Wild Shadow : A Sweet Paranormal Romance

by Martha Dunlop

  A rumbling growl iced his blood. He frowned at the map, and then looked around him. He wondered what would happen if one of the big cats escaped their formidable enclosures. As much as he loved seeing the white tiger, he knew it wasn’t real. He wouldn’t want to see a solid, heavily muscled tiger stalking him. The unmistakable grunt of a big cat sent chills down his spine. The thick foliage in front of him was moving. He swallowed, trying to think clearly. There was no mystery to hearing a big cat. He was at the zoo, heading for the tiger enclosure. But the dread persisted.

  After his dark thoughts, the tiger habitat was lush and surprisingly normal. He walked around the perimeter, peering in through the foliage but there was nothing obvious to see.

  A movement caught his eye and he stopped. A tiger was lying in a lone patch of sunlight, its head twisted around to groom its gigantic flank. His heart sped up. The cat stopped, fixing him with its yellow stare.

  ‘Well, hello there,’ he said, glad he was alone. ‘Have you seen any white tigers around?’

  ‘We don’t have any white tigers in Wildley Forest Zoo,’ a voice said from behind him.

  He turned. The man in front of him was familiar, but he couldn’t place him.

  ‘You’ve got to be kidding me,’ the man said. He shook his head, turned and walked away.

  ‘Wait,’ Dylan called out, jogging to catch up. ‘Is there a problem?’

  The man stopped. He squared his shoulders and then turned around, his gaze flickering to the hill behind the tiger enclosure. Dylan followed his line of sight. A woman sat on the grass. She seemed to be writing, or drawing. There was something familiar about her. She looked up. Tabitha.

  ‘Stay away from her.’ The man glared at Dylan. ‘She’s working. She doesn’t want to be interrupted.’

  ‘You know her?’ Dylan felt an odd spike of jealousy.

  ‘I do. And I suggest you leave her alone.’ The man walked away without waiting for an answer.

  12

  Max

  ‘Bloody Dylan!’ Max muttered, putting his foot down on the accelerator and ignoring the speed limit signs dotted around the zoo. He looked down at the crumpled drawing on the floor of the van. Dylan’s face — or what had been sketched of it — peered up at him. She’d caught his likeness so well he felt as though the man was watching him and that just irritated him even more. What the hell did Tabitha see in him? He’d torn the picture out of the book when she’d got up to stand near the bars. He wondered how long it would take for her to realise it was gone.

  A woman with a toddler wandered across the road. He leaned on his horn, startling her. She screamed and froze, forcing him to swerve around her.

  Another woman on the pavement stared open-mouthed as he shot past. Ursula. Her face darkened in the rear-view mirror. Damn. That woman got everywhere.

  His phone rang and he answered.

  ‘Stop the car.’ Ursula’s voice was sharper than he’d heard it before. ‘Stop now, or you’re fired.’

  ‘You can’t fire me,’ he snapped.

  ‘Now.’ Her voice was ice cold.

  He pulled over to a bay on the left, rolled his window down, and sat with the engine running, waiting for her to catch up. She appeared at his window, her cheeks red.

  ‘For God’s sake, Max. You almost hit that child.’ She leaned her hands on the ledge of the open window. ‘I can fire you and I will if you don’t get your act together. You’re stretching my patience. Don’t push me farther.’

  He leaned towards her. ‘And whose side do you think Sophie would take, eh?’

  ‘What do you have on her, Max? What makes you so sure that she would ignore gross misconduct in order to keep you by her side?’

  Max grinned.

  Ursula frowned, scrutinising his face. ‘Has something happened?’

  ‘Nope.’ Max tried to arrange his face into a conciliatory shape, whatever that was. ‘I’m sorry I drove too fast, but I’m just trying to use my time efficiently.’

  Ursula nodded, her lips pursed. ‘Have you looked into the conservation information I gave you? We are making huge strides forward in other areas of the zoo, but lagging way behind with the tigers. We’ve been offered a uniquely exciting opportunity, but I need to establish where our conservation efforts are at the moment in order to pitch the case.’

