By this time, the other cub had finished eating and had been watching with interest. When his brother—or her sister, Leandre had no idea of their sex—returned to hide behind his mother’s paws, the second cub got to his feet and strolled toward her, tail high.
“Oh, ho, so you are the brave one!” She wiggled the dangling fingers again and the cub hurried the last few steps to jump upon her hand and bite them.
“Ouch!” She pulled her hand back and the cub blinked but did not retreat. “You must be gentle! I do not have thick tiger skin.” Leandre returned her hand and the cub took it in his teeth again, but did not bite down. Instead, he rolled over and wrapped his paws around her arm and kicked with his back feet, emitting playful snarls.
“Oh, I see. You are a ferocious jungle animal and you have captured the family meal. We will just see about that.” She removed her fingers from his mouth and scratched his belly, while he still held the captured wrist between his paws. The snarls increased in volume—Leandre had apparently stumbled on a pleasing form of play.
Actually, it was a she, Leandre observed in the moonlight. Presumably, the rule that applied to Irish barn kittens would work with Indian tiger cubs. Look under the tail—two buttons means female, one means male. “Oh, you are fierce,” she teased, enlisting her other hand to the assault on the round belly. Her fur was soft, but more fuzzy than silky, and she could feel strong muscles already forming under baby fat.
Not to be shown up by a mere sister, the other cub came over, snagged the hem of Leandre’s robe and tugged. She laughed and pretended to fall over, conquered. Akhilesh made a noise that sounded suspiciously like a grunt of disgust and turned his head the other direction, as if he could not be bothered with the foolishness of females and children.
They played like that for a while and although Leandre’s mind tried to whisper about the direness of her predicament and the need to plan, she hushed it and absorbed herself in the moment. As the lateness of the hour and the fullness of bellies caused the playful cubs to begin to yawn and flag, a heaviness began to steal over her eyes as well. Hiranmayi had moved closer to keep an eye on her children, and Leandre soon found herself lying on her side while she lazily stroked a small sleeping form. Hiranmayi stretched out behind her, almost touching her back.
What of tomorrow? A final thought tried to crowd in before sleep took Leandre. She responded in the words of her father. “That is a question that always answers itself,” she mumbled aloud, then drifted into oblivion.
She was awakened with a jolt when Akhilesh let out a fierce snarl. He was on his feet, and Leandre could feel Hiranmayi’s muscles taut behind her. The female tiger made a warning noise, and Leandre sat up, scooped up the blinking cubs and put them behind her back, between their mother’s paws.
Are they coming to get me? People must enter this enclosure sometime—Leandre had seen too much evidence of cleaning and gardening to think otherwise—but would they actually try to take her away with both tigers alert to protect her? She envisioned snares and spears, and shuddered.
While Akhilesh kept up a low rumble, she listened for feet crashing through the heavy growth, but heard nothing.
“Hello?” A voice, not too close, called softly. Leandre could not make out the direction, shrouded as they were by the thick vegetation. Akhilesh’s growling increased in volume.
“Hello…my lady, are you there?” The growling increased to a snarl when Leandre was struck with a realization—the words were Gaelic!
“Akhilesh, it is all right.” She spoke reassuringly and the tiger looked at her. “I…I do not think he means me…means us harm.” She got to her feet. “Where is the voice coming from?”
The big head tilted as if trying to fathom the question then he gave another of those explosive snorts and walked toward the wall of foliage. He pushed through the curtain of greenery, and Leandre followed.
When the enormous head emerged from the shadows of the greenery, Bhavesh could not prevent himself from leaping back from the bars of the cage. Although he had seen the tiger many times during his short tenure at the palace, the sheer power of the beast still struck awe. If these bars were not between us, the eyes seemed to say, I could kill you more easily than you could swat a fly.
Bhavesh swallowed convulsively, but spoke again. If Akhilesh was near—surely this was the male tiger—then the woman might be as well.
“Hello? I…I have come to speak with you.”
She materialized from the dense shrubbery like a ghost in her diaphanous white robes. “So speak.”
He was taken aback. He realized that even though he had come with the purpose of finding her, he had not really expected to succeed. As she glided into the moonlight, her strangely colored hair falling in disarray from the pearl headdress, Bhavesh almost lost his breath. She is so beautiful.
“Well?”
He had been staring openmouthed and hoped she could not see his flush of embarrassment in the gloom. “I am sorry, I just did not expect to find you so quickly.”
“You have found me now. Tell me,” she said, sliding closer to the iron grillwork that separated them, “how do you come to speak my tongue?”
“There is a slave in my family’s household from your land. He taught it to me when I was a boy.”
She took a moment to digest that. “Why have you come?”
“I had to.” It would have been difficult to explain further but she did not seem to require it.
“I see.” The big cat made a grumbling sound and she turned to him and spoke as if to a man. “Thank you, Akhilesh, but I am quite sure he means us no harm.”
The tiger retreated a few steps but sat down facing Bhavesh. He made a noise as if to say, “We shall see about that.”
“Does he understand you?”
She shrugged and smiled. “He seems to. I know he is protecting me, but I could not say he has actually told me that.”
