Akkarat snorted. “We fell in love.”
Raghu growled deep in his throat. “Everyone accuses us of being man-eaters.” He pointed at the plate in her lap. “We eat chicken. Try it.”
She bit into a piece of grilled chicken and nodded. “It’s very good. We’re actually on our way back to the Akha village. I could tell Ajay that Akkarat is alive and well.”
“No, you must not,” Raghu said. “It is good that they fear coming into our territory. We must keep our existence secret.”
She nodded. “I understand.” If Carlos’s tribe had kept their secret better, they might still be alive. She glanced at him. He was watching her with a worried look.
“What have they been saying?” he whispered.
“They confirmed what you told me. Not everyone survives the transformation.” She set the plate of food aside, too tired and depressed to eat.
“You look worn-out. You didn’t sleep at all last night.”
She gave him a wry look. “You slept like the dead.”
He smiled and brushed her damp hair back from her brow. “Maybe you should rest for a while before we continue our trip.”
“I would love that.” She was suddenly feeling very weary. The night in the cave had been emotionally wrenching. Booby-traps, Tanit’s death, Carlos’s death and resurrection, the finding of an American soldier trapped in a forty-year-long coma. It was a lot to take in. And now she had another emotional quandary to deal with. Should she risk death to become a were-panther?
She turned to Raghu. “Is there a place where we can rest for a while?”
“Of course. Your clothes will not be dry until tomorrow, so you will be spending the night.”
“Thank you. You are very kind.”
Raghu inclined his head. “We are honored to have a were-panther and his mate as our guests. He fears losing you, doesn’t he? That is why he hasn’t bitten you.”
“Yes.”
“A man must conquer his fear so he can be with his chosen mate.” Raghu glanced at Malai with love in his eyes. “Now we are expecting our first child.”
“That’s wonderful.”
He turned toward Caitlyn. “You cannot give him were-panther children if you do not transform. If you remain human, your children will be human.”
She closed her eyes briefly. Everything had seemed so perfect in the grotto, and now it all seemed wrong. “He needs to have were-panther children. His people are in danger of extinction.”
“He is searching for other were-panthers?” Raghu asked. When Caitlyn nodded, he continued, “There are a few panthers south of here, but they are not shifters.”
“Oh.” Her heart plummeted further.
“There are a larger number of panthers east of Chiang Mai, close to Laos,” Raghu said. “He may have better luck there.”
“I’ll tell him. Thank you.” She rose to her feet, and Carlos stood beside her. “I’d like to rest now, if you don’t mind.”
Carlos woke when Caitlyn stirred in his arms. They’d been shown to a small house on stilts on the edge of the tiger village. Their backpacks were inside, and he’d quickly checked on their weapons. Then he’d stretched out on the pallet beside Caitlyn and they’d slept.
She stretched and opened her eyes.
He smiled. He always loved looking at the beautiful turquoise color. “Sleep well?”
“I dreamed the Terra-Cotta Warriors were chasing me through the jungle.” She sighed. “What time is it?”
“The sun’s still up. I estimate late afternoon, but I’m not sure. I suspect one of the tiger children is sporting a new watch.”
“You took yours off when we stripped?”
He nodded. “How are you?”
“I’m wondering what I’m doing in Thailand when you never really needed to search for a mate.”
“I still need to find more of my species.”
She frowned. “Raghu said the panthers south of here aren’t shifters.”
Carlos rolled onto his back and stared at the thatched roof. Had he come all this way for nothing?
“He said there are more panthers east of Chiang Mai close to the Laos border,” she continued.
There was still hope. “We’ll go there after we take care of the soldier in the cave.”
She sat up and hugged her knees. “I need to decide if I should become a were-panther.”
“No.” He sat up beside her. “We can’t risk it. We’ll just live like normal people.”
“With normal children? What about your endangered species?”
He shrugged. “It can’t be helped. I suppose the were-panther children will have more children when they grow older.”
“We can’t unload that burden on them. And I want my children to be like you, Carlos. I love you. I want little were-kittens like you.”
