Romance: The Tiger's Hired Mate: BBW Tiger Shifter Romance Standalone (Spicy Shifters Book 2) by Ashley Hunter

transform into a tiger at will.  Jack was cursed by a powerful holy man, or sadhu, as punishment for a terrible crime.”
    “What did he do?” Amanda asked, trying to take this all in.
    “Jack went out to India to make his fortune.  He was a backstreet brawler who left England to escape the hangman’s noose.  Men like him were useful to the Company, ruthless and mercenary.  He rose up the ranks quickly, but he wanted more.  He heard a rumour about a treasure trove hidden in a mountain cave near Lahore.  The story went that the treasure belonged to an ambitious noble of the Mughal Empire, who planned to move against the emperor.  He intended to use his wealth to fund an uprising and conceal it away so it wouldn’t fall into the hands of his enemies. 
    The minister was captured before he could strike and executed for treason, but his treasure remained hidden.  Jack used his ingenuity and cunning to track down the location of the cave. 
    He befriended a quick-witted beggar boy who did all the legwork for him and then took him to where the treasure was hidden.  The boy had been promised a share of the wealth which he’d use to provide for his family.  Unfortunately, Jack had other plans.  When they found the cave, he killed the boy and took the treasure for himself.”
    “That’s horrible!” exclaimed Amanda.
    “The boy’s mother thought so too.  She knew Jack had killed her child, but could do nothing about it, not in a legal sense anyway.  But there was a holy man who possessed certain occult powers.  The legends say he’s been alive for centuries and seeks to punish wrong-doers for their crimes.  He appeared like a spectre before Jack one night and cursed him and his offspring with the power to shape shift into a tiger.”
    “If you can transform into a tiger whenever you want, and can control it, it doesn’t sound like too bad a curse to me,” replied Amanda.
    “Jack thought so too,” Joshua said, smiling crookedly.  “He revelled in his power, but slowly he realised this ability darkened his already cruel nature.  He degenerated into a beast, though he still appeared to be a man.  After he killed a woman while in his tiger form, his son had him locked away in a mental asylum. 
    His son shared the same ability and risk as Jack did, but he learned to control it.  He taught his son to do the same and so on until my dad gave me the same training.  Nobody outside our family knows of this ability, and it is a constant struggle to maintain our human virtues and keep the primal urges at bay.”
    “Why are you telling me this?” Amanda asked her voice shaky and uncertain.  “If it’s a secret, why did you show me?”
    Joshua smiled at her, and the tenderness it carried made her want to cry.  “I told you.  You are my life mate.  At some point in the lives of all the Tarran males, we find a person we truly connect with and who has the strength to share our secret.  It is the one concession the holy man gave us, as an acknowledgement that we are not all like Jack.  A woman will come to tame the savage tiger inside us, and help us to rise above our nature.”
    Amanda shook her head.  “No.  I’m not that woman!”
    “Please, when I’ve explained everything you will understand.”
    “No!” Amanda repeated becoming hysterical.  “This is all a trick!  You’re playing with me!  You’re just as bad as Natasha!”
    “Amanda please – ”
    “Get off me!” Amanda yelled, lashing out at him.  Her hand slapped against Joshua’s face.  He recoiled, stunned.  “Get away from me!” Amanda screamed.  Tears ran unchecked down her face and her body was engulfed with heaving sobs.  “This isn’t real!” she moaned. 
    He moved off the bed, his face ashen.  With mechanical movements, he picked up his dressing gown and put it back on.  Then he turned and walked out of the room without speaking another word.
    “This isn’t real!” Amanda sobbed again, and crumpled into