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For the time being, he wanted to enjoy his time with Kirsten and Zara. He knew without a shadow of a doubt that she was his mate. Her scent choked him like a thick gust of lavender and sage whenever she was near. Waking up with her was like waking up on vacation every single day in some slumberous dreamscape that he never thought would come to fruition.
All three of them traveled to the area where Henry believed Sher would be, or at least where her family would be. They had to take a rickshaw through the streets, with Kirsten holding Zara safely in a sling strapped to her chest. Then they hiked through the mountains, but slowly, as Henry didn’t want to add any extra strain to his beloved or child.
Henry had taken Zara at that point and proceeded to lift Kirsten on his back, even when she stubbornly refused.
“I’m not some dainty flower, Henry,” she said, cocking an eyebrow. “I can handle a bit of uphill hiking .”
That had been a short exchange before he’d thrown her onto his shoulder like a bag of potatoes. After some brief trifling, she’d given in, laying her head gently against his shoulder like a newborn calf.
The terrain in the village where Sher had been was relatively flat once they found their way through the brief high terrain.Once the ground of the village was solid, she’d demanded he put her down. She looked a little flustered when he did, adjusting her sun hat and holding her hands out for the baby.
“Are you okay?” he said, half smirking.
Kirsten pursed her lips at him. Lord, she still looked beautiful, even when she was a little peeved.
“Ask me later when I’m not a sack of potatoes,” she said, taking Zara from him and re-strapping the child to her chest.
He chuckled, then kissed her forehead and cheeks. He kissed Zara too, who was incredibly well-behaved, eyes wide and curious as the moon.
“You’re so lovely,” he whispered over her lips.
When Kirsten bit her lip, he knew it was over. She kissed him lightly, then playfully pushed him away by the chest.
“You know all my weak spots,” she said, trucking ahead of him.
“And you know mine,” he muttered to himself, watching her ass sway in those tight slacks she was wearing.
Henry followed her down the descent of a small hill and into the village. It was bustling from his point of view, which wasn’t anything new. Tiger shifters lived with the stunning mountains in the background, looking so bright they could have been framed in glass. The rest of the village was flat, surrounded by shining emerald fields and rice paddies carved into deep ridges.
It had been a long time since Henry had visited the homeland, and a part of him was feeling trepidatious. They probably had very little knowledge of who he was, beyond his position as an alpha back in the United States. He approached Kirsten from behind, placing a hand on her shoulder as they began to search the area for any sign of Sher.
Henry had asked about her, starting with the locals who were carrying food back to their huts and then others who seemed to have more authority. The entire time, Kirsten took care of Zara, who had started to become fussy as the sun rose higher in the sky.
Henry found a couple who appeared to be the elders of the village and asked them about a tiger shifter named Sher. Henry knew how to speak some Thai, which helped with the exchange.
They were the first to have any clue.
“Sher, yes,” the older woman said. “She lived here for a few months, but none of us have seen her for a long time.”
The older man accompanying her, who was carrying a pail of water, nodded in agreement.
“Not for another, I suppose, month or two,” the man agreed.
Henry asked them how much they knew about him, mentioning him as her ex-husband, as well as the baby they had together. They both shook their heads without hesitation.
“She was a very quiet woman,” the old man said. “She shared very little with us.”
He thanked them and offered his services for the rest of the day. He aided them in carrying water to the rice paddies and even carried a few heavy bushels of hay over to the farm area for the local animals. Kirsten participated, too, never shying away from an opportunity to lend a hand.
Henry wanted to get back to their hut before the sun went down, so he thanked the village people, and they began hiking their way back. He called a private car service once they’d made their way around the hilly area, as Zara had started to fuss again and needed to sleep in her crib.
Henry felt comfortable enough to share his private thoughts when their sweaty bodies found their way inside the car.
“I’m pretty sure that other tiger is Sher, then,” he began, wiping his brow. “I am almost 100% sure of it now.”
Kirsten nodded along, Zara on her lap in only her diaper. She was sweating and seemed thankful for the air-conditioned drive back.
“What do you think we should do now?”
