Recovering from the initial shock, I snapped out of my daze and assessed my situation. He was Ren, the tiger. We stared at each other for a moment, and I knew he was telling the truth. The eyes were the same.
I felt the fear in my body drain away while a new emotion rushed forward to fill the void: anger. Despite all the time I’d spent with him, he’d chosen not to share this secret with me. He’d led me through the jungle, apparently on purpose, and allowed me to believe that I was lost, in a foreign country, in the wilderness, alone.
I knew he’d never hurt me. He was a . . . friend, and I trusted him. But why hadn’t he trusted me? He’d had plenty of opportunities to share this peculiar reality, but he hadn’t.
Looking at him with suspicion, I irritably asked, ‘So, what are you? Are you a man who became a tiger or a tiger that turned into a man? Or are you like a werewolf? If you bit me, would I turn into a tiger too?’
He tilted his head with a puzzled expression on his face, but he didn’t answer right away. He watched me with the same intense blue eyes as the tiger. It was disconcerting.
‘Uh, Ren? I think I’d feel more comfortable if you moved a little farther away from me while we discuss this.’
He sighed, walked calmly over to the corner, sat on a chair, and then leaned against the wall, balancing himself on the chair’s two back legs. ‘Kelsey, I will answer all of your questions. Just be patient with me and give me time to explain.’
‘Alright. Explain.’
As he gathered his thoughts, I scrutinized his appearance. I couldn’t believe that this was my tiger – that the tiger I cared about was this man.
He didn’t look very tiger-like, other than his eyes. He had full lips, a square jaw, and an aristocratic nose. He didn’t look like any other man I’d ever seen. I couldn’t place it, but there was something else, something cultured about him. He exuded confidence, strength, and nobility.
Even barefoot with nondescript clothing, he looked like someone powerful. And even if he weren’t good looking – and he was extremely good looking – I still would have been drawn to him. Maybe that was the tiger part of him. Tigers always seem regal to me. They capture my attention. He was as beautiful a man as he was a tiger.
I trusted my tiger, but could I trust the man? I warily eyed him from the edge of the rickety bed, my doubts obvious on my face. He was patient, allowing me to boldly study him, and even seemed amused, as if he could read my thoughts.
I finally broke the silence, ‘Well, Ren? I’m listening.’
He pinched the bridge of his nose between his thumb and fore-finger, then slid his hand up through his silky black hair, mussing it in a distractingly attractive way.
Dropping his hand to his lap, he looked at me thoughtfully from under thick eyelashes. ‘Ah, Kelsey. Where do I begin? There’s so much I need to tell you, but I don’t even know where to start.’
His voice was quiet, refined, and genial, and I soon found myself mesmerized by it. He spoke English very well with just a slight accent. He had a honeyed voice – the kind that sends a girl off into wistful daydreams. I shook off my reaction and caught him scrutinizing me with his cobalt blue eyes.
There was a tangible connection between us. I didn’t know if it was simple attraction or something else. His presence was unsettling. I tried looking away from him to calm myself, but I ended up twisting my hands and staring at my feet, which were tapping the bamboo floor with jittery energy. When I looked back at his face, the side of his mouth was turned up in a smirk and one of his eyebrows was raised.
I cleared my throat weakly. ‘I’m sorry. What did you say?’
‘Is it that hard to sit still and listen?’
‘No. You just make me nervous, that’s all.’
‘You weren’t nervous around me before.’
‘Well, you don’t look the same as you did before. You can’t expect me to behave the same way around you now.’
‘Kelsey, try to relax. I would never harm you.’
‘Okay. I’ll sit on my hands. Is that better?’
He laughed.
Whoa. Even his laugh is magnetic.
‘Keeping still is something I had to learn while being a tiger. A tiger must lie motionless for long periods of time. It requires patience and for this explanation you will need some.’
He stretched his powerful shoulders and then reached up to pull on the string of an apron hanging from a hook. He twisted it around his finger unconsciously and said, ‘I have to do this rather quickly. I only have a few minutes of each day when I can take human form – to be exact, only twenty-four minutes of each twenty-four-hour day – so, because I’ll change into a tiger again soon, I want to make the most of my time with you. Will you let me have these few minutes?’
I took a deep breath. ‘Yes. I want to hear your explanation. Please go on.’
‘Do you remember the story of Prince Dhiren that Mr. Kadam told you at the circus?’
‘Yes, I remember. Wait. Are you saying-— ?’
‘That story was mostly accurate. I am the Dhiren that he spoke of. I was the prince of the Mujulaain empire. It’s true that Kishan, my brother, and my fiancée betrayed me, but the end of the story is a fabrication. I was not killed, as many people have been led to believe. My brother and I were cursed and changed into tigers. Mr. Kadam has faithfully kept our secret all of these centuries. Please don’t blame him for bringing you here. It was my fault. You see, I . . . need you, Kelsey.’
My mouth went suddenly dry, and I found myself leaning forward, barely sitting on the edge of the bed. I almost fell off. I quickly cleared my throat and readjusted my position on the bed, hoping he hadn’t noticed.
‘Uh, what do you mean you need me?’
‘Mr. Kadam and I believe you are the only one who can break the curse. Somehow, you’ve already freed me from captivity.’
‘But, I didn’t free you. Mr. Kadam’s the one who purchased your freedom.’
‘No. Mr. Kadam was unable to purchase my freedom until you came along. When I was captured, I was no longer able to change into my human form or gain my freedom until something, or should I say someone, special came along. That someone special was you.’
He curled the apron string around his finger, and I watched as he unwound it and began again. My eyes drifted back up to his face. It was turned toward the window. He appeared calm and serene, but I recognized underpinnings of sadness hidden from view. The sun shone through the window, and the curtain blew slightly in the breeze, causing sunlight and shadow to dance across his face.
I stammered, ‘Okay, what do you need me for? What do I have to do?’
He turned back to me and continued, ‘We came to this hut for a reason. The man who lives here is a shaman, a monk, and he’s the one who can explain your role in all this. He wouldn’t share anything further until we found you and brought you here. Even I don’t know why you are the chosen one. The shaman also insists that he must speak with us alone. That’s why Mr. Kadam was left behind.’
He leaned forward. ‘Will you stay here with me until he returns and at least hear what he has to say? If you decide afterward that you wish to leave and return home, Mr. Kadam will arrange it.’
I stared at the floor. ‘Dhiren—’
‘Please call me Ren.’
I blushed and made eye contact. ‘Okay, Ren. Your explanation is overwhelming. I don’t know what to say.’
Varying emotions flitted across his handsome face.
Who was I to reject a handsome man – I mean tiger. I sighed. ‘Alright. I’ll wait and meet your monk, but I’m hot, sweaty, hungry, tired, in need of a good bath, and frankly, I’m not sure I even trust you. I don’t think I could take another night of sleeping in the jungle.’