she nodded. a soldier in limbo for forty years. if he woke up, the world he knew would be completely changed. "do you think we can save him?"

"the only way to save him is to turn him into a vampire."

chapter twenty-three

carlos halted when he heard the snap of a twig in the distance. "we're not alone."

caitlyn pivoted, looking about. "i don't see anything. are the tigers back?"

"i believe so. we're in their territory now."

they'd started back to the akha village shortly after sunrise. carlos had left an electronic tracking device just inside the cave. he hoped the vamps would be able to teleport straight to it. it would save a lot of time, and he didn't relish the thought of hiking across the jungle with them in the dark.

he and caitlyn had crossed the stream into tiger territory ten minutes ago, and he'd been expecting the cats to show up. they were in a small clearing now on the hillside, about ten yards wide. the morning sun shone down on them, but in the distance, under the thick trees and underbrush, it looked dark. an easy place for a tiger to hide.

"they seemed to be truly concerned about us." she unscrewed a bottle of water and took a sip. "i thought they might be shifters."

"i wondered the same thing." he borrowed her bottle and drank. "usually i can tell a shifter by their scent, but the tigers always stayed downwind."

a bush in the distance shook. he passed the water back and rested a hand on his automatic.

"i don't think they mean us any harm," she whispered.

the jungle parted and a large golden-striped tiger emerged. he made a huffing sound and swished his tail.

"well, excuse me," caitlyn muttered. "he says we smell like death, and we're stinking up their territory."

"great." carlos glanced over his shoulder as a second large tiger emerged from the jungle behind them. "at least we don't smell good enough to eat."

caitlyn paused, her head tilted. "they understand a little english. they say they're not man-eaters, and you would do well to stop insulting them."

"never make a tiger angry," carlos agreed as he turned his head back and forth to keep an eye on both cats.

"the one in front of us is raghu, which means swift," caitlyn explained.

carlos watched him with narrowed eyes. "i'm sure he is swift."

"rajiv is behind us. his name means striped. they would like for you to take your hand off the gun."

carlos dropped his hand. "i would like not to be surrounded and outnumbered."

"it's two against two," she murmured.

"you're not a cat, catalina."

she snorted. "yeah, but i'm the one who's able to communicate with them. raghu wants us to follow him."

"not happening."

behind them, rajiv growled.

she glanced back. "i believe they can be very persuasive."

"ask them why," carlos whispered. "what do they want from us?"

she hesitated, then answered. "they believe you're a shifter. they want to talk to you."

"then they're shifters, too?"

raghu made another huffing noise, then turned to walk into the jungle. rajiv advanced on them from the rear.

"i guess we'll find out later," caitlyn muttered.

carlos took her by the elbow and followed raghu. once they broke through a barrier of bushes, there was a narrow path. it sloped gently downhill for about fifteen minutes.

carlos walked behind caitlyn so his back would be to rajiv. he kept his ears tuned to rajiv behind them and his eyes glued to raghu. if the two tigers decided to attack, he'd be better off using his automatic than shifting. "i think we're headed back to the valley where the stream is."

after another five minutes they emerged into a clearing in the valley.

caitlyn gasped. "it's beautiful."

it was impressive, carlos thought. a green field stretched before them, dotted with wildflowers. on the other side of the valley a stream cascaded over a cliff, making a small waterfall that fell into a clear blue pond. another stream broke off from the pond and meandered down the valley to the point where they had crossed it earlier.

the tigers led them toward the pond.

caitlyn smiled at them. "it's beautiful. thank you for showing it to us." her smile faded and she stiffened.

"what?" carlos asked, his nerves tensing.

"they want us to strip."

"strip?"

she nodded. "strip and get in the water."

"why? do they like their food clean?"

she winced. "don't say that." raghu growled, and she gave carlos an exasperated look. "how many times do i have to tell you? they don't like being called man-eaters."

"i can see that." he dropped his backpack onto the ground. "from their scent, i'm guessing they spend part of their time as men."

rajiv snarled.

caitlyn lifted her hands. "okay. we're stripping."

"we are?" carlos turned to watch her. "in that case, ladies first."

she snorted, then looked at the tigers. they inclined their heads and turned their backs.

carlos chuckled. "you asked them to turn around?"

"of course. they're men, aren't they?"

"and what am i?" he ejected the clip from his automatic and secured them both in his backpack.

"according to raghu, you're an old man who bickers too much with his woman."

he straightened with a jerk. "excuse me?"

"he thinks you're...what's the word...hen pecked?"

"what?" carlos glared at the giant cat who sat calmly with his back to them, twitching his tail back and forth. he was tempted to give that tail a big yank. "why would he say that?"

caitlyn smiled as she lowered her backpack to the ground. "they think you waste time arguing with me when you only need to give orders."

he arched a brow. "they have a valid point, but do they have any idea how stubborn you are?"

her eyes twinkled with humor as she sat on the ground to remove her hiking boots. "you discuss things with me as an equal. i think it's very sweet."

sweet? he was a were-panther, dammit. he yanked his t-shirt over his head and threw it down. "was i sweet when i turned into a snarling animal and pinned you down?" he ripped off his boots and socks, leaving them scattered over the meadow.

she slipped off her socks, then neatly rolled them and stashed them in her boots. "it's just a different culture here. in the western world, men have learned to be more sensitive to a woman's needs." she perched her hat on top of her boots.

sensitive? carlos growled as he unbuckled his belt and jerked down the zipper. he'd show her where a man was most sensitive to a woman's needs. his trousers and underwear fell to the ground and he kicked them aside.

her eyes widened.

the longer he stared at her, the harder he became. "i believe the appropriate term is semi-aroused."

her eyes grew even wider. "semi?" her voice came out in a squeak.

