Random Fits of Fancy

The Outsider's Hunt Scenes - Valerie vs. the Tiger P1

This scene is going to be near the beginning of the second book to my Valerie Winter's series, enjoy :) This is also part 1 of a longer scene!

The roar shook the brick walls, drowning out Dr. Baxter's words. Valerie's gaze never left the pacing, bloodied tiger beyond the thick iron bars. Shredded muscle was visible and gaping but the large cat still paced, hurt and pissed off. Five tranquilizer darts stuck to his crimson, matted coat; one fell when he turned and paced again, bouncing briefly off of the concrete floor before coming to a rest with the other twelve. Seventeen tranquilizers total, and the tiger was still alert with no sign of succumbing to the drugs.

Cooper made a slow whistle, which only aggravated the feline. "Damn, that's a lot of tranqs."

Alex stepped closer to the cell, stopping when Cooper put an arm up to stop her from touching the bars. "What happened, why hasn't he fallen unconscious yet?"

Dr. Baxter rifled through a box full of medical supplies, a tranquilizer gun with more darts at the ready. "I am not entirely sure, but some pack teenagers encountered a bear. Keiren got there first. The bear is dead, but it left its mark. Something happened. He got himself back here and locked himself up. I've been trying to put him to sleep...and, well." The seventeen tranquilizer darts said it all. "I'm still trying."

"But that many and still, nothing?" Alex murmured, wincing as another fell from the tiger's pelt.

"Well, with his bloodline it's a little tricky to determine the exact dosage..." Dr. Baxter continued to talk, but Valerie focused on the tiger, worry churning in her gut.

That's one pissed off kitty.

Oh, welcome back. Valerie thought absentmindedly to the fiends, trying to see what was going on with the shifter behind the bars. He was hurt, she could feel it, but...

Why don't you just fiddle with that golden rope you are blatantly ignoring? Make the booboos go away! Smoochies and all.

How about you shut up and let me concentrate? I refuse to touch it. 'It' being the golden rope that tied her to the tiger and the man within. The mate bond, a blasted connection that for some reason Fate thought was a good idea.

Look at you, learning not to mess with things that aren't yours to touch! Give the Champion a round of applause! Echoing claps filled her head, reminding her why she had not missed the fiends even one little bit.

"Couldn't you just give him another dose then?" Aggie asked, drawing Valerie back to the present briefly.

"No, I don't want to overdo it..." But the doctor was uncertain, and Valerie knew why. She could see it, flickering symbols clinging to the tiger's ruined pelt. They flaked off of him, sticking to the blood and the spent tranquilizers, lying dead on the ground. Dampening...low energy. Sleep.

The darts had done their job...it was Keiren that was the problem...or was it the tiger? Being this close to him made her feel and sense things through the pesky bond that she hadn't been able to before...and while that was concerning, it was handy right now. There was something stuck inside of his rib causing him considerable pain. He wanted to sleep, but he was on high alert...and there was something else too, but it was so faint she wasn't sure what it was.

She needed to get closer.

Closer? Oh, this should be fun. Let's go play poke the kitty!

We just might, but I'm going to give them a heads up first.

And when they say no?

Well...they may not! She could handle herself, they all knew it, and she was a good target for Keiren to focus on. They may just let her do it.