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  Tiger’s Strength

  The Therian Way – Book Three

  A Rogue Spotter Universe Novel

  Kimberly A. Rogers

  This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents are products of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously. Any resemblance to actual people or entities, living or dead, business establishments, locals, or events is entirely coincidental.

  Copyright © 2019 by Kimberly A. Rogers

  All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means—electronic, mechanical, digital, photocopy, recording, or any other—except for brief quotations in printed or electronic reviews, without the prior permission of the author and copyright holder.

  Cover design by Rachel Rossano

  http://rossanodesigns.weebly.com

  Dedication

  For everyone who has waited patiently for this story

  to finally arrive. Thank you.

  Contents

  Acknowledgments

  The Therian Way

  The Therian Clans

  Chapter One

  Chapter Two

  Chapter Three

  Chapter Four

  Chapter Five

  Chapter Six

  Chapter Seven

  Chapter Eight

  Chapter Nine

  Chapter Ten

  Chapter Eleven

  Chapter Twelve

  Chapter Thirteen

  Chapter Fourteen

  Chapter Fifteen

  Chapter Sixteen

  Chapter Seventeen

  Chapter Eighteen

  Chapter Nineteen

  Chapter Twenty

  Chapter Twenty-One

  Chapter Twenty-Two

  Chapter Twenty-Three

  Note From the Author

  Glossary

  Tiger’s Shadow

  Tiger’s Paw

  Leopard’s Test

  You May Also Like . . .

  Also by Kimberly A. Rogers

  About the Author

  Acknowledgments

  First, I would like to thank my family for supporting me during my writing journey. I couldn’t do it without you.

  I’d also like to thank everyone who has helped me on the journey to publication, especially Rachel Rossano for once again creating a superb cover. An extra thank you to my beta readers who took time out of their busy lives to help make this book the best it can be.

  Finally, thank you to my Lord and Savior without whom I am nothing.

  The Therian Way

  Protect the innocents; most especially, value the lives of the young for they are the future of all Therians. Protect what the Creator has gifted us, for this is the Therian Way.

  Honor the Creator and His Son, Yeshua, and walk in the Scriptures. Abandon the old gods for they bring only death and destruction. Have faith, for this is the Therian Way.

  Administer justice with regard to truth alone. No clan is above all others. The clans are strongest when united by one king under the Creator, for this is the Therian Way.

  Therians are subject to all authorities on earth. Be they Human, Alpi, or Therian. Let none conduct themselves in the manner of dumb beasts, for this is the Therian Way.

  Three forms have been granted to Therians—Beast, Half-form, and Mortal. Control, honor, and heart permit our souls to be seen. The actions of the Beast mirror the heart of the Mortal, for this is the Therian Way.

  Do not let your words be unfounded. A Therian shall be judged a true adherer by action not word. Honeyed words are discarded in favor of honorable actions, for this is the Therian Way.

  Called out from Humans by the Creator, we are the shields to our kin. Stand and defend the weak and helpless from the dark creatures of the world. Defend all from tyrants, for this is the Therian Way.

  Defend hearth and home by sword and spear, by fang and claw, by rage and cunning. Let the clans fight together against all enemies. Protect each other, for this is the Therian Way.

  Do not hunt where Humans live nor battle among the innocents save in their defense. Do not consume the flesh of any sentient creature, for to do so is murder of the worst degree. The killing of those not born Therian shall never be considered less than murder nor go unpunished, for this is the Therian Way.

  Commit yourselves to maintaining the peace. By claw and by treaty, protect the peace between Alpi and Therians. Balance shall be kept and prosperity granted by the Creator when the peace is defended, for this is the Therian Way.

  * The original ten edicts of the Therian Way by Rollo Bearskin. Transcriber’s note: Here Rollo referred to the High Elves of the Fae by their ancient name of ‘Alpi.’

  The Therian Clans

  Felidae – (seven branches) – Lion, Tiger, Leopard, Jaguar, Puma, Lynx, and Snow Leopard. Panther is an unofficial branch designation for all save Lion, Tiger, and Lynx.

  Ursa – (four branches) – Polar, Grizzly, Brown Bear, and Black Bear.

  Lupine

  Vulpine

  Jackal

  Mustelidae – (five branches) – Badger, Wolverine, Ferret, Otter, and Weasel.

  Canidae – Therians who do not fit into Clans Lupine, Vulpine, or Jackal – (four branches) – Dhole, Dingo, African Wild Dog, and Coyote.

  Chapter One

  Baran

  “The Elves of Fortriu have been allowed too much autonomy for too long. Perhaps, we did need them when we were a young country still struggling to gain our freedom from an empire across the sea. But I ask you, in this day and age of marvels made by men, by human men and women, and not the Elves, do we still need them to hold our nation’s hand and pretend to protect us? What do they protect us from? The monsters in the woods are children’s stories meant to frighten youngsters into good behavior. There are no more monsters.” Senator Ulysses Hewett Cunningham stood with his hands braced against the podium as his hard brown eyes surveyed the crowd. His voice was jarringly soft and almost amicable compared to his words, something that contributed to the sense of a hunting predator the human somehow managed to convey.

