Page 6 of Tiger Born

So softly, he whispered, “My brothers.”

And then that man passed out on her again, leaving her with more questions than she had answers.

Chapter Three

The throbbing ache started so small. It was a gentle pulse of pain that existed deep in his middle, and with each beat, it got brighter and bigger.

Bum-bum, bum-bum, bum-bum.

The pain throbbed in rhythm to his heartbeat, growing, growing, consuming more of his body like a wildfire gone out of control.

It grew, and grew, and grew until he couldn’t stand it. He was burning alive!

A snarl ripped out of him as Damian sat up. The agony blinded him, and he clenched his eyes closed against the bright lights above, curling in on himself like that would help keep his body together.

There was a buzzing sound. A mosquito? The buzzing was getting louder, but he could still barely hear it over the growl of his tiger that was ripping through him.

And then he heard her.

“It’s okay. I’m here.”

He knew that voice.

Misty.

He unfurled his body slightly and opened his eyes, searching with an urgency he didn’t understand quite yet. Where was he?

The room was a blur behind her, with dark mahogany-colored walls and ceiling, with dingy green accents. But in front of that muddy background, Misty’s worried blue eyes were trained on him. She looked different than he remembered from the first time he’d seen her that morning Stellan had attacked her. Her hair was dyed lighter, and she wore more make-up now. She had smokey shimmery black on her eyelid, making the blue in her eyes look frostier. From here he could see the light smattering of freckles across her nose and cheeks. Her full lips were forming words he couldn’t hear.

He closed his eyes and shook his head, trying to stop the snarling that was filling his head.

I’m here.

He was shaking badly. Why? What was wrong with him?

He looked around, taking stock of the dimly lit room. He was lying on the floor. A blanket was halfway under him, and also some branches had been tucked around him. Branches?

He got stuck on those.

“What is this?” he asked. Why were his words slurring?

“Well, I used all my strength getting you in the car earlier, apparently,” she said, her hands resting on his shoulders like she was trying to keep him pinned down.

He grabbed her wrists and pried them off him. He didn’t like feeling trapped. The tiger would revolt. Misty moved to put them back on his bare chest, but he shook her off and sat up. It hurt like hell, but the throbbing sensation was already going away.

He looked down at his bare stomach, and geez, Stellan had gutted him.

“Staples?” he uttered.

“I figured out real quick I just had to get your skin touching the other side and you were fusing yourself together as I worked. No use taking the time with sutures. Your skin is reacting poorly to the staples though.”

“Are they made of silver?” he asked.

“I don’t know. I didn’t check the ingredients on a package of staples,” she gritted out. “I had to figure out on the fly how to even get your skin together. This whole section was just butterfly bandages. I’ve been taking the staples out as soon as your scars lighten up. They start out so red.”

“I’m not vain. I don’t care what it looks like. Where the hell are we?”

“My uncle’s place.”