Disclaimer: I do not own anything relating to the Tiger's Curse Series (Though I wish I did T.T)
Claimer: I however do own the OC's not introduced into the book at all. Do not take, they are my characters in everyone of my stories.
A young woman with long gold hair down to her mid-back, and light blue eyes that sparkled in the light, stepped out of the car that was dropping her off on a dirt road. She was wearing blue jean short shorts, a light blue tank top, and had tennis shoes on. Her long, lean legs were shown, along with her voluptuous hips, slim waist, toned stomach, slender shoulders, small face, and petite body, and most definitely showed her great voluptuous chest that had to at least be a mid 'D'.
The car drove off quickly before she could ask the driver where she was supposed to go. She clamped her jaw shut and sighed, picking up her bag from the ground and walking forward.
"India! Of all places to send me!" She groaned, looking around. "Why did it matter anyway? He was never home to begin with! Why send me all the way to India just to get out of his house?" She clenched her fist in anger. "That stupid man. Not even my blood Uncle, yet I have to follow what he says."
A ringing went off in her pocket, making her stop and pick it out of her shorts. She answered it and put it to her ear, not caring who it really was.
"Hello?" She answered, looking around the green scenery that made her feel oddly relaxed and at home.
"Crystal!" A voice shouted on the other end, making her pull the phone away and flinch from the volume.
"Kelsey?" Crystal asked, staring at the phone in confusion. "Kelsey? What the heck are you calling me for? I haven't heard from you for awhile."
"I heard you were sent to India!" She shouted, ignoring the question.
"Yeah, seems my 'Uncle' wasn't happy about my recent choice to start a job at a zoo. He sent me here so I, in his words, "wouldn't be an embarrassment to his name". Isn't that ridiculous?" Crystal said, walking into a dense jungle.
"Where are you?" She asked quickly.
"I don't know. The car just dropped me off and drove away. I'm walking into a jungle right now, and I think I hear water." Crystal said, hearing the fall of water on water up ahead. "Why?"
"What town were you heading to?" She asked.
"I don't know," Crystal said, spotting the water fall and letting her jaw drop.
"I'll be right there," Kelsey said finally, before hanging up the phone.
"Kelsey! Wait!" Crystal said, more confused than ever before by her friend.
She sat on a nearby rock and dipped her finger into the water, feeling the nice chill of the water, but not so cold it would make you shiver. She slipped off her shoes, and looked around her in the forest. She undid her shorts and slid them to the ground, tossing them onto the rock, before stripping off her tank top, bra, and underwear along with it.
She dipped her toe in first and smiled at the nice feeling of the water. She walked in until the water was at waist level, feeling the nice clear water move around her body like silk. She walked in farther until her feet no longer touched, and then swam to the small waterfall that was on the other side of the lake. Her feet his solid rock under the water fall, letting her climb up and stand in waist high water once again beneath the water fall. The water pounded on her stressed muscles, and made her hair glide over her chest, covering her breasts effectively.
A snap was heard in the jungle, making Crystal quickly whip her head towards the edge of the lake, seeing the grass move slightly by the tree line. She looked carefully for any strange shadow, or color alteration, but saw nothing move again, making her turn back to the water, but keep a wary eye on the jungle.
A roar was suddenly heard, making her jump and take a step back. A fierce black tiger jumped out of the jungle, and bit into the grass, pulling up a large anaconda and ripping it apart. Crystal stood there in front of the water fall, watching the black tiger growl at the snake, until it was satisfied that it was dead. It looked up at her, startling her by it's intense gaze. It's golden eyes were piercing into her as it stared; almost as if it were seeing straight into her soul and mind.
The tiger turned and flicked it's tail, disinterested by the snake now that it was dead. Crystal didn't know what overcame her, but she dove into the water and swam quickly to the edge.
"Wait!" She said quickly, running to the tiger and watching it.
It stopped and looked back at her curiously, almost as if it understood her. She fumbled with what to do as it watched her carefully.
"Please, wait," She said.
She quickly pulled on her clothes once again, and walked closer to the tiger, testing how close she could get. She warily put a hand out towards him, making him flash his teeth and growl at her.