  The camera zoomed out to reveal the crowd still watching intently as the applause faded once more. Senator Cunningham ran a hand over his short cropped greying brown hair, a change that had occurred since he was shot in May. The pretense at thoughtfulness did not fool me as the senator’s next words emerged with such confidence they could only have been practiced a hundred times over. He leaned forward, gripping the podium tightly, as he continued, “Instead, we are offered paltry prizes for our inability to harvest the forests and the natural resources available to us in our own country. A scheduled allotment of goods and supplies. Again, I ask, what do the Elves hide beyond this silver monstrosity, behind the Barrier? The time has come, my friends. Yes, I say it again, the time has come to acknowledge that our great nation no longer needs the puppet strings of a so called treaty that is heavily in favor of the Elves and their private agendas, whatever those might be. We threw off the chains of the empire across the sea, now it is time to look more closely at the empire in our own backyard. The bill that I have introduced to Congress will steer our great nation on just such a course. Through the passing of this bill, if it does so, we will be able to—”

  I turned the television off as my personal cell rang. Senator Cunningham was well on his way to becoming the greatest human threat Therians had faced since the time of the Great Purge. His shooting by a perceived Elvish sympathizer had increased the popularity of his anti-Elves and anti-treaty rhetoric. And, if his bill was passed . . . The cell phone’s persistent ringing became more annoying as the obnoxious lyrics continued, interrupting my thoughts. That little pest of a Leopard had tampered with my ri
ngtone again. Why did she feel so compelled to tug at the Tiger’s whiskers? I growled softly as I picked up the phone, hoping in vain that the new lieutenant sitting at the desk outside my office had not been able to hear the ridiculous childish ringtone my mate had chosen. No doubt she was the one calling now. I answered with a clipped, “What is it now?”

  But, it was not my mate’s warm tones that responded. The cool voice dripped with the owner’s imperious nature to the point that I could almost smell it. “I will see you for the holidays, Baran.”

  The growl that faded when I first answered the call kicked up into a full snarl as I recognized her voice. The phone shook in my hand, and I immediately loosened my grasp before I could break it. Raina would never let me live it down if she found out I broke a second cellphone this month. I took a breath in a vain attempt to calm myself, but my words were still tinged with a growl as I demanded, “Why are you calling me?”

  “As I said, I expect to see you for the holidays. It is past time you visited.” There was a calculated pause and I almost gave in to the temptation to hang up on her before she continued in the same cool tones as before, “I also do not expect your . . . marriage . . . to interfere.”

  The tiger in me reacted to the slight against my mate and I snarled. “I will not play to your whims, Venetia. Do not call me again.”

  I hung up before she could say anything more and dropped the phone on my desk. Venetia. She never called without reason, and it was always because she was attempting to manipulate me. She was even worse than Eteri. That Vulpine had finally conceded to propriety and had not attempted to contact me since the last time I was forced to consult with her . . . on the attempted assassination of President Grey Wolf in February. Venetia had been silent for over a year. I had not been forced to deal with her since before my first hunt with Raina and that . . . I had almost fooled myself into thinking she had finally given me up and would cease attempting to force her way into my life. But, now . . .

  Bracing my hands against the desk’s edge, I hung my head and drew in a deep breath in a desperate attempt to calm myself. The familiar scents of wood, paperwork, coffee, and my people filled my nostrils. The Tiger in me still stirred in response to my reaction to her call, no, her demand. Closing my eyes, I fought against the urge to shift forms. I inhaled again, more deeply this time, searching for a particular scent. It had been almost three weeks since the last time Raina had been in my office at the Shenandoah Valley outpost, but her distinctive blend of cinnamon and vanilla perfume with the scent of an Elf-born Leopard still lingered. Of course, she had been wearing my jacket when I was trying to leave for work that morning . . . The thought stirred me to movement. I snatched my jacket from the back of my chair and held it to my nose. The familiar scent of cinnamon and vanilla perfume combined with the unique scent of an Elf-born Leopard greeted me, seemingly stronger than it truly was since I was focused on it above all others, and I felt myself relaxing slightly as the Tiger settled once more.

  If not for the fact that I had a meeting with my outpost’s commandants in less than an hour, I would have shrugged on the jacket. However, walking into a meeting with my mate’s perfume clinging to my clothes would be far removed from a professional appearance. I inhaled her scent once more and then returned my jacket to the back of my chair. I sat back down and tried to return my attention to the reports I was studying before Senator Cunningham’s speech had been announced.

  Still the thought teased me that perhaps I could call Raina; maybe even invite her to stop by the outpost after my meeting. The tiger in me settled even further at the thought and my lips turned up slightly as I pictured Raina’s delight in receiving the invitation. She was always complaining that I didn’t invite her enough, which seemed to contribute to her flagrant disregard for protocol as she broke into my outpost and invaded my office whenever she could. Much like her last visit. It would certainly surprise the little mouse to receive my formal invitation. I had nearly made up my mind to call her when the obnoxious ringtone wreaked havoc on my calm. Venetia. If she thought I would capitulate on this matter . . . I grabbed the phone and a roar burst free as I answered.

