27
War Stories
I woke as the plane bounced on the water of a small lake, which was apparently owned by Ren and Kishan and just adjacent to their property. Nilima cut the engines, and Kishan leapt onto the pier and tied off ropes to secure the plane. The Jeep was parked nearby.
By now, my clothes were half-dry, dirty, and very uncomfortable. Mr. Kadam offered me the opportunity to change, saying he could create new clothes with the Divine Scarf, but I declined when he mentioned that we were only ten minutes from home.
Mr. Kadam drove while the boys sat in the back and Nilima squeezed in with me in the front seat. Ren was still a tiger and seemed content only when Kishan was nearby. At home, Mr. Kadam suggested I take a hot shower and sleep, but it was dawn, and though I was exhausted, I wanted to talk with Ren.
The only thing that convinced me to leave him was the pressure both Mr. Kadam and Kishan put on me. Ren still needed time to heal, and it was better if he was a tiger for now, they reasoned. I agreed to shower, but I told them I would come right back down to see how he was doing. Kishan carried me to my room, helped me take off my shoes, and removed the ace bandage. Then he left me in the bathroom, quietly closing the door behind him.
My hands were shaky. I hobbled to the shower and turned on the hot spray. He was here! He was safe! We’d won. We beat Lokesh and didn’t lose anyone. I felt nervous. As I stepped into the hot water, I wondered what I should say to Ren first. I had so many things to tell him. My body hurt. My shoulder stung. It had been scraped by a heavy box and was now turning purple. In fact, much of my body was turning purple.
I tried to shower faster, but every move I made was agonizing. I wasn’t cut out for this stuff. Rolling around and tumbling in the dirt wasn’t for me. The thought occurred to me that I should have felt pain in Kishkindha and Shangri-la. I should have been bruised pretty badly after the fight with the birds. I’d healed there. Quickly. Except for the Kappa bite, I’d healed in those magical places.
Ren seemed to be on the mend, but I knew his wounds were not just physical. He’d been through so much. I didn’t know how he had survived, but I was extremely grateful he did. I’d have to thank Durga for helping him. She definitely fulfilled her promise. She kept my tiger safe.
Turning off the water, I stepped out of the shower and slowly dressed in my old flannel pajamas. I wanted to hurry, but even brushing my hair hurt. I hastily braided it and hobbled at a snail’s pace across my room to the door. I found Kishan on the other side waiting patiently for me with his back resting against the wall and his eyes closed.
He’d showered and changed too. Without a word, he swept me up in his arms and carried me downstairs to the peacock room. He settled me in the leather chair next to Mr. Kadam before taking a seat opposite me near Nilima. Ren was still in tiger form lying at Nilima’s feet as they quietly conversed.
Mr. Kadam patted my arm and said, “He hasn’t changed back yet, Miss Kelsey. Perhaps he’d been a man for too long.”
“Okay. It’s alright. The important thing is that he’s here now.”
I watched my white tiger. He’d looked up briefly when I came in the room and then set his head back on his paws and closed his eyes. I couldn’t help feeling disappointed that he wasn’t sitting near me. Just touching his fur would have been reassuring, but then I berated myself. I should be more worried about him than about myself. I’m not the one who’s been tortured for months. The least I could do is not pressure him.
Nilima wanted to know everything that had happened, and Mr. Kadam felt it would be a good idea for all of us to share our stories so we could hear the different parts of our adventure. Nilima agreed to prepare food and asked for my assistance. Kishan wanted to stay with Ren, who appeared to be sleeping. He said that it was best to let sleeping tigers lie for the time being.
He carried me to the kitchen and set me on a stool before returning to the other room. Nilima pulled out ingredients to make omelets and French toast and set me about the task of grating cheese and chopping onions and green peppers. We worked quietly for a while, but I noticed her watching me.
“I’m okay, Nilima, really. You don’t have to worry about me. I’m not as fragile as Kishan makes me out to be.”
“Oh, it’s not that. I don’t think you’re fragile at all. In fact, I think you are a very courageous person.”
“Then why are you watching me so closely?”
“You are . . . special, Miss Kelsey.”
I laughed as well as my sore jaw allowed. “What do you mean?”
