To Tempt A Tiger(15)

“Why?”

“’Cause…this woman is no good.”

Vlad watched a muscle in Anton’s cheek twitch. A tell. Anton had managed to control his scent tells better over the course of their conversation, but the physical tell surprised Vlad. Anton only twitched when he was really angry.

“I disagree,” Vlad said, sticking to his story as he watched his brother closely. “One mistake doesn’t make her a bad person.” He shrugged and admitted a truth he’d hardly admitted to himself. “I still love her. I just thought… After we lost so much, it was stupid to ignore how I felt about Rose and waste more time.”

That glint of suspicion returned to Anton’s eyes. He could tell Vlad was being completely honest, and Vlad could tell that complicated his feelings about this conversation.

“What did she do when you told her you wanted back with her?” Anton asked.

Vlad snorted. “She slapped me.” A completely honest statement. “Then she broke down and cried.” He actually had to work not to laugh at that. Rose would not have cried in that circumstance. Kicked his ass, yes. Cried, never. But his brothers didn’t know her, so they wouldn’t realize crying was out of character for her.

“Guilt?” Anton asked.

“Some of it. Some of it was—” Vlad cut himself off and glared. “I’m not talking about this with you. It’s personal.”

“I’m your brother.”

“Since when have we discussed feelings?”

His brother actually chuckled. “Fine. Is she going to take you back?”

“You heard her. She says she’s too confused and can’t think with me around.”

“You gonna keep trying or take the hint?”

Vlad paused and looked into the distance, pretending to consider his options. “I still want her back.”

“You’re an idiot, you know.”

“Yeah, well.” Vlad gave his brother a look. “I don’t see you having any better luck with women.”

Anton snorted. Then his expression settled into serious lines and worry flavored his scent. “This is a bad idea, Vlad. You should stay away from Rose.”

“None of your business, little brother. You can tell the others the same. If I want Rose back, it’s my damned business. If she fucks me over again, it’s my business. You three need to keep your noses out of my love life.”

“Hey, I just don’t want to see you hurt again.” Anton shrugged.

“Still none of your business.”

“Fine. Just don’t come to me when she rips your beating heart out and smashes it into little pieces. Again.”

Despite the outwardly caring words, Vlad knew it was an act—Anton playing the part of concerned brother. Vlad caught the subtle flavor of it in his scent. But anyone overhearing this exchange would just see one brother worrying for the other.

Vlad played his part in the exchange, pretending to believe Anton’s concern was genuine. With a sigh, he said, “Go home. Take the other reprobates with you. All three of you have businesses to run. Or do you want to let all Dad built fall apart? Besides, with the elders keeping such a close eye on us, it’s better if we aren’t all in the same place.”

That got a reaction Vlad hadn’t been expecting. Anton’s scent filled with a mix of pungent musk and a sharp acrid, chemical tinge. Vlad’s tiger nose interpreted the combination as fear and resentment. All three of his brothers blamed the elders for their father’s death—even though their father had put himself into the position which got him killed. Vlad had actually had to stop Yuri from talking about outright rebellion.

Even if some of the elders agreed with their father when it came to tiger-human interbreeding, they would not stand for rebellion. The elders were each individually powerful. As a collective, they were damn near omnipotent. At least that was the impression they gave the rest of the community. And they would band together, marshalling all that power against anyone who threatened them.

Vlad might not trust his brothers, or even like them very much at the moment. He might have to fight them to keep them from hurting Rose and Zoe. But he didn’t want them utterly destroyed either. If he could get everyone out of this without anyone dying, he’d consider it a win.

He clapped Anton on the shoulder. “Thanks for worrying about me. But don’t. I’ll be fine.”

Anton’s lips thinned and Vlad could see him considering his next step.

Finally, he shrugged and shook his head. “I still think you’re making a huge mistake, bro, but whatever. It’s your life.”

Vlad pushed his brother toward his rental car, parked at the curb in the spot just behind where Rose’s SUV had been. “Go get the others and get out of here. I’ve got some strategizing to do.”