Page 25 of Tiger's Curse
Turning around slowly, I saw a handsome young man standing directly behind me. He looked young, in his early twenties. He was taller than me by a head and had a strong, well-developed trim body that was clothed in loose white cotton garments. His long-sleeved shirt was untucked and carelessly buttoned, revealing a smooth, well-built golden-bronze chest. His lightweight pants were rolled at the ankles, emphasizing his bare feet. Glossy black hair swept away from his face and curled slightly at the nape of his neck.
His eyes were what riveted me the most. They were my tiger’s eyes, the same deep cobalt blue.
Reaching out a hand, he spoke. “Hello, Kelsey. It’s me, Ren.”
8
an explanation
the man approached me carefully with his hands splayed out in front of him and repeated, “Kelsey, it’s me, Ren.”
He didn’t appear fearsome, but my body tightened in apprehension nonetheless. Confused, I held my hand out in front of me in a futile attempt to halt his progress. “What? What did you say?”
He came closer, put his hand on his muscled chest, and spoke slowly. “Kelsey, don’t run. I’m Ren. The tiger.”
He turned over his hand to show me Ren’s collar and the yellow rope coiled about his fingers. I looked behind him, and sure enough, the white cat was missing. I took a few steps back to put more distance between us. He saw my movement and immediately froze. The back of my knees hit the stone barrier. I stopped and blinked my eyes several times, not comprehending what he was telling me.
“Where’s Ren? I don’t understand. Did youdosomething to him?”
“No. Iamhim.”
He began to approach me again, while I shook my head.
“No. Youcan’tbe.”
I tried to take another step and almost fell backward over the wall. He reached me in the blink of an eye and caught my waist, steadying me.
“Are you alright?” he asked politely.
“No!” He was still holding my hand. I stared at it, imagining the tiger’s paws.
“Kelsey?” I looked up into his startling blue eyes. “I am your tiger.”
I whispered, “No. No! It’s not possible. How could thatbe?”
His quiet voice was soothing. “Please, come inside the house. The owner is not at home right now. You can sit down and relax, and I will attempt to explain everything.”
I was too stunned to argue, so I allowed him to guide me toward the hut. He clutched my fingers in his as if afraid that I would run back into the jungle. I didn’t usually follow strange men around, but something about him made me feel safe. I knew with certainty that he wouldn’t harm me. It was the same strong feeling I experienced with the tiger. He bowed his head to get through the door and stepped into the small hut, pulling me along behind him.
It was a one-room shelter with a small bed in one corner, a tiny window on the side wall, and a table with two chairs in another corner. A curtain was pulled back to reveal a small bathtub. The kitchen was just a sink with a water pump, a short counter, and some shelves with various canned food products and spices. Above our heads, the ceiling was strung with a hanging assortment of dried herbs and plants that filled the room with a sweet fragrance.
The man gestured that I should sit on the bed, then leaned against a wall and waited quietly for me to settle myself.
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 Iknewhe 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 trustedme? He’d had plenty of opportunities to share this peculiar reality, but he hadn’t.
Looking at him with suspicion, I irritably asked, “So, whatareyou? 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.”
