She swallowed. The howling of the wind gave them a strange privacy. ‘And who will protect you? I can’t do that while I’m trying to reach the tigers. They’ll kill us in a moment. Now, back away.’
Tabitha closed her eyes. She was shaking and not from the cold. She shook her head. ‘I can’t,’ she whispered.
Dylan stepped closer. ‘You can’t what?’
‘I can’t put them back into that cage.’
Dylan laid his palm against her cheek and she opened her eyes.
‘You have to put them back in that cage to keep them safe. If we can’t secure them quickly, Max will shoot them.’
Tabitha swallowed.
‘Please, Tabitha.’ Dylan took her hands in his own, gave them a squeeze, and then backed away as she had asked. ’Only you have the wildness to reach them.’
52
Dylan
Tabitha smiled, sending chills down his spine. He knew in that moment that he loved her, and that he was stepping into a world so far outside his experience, he had no idea where he would end up.
She wasn’t all human. He could see it in the wildness of her eyes, in the flow of her rain-drenched copper hair and in the translucent glow of her skin as she closed her eyes and raised her arms. She began to hum, and the low rumbling in her throat was halfway between a purr and a growl.
He felt a shift in the energy and shivered again. The tigers were so close. Connected to her as he was, open to her energy, he felt their danger like a hum through his bones. He had no idea whether or not he would come through this in one piece, but in this moment he felt more alive than ever before.
All pretence was stripped away. All the silly drama became irrelevant as the air crackled between Tabitha and the two enormous beasts.
There was a grunt in the bushes to Dylan’s right. He stepped away and Tabitha moved in closer.
She turned to look at him, her eyes glazed. ‘I know what I’m doing. Keep yourself safe.’
Dylan swallowed.
‘Please stay back.’ Tabitha’s lips peeled back from her teeth and she snarled. She split into two as a flash of lightning lit the sky. A huge white tiger hurtled out from her human body, which dropped to the wet ground. The white tiger pulled up, crouching low in front of Tabitha’s prone form and growled.
‘Crap, what just happened?’ Max’s voice was high-pitched. ‘Did that thing come out of Tabitha?’
Very slowly, a flame-coloured tiger emerged from the undergrowth. Ears pricked up, amber eyes glinting in the light of the full moon, it peeled its lips back from huge curved teeth and roared.
The white tiger walked towards the other cat and reached her muzzle towards the tiger. The cat held rigid for a moment, and then its posture relaxed. Its body became fluid as it moved towards the white tiger, rubbing its head against hers.
Dylan let out his breath in a rush. Now she just had to get it into the enclosure. He looked up at the expanse of metal caging behind them and shuddered. An image of the white tiger’s face staring at him from behind bars ghosted through his mind and sent a chill straight to his heart. How could he be a part of putting these incredible cats back into captivity?
His heart grew increasingly heavy as Tabitha led the tiger towards the enclosure.
A shiver shot down his spine and he turned. The smaller tiger was watching him. There was nowhere to go. The cat was coming straight for him. It wasn’t rushing, but it was close enough to be on him in one leap. He crouched down, gathering up Tabitha’s limp body in his arms.
‘Tabitha,’ Dylan shouted over the roll of thunder. The white tiger turned around with a yowl. The larger tiger bounded over to join its mate who reared up, meeting it head on with a playful swipe.
Dylan let out a slow exhale. The tiger had forgotten him for a moment, but both cats were now mere feet away. They were staggeringly beautiful, but a pervasive and instinctive fear beat in Dylan’s chest, turning his legs to jelly and sending his mind into a blind panic. Holding Tabitha’s unconscious body in his arms, he stepped backwards, but after three paces, one of the tigers turned to watch him. It sat down, tilting its head to one side, and then stood up and started walking silently towards him.
His breathing grew laboured. He had been so sure he could protect Tabitha, but he was freezing cold, exhausted, and right now he had no plan at all.
The white tiger walked over, placing itself between the yellow cats and Dylan. She waited, teeth bared, a rumble coming from her chest.
