Page 29 of Stripe for the Picking
"Nope, it's a surprise." He paid the vendor and gathered their purchases. "But do you think your Earth palate can handle some real flavor?"
"Commander, I think you'll discover that everything about me is far more adventurous than you realize."
Her words sent heat straight to his core. Everything she said seemed specifically designed to trigger his desire, and his tiger was growing more impatient by the minute.
They left the market and walked back toward the residential sector, their conversation flowing easily between teasing banter and genuine curiosity about each other's worlds. Rylan found himself relaxing in a way he hadn't in years, simply enjoying the company of the woman who'd turned his ordered life completely upside down.
But as they approached the final block before the military base entrance, Rylan's enhanced senses detected somethingwrong. A shadow moved against the natural flow of pedestrians, too purposeful and too focused. His tiger instincts sharpened to razor focus.
"Something's not right," Wren whispered beside him, her voice tight with tension.
"Stay close to me," Rylan commanded. He shifted the shopping bags to one hand and moved protectively closer to her, his body automatically positioning itself as a shield.
Protect the mate. Defend what's mine.
Suddenly, a masked figure burst from the nearby bushes, moving with predatory intent straight for Wren. Rylan's vision went red with protective fury.
"No." The word tore from his throat as primal instinct took control.
Adrenaline surged through his system as Wren stepped backward, her self-defense training evident as she automatically shifted into a defensive stance. But this threat was beyond what she could handle alone.
No one touches what's mine.
Rylan moved like lightning, placing himself between Wren and the attacker just as the figure shifted into tiger form. Without conscious thought, Rylan's own transformation rippled through his body—bones elongating, muscles expanding, and his black and gold striped coat emerging as his tiger burst free.
His roar shook the nearby buildings.
The enemy tiger was smaller and less experienced, clearly not expecting to face a large and formidable shifter. Rylan struck with deadly precision, his powerful frame dwarfing his opponent as he drove them back with raw, unrestrained strength. Every move was calculated to protect, to dominate, and to send a clear message.Touch my mate and die.
Through his tiger's heightened senses, he was acutely aware of Wren watching him—her sharp intake of breath, and the wayher heart rate spiked not with fear but with something that smelled suspiciously like arousal. Even in his shifted form, her reaction sent satisfaction coursing through him.
She's not afraid. She's fascinated.
The attacker, clearly outmatched, broke off the engagement and fled into the shadows between buildings. Rylan pursued for several strides before his protective instincts overrode his hunting drive—he couldn't leave Wren vulnerable, even for revenge.
He shifted back into human form, and pulled on his boxers, tactical pants, and boots, which were thankfully mostly intact. Though his t-shirt had been shredded in the transformation. He grabbed a spare shirt from his backpack and pulled it on, hyperaware of Wren's wide eyes tracking his every movement.
"Are you hurt?" His voice was rough and low as he closed the distance between them. "Did they touch you at all?"
Wren shook her head, but he could see her hands trembling. Without hesitation, he wrapped his arms around her, pulling her against his chest where his heart still hammered from the fight and the rush of protecting his mate.
"You're safe now," he murmured against her hair, breathing in her scent to reassure both himself and his tiger. "I've got you."
The mate bond pulsed between them like a living thing, stronger than ever after the shared danger. When she tilted her face up to look at him, her cheeks flushed and her lips slightly parted, Rylan felt the last of his control snap.
He cupped her beautiful face in his hands, his thumbs brushing across her cheekbones. "Wren..."
And then his lips were on hers, possessive and urgent, claiming what was his. She melted against him, her hands fisting in his shirt as she kissed him back with equal fervor. The sweet taste of her, the feel of her soft curves pressed against his hardbody, and the way she made that small sound of need against his mouth—it all combined to make his head spin.
When they finally broke apart, both breathing hard, Wren stared up at him with wonder in her green eyes.
"That was..." she whispered, her voice breathless.
"Overdue," Rylan finished, his thumb tracing her lower lip. The mate bond thrummed between them, no longer something he could deny or rationalize away.
THIRTEEN
WREN
