral. She turned to see the alpha holding them out to her, still covered in his blood.

Gently, she took them from him, wondering if this was some kind of trick.

“Can you follow the rules now?” Samuel asked her.

Flicking her fingers, she vanished the blades to her secret pocket and considered the raven who was taking her time walking back to the house. Valentina belonged to her partner and a witch instead of a collective. She’d also accepted the damage to her eye as payment for her lies, otherwise she would have buried a blade in Vix’s in retaliation.

If she could make her own agreement with the strange raven, she’d feel better about this, but her loyalty to the witch was enough for now.

The alpha couldn’t keep information from her and expect her to follow the rules so blindly though. Vix looked up into the alpha’s jade-green eyes and wondered if he was hidingsomething else from her that would turn his precious rules to ash.

“I can follow your rules.” She tilted her head to the side and considered him. “Can you?”

Vix wondered if he even understood how rules worked. Didn’t he know this was all just a game? Too rigid and he’d break. There had to be some flexibility, some willingness to see more than just black and white.

For once, the alpha didn’t snarl at her for challenging him. Instead, he studied her eyes and face instead of immediately responding, like he’d seen something today that had eased some of his doubt.

How exhilarating.

“The rules are too vague,” Mylo interjected, his body slightly turned as he watched Valentina disappear into the house. “And you can’t just ignore blatant lies, Samuel. Morgan has knowingly withheld information from you twice now.”

Mylo’s eyes weren’t glowing, but that icy gold was still a threat. Maybe even more than the gold of his tiger.

“Are you going to let her get away with it again?” Mylo asked, his voice dropping slightly and that strange,sharpalpha scent got even more potent. “Or do I have to step in because you can’t?”

Vix slid her gaze to Rune and saw him grinning like he couldn’t wait to watch the show, but she didn’t think they should be anywhere near these two right now.

Putting her hand up to shield her mouth from the alphas like she wanted to keep a secret from them, she whispered, “Rune.”

Golden eyes shifted to her instantly and he tilted his head slightly, as if he were confused why she’d whisper when they could still hear her. It made his long red hair swish in the ponytail, pieces framing his pretty face like a picture.

“My feet are cold,” she admitted, keeping her voice as soft and quiet as possible. “I didn’t have time to grab my boots.”

“I can fix that,” the tiger assured, scooping her up in his arms and carrying her to the house without question or hesitation. “Do you want me to warm them up or cut them off entirely?”

She wrapped her arms around his neck and grinned at how viciously earnest he could be. “It would be hard to run without feet.”

“Right, the feet stay.” Rune grinned down at her, looking pleased she’d decided not to leave. “How would you prefer I warm you up then, mate?”

Closing her eyes, she rested her head on his shoulder and took a deep breath. Vix had no idea how much she’d needed to hear one of them call her that and mean it.

“Your hands, not water.” She pressed her face to that spot on his neck where she could scent the mate bond.

Rune squeezed her tight as he jogged up the cedar steps, a soothing rumble in his chest as he carried her back into that stupid house. “I’m glad you stayed. It would have made Mylo sad if I had to leave him here so I could go with you.”

“Me too,” she whispered, eyes burning at the thought of leaving Mylo behind.

Even the thought of leaving Samuel, who needed to learn how to bend before he broke, made her chest ache. The pain of the mate bond was excruciating – such a different kind of agony that she didn’t know how to ignore.

It was impossible to fold it away and bear it the same way she did all the other kinds of pain.

Vix knew without a doubt that leaving them behind would hurt so much worse than carving those names into her shoulder.

Could she even survive it?

Chapter 29

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