“You really are the center. You are what holds this family together. Grandfather was in such . . . despair before you came. You have saved him.”
“I think Mr. Kadam is much more in the habit of saving me.”
“No. We became a family when you became part of our lives. Though there is danger, he’s never been as fulfilled or as happy as when you are around. He loves you. They all love you.”
Embarrassed, I said, “What about you, Nilima? Is this crazy life what you want for yourself? Do you ever wish for a life free of espionage and intrigue?”
She smiled as she buttered the skillet and set four pieces of French toast to cook. “Grandfather needs me. How can I abandon him? I couldn’t leave him alone and companionless. I have my family too, of course. My parents wonder why I haven’t married yet and why I’m so focused on my career. I tell them I am happy to serve. They don’t really understand it, but they accept it. They are able to live comfortably because of Grandfather’s assistance.”
“Do they know they’re related to him?”
“No. I have kept that from them. It took him a long time to trust me with his secret. I wouldn’t share it without his knowledge.”
She scrambled the eggs, added cream, and began making the first omelet. There was something comforting and homey about being in the kitchen with another woman while cooking.
Nilima said, “Now that you are here, I see that he might find his rest at last. He may be able to finally set aside his worry, his great responsibility for the princes. I’m very proud to have such a selfless ancestor, and I feel humbled that I have the opportunity to know him.”
“He’s a very noble person. I never knew either of my grandfathers. I would have been proud to have him as mine too.”
We became quiet as we finished preparing our repast. I summoned honeyed flower nectar for our beverage and sliced the melon. Nilima finished preparing the plates, placed them on a large tray, and carried it to the peacock room. Kishan returned to retrieve me, and Mr. Kadam joined us a moment later. The white tiger lifted his head and sniffed.
I set a giant plate of eggs on the floor in front of him. He began licking the plate immediately, pushing the eggs back and forth until they somehow made it into his mouth. I took a chance and patted his head, scratching him behind his ears. He didn’t growl this time and leaned into it. Then I must’ve hit a sore spot because his chest rumbled softly.
I tried to reassure him, “It’s okay, Ren. I just wanted to say hello and give you your breakfast. I’m sorry if I hurt you.”
Kishan leaned forward and said, “Kells, please. Move back.”
“I’ll be all right. He won’t harm me.”
My white tiger got up and moved closer to Kishan. It hurt. I couldn’t help but feel betrayed, as if he was a family pet that had turned on me and snapped at my hand. I knew I was being irrational, but his actions stung. He set a paw on either side of the plate and stared at me until I lowered my eyes. Then he turned back to his breakfast.
Mr. Kadam patted my hand and said, “Perhaps we should enjoy our meal and share what happened with Nilima. I’m sure Ren would like to know as well.”
I nodded and pushed my food back and forth on my plate. I suddenly didn’t feel very hungry.
Kishan began. “We parachuted into a clearing a few kilometers from the Baiga camp and hiked in. An old pilot who used to work for Mr. Kadam at Flying Tiger Airlines agreed to drop us off. He flew us in on one of those old World War II troop planes that he keeps in good condition.”
Nilima nodded, sipping her nectar.
Kishan rubbed his jaw. “The guy must’ve been at least ninety years old. I was doubtful at first that the old man still had the ability to fly, but he definitely proved his skill. The drop was smooth and effortless despite the fact that Kelsey almost didn’t jump.”
“It wasn’t the same as in training,” I interjected, defending myself.
“You jumped three times during practice and also with me in Shangri-la, and you were always fine.”
“That was different. It was daytime then, and I didn’t have to . . . to drive.”
He explained, “During practice, we’d jumped in tandem.” Frustrated, he raised his voice. “You knew all you had to do was ask. I would’ve jumped with you, but you stubbornly insisted you needed to do it by yourself.”
“Well, if you weren’t so . . . hands on in tandem—”
“And if you weren’t so paranoid about me touching you—”
“It would’ve been fine!” We both spat at the same time.
My voice squeaked in panicked alarm as I glared at Kishan. “Can we please move on?”
Kishan narrowed his eyes in a look that said he’d continue the discussion later. “As I said, Kelsey almost didn’t jump in time. Kadam went first, and then I had to force Kelsey out before we missed our jump window.”
