Page 40 of Tiger Queen

After that I drew some blood, mixed it with a violet stain, then put a drop of it on a glass slide. The medical facilities here weren’t stocked very well, but they did have a functioning microscope.

“What are you doing?” David asked curiously.

“It’s called a gram stain test. Basically, I’m checking to see how much has spread to his bloodstream, if any.”

“How long will that take?”

I rose from the table. “Already done. The test is positive, but it’s not a terrible case. We’ll need to give him antibiotics three times a day, and then he’ll be good as new. But it’s concerning that he had the wound in the first place.”

David shrugged. “I don’t know as much about big cats as you, but ever since I was a little boy I remember the cats playing with each other.”

“Playing is fine, but they shouldn’t be this rough,” I replied. “They may not be stimulated enough. Which is why it’s good that they’re being moved to proper homes.”

We shared a smile, then loaded Ernie back up on the Mule. Instead of returning him to the main enclosure, we released Bert from the temporary pan and then put Ernie inside.

“The fuck you do that for?”

I turned to see Jake walking by on the pedestrian path. He was shirtless again, wearing his beanie, sunglasses, and a pair of earphones.

“It’s always best to allow big cats to wake up in a smaller, safer area before letting them resume normal activity,” I explained. “Plus, if for whatever reason he doesn’t wake up as expected, I can help him in here without the need to move him again.”

Jake sneered. “I meant why’d you move him all the way to the vet office? Dad always knocked ‘em out and examined them in their cages.”

I left the temporary pen and locked it behind me. “Big cats are observant animals,” I explained more patiently than I felt. “It’s always best to do medical work in a secondary location, away from the others.”

“Waste of time,” Jake muttered, then walked away.

David and I shared a look before returning to work.

Anthony made lasagna and garlic bread for dinner. He even made a carb-free version for David that was just cheese and meat. Jake wolfed down his food in less than a minute and then left the house, slamming the front door behind him.

“Where’s he going?” I asked.

David stirred his food and smiled. “I don’t know, but I have an announcement. I got an email from the Endangered Cats Animal Preserve.”

I froze with my fork halfway to my mouth. “And?”

“They’re taking eight big cats.”

I squealed excitedly. “Yes! Which ones?”

“They want four female Bengals, two male Siberians, and both cheetahs. Yeah, yeah, I know—cheetahs aren’t technically big cats. But that’s about a thousand dollars worth of food we’re saving each week.”

“Alright!” Anthony said. “Nice going David!”

“Even better, they’re handling all the transportation,” David explained. “They’ll be here in four days to pick them up.”

I couldn’t stop smiling for the rest of dinner. It felt good to make some progress in our primary goal. And it was confirmation that David was holding up his end of the bargain.

After dinner I followed David upstairs and kissed him when we were alone in the hallway. He gripped my waist with both hands and kissed me passionately, then stopped.

“I hope this isn’t weird,” he said, “but I’ve had a headache all day. Is it alright if I just go straight to bed?”

“I thought the headache thing was an excuse women used to get out of sex,” I teased.

David’s smile was incredibly sexy. “I would never use an excuse to get out of sleeping with you. Rain check?”

I kissed him again. “I’ll hold you to it.”

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