Lions and Tigers and Boys

By Tawny Stokes

The last thing a girl as awkward as Dani Gale should be doing is trying to learn the high wire. Yet that’s exactly where Dani ends up—at OZ, the Oswald Zinzendorf School of Circus Arts. Trying to overcome her shyness is near impossible when her new partner—the hottest guy she’s ever laid eyes on, and whose touch seems to give her poise she thought impossible—also seems to be sabotaging her progress.

The last thing Cai Coppersmith needs is a distraction, especially in the form of the new, cute shy girl. He needs to focus on trying not to shape-shift into a tiger on school grounds, and completing his mission to keep Dani from winning the school’s high-wire competition. In fact, the entire safety of OZ is relying on Dani not succeeding. But there’s something about the girl that draws him in. She has magic, he can feel it. So he’ll do what he can to protect her, even if it means pushing her away.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Macmillan Publishers
• Release date: Jan 8, 2018
• ISBN: 9781640633582

Book preview

Table of Contents

Dedication

Prologue

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

Chapter Twenty-Four

Chapter Twenty-Five

Chapter Twenty-Six

Acknowledgments

About the Author

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This book is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents are the product of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously. Any resemblance to actual events, locales, or persons, living or dead, is coincidental.

Copyright © 2018 by Tawny Stokes. All rights reserved, including the right to reproduce, distribute, or transmit in any form or by any means. For information regarding subsidiary rights, please contact the Publisher.

Entangled Publishing, LLC

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Suite 105, PMB 159

Fort Collins, CO 80525

Visit our website at www.entangledpublishing.com.

Crave is an imprint of Entangled Publishing, LLC.

Edited by Stacy Abrams

Cover design by Liz Pelletier

Cover art from iStock

ISBN 978-1-64063-358-2

Manufactured in the United States of America

First Edition January 2018

For Shayla, who puts the magic into my life

Prologue

Cai

One of the advantages of living on a private school campus set in the majestic deep woods of Oregon before the start of the fall semester is the lack of eyes on you when you want to do something secret and dangerous. Tonight was one of those times.

I crept through the trees, inhaling the familiar smells around me—fresh dirt dug up by some rodent, a possum by the dank odor of its coat; the dew drops still lingering on the leaves of the red alder from the afternoon rain shower; and the minerals in the water of the stream meandering nearby. There was nothing better than the scent of nature. Well, maybe the breeze on my fur and skin as I went for a long run through the grounds. Something I was going to have to cut back on when the new students arrived in a few days. Seeing a two-hundred-pound tiger running loose through the Oregon woods would likely be sending them into hysterics and calling animal control. I didn’t need that kind of humdrum drama; I had enough of my very own to last a few lifetimes.

The path to the dilapidated old building on the far edge of the school grounds was worn, not enough that anyone would be curious to travel it but enough that I could follow it without the benefit of any man-made light. The glow of the moon was the only light I needed, even in the pitch black of the night. Thanks to my superior animal vision.

As I approached the old stone building, I passed yellow caution signs warning to keep out and danger. I ignored them, considering I was way more dangerous than some old rundown building, and kept going until I reached the heavy metal door. I couldn’t open it in my present state. Crouching, I forced the shift inside my body. It was never a pleasant experience. Pain rippled through my long feline body as bones shortened and rearranged themselves into a different order. My fur receded, my fangs sinking back into my gums, until I was no longer a tiger on all fours but a teenage boy, naked and sweating from the effort of the shift.

Thankfully there was a set of clothes in a bag on the ground by the door for me. Someone knew I’d be coming in disguise to the secret meeting. Once dressed, I pushed open the heavy metal door that always creaked. It was a good early warning system, in case someone did decide to check things out. The creak could be heard throughout the building, giving us all time to vacate if needed.

I walked through the building, stepping over trash and broken furniture, to the basement stairs. I knew I would be the last to arrive, as we had a timed schedule for when each of us came to the building, all from different directions. It was very cloak and dagger, and I had to admit it was part of the allure for me.

At the bottom of the stairs, I pushed open another metal door and walked into a huge empty space that seemed like it shouldn’t have existed, considering the size of the building. Sure enough, everyone was already there, waiting for me. My best friend and surrogate brother, Leander; Professor Marvel; Professors Li and Bo Kwan; Frank, who had raised me since I was a little boy and for all intents and purposes was my adoptive father; new instructor to the school Gisele Deveau; Shen, a senior at the school with the best sleight of hand tricks I’d ever seen (and I’d seen David Blaine in person); and Daphne, another senior who possessed extraordinary high-wire skills. Then there were Ozzy and Loki, a Siberian tiger and Southwest African lion, respectively, in their individual cages. They were both pacing, anticipating the next events.

This was the inner circle, the crew. We each possessed a set of singular skills needed for the operation and a family lineage to back it up. It was no coincidence that we had all ended up at the Oswald Zinzendorf School of Circus Arts.

