by Collen Houck
“I’mso sorry . I shouldnever have left you alone. This should have happened to me, not to you. You don’t deserve this.”
He stroked my cheek. “I don’t know how to fix this. I don’t know what to do. I don’t even know how much blood you lost or if the bite is lethal.” He kissed my fingers and whispered, “I can’t lose you, Kelsey. I won’t.”
The burning in my blood overtook me, and pain clouded my vision. I started writhing. The pain was beyond anything I’d ever felt before. Ren bathed my face with a cool wet towel, but nothing could distract me from the pain. It was excruciating! After a moment, I realized that mine was not the only body
writhing.
Fanindra had freed herself from my arm and was coiling next to Ren’s knee. I didn’t blame her for wanting to get away from me. She raised her head and opened her hood. Her mouth gaped open wide, and she struck! She bit me on the neck, sinking her fangs deep into the ripped tissue.
She pumped her own venom in me, drew back, and then bit me again, and again, and again. I groaned and touched my neck. When I pulled back my hand, I saw golden juices that had dribbled out of the fang punctures. I could feel it roll down my skin. I watched a golden drop trickle from my finger to meet some
of the oozing black pus on my palm, it steamed and hissed. I felt Fanindra’s venom course through my body. It felt like ice as it shot through my limbs and entered my heart.
I was dying. I knew it. I didn’t blame Fanindra. She was a snake, after all, and she probably just didn’t want me to suffer anymore. Ren lifted the bottle of water to my lips again, and I swallowed gratefully.
Fanindra had turned inanimate and remained coiled at his side. Ren cleaned my wounded neck gently, washing off all the hissing black blood that had dribbled out.
At least the pain was gone. Whatever Fanindra had done numbed me. I became sleepy and knew that I needed to say good-bye. I wanted to tell Ren the truth. I wanted to say that he was the best friend I’d ever had. That I was sorry about the way I had treated him. I wanted to tell him…that I loved him, but I couldn’t say anything. My throat was closed up, probably swollen from snake venom. All I could do was look at him as he knelt over me.
That’s okay. Looking at his gorgeous face one last time is enough for me. I’ll die a happy woman.I was so tired, and my eyelids were so heavy. I closed my eyes and waited for death to come. Ren cleared a space and sat down near me. Pillowing my head on his arm, he pulled me onto his lap and into his arms.
I
smiled.Even better. I can’t open my eyes to see him anymore, but I can feel his arms around me. My own warrior angel can carry me in his arms up to heaven. He squeezed me closer to his body and whispered something in my ear that I couldn’t make out. Then darkness overtook me.
Light hit my eyelids, forcing me to crack them open painfully. My throat burned, and my tongue was thick and fuzzy. “This is too painful for heaven; I must be in hell.”
An annoyingly happy voice admonished, “No. You’re not in hell, Kelsey.”
I moved and felt sore, cramped muscles protest. “I feel like I lost a boxing match.”
“You did a lot more than that. Here.”
He crouched beside me and helped me to gingerly sit up. He examined my face, my neck, my arms, and then sat behind me to prop up my back against him and held a water bottle to my lips.
“Drink,” he commanded.
He held the bottle for me and tipped it back slowly, but I couldn’t swallow fast enough, and some of the water dribbled from my slack mouth down my chin, and then dripped down to my chest.
“Thanks, now I have a wet T-shirt.”
I felt his smile on the back of my neck. “Perhaps that was my intention.”
I snorted and lifted a hand to my face. I poked my cheek and arm. The skin tingled but felt a little numb.
“It feels like my whole body was shot full of Novocain and I’m just getting the feeling back. Here, hand me the bottle. I think I can lift it myself now.”
“Fine.”
He let go of the water bottle and snaked both arms around my waist, pulling me back to rest fully against
his chest.
His cheek grazed mine, and he murmured quietly, “How are you feeling?”
“Alive, I guess, though I sure could use some Tylenol.”
He laughed softly. “We’ve probably got some in the bag.” He yanked the bag within reach and began rummaging through it.
I asked, “Where are we?”
“At the entrance to the caves.” He handed me two aspirin. I popped them into my mouth and took a big swig of water.
“So we still have to go through the caves and the trees and then climb back up to Hampi?”
“Yes, but we don’t have to do it all today. You should rest a bit more first.”
