Page 41 of Stripe Theory

“Hey.” Her hand found his, fingers intertwining naturally. “I’m okay. A bit singed around the edges, but okay.”

The contact grounded him, soothed the rage while stoking a different kind of heat. His tiger pushed forward, demanding.

“You need to see this.” He stepped back, though it physically hurt to break contact. “Try not to freak out.” He stripped quickly, forcing his tiger not to respond to her extremely aroused scent.

Her eyes widened as she realized his intent. “Are you sure? I mean, I know how private shifters are about their other form...”

Instead of answering, he let his shift flow. It came easier than ever before, his tiger eager to show itself to her. When he opened his eyes again, he saw the world from a lower vantage point, everything sharper, clearer.

Alora’s gasp held no fear – only wonder. She took a step forward, then stopped herself. “Can I...”

He moved closer in answer, positioning his massive head near her hand. Her touch, when it came, sent electricity through his entire body. Her fingers buried themselves in his fur, scratching in exactly the right spot behind his ear.

A deep rumbling purr escaped before he could stop it.

“Oh my god,” she breathed, delighted. “You purr! Maya said tigers could purr but I thought she was teasing me.”

If tigers could blush, he would have. Instead, he butted his head against her hip, nearly knocking her over.

“Show-off,” she laughed, steadying herself with both hands in his fur now. “You’re magnificent, you know that? All that power, and yet...”

Her voice trailed off as her hands explored, moving over his shoulders, down his flank. Every touch sparked awareness through him. His tiger basked in her attention, preening under her admiration.

“The stripes are like fingerprints,” she mused. “Unique to each tiger. Yours form this amazing pattern here, like—” She broke off with a yawn.

He padded over to the couch along one wall and looked at her expectantly.

“Are you serious?”

He responded by carefully taking her lab coat sleeve between his teeth and tugging.

“Okay, okay! Using those predator instincts for evil, I see.” But she followed, settling onto the couch. “Just for a minute though. We still need to analyze...”

Her words faded as he curled around her, his large body providing both warmth and protection. She leaned into his fur with a contented sigh.

“This should probably feel weird,” she mumbled, already half-asleep. “Using the CEO of Kedi Biogenetics as a pillow...”

He rumbled amusement, curling his tail around her.

“Your fur’s so soft...” Her hand stroked lazily through his ruff. “Like silk, but warmer. And you smell nice... all forest-y and...”

Her breathing evened out as she drifted off. His tiger hummed with satisfaction, all his protective instincts fulfilled with her safely tucked against him. For the first time since the attack, both sides of his nature felt truly at peace.

Through the windows, he watched dawn paint the sky in soft pinks and golds. His enhanced hearing picked up Hunter’s approach long before the knock came.

“Boss?” Hunter’s voice was pitched low. “We’ve got trouble. Another facility’s been hit.”

Rehan’s ear twitched in acknowledgment, but he didn’t move. Couldn’t move with Alora so perfectly nestled against him.

Hunter cracked the door, took in the scene, and quickly smothered a grin. “I’ll... handle it for now. Though you might want to know – the security system’s acting up again. Maya’s looking into it.”

Message delivered, Hunter withdrew. But the peace of the moment had already fractured. Somewhere out there, a traitor was feeding information to their enemies. Putting everyone at risk.

Alora stirred slightly in her sleep, her hand clutching his fur. His tiger rumbled a promise – no one would harm her. No one would take this from them.

THIRTY-THREE

Back in the lab later in the morning, debris crunched under Rehan’s feet as he surveyed the damage. Emergency lights still cast odd shadows across overturned equipment and shattered glass. Alora moved through the chaos with surprising grace, salvaging what she could.

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