Prowl (Sanctuary #2)

Chapter 1

The sun peeked over the eastern horizon in a perfect Alabama sunrise as Ivy Cook lugged the pails of raw meat out of the Gator

utility vehicle and walked toward the hyena enclosure. She shivered a little in the February chill. She’d arrived at work

early to do what she’d been paid to do under cover of darkness.

She paused when she saw the hyenas head for the fence. The leader, Clara, always gave her the creeps with her laughing mouth

and evil eyes. A hyena pack was weird, too, with a dominant female that didn’t let any of the others eat until she was full.

The males all ate last even when Ivy tried to toss food their way. They watched Clara for permission.

Ivy had heard her boss, Blake Lawson, mention he was giving them to a nearby zoo. If the owner and head zookeeper didn’t trust

the hyenas, she shouldn’t either. And she didn’t. She opened the outer gate and locked it behind her, then approached the

inner one.

A sound came from her right, and she spun that way. Nothing there. She was losing it. Rubbing the gooseflesh from her arms,

she reached into the pail and began to toss food over the fence. Clara ate piece after piece while her clan watched avidly.

“Let your clan eat,” Ivy said. Clara’s returning stare held animosity, and Ivy stared her down. “You can’t get out of here

too soon for me.”

She had worked here for two weeks, but it felt like two years with the stink of the animals and the hard work involved. But

if she had any hope of paying off her gambling debt, she needed the extra cash, and this job had seemed an easy way to earn

a little. She’d been wrong. Now that she was here, Ivy wasn’t enjoying the work or the animals. The smell got to her, and

so did the fear of them.

The sooner she got the information she’d been hired to extract from Paradise Alden, the sooner she could leave.

The first chance Ivy got she’d look for a job that didn’t involve getting so icky. She wiped blood from her hands onto the

grass and shuddered. She stood and whirled at a soft scraping noise. Still nothing there. Why was she so jumpy this morning?

She retraced her steps and locked the gate behind her, then moved on to the tiger enclosure. Her gut tightened at the sight

of the tiger staring at her. Some of the keepers were able to touch the ones born and raised here, but Raj was new and was

kept separated from the rest. He was not one of the animals they could trust, but Ivy didn’t trust anything with teeth and

claws.

“Hi, Raj,” she said in a calm voice. She unlocked the gate and stepped into the outer perimeter area. She moved toward the

inner gate and caught her breath. It was open.

Barely breathing, she backed away toward the exit behind her.

The huge cat moved to the open gate and pushed through. His golden eyes followed her, and he crouched with his tail lashing

the air. She didn’t dare take her eyes off him, but she would have to in order to get through the outer gate.

She edged back two steps, then three, reaching her hand behind her to find the gate. Her blood thundered in her ears and her breath rasped in her throat. She had no chance against those teeth, those claws.

Tears blurred her vision as her fingers touched the gate. Maybe she could escape. This might not be the end.

She was so intent on escape she barely took note of the sting at the back of her neck. The gate resisted her attempts, and

her vision blurred even more. Her legs didn’t seem to want to work either. The tiger took another step closer, and she knew

she wasn’t going to make it.

The smell of big cat in the treatment room made wildlife vet Paradise Alden’s mouth go dry. The black jaguar lay limp and

seemingly unconscious for her to treat the abscessed tooth, but she couldn’t assume Midnight wouldn’t react. The fingers on

her right hand started to stray to the ugly ridge of scar tissue on her other arm, from an attack when a panther came through

a door left open to the habitat, but she took hold of her fear and moved toward the animal instead.

Her new vet tech, Warren Gibson, moved to the side. “Respiration and heart rate are good. Should be an easy extraction, and

we can let her wake up.”

She could only hope.

Her pulse accelerated as she ran her fingers over the jaguar’s smooth fur.

She was a beautiful specimen. Her arrival yesterday to The Sanctuary Wildlife Preserve had caused a lot of excitement mixed with worry when her mouth problem surfaced.

And it was up to Paradise to make sure she made the move to her new home easily.

The poor thing had been in a ten-by-ten cage her whole life until the owner died, and his kids had to get rid of the beautiful black cat.