The male lowered into a crouch, tensing its legs as though to spring.
A shot rang out through the storm.
The cat stopped and turned.
Max.
‘Put the guns down,’ Dylan said, his voice low and even. ‘I’m safe.’ He backed away, putting as much space between him and the tigers as he could without drawing attention.
‘Are you crazy?’ Max didn’t shift his aim.
The tiger froze at the familiar voice. It turned to look at its mate, and then back at the white tiger. Without a sound, it sank into an even lower crouch, and stalked Max.
‘Shit,’ Dylan said, ‘help him, please?’
A rumble came from the white tiger’s chest.
‘You think that is going to help us?’ Max said, edging closer to Dylan and Tabitha. ‘I don’t know what it is, but it’s not real and if you think it can protect us from flesh and blood predators, you’re crazier than I thought. What’s wrong with Tabitha?’
‘She fine, just unconscious.’
‘Did the tiger get her?’ Max’s finger moved. The pistol clicked, ready to fire as he pointed it at the male’s forehead.
‘No!’ Dylan cried. Adrenaline shot through him. If he let Max shoot one of the tigers, Tabitha would never forgive him.
He put Tabitha down and lunged towards the other man. Max lurched out of the way, swinging the butt of his gun towards Dylan’s temple. Dylan ducked and leapt to the side.
The roar was deafening.
A weight slammed into Dylan and Max was launched through the air. He landed with a thud, his eyes wide as he lay on the ground gasping for breath.
The white cat stood over Dylan and Tabitha’s body, its heavily muscled frame protecting them, lips curled back into a snarl.
Dylan yelled as the huge male pounced, its claws raking down Max’s body. Max screamed, arching off the rain-drenched ground as huge, bloody tears opened up in his clothes.
The white tiger looked down at Dylan, her icy-blue gaze holding his for a moment before launching at the male tiger, knocking it away from Max. The man groaned at the impact, which sent him rolling into the mud a few feet to his left. The male reared, but the white tiger met it head on. They clashed, a whirlwind of heavy, clawed paws and curved teeth. Blood spattered Dylan’s clothes, but he had no idea who it had come from.
‘Oh god, Max!’ he screamed. He ran over to the fallen man and crouched down. Max was soaked, covered in mud and drenched with blood. ‘Are you alive?’ he said, hearing the shaking in his voice. ‘Max, talk to me.’
Max groaned and curled in on himself.
‘Ambulance, get an ambulance,’ Dylan muttered to himself as he pulled his phone out of his pocket. Damn, there was no signal. The storm must have knocked it out. He could have done with some backup. Max had said there were always people on duty, but he hadn’t seen a single one. He stood up, looking backwards and forwards between Tabitha and Max. How could he protect them both?
He picked Tabitha’s body up and started backing away. He had to get her to safety, and then he’d come back for Max. The key to the Playbarn was in his pocket, digging into his thigh. He would take her there. Tabitha’s tiger form was unwaveringly solid now, as she fought with the enormous male.
He had to run for it. He staggered a few steps but then turned and froze. The tawny female tiger circled him. Her silence chilled his blood as she closed in on him, and then walked towards Max. Dylan gasped as she went up to the prone man and sniffed him.
The white tiger let ou
t a series of grunts and the female raised her head. The white tiger bounded over, circled Max and then stood over him, nudging the female towards the enclosure. She grunted, but then walked over to the male. The white tiger followed, staying behind them, crowding them towards the open safety cage at the side of the enclosure. There was a moment of deafening silence. Even the wind stilled. The male paused, yowled and then kept going. The female came in behind him as they all moved towards the enclosure that had held them captive for so long. The tigers baulked as they reached the entry to the safety cage, but the white cat rounded them up, coaxed them through the door and followed them inside. They disappeared into the darkness.
Dylan stood, stunned, his plan forgotten. Then he put Tabitha on a nearby bench and ran over to Max.
The other man’s face was deathly pale.
‘Max, the tigers are in the cage. How do I shut them in?’
Max groaned.
‘Please, Max, how do I close the access cage?’
