Chapter 8
Things Come Together
Titus felt like things might be coming together. His brother Tez was on his way and he had experience as a New York City cop and he was a veteran of the Army. There might be an adjustment, but he’d be good in the position of city cop and as a beta. His brother Ricardo, the player, was also headed this way though why was hard to say. The tiger played with a rock band under an assumed name and moved from rich female to richer female. He’d be bored to tears down here. Sabian hadn’t given an arrival date yet, but he had sent a message that he would be there soon.
Lyon, another child his mother had been allowed to name, was also headed this way, but he was taking a circuitous route. Who knew when he’d be here? It was best if they weren’t slammed with everyone at once anyway. Even Beth and Ariel could only do so much. Even though the lions had made a major land grab when they’d gotten here first, they were still looking for houses and land. The panthers would soon be searching too. No other brothers had answered the invitation.
It was accepted that the jaguars and the leopards would also be joining them at some point. The cheetahs and lynx were still undecided. They were the smallest two groups and if they decided not to join, their lands which were being held in wait, would be up for grabs. As much as Titus wanted more land, he wanted allies more.
Right now, in the shifter world, wolves ruled. If they got the numbers of allied cats high enough, they’d be forced to offer them some seats on what they had begun calling the shifter council even though only wolves had say and the few bears allowed on it, had no votes. A large allied group of cats could be a force to reckon with. Mate the leaders to white wolves and they were that much stronger.
That wasn’t why he wanted Beth, but he couldn’t deny her blood would help his people. He wondered if Saria had figured it out yet. Probably not since she was so busy thinking she already knew everything. She’d moved into her home and seemed happy with everything. If she wasn’t, she hadn’t bothered him.
It was a relief when he arrived home with Beth. They were both exhausted so sex had to be put on hold. He felt good just holding her as they went to sleep. When they woke, they rushed around to get their day started. “Don’t forget your meeting at nine.” Beth said with a grin.
“Won’t you take it for me?”
“I like the idea of Bob unwittingly surrounded by predators.”
“What about poor Maddie?”
“She may be the worst one of all.”
“Very funny.”
“Don’t underestimate her. She knows how to get what she wants. We made it easy for her, but she would have pushed if we hadn’t.” Beth confided.
Beth would head to the apartment house that was well on its way to being completed. Once it was done, another would be built. His female had also admitted she was checking into land and houses at several nearby towns. Titus knew it was not just for his people she was acquiring them. Her business needed options for the new customers that would be arriving. Once the panther leader arrived, the others would come in like a tidal wave. Tyne and Seb were about to get some more competition.
To start with, the panthers would set up the security for all the cats. In the past they had worked for Seb, but Ciaro would want them to own a company of their own. There might be room for it especially if they all extended their reach to the large towns nearby. Panthers were exceptional security males. They had a natural aptitude to that kind of work.
He and Beth parted ways to each go where they needed to. Titus missed her when they weren’t together. Even though he arrived early and met Seb and Andi at the door, Bob and Maddie were already having an argument that sounded as if it had been going on for a while.
“Thank goodness you all have arrived. This asshole wants to be in charge of everything.” Maddie explained.
“Why would we do that?” Andi asked. “We’ve already established you’re the least qualified person in this group.”
“I resent that.” Bob said.
“Doesn’t make it wrong.” Maddie said. “You’re lucky they arrived. I was about to stick my size six boot up your ass.” Titus caught himself before he laughed. He’d assumed it was a joke, but Maddie looked serious.
“Why don’t we decide what we need to do and assign people to do it?” Andi suggested.
“All we need is to hire a cop and I know one we can get cheap.” Bob said.
“We’re not just hiring the first guy someone suggests. I’m pretty sure we’re required by law to take applications and pick the most qualified person.” Seb mentioned. “We also need to see if we can get the state or even the federal government to help pay our policeman. His duties need to be determined and that will be a job all of its own. His hours and what days or nights he’ll work. Not only will we set pay, but he’ll have to have benefits.”
“You’re making this complicated on purpose. My brother Benny will work for donuts. He was a security guard for ten years so he’s qualified.” Bob said.
“Have him apply and he’ll be considered, just realize that veterans get preference and former police officers with actual experience are more likely to get hired.” Maddie said.
“Who wants to check into ways for us to get some help with the expenses?” Andi asked.
“I’ll do that.” Titus offered.
“Who wants to take applications?” Andi asked.
“I’ll do that.” Bob said.
