the connecting door behind him, leaving me alone with Mr. Kadam.
Flustered, I flopped into a chair and muttered, “I am not jealous.”
Mr. Kadam looked at me thoughtfully, “No you’re not. At least not in the way he might hope.”
I sat up straighter. “What do you mean?”
“You’re protecting him.”
I snorted. “Protecting him from what? His own delusions?”
He laughed. “No. You clearly care for him. You want him to find happiness. And because Ren isn’t here, all of your maternal instincts are focused on Kishan.”
“I don’t think what I feel for Ren is maternal.”
“Of course, it is. Well, a part of it is, anyway. Do you remember what the weaver told you about the different threads?”
“Yes. She said I’m the warp.”
“Exactly. Ren’s and Kishan’s threads weave around you. Without your strength, the fabric couldn’t be complete.”
“Hmm.”
“Miss Kelsey, do you know much about lions?”
“No. Not really.”
“A male lion cannot hunt for himself. Without the female, he would die.”
“I’m not sure I’m getting the point.”
“My point is that a lion without a lioness dies. Kishan needs you. Perhaps even more than Ren does.”
“But I can’t be all things to both brothers.”
“I’m not asking you to. I’m just saying that Kishan needs . . . hope. Something to hold onto.”
“I can be his friend. I’ll even hunt for him. But, I love Ren. I won’t give up on him.”
Mr. Kadam patted my hand. “A friend, someone who cares about him and loves him and won’t let him give up on himself, is what Kishan needs.”
“But isn’t that what you’ve done for him all these years?”
He chuckled. “Oh, yes. Of course. But a young man needs a young woman who believes in him. Not a crusty old man.”
I got up and hugged him. “Crusty and old are two words I’d never use to describe you. Goodnight.”
“Goodnight, Miss Kelsey. We leave early in the morning, so get some rest.”
When I dreamed that night, it was of both brothers. They were standing in front of me, and Lokesh was ordering me to choose which one would live and which one would die. Ren smiled sadly and nodded toward Kishan. Kishan’s face tightened, and he looked away from me knowing that I wouldn’t pick him. I was still pondering my choice when the courtesy wake-up call startled me.
I packed up my bags and met Mr. Kadam and Kishan in the lobby. We drove in silence about ten miles to Kathmandu, the largest city and capital of Nepal. Kishan and I sat in the Jeep while Mr. Kadam went into a building to finalize paperwork for our trip through the Himalayas.
“Uh, Kishan? I just wanted to say that I’m sorry for acting like a jerk yesterday. If you want to fall in love with a goddess then, by all means, go for it.”
He snorted, “I’m not falling in love with a goddess, Kells. Don’t worry about me.”
“Well, still. I wasn’t being very sensitive.”
He shrugged. “Women don’t like hearing men talk about other women. It was rude of me to go on like that. Honestly, I only praised her beauty so much to get a rise out of you.”
I turned around in my seat. “What? Why would you do that?”
“I wanted you to be jealous, and when you weren’t, it . . . bothered me.”
“Oh. Kishan, you know I still feel—”
“I know. I know. You don’t have to remind me. You still love Ren.”
“Yes. But it doesn’t mean that I don’t care about you. I’m your warp too. Remember?”
His face brightened. “That’s true.”
“Good, don’t forget that. We’re all going to have happy endings, okay?”
I reached a hand back to him, and he held it in both of his and grinned. “Promise?”
I smiled back at him. “Promise.”
“Good. I’ll hold you to that. Maybe I should get it in writing. I, Kelsey, promise Kishan that he will get the happy ending he seeks. Should I define the parameters for you now?”
“Uh, no. I’d like to keep it vague for the time being.”
“Fine. Meanwhile, I will create a mental list of what constitutes a happy ending and get back to you.”
“You do that.” He kissed my fingers brazenly, holding them tightly while I struggled to pull my hand out of his grip.
“Kishan!”
He laughed as he finally let me go and then changed to a tiger before I could verbally chastise him.
“Coward,” I muttered as I turned back in my seat. I heard him growl softly but ignored him.
I seriously racked my brain for the next few minutes trying to find a happy ending for