Chapter TWO

The cabin had been built to his exact specifications Dean thought as he looked around the luxurious space.

He had spent months consulting with the architects before hiring the right construction crews to get the job done. Dean was a man used to getting his way, and this was not unlike most projects he undertook.

The tract of land he’d purchased had once housed a large hunting cabin. It was listed for sale over a year ago and he’d bought it on a whim while scanning one of the several real estate digests he subscribed to.

A man could never have too much land. It was one of his dad’s favorite sayings. Another was, no man succeeds without a good woman, and fuck, if Dean wasn’t feeling the need for a woman in his life right about now.

His discussion with Alex had replayed over and over again in his head the entire way down to the South Jersey Pine Barrens. His Tiger had grumbled the entire way too. As if he’d wanted him to hurry.

Maybe the beast was right. The cabin was awesome. Having had a place on the property before only made it easier to have it knocked down and his own cabin rebuilt in its stead.

Of course, he’d done a major plumbing and electrical upgrade. But that wasn’t why his beast had been so excited upon arrival. It was the sheer majesty of the woods.

Cooped up in the city, his Tiger had to make do with rooftop gardens and the occasional run through Central Park, but that was always very dangerous. Being spotted often led to all kinds of cleanup and he didn’t want to have to worry about that right then.

No, out here, he was alone. Nothing but man, Tiger, and nature. There was even a stream nearby, and not a single neighbor for twenty miles on any given side. The snow covered trees and grounds, the glacial blue sky, and the golden glow of the fireplace made the whole thing take on a Rockwellian aspect.

Perfect.

He’d loved the idea of a rustic hunting lodge, but because of his lifestyle, Dean had required a bit more than the average cabin offered. In the end, it had been better to simply tear down the old structure and build a new one, though he had re-purposed a lot of the old, seasoned wood inside his new extreme log cabin.

Extreme in the sense that it was powered by a large, environmentally safe generator, solar panels, and even a small wind turbine. He’d wanted plenty of light and had floor to ceiling one-way windows installed throughout, as well as skylights. There was a huge wraparound porch which housed a hot tub and outdoor entertainment area and fire pit.

While inside, there was an enormous fireplace in the living room, a gourmet’s dream of a kitchen, a master bedroom in the loft with an enormous Alaskan king bed, and a luxurious bathroom with a sunken tub and separate shower stall.

There was an enormous ninety-inch television flatscreen, and plenty of movies saved to a hard drive, a sound system, and a large bookshelf that housed some of his favorites, including some classics, various biographies, thrillers, and a few mysteries.

Dean exhaled as he wandered from room to room. It smelled clean and perfect, the company his assistant hired to care for the property had obviously done a superb job. But even better than anything else was the one simple fact that this cabin was his.

This place was not for the Pride. Not like his penthouse in the city, which was often overrun with Tigers as was customary in most Shifter groups. There was no open door policy here.

This space was his alone. And he looked forward to his time there.

Mate, his Tiger pushed the thought at him, but Dean grumbled and swatted the word away. He wouldn’t be finding his mate this holiday. Not alone in the woods. Maybe when he got back to the city he would call his mother and arrange for some meetings. Shifters in his position often employed something along the lines of a trusted matchmaker to help locate suitable mates. He hoped the idea would settle his Tiger and allow him to enjoy his first Christmas off in a long, long while.

After unpacking the car and stocking the fridge with the delectable goodies he’d arranged for himself, Dean opened the sliding door to the patio and sucked in a deep breath of refreshing forest air.

It was cold and snow had begun to fall heavily, but he found the clean air refreshing. His inner beast scratched at his skin, begging to be let out and he hesitated one moment before he began to disrobe.

In fact, his Big Cat had been pining for a run the second he’d seen the glorious white snowflakes falling from the skies. You just couldn’t get snow like that in the city, not without a blizzard, and it was Christmas Eve after all. Why shouldn’t he indulge his Tiger?

Dean stripped off his suit and tie, tossing his very expensive, tailor made silk shirt and gold cufflinks carelessly on the table as he stepped onto the deck, fully nude, and called upon his magnificent beast.

Fuck yeah, his Tiger growled inside of him. True, he was king of his Pride and while Lions might claim themselves King of the Jungle, there was no doubt in his mind, that Dean Romero was the Tiger King of New York City.

He was much larger than his wild cousins, over a thousand pounds of pure muscle, speed, and agility. His coat was thick and shiny, his fangs sharper than the sharpest knives, and his claws cruel when they came in contact with his prey.