"I won't hurt you," She said, pushing closer, despite his growls.
The tiger turned quickly and ran off into the jungle, ignoring her shouts for him to stay and help her. Crystal was left alone, completely wet, by the lake as she stared after the tiger.
"Fine, I'll find my way back on my own." She grumbled, pulling her bag over her shoulder. "Cooled off now, and ready to go!"
After an hour of walking around in the jungle Crystal was getting tired of seeing the same green foliage everywhere, and it seemed no matter where, or how far she went, she could never reach the exit once again.
"I give," She breathed out, plopping onto a nearby rock.
*Snap*
Crystal turned her head towards the brush a few feet away and peered closely. Her heart raced in her chest as her mind whirled for any dangerous animal that could be lurking there. Then her mind went back to the tiger that had helped her before as it was hiding in the brush.
She stood up slowly, and leaned forward, trying to spot what it was without having to get closer to the danger. A tiger jumped out of the foliage and leaped at her, baring its sharp fangs at her in a roar and reaching its razor claws to slice her up.
She let out a blood curdling scream as she went to move backwards from the tiger, but ended up tripping on her own feet and falling to the floor. It was enough to let the tiger fly over her and skid to a stop behind her. She turned and crawled backwards on the ground as she stared at it with wide eyes. This was not the same tiger she saw earlier; this was a white tiger with black stripes and bright blue eyes.
"What the hell?" She asked herself as she hit a tree behind her and looked back quickly.
She turned her head towards the tiger and gripped the tree and ground roughly. It padded towards her predatorily, its eyes never leaving her as she stared with wide eyes. It got close enough to her that she could feel its breath on her neck and could feel it's fur brushing against her.
"Ren!"
Crystal opened her eyes that she didn't know she had closed and stared at the girl running up to them with a worried look.
"Kelsey?" She breathed in confusion, not daring to speak too loudly.
"Ren! That's Crystal! Don't hurt her!" Kelsey shouted, glaring at the tiger angrily.
A flash of black raced past the tree and in front of her with a territorial growl. The black tiger from earlier was now in front of her as the white one slid next to Kelsey. The two glared at one another and bared their fangs, daring to threaten the other.
"What the hell is going on?" Crystal shouted, staring at Kelsey and the tigers.
She looked behind Kelsey and finally noticed the tall Indian man giving Crystal a light, warm smile, as if nothing was going on in front of them. The white tiger, whom Kelsey was calling 'Ren', glanced at Crystal and then glared at the black tiger once again. Ren leaped at the black tiger, narrowly missing him with his teeth, but whipped around quickly as the tiger jumped out of his way, and racked him with his claws in the side. Crystal felt angry that Ren was hurting the black tiger; she felt oddly protective of him, as if he were her own.
"ENOUGH!" Crystal shouted, through with whatever was going on, and raising her hand to stop the tigers from getting into a fight.
A bright light flashed around them, making everyone close their eyes and look at Crystal in confusion. Her blue necklace in the shape of a 3D diamond and no larger than a pinkie was floating in front of her and glowing erratically.
Her hand that was raised was glowing blue with Henna designs of cherry blossoms, tigers, wings, and her jewel on the necklace, reaching up to her shoulder with it's twirls, dots, and pictures.
"Mr. Kadam!" Kelsey said, staring at her friends arm.
Crystal leaned forward and pushed herself to her feet, running over to the tiger. She hit her knee's in front of him and looked him in the eyes as she held her hands up.
"Hold still," She told him. "I'll help you. I know how to treat tigers. Just hold still."
Her hand with the Henna marks on them was placed on his side over the wound, and it suddenly erupted into a bright light once again as power soared between the two, causing the wind to pick up around them gently. Fur began to recede back on the tiger, and it's form shifted before her eyes. Dark skin was revealed, and arms and legs transformed out of the tigers paws.
"Wha…?" Crystal breathed, staring in shock.
The black tiger that was in front of her before was now a tall, dark skinned, muscled man with shaggy black hair and was wearing black pants. She looked up at the man in confusion and saw his eyes; the same golden gleam as the ones her tiger had.
