The Girl and the Lion (Sanctuary Book 1)

by Stella Night

  “He kept our secret to the end. Good man. Although that does make things difficult. You have medical supplies, right? To treat the animals?”

  “Of course. I’m a licensed veterinarian. We’ve got a clinic here. But it’s just for animals. Not people.”

  “Have you found anything in there that you didn’t recognize? Anything out of the ordinary?”

  She shook her head. “Not that I can think of. We can check. But first, we need to find you some clothes. Come on.”

  ***

  They went to her house, located behind the main building. The simple ranch style house wouldn’t win any beauty contests, but it was home. Sadie had grown up here, and every inch of the place was filled with warm memories.

  She led him to the master bedroom, which she still thought of as her father’s room. The door was closed, as usual. The sight of the door brought a wave of sadness with it. It hurt to know he would never come striding out of there again, with his big warm smile.

  Sometimes she would go inside and sit on the bed. Just let the memories of him come flooding in. Sometimes she’d cry, sometimes she’d smile. Usually both. On other days, she avoided his room altogether, unable to bear it.

  Fucking cancer.

  She thrust these thoughts to the back of her mind as she opened the door and led Dimitri inside. They had more pressing matters to deal with. Her father’s legacy had brought the shapeshifter to Sadie’s doorstep, and she was going to help him. It was what her father would have done.

  Dim gray light filtered in through the window blinds, making everything look black and white like an old photograph. An image of a happier time, trapped forever in the past.

  The room had remained mostly untouched since her father’s death. She couldn’t bear the thought of boxing his things up and getting rid of them. It felt too real. Too much like saying goodbye forever.

  “Check the closet,” she told Dimitri. “There should be something in there that you can wear.”

  He nodded, saying nothing. Perhaps he could sense her mood. Or maybe he could feel Sam Fisher’s absence just like she could. He opened the closet respectfully.

  Sam Fisher had been a big man, but Dimitri was bigger. Sadie watched him as he stuffed himself into the clothes. The khaki-colored button down barely fit over his broad chest. The buttons strained every time he moved. The dark green cargo pants fit him snugly, framing his butt in a very pleasant way.

  It was strange to see this man in her father’s clothes. There was nothing similar about the two men, but there was a certain tough, rugged spirit that reminded her of her father. It wasn’t entirely surprising that they’d been friends.

  “So how did you know my father?”

  “I told you. Not a lot of humans know about us. But your father did. And he knew how to help us when no one else could.”

  Sadie frowned. “Yeah, but I mean specifically. How did you two meet?”

  “Oh, I first met him when I was just a kid.”

  “Don’t you mean a lion cub?”

  “Very funny,” he said, making a sour face. “No, I mean a kid. I was sick. Like I said, different biology, different diseases. My father brought me here, and your father patched me up.”

  “So he helped your people for a long time? I had no idea.”

  Dimitri gave her a concerned look. “Don’t think he was lying to you. He was keeping our secret. And sometimes dealing with our kind, just knowing about us, it can be dangerous.”

  “Dangerous how?”

  “Well, most of us just want to live our lives and blend in. But not all of us are friendly. Your father was a brave man to help us. He’s actually the reason I became a soldier.”

  “Really? My father wasn’t exactly the violent type.”

  “Yeah, I wanted to help people, like he did. I didn’t have a head for medicine or science, but I was strong. I knew how to fight. I knew how to lead. So that’s what I did.”

  Sadie considered this. It was strange to realize there were things about her father she didn’t know. Her father had influenced this man’s life. Inspired him to be something better. She wondered how much more she didn’t know about the man she’d known her whole life.

  “Does your,” she paused, like she was trying to find the right word. “Your ability. Does it help in battle? I mean, wouldn’t you be revealing your secret if you changed?”

  He nodded. “Under normal circumstances, sure. But I was part of a unique team. Special ops. All shifters.”

  “So the government knows about you?” she asked, her eyes widening.

  “Not exactly. A few people in very high level positions know. But it’s a well-guarded secret.”

  “And they haven’t outed you?”

  “They don’t seem to care that we exist. They just care that we can be useful. They know some of us will help them in exchange for keeping our secret.”

  Sadie sank down on the bed. “There’s so much I don’t know. Like a whole secret world that no one knows about.”

  Dimitri walked over to her and put his hand on her shoulder. She looked up at him. His gray-blue eyes gazed intently into hers. She felt a warm heat blossom in her core when he looked at her.

  “I’m sorry to be the one to spring this on you. I know it’s a lot to take in. But I need you to be strong right now. Help me out and then it will all be over. We’ll go our separate ways and you can go back to living your life.”

  “Right, like I can just forget about all of this,” she said, bitterly.

