I sucked in a breath, my skin tingled, and I quivered slightly, which seemed to make him even more pleased with himself. He went off to walk the perimeter of our camp one last time while I drew my knees up to my chin, wrapped my arms around them, and let my mind drift.
My throat tingled where Ren had touched me. I lifted my hand to the hollow at the base of my neck and fingered the amulet. Briefly, I thought about Kishan and how formidable he appeared to be on the surface. Inside, he was as harmless as a kitten. The dangerous one was Ren. Innocent though the white tiger appeared to be, he was a compel-ling predator. Utterly irresistible – like a Venus flytrap. So alluring, so tempting, so deadly. Everything he did was seductive and quite possibly hazardous to my heart.
He seemed much more intimidating to me than Kishan with his flirty and blatant comments. Both brothers were gorgeous and charming. They had old-fashioned chivalrous manners that any girl would swoon over. But the way they talked, the things they said were straightforward. It wasn’t just a game to them. It wasn’t just a way to pick up women. They were serious.
Kishan was equal to Ren in many ways. In that regard, I could understand Yesubai’s choice, but what made Ren 100 per cent more dangerous for me was that I had feelings for him – strong ones. I already loved the tiger part of him before I even knew he was a man. That bond made caring for the man that much easier.
But being with the man was so much more complicated than being with the tiger. I had to constantly remind myself that they were two sides of the same coin – literally heads and tails. There were so many reasons I should let myself fall completely for Ren. There was a definite connection between us. I was undeniably attracted to him. We had a lot in common. I enjoyed my time with him. I liked talking to him and listening to his voice. And, I felt like I could tell him anything.
But, there were also many reasons for me to be cautious. Our relationship felt so complex. Everything had happened so fast. I felt over-whelmed by him. We were from different cultures. Different countries. Different centuries. Until now, we were even from different species for most of each day.
Falling for him would be like cliff diving. It would be either the most exhilarating thing that ever happened to me or the stupidest mistake I’d ever make. It would make my life worth living or it would crush me against stony rocks and break me utterly. Perhaps the wise thing to do would be to slow things down. Being friends would be so much simpler.
Ren came back, picked up my empty dinner packet, and stowed it in the backpack. Sitting down across from me, he asked, ‘What are you thinking about?’
I kept staring glassily at the fire. ‘Nothing much.’
He tilted his head and considered me for a moment. He didn’t press me, for which I was grateful – another characteristic I could add to the pro relationship side of my mental list.
Pressing his hands together palm to palm, he rubbed them slowly, mechanically, as if cleaning them of dust. I watched them move, mesmerized.
‘I’ll take the first watch, even though I really don’t think it’ll be necessary. I still have my tiger senses, you know. I’ll be able to hear or smell the Kappa if they decide to emerge from the water.’
‘Fine.’
‘Are you alright?’
I mentally shook myself. Sheesh! I needed a cold shower! He was like a drug, and what did you do with drugs? You pushed them as far away as possible.
‘I’m fine,’ I said brusquely, then got up to dig through the back-pack. ‘You let me know when your spidey-senses start to tingle.’
‘What?’
I put my hand on my hip. ‘Can you also leap tall buildings in a single bound?’
‘Well, I still have my tiger strength, if that’s what you mean.’
I grunted, ‘Fabulous. I’ll add superhero to your list of pros.’
He frowned. ‘I’m no superhero, Kells. The most important consid-eration right now is that you get some rest. I’ll keep an eye out for a few hours. Then, if nothing happens,’ he said with a grin, ‘I’ll join you.’
I froze and suddenly became very nervous. Surely, he didn’t mean what that sounded like. I searched his face for a clue, but he didn’t seem to have any hidden agenda or be planning anything.
I fished out my quilt, purposefully moved to the other side of the fire, and tried to get comfortable on the grass. I rolled around, twisting in my quilt until I was mummy-wrapped to keep out the bugs. Tucking my arm under my head, I stared up at the starless black canopy.
Ren didn’t seem to mind my defection. He made himself comfort-able on the other side of the fire and virtually dis--appeared into the darkness.
I murmured, ‘Ren? Where do you think we are? I don’t think that’s the sky up above us.’
He replied softly, ‘I think we’re deep underground somewhere.’
‘It feels almost like we’ve crossed over into another world.’ I shifted around, trying to find a soft piece of ground. After a restless half hour of wriggling, I sighed in frustration.
‘What’s wrong?’
Before I could stop myself, I mumbled, ‘I’m used to resting my head on a warm tiger-fur pillow is what’s wrong.’
He grunted, ‘Hmm, let me see what I can do.’
Panicky, I squeaked out, ‘No, really. I’m okay. Don’t bother.’
He ignored my protests, scooped up my mummy-wrapped self, and set me down again on his side of the fire. He turned me on my side so I faced the fire, lay down behind me, and slid an arm under my neck to cradle my head.
‘Is that more comfortable for you?’
‘Uh, yes and no. My head can definitely rest better in this position. Unfortunately, the rest of me is feeling the complete opposite of relaxed.’
‘What do you mean? Why can’t you relax?’ ‘Because you’re too close for me to relax.’
Bemused, he said, ‘Me being too close never bothered you when I was a tiger.’ ‘The tiger you and the man you are two completely different things.’
He put his arm around my waist and tugged me closer so we were spooned together. He sounded irritated and disappointed when he muttered, ‘It doesn’t feel different to me. Just close your eyes and imagine I’m still a tiger.’
‘It doesn’t exactly work like that.’ I lay stiffly in his arms, nervous, especially when he began nuzzling the back of my neck.
He said softly, ‘I like the smell of your hair.’ His chest rumbled against my back, sending massaging vibrations through my body as he purred.
‘Ren, can you not do that right now?’
He lifted his head. ‘You like it when I purr. It helps you sleep better.’
‘Yes, well, that only works with the tiger. How can you do that as a man anyway?’
He paused, said, ‘I don’t know. I just can,’ then buried his face in my hair again and stroked my arm.
‘Uh, Ren? Explain to me how you plan to keep watch like this.’
His lips grazed my neck. ‘I can hear and smell the Kappa, remember?’
I twitched and shivered, with nerves, or anticipation, or something else, and he noticed. He stopped kissing my neck and lifted his head to peer at my face in the flickering firelight. His voice was solemn and calm, ‘Kelsey, I hope you know that I would never hurt you. You don’t need to be afraid of me.’
Rolling toward him, I lifted my hand and touched his cheek. Looking into his blue eyes, I sighed. ‘I’m not afraid of you, Ren. I trust you with my life. I’ve just never been close to someone like this before.’
He kissed me softly and smiled. ‘I haven’t either.’
He shifted, lying down again. ‘Now, turn around and go to sleep. I’m warning you that I plan to sleep with you in my arms all night long. Who knows when, or if, I’ll ever get to do it again. So try to relax, and for heaven’s sake, don’t wiggle!’
He pulled me back against his warm chest, and I closed my eyes. I ended up sleeping better than I had in weeks.