He was a hunter, a master, the Neta of the Island Stripe Pride, and his beast was more than aware of his prowess. He lived and breathed duty and took his position very seriously. He was fair and just, and he commanded obedience and loyalty.

Dean’s skin hummed as little electrical bolts of energy danced along its surface. The familiar magic that accompanied his change pulsed and caressed his limbs, while at the same time urging his bones to snap and muscles to tear, re-knitting and shaping themselves into his beast.

He and his Tiger shared a soul, and yes, he was still very much in charge when in his fur, but his instincts were purer and the animal was louder when he wore his stripes.

Dean tossed his great, feline head back and opened his mouth tasting the air around him before taking off in a single leap with which he cleared the fence that closed off his porch to the elements and wild animals that roamed the land.

He could already scent the deer, black bears, and occasional coyote that had crossed his domain. Not to mention the faint odors of the other Shifters in the area.

None had dared come too close to the Tiger King’s property, and he growled in acknowledgement of the respect they’d paid him in absentia. Decorum would dictate they seek permission first, and he appreciated it even more as he understood he was the guest here.

The true boss of the Pine Barrens was a mystical creature, something of a local legend that was known as the Jersey Devil. Of course, he was seen as a myth, but he was as real as Dean was. A fun guy, truth be told, even though he recently mated.

His Tiger chuffed and stretched, slightly jealous perhaps of his boyhood school chum finding his mate. But Dean pushed that envy away. He rolled his big shoulders before pouncing over the next drift of snow.

It felt wonderful, racing around with no destination or time limit on his fun. He climbed trees, went for a swim in the near frozen water of the stream and ran until ice glistened on his fur.

How his mother would’ve scolded him in his youth for such a trick! He chuffed again and rolled in a pile of snow just because he could, racing a branch as it floated downstream in the water, and loving his sudden, brief freedom before the sound of something loud reached his sensitive ears and brought his head up.

Screeeeeeeeech! It sounded as if someone’s car had lost control, and that was of course, followed by a loud crash.

What the hell was that? His rational mind had guessed the cause of the noise, and his Tiger snarled. The beast was annoyed for a moment that his fun would have to stop.

Grrr.

There was no way around it. He was alone out there for miles and miles and the snow was falling even harder now. Dean would have to check to see if anyone was hurt, even if the idea was not tempting in the least.

He used his supernaturally enhanced senses as he raced through the frozen wonderland to where he’d initially heard the crash. There was something wrong, he thought as he listened for the sounds of humans exiting their vehicle and calling for help.

It was oddly quiet, too quiet, and that didn’t bode well for the people in the accident. Probably a family on their way to some relative’s home for the holiday, he thought and growled softly. Should’ve known better than to drive in this.

In New York, the snow would’ve melted as it hit the pavement. There was so much going on underground it hardly ever stuck in his experience, but out in the woods there were no underground grids and subways to melt the heavy, frozen white stuff. Driving in it was far too dangerous.

Once he found the man responsible and ascertained that he and his family were all right, Dean was going to tear the normal a new one. How dare he risk his family by driving in this weather!

That was the problem with humans, his animal thought back to him, they had no Neta to lead them.

He chuffed and ran harder. Closer now, he thought as the scent of burnt rubber and fuel reached his nostrils.

Shit. That smell was bad. It meant the car was burning. Dean hauled ass. He bounded over frozen tree roots and snow covered shrubs until he reached the wreckage.

All at once, two things became clear to him. As Dean’s Tiger leapt onto the trunk of the burning vehicle he saw that it wasn’t a family inside, and not a man driving.

A female. Yes, it was a woman. She was slumped over in the driver’s seat, injured he knew by the coppery scent of blood coming from her. As he breathed in the delicate fragrance, the other thing that became clear almost stunned him into immobility.

Mine. The stranger was not just a woman, she was his fated mate. Thunder roared in his head and his heart damn near squeezed him to death, but the sparks and black smoke rising from the vehicle spurted him into action.

Mine, growled his beast again as Dean swapped fur for skin so as to pull her from the wreck.

Sure, he was naked and it was cold as fuck, but he paid little attention to the weather. His mate was his only concern as he used all his might and strength to pull the crushed metal door off its hinges so he could free her from the burning car before the tree cracked completely and plunged them both into the water.

Dark eyes blinked open as he wrapped his arms around her to free her from the confines of the hunk of twisted metal. He could tell from her pupils that she was more than likely concussed.

“What happened?” she moaned as he lifted her in his arms.

“You’re okay,” he whispered offering her what comfort he could.

Fuck, she smelled even better up close. Like sugar cookies and warmth.

Like home, he thought and bent his head to breathe deeply of her.

