Page 106 of Tiger's Curse
He laughed softly and retrieved the pills from the backpack. “Here,” he said, handing me two aspirin. “We’re at the entrance to the caves. We still have to go through the caves and the trees, and then climb back up to Hampi.”
“How long have I been out of commission?” I asked groggily.
“Two days.”
“Two days! What happened? The last thing I remember is Fanindra biting me and me dying.”
“You didn’t die. You were bitten by a Kappa. He was making quick work of you when I found you. He must have followed you there. They are nasty things. I’m glad most of them were done in by the trees.”
“The one that found me was scratched and bloody, but he didn’t seem to care.”
“Yes, most of the ones that followed me were torn apart by the trees. Nothing seemed to halt their pursuit.”
“Didn’t any of them follow you here?”
“They stopped chasing me once I got near the cave. They must be frightened of it.”
“I don’t blame them. Did you . . . carry me the whole way? How did you whack the trees and hold me at the same time?”
He sighed. “I slung you over my shoulder and banged the trees until we cleared them. Then I stowed thegada, put on your pack, and hiked up here, carrying you in my arms.”
I drank deeply from the water bottle and heard Ren let out a deep breath.
Quietly, he said, “I’ve experienced a lot in my life. I’ve been in bloody battles. I’ve been with friends who were killed. I’ve seen terrible things done to man and beast, but I’ve never felt afraid.
“I’ve been troubled. I’ve also been uneasy and tense. I’ve been in mortal danger, but I’ve never experienced that cold-sweat kind of fear, the kind that eats a man alive, brings him to his knees, and makes him beg. In fact, I always prided myself on being above that. I thought that I’d suffered through and seen so much that nothing could scare me anymore. That nothing could bring me to that point.”
He brushed a brief kiss on my neck. “I was wrong. When I found you and saw that . . . that thing trying to kill you, I was enraged. I destroyed it without hesitation.”
“The Kappa were terrifying.”
“I wasn’t afraid of the Kappa. I was afraid . . . that I’d lost you. I felt an unquenchable, gut-wrenching, corrosive fear. It was unbearable. The most agonizing part was realizing that I didn’t want to live anymore if you were gone and knowing there was nothing I could do about it. I would be stuck forever in this miserable existence without you.”
I heard every word he said. It pierced through me, and I knew I would have felt the same way if our places had been reversed. But I told myself that his heartfelt declaration was just a reflection of the tense pressure we’d been under. The little love plant in my heart was grasping at each wispy thought, absorbing his words like sweet drops of morning dew. But I chastised my heart and shoved the tender expressions of affection elsewhere, determined to be unaffected by them.
“It’s okay. I’m here. You don’t need to be afraid. I’m still around to help you break the curse,” I said, trying to keep my voice even.
He squeezed my waist and whispered softly, “Breaking the curse didn’t matter to me anymore. I thought you were dying.”
I swallowed and tried to be flippant. “Well, I didn’t. See? I lived to argue with you another day. Now don’t you wish it had gone the other way?”
His arms stiffened, and he threatened, “Don’t ever say that, Kells.”
After a second of hesitation, I said, “Well, thank you. Thank you for saving me.”
He pulled me closer, and I allowed myself a minute, just a minute, to lie back against him and enjoy it.
I had almost died after all. I deserved some kind of reward for surviving, didn’t I?
After my minute was up, I wiggled forward and out of his grasp. He reluctantly let me go, and I turned around to face him with a nervous smile. I tested my legs, which felt strong enough for me to walk on.
When I thought I was dying, I wanted to tell Ren that I loved him, but now that I knew I’d survived, it was the last thing on earth I wanted to do. The strong resolve to keep him at a distance returned, but the temptation to allow myself to rest wrapped in his arms was strong, powerfully strong. I turned my back to him, squared my shoulders, and picked up the backpack.
“Come on, Tiger. Let’s get a move on. I feel healthy as a horse,” I lied.
“I really think you should take it easy and rest a bit more, Kells.”
“No. I’ve been sleeping for two days already. I’m ready to hike another umpteen miles.”
