Kiss of Crimson(7)

―I could stay until you wrap up,‖ he suggested, backing off now. ―I don‘t like the idea of you being here all by yourself. This area of town isn‘t exactly the safest.‖

―I‘ll be fine. I‘m just going to finish my examination here, then do a bit of paperwork and close up shop. No big deal.‖

Ben scowled, on the verge of arguing until Tess blew out a sigh and gave him the look. She knew he read it clearly, since he‘d seen it more than once during their two years of couplehood. ―All right,‖

he agreed finally. ―But don‘t stay too much longer. And you call me first thing in the morning, promise?‖

―I promise.‖

―You sure you‘re comfortable handling Shiva by yourself?‖

Tess glanced down at the haggard beast, which immediately began licking her hand again as soon as she put it near him. ―I think I‘ll be safe with him.‖

―What‘d I tell ya, Doc? Magic touch. Looks like he‘s already in love with you too.‖ Ben ran his fingers through his golden-blond hair, giving her a defeated look. ―I guess if I want to win your heart, I‘ll need to grow some fur and fangs, is that it?‖

Tess smiled and rolled her eyes. ―Go home, Ben. I‘ll call you tomorrow.‖





CHAPTER Three



Tess came awake with a start.

Shit. How long had she been dozing? She was in her office, Shiva‘s case file open beneath her cheek on the desk. Last she recalled, she‘d fed the malnourished tiger and put it back in its containment so she could begin writing up her findings. That was—she glanced at her watch—two and a half hours ago? It was now a few minutes before three A.M. She was due back in the clinic at seven o‘clock.

Tess groaned around a big yawn and a stretch of her cramped arms.

Good thing she woke up before Nora reported back to work, or she‘d never hear the end of—

A loud bump sounded from somewhere in the back of the clinic.

What the hell?

Had she been jolted out of her sleep by a similar noise a minute ago?

Oh, jeez. Of course. Ben must have driven past and seen the lights on in the clinic. It wouldn‘t be the first time he‘d come around on a late-night drive-by to check in on her. She really didn‘t feel like getting a lecture on her crazy hours or her stubborn streak of independence.

The noise came again, another clumsy bump, followed by an abrupt clatter of metal as something got knocked off a shelf.

Which meant someone was in the back storage room.

Tess rose from her desk and took a few tentative steps toward her office door, ears tuned to any disturbance at all. In the kennels off the reception area, the handful of post-op cats and dogs were restless. Some of them were whining; others were issuing low warning growls.

―Hello?‖ Tess called into the empty space. ―Is someone here? Ben, is that you? Nora?‖

Nobody answered. And now the noises she‘d heard before had gone still as well.

Great. She‘d just announced her presence to an intruder. Brilliant, Culver. Absolutely frigging brilliant.

She tried to console herself with some fast logic. Maybe it was just a homeless person looking for shelter who‘d found his or her way into the clinic from the back alley. Not an intruder. Nothing dangerous at all.

Yeah? So why were the hairs on the back of her neck tingling with dread?

Tess shoved her hands into the pockets of her lab coat, feeling suddenly very vulnerable. She felt her ballpoint pen knock against her fingers. Something else was in there as well.

Oh, that’s right. The tranq syringe, full of enough anesthetic to knock a four-hundred-pound animal out cold.

―Is someone back there?‖ she asked, trying to keep her voice firm and steady. She paused at the reception station and reached for the phone. The damn thing wasn‘t cordless—she‘d gotten it cheap on closeout—and the receiver barely reached to her ear from over the counter. Tess went around the big U-shaped desk, glancing nervously over her shoulder as she started punching 911 on the keypad. ―You‘d better get out of here right now, because I‘m calling the cops.‖

“No... please... don’t be afraid... ”

The deep voice was so quiet, it shouldn‘t have reached her ears, but it did. She heard it as surely as if the words had been whispered right up next to her head. Inside her head, strange as that seemed. There was a dry croak and a violent, racking cough, definitely coming from the storage room. And whomever the voice belonged to sounded like he was in a world of hurt. Life and death kind of hurt.

―Damn it.‖

Tess held her breath and hung up the phone before her call connected. She walked slowly toward the back of the clinic, uncertain what she was going to find and really wishing she didn‘t have to look at all.

―Hello? What are you doing in here? Are you hurt?‖