Page 134 of Tiger's Dream
I glanced up and the boy’s bright green eyes sparkled as he said, “Would you say we won the bet, father?”
Changing into human form, I punched him lightly on the shoulder, and smiled at him. “If anyone here is getting older, it’s you. It was a nice job you did back there, and yes, I’d say you won the wager. Don’t tell your mother though. You know how she is.” The boys laughed and my heart swelled in my chest.Mine, I thought. Those handsome young men were my sons. I don’t know how I knew it, I just did.
One of the scouts, a younger boy of about sixteen, returned with an expression of alarm. “Father, do you see that smoke on the horizon? A village is being attacked. Should we summon the goddess?”
“How many?” I asked, musing.
“Two dozen by my estimate.”
“Do you think we can handle them?”
The boy raised his eyebrows and gave me a look that said I should already know the answer to that question.
“All right,” I said. “I don’t see any need to bother her. We’ll have to stash the deer, but we can come back for them. Hopefully something else won’t drag them off first.”
“Lives are more important than meat,” the quiet blond boy at my left remarked as he and his brother lifted the pole into a nearby tree, positioning the deer as high up as they could and hiding it with branches. They didn’t look like brothers, but I knew they were. The other boys followed suit, and soon all three of the kills were carefully camouflaged in the canopy. The scent would still draw scavengers, but with any luck, they wouldn’t attract anything too big for us to chase off.
The corner of my mouth lifted and I nodded proudly as I watched them. I’d taught them to think like skilled hunters both human and tiger. When they were done, I said, “Then, let’s go and see what would-be potentate is causing havoc now.”
We set off and I was swept into another dream. This one a sweet image of Kelsey holding a golden-eyed baby she called Anik Kishan. He was her first child. The scene played out, and for the first time, I noticed a difference between dreaming now and when I’d seen the vision before. In the other dream with the boys, I’d been a part of their circle. I’d spoken the words and felt what that version of me felt. When I saw Kelsey, I was happy but that sense of pride was missing. I was an outside observer. It didn’t feel wrong. Not exactly. It was just different.
One of my hunters was tawny-eyed with a strong nose and sharply hewn features. He much resembled my father. I’d always assumed he was the adult version of Kelsey’s baby, but now I noticed subtle differences. The shape of the nose was wrong. The scent, which was strong even in dreaming, was not the same.
When that scene had played out, I was taken elsewhere. I was in a jungle talking with Kadam. He was sad and he stroked my tiger head while he sat next to me, his back against a tree. The two of us watched the sun set and my heart was heavy and hopeful at the same time.
That one faded and a new dream took its place. I heard a woman’s laughter as I chased her in the dark. There was a veil over my eyes and she didn’t have a scent at all. “Come find me, tiger,” she beckoned with an invitation that promised more than a successful hunt. My claws scraped the log I balanced on as I leapt. Transforming as I neared the ground, I caught the woman around the waist and we rolled together, stopping with her on top of me.
“What do I win?” I asked breathily, smiling as I stroked her hair away from her face. I still couldn’t see her or smell her but the curve of her cheek was familiar to me.
“Shall we start with a kiss and see where it goes from there?” she said with a husky laugh.
“I think I can manage that,” I said as I traced her face, drawing her down. Light bloomed around us as our mouths fit together perfectly, outlining her shape. Our lips brushed, blending as seamless and true as the horizon, the distance between us indiscernible. Cupping the back of her head with one hand and trailing the other slowly down her spine until my hand found the curve of her hip, I squeezed the soft flesh and tugged her against me, then murmured against her lips, “I want to see you.”
She touched a fingertip to my nose. “Not just yet, I think.”
Groaning, I touched my lips to her neck and tugged the sleeve of her dress down her shoulder. She made a soft little mewling sound as she arched her neck, giving me more access. I rained kisses over her jawline, then down to the curve of her shoulder, taking my time as I explored every inch.
Impatient, she turned my head and touched her velvet lips to mine, wriggling her body ever closer. Her lush form was crushed against me and I cradled her close, willingly giving her the slow, drugging kisses she desired as I slid my hands up into her hair. I heard the patter of a spring rain shower tapping on the canopy high above us though I still could see nothing. I no longer cared about my limited vision. If I could feel her, touch her, that was all that mattered.
Pressing her back gently, I rolled us again so I hovered above her and lifted up on my elbows so as not to crush her with my weight. She took hold of my shirt, trying to tug me back down, but I resisted and covered her hand with mine, where it rested over my heart. “I love you,” I said. “Have I told you that recently?”
I didn’t need to see her smile to know it was there. “You tell me often and with such bruising intensity that no one who hears it can deny your claims.”
“Good. No man should ever entertain the thought that you are not claimed.”
She punched my arm but then lifted her head to kiss my ear softly as she murmured, “I love you as well, you rangy beast. However, should you cease kissing me, I might consider a different suitor.”
“Well, I certainly can’t have that, my lady fair,” I said suavely.
Her silky mouth found mine quickly and I was soon lost in her embrace. As her arms twined around my neck, her lips opened and the dream slid into something more powerful, more compelling. The scents of the forest filled my nostrils. Flowers of all kinds surrounded us. Roses, jasmine, lilies. There was also evergreen and crushed grass.
The light had dimmed as well. It was now muted—smoke gray and petal pink. Slowly, I became aware that I was no longer lying on the ground but in a bed as soft as fairy wings. My sight had returned. Raising my head, I saw my fingers interlocked with hers where our hands rested near the headboard. Our palms danced together, fingers tightening and squeezing. I let go of her hand and ran my fingertips down the length of her hair, which spread out in a halo, spilling over the pillow and sheets.
She made a little impatient noise and cupped my jaw, willing me to turn my head back to her. I closed my eyes again and lowered my lips to hers. The woman I kissed held me tightly, her hands kneading my back and then sliding between us to stroke my bare chest where my shirt gaped open. My mind was foggy with sleep and I had no immediate reason to want to wake up. The dream was sweet and passionate and perfect. My mouth moved with hers as she teased and tantalized me with her soft, honeyed kisses.
She tugged at my shirt and I mumbled against her lips, “Just a minute, my lovelyjaani.”
Detangling my limbs from hers, I rose with the intention of removing my shirt, when I suddenly realized I was no longer dreaming. My hands froze on the buttons as I looked down on the woman who was now very visible. Anamika lay on the bed as beautiful and soft as a plucked flower, her lips rosy from my kisses. A becoming flush on her heaving chest rose all the way to her cheekbones and even tinged her shoulders pink.
