Tiger Time Read Free Page B

scare you, but if you don't have the help of an elder during this time, the chance of your death is higher. I know you have no reason to trust me, but please, let me help you.”
     
    “Were my parents also tigers?” Was that why my eyes change from their normal hazel color into a fiery orangish when I’m angry? Or why as a child I would purr in my sleep? It was so bad that she was sent home from a sleepover when she was seven for scaring the other children.
     
    “I don't believe your mother was. I never met her. I know your father was. All the gene needs is for one parent to be a shifter.” He knelt beside her, covering the cloth with his hand and pressing the coolness firmly against her skin.
     
    “You said you promised my father you would help me and protect me. Why would he make you promise that? You don’t even know me.” Her hands were still shaking as she set the glass aside.
     
    “Your father was receiving death threats. He knew there was a possibility he wouldn't live until you were old enough. He asked me to take care of you if he wasn't.”
     
    Could this be real? She sat up fully, her heart racing, her palms sweaty. She might have forced him to leave if she wasn’t interested in learning more of her parents. “Why would someone want to kill my father?”
     
    “Your father was the leader of the tigers. Someone from another clan wanted to take over our group. Your father fought him and won, but the other clan wouldn't give up. They sent him death threats and before he could take care of the tiger behind the threats, he was killed.”
     
    “My parents were killed in a car crash.” Tabitha’s mind reeled with this new data.
     
    “Tabitha, there is much you need to learn about the shifters, especially the tigers. Your parents didn't die in a car accident. A car accident might have killed your mother, but it wouldn't have killed your father. Your father was shot in the head with a silver bullet. They just made it look like a car accident. The police officer who investigated it wouldn't have been able to tell. It was a very gruesome scene.”
     
    “If what you say is true, wouldn’t they have found the silver bullet?”
     
    “They didn’t do an autopsy. They closed the case as an accident.”
     
    The tears welled up in her eyes. Why was everything I’ve been told a lie? She’d grown up thinking her father had slid behind the wheel drunk, resulting in the accident. She’d always assumed it was his fault she was in foster care.
     
    “But I’ve blamed him my whole life.” She placed an unsteady hand over her mouth as though a part of her wanted to keep the truth inside. To speak it aloud carried a stinging shame.
     
    Ty leaned forward and clasped her hands in his as he stared at her intently. “I know what your caseworker told you. I wanted to step in and tell you the truth, but you couldn't find out about everything until you were ready. I couldn't put the whole clan at risk. There are so few of us now.”
     
    As she cried harder, Ty pulled her close. “Tabitha, your father was a great man, and he wanted the best for you. I will tell you all about him if you want.”
     
    Between the tears, she nodded. “Yes, that would be great. I never knew anything about him. I have a picture, but that's it.”
     
    They sat in silence for a long time, Tabitha lost in her thoughts while Ty quietly gave her the time she needed. All of this was a shock for her...his revelations, his presence, the feelings he aroused within her.
     
    Finally, she got the courage to ask, “What happens next?” Her heart skipped a beat as she pondered what his reply would be.
     

 
     
    Chapter Four
     
    “What happens next is up to you. I must return to Alaska soon. You can stay here and continue on with your life. I can find a local tiger to help you through your transition. Or you can return to Alaska with me.”
     
    Tabitha sat up straight. “I can go to Alaska with you?” She tried to keep the excitement