I nodded to everyone.

You’re late, Marvel said, the cut of his brow making his already intense brown eyes even more penetrating.

Aren’t I supposed to be? I’m the last to show up. It’s on the schedule.

Well, you’re later than usual.

Leander slapped me on the shoulder and said under his breath, so as not to be a target for Marvel’s wrath, You can’t win, buddy. No point in arguing.

Let’s get busy. Marvel tapped his black silver-tipped cane on the cement floor, the ping of it sending ripples of energy through the room. We only have a few hours until suspicion is raised.

Leander put out his fist for a bump, then we separated, each opening the door to our respective cages and walking in. The metal clanged loudly when the doors shut behind us. Frank put on the padlocks and snapped them shut, effectively locking us in.

Ozzy immediately jumped on me, wrapping a large paw on either side of my head as he stood to wrestle me. Thankfully he wasn’t a huge tiger, but still his two hundred pounds were a handful, especially when he wanted to play. I patted his flank and nuzzled my cheek into his. He chuffed in pleasure.

Hey, buddy. I ruffled his soft fur. Can’t play right now. After this, though, I’ll go for a run with you. I reached into my back pocket and took out a small package of cookies. Girl Guide Mint Chip. I gave Ozzy one, and I ate the other. They were my favorite as well as his.

Leander was in the other cage, doing the same thing with Loki, who was a sturdy four hundred pounds. He was a bigger handful, especially as Loki lived up to his namesake and loved to cause mischief. As I watched, the lion took Leander down to the ground, and they wrestled for a bit.

After another nuzzle, Ozzy pushed off me, which nearly sent me spiraling backward and would have, if I hadn’t been braced for it. He knew the drill, as we’d done this before. He was part of the inner circle; he just didn’t know what that meant, but I tried to make sure he was well-loved and looked after. We were kindred spirits, and we’d grown up like brothers. Frank had raised him, too, from a cub.

Marvel stood outside between the two cages. As usual, he looked miffed. I didn’t think there was a day that went by where he didn’t seem disappointed at the world. It likely had a lot to do with him missing his wife, Glinda. She was the reason for this mission.

Ten years ago, she was kidnapped by a man named The Wizard and taken to a place that wasn’t so easy to get to. In fact it was virtually impossible, except for whoever possessed a certain object. This object opened a portal to a separate world. A world where The Wizard stashed his magical treasures, which included people who possessed magic. Like Glinda. Like Marvel. Like everyone in this room, including me.

Marvel had been searching for it ever since so he could rescue Glinda. And he finally found it. A pair of red ruby encrusted slippers, and they were to be displayed for the first time at an art and history museum in Salem. We were going to steal them from a locked case in a heavily secured section of the museum during a charity show the school performed every year. The actual show, performed by alum and students, would be the distraction, while behind the scenes this troupe would do the real magic.

Despite none of us knowing the true identity of The Wizard—there’d been rumors over the years about various people; one time Marvel swore it was billionaire Bill Gates—he had hurt each of us in some manner. Taken something important.

He’d sure taken precious things from me. My parents.

Now remember, there will be two paper clips on the floor of each of your cages. You technically only need one. But in case something happens to one, you will have a backup. Marvel took a step away and held up a stopwatch. You have exactly two minutes and fifteen seconds to complete your task. That is how long the security cameras will make their sweep from one end of the area to the other. We will try to disable the cameras, but we can’t be certain. He hit the button. Begin.

I rushed forward, found one of the paperclips on the floor of the cage on the right side. I broke it in half, bending it into an L shape, and approached the lock. I had been practicing picking a padlock, but it’d always been from the front of the lock so I could see what I was doing. This way, with the padlock on the outside of the cage, it wasn’t so easy to see. I had to feel my way to the slot and slide in the two pieces, one acting like a tension wrench to hold things down and the other jiggling the lock.

I moved the pieces just slightly, trying to find the sweet spot. As I worked, I tried to resist the temptation to glance over at Leander to see how he was doing. His start was a little later than mine, as he had to push a huge lion off his body so he could get up.

Forty-five seconds, Marvel called out.

C’mon, Cai, Shen called from where he’d been watching along the side of the cage.

Not to be outdone, Daphne cheered on Leander. You can do it! Go faster! You’re almost there.

A minute fifteen, Marvel announced.

I only had a minute left, and I didn’t feel like I was any closer to picking the lock. On my best day, I’d completed the task in one minute fifty seconds, but that had been with everything plain as day and easy, and not with the added pressure of time, and others relying on me to succeed. Besides that, I had Ozzy nudging every so often in my back. He wanted to play and didn’t understand why we weren’t.

A minute thirty.

