Midnight Wolf (Shifters Unbound #11)(74)

Tamsin answered him. “We’re naturally a little reticent. Angus more than me. He doesn’t have a trusting nature, but I can’t blame him. He’s had issues.”

“Thank you, Tamsin.” Angus gave her a weary look, and Tamsin playfully stuck out her tongue. “Tiger and I need to talk.”

Dante waved his beer as if to say, Go ahead, then realized Angus meant Dante wasn’t to be included.

“Use my trailer if you want,” he said, rising. “As long as what he’s come here for isn’t going to hurt my people, mess up my carnival, or bring shit down on me from police or Shifter Bureau, by all means, have your private chat.”

“It shouldn’t,” Angus said. “But no need to give up your space. Tiger and I will take a walk. Tamsin, will you put Ciaran back to bed?”

“No, I will not,” Tamsin said. “I’m not letting you out of my sight with a strange Shifter who’s bigger than any I’ve ever seen. Besides, I want to know all the details right away, instead of having to pry them from you later one question at a time.”

“You’re not going without me,” Ciaran said.

“Yes, we are,” Angus countered.

Ciaran took on his stubborn look. It was time for Dante or Celene to step in and offer to look after him, but both simply watched, interested to see how this would play out.

Tiger rose. “I will put Ciaran to bed. And then we will talk.”

The man had to bend his neck so his head didn’t bang the ceiling. Ciaran, instead of arguing, nodded. “Do you tell stories?”

Tiger considered. “I can.”

“Then cool. Come on.” Ciaran took Tiger’s hand and pulled him out the door.

Tiger had some kind of mojo, Angus reflected, that he wished he could learn. Tiger had Ciaran in his bunk, telling him a disjointed story of fighting a contingent of Fae, humans, and traitor Shifters in a battle on the Olympic Peninsula, with Zander and Rae by his side.

Ciaran listened with avid interest, asking plenty of questions, then when Tiger told him it was time to sleep, Ciaran nodded, snuggled down, and dropped off. No trying to stay awake, no insisting he be part of the forthcoming conversation.

“Does your own son obey you like that?” Angus asked. Tiger had a cub, a small boy called Seth.

Tiger thought for a moment. “No. He has much of his mother in him.” He sounded proud.

Tamsin sat cross-legged on the bed, where she’d gone after kissing Ciaran good night. “Should we talk here? Or have Celene stay with Ciaran while we retreat to a cold, muddy field?”

Tiger glanced about. “We will talk here. There are no listeners.”

“How do you know?” Tamsin asked, tilting her head as she did when she was skeptical, a very fox-like move.

Tiger gave the trailer another once-over. “No listening devices. They make a sound I can hear. I have very good hearing.”

Angus believed him. Tiger had been bred in a lab, and the researchers who’d made him had apparently done some weird shit to him.

“So, Ben told you where we were?” Tamsin went on.

Tiger sent her a nod. “He said Angus had contacted him. He and Angus are to rendezvous at your next destination, which is Albuquerque. Ben asked me to help. I had already been hunting for you, and once Ben told me you were in Amarillo, I was able to narrow down your coordinates.”

Tamsin’s eyes widened in alarm. “Why were you looking for us? For Dylan? Is he on his way?”

Tiger shook his head. “Ben was worried about you when you left the house. He asked me to keep an eye out. I do not work for Dylan.”

“Don’t you?” Angus asked in surprise. “You’re helping him recruit his army for when we face the Fae. And you’re one of Liam’s trackers.”

Tiger bent his head in another nod. “I work with Dylan. He is right to plan for the Fae. But I do not work for him. Likewise, I help Liam in return for his hospitality—Carly and Seth and I live in his house,” he explained to Tamsin. “I work for no one now. I am free of that.”

His emphasis made Angus believe him.

Tamsin pointed at Tiger’s bare neck. “You don’t wear a Collar. How do you live in a Shiftertown without Shifter Bureau noticing that?”

Tiger reached into his pocket. “I have one.” He drew out a black and silver chain with a Celtic cross pendant dangling from it. “It is fake. I take it off when I am in the human world and put it on when I am with Shifters.”

“Oh, nice.” Tamsin pressed her hands together. “What a great idea. So you can blend in wherever you go. Well, as much as someone like you can blend in.”

Tiger tucked the Collar into his pocket. “The Morrisseys made it for me. I will have them make one for you.”

Tamsin looked alarmed. “I think they’d prefer to kill me. I ran out on Dylan, and he’s extremely pissed off about that.”

Tiger studied her. “I won’t let them kill you. Fox Shifters are too rare, you are Angus’s mate, and besides . . .” He squared his shoulders. “No more killing.”

Tamsin shot Angus a grin. “I really like him.”

Angus did too, but he wasn’t sure how far to trust him yet. “What did Ben tell you? All I said was we had a unique problem and that I’d like to talk to him. I picked Ben because he’s not Shifter and he knows how to be discreet.”