I muttered, “Forcing me is about right. You dragged me behind you.”
He pointedly stared at me. “You gave me no other option.”
He’d offered me another option alright. The option to drop the whole thing, forget about Ren, and run away with him instead. It was either that or leap out of an airplane by myself.
I wasn’t sure if he was serious or just trying to get me to jump. I’d just opened my mouth to lecture him on maintaining an appropriate distance, when he growled angrily, grabbed my hand, and jumped out of the hatch.
He continued, “After we made it to the clearing, we assumed our disguises and went our separate ways. I took the form of Kelsey, wearing a replica of her amulet.”
“I took the form of the Baiga servant,” I added. It was very uncomfortable watching you be me, by the way, Kishan.”
“It was equally uncomfortable being you. My job was to seek Lokesh and keep him busy, so I hid behind a building until I heard the signal: a tiger’s roar.”
Mr. Kadam interrupted, “That would have been me. I disguised myself as a tiger and ran off into the jungle to spring a few traps and draw off some of the soldiers.”
“Right,” Kishan said. “Kelsey began blowing stuff up, which drew off any stragglers, so I met virtually no resistance getting into the camp. Finding Lokesh was another matter. I had to take out his highly trained ring of guards. I disabled several of them with the chakram and took out the lights before they even noticed me. After that, I used my appearance to my advantage.”
Suspiciously, I inquired, “How exactly did you use my appearance to your advantage?”
Kishan smiled widely. “I acted female. I stumbled into the room, feigned shock and fear, and asked all the big, strong men to protect me, saying that there was a crazy guy trying to kill me with a golden disc. You know, I batted my eyes and flirted. Women stuff.”
I crossed my arms and stared Kishan down. “Uh-huh. Please go on.”
Kishan sighed and ran a hand through his hair. “Before you get all huffy, which is your standard reaction to me, just stop, because I know what you’re thinking.”
I folded my arms across my chest. “Oh, really? And what am I thinking?”
“You’re thinking that I’m trying to stereotype women and you in particular.” He threw up his hands in exasperation. “You’re not like that, Kells. I was just playing the hand I was given and trying to use all my assets!”
“That’s fine when you’re using your own assets, but not when you’re using mine!”
“Fine! Next time I’ll go as Nilima!”
Nilima said, “Hey! Nobody’s using my assets either.”
Mr. Kadam interrupted, “Perhaps we should continue the story?”
Kishan glowered and began muttering about women in a military operation and that next time he’d go by himself.
“I heard that. You would have been carved up by Lokesh without me.” I smirked.
“Indeed. Every person was vital to our success,” Mr. Kadam said. “I will move on to my part, and you can finish later, Kishan.”
He sat back and folded his arms across his chest. “Fine by me.”
Mr. Kadam started by telling Nilima how liberating it was to be a tiger. “The power of the tiger is beyond anything I’d imagined. We weren’t sure if the Divine Scarf worked only with human disguises, so we’d tested changing into an animal. It seems we can change to either Kishan’s or Ren’s tiger forms, but no other animals. When we arrived, I assumed the form of Kishan’s black tiger. Then Miss Kelsey wrapped the Scarf around my neck right before we parted.
“I ran through the jungle and found several baited traps. I sprung two of them, which set off alarms, and soon heard the tread of soldiers’ feet chasing me. Shots were fired, but I was faster than they were. At one point, a group of them thought they had cornered me. They were about to fire when I changed to a man, the sight of which shocked them, and gave me a moment to spring the trap. I pulled on a rope attached to a haunch of meat, and the soldiers were lifted into the air in a large net. I left them dangling from the treetops and ran back to the camp for phase two of my plan.
“By the time I reached the camp, Miss Kelsey had already destroyed one of the two watchtowers. The villagers were running in every direction, frightened for their families. I stood behind a tree and changed my appearance again.”
Nilima leaned forward. “What did you become this time?”
“I took on the form of a local Baiga god named Dulha Dao, who they believe helps to avert disease and accident. I rallied the people to me and told them I was here to help them overcome the stranger. They were more than happy to help me tear down the house of the evil one. Miss Kelsey left the gada in a discreet location for me to use. It’s normally heavy for me, but when I wielded it as Dulha Dao, it felt light. With the villagers’ help, I knocked down the wall and the people helped me to incapacitate Lokesh’s men.”
