Chapter 8

He was sweaty now.All the combined heat had made the bed a small furnace,so he stripped to his underwear after relieving himself.He would have showered,but he didn’t want to stay away for too long,and he’d just get sweaty again anyway.

“Mike,I think you need to get back here.”Noah’s tone quiet but strangely alarming,and Mikael dashed out in the dim lights that had been left on in the house.

“What?”He tried to keep his volume down.

“Look.”Noah pointed at the tiger,whose whiskers twitched as he tried to scent his surroundings.

Mikael stepped closer and placed a hand on the tiger’s front leg.The tiger stopped moving immediately.

“It’s okay,I’m right here,”Mikael said and stroked the lighter orange on the leg.

“Get in bed,”Noah said.“He didn’t want me to touch him while you weren’t here.He struggles to consciousness when he gets scared or cautious.He’s afraid of me because he knows I’m a cat.”