“You know if they aren’t all sent to the committee you could face criminal charges?” Maddie asked.
“Fine, let someone else do it.” Bob said.
“I’ll set up the computer to take the applications. I’ll download them all so everyone can check them out.” Andi said. “Who wants to check into benefits and pay so it’s appropriate to the job?”
Bob started to say something but when they all looked at him, he shut up. “I’ll do it.” Seb said.
“That leaves deciding duties and schedule.” Andi said.
“Me and Bob will do that together.” Maddie said with a predatory grin. Bob paled, but didn’t refuse. Maybe Beth knew something he didn’t after all.
It was a relief when the meeting was over. He made a quick call. “Tez.”
“This is your favorite brother, Titus. We have an opening for a policeman coming up. It’s a one man job right now and you have to apply right away. I want you to send you application to my girlfriend, Beth. She’s good with these kind of things.”
“Okay. That sounds good. I’ll get right on it.”
They hung up and Titus felt like things were headed in the right direction. Lyon had applied for a county job, inspecting buildings. They would take their time selecting someone since the guy doing it wouldn’t retire for another two months. Beth had helped him and he had received notice that he was qualified and would be considered. He’d never done a job like that before, but Beth had found useful experience in Lyon’s background.
Ricardo had asked about jobs in the area so he had given him Beth’s number reluctantly. He didn’t want his brother sniffing around his woman. Not before they mated, that was for sure. Titus didn’t know if she had found him something. If things worked out, he would have a brother in law enforcement and one in county government. There was also a tiger who’d applied for the state police, but been rejected. Beth helped him reapply and they were waiting to see what happened.
This weekend Titus had big plans. He was going to seduce his woman and get her to agree to their mating. Waiting was getting old and he needed her by his side as his mate. Before large groups of tigers arrived, he wanted the deed done. Callie would be there in a week and he was concerned she would act as Saria had. In truth, he’d not been around his sisters in a long while and he no longer had any insight into their behavior. As far as Saria went, the sweet girl he’d known was either gone, or hiding somewhere deep inside. Callie was yet to be seen, so he had no idea how she’d be. He’d spoken to her last night only to find she already had a job and a place to live. One less worry for him.
School had begun, but it was mainly a registration process and the children would be given a packet of rules. Beth wouldn’t go in until ten and only to meet the kids and their parents. Many of the students would be assigned a laptop and be allowed to do much of their work at home. He didn’t understand how that would work, but he was glad. Otherwise they would already be adding on with two hundred students signed up, even though some would arrive as late as Christmas.
A clinic was also being built even though the group that would take charge of it wasn’t here yet. Seb had a couple lions that were medics in the army prepared to divide duties as best they could and Ariel or Mac’s doctors would be available for emergencies. Things were beginning to work out and settle down. If only he could convince Beth to settle down with him.
Beth would be his everything if only he could convince her. He called Andi who happened to be at the flower shop talking to her manager. “Andi.”
“It’s Titus.”
“Oh, hi. What can I do for you?”
“I want to send Beth flowers Friday. I’m not sure if she’ll be home, at school, or on the job site. I want something that says be mine.”
“I know just the thing. I’ll track her and run her down if I have to. Talk to Sheila, she’s on the cash register and she’ll take your money and your message.”
He heard the phone being moved. “Hello. I’m Sheila and I need your card info.”
Giving it to her, he felt better. His plan was now underway. Once he was done, he called Sara at the diner about a special order. She was more than happy to accommodate him and assured him she knew all Beth’s favorites. He let out a heavy sigh since he was well on his way to completing the plan. Would it work? Hard to say, but if it didn’t, it wouldn’t be for lack of trying.
A few days passed with everything on target and going well. The panther leader would arrive soon and Titus would no longer have to deal with security. In all fairness, it hadn’t been too bad. The one Beth called Pretty had been the biggest problem and Beth had dealt with taking him down and Ariel had judged him. He’d not heard a thing out of him or about him. Good riddance.
Tomorrow night he planned to woo his woman. Dale would be going to Ariel’s for the weekend. He’d been only too happy to visit there. Who could blame him with the wonderful food and the rec center right behind the house? The kid was doing well at work and at home so he deserved a reward. His whole body tingled as he thought about how tomorrow night might go.
The day went slowly, but he was happy when he met Beth at the school and took her home. They fixed a meal together as they did most days. Titus discovered cooking with his female was relaxing. Spending any time with her was always enjoyable. When they were finally ready for bed, they were both exhausted. Their schedules were busy, so tonight they would just sleep in each other’s arms building anticipation for the next night and what it would bring.
