CHAPTER 8
Kishan's POV – One month earlier
Edison and Anamika were outside, picking vegetables from the garden for dinner. I sat by the window, watching them silently. My only son had green eyes, inherited from his mother, and the tall, well-built nature from myself. He reminded my of Dhiren, with his brave, determined nature, but also with his kind, compassionate side which frequently makes an appearance. Anamika glanced up and caught my gaze through the window and smiled, lifting one corner up first, the way Kelsey had. For a second my heart twinged as I remembered Kelsey's vibrant face, one I hadn't thought about in a while. I still loved her; time had not changed that. A part of my heart will always belong to her, but the rest of it, which had once been empty and thorny, had fallen into the hands of someone entirely different.
Anamika.
A bad-tempered, stubborn, judgmental, argumentative person who was a constant pain in the neck. But once I began to search under the façade, I saw a beautiful, independent, courageous, loyal woman, and immediately I began to fall for her. She made me laugh, but most importantly, the pain I felt after losing Kelsey began to gradually fade. And that's when I knew I was, once again, falling in love.
It's a weird feeling, and different each time. With Yesubai, it had been an immediate spark, a certain connection, as if it were destiny taking its course. With Kelsey, it had been gradual, steady process. I started becoming fascinated with her, watching her every move, making sure to find out everything there was to know about her. But with Anamika, it was like instead of everything revolving around the sun, I was riveted to her. Her movements were mesmerizing, and even when we argued and snapped at each other, I felt like everything was right, how it was meant to be. That she was the one.
After dinner I morphed into a tiger and started running blindly through the jungle, becoming once again familiar with the powerful stride as the tiger took over. The ground pounded beneath my feet and my heart thumped with excitement. I dodged trees and leapt over logs, letting out a roar as the sound echoed throughout the forest. Birds took flight, squawking indignantly as I ran past. Finally I came to a halt in a clearing, where I stopped to catch my breath. That's when I saw him.
He appeared out of nowhere, and my gaze snapped to him. I immediately morphed back into my human state, and greeted the old monk before me.
'Phet. What are you-' I started to say.
'No questions,' Phet answered, waving his hand. 'Kelsey needs you.'
I stared as Emma and my son walked through the school gates, laughing at something Edison had said. I could see how much he liked her. His gaze never left her face, and she was all he would ever talk about. I'm glad he had found someone to help him through this journey. Some things parents couldn't do.
I glanced around the modern world, memories of Oregon returning in flashes as I looked at the city. It was so different from living in the forest. The skyscrapers soared through the sky, and aeroplanes flew across the horizon. And there were lots of people.
But my first and only task was to find Kelsey and Ren. They were somewhere in Oregon, having moved out of their previous house. Now I just had to find them.
I was nervous about having to face my brother and Kelsey. Years of their lives I had not experienced with them. Would I really be able to just come back and pretend nothing had happened? Just walk into their lives? And what was I going to tell them? Would they be angry? Confused? Frightened?
And what of Edison? And the family he has never met?
Hey tiger fans! Please, please please take the time to review I appreciate every comment!
- Have you people read Tigers Promise? It's another book by Colleen Houck written in Yesubai's perspective. I only just found out it existed a couple days ago! It's a must read. Explains a lot about what happened before the princes were cursed.