Nilima asked, “What did you look like?”
He blushed, so I interrupted, “Oh, Mr. Kadam as Dulha Dao was definitely nice-looking. He looked similar to the tribesmen, except taller with a much larger frame and he was handsome. His hair was long and heavy, and part of it was wrapped in a jura at the top of his head with the other part flowing down his back.
“He was muscular, and his rather nice torso and face were covered in tattoos. He was bare-chested, covered with heavy beaded necklaces, and barefoot, and he wore a wrap-around skirt. He looked very alarming, but in a good way, especially, I imagine, when he was wielding the gada.”
When I finished my description, everyone was staring at me, and Nilima was laughing.
“What?” I asked, embarrassed. “Okay. So, apparently I find burly Indian men attractive. What’s wrong with that?”
Kishan was frowning, Mr. Kadam seemed . . . pleased, and Nilima giggled.
“Nothing at all, Miss Kelsey. I’m sure I would have thought the same thing,” she said.
Mr. Kadam cleared his throat. “Yes . . . well . . . I appreciate the flattering description, regardless. It’s been a long time since a woman found me . . . burly.”
I started giggling, and Nilima soon joined me.
Mr. Kadam asked, “Are you ready to continue?”
“Yes,” we voiced in unison.
“As I was saying, the people rallied to me, and we tied up all the guards. Then we moved in on the command center. The doors were heavily fortified and locked. We searched the men for a key but couldn’t find one. It was easier for me to knock a hole through the wall than to take down those doors. I finally broke into the complex to find Kelsey and Kishan prostrate on the floor and Lokesh nowhere in sight. The room was full of some kind of candy.”
“Jawbreakers,” I added.
“How did that come about?” Nilima asked.
“I had to do something, and the Golden Fruit was the only weapon I could access, so I wished for a hailstorm of jawbreakers.”
“That was very clever. We never practiced that one. It seemed to work well,” Mr. Kadam commented.
“It wouldn’t have worked for long. Lokesh bounces back quickly. The only thing that drove him off was you. You and the Baiga saved the day.”
“So Lokesh had the power to freeze you?”
“Yes.”
“Did you note any of his other powers?”
“Yes.”
“Good. We will discuss them later.”
“Okay. I’ll write down everything that happened while it’s fresh.”
“Very good. Continuing on, after Kishan and Kelsey found Ren, the Baiga wanted to move away from the camp as quickly as possible. They loaded everything they could carry, and filed into the jungle. We accompanied them partly because I felt responsible to get them as far away from Lokesh as I could and partly because it was in the direction we needed to go anyway. Just before we left, Ren picked up a knife and pierced the skin of his arm.”
I leaned forward. “What was he doing?”
“Removing a tracking device Lokesh had put in.”
I looked down at my white tiger with sympathy. His eyes were closed, but his ears were flicking back and forth. He was listening.
“We journeyed with the Baiga, had a feast with them, and left right after I signaled you, Nilima.”
“You play a deity very well,” I teased.
“Yes. Well, it seems they believed all four of us were deities. If I’d seen the things they had, I would believe we were deities too.”
I asked, “Did they really use magic to hold Ren there?”
“When I spoke to them about it, the gunia claimed he did have power over tigers and used his magic to hold Ren there. He can create a barrier of sorts around the encampment to protect his village from tiger attacks. However, he said that about a week ago the spell was switched to attract tigers to the village instead. It seems the soldiers have been plagued by tiger attacks all week.”
“Ah, so that’s why Kishan could get in?”
“Apparently.”
“Does that mean Ren could have gotten out?”
“Possibly, but Lokesh does seem to have powers of his own as well. I presume that using the Baiga to contain Ren was just a back-up plan in case Lokesh was too distracted to incapacitate Ren himself.”
I spoke softly, “He’s horrible. Ren was his ultimate prize, his trophy. The one he’s waited for and hunted for centuries. He wouldn’t have let Ren escape.”
Kishan interjected, “I think he’s lost interest in Ren. He’s after someone else now.”