“Hurts,” she moaned.

“You’ll be fine,” he answered, “I got you.”

“S-sorry,” she whimpered, and he looked down to see she’d passed out.

Damn. That was not good. He tightened his hold and hauled ass back to the cabin, moving inhumanly quick. Dean ran as fast as he could, holding her tiny frame carefully, bearing her weight easily as he hurried over the frozen forest, uncaring of the rocks and twigs that cut into the soles of his feet.

Finally, he made it back, and once there, he laid the dangerously pale woman out on the sofa. Chest heaving, Dean was hardly able to manage a breath. He did not know what to do first so he removed her shoes and coat.

Because of the crack in the windshield and being exposed to the elements, she was frozen to the touch. Fear reared its ugly head and the Tiger inside of him roared. He was not letting her die! He removed as much of her soaking wet clothing as he could, cursing the snow for chilling her delicate skin. More worrisome was the blood still seeping from her wound.

Head injuries were dangerous and Dean swallowed down another wave of fear. Unused to such emotions, he exhaled deeply to get his cat under control, hissing as he examined the deep gash on her scalp.

He knew the basics of emergency care and checked her pupils to see if they were dilated. He did not like his findings, and his worry grew as she remained unresponsive to his gentle probing. She was breathing evenly, but she was so, so pale.

He needed to stop the bleeding. That was the first thing he should see to. Decided now on what to do first, Dean ran to the bathroom and grabbed his first aid kit.

Shifters didn’t have much use for things like that, as they tended to heal rapidly from injury. Panic began to set in as he cleaned the deep gash. Blood continued to ooze and her pulse began to slow down.

Fuck no! Dean could not afford to lose her. Not when he’d only just found her. Already his heart squeezed with an unnamable emotion for this stranger.

“No, no, no. Come on. Stay with me,” he murmured and pressed his ear to her chest, listening to her heart beat.

Dean roared aloud, frowning harder as she seemed to be worse off now than before. Her heart rate was dropping dangerously slow even for a normal.

No. No. NO! He paced and shook his head. What the fuck had he been thinking no phones this trip? Not that it would matter. No one could get there in time.

Dean dropped to his knees as tears threatened to spill. Why did this have to happen? How could he save her?

Then suddenly he knew. His Tiger pushed the answer into his mind. It was unheard of, unthinkable, and yet, it might work. Fuck it, he had to try.

There was no way Dean could explain this to a normal without the possibility of her hating him in the end, but he had no choice. There was only one way he could save her. One thing he could do that might make all the difference.

He had to give her his mating bite.

“I am so sorry to do this to you without your consent, little one, but I have no choice. If I don’t give you my bite, you will die, and I will not allow that to happen,” he spoke softly as he lifted her in his arms and tilted her face.

The beautiful, sweet smelling stranger blinked up at him and he stilled. Warm, brown eyes met his before drifting shut once more. She looked pale beneath her naturally bronzed skin, and for the first time in his life Dean understood true fear.

He didn’t know anything about her. Not her name or her age. Not her favorite color or what kind of TV shows she watched. But he knew one thing with every fiber of his being. She was his mate.

The human woman belonged to him, and he was going to save her. Emotions he’d never thought to feel swelled within him as he moved her soft curls back from her face and neck. Her sugar cookie scent invaded his nostrils and the beast within him growled in appreciation.

“I am sorry, this will hurt, but it is the only thing I can do to heal you,” he whispered and kissed her lips briefly before his fangs descended.

Dean lifted her close, holding her gently while he tilted her head to give him better access. Next, he did the only thing he could to save his mate’s life.

He bit her.

Mine!

His Tiger’s roar thundered in his head as he swallowed down his mate’s sugar cookie tinged life’s force. Her heated blood slid down his throat even as he injected his own Shifter DNA into her bloodstream through the mating mark.

His heart hammered and his cock hardened to the point of pain, but he ignored the appendage. Sex was not the issue at this moment, but it was simply a large part of Shifter biology.

The mating bite was typically given during sex. His body’s natural response was in anticipation of that. Easily ignored in deference to her condition and unique situation. He could only hope his bite was going to heal her for the time being.

Everything else could wait until the moment she opened those gorgeous brown eyes of hers.

“Come back to me, little one, wake up,” he whispered and knelt by her side.

Minutes turned into hours, but he did not budge. He kept his vigil in silence, holding her hand and praying to the gods, Fates, and anyone else listening that she would wake.

It would take a miracle, but it was Christmas and what better time for miracles, he thought and his Tiger roared inside of his mind’s eye echoing the sentiment.

“Please,” he begged, “wake up.”