“How long have I been out of commission?”
“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 came back to get you. He somehow 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 had to be literally torn apart by the trees. They wouldn’t halt their pursuit.”
“Didn’t any of them follow you here?”
“They stopped chasing me once I got near the cave. Apparently, they’re 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 the gada, put on your pack, and hiked up to our camp 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 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…thatthing assaulting
you, I was enraged. I destroyed it without hesitation.”
“The Kappawere 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.”
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. 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.
Before, 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 I wanted to do. The strong resolve to keep him at a distance to protect myself from heartbreak 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.”
“At least wait until you’ve eaten something.”
“Toss me an energy bar, and I’ll eat on the way.”
“But, Kells…”
My eyes locked briefly with his cobalt blue ones, and I said softly, “I want to get out of here.”
I turned and started gathering our things. He just sat there watching me closely, his eyes burning into my
back. Iwas desperate to get out of there. The longer we were together, the more my resolve wavered. I was almost to the point of asking him to stay here with me forever and live among the needle trees and the Kappa. If I didn’t get the tiger part of him back soon, I’d lose myself to the man forever.
Finally, he said slowly, almost sadly, “Sure. Whatever you say, Kelsey.”
He stood up, stretched, and then put out the fire. I walked over to Fanindra, who was spiraled in the arm piece form, and stared down at her.
“She saved your life you know. Those bites healed you.”
I reached up and touched my neck where the Kappa had bitten me. The skin was smooth, without a pucker or a scar. I crouched down. “I guess you saved me again, huh, Fanindra? Thanks.” I picked her up and positioned her on my upper arm, grabbed my backpack, and then walked ahead a few steps.
I spun around, “You coming, Superman?”
“Right behind you.”
We entered the mouth of the black cavern. Ren held out his hand. I ignored it and began walking into the
tunnel. He stopped me and held out his hand again, staring at it pointedly. I sighed and gripped a couple of his fingers in mine. I smiled sheepishly and was again too obvious in my attempt to avoid physical contact. He groaned in disgust, took my elbow, and yanked my body up next to his, settling his arm around my shoulders.
We walked through the tunnels quickly. The other Rens and Kelseys moaned and beckoned even more aggressively than before. I closed my eyes and let Ren lead me through as quickly as possible. I gasped when the figures approached and tried to lay ghostly hands on us.
Ren whispered, “They can’t become corporeal unless we pay attention to them.” We walked through as quickly as possible. Evil shapes and familiar forms clamored for us to notice them. Mr. Kadam, Kishan, my parents, my foster family, even Mr. Maurizio all shouted, begged, demanded, and coerced.
We made it through the tunnel much faster than the first time. Ren still held my hand in his warm grip after we emerged, and I tried to gently and inconspicuously free my hand from his. He looked at me and then at our entwined hands. He raised an eyebrow and grinned maliciously. I started tugging harder, but he merely tightened his grip. I finally had to wrench it away to get him to let go.So much for subtlety.
He
smirked at me knowingly while I glared back.
He headed toward the trees. Banging on the trees with the gada, he led us through the prickly forest much more quickly. It was quieter too, this time around because we weren’t speaking to one another.
In no time at all, we were through the forest and climbing the rocks leading to the cavern, heading back toward the statue in Hampi. When we reached the long tunnel, Ren seemed about to say something several times. I was curious, but not curious enough to start a conversation.
I pulled out my flashlight and angled my stride to put distance between us. I ended up hugging the other side of the cavern. He looked over at me once and quirked an eyebrow at me, but he allowed me to maintain my distance. Eventually, the tunnel narrowed, and we were walking side by side again. Every time I glanced at him, I found him watching me. When we finally reached the end of the tunnel and saw the stone steps that led to the surface, Ren stopped.
“Kelsey, I have one final request of you before we head up to the surface.”
“And what would that be? Want to talk about tiger senses or monkey bites in strange places maybe?”
“No. I want you to kiss me.”
I sputtered, “What?Kiss you? What for? Don’t you think you got to kiss me enough on this trip?”
“Humor me, Kells. This is the end of the line for me. We’re leaving the place where I get to be a man all
the time, and I have only my tiger’s life to look forward to. So, yes, I want you to kiss me one more time.”
I hesitated. “Well, if this works, you can go around kissingall the girls you want to. So why bother with me rightnow ?”