Mr. Kadam shook his head discreetly.
“Who?” I asked.
He said nothing.
“It’s me, isn’t it?” I stated flatly.
Finally, Kishan spoke, addressing Mr. Kadam. “It’s better that she knows so she can be prepared.” Turning to me, he said, “Yes. He’s determined to go after you, Kells.”
“Why? I mean, why is he after me?”
“Because he knows how important you are to us. And because . . . you beat him.”
“That wasn’t me. That was you.”
“But he doesn’t know that.” Kishan shot me a meaningful look.
I groaned softly and only half listened as Kishan began describing our fight with Lokesh. I offered comments only when Kishan forgot something.
Ren was watching us now and listening intently to what we were saying. I set my uneaten plate of food on the floor, hoping he might be interested. He watched me curiously, and then stood up and came a few steps closer.
He ate the eggs but pushed the pieces of French toast back and forth, unable to get them in his mouth. Cautiously, I used my fork to pick up a thick slice. He delicately pulled it off the fork, and swallowed it in one gulp. I did the same with the other one. After he licked the plate clean, he lay down near Kishan and began licking sticky syrup from his paws.
Kishan had fallen quiet, and when I looked up, I saw him watching me. His eyes crinkled at the corners with just a touch of sadness. I looked away. He frowned and started speaking again. When he got to the part where Lokesh threatened to kill me and stop my heart, I interrupted him and clarified.
“Lokesh wasn’t talking about me.”
“Yes, he was, Kells. He must have known who you were. He said I’ll kill him, stop his heart.”
“Yes, but why would you, disguised as Kelsey, be concerned about me in my Baiga servant disguise? He said kill him, not kill her. He merely thought I was betraying him.”
“But Lokesh threatening to kill you was why I stopped.”
“That may be why you let him go, but he wasn’t threatening me.”
“Then who was he threatening?”
I looked down at the white tiger and felt my face flame red.
“Oh,” he said dully. “He was threatening him. I wish I would have known that at the time.”
“Yes, he was threatening Ren. He knew I wouldn’t do anything to harm him.”
“Right. Of course you wouldn’t.”
“What does that mean? And what do you mean you wish you would have known that at the time? Do you mean you wouldn’t have stopped?”
“No. Yes. Maybe. I don’t know what I would have done. I can’t predict how I would have reacted.”
The subject of our discussion perked up the tiger’s ears. He looked at me.
“Well, then I’m glad you misunderstood. Otherwise, Ren might not be here right now.”
Kishan sighed. “Kelsey.”
“No! It’s nice to know you would have been willing to sacrifice him!”
Mr. Kadam shifted in his chair. “It would not have been an easy decision for him, Miss Kelsey. I have trained both boys that, though each individual is of great importance, sometimes sacrifices for the good of all must be made. If he had the opportunity to rid the world of Lokesh, his first reaction would have been to end the tyrant’s life. The fact that he stayed his hand at all speaks to the depth of emotion he felt at the time. Don’t think less of him.”
Kishan leaned forward, pressed his fingertips together, and stared at the floor. “I know how much he means to you. I’m certain I would have made the same decision if I had known Lokesh was speaking of Ren and not of you.”
“Are you sure about that?”
He raised his eyes to mine, and several unspoken thoughts passed between us. He knew what I was asking. There was more to my question than Mr. Kadam and Nilima were aware of. I was asking Kishan if he would knowingly let his brother die to secure the life he wanted to have. It would be easy for him to step in and fill Ren’s shoes if Ren wasn’t around any longer. I was asking him if that’s the kind of man he was.
Kishan studied me thoughtfully for a few seconds and then, with utter sincerity, said, “I promise you, Kelsey, that I will protect him with my life, until the end of my days.”
His golden eyes glittered and pierced mine. He meant it, and I suddenly realized that he had changed. He wasn’t the same man I’d met in the forest a year before. He’d lost the cynical, sullen, woebegone attitude. He was a man fighting for his family, for a purpose. He’d never make the same mistake he’d made with Yesubai again. Looking into his eyes, I knew that no matter what happened in our future, I could rely upon him for anything.