My hands were sweaty and trembling a little, which was not a good thing. I could feel one of the metal picks slipping out of my fingers. I was holding it too tightly; it was going to fall. I moved my fingers just slightly, not even a millimeter, and the L slipped on my slick skin and dropped to the floor. There was a quiet ping when it landed.

Damn it. I tossed the other piece to the ground. There wasn’t any more time to find the other paperclip and redo it.

Ozzy snorted. That usually meant he wasn’t too impressed with me. Same, buddy, same.

Two minutes, ten.

I looked over at Leander to see him smiling as he tugged down on the padlock and it opened. He let out a triumphant whoop and did a little jig, then pushed open the cage door. He danced out and over to mine, doing his best Elvis impersonation right in front of me. It was his version of nah-nah-nah-nah-nah and sticking his tongue out. Although I suspected if we’d been alone without Marvel and the other professors watching, he might’ve done that instead.

Well executed, Leander, Marvel said, then glared at me. What happened to you?

I shrugged. I don’t know. The paperclip slipped.

And why didn’t you get the other one and start again?

Because I knew there wasn’t enough time.

He walked over to the cage to stand in front of me. So you just decided to give up?

I’ll do better next time. I kicked at the broken paperclip on the ground.

I would hope so.

Frank walked over, undid the padlock, and opened the door so I could come out. I did, and Leander punched me in the shoulder. You’ll get it next time.

Yeah. But I wasn’t so sure. Sweat rolled down my back. My heart still pounded hard in my chest. If I couldn’t perform here, during a test, in the light, in a safe environment, then how the hell was I going to be able to do it for real, when it mattered, when so much was at stake?

While Leander and I were tasked with more lock picking exercises (we had to be able to open the glass case the shoes were stored in), after Frank took Ozzy and Loki back to their regular enclosures, the others practiced what they needed to do. Li and Bo helped each other contort into the smallest forms possible. By the time Bo was done, she could have easily fit into a small duffel bag. They would be tasked with getting into the security room and disabling the cameras and alarms.

Gisele worked with Daphne on the high wire. The wire was only up about fifteen feet, and there was a net beneath it. Daphne was practicing with the balance pole, but eventually she was going to have to basically run up a thin tight rope about twenty feet in the air with no bar and no net. My task didn’t seem as daunting as hers. I didn’t envy her one bit. If I failed at mine, I might be locked in a cage for longer than necessary, or worst-case scenario get caught by the authorities, but if Daphne failed, she could be seriously injured.

After picking different locks for an hour, Leander and I took a break to watch Shen perform some cool tricks. He regaled us with the simple disappearing coin, then the coin through the hand, then he flipped four coins between his fingers, back and forth. That one I had no idea how he did. It was awesome to watch, especially when he tried it with both hands.

Show me how to do that. I reached for one of the coins and put it between my fingers. I tried to just move it over once, and it fell onto the ground and rolled away. Not thinking, I chased after it.

Leander scooped it up before I could get to it and laughed. You’re too slow, man.

I tried to grab it from him, but he was too quick. Despite the two inches I had on him, he had a longer reach. Latching onto his left arm, I tried to tug him forward so I could flip him over onto the ground. But he fought me, and I ended up pushing him instead. Leander careened backward and hit a guide wire connected to one of the poles holding the tight rope.

The pole wobbled, causing the wire to vibrate. Daphne and Gisele were out in the middle, Daphne handing the balance bar to Gisele. I looked up just as Daphne’s arms pinwheeled, and she fell. When she struck the net, it didn’t look normal, and she cried out. One of her legs was twisted underneath her when she hit.

Everyone came running to her aid, but it was too late. I knew instantly that she was injured. Her face contorted in pain as Marvel tried to lift her out of the net. Li had grabbed a chair, and when Marvel set her on it, we could all see that her foot was twisted the wrong way.

Marvel whirled on Leander and me. What the hell were you doing? This isn’t a frat house.

Gisele had climbed down the pole to be at Daphne’s side. It’s not their fault. She crouched at Daphne’s feet and inspected the damage.

It certainly is, Marvel said. They were messing around and knocked the pole.

Gisele shook her head. It’s my fault. She was already unbalanced when she handed me the pole. She was going to fall; I should’ve dropped the pole and grabbed her instead. It just happened too fast.

Marvel harrumphed, and I didn’t think he was going to let us off the hook. I didn’t blame him. Guilt crushed my insides. Leander and I had been goofing around when we shouldn’t have. The outcome could’ve been worse. Although looking at Daphne’s twisted foot seemed bad enough.

It’s my fault, Daphne said between pained grimaces. I turned my body wrong when I landed. It was so quick I totally forgot my training. She looked at me. This isn’t on you, Cai.

I let go of the breath I was holding, but I didn’t feel any better. Not when Daphne was sitting there in extreme pain. By the looks of it, there was no way she was going to be able to do wire any time soon. Maybe not even dance, at least not for months. Maybe not even then.

While Gisele and