Page 83 of Savage Mates
“She tried to attack me,” Kyle sneered and I reared back, ready to throw his ass to the ground.
“If you ever try anything like that again, you will be off this project and this island.”
“Thankfully, you’re not in charge.” He made the statement as if he knew that for certain.
I didn’t have a chance to argue with him, Dr. Douglas jogging toward us. “What’s happening? Kyle, what is this?” Even though he acted shocked, I had the distinct feeling Kyle had been instructed to hunt down the lioness.
“This piece of shit hurt this animal. We need to get her some medical attention.” Nothing would allow me to control my emotions at this point.
I was certain the doctor was going to argue until I witnessed the gleam in his eyes. I’ll be goddamned. A single physical tic and I knew for sure my concerns were justified.
“She’s right, Kyle. We need to get the animal inside. We must help her.”
Such practiced words.
Calm down. Play the game.
The attempts of my inner voice to remind me to continue acting weren’t doing much good. I took a deep breath, holding it for a few seconds to calm my rage.
“I’ll prepare a light sedative so we can control her more easily. Touch her and I’ll break your hand.” Yes, I was pushing it. As I stormed back to the laboratory, I could swear I felt my lions. They’d sensed my fury. I wondered if the lioness was one of the beasts I’d heard the night before. That made sense. As injured as she appeared to be, she couldn’t have gone far. Besides, the lions would have ripped him apart.
“What is going on?” Carrie asked, her expression registering anxiety.
“A wounded lion. Prepare the examination room. Peter, you’re going to be assigned to the test results. Carrie and I will handle the injured lion.” I grabbed one of my bags, pulling out a syringe and a mild sedative. I’d come prepared, but not for this. “I need a gurney, Carrie. Can you handle that?”
“Yes, of course.”
When I was ready, I headed outside, carefully approaching her and ignoring the bastard glaring at me. “It’s okay, baby. Everything is going to be alright.” She snarled and threw her paw out until I crouched down.
Just like I’d seen my mother do several times, I hummed and crawled a little bit closer, allowing her to see my eyes. Within seconds, she was calmer, but that didn’t mean she wouldn’t attack. She had every right to distrust humans. Although, in looking at her injuries, I could tell they were consistent with an animal attack. Oddly enough, the claw marks appeared tobe healing at a much faster rate than they should be given the volume of blood caked on her fur.
My thoughts drifted once again to what Blackwell and his team had been able to accomplish. She wasn’t mutated like the other rogue lions I’d seen. Perhaps she’d been one of Blackwell’s test subjects.
“Rest easy. I’ll take care of you.” As soon as I pushed the needle into her forepaw, I noticed her swollen belly. Fuck. She was pregnant. With what the lions had told me, I was concerned about the condition of her cub.
And the fact the bastards would be salivating over her.
With Dr. Douglas’ help, we managed to get her onto the gurney. He trailed behind us while Kyle walked off in a huff.
Once we were at the door of the medical facility, I allowed Carrie to push the gurney inside and turned toward the doctor. I needed to be extra cautious with my words. “We may not be able to provide enough medical attention in this facility. What’s the status on the plane? Is it operational?” I certainly wasn’t being overly dramatic about the lioness’ condition. She’d been in a horrific fight, her injuries indicating possible internal injuries. That’s not anything I would be able to handle without proper equipment.
“The communications system has been repaired, but they are having trouble with avionics and navigation. We certainly don’t want the pilots to fly into the ocean.” He was being cagey with me.
“No, of course not.”
“What’s wrong, Dr. Radcliff? You seem pensive.”
Pensive, my ass. “Why are you and Dr. Abbott really here? Why did you agree to this project?”
“What do you mean, Lauren? We’re here to support you in your endeavor to find cures for diseases, an admirable cause and one we wholeheartedly believe in. So does Dr. Zimmerman.”
There were so many accusations I wanted to make, but now wasn’t the time. That didn’t mean I couldn’t throw a few crumbs on the ground and see what he did with them. I’d need to push their hand to discover what they were up to.
“I don’t mind telling you that I don’t believe you and I certainly don’t like not being able to trust you. And why? Because you have a crate full of equipment you won’t disclose. Because you brought soldiers along with us and didn’t think telling me was warranted. This is important work to me and there’s obviously something wrong with that lion. So please give me the space I need and the autonomy to do what is required without goons like Rory and Kyle interfering. He hurt the lioness. She won’t forget.”
It seemed like the perfect opportunity to insert my fury while putting him on notice.
He stared at me for a few seconds before nodding. “I can totally understand your concern and appreciate your due diligence, but we are truly here to provide assistance. Maybe tomorrow we can work together on your findings. I truly do believe in your work, Dr. Ratcliff.” He hesitated as if wanting to say something else. There was a strange flash in his eyes I couldn’t read.
