by Amber Jacobs
Their argument continued even after the sun had disappeared, and eventually Ashley, already tired from her busy day and in no mood to deal with her partner’s tantrum, announced she was retiring to her tent. Grady backed down and let her go without comment, but his expression was less than happy.
Inside her tent, Ashley breathed a sigh of relief and let go of her tension. She rarely argued with her partner like this. If she didn’t know better, she would suspect Grady was jealous of the time she’d been spending with Leandra. As partners, they spent so much time together, both in the field and at work, that rumors of a romantic or sexual affair between them made the occasional circuit around the offices. Ashley and Grady both found the whispered suspicions rather amusing and often teased each other with campy propositions. Ashley knew her partner well, however; Grady enjoyed his bachelor lifestyle far too much to want a relationship with someone as troublesome and headstrong as herself. The two were friends and nothing more.
It was unusual for Grady to be this protective, Ashley mused as she stripped off her clothes and crawled into her sleeping bag. Lying back with a quiet groan, she relaxed aching muscles, closed her eyes, and hoped that with a little time, Grady would get over whatever was bothering him.
After a few moments of quiet peace, Ashley reflected on an entirely pleasant—and very active—day. Fit as she was, her calves and lower back were killing her. She wasn’t used to hiking so far all at once. The throbbing heat in her muscles spread almost pleasantly through her body, and she let her attention turn to the more surprising thoughts that had cropped up in her mind that day.
Long ago, Ashley had admitted to herself a more than passing interest in other women. As a teenager, being intimate with another female had seemed quite an enticing prospect. However, while she might be adventurous and bold in most aspects of her life, those characteristics hadn’t ventured into her personal relationships. In fact, her love life could best be described as chaste and boring. She hadn’t had a boyfriend in almost three years, and even though Ashley had considered romantic liaisons with a few women, she’d never been able to summon the courage to actually make the first move. The one time another woman made a polite overture, Ashley was so shocked and tongue-tied that she’d declined in a panic and spent an entire week slapping herself on the forehead in regret.
Of course, the blame for most of her relationship problems lay squarely in her own lap. She was heavily involved in her work, which often required her to travel overseas for months at a time. When she was home she preferred spending time with her family rather than dating, and none of her romantic interests ever seemed worth sacrificing her independence over. Ashley had pretty much resigned herself to the fact that she wasn’t likely to ever meet that “special someone” and found ways to deal with her natural wants and needs by herself. Though her sex life was less than inspiring, she still had a vivid imagination and a healthy appetite, and she quite often found her fantasies drifting into contemplations of the female gender.
Still, Leandra was unlike any of her previous fantasy lovers. Ashley analyzed her feelings critically, as she recalled the images of Leandra stalking her prey. Her visions of the perfect woman ran along fairly simple lines: short enough to kiss properly, cultured, sophisticated, and confident. She would be athletic rather than muscular, with a stable, preferably unadventurous, job. Oh, and she would have long, silky, fine hair through which Ashley could comb her fingers. These characteristics were noticeably absent in her new friend.
Barefoot, Leandra was at least six feet tall—too tall to make a comfortable kisser. She was certainly confident, but the jungle-woman was the polar opposite of cultured or refined. She painted her body and mimicked giant cats, had no sense of modesty whatsoever, and had a tendency to growl when upset. Leandra’s body was tough and hard from her difficult lifestyle, and her “job” was best not even analyzed. Finally, Ashley had serious doubts she could ever comb her fingers through that tangled mane of thin braids. All in all, Leandra was a far cry from Ashley’s ideal woman.
Well, maybe I’ve been barking up the wrong tree, Ashley thought. Maybe, the problem is that I’ve always gone for the stable, steady type to balance out my impulsive tendencies. Maybe, I should have been looking for someone more like…
She paused. More like what? A woman who’s been living in the Indian jungle for four years and likes to kill poachers with her clawed hands?
It was, Ashley noted, a faintly ridiculous situation.