It was wondrous. Bhavesh was speaking to the most enchanting creature he had ever seen, under the watch of a beast many of his people worshipped. She sat down and drew up her knees as if it was the most normal thing in the world. Bhavesh glanced around, worried that someone would come upon them.
“I am Bhavesh. May I know your name?”
“Leandre.”
“Leandre.” He repeated the name, trying it on his tongue. It sent a frisson down his spine. “Leandre, there are guards to prevent people from interfering with the tiger enclosure, and I have seen their torches. One of them will probably check this section of the gardens before too long. I do not know how long we will be able to speak.”
She nodded. “Is there something urgent you must tell me?”
He blinked at that. He had not really considered the topic of their conversation, only that they must have one. “I do not know. It was just that I could not stay away.”
Her slow smile caused an immediate response in every nerve in his body. “Yes,” she said, and he could not help but notice that her lips were full and her mouth wide and generous. “There was something between us tonight, was there not? Before I got…rather caught up in events, I was imagining what it would be like to make love to you.”
Bhavesh could not believe she had spoken so directly. The tingling in his nerves coalesced to a surge of desire and his cock hardened instantly. He managed to keep his voice even when he responded. “Will you not come out of the cage? There is a door right there. I have looked at the locks and I can open it easily. We can go to my rooms.”
Was it amusement he saw quirk her lips or a trick of the moonlight? “I said I had thought about making love to you. I did not mean I would do it. I do not generally make it a practice to make love to strangers.”
“But you are a—” He cut himself off. He had been about to say she was a slave. He had assumed she would have been passed from hand to hand—or bed to bed—before Phanishwar had brought her to the palace.
She laughed, but it was a bitter sound. “I am a slave, yes. But I have not been one for long. And the men who
have…have owned me thus far had their own reasons not to take me to their beds.” She must have seen his eyebrows rise, because she added, “No, I am not claiming to be a virgin. I am a widow, and my husband was something of a sensualist. Do you know the word?”
He did not, but he had a good idea what she meant, so he nodded rather than interrupt her story.
“He was older than I, and had learned a great deal at the hands of skilled women before I came to him. He taught me to enjoy the pleasures of the flesh, and I have missed them.”
Bhavesh wet his lips. He did not intend to end the night separated from this woman. “Leandre, I did not mean to offend you. But, as you said, there was something between us tonight. And then when you spoke to the tiger…” He struggled to make himself understood.
“I am the only other person in the palace—in this region, probably, who speaks your tongue. And I am from the Sundarban. My ancestors worshipped tigers and some of the villagers still do so today. There is a legend about a tiger who turned into a woman, and who had hair the color of honey and skin the color of milk. She brought the gifts of milk and honey to our people and took a human husband. He became a great leader and his name came to symbolize strength and power.”
“You think I am this woman?” This time her amusement was real, not bitter.
“No, of course not. I do not believe the old legends, but I respect their symbolism and what they have taught our people. And I believe in fate. You see… You see, Leandre, the man’s name was Bhavesh. And the woman’s name was Prahleandra.”
Just telling her this brought on the return of the frisson, and Bhavesh saw her shiver in response.
“I see,” she said slowly. “And you believe fate has brought us together.”
“I know it has,” he said, and was certain he was telling the truth. Bhavesh held his breath, not wanting to prod her further, even though he ached for her and his cock had lost none of its rigidity. She must draw the same conclusion on her own.
Suddenly Akhilesh got to his feet with a snarl. Bhavesh heard voices and saw torches off to his left, coming from the direction of the main hall. “I must go!” He whirled, intending to run back toward the door from which he had come, but another torch approached from that direction. He swore viciously.
Leandre may not have known the words he used but she understood the sentiment. “You cannot let them find you here. With Sukumar so angry, I do not know what he will do.”
“But there is nowhere to run!”
“Then come in here with me.” Leandre’s eyes flew to the door. “You said you could get it open, do it now!”
He hesitated. “But the tigers—”
“Will not hurt you if I bid them so. Hurry!”
Bhavesh was not so certain, but the torches were drawing nearer. He ran to the gate and grabbed the latch. When he had looked at it before, it had seemed simple. Now he fumbled with the mechanism, willing his hands to be agile. The lock clicked and he flung the door open.
Akhilesh growled and Bhavesh froze, but Leandre whispered sharply, “He just wants you to hurry! Quickly, follow me.” She lifted a curtain of leaves and disappeared into the shadows beyond. With a last glance at Akhilesh, who seemed to be waiting, Bhavesh followed.
Chapter Eight
Paradise
They stood still inside the wall of green and listened to the voices of the men. “Did you refasten the lock?” Leandre whispered.
“I…I am not sure.” Bhavesh was looking at Akhilesh, who was watching him just as suspiciously. The rumbling growl, however, was temporarily silent.
She could not quite make out the words, but the guards did not sound agitated. A little more animated than one would normally expect from those on a late-night patrol, perhaps—probably gossiping about her—but if Bhavesh had failed to relock the gate, they must not have noticed.
“Can you hear what they are saying?” Leandre kept her voice to the barest whisper.