  ‘I haven’t had a chance to look yet, sorry.’

  Ursula closed her eyes. She took a deep breath and then let it out slowly. Opening her eyes again, she fixed Max with a hard stare. ‘Get it done. I need a report on my desk in a week.’

  ‘So soon?’

  ‘It’s been two months! Tiger conservation is a key part of your contract.’

  Max gritted his teeth. ‘Yes, of course.’

  Ursula nodded. Standing up, she put her hands on her hips. ‘I suggest you take some deep breaths. Get a drink or something. And stay away from the tigers for the rest of the day.’ She nodded again, turned and walked away.

  Max hit the button to shut the window, cut the engine and closed his eyes. He had a lot to lose if Ursula decided to be more attentive. He had to keep himself under better control. When had she given him that information on conservation? He had no recollection of it at all.

  Firing up the engine, he drove slowly to the main management block, slid into a space and climbed out of the van. He punched in the entry code, and then turned to the pigeonholes on his left. His was packed to the top. He tugged out the envelopes and flicked through. There was an A4 envelope stuffed so full of paper that it was barely sealed shut. He went over to the coffee machine. The watery brown liquid that trickled into the thin plastic cup could barely be called coffee. Max winced at the nasty taste and threw the rest in the bin next to the machine. Sitting on the hard sofa, he pulled the paper out of the envelope.

  He flicked through sheet after sheet of information on tiger conservation. There was some kind of map and a five-page letter from Ursula with suggestions, questions and a bold, underlined deadline in a week’s time. Max shoved the paper to one side, unread, and rubbed his forehead. He was no good at this stuff. He was a hands-on kind of guy and had worked his way up to where he was now using charisma, posturing and a fair bit of bluff. Paperwork was absolutely not his thing.

  He shoved the paper back into the envelope and bounded up the stairs, looking for the one card he had left.

  ‘Come in.’ Sophie’s voice was sharp.

  Max pushed the door open and flashed her his most charming smile. ‘Can we talk?’

  Sophie flushed and pushed her chair back. ‘I could do with a break, actually. Let’s get out of here and get some proper coffee before I scream at my paperwork.’

  Max walked tall as they left the building, bathing in Sophie’s reflected glory. He knew he would never reach the management heights she had achieved, but winning her over had been the next best thing and it gave him the ability to ignore Ursula when he needed to. He had no hope of ever winning her over.

  The cafe in the entrance building was empty, so they ordered coffee and then sat at a discreet table in the corner.

  ‘What’s going on?’ Sophie tilted her head.

  ‘I could do with your help.’

  Sophie’s smile dropped. ‘Talk.’

  ‘Ursula’s on the war path.’

  ‘About what?’

  Max grimaced. ‘She wants my tiger conservation proposal in a week.’

  ‘And?’

  ‘There’s no way I can come up with something that quickly. I’m flat out looking after the cats.’

  Sophie raised her eyebrows. ‘And yet you have time for coffee?’

  Max coughed. ‘Yeah, but I was working late last night.’

  Sophie nodded. ‘I get that, but big cat conservation is one of our key objectives for the year. Can you do it, or not?’

  Max swallowed. Sophie had never failed to take his side before.

  ‘Of course I can do it. I was just hoping to get an extension.’

  ‘There is no give on Ursula’s dead
line. The best I can do is to offer my help, if you’d like it. Or, if you’re really not able to fit it in alongside looking after the cats, I’ll find someone to take over while you complete it.’

  ‘No,’ Max snapped.

  Sophie raised her eyebrows.

  ‘I mean, I don’t need someone to take over, thank you.’ He took a deep breath and leaned back, trying to look relaxed.

  She watched him, eyebrows drawn together as though waiting for him to say something else.

  He shifted in his seat.

  ‘Fine.’ She stood, reaching down to pick up her bag. ‘If you’d like my help with the conservation plan let me know, but don’t leave it until the last minute. I can’t drop everything, no matter who is asking.’ She knocked back the last of her coffee. ‘Break over for me, and for you too. Show Ursula you’re fit for this job.’