Of course, she does have some interesting qualities. I mean, just because she doesn’t fit my perfect ideal doesn’t change the fact that she’s one hot looking lady. And she has no inhibitions whatsoever. That would certainly be a change. Thus far, Ashley’s sexual experiences had explored only two positions, neither of which had greatly impressed her. I bet Leandra would be willing to try new things…experiment and stuff. Ashley grinned rakishly as she considered the possibilities of having such an open, unreserved lover.
God, I bet she’d be a wild one between the sheets.
Ashley hugged her makeshift pillow and hummed happily. She knew she was too chicken shit to even consider making a move on Leandra. There were far too many blindingly obvious reasons to steer clear of the whole messy idea. For one thing, she would be leaving soon. For another, Leandra’s freedom from inhibitions might not extend to this kind of situation.
Most compelling of all, Ashley liked Leandra. She enjoyed spending time with her, enjoyed their increased camaraderie and the way Leandra was gradually talking more about herself and her life. Ashley could see the almost desperate way Leandra clung to every word she spoke, and she didn’t want to do anything that might make her retreat back into her primal, animalistic world.
Leandra made a fine subject for her fantasies, but Ashley knew she wasn’t the most suitable target for a meaningful—or even a meaningless—relationship.
Sighing, Ashley rolled over and let herself drift away, imagining possible scenarios of what could never be.
The next morning, Leandra woke just as the sun lit the distant horizon with a golden hue. The early morning chill didn’t bother her. In fact, it felt refreshing. She took a deep breath and uncurled her long, supple form, wincing at the familiar stiffness in her right shoulder. Rising from the thin sleeping mat that served as her bed, she spent a few moments stretching her body before beginning her morning routine.
Over a small fire, she cooked a few slivers of venison from yesterday’s kill. Leandra had never been good at cooking, so she had gotten used to the taste of burned food. Tearing the charred meat apart with her teeth, she finished her meal and licked the grease from her fingers before wandering outside to meet the new day.
Usually, Leandra spent her mornings hunting the animals that often watered at the nearby creek. She would then patrol her hunting grounds, keeping an eye out for rangers and searching for any signs of more sinister intruders. Sometimes she visited with her animal friends, reminding them of her presence in the jungle lest they forget and mistake her for just another human tourist. But not today. The promise of Ashley’s company was more than enough to make her forget about her usual activities.
After watering at the creek, noting that she would need to take a bath soon and redo her body paint, Leandra made her way to Ashley’s camp. What would have been a respectable hike for most people was, for Leandra, a relatively short walk. As the sun rose fully into the sky, she was perched among the branches of a tree, watching Ashley and her companions eat breakfast and talk.
Just watching the vibrant blonde, even from a distance, started a low, rumbling purr deep in Leandra’s chest. She had learned to make such feline noises during her first year in the wilderness; although tigers and other great cats weren’t capable of purring, they certainly seemed to understand the meaning of the sound just as well as their smaller kin. Because feline communications encompassed so many subtle dynamics, Leandra found it useful to be able to articulate as many sounds as
possible when living among the unpredictable, often savage, jungle predators. The way she moved, even the way she held her eyes, had similarly been adapted to mimic feline behavior. After all these years, the purring came without conscious thought, as intrinsic a part of her as her heightened senses and agility.
As she watched the group and noted their interactions, Leandra wondered how they might react if she were to wander into their camp. Ashley had told her that the two scientists wanted to meet her, but Leandra was cautious about exposing herself to questions. Would these people accept her? Would they be shocked by her appearance and mannerisms? Ashley had grown accustomed to her peculiarities during their time together, but it might not be so easy for others. Looking at the nearby gathering and watching her friend as she chatted with the other people made Leandra wish she had the courage to enter their group and be a part of their apparent camaraderie. She wondered at the unusual impulse to join them, and realized it stemmed from a desire to be closer to Ashley.
She wanted to be a part of Ashley’s world, the world she had turned her back on a very long time ago.
