Fisher (Prince of Tigers, #3) - Kathi S. Barton Page 0,55

in here, I sure do feel like it. Are you coming?

I am. What made you think you could be brave enough to go into that thing anyway? Isn’t the floor like nothing but dust? It occurred to him later, much later, that Fisher was talking to him to keep him calm. I’d think the no trespassing signs would have been a first giveaway on how you’re not supposed to enter. You sure can be dumb when you want to be, can’t you, Kylan?

He talked to him, making fun of him and teasing him about his choices. Bad ones anyway. By the time he saw a little light coming from above, Kylan was more upset at Fisher than he was scared. As soon as Fisher had an opening for him to get out of, he leapt at his brother and tussled with him until they were both laughing so hard they had to rest.

To this day, he knew Fisher had never told any of the others, especially their parents. When they arrived home, dirty and dusty, Mom only made them clean up outside instead of messing up her clean floor. Kylan knew for that reason alone, and so many other times Fisher had come to his aid on one thing or another, that Fisher was his best friend as well as brother. He’d saved him. Not his life perhaps, but he’d saved him all the same.

The plane landed at a little after four in the morning. There was an envelope for him at the ticket counter that held his badge, telling anyone who read it he was a veterinarian—one who specialized in tigers. He also had an appointment at eight with the head of the feline department of the zoo, as well as hotel reservations and a car to rent. Having people in place for this sort of thing, faeries in the human world, made this sort of job much easier than it was before travel was so easy.

The zoo, of course, wasn’t open to the public, but he was let in by showing them his badge. According to the paperwork he had been given, he was there to look over the cages of the tiger display, as well as to check on one or two of the big cats. Normal procedure. He was taken to the birthing suite almost as soon as he was taken to the cat area.

“She’s been in labor for a couple of days. I don’t think she wants to birth them.” Kylan asked the man, Arnold, why he thought that. “We’ve only had her here for a few weeks. The people that owned her before were keeping her in a cage and breeding her for the cash. It took the police about six months to close this case. The cat was already breeding when we got her. She’s older than most cats we have, but almost feral when it comes to having exams and stuff.”

“You said she was bred, correct?” Arnold said they’d sell off her cubs for the money without her even getting to be around them. “Well, I’m not sure, but I’m betting she’s terrified you’re going to be doing the same thing to her. She might just be protecting her babies before they’re taken from her.”

“You think so?” He knew so but didn’t tell him how he knew. She’d told him that. “We all have been calling her Ginger. If she had a name with the other folks, we didn’t get it. I’m betting you’re right about her being afraid. Ginger never acted out like she is now until we brought her in for an exam this time. Yes, sir, I think you’re right on the nose with that.”

He moved slowly toward the cat and let her smell that he was one as well. Kylan was worried that him being a male might upset her, so he spoke to her through their link and told her who he was. She not only accepted him right away, but Ginger also purred.

Examining her was easy. He knew more about her through their link than any of the equipment he was free to use would have told him. While no one was looking at him, he gave her magic to make one of her cubs into a black tiger. Kylan gave her an extra boost and hoped that two of the four she was having would be black tigers. It was the least he could do for a tiger that had suffered so much at the