“It’s not going to happen. I’m not risking your life.”
“It’s my life, so it’s my decision to make.”
He winced. This was what he had feared would happen. It was the main reason he had avoided telling her the truth. “I’m not allowing you to sacrifice yourself.”
“Then you would sacrifice your species? How could you live with me as a mortal without hating me someday for forcing you to give up who you are?”
“How could I live with myself if you died? It would kill me, Caitlyn.”
She rested a hand on his cheek. “We can’t be sure I would die. I’m terribly stubborn you know.”
He snorted. “Sheer willpower might not be enough.”
“How about love?” She smoothed her hand through his hair. “I love you so much.”
“I love you, too.” He kissed her brow. “I couldn’t bear to lose you.”
She tilted her head to meet his mouth, and he kissed her slowly and thoroughly. Her mouth parted for him and he stroked her tongue with his.
Already his groin was tightening, but he refused to take her quickly. He wanted to explore every inch of her. He was curious to see how she looked and tasted, curious to watch her body react to his lovemaking. Something about being a cat, he supposed.
He nibbled on her neck as he slid a hand down her thigh to the hem of her tunic. When he pulled it up, she lifted her hips to help him. He tugged it over her head, then pushed her gently down on the pallet.
Her nipples fascinated him. With just a look he could make them pebble. With some suckling he could turn them a darker color of red. With a flick of his tongue he could make the tips harden into tight buds.
Caitlyn’s moans were like music, and each time she gasped his name, he wanted to roar with victory. His woman. His wife. The muscles in her stomach trembled as he kissed and nibbled his way to the feast between her legs.
With a moan she opened for him. He rested his head on her thigh so he could watch her reactions to his fingers. She shuddered, and moisture seeped from her core. Her scent made him grow harder. Her folds grew swollen and wet. Her clitoris darkened to a delicious looking red. Her passage was tight and slick around his fingers.
He stroked the inside of her as he leaned closer to flick his tongue on her clitoris. She jolted and let out a keening cry. So close. He sucked her clitoris into his mouth, and she screamed. Her passage clamped down on his fingers.
It was more than he could bear. He withdrew his fingers and plunged inside her. He didn’t last long. She was still throbbing, and it sent him over the edge. With a hoarse cry, he pumped into her, then collapsed beside her.
He gathered her into his arms and held her tight. He would never risk losing her. Even if she decided she wanted to risk the transformation, he had the power to stop her. All he had to do was refuse to bite her.
The next day, Caitlyn said their farewells to the were-tigers, then she and Carlos headed toward the Akha village. It was a misty morning with the clouds settled low in the mountains. Her freshly washed clothes soon felt sticky against her body, but she reminded herself that extra humidity was good for her skin.
And extra sex was good for h
er spirits. For a man who had once avoided her like the plague, Carlos was making up for lost time. They’d spent the night making love, with short snatches of sleep in between.
After three hours of hiking, they arrived in the Akha village. Ajay invited them to his house for lunch, and she told him about the cave and how Tanit had died.
“We need to call our friends so they can help us revive the soldier,” she explained.
Ajay nodded. “If you go to the top of the tower, you can get a signal from Chiang Mai. We call our tribesmen there who sell our silver crafts in the bazaar.”
After lunch they climbed to the top of the watch-tower, and Carlos called the number for MacKay S & I.
Caitlyn leaned close so she could listen.
“Yo, Catman,” Phineas answered the phone. “What’s up?”
It felt strange to hear the Vamp’s voice during the day, but it was nighttime in New York.
“Hey, Phineas. We saw something strange here in the mountains.”
“Oh yeah? What have you been smoking?”
Carlos snorted. “There’s a vampire around here somewhere, and he left a lot of dead bodies in a cave.”
“No shit?”
“We found a body that looks like it’s been in a vampire coma for about forty years.”
Phineas scoffed. “That’s whack, man. That dude is dead.”
“He hasn’t decayed. And he’s an American soldier, a major in the Marine Corps.”
“Shit. I guess we should wake him up.”
