Free Tiger Time by Marissa Dobson Page A

first.” Ty opened his door and was around to her side before she could grab the handle on her own.
     
    “Thank you.” She stepped out of the car as Felix joined them.
     
    Felix dropped to his knees in front of them and reached for Tabitha’s hand. “My Queen, welcome home. The name is Felix, and I am at your service now and always.”
     
    What? He makes it sound as if I’m the Queen of England . She shot Ty a quick glance for help.
     
    “Felix, we didn’t expect you to arrive this soon. I have yet to go over this with her. I’ll have to walk her through it.” Without missing a beat, Ty gained control of the situation, and the awkwardness fell away. “Tabitha, he’s offering you his neck. When greeting a lesser shifter, you’re supposed to bend and sniff his neck. This is an act to let the Alpha know the lesser shifter is subservient to you.”
     
    Feeling a little odd over the whole situation, Tabitha bent and sniffed Felix's neck. When she was close enough to breathe in his scent, she smelled dried leaves, pine trees and damp ground. It was strong enough to almost convince her she was there. A rush of pleasure coursed through her body. There was no longer pain and soreness in every joint.
     
    Tabitha felt Ty’s hand on her arm as if he were grounding her.
     
    “Tabitha, you smell the clan. Everyone from our clan will smell the same. Other clans will have other smells. If you mean Felix no harm, then you kiss his neck. If you find him a threat and wish him harm, then you would bite his neck, at least until you drew blood, depending on the situation and the punishment you see fit.”
     
    She had no reason to harm the tiger shifter, and he was one of the chosen ones the book mentioned. She leaned in, allowing her lips to touch his neck, and placed a soft kiss there.
     
    “You have now accepted Felix as subservient to you. This is how the pack greets the elders when they have been away for a while or they are coming for judgment over a crime. Felix, you may rise and sweep the cabin and grounds. Tabby, once he checks the cabin, go in. There is no use in you standing in the cold. I’ll bring in the bags and then start a fire.
     
     
     
    Ty grab the last bag from the trunk as Felix came around the side of the house.
     
    “All’s clear.”
     
    Ty nodded as Felix reached up to close the trunk. “Thank you for coming so quickly. I’m sorry to tear you away from your family.”
     
    “It’s fine. I’m glad I was close. We need to do everything we can to protect our Queen from Pierce. She is your mate, the Queen of the Alaska Tigers. I will protect her with my life.” Felix paused a second, as if he wasn’t sure if he wanted to ask, “You believe the legends, don’t you? She’s the one who will unite all tigers, isn’t she? If you believe that, you must believe if she dies, our line dies also.”
     
    Ty decided to confide in the man who had been a trusted guard for years. “I don't just believe. I know. The last meeting I had with her father, he told me it was true. That's why it was so important I watch over her and help her with the transition. If she dies before she can bring another tiger into this world, all tigers will cease to exist.”
     
    Felix looked at the cabin with sadness in his eyes. “Does she know?”
     
    “I told her that's what everyone believes, but no, I haven’t told her I know. She has enough pressure on her right now. I don't want the change to be any more stressful for her. She will make it; her father said as much in his letter to her. You knew her father, so you know about his gift.”
     

 
     
    Chapter Eleven
     
    The men already had a nice fire going, and it was beginning to warm up the cabin, when Tabitha carried a tray with three cups of hot cocoa over to the couch. She’d always had a soft spot for cocoa on a cold night, especially when it was snowing.
     
    She had the impression the men had known each other for years and were old friends. First