Shaking her head to clear away the strange longings, Leandra noticed for the first time a subtle tension in the group below. Though she was too far away to hear their words, she recognized that some conflict had arisen between Ashley and the man sitting next to her. Leandra’s eyes narrowed as she watched, seeing for the first time signs of displeasure in her friend’s face. From her sharp gestures and angry expression, Leandra could tell that Ashley was upset with her colleague.
Ashley stood up from her tree-stump seat and glared at the man, saying something that was obviously meant to put an end to their argument. Then she turned and stalked off, heading down toward the river. Leandra smiled, knowing her friend was going to their normal meeting place. Her smile disappeared when the man threw down his plate and followed. Her eyes narrowed in frustration, and Leandra quickly leapt to the ground and moved after the two figures.
She caught up to them at the river and watched from the cover of the jungle undergrowth as the heated conversation continued. Now, however, she was close enough to hear the nature of the conflict, and she was surprised to find it was about her.
“For the last time, I’m not staying at the hide with Simon,” Ashley fumed. “Now go away. Leandra won’t come if you’re here.”
The words pleased Leandra. She accepts me so easily, she marveled. She doesn’t ask questions when she knows I don’t want to answer. She just lets me be who I am around her.
Unfortunately, the tall, dark-haired man didn’t back down. “Then maybe I should just stay with you,” he snapped, folding his arms over his chest. “You shouldn’t be going off with that woman.”
Leandra growled under her breath, not liking this man at all.
“I can do what I want, Grady. It’s none of your business.”
“It is when you’re not doing your job,” Grady returned. “You need to ask her about the white tiger. If she knows anything about it, you need to find out.”
Ashley’s face was flushed with anger. “I am not going to use Leandra just to get a few photos!” she shouted. “She’s my friend, not some hired tiger-tracker like Tarun. If you want the damn cat found, why not go shout at him to do it? It’s what we’re paying him for, isn’t it?” She turned from the man, clearly intending to walk away.
“Wait a minute, Ashley!” Grady reached out and grabbed her shoulder, forcefully spinning her around and pushing her against a tree.
Leandra’s instincts had her moving before she could take a moment to reconsider: she broke from the shadowy undergrowth and cleared the ground between them in two bounding strides. Before Grady could get another word out—and before Ashley had a chance to retaliate herself—Leandra yanked him away and hurled him against the bole of a fallen tree. His eyes shot wide in surprise, then panic, as he met her cold gaze, and he gasped when she crouched over him and pressed razor-sharp claws against his neck. Leandra felt a low, ominous growl vibrating in her chest, and she bared her teeth in a feral snarl.
“Leandra.” Ashley had quickly recovered from the surprise appearance, laying a calming hand upon her shoulder. “It’s okay, he wasn’t going to hurt me.”
Leandra glanced back at her, instantly calmed by the luminous dark eyes and reassuring expression. Still, her growl turned deeper, and she leaned closer to Grady’s motionless face, sniffing at him, knowing he was terrified by the primitive gesture. With an effort, she resisted the urge to lick his cheek and see if she could get him to wet himself. Instead, she slowly retracted her claws and stepped off the petrified man.
Ashley flashed her a quick, decidedly wicked, little grin as she helped Grady stand. The man was still staring at her in awed fear, and Leandra watched him through slitted eyes, still growling low in her throat.
“Grady, I think you should go back to camp now, don’t you?” Ashley suggested. “We can talk more this evening.”
Grady looked at her in shock and gestured at the painted woman. “This is the woman you keep saying is harmless?”
Leandra bared her teeth and gave a feline hiss.
“She was just protecting me,” Ashley explained, giving Leandra a scolding look that she chose to ignore. Ashley gave her partner a little push in the direction of their camp. “I’m perfectly safe with Leandra, so go back to camp and leave us alone.”
Grady gave Leandra a last baleful glare, but eventually he nodded. “Fine, but we’re going to have a talk about this later on.” He turned and headed down the riverbank.
Once he was out of sight, Ashley turned to Leandra. “You didn’t need to frighten him like that,” she rebuked her, but laughing eyes revealed that she wasn’t at all angry. “I thought he was going to pee his pants.”
“Sorry. I saw him grab you, and I just reacted.”