They had breakfast at Ariel’s since they both needed to bring her up to speed on what was going on. Even though Seb had mated into her family, Titus was the one that most often met with her. Titus didn’t mind because the food and the company were good. As they ate, he listened to Beth talk with half his attention.
He caught that her manager would be starting within two weeks and the business already had more business than it could handle. She had a waiting list with a hundred names on it. Some people were even accepting properties in as is condition. Beth didn’t like that.
“That’s unfortunate, but when you have this many people moving in in a short time, it’s unavoidable. I have the same issue. Do you have the hotel usable?” Ariel asked.
“It was usable when I bought it. Right now the only empty cottage is the one being renovated.” Beth admitted.
“Is it all tigers?” Ariel wondered.
“No, a few panthers that came early to prepare for Ciaro, a lion, and the rest are tigers. There are fifteen cottages, a house, and a shed I converted into an office with a bathroom.” Beth explained.
“How are you managing that?” Titus questioned.
“Cam is living in one cottage and managing the place. He’s also helping remodel the cottages. He has some skills.” Beth admitted.
“I wonder when he sleeps.” Titus speculated. The tiger was a night security guard.
Beth shrugged. Apparently she wasn’t concerned about that. “I’ve worked two and even three jobs before. You sleep when you can.”
“Did you have a rough life?” He asked.
“No, I had goals I wanted to meet so I did what was necessary.”
Titus knew Beth was ambitious. It looked like she always had been. Ariel wasn’t any different because she worked all the time and had a mate and children to take care of. Since he’d finished eating, he took the time to talk to Ariel now.
“When is Ciaro coming?” Ariel asked.
“All I know is soon.”
“And the others?”
“No information yet which is driving Seb nuts.” Titus observed.
“I can understand that. I suspect he’ll have everyone together within a year from now.”
“Suspect or know?”
Ariel smiled and shrugged. “We’d best go.” Beth urged. They thanked Ariel for the food and headed to the school first. Once he dropped her off, he headed to the pack house that was full of singles, mostly males because the females often stayed with their families until they mated.
Morris met him with his usual grin. He suspected Morris and Saria were involved. Right now Saria was his number three, but there had been no battles for hierarchy yet since so much needed to be done to establish the streak. Saria had her store open and was getting business already. Beth had helped her set up a website which had stunned his sister.
“I guess your girlfriend is smarter than I thought.” Saria conceded.
Considering all the help she’d gotten from Beth, Saria could have been nicer. He overlooked everyone but Morris who followed him into the office to update him on anything that had happened that he needed to know. No new arrivals since yesterday and no new employees. Fifty more emails from tigers ready to move to Blue Eye.
“Fifty?”
“Yes, and ten are families that need houses.” Morris admitted.
“Where will we put them?”
“Beth has them on her waiting list, but she can’t keep up. It’s my understanding she’s adding two more crews. It will double her speed, but most houses need extensive remodeling. She had one crew working on only those that can be done quickly. That’s only ten percent of the houses she has.”
“She’s not going to be easy to be around.” Titus observed.
“That won’t bother anyone but you.” Morris said with a chuckle.
Titus sent him a nasty look. He’d wanted tonight to be perfect, now she would be all stressed out over her new company. His phone rang so he answered without looking. It was Beth.
“I got the basket. It’s perfect, but it’s not my birthday or anything special.”
“Every day I have with you is special.”
“Damn, that was so sweet I’m melting.”
“Good! Tonight we’ll stay home and you can show me how sweet you think I am.” Titus suggested.
“You can count on it, but it’s going to be a long day.”
“Just as long as you go home with me, I can handle anything.”
“There’s no one else I would go home with.” Beth said before they said their goodbyes. He hoped that meant she cared about him as much as he cared about her.
When he thought about the future, she was always in it. “There’s no one I would rather have with me either.” Titus said and he meant it. His body tightened and parts hardened at the thought that he might claim his mate tonight. They said their goodbye, but he knew it wouldn’t be long before they were back together.
“So tonight the night?” Morris asked.
“Maybe. When are you going to make an honest female of my sister?”
“Caught that, did you?”
“It wasn’t hard to catch.”
“She doesn’t give you the credit you deserve. Sometimes it’s that way with siblings. I wanted to talk to you about it first. You are the alpha. Saria may reject me, she says she’s not the settling down kind.”
