Twelve

 

Gauge struggled to not lose control of his tiger from the sheer anger of finding out one of those damned Dessar had injured her. And yet he was thoroughly impressed that she was willing to risk her life to fight for what was dear to her. Aniyah was strong and determined. He regretted ever doubting her. Gerri wasn’t wrong in her match. He had the right mate, all right.

While he was relieved the wolves were dealt with, the Whitetide victory was not without its consequences. When Barron and the rest of the Blacktail and Whitetide clans returned, he found most of them bloody, broken messes. Everyone was accounted for, except for Cory, who had sustained a fatal blow to his head and died in battle. They had barely escaped with their lives. It was easy to blame Axle for everything, but he no longer held the responsibility for the clan. Gauge had the Dessar leader’s corpse skinned, branded with the Whitetide’s tiger paw emblem, and posted conspicuously in front of the cabin for all to see and beware.

While his clan mates and allies sat around the main living area, nursing their wounds, Gauge headed upstairs with Aniyah and drew a bath with Epsom salts.

“Let me see that arm,” Gauge said once Aniyah’s dirty and blood-smeared clothes were tossed aside.

Wincing, she tried to move her arm. He examined it closely, running his hand down its length, feeling every muscle. Having had to tend to his clan mates’ many battle injuries in the past, Gauge had little problem in determining Aniyah’s issue.

“Yep, it’s sprained,” he finally said. “A good, hot bath will fix that.”

Aniyah smiled at him. “Are you a doctor too?”

Gauge laughed. “Nah, I’ve had those on every part of my body at some point, so I know what shit like that feels like.”

She turned and entered the bath, wincing in pain. Once she was settled, Gauge climbed in behind her. His body was aching and bruised, but he trusted the bath would ease those pains. They soaked in the tub together, enjoying the ear-ringing silence after a harrowing night. He pulled her to him, resting her back against him, and sighed. Her soft, curvy body sank into him. His hard dick poked her in the ass, and she exhaled a soft moan. He wanted to fuck her in the tub. But the battle had exhausted him, and she was injured. He would make it up to her very soon.

He kissed the nape of her neck and muttered in her ear, “So what do you think of my crazy family?”

She chuckled lightly. “‘Crazy’ is an understatement. But I’d like to think that there’s never a dull moment with you guys.”

“Yeah. It never used to be like this. I mean, there were at least other females.”

“It does feel weird being the only female here, around a bunch of naked guys shifting into tigers…”

He laughed. “Don’t worry; they know you’re off-limits. Besides, I encouraged them to go find mates for themselves. I recommended Gerri’s services.”

“Oh, she’s good. Did Axle really ban them from finding mates?”

Gauge shook his head. “Axle was an insecure, piss-poor leader. You know, if it wasn’t for you, I might not have faced my fears and confronted him in battle.”

“Well, I’m glad you did, though I’m surprised you let him live.”

“Yeah, well… I’m letting him live in misery, with me giving him the orders for a change. He’s hurt a lot of people, but the more I thought about it, the more I realized I would just be doing him a favor by killing him. He would’ve gotten away with everything he did, and I wouldn’t let that happen. He’s going to pay for his crimes and all the people he’s hurt.”

“Well, I guess every family has that one member who’s a pain in the ass. But regardless, I’m happy to be a part of this clan.”

He rubbed her shoulders, his heart fluttering in delight. “And I’m more than happy to have you a part of this clan too.”

“And Gauge…”

“Hmm?”

“I love you.”

Holy fucking shit. He sucked in a breath. Who knew those three words could be so powerful, especially coming from a woman like Aniyah? “Really?”

“Really.”

“Fuck, yes. I love you, too, Aniyah. More than anything. I can’t wait to start our new future together and get you your very own shop to make all the sweet things you want. You’ve already proven to me and everyone else here just how brave and strong you are. You may be the only female for now, but you’ve earned everyone’s respect. Damn, who knew a pastry chef could be so deadly?”

She looked over her shoulder, smirking. “Even the sweetest desserts can be the deadliest.”

His dick steeled. Then fucking kill me now.