"You….you're the tiger," She said, reaching up and pulling his face towards hers. She stuck her face in front of his, looking at every feature on his face, and peering into his eyes deeply.
"How?" Mr. Kadam asked, grabbing her glowing hand and lifting her off the ground.
The glowing disappeared suddenly, but the designs staid. Crystal finally noticed the designs now that her mind was off of the worry for the tiger. Her jaw dropped as she pulled her hand away from the man and looked at it herself. She took a step back and ran into a hard chest.
Crystal tipped her head back and looked up into those golden eyes once again as they stared questioningly at her.
"What did you do?" He asked, voice deep and predator like.
A shiver ran down her spine as she stepped away from him, shaking her head showing that she knew as much as they did at the moment.
"Kishan! She doesn't know!" Kelsey shouted at the man before them.
"Ki…shan?" Crystal said, feeling his name roll easily off her tongue. "Wait…besides that… What the hell is going on here?"
Kelsey winced at the yell and gave a guilty smile to Crystal who had her hands on her hips in stubbornness.
"Well, you see," Kelsey said, staring at Mr. Kadam, Ren, Kishan, and back to Crystal.
"How about we explain over a cup of tea?" Mr Kadam said with a smile, putting his hand on her lower back reassuringly.
Crystal took a step forward from his hand and nodded. "I only let certain people touch me," She told him with a pout.
"My apologies," He said, with a nod, having Kelsey follow him as he walked away from it all.
Kelsey gave a welcoming smile to Crystal as she held her hand out; the same thing they used to do to each other when they wanted the other to follow. Crystal gave a wary look, before sighing in defeat and grabbing Kelsey's hand, letting their fingers link together.
Ren walked up beside her, letting his fur brush her arm. An arm wrapped around her shoulder and pulled her away from him, making her become squished between Kelsey and the body. She looked up and saw Kishan standing there with a glare at Ren. Her eyes couldn't leave him as she took in his tall stature, toned arms, and stomach, and how broad with muscle he was, yet at the same time be lean. His skin almost looked like melted chocolate with how tanned it was; his face was pointed and sharp, just like a predator, yet at the same time soft and alluring. But his eyes were what captivated her; how they gleamed and sparkled with their golden charm. It was as if they were sucking her into his own world that he ruled and controlled.
"What are you staring at?" He asked, glancing at her and raising an eyebrow. "Falling for my charming looks?"
Crystal let out a small chuckle and scoffed at him. "You wish,"
"Maybe I do," He smirked, looking forward once again.
Crystal clamped her mouth shut as her cheeks pinked, deciding to not say another word before she becomes even more embarrassed. Dawning hit her as she thought back to meeting the black tiger the first time. She stopped in place and looked at him with a red face and wide eyes. She pointed at me.
"Wait, if y-you're the bl-black t-t-t-tiger, then…" She said, covering her mouth in shock. "Then when w-w-we f-first met y-y-you…"
"That's right," He said winking at her with a smirk.
Her face exploded in embarrassment as she covered her body and stormed farther up ahead, and away from him quickly.
"Tell me what is going on." Crystal said, sitting down on the couch in the living room with a cup of tea Mr. Kadam made.
She looked over and saw Kishan flash her a smirk, making her blush and move to the floor in front of the couch. Mr. Kadam smiled with a chuckle and sipped at his tea.
"It's a long story," He said, "But seeing as you play a part in it now, I think you want to listen."
Crystal listened intently as Mr. Kadam told the story of how Ren and Kishan both fell in love, and both became cursed for doing so. The betrayal, the hurt, the loss, how they were forever to roam the earth as immortal tigers. He explained how they could change into humans, but for only a limited amount of time; which Kishan has already passed.
Kishan had moved from the side of the couch to behind Crystal as he teased her and pulled at her hair. Crystal batted him away and kept trying to move from his reach on the couch, but he was being persistent and was probably acting like that because he didn't want to remember their past.
"Kishan! Stop it!" She told him sternly.
He smiled, but then his face turned to a frown as he changed into a tiger behind her. He plopped on the floor next to her and sat, his face in a pout as he looked at the floor in discontent. Crystal watched him with analyzing eyes that were trying to memorize every feature of his tiger form. She smiled at him brightly, making them all raise an eyebrow.