For the first time since I met him, I saw the mantle of a prince fall about his shoulders. Here was a man who would sacrifice for others. Here was a man who would do his duty. Here was a man who acknowledged his weaknesses and worked to overcome them. Here was a man telling me that I could choose another, and that he would watch over us and protect us even if it broke his heart.
I stammered, “I . . . apologize for doubting you. Please forgive me.”
He smiled sadly. “There’s nothing to forgive, bilauta.”
“Shall I pick up the story from here?” I asked softly.
“Why not?” he replied.
The first thing I told Nilima was how I used the Golden Fruit to stop up the gas tanks with sponge cake and the guns by filling them all with beeswax. The problem was that it worked only on the guns and cars I could see. That’s why Lokesh had been able to escape in his car and the men I couldn’t see still had weapons that worked.
I described the jawbreaker shower, how Lokesh got away, and about how Fanindra led us to Ren. Then I talked about meeting myself. I told her I had disguised myself as the Baiga servant who was helping Lokesh, which was probably why Ren punched me in the jaw. I explained that the servant had been forced to work with Lokesh and how he had shorn his hair as a sign of contrition, offering it to Ren while begging for his forgiveness.
I went into great detail about the Baiga feast and told Nilima about the two women who were offered to my sons as wives. She rolled her eyes and commiserated with me as she sipped her nectar. I added that Kishan apparently wanted one of the sisters for a wife, but that Ren had argued with him.
Kishan scowled. “I told you that’s not what happened.”
“Then what did happen?”
I caught Mr. Kadam shaking his head discreetly again out of the corner of my eye and quickly turned to him.
“What now? What aren’t you two telling me?”
Mr. Kadam quickly tried to reassure me, “Nothing, Miss Kelsey. It’s just that,” he paused uncomfortably, “it was considered very rude of us to reject the women, and the boys were trying to demonstrate their reluctance to appease the tribal leaders.”
“Oh.”
Mr. Kadam and Kishan locked eyes. Kishan turned away with an expression of distaste, annoyance, and impatience. I glanced at Nilima, who seemed confused. She was watching Mr. Kadam very carefully.
I said, “Something’s going on here that I’m not privy to and I’m really too tired to figure out what it is, which is fine. Actually, I don’t really care about the two women anyway. It’s over and done with. We have Ren back, and that’s all that really matters.”
Nilima cleared her throat and got up, gathered the dishes, and was taking the tray to the kitchen to wash them, when Ren decided to become a man again. Everyone in the room froze. He looked at each one of us in turn, and then he smiled at Nilima. “May I help you with that?” he asked politely.
She paused and smiled, slightly nodding her head. We all stared at him expectantly, waiting for him to speak to us, but, instead, he quietly helped Nilima take everything to the kitchen. We heard him asking her if she would like some help with the dishes. She said she would take care of it and indicated that the others, meaning us, would probably like some time to talk with him. He entered the room hesitantly and evaluated the expressions of all three of us.
He sat down next to Kishan and said quietly, “Why do I feel like I’m standing before the Spanish Inquisition?”
“We just want to assure ourselves that you are indeed all right,” Mr. Kadam said.
“I’m well enough.”
His words hung in the air, and I imagined the rest of his sentence to be for a man who has been tortured for months.
I ventured, “Ren? I’m so . . . sorry. We shouldn’t have left you there. If I had known about the fire power I have, I could’ve saved you. It was my fault.”
Ren narrowed his eyes and studied me.
Kishan contradicted, “You had nothing to do with it, Kells. He pushed you toward me. It was all his decision. He wanted you to be safe.” He nodded to Ren. “Tell her.”
Ren looked at his brother as if he wasn’t making sense. He said, “I don’t remember it exactly the same way, but if you say so.”
He let his words trail off and looked at me curiously, but not in a good way. It was as if I was a strange new creature he’d found in the jungle, and he wasn’t sure if he should eat me or bat me around with his paws. As he openly considered me, he wrinkled his nose as if he smelled something distasteful and then spoke to Mr. Kadam.
“Thank you for saving me. I should have known you would have come up with a plan to liberate me.”
“Actually, it was Miss Kelsey who came up with the idea for me to impersonate a deity. Without the Divine Scarf she and Kishan retrieved, we wouldn’t have been able to rescue you at all. I had no idea where to find you. Only through the vision and seeing the Baiga man did we come to figure out where Lokesh was holding you. And only through the weapons given to us by Durga were we able to subdue the guards.”