  “How you proceed after is up to you. All I’m asking right now is to fix me up. Will you help me?”

  She set her jaw firmly and nodded. “I will. Let’s go find some medicine.”

  ***

  The first thing she noticed when they entered the main building was the ringing of phones. Not one phone, but all of them.

  It was a strange sound coming from her offices. Sure, she got calls about all kinds of things, but the phones never rung off the hook like this. Something was up. Something out of the ordinary.

  “Give me a sec,” she said to Dimitri and headed over to the nearest phone. “Hello?”

  “Is this the Fisher Animal Sanctuary?” a female voice on the other end asked.

  “Yes, how can I help you?”

  “I’m a producer with the Morning Show. I was calling about that photo you posted. The one with the black lion. Is that photo legit?”

  Sadie shook her head, confused. “My photo? You saw that?”

  The woman chuckled. “I guess you haven’t been online this morning. It’s gone viral. Everyone has seen it.”

  Sadie felt a sinking feeling in her stomach. “I’m gonna have to call you back,” she mumbled, not waiting for a reply before hanging up the phone.

  Dimitri noticed the look on her face. “What is it? What’s wrong?”

  “I think I messed up.”

  “Tell me,” he said, his voice all business.

  “That picture I showed you earlier, the one of you as a lion? I forgot I posted it online last night.”

  He growled, a low rumble in his chest. “Sadie…”

  “Apparently, it’s making the rounds on the internet. People are talking about it.”

  “How many people?”

  She shrugged and gestured around at the ringing phones. “Well, judging from all these calls I’m getting, a lot of people.”

  Dimitri cursed and started pacing back and forth. She felt like an ass for making him mad at her. She didn’t know why she should care what he thought. She’d just met the man. But she did care.

  She wanted to defuse the situation. “Look, it’ll be fine. Your secret is still safe. People have seen you in your lion form, but there’s no way to make a connection that you’re a shifter. They just think it’s a lion. And I’ll just tell people I made it up. That I photoshopped it.”

  He turned to look at her, his eyes blazing with intensity. “It’s not my secret I’m worried about. The people who are after me, they’ve seen me in my
animal form. If they’ve seen your picture, they know I’m here. And that means we’re both in danger.”

  “I’ll take it down. I’m sure they haven’t seen it yet.”

  He laughed bitterly. “Take it down? It’s too late for that. And if they haven’t seen it yet, it’s just a matter of time. Then they’ll come for me. And they’ll come for you.”

  “I’ll call the police. Tell them what’s going on.”

  “You know I can’t allow that. We have to get out of here.”

  “Why do I have to leave? I mean, I want to help. But they’re looking for you. If you’re not here, this will all blow over, right?”

  He shook his head fiercely. “No. They’re looking for me, and they’ll do whatever it takes to find me. Including hurting you.”

  The wheels spun in Sadie’s head, trying to figure a way through this mess. “What if I don’t know anything? Just don’t tell me where you’re going. Then I can’t tell them anything.”

  “That won’t stop them from making sure you don’t know anything. These aren’t the kind of people who will just ask nicely. No, we have to go, and you have to come with me. You’re in danger because of me. I can’t just leave you here to face the consequences.”

  “Fine, but what about your medicine?”

  “We can look, but we have to be quick. Show me where you keep it.”

  Sadie dashed from the main offices to the east wing, which housed the veterinary clinic. Dimitri followed right behind her.

  Cabinets and shelves lined the walls, holding a variety of medicines and medical supplies. It was one of the few parts of the facility Sadie never skimped on. Saving animals and keeping them healthy was the Sanctuary’s primary function, and this was the heart of the Sanctuary.

  They searched through the clinic, opening drawers, boxes and closets.

  “So what exactly are we looking for?” Sadie asked, her head buried in an open cabinet.

  “I’m not sure.”

  “That’s not very helpful,” she called over her shoulder.

  “Well, I’m a soldier, not a doctor. I just know it wouldn’t be regular medicine. It would be unique. You wouldn’t use it on animals.”

  “Well, that narrows it down, I guess, but I can’t think of anything like that in here. I took stock of our inventory after my father passed away. I didn’t see anything like that.”

  “Please, keep looking. I’m not sure what they stuck in me. I don’t know how long I’ve got left.”

  Sadie stopped the search and took a look at Dimitri. “You know, you say that, but you don’t look like you’re sick.”

  “I might not look it, but I can feel it inside me, eating at me. I can barely shift, and when I do, it feels like daggers under my skin. I think that’s why I passed out last night.”

  “Well, what is it? If I know what they injected you with, I might be able to figure out a way to help you.”

