Page 6 of Tiger's Dream
Bursting through the hidden panel and running into the main room, I shouted, “Anamika!”
There was no answer. Skidding briefly on the slick marble and kicking up the corners of a very expensive rug that had been a king’s expression of gratitude for the goddess Durga’s help in overcoming a drought affecting his nation, I searched room after room, my voice echoing in each extensive space.
Opulent and awe-inspiring were two words that easily came to mind upon setting foot in the mountainside palace Lokesh had created for himself. Cut deep into the mountain and filled with more riches than I’d even known existed, it was a greedy king’s dream.
Even if I didn’t already prefer the open spaces of the outdoors, the interior of Lokesh’s home would have driven me there. I suppose it was beautiful in a way. The walls were bordered with gemstone that the evil magician had called forth from the earth.
Durga’s throne, made of pink diamond, was impressive, as was the room where she received ambassadors, but I thought the whole place felt sterile and cold. Anamika had worked to make the large rooms homier, but when the ceiling of each room towered overhead, and there was no one to share the riches with, it echoed in a lonely way. I wandered around in it like a bee left alone in his hive. The space around me felt wrong—devoid of the everyday hum of normal life.
To be practical, Lokeshhadbeen twice the size of a human when he lived there, so I suppose the sheer size of the place had been necessary. He’d merged his body with a buffalo and become a monstrous creature that’d probably needed the giant bed and the fireplace big enough to cook three deer side by side that had become my room.
Frustrated, I headed back to what I called the throne room and called out again, “Anamika!”
I felt her presence before I heard her. “What are you bellowing about?” she questioned irritably.
“Where were you?”
“I was—”
I peered at her through narrowed eyes. “Did you go off to help someone and not tell me?”
She lifted her stubborn chin. “What if I did?”
Exasperated, I ran my hand through my hair. “You know the rule, Ana. You don’t go off without me. What if something happened?”
“You were occupied with your brooding. And besides, these people really needed help. There was a fire and—”
I interrupted. “I don’t care if a whole nation caught on fire, the rule is come and find me first.”
She blew out a breath and mumbled, “Fine,” as she bent over to remove her boots. “Next time I will force your pitiable self to accompany me. Is that satisfactory?”
“Yes.”
She pulled the clasp holding her hair, and mounds of the silky black stuff tumbled down her back. I was riveted as she ran her hands through it and sighed with pleasure at being able to finally relax.
When she turned and announced that she was taking a bath and going to bed, I tagged along behind her until she noticed. She shoved my arm and placed her hand against my chest as if to stave me off. “That wasn’t an invitation,” she said.
The warmth from her touch spread through me, causing a languid feeling of deep contentment. Power flowed between us, rumbling like a gathering storm. The closer she was to my heart when she touched me the more powerful the sensation. I wondered briefly if the connection between Ren and Kelsey was as strong. Then I remembered I didn’t want to think about that.
Stepping away from her and rubbing my arm, I retorted, “Even if it was, I wouldn’t accept. You’re much too bristly to scrub a man’s back.”
Red crept up her neck and sparked her hot temper. “I am well aware that you prefer your women to be soft and malleable. And believe me when I say that I have no interest in even seeing your naked back, let alone scrubbing it for you!”
I held up my hands in surrender. “All right. Calm down. Sorry to upset you. I’m just thinking it would be a good idea to hold on to the amulet while you bathe. Then, if something comes up, I can take care of it while you relax.”
“What happened to us taking care of it together?”
“If it’s something important, I’ll come find you.” I grinned. “Whether you’re dressed or wearing nothing but soap.”
She hissed. “You willnotdisturb my bath.” She bit her lip in an appealing way as she considered what to do. When she puzzled things out, her green eyes always lit up. Those eyes lifted to mine and then darted quickly away.
“Ana, if I didn’t know you better, I’d say you were blushing.”
“The goddess Durga does not blush,” she declared as she lifted her chin haughtily.
I laughed. “Sure she does.”
With a growl of frustration, she tore the amulet from her neck and shoved it into my hands. “Take it, but do not disturb me for the rest of the night.”