"Oh! I love tigers!" She said, draping her arms around his neck and burying her face into his neck. "I don't care if you're a pervert as a human. I love tigers too much!"
"So he still has a limit on how long he can stay." Mr. Kadam said, rubbing his chin.
Kishan moved and laid against the couch, letting Crystal lie on his stomach and curl up to him. She held out her arm and looked at it, tracing the patterns with her eyes and wondering what they were all about.
"I honestly don't know how these suddenly appeared." She said, curling her fingers and watching the pattern move.
"What about that necklace?" Mr. Kadam asked.
"It's her family's necklace. Everyone in her family had one." Kelsey answered for her, watching Crystal grab at her necklace protectively.
"And your parents are here?" Mr. Kadam asked with a helpful smile.
"My parents, along with my siblings, are dead." Crystal said, burying her face into Kishan's fur so she wouldn't have to look into any of their eyes.
Kelsey put a hand on Mr. Kadam's arm as he opened his mouth to apologize and ask about it; shaking her head to tell him not to do either.
"Who sent you here?" He asked instead.
"My 'Uncle'" She said with sarcasm for the name. "He wanted me out of America, and out of his life."
"I knew that man was mean, but to send you here alone, and with no one to help you. That's taking it too far." Kelsey said, crossing her arms with a huff.
"He's that bad?" He asked Kelsey.
"Worse. That man he…..he doesn't deserve to be alive." Kelsey said, with a grunt, stopping herself from spilling anything.
"Exactly how bad?" Ren asked, changing into his human form.
Crystal stared in amazement at how much he and Kishan looked alike, yet so different too. His black hair was shorter, and his eyes were still the bright blue. He was paler and skinnier than Kishan was, and also shorter. Her eyelids batted with lead as she shook her head to stay awake.
"He torments Crystal for no reason," Kelsey said, giving up under Ren's stare and proximity.
"Torments?" Ren asked, trying to pry it from her more so.
"Her parents death was a horrible accident! They died in a tunnel collapsing. It was here in India too." Kelsey began to spill, biting her lip in thought. "It was Crystal's birthday and she wanted to see the tigers here, so they took her and the tunnel collapsed on them when Crystal ran out of the car to save the wild tiger cub there. It fell on them as they were trying to save her. Her brother used his body as a shield to protect her."
leaned forward, listening to the story intently as it became more and more interesting and familiar to him.
"That man was a close friend of her parents. He was left guardianship of her after the accident. But since then he was always telling her it was her fault her family was dead. That she killed them and took them away." Kelsey clenched her fists in anger. "Though she never argued, he still decided to hurt her physically and not just mentally and emotionally. He tried breaking her every way he could. She would come to school with bruises on her. I knew what they were from, but she always said it was because she fell or ran into something. Now he's sending her back here because he doesn't want to deal with her anymore, and knows it will bring back bad memories."
Kelsey's eyes widened in horror as she slapped her mouth shut and looked at Crystal apologetically. "Crystal! I'm so sorry! I didn't mean to tell them everything! I…"
She stopped as she saw Crystal fast asleep on Kishan as she curled up to his fur. Kishan was watching her with sad eyes that were telling his own story in pain. He knew losing his parents hurt; but to lose everyone, and still be blamed for it openly? He couldn't imagine the pain she has gone through.
"Don't you think she would hate tigers then?" Nilima asked, walking through the door.
"You heard too?" Kelsey said, feeling more guilty than before.
"I'm sorry. I got back and heard you telling a story." She said apologetically.
"I think Crystal loves tigers because it was one thing her whole family loved. They loved to see how wild they were, yet how tame and smart they could be. Her necklace, and the love for tigers is the only thing she has left of her family." Kelsey explained.
Kishan curled his head around hers, listening to her breathing go evenly in and out from her chest. For some reason he didn't want to leave her side. He wanted to protect her from anymore pain from her lose and her torment. Even more so he wanted to get revenge for her on that man who blamed her and hit her for all she did.
I'm not letting her leave my side. I'll protect her and stay by her. Kishan thought as he looked intently at the wall, letting his promise sew itself into his mind and heart.