Free Here There Be Tigers by Kat Simons Page A

microscope.
The silence stretched on so long she very nearly stood and left the
room.
    Irina was the first to look back at Mitch and
break the tense, uncomfortable moment. “You’re sure? There’s no
mistake about her parentage.”
    Nila scowled. “No talking about me like I’m not
here.”
    Irina cringed. “Sorry. It’s just… If what Mitch
says is true, you shouldn’t exist.”
    “ Yeah, so he keeps saying. But my
dad is definitely not a tiger shapeshifter.”
    “ You’re sure about your mother?” Max
asked.
    “ No. I never even knew my mother was
alive until two days ago when I was almost kidnapped at
JFK.”
    Irina’s gaze snapped back to Mitch. “What
happened?”
    “ It’s complicated, but my
grandmother has known about Nila all along. After Nila was born,
Anaya returned to the Mate Run as soon as her cycle started again.
She ended up mated with Petrov Dubrovsky. About three weeks ago, no
one is sure how, Petrov found out about Nila. My grandmother is
pretty sure he killed Anaya because she was discovered dead right
before Petrov started hunting for Nila.”
    Irina gasped. When Max growled, the sound made
the hair on Nila’s arm raise.
    “ Petrov killed his mate?” Max asked,
his voice deep, his anger a tangible thing in the room.
    “ We think so. There’s no proof so
the elder’s haven’t been able to take measures, but there’s no
doubt he’s after Nila now. And he’s made no secret of the fact that
he wants her dead.” Mitch paused and met her gaze. “Yesterday, she
met her half brother, Anaya and Petrov’s oldest son,
Vlad.”
    Irina faced Nila. “What did he do? Did he try
hurting you?”
    “ Thank you for talking to me,” Nila
said, trying to hide her irritation. “No, he didn’t hurt me. He
warned us that Petrov was only a few hours away.”
    “ He shifted in front of her,” Mitch
said quietly.
    It was the first time he’d broached the subject
since right after it happened. Nila still did not want to discuss
what she’d seen. She’d blocked the whole thing to avoid going
completely insane. When her life was no longer in danger, she’d
allow the nightmares and terror to take her, but now she didn’t
have time.
    “ You weren’t prepared, were you?”
Max asked.
    “ I’m not ready to talk about that.
We need a place to hide. That’s all.”
    Max nodded in understanding. “He knows who you
are, Mitch?”
    “ The man who tried taking Nila from
the airport got a good enough look and was in contact long enough
to hold my scent. Vlad confirmed Petrov knows who I am.”
    “ Then Petrov also knows who your
grandmother is. He’ll know the elders have sent the Trackers after
him.”
    “ With his resources, I wouldn’t
count on the Trackers getting to him quickly. They haven’t even
been able to prove he killed Anaya.”
    The statement made Max growl again.
    “ We can’t take any chances with
Nila,” Mitch finished.
    The couple nodded in unison and glanced at her
again, a strange sort of awe filling their expressions.
    After another uncomfortable moment, Max said,
“He’ll look for you with your friends, but you can stay here if you
want. I’ll help you keep her safe.” He looked directly at Irina
when he said, “You can go stay with your father.”
    “ Oh, no, Max, don’t even think of
sending me away. I might not be able to shift, but I can still
help.”
    “ You know how I feel about this. You
keep the baby safe. I keep you safe.”
    She smiled, a gentle expression filled with so
much love Nila’s chest ached to see it. Did people really love each
other that much? Was this what it was like for mated tiger
shifters? That thought reminded her that her mother’s mate was
trying to kill her. She didn’t want to think that Anaya had loved
Petrov this way, but what if she had? And he’d killed her. Nila
shuddered.
    “ Max, I can protect myself and help
you both protect Nila. She can’t shift either.” Irina paused and
faced Nila, her eyes wide. “You