“A little.” He listened for a few more moments. “It sounds like they are planning to play cards. They probably meet back here because they are unlikely to be caught.”
“Then they will be here for a while. Come—let us go to where we cannot be heard.” She took his hand, feeling a little awkward, and led him back toward the tigers’ hidden pergola.
Hiranmayi was lying down with her head and shoulders up, alert, but the cubs were sleeping. She made an interrogative noise when they came through the trees, but Akhilesh gave a grunting answer as if to say, “I do not know what she is up to but this man does not seem to be dangerous.”
Leandre looked at Bhavesh. Perhaps not to a tiger. But I suspect this man could be very dangerous indeed.
Hiranmayi must have agreed with her mate on the subject of Bhavesh’s potential to be a threat, because she put her head back down on her paws, although her eyes remained open and watchful. Akhilesh settled himself next to her, and two pairs of honey-colored eyes watched them.
Leandre was still holding Bhavesh’s hand and she could feel his tension. “Let us go up here, so we do not disturb them while we talk.” She led him up the short stair to the higher level of the pergola, and took him to a bench that was shielded from the lower level by a stone railing and some empty pots that must have once held plants.
She sat on the bench and he joined her. “So, Bhavesh, it seems you are alone with Prahleandra.”
He smiled. “And I am not even dreaming.” She must have looked quizzical, because he went on, “The story of Prahleandra and Bhavesh was my boyhood fantasy. I wanted to be the hero.” Leandre could see his eyes shining in the moonlight. “The nature of my fantasies changed when I became a man, but by then Prahleandra was part of my dreams and came to visit me on many nights.” He reached out with one hand to touch her cheek then stroke her hair. “Milk and honey.”
His touch was gentle, but his hand was not smooth and free of calluses like Sukumar’s had been. She shuddered, but it was out of need that flooded her limbs the moment he touched her. She was still holding his other hand, and she lifted and kissed it.
“And you…strength and power, is that what your name means?” He nodded, and she pulled his hand to her breast and pressed it against the silky robes. “Show me your strength, Bhavesh. Let me feel your power.”
“But the tigers…”
“They will not disturb us.” She was sure this was true. “Bhavesh, this may be our only night together. For now, the tigers protect me. But eventually Sukumar will think of a way to get me away from them, and then he will kill me.”
“I will not let that happen,” he said, pulling her closer to him. She felt the hard muscles in his arms and placed a hand against his chest. She felt steel through his dark robes. “I will find a way to get us away from this place.”
Leandre nestled against him. He seemed so sure of himself, and it was nice to pretend what he said was true. She had not felt safe since being ripped away from her husband’s bleeding form almost a year ago. The clean and masculine smell of Bhavesh, the strength of his body, the brush of his chin, now rough with the day’s growth of beard—all of it combined to make her feel almost secure.
He gathered her closer, pulling her onto his lap. She felt the hard pressure of his cock pushing against the underside of her leg, and her innermost places clenched with anticipation. She lifted her chin to see his face and her mouth was instantly covered by his.
His tongue thrust into Leandre’s mouth and she captured it and sucked, savoring the taste and feel. It had been so long since she had been kissed, and she was sure she had never been kissed like this. She grasped Bhavesh’s shoulder and the back of his head, as if she could pull his mouth closer to hers. She ran her own tongue along his, over his teeth, inside his lips. She forgot to breathe.
He must have forgotten as well, because he pulled back, gasping. They stared at one another for a moment then his mouth was busy again, tasting the underside of her jaw, her neck, the skin above her breasts. “Milk and honey,” he breathed.
She froze, her breath caught in her throat. The play of moonlight across the rippling muscles of his chest, arms and belly was the most beautiful thing she had ever seen. Lean and hard and, if the moonlight could be trusted, bronzed. A light pattern of hair spread across his chest, narrowing as it reached his belly, where a small line ran downward to the top of his breeches.
“You are magnificent,” she breathed, and Bhavesh’s slow smile answered.
“Now you must do the same for me,” he said. “I wish to see your milky skin.”
“You have already seen it, along with the entire court.” She blushed at the memory of being dragged naked from Sukumar’s dais.
“Only for a moment,” Bhavesh’s hand reached for the shoulders of her robe and pulled them aside, so that they fell and left her naked to the waist. “And not in the moonlight.” His head dipped and he took a nipple between his lips. “Ummmm,” he almost hummed, and the vibrations from his mouth sent waves of pleasure through her. She felt moisture building behind the lips of her cunt and knew a single squeeze of her muscles would send it cascading down her legs. She did not care. Let him feel what he was doing to her.
She shifted her weight and felt the hard throb of his cock against her bottom. She wriggled against it, eliciting a groan from the mouth that was devouring her breast. He bit down lightly in response and this time Leandre was the one who groaned. Her muscles spasmed and the wetness burst from her in a warm torrent.
Bhavesh fumbled to discover how the robes still draped at her waist parted. His hand slid through and between her legs until the tips of his fingers found the moist cleft. He smiled.
“Are you making milk and honey for me, Leandre? I must taste of it.” In one smooth pull he had the rest of her robes flung aside before lifting her in his arms as he stood, as if she were no more than a child.
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