Page 13

NICHOLAS

N icholas stared at the cursed relic on his desk, its obsidian surface catching the late morning light as he turned it over in his hands.

The carved tiger along its edge seemed to mock him, a reminder of what slept beneath his skin.

The tether around his wrist pulsed, a constant reminder of the witch he couldn't have.

After his conversation with Cassian at The Gilded Fang yesterday, sleep had been impossible. The bartender's warning echoed: "This thing's tied to broken mate bonds, Nick. Bad juju. Where'd you find it?"

He'd lied, but Cassian's narrowed eyes said he hadn't bought the story. Nicholas could hardly explain that he'd found it buried at the edge of an ancient mating circle in Echo Woods right before the binding spell with Sylvie had kicked into overdrive with dreamwalking.

His tiger paced restlessly beneath his skin. The separation from Sylvie was making his control slip. Twice this morning he'd found his nails extending into claws while filling out sanctuary paperwork.

A knock at his office door snapped him from his thoughts. He shoved the relic into his desk drawer.

"It's open," he called, leaning back in his chair and adopting the easy smile that had become second nature.

The door swung open, and his carefully constructed facade cracked. Sylvie stood in the doorway, blonde hair windswept and cheeks flushed. The scent of clove and cedar washed over him, and his tiger surged forward with such force that Nicholas had to grip the edge of his desk.

"Sylvie." Her name escaped his lips with a hint of excited anticipation. "What are you doing here?"

She stepped inside, closing the door behind her. Her stormy eyes fixed on him with unnerving intensity. "We need to talk."

"About?" He raised an eyebrow, fighting for nonchalance while his pulse hammered.

"You know exactly what about." She raised her wrist, displaying the violet band that matched his own. "This thing is messing with my magic. I can't keep setting candles on fire every time you cross my mind."

The confession hung between them. Every time you cross my mind. His tiger practically purred.

"Sorry to hear that." He stood, moving around the desk to put distance between them. "But I don't think there's anything I can do to help."

Sylvie frowned. "Missy thinks the spell isn't malfunctioning. She thinks it's amplifying something that was already there, like I've said before. And apparently, there's no getting around it."

Nicholas had known from the first moment the binding took hold that she was his mate.

His tiger had recognized her instantly. But the relic in his drawer that he had kept hidden from her on top of the stories of the curse that had plagued his own bloodline for generations.

.. He couldn't pull her into that darkness.

"Your aunt's a romantic." He shrugged, leaning against the wall with practiced casualness. "Sometimes a spell gone wrong is just that."

"Is it?" She stepped closer, and the band on his wrist warmed in response. "Because every witch I've talked to says the same thing. This spell mimics a mate bond."

The words hung in the air between them. Nicholas's tiger clawed at his insides, desperate to claim what was theirs. He forced it down.

"Look, Sylvie." His voice came out harsher than intended. "I'm not looking for a mate. I don't do relationships. Ask anyone in town, Nicholas Whitmore is good for a night, not a lifetime."

The hurt that flashed across her face cut him deeper than a knife, but he pressed on.

"Whatever this is," he gestured between them, "it's not real. It's magic gone haywire, and the sooner we break it, the better for both of us."

She stepped closer still, eyes flashing. "You're lying. I can feel it through the bond."

"Can you?" He arched an eyebrow. "Or is that what you want to feel?"

Sylvie's jaw tightened. She reached into her bag and pulled out a small candle. "I'm going to try something. If I'm wrong, I'll leave you alone. Deal?"

Before he could respond, she placed the candle on his desk and reached for the matches in her pocket. Nicholas watched, transfixed, as she struck the match. The flame caught, dancing at her fingertips.

"What are you?—"

The flame suddenly leapt, growing far too large for a simple match. Sylvie gasped, dropping it as the fire licked across her palm.

"Shit!" Nicholas lunged forward, reaching for her hand.

The moment his fingers touched her skin, his control snapped. Pain lanced through him as bones cracked and shifted. His tiger, denied too long, surged forward with unstoppable force.

"Nicholas!" Sylvie's voice seemed distant through the roar of shifting.

The change ripped through him, faster and more violent than any shift he'd experienced before. In moments, where Nicholas had stood, a massive Bengal tiger crouched, orange and black fur gleaming in the office light.

Sylvie stood frozen, eyes wide, her burned hand forgotten. The tiger—Nicholas—moved forward cautiously, amber eyes locked on her face.

"Oh," she breathed, not backing away. "You're beautiful."

Nicholas's tiger ears flicked forward at her words. His instincts screamed to examine her hand, to protect his mate from harm. He padded forward, lowering his massive head to gently nudge her palm.

"It's okay," she whispered, kneeling to meet his gaze level. "It's just a small burn."

The tiger rumbled, displeased, and carefully licked her palm. Sylvie gasped at the contact, but didn't pull away.

"I was right, wasn't I?" Her voice was soft as she tentatively reached out with her uninjured hand, hovering above his head. "This isn't just a spell gone wrong."

Nicholas couldn't speak in this form, but he pressed his head into her palm, allowing the touch he'd been denying them both. His tiger practically melted under her gentle fingers as she stroked between his ears.

"Why are you fighting this so hard? Even harder than I am." Sylvie asked, her fingers trailing through his fur, feeling the silky-rough texture against her skin. Her voice dropped to a whisper that only a predator's ears could catch. "What are you so afraid of, Nicholas?"

He closed his eyes, unable to answer but achingly vulnerable before her.

For the first time in years, Nicholas couldn't hide behind his charming smile or flirtatious quips.

There was no casual wink to deflect her questions, no teasing remark to change the subject.

In tiger form, all his carefully constructed walls lay in ruins at Sylvie's feet, leaving his soul as exposed as his striped hide.

The violet bands around both their wrists glowed brightly, pulsing in perfect unison with their heartbeats.

As Sylvie continued to stroke his massive head, the bands flared with sudden intensity, sending a cascade of warmth through their bodies.

Nicholas's tiger rumbled deep in his chest, a sound somewhere between contentment and fear.

The tiger's amber eyes opened, meeting hers with an intelligence and emotion that transcended his animal form. In that moment, something shifted between them—something neither magic nor reason could explain away.