Tatiana got right in his face, daring him to retreat, but he held his ground.
“Traitor,” she whispered.
Dominic’s face darkened, and she didn’t need to read his energy signature to know how upset he was. “Purists?”
Tatiana nodded slowly and turned on her heels to the door, but paused as she opened it. “That’s not what scared Spirit though.” She tilted her chin and delivered a challenging glare in his direction.
“Oh really, Dr. Dolittle? Then what did?”
“Very funny.” She rolled her eyes. “It seems Spirit isn’t fond of big cats.”
“That doesn’t make sense.” Dominic gave her a confused look. “They’re used to us and our clan forms.”
“Be that as it may. I heard the growl of a big cat as I passed out.” She blew the hair off her forehead and looked away, embarrassed to bring up the fact that she’d gotten knocked on her ass. “When she reared up, that was the last thing I heard.”
Dominic moved toward her slowly, with the easy, fluid motions of a cat and that feral, predatory look in his eye. Tatiana gripped the doorknob for dear life as he approached. Her feet felt like they were nailed to the floor, and even though her gut instinct was to run, she held fast as he stopped inches from her.
“That growl you heard?” he asked as he leaned closer, his lips a breath away from hers. “That was me, Doc. Your energy signature has been tangling with mine from the second my body touched yours, and you know what? I’m not a fan.”
“What?” Tatiana’s eyes widened. She didn’t know whether to be insulted or relieved. Maybe she was a bit of both.
“I can’t get you out of my head.” Dominic stepped back, giving them distance. “I’m Guardian of this property. It’s up to me to keep a clear head and a sharp mind. People depend on me to protect them.”
“Dominic, I—”
“No.” He held up one hand to stop her. “Let me finish.”
“Fine.” Tatiana folded her arms over her breasts and waited.
“I’ll admit, before I met you I was worried as hell about not finding a mate and losing my powers, but now I’m not so sure.” His voice was barely above a whisper. “How the hell am I supposed to do my job if all I can do is think about you and keeping you safe? So, if you don’t want to mate with me, well, that’s just fine. You do your job, and I’ll do mine. When we’re done, we go our separate ways.” Dominic stuck his hand out to her. “Deal?”
Tatiana looked at his outstretched hand and then to his serious, masculine face. “Deal,” she said quietly.
They shook hands briefly, neither wanting to linger. As she followed him out of the room, one issue nagged at her.
Tatiana got what she wanted. Her Amoveo mate agreed to let her off the hook and not follow through with the whole life-mate deal. She should be on top of the world and completely relieved… but just the opposite was true. Damn it.
Chapter 4
A thick summer breeze whisked past Dominic as a flock of birds swooped overhead and landed in a tall pine tree. As he strode along the dirt road, he scanned the area for unusual energy patterns, but so far, all was well. When he reached the top of the hill, three log cabins came into view, one of which was his.
Richard and Salinda built several cabins when the Purists began making trouble last year. They knew any hybrids they found might need a safe haven, and the Muldavi Ranch always provided exactly that. Dominic had been living here for two years, and a few months ago, Steven and William moved in with their mates.
The place had turned into a full-on compound, and when he made the occasional trip into town, he didn’t miss the funny looks from people who were convinced Richard and Salinda ran a cult. Dominic scoffed under his breath at the ridiculous notion as he approached his destination.
Steven and Courtney’s cabin was down the road to the left, across from his. When they’d first moved in, it took some getting used to because he’d enjoyed the solitude, but now, he’d gotten accustomed to them.
Dominic sensed both of their energy signatures flowing from inside the cozy cabin and couldn’t help but smile. The two had been through hell in the last year, and while Steven bounced back quickly, Courtney seemed unsteady and ready to bolt. He’d asked Steven about it, but he brushed it off, blaming it on her pregnancy.
Sweat trickled down his back, and even though he itched to shift into his tiger, he refrained. The ranch was over three hundred acres, and distances like that were easier to travel in his animal form. Ever since the Caedo attack, he and Eric had been sticking closer to the main part of the property. So as much as he wanted to, he didn’t. Tatiana and Matt would be coming by this way any minute to settle into their cabin, and the kid might freak out if he saw a Bengal tiger loping along the path.
Their cabin.
A low growl rumbled in his chest, and his eyes shifted harshly at the very thought of Tatiana sharing anything with another man. The image of her heart-shaped face drifted into his mind, and his body hardened at the memory of her softness. Dominic wanted her. There was no denying it.
Dominic’s body reacted to her on a primal, animalistic level. However, that’s not what set him on edge. If he’d only been attracted physically, it would be a hell of a lot easier to distance himself from Tatiana. It was the flood of unexpected emotions that had him all fucked up.
Hell, after that kiss, he knew she wanted him just as badly. Her body said yes to everything, but her head screamed hell no. He couldn’t blame her because he wasn’t feeling all that different. He didn’t have the time or the luxury to wade through his feelings. Dominic cursed under his breath and kicked a stone out of his path, glowering at it as it tumbled into the tall grasses along the edge of the road.
Dominic knew he’d shown all the self-control of a goddamn dog when he jumped her bones back in the medical lab. It was like something or someone took control over him. It didn’t matter that she told him she didn’t want to be his mate. All that mattered was tasting, licking, and nibbling those sweet, cherry lips until he couldn’t breathe.
There was no thought or concern for consequences. He didn’t think, he merely acted on impulse, and that was unacceptable. He let his emotions cloud his judgment, and it was those emotional blinders that could get people killed. His sister, Daniella, had been a Purist traitor, and he didn’t see it until it was too late.
Dominic clenched his teeth and fought the urge to shift as the energy rippled over his muscles. The animal inside strained to be released. No. He would not allow his feelings to blind him anymore. He would keep his distance from Tatiana, do his job as Guardian, and let her go home to Oregon.
It would mean eventually losing his powers, but what good would they be if he ended up with a woman who loathed him? Better he lose his abilities and live his life as a human, rather than force Tatiana to be with him.
Nothing would make him forget the look on her face when he told her he’d killed that Caedo assassin. It was a mixture of horror and fear. Dominic had plenty of people look at him fearfully, and it never bothered him. On the contrary, it made him feel like he was doing his job. But when Tatiana looked at him like that, it was a kick in the gut, as if he’d somehow let her down.
Bullshit.
Dominic straightened his back. He didn’t owe her an explanation. He would never apologize for doing his job no matter how many disapproving looks she gave, but as he walked up the flagstone path to Tatiana’s cabin, he knew that was a full-fledged lie. If she looked at him like that again, he might fall to his knees and beg for forgiveness.