  Max slumped as she strode out of the cafe. It didn’t matter how fierce Sophie was with the rest of the staff, she had always been on his side. She had never said no to him before. He ran a hand through his hair. Life had been good a few days ago, but with Tabitha losing interest, Ursula getting on his case and now Sophie distancing herself, he was starting to feel very isolated. He slammed a palm down on the table and pushed himself up, allowing anger to flow through his veins, chasing out the pervasive burn of fear. He would find a way to turn this around.

  13

  Dylan

  ‘May I?’ Dylan gestured to the space on the blanket next to Tabitha. She was sitting, cross legged, a sketchbook on her lap. ‘Or would your boyfriend object?’

  ‘My boyfriend?’ Tabitha’s eyebrows shot up.

  ‘The tiger keeper. He warned me not to come over.’

  Anger flashed across her face, but she covered it quickly. ‘But you decided to come anyway?’

  Dylan grinned. ‘I figured if you wanted me to leave, you could tell me yourself.’

  ‘I’m glad to hear it. And Max is not my boyfriend.’ She moved her pencils out the way and nodded at the empty space on the blanket.

  Dylan sat down, ‘You’re drawing the tigers?’

  ‘That’s the plan.’

  Dylan picked a blade of grass and twirled it between his fingers. ‘Not your boyfriend?’

  ‘No.’ She stood up, brushed herself off, and walked up to a glass panel, her sketch book and a pencil clutched in one hand.

  ‘Look, there they are.’ Tabitha pointed to a den next to the pond. ‘They’re sleeping.’ She walked back up to the picnic blanket, sat down and started drawing.

  She seemed more at home here in the outdoors hunched over her sketchbook. She looked up at the cats, frowning. Her eyes glazed over and then she looked back down and drew furiously before repeating the cycle. He smiled, watching her pause and tilt her head when the smaller tiger yawned and repositioned itself to get more comfortable. She mumbled to herself, holding a quiet conversation with the cats while she watched them, transfixed, leaning towards them as though they were domestic cats she could cuddle up to.

  ‘I enjoyed your gig the other night.’ Tabitha was watching him now.

  Dylan grimaced. ‘I’m sorry my friends were so rude. They’re rather over-protective, and not fans of change. Where do you come from?’

  ‘I don’t come from far away. I was born in Wildley Town. My parents still live there, but I moved out a long time ago. Let’s just say their idea of my future didn’t match my own. I moved here for the tigers. I’ve been travelling miles by bus to sketch them, but now I can come every day and get involved in the zoo’s conservation projects.’

  Her hand flew over the page while she talked. He was mesmerised by the movement of her fingers, the fluidity of the lines and her focus on the creatures that were now padding around the enclosure. He saw a flash of white in amongst the bushes, and his eyes widened as the white tiger snaked through the enclosure with the yellow cats. He looked over at Tabitha, but she was completely absorbed in her sketch. The silence was only broken by the singing of a single bird and the hypnotic rhythm of Tabitha’s pencil. The more he watched her, the more connected he felt to the nature around him; to the red kites that wheeled overhead, the tigers that prowled around the enclosure below, and the wallabies wandering free around the grounds. He heard the occasional elephant, cow or bird, but very little human noise and that brought him the peace he had been craving.

  ‘You found each other then.'

  Dylan turned around at the voice. The man from the tiger enclosure was standing on the path above him, hands on his hips, jaw tight. His hair was newly oiled and combed.

  Tabitha sighed. ‘What do you want, Max?’

  ‘I told him you were working.’

  ‘That’s not all you told him, is it?’ She glared at him, her lips compressed. ‘He seems to have come away with the impression that we were involved, somehow.’

  Max flushed. ‘I didn’t say that.’

  Tabitha slammed her sketchbook shut.

  Dylan stood up. They were almost the same height and, strong as this man clearly was, he was panting from the effort of walking up the hill. He had changed out of his overalls since Dylan saw him last and was neatly styled, his clothes artificially casual.

