9. Violence isn’t a problem. #4
“You didn’t do a very good job of being a parasite.
Both of your wretched parents survived.” I grunted, shaking my head over how Bailey’s parents had treated her.
I hadn’t seen them after meeting them at the courthouse, and I hoped to never again.
I’d done enough reading about them to confirm my initial feelings about them.
They were truly awful people.
“Quinn!” my wife wailed.
“What? It’s true. You’re not a very good parasite, but you’re the perfect wife.”
“You’re impossible.”
I smiled at that. “Where did you find an ocelot?”
“Her mother and the rest of the litter had died because of the storm.”
No matter how many times I told Bailey her wayfinding magic was a blessing in disguise, she never believed me. She always focused on the tragedies surrounding her magic, not the good her magic did in the wake of disaster.
She always showed up during the aftermath, but she interpreted that to mean she was the cause of the disasters rather than a saving grace. She struggled with my ex-wife’s death, the loss of so many whelps, and the utter destruction she’d wrought using a pair of phoenix feathers.
She lost sight of the other consequences of her actions, the good ones that ensured the gorgon dust could never be used again.
I worried the gorgon dust had been nothing more than a precursor to the rabies outbreak, the next step taken to accomplish some wretched goal to lower humanity’s numbers.
Or, perhaps, the rabies had been the first step taken. I wouldn’t know until I found out when the Dover hive’s females had perished.
I sighed. “I’m sorry about the other cats.”
“They were gone before I got there. There wasn’t anything I could do to help them, even if I had gotten there sooner. It wasn’t my fault.”
I blinked. Usually, Bailey blamed herself for every failure, even when she couldn’t have done anything to prevent it. “Are you all right?”
“Beyond this stupid cold, yes. I’m all right. I’m worried.”
“About the rabies situation?”
“Especially about that. How are the children?”
“It seems we’re welcoming a pair of voracious book dragons into our home, and we will need to convert a room into a proper library, have an addition built, or convert the basement into living space.”
She sucked in a breath. “They like to read?”
“When you check the bank account statement, please don’t worry. I know I spent a lot at the bookstore.”
“I’m okay with that. Reading is good for them! I like the idea of adding a proper library to the house.” Bailey giggled. “Our current storage method for books is a little sad.”
“Anywhere a book can fit is sad, I do agree. We’ll make it a Christmas present to each other, figure out a plan, and have the work done soon. Sound good?”
“That does sound good. Hey, Quinn?”
“What is it?”
“Do you think we should maybe stop playing our game right now? Postpone it, maybe? This situation…”
While well aware Bailey enjoyed the chase as much as I did, I hated the worry and fear in her tone. “If things become dangerous, we can team up.”
“I think they’re already dangerous. Perkette talked me into using my magic to find the source.”
I froze. “She did?”
“I think it’s a good idea.”
Part of encouraging Bailey to trust herself more and trust her judgment meant I needed to let her use her judgment—and make decisions for herself even when I wanted to wrap her in a blanket and keep her safe from all harm.
I couldn’t undermine her efforts.
“All right. If you think it’s a good idea, I trust you. Please be careful, and if you have any reason to believe you’ve bitten off more than you can chew, call me.”
“I can do that. But I can chew a lot.”
Yes, she could. I’d seen her devour an entire tree before. It had fallen into the road near our house and no one could remove it, and one of the neighbors couldn’t get to her kids, which had not set well with Bailey.
Bailey’s solution to the problem had been simple; she’d eaten the tree. It’d taken her less than an hour to devour it, leaving a hole in her wake, as the trunk and the upper roots had been, in her words, the best part.
“You can,” I conceded.
“I bought the neutralizer like you wanted.”
“Good. Listen to Tiffany about your cold, okay? She’s qualified to help with it.” I hoped. I might even pray a little.
I’d do a little more than hope and pray. As soon as I was off the phone with Bailey, I would give the faery doctors who’d treated Bailey when she’d been hospitalized a call.
“Okay. I will. How is my puppy?”
“She’s asleep between the kids in the back. She’s had a very long day wrangling young gorgons.”
“She needs a raise and a lot of cuddles. Blizzard is a good puppy. He’s taking a nap, too.”
“Take a picture of my kitten and send it to me.”
“After we get her to a hotel and cleaned up. She’s had a rough day and needs some care.
I’m not looking forward to giving her a bath, but it’s a necessary evil.
You’ll get upset if I show you a picture right now.
She’ll be fine. The CDC told me everything I need to do to take care of her, and they’re going to send me a list of vets who are qualified to examine her.
But they also said I can be trained to administer her vaccinations, too.
They’re going to put me in touch with someone about it. ”
I clenched my teeth at the CDC’s offer—which they’d use, as always, for their benefit. “If you want to do the training, I’m all right with that.”
Sometimes, I was such a liar, and I was grateful I didn’t have a complete aversion to falsehoods like true angels.
“I’ll only take enough courses to know how to help take care of her. I’m volunteering you for the same courses. She’s your kitten. I already put in the request for you to get the permit to keep her. The courses are mandatory for the permit.”
I relaxed. “Ah. So it’s not a standard certification?”
“It’s mandatory for the permit, and there are two levels we can choose from.
The more extensive certification would let us rescue any big cat.
The other one would require us to get additional certifications for other exotic cats.
The extensive certification also requires a few hours of volunteer time a year with a rescue or zoo. ”
“Okay. Pick whichever one you like best. I’m happy to go volunteer with you if you’d like.”
“Really?” she whispered.
Yep, my beautiful Bailey had a serious obsession with helping animals in need, and I was powerless against her enthusiasm. “Yes, really. Consider it an early Christmas present.”
As I knew my wife well enough to predict her reaction, I removed my phone from my ear, held it away, and waited for her squeals to quiet.
Perkins snickered and shook his head.
“There’s even a wolf rehab program we can work with, if we want to work with other predatory exotics. The CDC rep mentioned it. There was an asshole who had entire packs of wolves in cages, and they all need a lot of work because they were so mistreated and ill.”
“Ill?”
“He didn’t tell me what they were ill with, but it was treatable, and they only had to put a few of the wolves down. They had so many they might be able to restore the wild wolf populations in the United States if they can get enough people helping with their rehabilitation!”
I was about to get goosed by my own wife, and I’d end up with an entire pack of wolves in addition to large cats. Poor Blizzard would be the only normal animal in our household, and I hoped the poor husky was adaptable.
Then again, a husky was like a hyperactive wolf with a preference for cold temperatures. With the right training and patience, they could make excellent work dogs.
I’d have my hands full.
“I’ll look into that.”
“Really?” Bailey inhaled, and I jerked my phone away from my ear in time to dodge her squeal. In the background, my new puppy warbled a complaint. “Sorry, Blizzard!”
I laughed. “All right, Bailey. You keep on running. I’m going to find a place for the night and get the children settled. They’ve had a long day. Make sure you get plenty of sleep. I need you well rested for when I get my hands on you.”
“Promises, promises,” she muttered before hanging up.
Still laughing, I shook my head and put my phone away. “You up for driving, Perkins? I need to make some phone calls.”
“Are you going to need your medication?”
“That depends on what the doctor says when I give him a call about Bailey.”