“What was that with you and the good doctor last night?” Luka teased.

That morning, they had boarded the train that would take them into the Far East region of Russia. He knew that Dr. Black’s team was located in one of the other cars. His men sat across from him, both with curiosity brimming in their eyes.

West paused before answering, uncomfortable with their scrutiny of his initial meeting with Dr. Black. He took a sip of his water, thinking of an answer. He didn’t know what had transpired between him and Dr. Black last night when they had arrived at the hotel. He could tell that she was just as flustered about meeting him as he was her. His tiger paced back and forth beneath his skin at the mere mention of Dr. Charlee Black.

“I don’t know,” he answered truthfully.

“If I didn’t know any better, I would say that there’s something between the two of you,” Luka stated.

“That’s not what we’re here for,” West responded, staring out the window, watching the Russian scenery zoom past. Chasing after a woman was not why he traveled halfway around the world. Securing the natural habitat of the Amur tigers was his only concern. “Drago, what have you found out?” he asked, changing the subject.

“We’ve pinpointed where the poachers were last discovered. A few skinned animal carcasses were found about an hour north of where we’ll be located.” Drago reached into his attaché case and handed West a few blown-up pictures that were taken in the wild. His tiger growled at the proof of animals who had met their unfortunate ends.

Drago Pends was from a prominent tiger shifter family, extremely loyal to the Rogavac family. The Pends owned one of the top security firms in the United States, so it only made sense to put Drago in charge of security for this trip. Yes, the Russians would provide their own security, but frankly, West didn’t trust them. Drago’s team was already in place at their destination, scouting out the area and securing the lands where Dr. Black’s team would be working.

“Any idea who these men are?” West had to rein back on his tiger who wanted to burst forth. It wouldn’t do anyone any good if he let out his pissed off tiger.

“Nomads. No names yet, sir. Once we arrive, we’ll be able to track them down. We discovered a pattern of sites they’ve killed at. It shouldn’t take long before we can track them.”

“And kill them,” West growled, his eyes narrowed on the pictures. His tiger pawed at his abdomen, demanding to be let out so he could go exact his revenge on the poachers.

A rumble of answering growls filled the air of the car as West handed the photos back to Drago.

“We’ll take care of this,” Luka stated. “We’ll ensure that Dr. Black’s team is not interrupted.”

“I need to speak with her,” West announced abruptly, standing from his seat. He didn’t wait for an answer as he opened the door to their private car and stepped out into the aisle. He shut the door and took a deep breath. He walked down the hallway and found a stewardess preparing drinks and snacks for the passengers.

“Excuse me, miss,” West said, gaining her attention. She jumped slightly before turning around with a large smile.

“Yes, Mr. Rogavac?” The name badge on her uniform read Darla.

“Darla, can you tell me which car Dr. Black’s team is located in?” he asked.

“Of course,” she answered in her thick Russian accent. “The research team is located in the car directly behind this one.” She pointed down the short hallway to the door that led to the next car.

“Thank you.” He nodded and headed toward the door. His heart raced with just the thought of seeing Charlee again. His tiger quieted quickly with the realization.

The sounds of the train whistle filled the air as he opened the door to the next passenger car. The lights flickered as he opened the door and stepped inside. The hairs on the back of his neck rose as the sounds of shouting echoed above.

The train was specially protected by the government, and guards were posted throughout the train, as well as on top. His attention was drawn to the sounds of a door opening. One of the men that was with Dr. Black last night stepped out with a concerned look.

“Should we be worried?” he asked West, looking up and down the empty aisle.

“I’m not sure,” West replied. He pulled his phone from his pocket and sent a quick text to Drago to check it out. “I’m sure it’s fine. The conductor would notify us if there was a problem.”

That seemed to settle the man slightly. West’s tiger huffed, unsure of the relationship between the man and Dr. Black. For some strange reason, he didn’t like the thought of her in a relationship with this human male.

“I’m looking for Dr. Black,” West said as he walked down the hallway. The man narrowed his eyes on West as he came to a halt in front of him.

“And what do you want with Dr. Black?” he asked cautiously.

“I’m West Rogavac.” West introduced himself to the man with his hand outstretched. By the looks the man was giving him, he wouldn’t just give out where she was located. West could respect that.

