Page 91 of Tiger's Voyage

He clasped his hands on the railing. “Are you still sure about this? About me?”

I nodded against his shoulder. “You make me happy. Yes, I’m sure about this. Will you try again?” I tried to snuggle closer.

He wrapped his arms around me and kissed my forehead. “Another night. Come on. I’m in the mood for a story.”

We headed downstairs, hand in hand.

We didn’t see Ren all week. According to the GPS tracker, he hid in one place or another in the lower decks of the ship.

Kishan didn’t try to kiss me again, at least not like before. He stroked my hair and held me, rubbed my shoulders and spent whole days with me, but when I stepped close to hug him goodnight in the evenings, he would hold me for a few moments before kissing my forehead. He was giving me more time, which made me feel both relieved and stressed.

We finally docked in Mahabalipuram, or the City of the Seven Pagodas, a week later. We were now on the opposite side of India, the eastern side, floating on the Bay of Bengal on the edge of the Indian Ocean.

It was time to start our third quest, and the idea of dealing with dragons both excited and frightened me. I was also itching to go ashore again. Kishan obliged by taking me sightseeing on his motorcycle. We spent the day strolling shops. He bought me a beautiful bracelet decorated with diamonds clustered like lotus flowers. Slipping it onto my arm, he said, “I had a dream of you wearing a lotus blossom in your hair. This bracelet reminds me of you.”

I laughed. “You probably dreamed of lotus because you sleep right next to the table where I put Durga’s lotus garland.”

“Maybe,” he said with a smile, “but a good dream’s a good dream. Please wear it.”

“Okay. But only if you let me buy you something.”

Kishan grinned. “It’s a deal.”

I made him sit at an outdoor table while I went into a shop. Several minutes later, I nervously sat down. He leaned forward to snatch my bag, but I pulled it away.

“Now wait a minute. Before I give this to you, you have to promise to let me explain what it’s for and try not to be offended.”

Kishan laughed and held out his hand for the bag. “It’s very difficult to offend me.”

Eagerly pulling my present from the bag, he held it in the air, stared at it in confusion, and then looked at me with a raised eyebrow. “What is this supposed to be?”

“It’s a collar for a very small dog.”

He dangled the black leather collar between his thumb and forefinger. “It saysKishanon the side in gold letters.” He laughed. “Did you think this would fit me?”

I took the collar from his hand and walked around the table. “Hold out your arm please.” He watched me curiously as I wrapped the collar around his wrist and buckled it. He didn’t seem upset, only puzzled.

I explained, “When Ren changed to a man for the first time, he had been wearing a collar. He held it out to me to prove that he was the tiger I’d been traveling with. He was quick to discard it. To him, it was a physical reminder of his captivity.”

Kishan frowned. “You are giving me a gift and talking about Ren?”

“Wait, let me finish. When I first met you, you were wild, a true creature of the jungle. You had ignored your human side for many years. I thought a collar would be a different symbol, a symbol of becoming reclaimed, a symbol of rejoining the world, a symbol of belonging. It means you’ve come home. That you have a home … with me.”

I dropped his hand and shifted to my other foot, waiting for his reply. I couldn’t read his expression. Kishan stared at me thoughtfully for a few seconds. Suddenly, he took my hand, yanked me onto his lap, and brought my hand to his lips.

“It is a gift I will treasure always. Every time I look at it, I will remember that I am yours.”

I pressed my forehead to his and sighed in relief. “Good. I was worried you’d hate it. Now that that’s settled, shall we head back to the boat? Mr. Kadam wants us all to meet an hour before sundown so we can go to the Shore Temple together. Unless you think I’d better go back to buy a leash. You might wander off,” I joked lightly.

Somberly, he took my hand, “Leash or no leash, I will never leave your side. Lead on, my proprietress.” He smiled contentedly as he draped his arm across my shoulders.

At the ship, we found Mr. Kadam waiting on the dock. Ren soon came down the ramp from his most-recent hiding place. After Kishan stowed the motorcycle, the four of us climbed aboard the motorboat.

The snap of the wind blew my hair back from my face, and I beamed happily at Kishan when he looked back to check on me. My gaze drifted, and I suddenly found myself staring into Ren’s blue eyes.

“New bracelet?” he asked.

I looked down at the twinkling diamonds and smiled. “Yes.”