‘Key in the door,’ Max mumbled.
‘And the sleeping quarters? If they go in there can I shut them in?’
‘Red lever by the …’ Dylan leaned in, trying to hear the words as they faded away.
‘Damn,’ he said as Max passed out. Then he got up and ran over to the access cage. The door swung open, but a key was firmly in the lock, with a heavy, loaded key ring hanging from it. The tigers were nowhere to be seen. Dylan yanked the key out and then crawled into the access cage, pulling the inner door firmly behind him. The third key locked it and he leaned against the wire for a moment, trying to catch his breath. Crawling out of the cage, he slammed the outer door. He slid the key into the lock and turned it.
‘The tree trunk,’ he muttered to himself. ‘How am I going to stop them getting out again?’
The grunt of a cat in the darkness sent a wave of fear through his body. His legs almost buckled, but he held on tight to the wire mesh of the safety cage. The white tiger pulled up and held his gaze for a moment, before throwing her head back in a gut-wrenching roar. The other cats joined in, and then followed her as she led them into the sleeping quarters.
Dylan yanked the key from the lock and then ran to the door of Max’s room to the side of the enclosure. The door was hanging open on its hinges. Dylan darted through and flipped the light switch. Nothing happened. The room was pitch black.
The grunt of a tiger sent him skittering backwards. He squinted, trying to see through the darkness, but the sound of their feet padding on the straw was his only clue.
‘Ow, crap,’ he snapped as he stumbled into the corner of a wooden table. Pulling his phone out of his pocket, he turned on the torch. A beam of light shot out straight ahead. Three sets of eyes stared at him.
‘Ahhh,’ Dylan shouted, leaping back out the door and slamming it behind him. He leaned on the wall, taking in huge, gulping breaths. It was okay. There were bars between him and the tigers. He had to go back in.
He pushed the door open, more slowly this time. A flash of lightning lit up the room for a moment. The large male was pacing up and down on the other side of the bars. The female was lying in a corner, but when she saw Dylan she pushed to her feet and charged at the bars, throwing her heavy body against them with a monumental crash.
The sound blended with the thunder, mere seconds after the lightning. The storm was almost on top of them.
Dylan forced himself to keep breathing as he scanned the walls with the torch, looking for Max’s lever. It was there on the right-hand side of the cage, a large, red lever with a rubber handle on the end. The sign next to it said, ‘Push up to open, down to close.’ The lever sat at the top of the track.
Dylan inched forwards. Every cell in his body screamed at him to run away, but Tabitha was vulnerable lying on a bench in the storm unconscious, and Max was dangerously in need of medical attention. This was the only way. It felt like an hour’s journey to the lever, but Dylan knew it must have been seconds. He reached out, jarring as the male grunted, but then he grasped the rubber handle and pulled.
The door lurched, and then stopped, the female jumped back from the opening and growled.
‘No,’ Dylan whispered under his breath. ‘No, you have to shut.’
The female padded over to the door sniffing it. She turned and grunted at her mate and he ambled over to join her.
Dylan tugged hard at the lever. He had to get it down before the cats got out into the enclosure and went back up that tree trunk.
The door jolted down a bit further.
The lightning and thunder were simultaneous this time.
The female made a run for the door.
A white blur flew across the cage, knocking her from her feet. She scrambled back onto her paws, dropped low to the ground and pulled her lips back in a snarl.
The white tiger positioned herself in front of the door.
Dylan grasped the lever with both hands and threw his weight into it. It creaked as the door juddered, and then slammed closed.
Dylan collapsed to the ground, pulling in deep breaths and waiting for his heartbeat to slow.
There was a growl in the cage. He sat up. The female was stalking the white tiger, her hackles raised, teeth bared.
The white tiger grunted, and then vanished.
The female roared in frustration. She paced, backwards and forwards across the tiny sleeping quarters. The male growled softly. He didn’t take his eyes off Dylan.
Dylan pushed himself onto hands and knees and then up to standing. Every muscle in his body ached from the cold and his head was pounding. He tried the light switch again. Nothing happened. The phone lay on the table and he picked it up, but there was no dial tone.