“I’m okay with it. If at first you don’t succeed, you know to keep trying.” Titus advised.
“That what you’ll do?”
“Yes, she’s the only one I want.”
“The girl is pretty special.” Morris agreed.
“She’s not jumping on the idea of mating either, but I still have hopes.”
The day went fast, all things considered. The biggest part of his job was paperwork which no shifter seemed to like. The next largest was talking to people about things that led to paperwork. He knew he was lucky because Beth dealt with most of the housing and even a large part of the jobs. Seb was lucky too with Andi, but Beth was a bigger help with housing.
It was a relief even if he had mixed feelings when the day was over. He worried she’d deny him, but he needed to ask so he’d finally know. Not that he’d give up if she refused him. Titus would try to claim her until the end of time. Beth must know deep down that she was his and he was hers.
Driving by the school, he saw Morris’ mom who told him Beth was on the job site at Oak grove. Mack had come by and picked her up to deal with a big problem. She must have expected it since she’d said she would work late. When he arrived, everyone was busting their asses to get done. That was a funny thing about Fridays especially when you had to finish a job. The family was moving in Monday.
Everyone outside was cleaning up because tomorrow the construction dumpster would be picked up. “So what was the problem?” Titus asked.
Mack, Beth’s crew boss for this team answered. “Someone spilled paint in the bathtub. None of us knew what to do. The paint was dry and we didn’t want to damage the tub. She showed me just what to do and stayed to help us finish up. We’re almost done.”
“Good, because I have some plans with your boss for tonight.” Titus grinned and Mack grinned back.
Beth came out ten minutes later. “It’s all good. Let’s get the hell out of here.”
He noticed the crew was loading up to leave to. “I’m taking you home.” Sara would be delivering their food right about now. Titus hoped she’d be gone before they arrived. His phone buzzed with an incoming text. Sara was done and gone.
They pulled into the driveway with no indication of what was waiting on them. “Where are your flowers?”
“Dale came by to tell me he was staying at Ariel’s for the weekend. He took them home for me.”
“That was sweet of him.”
“He’s done so well.”
“Come on, let’s get inside.”
He went around to let her out of his truck like a gentleman should. Titus couldn’t do it often because Beth usually just hopped out. Tonight needed to be special. He escorted her to the house unlocking the door and holding it open for her. The scent of burning candles tickled his nose.
“Oh, goodness! What have you done? It’s perfect.” Beth exclaimed.
Candles burned all around the room. There was a large one on the table set with lovely dishes and wine glasses. The basket of flowers he’d gotten her sat in the center too. The food was on the plates, but there were covers over them to keep it warm. He couldn’t wait to see what Beth’s favorite foods were.
“We should clean up first. I’ll take a shower in the bedroom and meet you back here.” She was gone before her words registered.
Okay, he’d get clean too. He grabbed something comfortable from his dresser and went to the main bathroom to shower. When he was done, he threw on the shorts and a tank top. Barefoot worked fine for him and he made his way back to the table. Beth came out in a silky robe that made him wonder what she wore beneath it. Was she naked or wearing something else that was sexy?
“You look hot when you’re barely dressed.” Beth admitted.
“And you look hot no matter what you wear.”
“So what did you order for us to eat?”
“You might as well look for yourself and see if you like it.” Titus suggested.
She lifted the lid. “Sara cooked this.”
“Where else would I go?”
They began to eat the incredible Italian feast. She’d fixed the same for them both but there was more than one thing. Fettucine Alfredo was next to Pork Capperi and Veal Bolognese. There was a bowl of tossed salad with a light Italian dressing. Another plate hid a slice of raspberry cheesecake for each of them. He wasn’t sure what he paid, but it was well worth whatever the price was. It was a meal fit for royalty.
It amazed him that Beth had managed to eat it all. He hoped she wouldn’t lean back and go to sleep now that she was stuffed.
“Let’s do the dishes before we go to bed.” Beth suggested. It wasn’t in his plan, but he saw how dealing with a mess tomorrow wouldn’t be fun either.
They cleaned up quickly and he turned to her. “What do you want now?” It was obvious she knew.
“I want you so much,” Titus admitted as he claimed her mouth in a deep sweet kiss.
Beth kissed him back giving as much as she was taking. “I want you too,” She admitted.