  “Wow, TDS, that is a bit of an overreaction, don’t you think? I haven’t even told you anything yet.”

  Raina.

  My wife’s cheerful tone was unchanged when I failed to answer. “TDS? You aren’t actually getting ready to roar at me again, are you? Because if you do, I shall be required to be miffed and you don’t want me to be miffed.”

  It took far more effort than I was willing to admit to force anything other than words back down. I took a deep breath before I managed to speak without growling. “What do you want, Raina?”

  “Your undying love and devotion. Oh and chocolate. I accept chocolate too.”

  “Raina,” I growled. Pinching the bridge of my nose, I could not help wondering why I had ever entertained the idea of asking her to come visit in order to help me preserve my calm. She loved pushing me into reactions too much. She also never gave a straight answer when pressed, if she could help it. A glance at my pocket watch reminded me that I didn’t have much longer to finish going over the necessary reports before my meeting. “State your reason for calling or hang up. I do not have time to entertain you.”

  “Touchy Tigger,” she quipped. “And, don’t growl at me again. I was calling to inform you that I’m going to be making an unexpected visit today.”

  “An unexpected visit,” I repeated slowly. Why had I contemplated issuing her an official invitation? Apparently, she still intended to maintain the trying habit of bursting in regardless of protocol. I eyed the door to my office warily, more than half expecting her to bounce through the door at any moment. Despite the fact that I was fairly certain she was calling from her car. “Why do you say that?”

  “Because I like it better than ‘unwanted’ obviously. Oh, and if you say that my visits are unwanted, not only will you be in trouble but I will intentionally cause trouble too.”

  “You always cause trouble intentionally,” I countered. “It is one of your specialties,” I added in a low grumble. A noise in the background caught my attention. There was still the sound of a running engine, but now the squeal of tires. I frowned. “Raina, where are you?”

  She didn’t answer.

  “Raina.” She still didn’t answer. A frisson of worry broke free and it took everything in me not to run out the door to come find her. “Raina,” I repeated firmly, “where are you?”

  Tires squealed again and I heard gears grinding together as the engine revved. What was she doing? A new voice broke through the noise. Young, male, and rather panicked as he shouted, “Commander, the gate! The fence! They aren’t moving or opening!”

  For the love of the Creator, what was that insane little Leopard doing? I jumped to my feet as I snapped, “Raina!”

  The phone clicked. She had hung up. Instinctively hitting the redial, I waited for her to answer. It rang twice and then the klaxons started blaring. The outpost’s perimeter alarm had been triggered. I had already crossed the room when the office door flung open. My new lieutenant stood there. The Wolf ghosted across his face before he straightened. “General Baran, there has been a breach of the back gate. Two vehicles have smashed through the fence, and they are still going.”

  He raised the phone in his free hand, the speaker partially muffled. “Lieutenant Teague wants to know if he should give orders to fire on the intruders.”

  “No.” I snatched the phone from his hand. “Do not fire on the vehicles. One may be ours.” Or, at the very least, mine. Still, I couldn’t risk a true security breach. “Keep them from leaving the back strip.”

  “Yes, General.”

  I didn’t wait for anything more from either lieutenant. I shoved the phone back into the Lupine’s hands and then sprinted down the hall heading for the doors. I was vaguely aware of my lieutenant scrambling to keep up as I ran, but I was not going to wait for him. If Raina was hunting prey into my outpost
, I intended to be the first to provide her backup.

  A jeep was pulling out of the parking lot as I exited the building. I didn’t hesitate even a moment. Racing to the vehicle as it idled before turning onto the street, I leapt into the empty passenger seat, not caring that the Lynx driving nearly jumped into her Beast form. I didn’t bother to explain myself. I only growled. “Take us to the back strip.”

  “Yes, General,” she replied quickly. Lieutenant Alfred scrambled into the rear of the jeep just before she stomped on the gas. The jeep’s tires squealed as the Lynx drove far faster than I normally would have permitted. But, time was of the essence. The jeep careened around another corner, fishtailing, as the Lynx slammed her hand against the horn to warn several soldiers out of the way. I braced a hand against the dash as the jeep jolted over a speed bump, and I fought the urge to growl for more speed. If that foolish Leopardess got herself fired on by my soldiers, I would wring her pretty little neck and then see to it that Matahari put her on desk duty for the next three months.

  The Lupine pointed to our left just as we reached the edge of the back strip. “Sir, look!”

  Two lines of soldiers were rushing to intercept the two vehicles barreling up the grassy strip between the forest and the outbuildings. The first vehicle was a faded grey short bed truck whose front bumper was gone and both headlights were smashed with one dangling against the caved grill. One occupant. Its lead was rapidly shrinking though as a black SUV swerved to the left. I stifled a groan as I recognized the Tracker decal, a paw print set within a laurel wreath, on the bottom left side of the windshield. There were two occupants . . .

  The SUV swerved again, bouncing over a hillock. I could almost feel the bone jostling impact as the SUV landed hard. It careened to one side and then straightened out barely keeping all four tires on the ground.