"hurry up and get naked." he marched toward the pond, then called over his shoulder, "and that's an order."

caitlyn bit her bottom lip as she watched carlos. could any man be more gorgeous? his bare back was strong and tanned. his skin was smooth, with no sign of the fatal wound he'd suffered the night before. his determined stride made the muscles in his buttocks flex and pull.

he was simply mesmerizing. and huge. semi-aroused? more like semi-superhuman.

she sighed with dismay when he walked far enough into the pond that the water level covered his rump. she hadn't spotted any tattoos. he had only been teasing. he dipped low in the water, arching his back to wet his hair. then he straightened, smoothing his shoulder-length hair back with his hands as he turned toward her.

he planted his hands on his hips and watched her with his amber eyes. his chest was broad and hairless, but a narrow trail of hair started at his belly button and descended out of view into the water.

she wondered if he was still semi-aroused. her mouth fell open as his right hand slipped from his hip to his groin. was he fondling himself underwater?

"i'm waiting, catalina."

her skin tingled with anticipation. she slowly stood. the grass was cool and soft against the soles of her feet. with trembling fingers she unbuttoned her olive-colored camp shirt. her heart rate sped up. she'd never stripped in front of a man before.

his eyes gleamed, his gaze never leaving her.

her arms prickled with goose bumps as she slid the shirt off. she folded it and set it on the ground next to her boots. she glanced back to make sure the tigers weren't watching, then looked at carlos.

one corner of his mouth curled up as he focused on her red lacy bra. her nipples responded to his gaze, pebbling against the cool silk. she felt a tightening, squeezing sensation between her legs. she'd never felt so turned on, and he hadn't even touched her yet.

slowly, she unbuckled her belt and unfastened the waistband of her khaki pants. her heart beat even faster. once she entered the pool, she knew he would pounce on her. and she wanted him. she wanted his hands and mouth all over her. with a little wiggle, she pushed her trousers over her hips and let them fall.

his brows lifted slightly at the sight of her high-cut red lace panties.

she stepped out of the trousers, then leaned over to pick them up. she folded them neatly.

"get on with it," he growled.

his impatience gave her a sudden gratifying feeling of power. he was at her mercy. she was setting the pace. and she was enjoying making him wait.

"are you feeling...anxious?" she turned to give him a view of her backside. she leaned over to set her folded pants on top of her shirt.

he snorted. "go ahead and torture me, catalina. it'll be your turn soon enough."

she straightened and faced him. "you're planning on torturing me?"

he smiled. "i'm going to make you scream."

"promises, promises." she reached behind her back to unhook her bra. it came loose with a little pop, and her heart lurched.

she took a deep breath to steady her nerves. then with a flourish, she whisked the bra off and dropped it on her clothes.

carlos hissed in a breath.

her courage wavered under a sudden attack of modesty, and she turned her back to him to remove her underwear. the red lace fell to the ground, and she nudged it with her foot onto her pile of clothes.

"catalina," he called softly.

her heart swelled with love and longing. she looked up at the blue sky overhead and vowed to herself that no matter what happened, she would never regret this. she would cherish this day for the rest of her life.

she turned and streaked toward the pond. "ack!" it was colder than she'd thought it would be. when the water reached her hips, she pushed off her feet and swam toward the waterfall.

she came to an abrupt halt when a hand seized her ankle. "hey!" she dropped her free foot to the bottom of the pond and turned to face her attacker. the water was only chest deep.

carlos pulled her hard against his chest. he wrapped her ankles around his back, making her straddle him around the waist. she gasped as her most sensitive flesh was pressed against him. he supported her with one arm and slid his other hand around her neck.

he was breathing heavily. she could feel the rise and fall of his stomach pushing against her groin.

"catalina, i've wanted you for so long."

"i want you, too. more than anything." she blinked back tears. "when i thought you were dead - "

"shh. we're together now." he dragged her farther up his body, rubbing her tender skin against him.

she whimpered. her head fell back as he nibbled on her neck. she dug her heels into his back, pressing herself against him. he grabbed her buttocks and squeezed.

a gong sounded in the distance.

he lifted his head from her neck. "what is that?"

she glanced toward the field. the tigers were gone. "i hope they're not in the forest watching us."

carlos dunked down, bringing her with him, so the water was up to their chins.

another gong sounded.

"maybe it's the dinner bell," he muttered.

she smoothed a hand over his wet hair. "or a fire drill?"

he snorted. "i've got a drill for you."

she giggled and slapped his shoulder. "oh, there are people coming." she spotted two women and a handful of children coming from the forest.

"definitely a tribe of were-tigers," he murmured. "the children won't shift until puberty. and the women probably only shift on the night of a full moon."

she gasped when the children gathered up all of her and carlos's clothes. "wait!" she called out to them. "we need those."

the children giggled and ran back into the forest. one of the women took their backpacks.

"she's got my weapons." carlos let go of caitlyn and walked toward the shore. "hey, bring that back!" he gave her an exasperated look. "can you tell them to stop?"

"i don't know their language yet."

the other woman smiled and showed them a bamboo tray with two clay dishes on top. she set the tray on the water and pushed it toward carlos. then she ran back into the forest.

"what is it?" caitlyn asked as carlos brought the floating tray to her.

he shrugged. "i don't know." the two clay dishes held clear, thick liquid.

she dipped a finger in and rubbed it with her thumb. it made suds and smelled of jasmine. "it's soap."

he motioned with his head toward the waterfall. "want to take a shower?"