“I know who you are, Mr. Rogavac,” he replied, giving West a firm handshake. West smirked on the inside as the human tried to size him up. West stood at least five inches taller, and had at least seventy pounds of muscle on him. “I’m Dr. Jim York. I’m an acquaintance of Charlee’s. She’s in this car with us.”

Interesting.

Dr. York had a thing for Charlee Black.

West felt a large grin spread across his face at the thought that this poor excuse of a human male had been pining after Charlee Black and she didn’t even know it.

“Is everything okay out here?” a soft voice asked as the door to the private cabin opened.

West’s heart began to pound as his eyes connected with Charlee’s. Her dark hair was pulled into a messy bun on top of her head. She wore a short sleeve T-shirt with her university’s name spread across her ample chest, and jeans that fit her like a glove. His eyes reached her feet and found perfect toes peeking out of a pair of flat leather sandals.

“Mr. Rogavac,” she gasped, her eyes widening. She looked just like one of the college kids that she taught.

“Please, call me West,” he said as she stepped out into the hall. His tiger stood at attention at the smile that lit up her face. Her eyes twinkled as she glanced at him.

“Well, if that’s the case, you can call me Charlee. Please, come in and join us,” she said, inviting him into the cabin.

West tried not to smirk as he glanced at Jim as he stepped past him.

Who was he kidding?

He threw a wink at the human male and entered the cabin behind Charlee.

“So, tell me about SPAT,” Charlee asked.

West settled into his chair beside her, ignoring the angry scowl from Jim. He had to push down the cat inside of him. If he didn’t know any better, he would swear his tiger wanted to purr. It was craving the feel of Charlee’s hand, as if it wanted her to pet its head, or scratch behind its ears.

Down boy, he murmured to his tiger.

“I hadn’t heard of your organization before this trip. Why the mystery?” she asked, her wide eyes focused on him.

“Well, it’s an organization that is dear to my heart. We’re not an organization that needs to be in the spotlight. We prefer to be behind the scenes so that people like yourself can be in the forefront.” West glanced to the two people who sat across from him and Charlee. She had introduced Malena and Alf to him when they had entered the cabin.

“Well, that’s very honorable of you,” Malena noted.

“It’s the right thing to do. My family has money and we have always given back. But being able to support researchers such as yourselves in preventing animals from being extinct is important to the world.”

“Why tigers?” Alf asked.

West chuckled, knowing that he couldn’t expand on his true interest in tigers. Humans were ignorant to the existence of shifters, and were not ready to learn of them yet. For centuries, it had been agreed that the humans would be kept in the dark on that fact.

“The tiger is considered king of all beasts. They represent power, strength, and wisdom. It’s been the symbolic representation of my family for centuries,” West said, fingering his family crest ring that was given to him by his father. Pride surged within his chest as he thought of one day passing this same ring down to his future son.

“Wow,” Charlee breathed. “That was beautiful. The ring on your finger…is that a family crest?”

“Yes, it is.” He held out his hand and his breath caught in this throat as her soft, small hand enclosed his. Her scent floated in the air, and his tiger pawed at his chest, aching to get to her.

“This is beautiful.” She smiled as her eyes met his. “Look at this ring. It’s almost like we’re sitting amongst royalty,” she joked as Malena and Alf both leaned forward to study his ring.

She wasn’t too far off. In the shifter world, he was royalty.

“That’s pretty cool, Mr. Rogavac,” Alf said, sitting back in his chair.

“Thanks. This ring has been passed down through my family for centuries. One day, I hope to pass it down to my future son,” he said, taking his hand back.

“So, is there a Mrs. Rogavac?” Malena asked with a twinkle in her eye, sending Charlee into a coughing fit.

“Yes, there is,” he answered with a chuckle. “Do you need some water?” he asked Charlee, but she waved him off.

“No, I’m fine.” Charlee coughed again before regaining her composure. “What does your wife think of you flying halfway around the world to help save the tigers?”

“I’m not married.” He shook his head, having fun with Charlee. He could tell instantly that he liked her friend Malena. “My mother, Mrs. Rogavac, loves that her son is donating his time to help save the tigers.”