Animalistic (Tiger in Her Bed)

His alpha and oldest brother skewered him with a look of distrust. He turned to his fiancée and said, “Bring the collar and leash. We’ll split into two groups. I’ll bring my SUV and you ride with John.”

“Let’s do this,” said Vanessa with excitement. She looked pretty pumped. “Let’s get Arielle back and kick some ass!”

Four minutes later, they exited the parking garage and headed to Turner Street. Quinn drove the SUV while Trent sat shotgun. Halfway there, he almost slipped. His control against his tiger weakened, just as Quinn had suspected.

Quinn glanced at him and snorted. “You don’t seem like you can fight it any longer. Go in the back. You can track her scent better if you shift, right?”

Trent murmured ruefully. Quinn always saw through him. At a traffic light, he moved to the back. He pushed down the middle seats, then shifted, surrendering to his beast. His clothes and sneakers ripped to pieces and he didn’t give a damn. The vehicle swayed a little from his transformed weight. Luckily, the windows were tinted black; bystanders couldn’t really see what was happening inside the SUV.

Quinn snorted, shaking his head as if he’d just seen something amusing.

Now that he was one with his beast, he could see better, smell better, and hear better. Trent focused his attention on Arielle’s scent. He had it memorized. But from the closed vehicle, he couldn’t track a damn thing. He tried to power down the window with his paw, but his claws were in the way. At moments like this, he missed having a human thumb.

“Just relax,” said Quinn from the driver seat. “We’re almost there.”

Trent couldn’t wait. Once they were at the location, he burst out the moment Quinn opened the door. The day was getting brighter and a few people in the street yelled in surprise. He knew he must look quite intimidating.

Vanessa, who came with John, quickly apologized. “Sorry, he’s tame. He won’t hurt you. We’re just taking him for a walk.” She then proceeded to wrap a leash around his neck. The collar was intended for a dog so it didn’t fit. Vanessa ditched it.

The pedestrians swore at her, calling her crazy, and one threatened to call a cop.

Quinn glowered at them. He was very protective of his mate.

John crouched next to Trent, whispering, “Did you get a lock on her scent?”

He did. He sniffed around the phone and followed his mate’s scent on the sidewalk. At one point, it was quite strong. She must have fallen or something. Trent also smelled the scent of two males. One was a heavy smoker and the other was marinated in cheap cologne. The two new scents commingled with the smell of tires. It must be the car her kidnappers used. Since Arielle was transported in a car, it was hard to track her solely by her scent. So, Trent memorized the scent of her kidnappers and the car and followed it.

“I think he’s got it. I’ll walk with him,” said Vanessa to John and Quinn.

His brothers went back to their cars. Vanessa trotted next to him, barely able to keep up with his speed. Trent stopped and growled, annoyed with the leash. Vanessa seemed to understand what he was trying to say.

“Oh, I’m not letting you go alone. The cops will shoot at you, thinking you’re wild.” She unceremoniously climbed on his back as if he was a horse. “This is better. Ride on, Trent! Let’s save your damsel-in-distress! Onward!”

Trent lashed out his tail in annoyance. Figures. The nerd queen would treat this rescue mission as if she was playing an MMORPG. He returned his attention to Arielle and followed the trail of the scents. He couldn’t go too fast, otherwise Vanessa would fall off. She slipped several times, but managed to climb back up, which kind of annoyed him. If she wasn’t Quinn’s mate, he’d have left her in the dust.

The trail led him to the back alley of a seedy-looking building. Three cars were parked against the walls. Vanessa jumped down and let go of the leash. Trent sniffed around a Ford Taurus. Arielle’s scent was thick on that. The scent led him to a back door. He growled. It was no mistake. Arielle was in this building. Trent let the others know with a loud roar.

John exited from his car. “I knew it. This is After Dark, Darbo’s club.”

Quinn narrowed his eyes, while his hand held onto his phone. “Let’s go, Trent. Save your mate.”

Trent didn’t need any more encouragement. He pounced at the door and clawed it until the veneer shredded to splinters. He pounced and pawed until the hinges came off and the door fell backward. He heard screaming from the people inside. He burst in, and knocked them down with a swipe of his paw. One man tried to shoot him, but the gun jammed. Arielle’s scent was thick on him. Trent bit his arm and shook him like a rag doll. Quinn, John, and Vanessa closed in from behind.

Where is she? She is close and yet I can’t see…

Trent leapt on the stage and followed Arielle’s scent. It was stronger now… He ran into the dressing room. More people screamed at him. Arielle was propped up on a chair, looking as if she were high. She wore skimpy clothes and platform shoes and her makeup was half done. The woman who worked on her had abandoned her attempt and was cowering in the corner.

One of the men shrieked at the other, telling him to shoot. Trent recognized him as Frank Darbo and his instinct kicked in. He leapt through the air and mauled Darbo’s bodyguard before going after Darbo himself. He made sure he didn’t accidentally kill them. When the two were neutralized, he went after the woman. But she had already fainted.

Trent approached Arielle and licked her hand.

She opened her eyes and petted him in the head. “Oh, look a kitty. Oh my, what a big kitty you are. Look at those whiskers. Oh, your fur is so soft. And big eyes. You’re a handsome kitty, you.”

He heard chuckles from behind him. Quinn, Vanessa, and John watched him with big grins on their faces.

“I don’t think you have to worry about her being afraid of you. As you can see, she likes you very much,” said Quinn. “You’d better take her home now. Vanessa, you drive them. John and I will take care of the rest.”

Making sure there was no one else around, Trent shifted to his human form and scooped her into his arms.