Page 6 of Savage Mates

“You want to go out for a glass of wine to celebrate the end of the year?”

“I have lion duty this afternoon.” I grinned, eager to stroke my baby behind the ear.

She chuckled. “You and that lion. A true love affair.”

“I can’t help it if I prefer animals to people.” The lion had been kept in a circus, the poor baby abused and broken in both body and spirit. My team had lovingly nursed her back to health, hoping that since she was so young, maybe one day she could be introduced to a pride. It was a long shot, but one I was willing to do anything to make happen.

Simba represented everything I’d been brought up to appreciate by my parents. They were the reason I’d become a large breed veterinarian, going further to complete my PhD so I could learn more about the various diseases taking a tremendous toll on the animal kingdom. I’d been lucky enough to be wooed by Cornell, asked to teach a few classes as an adjunct professor in exchange for funding my research.

Right now, I was living my dream. I simply wanted to expand my horizons.

“Hey!”

“Present company excluded of course.” Halfway down the corridor, I caught a blip coming from my phone. A text. Nervous energy tore through me as I struggled to find my cellphone in the bottom of my bag. When I pulled it into my hand, I realized my entire arm was shaking. Carrie flanked my side as I pushed myself against the wall to avoid the crowd of students.

After counting to three, I pressed my finger against the screen. A text from Finn.

I held my breath as I pulled up what he’d sent me. Six crystal clear, vivid photographs. “Oh, my God,” I whispered.

“What is it?”

A squeal was poised to escape my lips, but I managed to squelch it as I handed Carrie my phone.

I watched her expression go from eagerness to disbelief back to sheer excitement. “Is that what I think it is?”

The creature was beautiful, absolutely majestic, and very much alive.

“Yes. That’s a Cape lion. Extinct for over two hundred years.”

Pamela stared at the photograph for a long time before handing me back my phone. Dr. Shreves had started as my mentor, her veterinary classes at Cornell inspirational. After I’d returned to Cornell and been asked to work with her at her large breed veterinary clinic, she’d become a friend.

“That is… amazing. You’re certain this is one hundred percent accurate and you trust the person who took the photograph.”

Her words were clipped.

“I would trust him with my life.”

She took a deep breath. When she walked back toward her office, I was taken aback. She wasn’t the kind of woman to holdback on her thoughts. Why now? I followed her, standing in her doorway. “You don’t seem overly impressed.”

Even her deep breathing caught me off guard. “I am impressed, Lauren.”

“But?” I caught her quick glance toward the doorway, so I moved inside, closing the door behind me. “What’s wrong?”

“Haven’t you asked yourself how that’s possible?”

“Of course, but molecular geneticists were able to bring back the dire wolf.”

“True, but the specimen also died shortly after birth due to a lung defect.”

“Then a group of scientists may have found a better method. Imagine what can be learned, the advancements made. It could help with discovery on diseases destroying several animal populations. That could trickle down to domestic animals as well.”

“With the act of playing God. Is that what you want?”

I shrank back slightly, even annoyed at her bypassing the reason for my excitement. “I get your point, but that’s not what I’m trying to do. I simply want to help animals live a longer, healthier life.”

“But someone is interested in creating life.”

“You say that like your misgivings are based on personal knowledge.”