Outside, the wind was slowing. Dylan ran over to Tabitha. She was soaked through, but breathing. He reached down and touched his lips to hers. Her skin was cold, but she moved. He pulled back. Her bright blue eyes were open. ‘We did it,’ she said.
A flash of lightning lit her face and her lips parted in a smile.
‘Yes, we did.’ He bent and kissed her again. She put her arms around his waist and pulled him closer. ‘You were very brave,’ she whispered.
‘You were the one in there with them.’
‘I always knew I could disappear. You were the one at risk.’
The rumble of thunder was more distant now.
She sat up and slipped her hands into his. ‘You don’t need to be scared anymore.’
There was a groan.
‘Oh God, Max!’ Tabitha leapt up and ran over to the huddled shape on the ground. ‘Max, are you okay?’
He groaned again.
‘Dylan is your phone working?’
‘No. I’ll run to the Playbarn. You stay with Max.’
Dylan shoved his hand in his pocket and pulled out the key. ‘I’ll be as fast as I can.’
The ground was slippery, and the rain was pounding down on his back, but the wind was dying down. He ran as fast as he could, unlocked the sliding door and left it propped open as he went into the office. The phone and lights weren’t working, but he used the torch to find his radio and turned it on. It crackled but worked.
He ran his finger down the instructions and turned the dial to the frequency designated for emergencies.
The line crackled. ‘Is anybody there?’ Dylan said into it. His voice was rough from shouting into the storm. ‘Please, is anyone there?’ His voice cracked on the final word, and he felt a surge of overwhelm as the white noise continued uninterrupted.
‘Hello?’ The voice on the other end was quiet, but there.
‘Hello, can you hear me?’ Dylan was shouting into the machine now. ‘Please, we need help. We need an ambulance at Wildley Forest Zoo. A man has been mauled by a tiger.’
‘Mauled by a tiger? I’m dialling the ambulance now. Who is this? Where are you? And who is hurt? You’re speaking to Sophie.’
‘Oh thank God. I’m Dylan and Max is badly hurt.’
‘Max?’ Her voice was high-pitched. ‘Is h
e okay?’
‘I don’t think so. He’s bleeding everywhere, drifting in and out of consciousness. I have no idea how long he’ll last.’
‘Are the tigers still on the loose?’
‘No, we’ve contained them.’
‘I’m on my way,’ she said, breathing more heavily as though she were running. ‘The ambulance too. Stay with Max.’
53
Dylan
The ambulance pulled up next to the tiger enclosure and the window opened a crack.
‘This way!’ Dylan jumped up from his place on the soggy ground with Max and Tabitha, and jogged over to the vehicle.
The man looked around. ‘Is it safe?’
‘Yeah,’ Dylan said. ‘The cats are back in the cage.’
The man nodded, and then turned the engine off and jumped out of the ambulance, followed by a woman. She got a bag out the back, and they ran over to Max, crouching down on either side of him.
Tabitha got up, giving them space to work, and came to stand with Dylan.
Another woman climbed out the back of the ambulance. ‘Were either of you hurt?’
Dylan shook his head. ‘I’m bruised, but we’re both okay.’
The woman gestured to the bench. ‘What kind of bruising?’
Dylan shook his head. ‘I bashed my leg hard on the corner of a table. Nothing to worry about.’
She turned to Tabitha. ‘You look pale. Did you hit your head?’
‘No.’
‘Cats didn’t get you?’
Tabitha held her arms wide. ‘Not a scratch.’
‘You’re lucky. Not like that guy.’ She stepped out of the way as one of her colleagues ran to the ambulance for a stretcher.
Frantic footsteps pounded towards them in the dark. Sophie pulled up short, breathing heavily. ‘Oh God, Max!’ she covered her mouth with both hands as he was carried towards the ambulance. She blinked several times and a single tear fell down her cheek. They loaded him into the back.
‘We’re off.’
Wild Shadow : A Sweet Paranormal Romance Page 20