“I think we should try,” Carlos agreed. “It’s daytime here. I’ll call again when the sun goes down and it’s safe to teleport here.”
“I’ll probably be in my death-sleep then,” Phineas muttered. “I think the closest Vamp we’ve got to you is Kyo in Japan. I’ll leave him a message. And Angus will want to know about this, too. He’s in Moscow, so you’ll have to wait till the sun sets there before he can teleport out.”
“We’ll be here. Thanks.” Carlos hung up. “We have to wait till tonight.” His eyes gleamed as he looked her over. “How will we ever pass the time?”
She smiled. “I believe the honeymoon suite is still available.”
Chapter Twenty-five
I t was after midnight when Carlos was finally able to contact Angus in Moscow. The head of MacKay Security & Investigation had been awake for ten minutes, and he’d read the report that Phineas had forwarded to him. He teleported straight to Carlos in the tower, bringing his Moscow operative, Mikhail, with him.
As Carlos shook hands with Mikhail, he wondered how old the Russian vampire was. Mikhail looked like a medieval Viking warrior, with his white-blond hair braided down his back and his piercing blue eyes constantly searching for danger. He appeared to be the strong silent type, for he barely said a word as Angus introduced him to Carlos and Caitlyn. He wore his sword on his back like Angus, but where Angus preferred his blue and green plaid kilt, Mikhail opted for black leather pants.
Kyo from Japan had arrived an hour earlier, and he’d already tested the homing device Carlos had left in the cave. He’d safely teleported to the cave and back. Then he entertained himself by showing off his samurai sword to the men in the village and flirting with the young women.
In the tower, Angus set the ice chest he was carrying on the wood-planked floor. “Emma packed us a supply of synthetic blood in case we manage to revive the soldier in the cave.” He nodded at Caitlyn. “How are ye faring, lass?”
She smiled. “I’m fine, thank you.”
“She’s doing a fantastic job,” Carlos said. “I don’t know how I would have managed without her.”
Angus nodded with a hint of a smile. “Then it’s going well? You havena run into any danger?”
Carlos shifted his weight. “Our guide, Tanit, is in the cave, dead. Impaled on a spike.”
“Bugger,” Angus muttered.
Mikhail merely lifted an eyebrow.
“The cave was booby-trapped,” Caitlyn explained.
“Och.” Angus winced. “I’m glad ye both survived.”
Carlos shifted his weight again. “Actually, I died.”
“Again?” Angus gave him an incredulous look. “Lad, ye have to stop doing that.”
“He did it to protect me,” Caitlyn rushed to his defense. “He saved my life.”
“Well, that’s good.” Angus retrieved his cell phone from the sporran that hung in front of his kilt. “I’m calling Robby in Budapest, so he can join us. Just in case we run into a few angry vampires.”
After a few minutes, Robby arrived with Zoltan Czakvar, the coven master of Eastern Europe.
Zoltan frowned at Angus. “I heard something exciting was going on, and you didn’t invite me.”
“Yes, the excitement is hard to bear,” Mikhail murmured with a deadpan expression.
Angus chuckled and slapped Zoltan on the back. “Ye’re always welcome, old friend.”
Zoltan greeted Mikhail and Carlos, then smiled at Caitlyn. “Good evening. I don’t believe we’ve met.”
“This is Caitlyn.” Carlos wrapped an arm around her shoulders. “My wife.”
Zoltan shook his head ruefully. “I’m always too late.”
“Did ye say wife?” Angus asked. “When did that happen?”
Caitlyn smiled. “The tribal leader said a few words over us. It’s not official.”
“Yes, it is,” Carlos grumbled.
She gave him an impatient look. “It’s not legal.”
“We’ll make it that way as soon as we get home.”
“Are you proposing to me?”
“I thought I already did.”
“Enough!” Angus held up his hands. “We have a job to do.”
Robby smirked. “They sound like they’re already married.”
Carlos shot him an annoyed look. “You’re one to talk, Big Red. I bet you asked Olivia for permission to come here.”
Robby frowned, remaining silent.