Ren nodded and smiled at me. “It would appear I owe you a debt of gratitude. Thank you for your efforts.”
Something was wrong. He didn’t seem like the Ren I knew. His demeanor toward me was cold, distant. Kishan wouldn’t look at Ren.
We all sat quietly. Thick tension radiated between all of us. I suddenly found myself envying Nilima in the kitchen. There was definitely an elephant in the room, and it wasn’t helping that all three men were staring at me with questions and concern in their eyes. First, I needed to talk with Ren. Then once we were okay, I’d move on to Kishan.
I raised my eyebrows meaningfully at Mr. Kadam, and he finally got my unspoken message. He cleared his throat and announced, “Kishan, would you mind helping me move something in my room? It’s much too heavy for me to lift on my own.”
Ren stood and said, “I don’t mind helping you. Kishan can stay.”
Mr. Kadam smiled. “Please sit and rest for a while longer. Kishan and I can handle it, and I believe Miss Kelsey would like some time to talk with you alone.”
Kishan spoke, “I really don’t think it’s safe yet to—”
I locked my eyes on Ren. “It’s okay, Kishan. He won’t injure me.”
Kishan stood and faced Ren, who nodded and said, “I won’t harm her.”
“Uh, Kishan? Could you?”
He sighed, and knowing what I was asking for, picked me up carefully, and settled me on the couch near Ren. Before he left, he warned, “I’ll be close by. If you need me, just shout.” He turned to Ren and threatened, “Do not hurt her. I’ll be listening.”
“You will not be listening,” I said.
“I will be listening.”
I frowned. Kishan gave me a look as they left, but I ignored him. I was finally alone with Ren. I had so many things to say to him; I didn’t know how to act. His cobalt blue eyes measured me as if I was a strange bird who’d suddenly perched on his arm. I searched his handsome face and finally spoke. “If you’re not too tired, I’d like to talk with you for a minute.”
He shrugged. “If you like.”
I tucked my leg gingerly on the cushion so I could face him. “I . . . I missed you so much.” He raised an eyebrow. “There’s so much to tell you, I don’t even know where to start. I know you’re tired and probably still in pain, so I’ll be brief. I wanted to say that I know you need time to heal, and that I understand if you need some alone time. But, I’m here whenever you need me.
“I can be a good nurse even if you want to be cranky. I’ll bring you chicken soup and chocolate peanut butter cookies. I’ll read you Shakespeare or poems or whatever you like. We could start on the Monte Cristo book and go from there.” I took his hand in both of mine. “Please just tell me what you need. I’ll make sure you get it.”
He gently extracted his hand and said, “That’s very kind of you.”
“Kind has nothing to do with it.” I moved closer and put my hands on the sides of his face. He sucked in a breath as I said, “You’re my home. I love you.”
I didn’t mean to push him so fast, but I needed him. We’d been apart for so long, and, at last, he was here and I could touch him. I leaned forward and kissed him. He stiffened in surprise. My lips clung to his, and I felt the wetness of tears on my cheeks. I wrapped my arms around his neck and slid nearer until I was almost sitting on his lap.
One of his arms was stretched out on the couch behind us, and his other hand rested on his thigh. He seemed distant. He wasn’t holding me or kissing me back. I kissed his cheek and buried my face in his neck, inhaling the warm sandalwood scent of him.
After a moment, I pulled back and dropped my arms awkwardly into my lap. His surprised expression remained. He touched his lip and grinned. “Now that’s the kind of welcome home a man likes to get.”
I laughed, deliriously happy that he was back. I shrugged off my doubts and worries, realizing that he just probably needed some time to feel like a normal person before he could be part of a relationship again. He grunted in pain, and I quickly moved away to give him more room. He seemed much more comfortable after I’d moved.
“Can I ask you a question?” he said.
I took his hand in mine and kissed his palm. He watched my actions, intrigued, and then pulled his hand away.
“Of course you may,” I replied.
He reached out, tugged my braid lightly, and twisted the ribbon in his fingers. “Who are you?”