Tangling with the Tiger: Lone Pine Pride, Book 5 by Vivi Andrews Page B

her marrow. “If it’s any help, he refused to leave you if I wasn’t personally guarding your cute little ass. So he’s clearly got a hard-on for keeping you safe. That’s something.”
    And it was what Kelly had wanted too. Had she been wrong to brush him aside so harshly? He wanted her to be safe. He wanted to be the one she unloaded to. It wasn’t such an unreasonable thing to ask.
    “Am I really in danger?” Rachel asked.
    “From most of the pride? No.” Most of the pride worshipped her like the second coming. Though some of the rioters, Grace wasn’t so sure about. “But there are one or two who might still want a piece of you.”
    Rachel shuddered. “Like Dominec.”
    Grace almost defended him. The words were instinctive on her lips, but it was probably best for Rachel to be cautious around the tiger. He had already tried to kill her once and Grace wasn’t entirely sure he wouldn’t do it again. “Maybe,” she said, hearing the note of uncertainty in her own voice. “None of us really know him.”
    “But he’s part of your pride. Your…family.”
    “Sort of.” He’d always kept himself apart. Until last night when they’d been very much together. Unless that had all been a ruse to disorient her so he could make an attempt against Rachel. Shit. Who knew with Dominec? “Keeping Dominec around is kind of like having a pet dragon. Some days it makes you powerful and some days it makes you barbeque. Can’t always tell which kind of day it’s gonna be.”
    Rachel sighed. “So I should listen to Adrian.”
    “In terms of your protection? Not a bad idea. He knows his shit. As far as the rest of it? Hell, what do I know about damaged shifter men with more instinct than brains?” She didn’t have the first idea what to do with Dominec. Kiss him? Kick him? Both? “All I can do is wish you luck, girl, because if you decide you want him, you’re going to need it.” They both were. “Now, you ready to look at some prisoner mug shots?”
    Rachel smiled, though it was still shadowed. “Ready.”
    It was after dark when Grace left the infirmary that night. Rachel had long since left with Adrian, who seemed to have gotten over his temper tantrum. Grace had handed the information Rachel had given her on the prisoners over to Hugo and Xander, but she still felt like she wasn’t doing enough. Like they were just sitting around, strategizing and planning while the Organization moved with ruthless speed.
    She tromped back to her office, intent on diving back into the Organization files. She’d been reading through the dossiers whenever she had a free moment over the last few weeks, but she was still no closer to finding that magic Achilles heel that would bring the entire operation crumbling down.
    After last night, her gaze went automatically to the eaves above her office door as she approached the small building. A pair of eyes gleamed back at her from the darkness of the roof, reflecting what little light there was.
    Dominec.
    Watching her. How often had he been up there when she hadn’t bothered to look up? She couldn’t escape the feeling he’d been watching her for quite a while. He looked awfully at home on her roof.
    Grace stopped at the foot of her porch, not speaking, staring him down. He rose to all fours, arching his back in a stretch, and moved to the side of the roof, leaping down and strolling away as if nothing had happened, his tail waving high like a banner. He was all coiled, predatory grace in any form.
    And once again she missed the lack of a pack of girlfriends to whom she could moan what does it mean ?
    She couldn’t judge his behavior by normal standards. She needed an enigma machine just to decode the messages he was sending.
    She climbed the steps and entered her office, checking for Dominec booby-traps, but everything looked the same as she’d left it that morning. Grace tossed down her pack, withdrew her tablet from it, toed off her boots and sprawled out on her back on