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"That’s all right" Carlos motioned for Tanit to join them "I want to ask Ajay if anyone in his tribe has seen panthers in the area"

"Of course" Tanit sat on a bamboo mat and posed the question to Ajay in Thai

Ajay nodded, then responded in the salanced at Caitlyn, knowing she could also understand what Ajay said Her face was carefully blank, but her hands were clenched together

"Ajay has not seen a panther for several months," Tanit reported "But he says there is a creature to the north of here, acreature"

"How does he know it eats men?" Carlos asked

"Because the men do not return," Tanit explained with a shaky voice "There was afor wild boar, but he never returned A week later his cousin went looking for hie will go north"

Ajay spoke some more, then Tanit translated "There are ruiant cat Others say he is an evil creature of the night"

"We should check it out," Carlos said

Tanit’s eyes bulged "We can’t go into the jungle, looking for ht you understood what this mission was about"

"Yes, but - " Tanit wiped beads of sweat from his brow "What if they’re not cat shifters? What if they’re not human at all, but like to eat huested "The cats ht come to us"

Ajay spoke soerous I - I can’t do this" He ran fro in the Akha language

"He says our guide is too fearful," Caitlyn translated "That he’s hiding so"

Ajay talked soulped a few tiend in these hills," she began "All the tribes whisper the tale in the dark, but none have dared to report it to the govern for forty years Sorees it is evil The Yao say it is a supernatural creature who steals the breath of a ht They call it by its Chinese naave him a worried look "It’s the Chinese equivalent of a vampire"

He sat back "Are you serious?"

"The tribes haven’t reported it because they don’t think any authorities would believe them And they probably wouldn’t No one thinks vampires are real"

Carlos nodded "But we know better We should check it out"

She winced "I was afraid you’d say that This le, doesn’t it?"

"You don’t have to go You can stay here while I go with Tanit"

She gri with you"

Carlos stood and offered a hand to help her up "You’re the bravest woman I’ve ever known"

She snorted "Or the most foolish" She took a deep breath "I’ll just think of it as an adventure I love adventure That’sto it"

Ajay stood and spoke again He raised his hands in the air, then rested a hand on each of their shoulders

"He’s praying for God to protect us," she whispered

Carlos nodded "We’re going to need it"

Chapter Twenty-one

Carlos glanced up at the sun If the rumor was true and a vampire lurked about these hills, he needed to find it before sundown He looked at his watch Al this path, headed north, for four hours He’d kept the pace slow for Caitlyn’s sake, but she looked exhausted

That was actually an i terrified The first time he stopped to let a cobra slither across the path, she cowered behind him with her hands clenched in his T-shirt

They’d left the village about eleven in thea late start after Tanit abruptly announced he was going with theear, so it took soers to prepare one for him Ajay provided them with food and rolled bamboo mats to sleep on

Arnush had pulled Carlos aside to warn hi with the a cell phone call But it was clear that Tanit didn’t want to be with theed thee

Carlos wondered if Pat had ordered Tanit to go with theht to suspect the in the distance pricked Carlos’s extra sensitive hearing Sounds in the jungle were common, ith all the ani For the past thirtythem In the last ten minutes he’d heard the sound rown in number He inhaled deeply to try to catch their scent, but they were staying doind

The path took them downhill, and he quickened their pace Down in the valley, they discovered a creek dissecting a green pasture Carlos leaned over to cup sohtened and looked around Long grass was dotted with clureen ferns On the other side of the valley the trail cut a jagged path straight uphill

"Oh God" Caitlyn grimaced "I need a break before we do that" She dropped her backpack on the ground and pulled a water bottle fro the tree line

Tanit duround "We’d better head back to the village, or we’ll be stuck out here for the night"

Caitlyn sighed "I don’t think there are any cats in the area They would have come to me by now"

"I believe they have" Carlos pointed to the tree line, where two tigers eed "We have company"

"Man-eaters!" Tanit squealed, and pulled the knife from his belt

Carlos moved in front of Caitlyn and drew his pistol

"No!" She stepped away "Don’t shoot"

Carlos lowered his weapon "If one of the"

"Don’t hurt the with concentration

Carlos had never seen such huge tigers They see on their haunches and studying theolden eyes They were still doind, so he couldn’t get a good sniff

"They’re warning us of danger," Caitlyn whispered

"Of course we’re in danger," Tanit snapped "They’re going to eat us!"

"You can communicate with them?" Carlos asked her

"Sorta" She remained focused on theet actual words, but the ideas forer And they want us to know that they’re not man-eaters"

Tanit snorted "You’re crazy You can’t talk to a tiger"

"Can you ask them if they know about any panthers in the area?" Carlos asked