Threshold shift

Chapter 24

"We couldn't be sure it was connected," Claire told him over coffee in her office the next morning.

"There's a park-wide animal uproar in the one night where I get thrown to a pack of Sorna raptors, and I tell you about what happened, and you don't think it's connected?"

Claire, all corporate representative in her white outfit, looked at him. Her business shields were up. Owen could see it.

"We didn't know what had caused it. Your preternatural disposition is an open secret only as far as the other preternaturally talented trainers are concerned. And even then it was a bit far-fetched, Owen!"

Yeah, he had to give her that.

"You might be the first talented to connect permanently with an animal and come out of it a still fully functioning human. You might be an alpha of four velociraptors who follow you no matter that. But this... No matter how strong you are, it's so very far outside the realm of possibilities..." She sighed. "I might have made a connection, but there was no evidence. Not enough anyway."

"There is." Owen tapped his head. "I know I received them all, for a very long minute or five, getting torn apart, into every direction, until Blue got me back to reality and centered in their midst."

"But you're no longer influencing them?"

"No."

"No bond?"

"Hell no!"

She smiled slightly. "So it was a one-time event. We can safely assume they won't go onto a rampage again, trying to break and do what? Save the island alpha?"

"Claire... I'm not..."

She raised her eyebrows. Owen stopped and groaned.

"I've got my pack, I'm their alpha. I'm not there for everyone," he finally said firmly.

"Good to know."

"And they're possessive enough as is. And jealous. I'm not the pied piper of dinosaurs."

Claire laughed, openly amused. "I hope not. Are you really okay, Owen?" she asked, dropping the corporate shields and being only Claire now.

He looked into her eyes, saw the worry and the care, and he gave her a genuine, warm smile. "Yes, I am. I'm really okay."

She hugged him then. Just as genuine and warm, a gesture that meant more to him than words. He wrapped his arms around the slender form and hugged Claire back.

"I'm glad," she whispered.

So was Owen.

And the whole incident would be swept under the same rug that was already hiding the indominus rex incident.

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Simon Masrani flew in on a private helicopter. While he had started flying lessons a while ago, this time he let someone else pilot him.

Owen wasn't too surprised when the CEO of Masrani Global asked to meet with him. He was just surprised that it had taken the man so long.

"How are you, Owen?" Simon asked, dark eyes running over him, taking in the visible injuries.

"Been better, been worse. I'm fine, Simon."

"And the animals?"

It was one trait Owen admired in a man of Masrani's standing and power: he truly cared about the animals in his park, wanted them happy. He had never called them 'assets' like so many others, and he had done everything in his power to insure that the paddock were vast, that the animals had everything they needed.