  He threw his hands up in despair. “I don’t know. They shouldn’t have had anything like it. These were small time thugs. Nothing I couldn’t handle. But they were ready.”

  “And they said they had the antidote?”

  “Yes.”

  “Well, why don’t we just go back and get it? Instead of searching here for something that might not even exist?”

  “I can’t. In my weakened state, I don’t know if I can face them and win. It has to be this way.”

  Sadie chewed her lower lip. “What if there’s nothing here that can help you? What then?”

  “Then I’m in serious trouble.”

  ***

  After thirty minutes of fruitless searching, Sadie took a step back from the mess they’d made of the clinic. Her head throbbed and sweat slicked her brow. She tucked a few loose strands of hair behind her ear and sighed.

  “This is useless,” she said. “There’s nothing here.”

  “There has to be something,” Dimitri insisted, slamming his fist on the counter. “Is there anywhere else we haven’t looked? Anywhere your father might have kept something hidden from you?”

  Sadie considered it. “I’ve been through everything since my father’s death. And I was working here long before that. I can’t think of anything.”

  “Maybe I’ve been going about this the wrong way. Maybe there’s no medicine, but what about files? Formulas? Notes on treating shifters? Surely, he kept a record somewhere. His computer maybe?”

  “We can check. But I’ve been using that computer, and I haven’t seen anything like you’re talking about.”

  Dimitri smiled. “Let me take a crack at it.”

  Sadie planted her hands on her hips. “Why? Are you some kind of hacker?”

  “Not exactly. I can’t break in to systems, but I know how to find things once I’m in. It comes in handy in my line of work. Info retrieval. Recon. That sort of thing.”

  “Be my guest.”

  Sadie showed him to the office. Stacks of papers and files littered every available space. Most of them bills. Dimitri ignored the mess and sat down behind the computer.

  “So what are you looking for?” Sadie asked. “A file marked ‘Shifter Medicine?’”

  Dimitri grinned. “It’s possible, but I doubt we’re that lucky. I’m going to search for hidden files and encrypted files.”

  “I’ve never seen anything like that.”

  “Well, that’s the definition of hidden,” he said, smiling grimly.

  “Cute, but I doubt you’re going to find anything.”

  “Done,” he announced triumphantly and pointed at the screen.

  “What? Shut up.”

  “I’m serious. Look.”

  Sadie glared at the screen. “I see a file called ‘Side Work.’ That doesn’t mean anything.”

  “Maybe not on its own, but it’s the only hidden file on the computer and it’s encrypted. So either I just found your father’s porn stash, or this is exactly what I’m looking for.”

  “Don’t be gross. Just open it up already.”

  “I can’t. It’s password protected. Any ideas what the password might be?”

  “I can think of a few possibilities—”

  Sadie was interrupted by the sound of crunching gravel out front of the main building. Dimitri’s head cocked to the side, almost like an animal going on high alert. He sprang from behind the desk and looked out through a slit in the window blinds.

  “Shit, we’ve got company.”

  Chapter 4

  “We’ve got to move,” Dimitri said. “I knew it was only a matter of time before they found me.”

  “Who? The guys who poisoned you? They’re here?”

  “Yeah. Two black SUVs, no license plates. Eight armed men. I’m pretty sure those are the bad guys.”

  “What do we do?” she asked, glancing around the office as if it would offer some answer.

  “Grab the laptop. We’re running.”

  “I can’t just leave. These animals need me.”

  He grabbed her shoulders gently, but firmly, and looked into her eyes. “You’re no good to them dead. We’ll come back. I promise.”

  Sadie shook her head firmly, despite the panic setting in. “No, we stay and fight. This is my home. I’m not leaving.”

  Dimitri backed away from the window and started unplugging cables from the computer. “We stay, we die.”

  “I thought you were some kind of super soldier. And a lion. Afraid of a little scuffle?”

  He reared up to his full height, bristling at the insult. “On my best day, with adequate planning and tactics, eight men with assault rifles would be a serious challenge. And this isn’t my best day. We’re outmanned, outgunned, and outmatched. We need to get away. Regroup. Figure out our next move. As it is, we’ll be lucky to make it out of here alive.”

  “Running just feels wrong,” she said, defeated.

  “It’s a bitter pill for me, too. But I’m not dying for pride. Not today.”

  Sadie groaned in frustration. “Alright, fine. Tell me what to do.”


  “Do you have any weapons?”

  “There’s a tranquilizer rifle. But it’s out front in the van.”

  Dimitri shook his head. “That’s no good. What about cover? You know the land around here. Which direction should we go?”

  “There’s mountains to the west. Clear roads to the south, but that’s where the men are out front. North and east are forests. That could provide cover.”