Page 11 of Tiger's Destiny
Recovered enough to move, I yanked on Ren’s shirt. “Let’s go!” I pressed, unable to witness the scene any longer.
I pushed the boys into the hall, shut the door, and rammed a fire poker through the handle, hoping Lokesh would either burn or hang or both. The house began shaking; his black magic created an earthquake.
It was time to run. I asked the Scarf to create more practical clothes under my wedding dress. The brothers kept me between them as we raced down staircases and through a complicated maze of hallways and busted-open doorways. Blast marks peppered the walls, and my feet crunched over broken, once-hidden cameras. We leapt over dozens of fallen guards. As we pushed ahead, I cast off Lokesh’s diamond ring and my Chinese bridal wear piece by piece.
Finally we came to an open window whose bars had been severed cleanly. Kishan leapt outside and landed in the bushes twelve feet below. Ren picked me up and tossed me into Kishan’s open arms before joining us. I was dying to talk, to scream, to whoop with joy, but by the time we reached the motorcycles, my heart was practically bursting out of my chest and I was completely out of breath.
But I was free.
With no time for anything more than a brief squeeze of my hand, Ren pulled me onto his bike, and with a rev of engines, the three of us shot off like blazing comets into the night, leaving a trail of discarded red fabric in our wake.
reunion
We rode for several hours in silence without stopping. The chilly December wind whipped through my hair, and I wriggled closer to Ren, who had somehow managed to take off his leather jacket and give it to me without slowing down. I gratefully put it on and hugged Ren tightly in thanks.
I had no idea where we were though I suspected based on the road signs we were not in India. When the boys finally pulled over, it was early morning, maybe an hour or two before sunrise. I wearily got off the motorcycle. Ren and Kishan hid their bikes in the brush, and finally, finally, we were able to have a proper reunion.
“I thought I’d never see you again,” Kishan said tenderly, wrapping his arms around me and running his hands up and down my back. “Are you okay? Did Lokesh hurt you?”
I shook my head. “Only a little. He gave me a few bruises and kissed me a few times but for the most part he left me alone. I never saw his torture chamber.”
It felt good to be back in Kishan’s embrace. Safe. For the first time in a long time, I let my guard down completely. I was with my tigers again. I was back where I belonged.
“Good,” Kishan grunted, holding onto me as if he’d never let go.
When he finally did, Ren approached me with an indiscernible expression in his eyes. He said nothing, but I could have sworn he was reading my mind. Hesitantly, he touched my cheek and tears welled up in my eyes. Before I could say anything, he pulled me into his arms. Wrapped into that safe haven, feeling the unspoken connection between us and the warmth of his strong body against mine, I finally relaxed, and all the terrifying emotional turmoil spilled out of me in a torrent.
Seeing the state I was in, Kishan lowered his gaze and busied himself setting up a tent while I cried quietly in Ren’s arms. My body shook in racking sobs. I clawed Ren’s shirt, gathering it in my fist while he murmured softly and stroked my hair. At some point I realized I wasn’t supporting my own weight anymore. He picked me up and carried me into the tent.
Ren cradled me against his chest, and Kishan made me some hot tea. I shook my head, too overwhelmed to drink, but Ren insisted. When I’d finished, he whispered some words to Kishan, who changed immediately into the black tiger and stretched out along the cushions. I lay next to him, stroking my black tiger’s fur, knowing that the curse still required them to take tiger form for six hours a day.
“Try to sleep,priyatama,” Ren said, placing his palm lightly against my cheek. Then he changed into his familiar white tiger form and lay on my other side.
For a time, the only noise was me sniffling and Ren’s comforting purr. Exhausted, I finally fell asleep with my fist gripping the soft fur at Ren’s neck.
I slept for a long time, only partially waking with the movements of the brothers as they tried not to disturb me. They spoke softly in Hindi, and the lovely, musical words helped me relax and fall back to sleep.
When I finally woke, the sun was high in the sky. Though it was cold at night, it had warmed up to around fifty degrees, which in Oregon is like early summer. I sat up grimacing and shoved the helmet hair out of my face.
Kishan ducked into the tent and grinned. “Thought I heard you get up.”
“Do we have time for at least a sponge bath before we go?”
“If you’re including me in that statement, I’ll make the time.”
I sighed, stretched, and gave him a half smile. “I’ve missed your teasing. Hey, where are we anyway?”
“Uzbekistan.”
“That doesn’t help . . .”
“Central Asia. We’re about a thousand miles from home.”
“Wow, that’s a long way to come on motorcycles,” I said and paused before continuing. “Kishan? Do you think he’s . . . he’s dead?”
“I don’t know. Lokesh has lived a long time.”
“I hope he’s dead.”
