Tiger Tracks (Alaskan Tigers Book 9) by Marissa Dobson Read Free Book Online Page A

closed as Theodore sped the plane down the runway, beginning their takeoff.
    “Flying makes you nervous.” All her fears and anger slipped away, as she watched him pale before her eyes. She laid her hand over his and squeezed it lightly.
    “You didn’t answer my question.”
    “I’m…” She paused and decided it was best to be truthful. “I’m terrified. There’s no other way to put it. My mind is jumping from one thing to another. From what I know is true, to what I’ve seen, to what I’ve been told. Fear will do crazy things to a person, but when you’ve witnessed some of the things I have, you know that even a mating doesn’t stop evil or wrongdoing.”
    “I’m not going to hurt you.”
    “I believe that now.” She glanced down. “If you don’t ease off that armrest, you’re going to do some major damage.” When he pried his hand away, she laced their fingers together. “Come on, big bad tiger. Just relax. Flying isn’t so awful.”
    He gave her a grunt and didn’t comment. “Once we reach the right altitude, and settle out, I can forget we’re thousands of feet in the air. It’s only during takeoff and our descent that I can’t pretend I’m still on the ground and everything is normal.”
    “I’ve heard stories of what you’ve done,” she said, changing the subject. “Maybe some of them have been lies, but not all of them. I saw how the Washington D.C. Tigers looked at you on the roof. They’d have pissed themselves if they had the chance.”
    “What’s your point?” It came out as more of a growl than she had expected, and she almost pulled away.
    “I was getting to that. You’re the monster under the bed, the proverbial boogieman. Stories about you make everyone look over their shoulders, and listen to their Alphas, otherwise you’ll come for them. Yet, you’re scared of flying. This fear of yours makes you seem…I don’t know, I guess normal is the best word. I wouldn’t have expected you to be afraid of anything.”
    “Everyone is afraid of something. Being thousands of feet in the air in a metal box is my fear, because there’s nothing I can do if we go down. If I’m going to die, I want a fighting chance.” As the plane settled in flight, he opened his eyes and glanced at her. “Trusting my life or the lives of the ones I love to someone else has never turned out well for me.”
    In his tone she caught a hint that there was more of a story behind his words, but to ask him about it wouldn’t ease his tension. “You’d rather be in control.” She smirked. “Why am I not surprised at that? But there’s something that does surprise me.”
    “What’s that?”
    “If you like to be in control, why don’t you command your own clan?”
    He let out a deep sigh before shaking his head. “You remember your reaction when you heard my name. It’s always the same. No matter where I go, the reaction is always the same. There’s even some among the Alaskan Tigers who still question my loyalty. It’s better now, but I know there’s some who look at me and see my past or the rumors they’ve heard. I can never get past it. Who would want me to lead them?”
    “You’d be an Alpha who could protect them. I’d give anything to have an Alpha to protect me instead of the one I got saddled with.”
    “The fear would be there, and some people would question why anyone would follow me.” He leaned his head back. “Anyway, I’m happy with my position with Tabitha and Ty.”
    “Happy doesn’t mean it’s all you want.”
    “Now’s not the time.”
    She wasn’t sure if he was referring to becoming an Alpha, or the conversation itself. She might have pressed harder, but Theodore interrupted them.
    “It should be a quick flight, but if you need to get up, go ahead.”
    “We’re fine. Just want to be there.” Styx rolled his shoulders. “All of us are exhausted, so we’ll spend the night there and start west after we’ve slept. I’ll speak to Jinx to make