“I’d count on it. We should be away from here before that happens.”
Her brow arched. “We? Seems to me I’d be safer being nowhere close to you.”
“Agreed, and I promise I’ll disappear from your life soon as I hear more about the weretiger legends.”
She chewed her bottom lip. “I’m not the one you should talk to.”
“Then who?”
“My grandmother.”
“Can you take me to her?”
The woman frowned. “It’s late.”
“Please. This is important.”
“She doesn’t speak much English.”
“But you can translate.” Phoenix hated being so pushy, but he’d come here for answers. Would this grandmother have knowledge not found on the internet? Only one way to find out.
The woman sighed. “Is there any point arguing?”
“If you really don’t want me to meet your grandmother, then I’ll leave, but aren’t you the least bit curious?”
Her lips twitched. “Yes and no. I’m not looking forward to Nenek being smug that she was right about your existence.”
“You don’t believe in legends?”
“I didn’t until today,” she admitted.
“If it helps, I didn’t think it possible either, until it happened to me.”
Her spine straightened. “You weren’t always able to change into a tiger?”
He shook his head. “No, which is why I have so many questions.”
“As do I, but here isn’t the place. We should go before the security guards come across us,” she murmured as she headed off at a brisk pace.
Phoenix easily kept pace. “I take it you work at the zoo?”
“I do.”
“How are you going to explain I’m no longer in my cage?”
“I won’t. If anyone asks, I last saw you when I dropped off the cow femurs.”
“You won’t get in trouble?”
“Doubtful. Most likely they will assume whoever had a tiger smuggled into the country came to fetch you, which will explain the blood on the floor.”
A simple yet brilliant lie.
“I’m Phoenix, by the way.”
“Nadirah.”
“Nice to meet you.”