“Grady’s a little frustrated,” Ashley explained. “I’m not sure why, but he’s got a bug up his butt about me spending so much time with you.”
Leandra shuffled her feet and looked uncomfortable. “I don’t want to be causing you problems,” she muttered. “You know, if you have a job to do—”
“Hey…” Ashley took the Leandra’s arm and gave it a gentle shake before releasing it. “I’m doing my job just fine. Believe me, Leandra, you’re not hindering my work at all.”
“Okay then.” Leandra smiled sheepishly. “I guess he’s not going to like me any better for attacking him.”
Ashley snorted. “I don’t care what Grady thinks. He should know better than to try to push me around like that. If you hadn’t put him in his place, I’d have done it myself.” She patted her friend on the shoulder. “Still, thank you for jumping in. It was a very nice gesture.”
“No problem.” Leandra toyed with a lock of her hair as they began strolling along the riverbank. “I didn’t really think about it,” she admitted after a moment. “I just didn’t like seeing him get rough with you. I mean, you’re my friend, so…”
“I understand. Guess you’re a little territorial, huh?” Ashley joked.
Leandra took the question seriously, however. “Maybe I am. I don’t like it when…” She hesitated, recalling faces from the past she had fled, faces almost forgotten. “I don’t like it when someone tries to hurt my friends.”
Ashley gave her a warm smile. “Well, I don’t mind if you’re a bit overprotective. It’s not something I usually like, people butting in and trying to fight my battles for me, but I’m willing to make an exception for you.” She chuckled, and added, “Just as long as you don’t get it into your head to start marking your territory.”
Leandra laughed too. “I promise I’ll resist the urge, no matter how tempting it might be.”
“Good.”
Laughing and joking, the two women continued off into the jungle together, eager to spend another day in pleasant companionship.
A few hours later, seated on
a low cliff and looking down at a herd of elephants splashing about in the shallow river below, Leandra recalled the conversation she’d overheard between Ashley and her partner. She glanced at the photographer who was snapping away at the giant animals with her camera.
“Your friend seemed pretty upset about you not finding what you came here for,” she observed casually.
Ashley shrugged. “I haven’t told him there is no white tiger,” she said. “I think it would probably just make him angrier now.”
“It meant a lot to you, though, didn’t it?” Leandra said gently.
“What? Seeing the cat? Well, sure. I mean, it’s a once in a lifetime opportunity. And for someone in my career…” Ashley set her camera down and just sat with Leandra, watching the elephants. “It would have been something very special.”
Leandra cocked her head to the side, thinking. “Coming here looking for a wild tiger, wanting to get close to one… That’s a pretty dangerous job.”
“I know. But it’s no more dangerous than other assignments I’ve had.”
“Oh?”
“Yeah.” Ashley drew her feet under her and sat cross-legged on the rocky ridge. “Two years ago, I spent three months in a little village in Alaska, shooting the polar bears. I got a lot closer to them than I really wanted to, let me tell you. Those things are faster than they look. And last year, we were in Australia photographing crocodiles, and I had the brilliant idea of setting up an underwater hide right where the damn things were swimming.” She slapped at an insect foolish enough to crawl up her leg. “I was lucky to get out of there with all my bits and pieces still attached, although I did get some amazing shots.”
“So you’re used to taking risks?”
“Sure. It’s part of the job.”
“Does it ever scare you?”
“I guess, sometimes. But usually only afterwards, when the bad stuff has already happened. I’ve been bitten three times by snakes, at least a dozen times by spiders, and I can’t tell you how many times by other things. One of the snakebites was pretty scary. It hurt like hell, and my breathing went all funny—I started seeing spots and stuff. I was in the hospital for a while.” She held out her left leg and displayed the faint white scars of the fang marks. “One time, I went into the water with a few great white sharks, and it freaked me out a little even though I was in a cage. The guys in the boat were throwing chum into the water, trying to get them thrashing around so it would look more impressive on camera, and I was pretty nervous. Usually though, I’m too busy taking pictures to worry about the danger until it’s too late. I get scared afterwards.”