Carlos snorted, then handed the homing device monitor to Angus. “Kyo already tried it. It works.”
“Where is Kyo?” Angus asked.
“There.” Mikhail pointed across the village. “I’ll bring him.” The Russian vanished, then reappeared seconds later with a hand firmly grasping Kyo’s arm.
“What?” Kyo looked around, then jumped back from Mikhail. “Holy cow! You big as a truck.”
“We’re ready to go,” Angus announced. “Kyo, since you’ve been there before, take Carlos with you. I’ll take Caitlyn. Mikhail, bring the ice chest.”
A few seconds later Carlos materialized just outside the cave. He checked to make sure Caitlyn was all right. Then he pulled the flashlight from his belt, turned it on, and headed into the cave. “Our guide called this a Temple of Death.”
“It smells like death,” Angus muttered.
Carlos wrinkled his nose. Caitlyn covered her mouth and coughed. Tanit was definitely still there.
Inside the cave, Carlos pointed his beam of light at the skeletal remains of the Buddhist monk. “This poor guy activated the first booby-trap.”
“We think he left the prayers.” Caitlyn aimed her flashlight at the yellow strips of paper above them. “He was trying to keep the evil power in the cave from escaping.”
“And ye believe the evil power is a Chinese vampire?” Angus asked.
“Yes,” Caitlyn answered. “They call it a chiang-shih. Tanit called him Master Han. He said he was great and powerful and he’s killed thousands.”
“The professor in Bangkok is one of the Master’s Guardians,” Carlos added.
“What is this?” Zoltan tugged on the scarves that hung down from the crisscrossed ropes along the ceiling.
“Caitlyn made it to swing across the ditch,” Carlos explained.
“I’d love to have the scarves back.” She stared wistfully at them. “And the silver panther. I was going to give them as presents.”
“Not a problem.” Zoltan levitated up to the ropes to untie the scarves.
&n
bsp; Carlos showed the rest of the Vamps the ditch with iron stakes. “This was the second booby-trap.”
Angus frowned at Tanit’s dead body. “We should give him a proper burial.”
“We dinna bring a shovel,” Robby murmured.
“We could leave him in the large burial room with the other bodies,” Caitlyn suggested as she folded the scarves Zoltan had liberated. “He was a slave to Master Han, so it’s fitting for him to remain in the master’s Temple of Death.”
Angus nodded. “Works for me. Who wants to get him out of the ditch?” He gave Robby a pointed look.
“Och, leave me the dirty job. Thank you so much.” Robby peered into the ditch. “The spikes are about three feet apart. I should be able to levitate down between them.”
“You’ll notice if you miss,” Mikhail muttered.
Carlos wondered if the Russian was joking. It was hard to tell with that stoic, rock-hard face.
“I’ll help you,” Zoltan offered.
As Robby and Zoltan lowered themselves slowly into the ditch, the rest of the Vamps teleported across, taking Carlos and Caitlyn with them.
Carlos glanced ruefully at the bloodstained stone floor where he’d died. “This way.” He led Caitlyn and the Vamps through the narrow passage into the large burial room. He lit the torches, and all two hundred clay figures came into view.
“Holy cow!” Kyo exclaimed.
“The devil take it,” Angus whispered.
Mikhail lifted a brow.
“I think we’re alone, but just in case…” Angus drew his sword.
Mikhail and Kyo unsheathed their swords, too.
Caitlyn led them down the steps into the lower portion of the room. “At first I thought they were symbolic of a dead army, but Carlos broke a few open, and we discovered skeletons inside.”
“We couldn’t understand why a vampire would go to this much trouble to preserve a bunch of dead bodies,” Carlos added as they walked across the room. “But when we found the soldier in a vampire coma, we figured Master Han may have been trying to put them all into vampire comas.”
Angus looked about, frowning. “If that’s true, then there could be others who survived.”
“We’ll have to check them all,” Mikhail concluded. He handed the ice chest to Angus, then started down a row, cracking each clay shell with the blunt end of his sword to make sure only a skeleton lay beneath.
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