me?” I nearly roared. They were your parents, but I needed to know these things too. And I didn’t like that they were keeping secrets.
“We’ll argue about it later,” Xavier said, already heading in the direction he believed you to be.
We jogged along the crowded pathway until we reached the perimeter of the tiger exhibit, which was separated from visitors by both a fence and a moat.
“Vincent,” I shouted, visually sweeping the length of the grassy lawn. You were nowhere in sight. Xavier’s calls echoed my own in both their desperation and escalating panic. Patrons began to gather, and I repelled them with seduction.
“Are you sure it’s accurate?” I demanded. “Maybe he took it off.”
“That would be impossible. The chip is implanted under his skin.”
My irritation flared at that detail. I raced along the fence to surveil the enclosure from all angles. I recalled the animal having been out earlier in the day, pacing along its moat as though restless. Where was it now? And where were you? I calmed my body and sniffed the air. Your scent was fresh, and thankfully, there was no hint of blood. I recalled those words you’d said earlier. Not this one.
“He’s inside,” I told Xavier. It was purely an instinct, but one that I trusted.
Xavier’s eyes went wide. “In there? How?”
The fence you could have scaled with some effort, and the moat didn’t appear too deep, but the embankment was steep and would have been a challenge to climb. You were agile, though, and a natural climber.
“If I’m not back in five minutes, alert the zoo officials and have them lock this place down.”
I scaled the fence and jumped into the moat, wading across it in just a few strides. I anchored my fists to the weedy embankment and grappled my way up it, heaving myself onto the grassy lawn.
“Vincent,” I shouted. Adrenaline coursed through my veins like quicksilver, causing my muscles to shudder and quake. My toes dug into the grassy earth, and my fingers tensed. I was prepared to throw myself between you and a predator at a moment’s notice.
If only I could find you.
“Henri?” Your voice was faint as I glanced across the lawn to a structure that was a reproduction of a Buddhist temple. I scanned the building’s facade for an entry point and found a narrow gap in the walls.
I sprinted toward it and ducked through the tight space. My eyes quickly adjusted to the dim lighting, and there I found you seated in the middle of the animal’s den with the tiger sprawled at your side, its massive head in your lap.
“Vincent.” My voice cracked. My terror made it difficult to breathe.
The tiger lifted its head and growled at me. I didn’t have any of my weapons because of those damned metal detectors at the park’s entrance. I’d have to use my teeth.
“It’s okay, Henri. He won’t hurt you.” You continued petting the tiger’s crown while your other hand trailed along its spine. The cat lowered its head, its amber eyes fixed on me as if daring me to come closer.
“Vincent, what are you doing here?” I whispered in a shaky voice.
Your head lifted, and your unblinking eyes found mine. “Mater told me I had to tame him.”
A deluge of anger flooded me as I silently cursed her with every rancorous sentiment I’d ever harbored against her. I’d have her blood for this.
“She told you to tame a tiger?” I had to remain calm. The animal could probably pick up on my fear and aggression. I didn’t want it to feel threatened and react in kind.
“Or a lion. Or a puma. This one’s my favorite though. Isn’t he pretty?”
The animal tilted its head for you to reach underneath and scratch along its jaw—a jaw that could snap your bones like twigs, fangs that could tear through your skin like tissue, and claws that could disembowel you with one swipe of its gargantuan paw. Our bodies were resilient but not indestructible. And the pain was as real as any human trauma.
I took another step toward you. The tiger raised its head again, your hand just inches away from its large, yellow fangs.
“Vincent, Papa is worried.” I edged closer, trying not to alarm the beast.
“I wanted to tell you, but Mater told me not to.”
I would kill her. Peel her apart one sinew at a time, grind her bones to dust, then scatter her bloodborn bits across the globe so her body could never be resurrected again.