  ‘You don’t have a clue who I am, do you, Dylan McKenzie?’ The man’s voice was low, dangerous as the cats he cared for.

  Dylan frowned. ‘Should I? Have we met?’

  ‘We were at school together. Apparently I was beneath your notice. I’ve seen you playing with Instantaneous Rock. You’re a fraud, McKenzie, does your little girlfriend here know that?’

  ‘Little girlfriend?’ Tabitha smacked her sketchbook on the ground and stood up. Her jaw was set, her hands planted on her hips. ‘Do not talk down to me, Max. You don’t know who or what you’re dealing with.’

  He smirked. ‘I’m really scared now.’

  A quiet growl came from somewhere. Dylan looked over one shoulder, and then the other, but there was nothing out of the ordinary and no sign of the white tiger.

  Max was staring at Tabitha, who was glaring at him, her eyes catlike in her fury.

  Dylan shook his head, unable to place the man. ‘Listen, I’m sorry if I’ve insulted you. School was a long time ago. But please don’t take your irritation at me out on Tabitha.’

  ‘Max Sculter.’ The man spat out the words from between clenched teeth. His eyes blazed. ‘My name is Max Sculter. Ring any bells?’

  Dylan took a deep breath. ‘You look very different.’

  ‘Not so easy to bully now, am I?’

  ‘I don’t remember picking on you.’

  ‘Seriously? You terrorised the skinny kid in the corner. You liked to play the rockstar, charming every lost soul in the whole damn school apart from me, but you were a bully.’

  ‘When? Give me an example.’

  ‘Remember the sixth form dance? We’d all been looking forward to it for weeks. I’d been there for five minutes when someone accidentally spilled fish sauce all down my suit. Nobody would come near me for the rest of the evening.’

  Dylan clenched his fists. His face flushed. ‘That wasn’t me. And whatever you think my friends may have done, I did not bully you.’

  ‘It was your best friend, and you just stood by and let it happen.’ Max was pale now. He was breathing heavily, and his hands were clenched into fists at his side.

  Dylan swallowed. ‘What is this really about?’

  ‘This!’ Max pulled a wad of paper from his pocket and smoothed it out. Dylan found himself looking at a picture of himself. It was so lifelike; it was almost like looking in a mirror except that she had somehow made him look better than he had ever seen himself. Was this how he looked to her? His mouth went dry. He swallowed.

  ‘Max, for God’s sake,’ Tabitha snapped, ‘that’s mine, and it’s private.’ She snatched the paper out of Max’s hand and strode off down the hill.

  ‘I don’t know what you’re so upset about,’ Max yelled after her. ‘You show your pictures all the time. I’ve done you a favour.
He’ll probably buy it now.’

  She didn’t turn around.

  Max turned to Dylan and clenched his hands into fists ‘Things were going well before you turned up.’

  ‘Yeah, it seems like it.’

  ‘Be careful, Dylan. Neither you, nor your mum, want me as an enemy.’

  ‘Are you threatening my mum?’ Dylan stepped closer. ‘How low have you sunk, Max?’

  Max bristled. He glared at Dylan, his hands clenched into fists at his sides. He took a deep breath and then stepped back. ‘I’m not threatening anyone. I don’t know what you mean.’

  Dylan held up his hands. ‘We’re done here. Have a good day.’ He turned and walked down the slope after Tabitha, ignoring the stream of swear words aimed at his back.

  14

  Dylan

  Dylan pretended not to look for Tabitha. The sky was becoming increasingly grey, and the air was heavy with moisture. The wind was biting and most of the animals were in their sleeping quarters. In the middle of the zoo he heard a strange, cat-like noise again, but the map didn’t show any cats nearby. His adrenaline rose as the noise repeated, but there wasn’t a person in sight to ask. He was completely alone.

  He ducked into the zebra house when the rain started, leaning on the rail, trying not to breathe in too much of the ripe stench of dung. The zebra in front of him let out a familiar barking sound. Dylan chuckled and leaned back against the wooden wall of the shed. Here was the cat he had thought was on the loose.