Paradise steeled herself and plunged into the task. Thankfully Warren was right, and fifteen minutes later, the female jaguar

was back in her crate sleeping off the anesthetic.

“Nice job, Doc.” Warren’s red hair stood up like a rooster’s comb, and his easy grin vanished when his gaze lingered on her

scars. “It took a lot of courage to jump in there after all you’ve been through.”

“Piece of cake thanks to your skill with anesthesia.” She glanced at the clock on the wall. Her first day as the vet in Nova

Cambridge would start in half an hour. She would be working mornings at the clinic before returning to the park. Midnight

had been an emergency she’d squeezed in this morning, but the quick procedure had made her late.

She grabbed her bag and raced for her green Kia Soul. Though she glanced around the compound as she drove off, she didn’t

catch sight of anyone, not even Blake, whom she’d hoped would see her off on her new adventure. A morning kiss for good luck

would have come in handy.

The outskirts of Nova Cambridge came into view around the corner, and she accelerated. It wouldn’t do to arrive late and find

customers waiting in their vehicles or at the door.

She braked at the sight of the new blue-and-white sign hanging from a post outside the veterinary business. Pawsome Pets—Paradise

Alden, DVM. Paradise was buying the business from Jenna with quarterly payments, but she still wasn’t sure how she felt about

the new venture she’d been talked into. Caring for domesticated animals hadn’t been on her radar, not when her heart belonged

to the wild ones since her teen years.

She parked in the lot and hurried to unlock the front door.

Luckily no one was outside to notice her late arrival.

She stepped into the waiting room and stopped short at the scent of sweet cake instead of cleaning solution.

Congratulations banners and balloons fluttered from the ceiling and reception desk.

Blake Lawson and his mother, Jenna Anderson, shouted, “Surprise!” Jenna’s boys, Isaac and Levi, bolted toward her with shrieks

of excitement. Five-year-old Isaac already had cupcake frosting around his mouth, and he planted sticky hands on her jeans.

“Are you surprised, Paradise?”

“I sure am.” She scooped him up, and he wrapped his arms and legs around her like a monkey. She turned a wide smile toward

Blake and Jenna. “I wondered where everyone was when I left.” Paradise should have realized something was up when they weren’t

outside to wish her well on her first day. Especially when this whole vet thing was their idea.

Blake’s thick dark brown hair was still damp, and his blue eyes were tender. “We couldn’t let this monumental day go uncelebrated,

babe. Brownies and cupcakes are on the table over there.” He gestured to a decorated card table piled high with treats. “We’re

taking you to Jesse’s tonight to celebrate.”

“That sounds wonderful.” She stepped into the circle of his arms and inhaled the scent of his eucalyptus and cypress soap.

His lips found hers, and her breathing quickened. His steady presence was her world ever since she’d found her way back to

him. He’d broken her heart when she was sixteen, but she’d forgiven him.

He pulled away reluctantly. “You’re wonderful. And you’ll do great with this. It will expand your horizons.”

She leaned against his broad chest. “I think coming here did all that.” It was hard to remember her former quiet, lonely life.

Blake and his family had burst the bubble she’d pulled around herself since the murder of her parents, and while it hadn’t always been easy to reveal the soft parts of her heart, doing so had changed her for the better.

The door opened, and her new receptionist entered. Honey Hopkins was Evan’s wife, and though Paradise had hesitated to interview

her because her husband worked at The Sanctuary as a predator keeper, she’d soon been won over by the perky blonde’s customer

service skills.

“Good morning,” Honey sang out. “Are we ready for the influx of patients? Everyone in town is excited to meet you, Paradise.

You’re a little bit famous after all the hoopla at The Sanctuary.”

Hoopla? Was that how people felt about the trauma they’d all lived through? Paradise managed to smile. “I’m as ready as I’ll

ever be. Who’s our first patient?”

“A wiener dog named Chloe. She’s as fat as a potbellied pig but very sweet.” Honey glanced out the window. “Here she comes

now with her owner. Let the games begin.”

Paradise pinned on a smile and waved goodbye to Blake and the family as they headed toward the back exit. They paused long

enough for the boys to grab another cupcake, and she wished she had time for a sweet treat to help her face this new adventure.