As she licked his bottom lip his lips parted, but she chewed lightly the bottom one. It was making his tiger restless as the kiss grew until it took on a life of its own. She dropped her robe revealing naked skin as he stripped to nothing in seconds. Now he embraced his sweet Beth. His cock, hard as steel, pressed at her entrance insistently. Beth reached down to position his cock and arched up to take him. Gasping at the feel of her tight channel as it began to wrap around him, he drove in all the way.
“You feel so fucking fantastic,” he whispered.
“You do too. Titus?” She asked.
He paused. “Yeah?”
“I’m ready now.”
“Ready?” He asked hope shooting through him.
“Take me. Make me your mate. I don’t want to be away from you anymore.”
“Are you positive? Once this is done, there’s no going back. I wouldn’t want you to ever regret this decision.”
“Yes. I should have picked you right away. Mating scared me so I made the wrong choice. I want all of you now.”
“Thank the Goddess! I want you too, more than you can know. I have since the moment I saw you.”
He carried her to their room placing her on their bed without them separating. Finally, Titus started moving, it felt heavenly and he knew now he could claim his sweet mate. Faster and faster he plunged in and out until he was banging into her. Her groans and excited sounds of pleasure only pushed him on. Titus could feel her tension building as he licked the spot he would bite. His gums itched as his tiger moved near the surface ready for his chance to bite.
“Oh my goodness, I’m going to explode!” Beth screamed.
“Now, release for me, Baby,” Titus directed as he felt her tense as the first sign of her climax hit, he bit her, tasting her savory blood. His orgasm raged through him and her blunt teeth somehow managed to bleed him as well. Once as he had control of himself, he laved her wound to heal it.
“I love you, Beth.”
“I love you too,” his mate said as sleep took her.
Titus stayed awake a while thanking the goddess for the mate he’d been given. He scented change in the air, but what, he couldn’t say. There was little he knew about changing since few mates in his world ever went through it. Since he’d bitten her, his hope was she’d be some kind of cat.
A few days passed and Beth’s scent grew more familiar. He hated to hope, but it was hard not to. Finally a week had passed and he was ready to take her to the woods. Morris, Mack, and Monroe went with them as their guards. Until he knew what she was, he didn’t want anyone else to know. Whatever she turned into, he’d love her. Even if he was wrong and she stayed human she was already everything he could ever wish for.
They were at the edge of the woods out of sight of the streak house. No other shifters or humans could be scented in the air. It was a perfect afternoon, with a cool breeze blowing through the leaves. Turning to his mate, Titus pulled her into his arms. “Know that I love you just as you are.” He kissed her lightly so he could easily let her go if she changed. “Imagine your inner animal and call to her.”
“I’ll try.” Beth said and he felt her pull away from him so he let her go.
He gasped as did the males with them. Before them stood a gorgeous white tiger. So rare and perfect, she would impress anyone that saw her. Changing quickly, he had four paws on the ground when she took off. His need to chase was activated and he nearly caught her right away as she stumbled unsure on her paws. It only took her seconds to recover and be on her way. Beth was amazingly fast.
She was on the trail of a wild pig, a small one. Titus hadn’t even been aware there were any nearby. Beth caught it quickly, but let it go. Her need had been for the hunt, not food. Chasing other smaller prey kept her running one way then the other. Finally, he called her to him and she came. They shifted back to human and walked to the streak house hand in hand.
His tigers would be impressed with their female alpha. On the way into the house, Saria walked by. She drew in a deep breath looking at them in shock. “I smell tigress.” No one replied to her, they all just walked by.
With the mating and the change upon her, any female could challenge her because there was no hierarchy established yet. Beth could be vicious so he wasn’t worried. Saria seemed happy to stay on the male’s hierarchy and the women here so far didn’t care about being in charge. Few wanted to do the work involved in being female alpha and most were appreciative of the things Beth had done for them.
More time passed without a challenge and he remembered Andi hadn’t been challenged either. Tonight was the first full moon run. His pack would see their female alpha in her tiger form. They were all gathered in human form ready for their run. The alphas would change first followed by the top leaders then the rest. Hierarchy wasn’t as important as it was to the wolves, but it still had its place.
Everyone was watching and it was almost as if they held their breath. He nodded at Beth and they both morphed into their tiger forms. His was exceptionally large and hers was the rarest of forms. He’d never known or ever heard of a white tiger shifter. Gasps and sounds of surprise ran through the crowd. She wasn’t just white, she was gorgeous. Her form was perfect and her eyes glowed blue as they searched the crowd for their reactions. His people bowed their heads to show her they accepted her. Titus roared. The run was on and he took off toward the woods with his mate behind him.