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Emily screamed, dragged back by Diego just as Aziza landed against the rails, the entire section groaning from the force used.
“When I tell you to do something, you fucking do it.” While I kept my tone as even as possible, soothing enough for the animal, I made certain Emily felt the heat of my anger. “Aziza. Take me. Show me.”
Aziza paced the area, snorting and growling, constantly tossing her head toward Emily. There was a strange connection between the two, although I couldn’t risk that my perception was incorrect. After staring at my personal lioness for a full minute, Aziza dropped her head, moving toward me in a nonaggressive way. Then she trotted toward the trees, taking me into the thickest part. As soon as I noticed the cub, my rage breached the surface. Goddamn the fuckers who’d attacked him. I crouched down, studying the barely breathing cub, unable to determine if the shot had gone clean through. They assassins had used real bullets. On a goddamn baby.
I carefully examined the cub without touching it, knowing Aziza had lost her sense of trust. “Aziza. I must bring someone in to see the cub.” I looked her directly in the eyes, allowing her to process not only my words but the inflection used. I’d worked for years to create a safe haven, ensuring a number of tortured animals could live out the rest of their lives in peace. I refused to allow a group of humans to destroy what I’d managed to accomplish.
Aziza’s growls were lower, an acceptance of aid. Very slowly I rose to my feet, waiting until she led me out of the dense trees before following her.
“Emily. I need you to come inside,” I stated, never blinking as I tried to offer reassurance. “Grab the blanket first.”
“What’s wrong with him?” she asked.
“Kostya. That’s far too dangerous,” Diego snarled.
I didn’t bother addressing him. I’d handle his insubordination later. “The cub was shot. You need to trust me. Walk slowly. I’m uncertain whether the cub can be helped or moved.”
To her credit, she didn’t hesitate, grabbing the blanket from the truck and walking in slowly after the soldier opened the gate. I noticed she kept her breathing even as she took careful steps further into the area, never looking at Aziza as she headed in my direction. Kiki barked only once, Aziza’s reaction to the dog as playful as usual. At least that was a good sign.
“Good. Now, follow me. No sudden moves.” Perhaps I was a fool, but I’d spent enough time with Aziza over the years, my instincts about her behavior were almost always correct. As I led Emily toward the cub, she remained vigilant and calm, the same determined look on her face.
I remained standing, both hands on the tranquilizer gun as she lowered down just as slowly. Aziza paced back and forth but kept her distance.
“He’s lost a lot of blood,” she said without touching him.
“Can he be saved?”
“Until I can examine him, I can’t be certain, but he must be moved to the facility you mentioned.”
I glanced toward the lion, allowing Aziza to look directly into my eyes. “We’re taking the cub.”
Aziza let off an intense roar, which should have caused Emily to panic, but she made no moves whatsoever, not a single sound coming from her mouth.
“Wrap the baby gently, every movement as slow as possible.”
Emily followed my instructions, tenderly wrapping the injured cub, exhaling as the creature whimpered. Aziza moved quickly to Emily’s side, her head only inches away from Emily’s face.
At least two of the damn soldiers made sounds, which they knew better than to do, but the woman who electrified my senses never faltered, never reacted. She simply continued what she was doing, moving to a standing position. Then she surprised me once again.
“I promise you that I’ll take good care of your baby, Aziza. You need to trust me. Can you do that?” There was a strange series of sensations that shifted through me as the two females locked eyes, not a single sound heard as they connected.
Then Aziza backed away, allowing us to leave without incident.
Only when we were safely outside of the fence did Emily finally allow a single moan to escape. At that moment, I knew that whatever occurred in my life, I wouldn’t be able to let her go.
Even if it meant destroying everything I’d worked for.
* * *
Emily had remained quiet during the ten-minute trip to the facility designed as a clinic. While the location was meant to provide some care to the animals in the sanctuary, her instincts had been correct in that I’d used it more than once to provide limited care for a few of my soldiers. I’d darted several glances in her direction during the drive, admiring the way she handled the injured cub.
I also sensed her questions continued to build, pulling at her emotions as well as her anger. She seemed perplexed when I led her inside, nodding several times after scanning the first room, acknowledging what she had to work with.
“I suspect the cub needs surgery,” she stated as she positioned the unconscious cub on the steel table, gently pulling the blanket away.
“Then do it.”
“I’m not a surgeon, Kostya, just a pediatrician. Do you understand what that means? I have no working knowledge of large animals. That’s a specialty, not a given.”