He ran a hand through his hair in frustration. “Because! I don’twant to run around kissingall the other girls! Iwant to kissyou !”
“Fine! If it will shut you up!” I leaned over and pecked him on the cheek. “There!”
“No. Not good enough. On the lips, myprema .”
I leaned over and pecked him on the lips. “There. Can we go now?”
I marched up the first two steps, and he slipped his hand under my elbow and spun me around, twisting me so that I fell backward into his arms. He caught me tightly around the waist. His smirk suddenly turned into a sober expression. “A kiss. Areal one. One that I’ll remember.”
I was about to say something brilliantly sarcastic, probably about him not having permission, when he captured my mouth with his. I was determined to remain stiff and unaffected, but he was extremely patient. He nibbled on the corners of my mouth and pressed soft, slow kisses against my unyielding lips.
It was so hard not to respond to him.
I made a valiant struggle, but sometimes the body betrays the mind. He slowly, methodically swept aside
my resistance. And, feeling he was winning, he pressed ahead and began seducing me even more skillfully. He held me tightly against his body and ran a hand up to my neck where he began to massage it
gently, teasing my flesh with his fingertips.
I felt the little love plant inside me stretch, swell, and unfurl its leaves, like he was pouringLove Potion
# 9 orMiracle-Gro over the thing. I gave up at that point and decided what the heck. I could always use a rototiller on it. And I rationalized that when he breaks my heart, at least I will have been thoroughly kissed. I’ll have a really good memory to look back on in my multi-cat spinsterhood.Or multi-dog. I think
I will have had my fill of cats. I groaned softly.Yep. Dogs for sure.
I opened myself up to the kiss and began kissing him back with enthusiasm. Putting all my secret emotions and tender feelings into the embrace, I wound my arms around his neck and slid my hands into his hair. Pulling his body that much closer to mine, I embraced him with all the warmth and affection that I
wouldn’t allow myself to express verbally.
He paused, shocked for brief instant, and then quickly adjusted his approach, escalating into a passionate frenzy. I shocked myself by matching his energy. I ran my hands up his powerful arms and shoulders and then down his chest. My senses were in turmoil. I felt wild. Eag
er. I clutched at his shirt. I couldn’t get close enough to him. He even smelled delicious.
You’d think that several days of being chased by strange creatures and hiking through a mysterious kingdom would make him smell bad. In fact, Iwanted him to smell bad. I’m sureI did. I mean, how can you expect a girl to be fresh as a daisy while traipsing through the jungle and getting chased by monkeys?
I desperately wanted him to havesome fault.Some weakness. Some…imperfection. But he smelled amazing—like waterfalls, a warm summer day, and sandalwood trees all wrapped up in a sizzling, hot guy. How could a girl defend herself from a perfect onslaught delivered by a perfect person? I gave up and let Mr. Wonderful take control of my senses. My blood burned, my heart thundered, my need for him quickened, and I lost all track of time in his arms. All I was aware of was Ren. His lips. His body.
His soul. I wanted all of him.
Eventually, he put his hands on my shoulders and gently separated us. I was surprised that he had the strength of will to stop because I was nowhere near being able to. I blinked in a daze. We were both breathing hard.
“That was…enlightening,” he breathed. “Thank you, Kelsey.”
I blinked. The passion that had dulled my mind dissipated in an instant, and my mind sharply focused on
a new feeling. Irritation.
“Thank you? Thank you! Of all the…” I slammed up the steps angrily and then spun around to look down at him. “No! Thankyou , Ren!” My hands slashed at the air. “Now you got what you wanted, so leave me alone!” I ran up the stairs quickly to put some distance between us.
Enlightening? What was that about? Was he testing me? Giving me a one-to-ten score on my kissing ability? Of all the nerve!
I was glad that I was mad. I could shove all the other emotions to the back of my mind and just focus on the anger, the indignation.
He leapt up the stairs two at a time. “That’snot all I want, Kelsey. That’s for sure.”
“Well, I no longercare about what you want!”
He shot me a knowing look and raised an eyebrow; then, he lifted his foot out of the opening, placed it on the dirt, and instantly changed back into a tiger.
I laughed mockingly, “Ha!” I tripped over a stone but quickly found my footing. “Serves you right!” I shouted angrily and stumbled blindly along the dim path.