He was the most frustrating man. “Are all Carpathian males like you?”
“In what way?”
“Just make decisions regardless of what someone says?”
“Would any of them have taken your blood? Yes.”
“Lovely. Just lovely. I have jaguar males prowling around, believing they have the right to kidnap me and force me to have children, and Carpathian males who’ll take my blood without my consent anytime they feel justified. This place is looking better and better.”
He stood up, once again looking dangerous with that fluid motion. “There are groceries in the kitchen. The water will be hot when you wish to shower or bathe. In the bedroom, there are books to keep you occupied. My suggestion is to sleep as much as possible.”
Something in his voice, in his mind, alarmed her. “I suppose you can help with that as well?”
“Of course.”
“Well, don’t.” She was prepared to throw things at him.
He gave her a brief flash of amusement—once again, in his mind only. “Do not leave these premises. Don’t invite anyone inside. I will be back as soon after sunset as possible, and we’ll go to meet some of the women. They’ll be very welcoming.”
Sarika wasn’t certain how he could possibly know the women would welcome her. Maybe he just commanded them and they did his bidding.
“More sarcasm,” he observed aloud. “I’ll take my leave. Relax and enjoy the music of the rainforest.”
She blinked, and her cousin was gone. He hadn’t moved. She knew he hadn’t. She’d kept her gaze fixed on him just in case he wanted more blood. He’d simply vanished.
In a way, it was a relief to be alone. She spent a great deal of her time alone, especially since losing her adoptive parents. She hadn’t realized the toll it could take being in a stranger’s company under such stressful circumstances. She had placed herself in danger simply because she so desperately wanted a family. It wasn’t the most intelligent decision she’d ever made.
She wandered through the tree house, marveling that despite being very minimal when it came to furniture, it felt luxurious. The bedroom consisted of a huge hammock for a bed. Covers were folded neatly in it. The bathroom in particular was very nice, and she immediately started water running in the deep bathtub. She had no idea how Luiz had managed to get clean running water to the tree house, but he’d done it. She would be forever grateful.
Truthfully, the lack of walls despite the presence of screens made her feel vulnerable.
You can see out, but no one can see in.
The intrusive, annoying voice poured into her mind. Glaring, she whirled around in a circle seeking the owner of that voice.Will you go away?
Just making certain you have everything you need.
I do, with the exception of peace and quiet.
Again, she felt his amusement but had the feeling he didn’t, which made no sense to her at all. This world was strange and exciting, but it also was terrifying.
I can’t take a bath until I know you’re truly gone,she added.
Again, she got the impression of male amusement.Gone,he confirmed.
She lay in the bathtub, thankful to soak her aching body in hot water, grateful to Luiz for providing the shelter for her while she contemplated what to do. She’d traveled the world, visiting tropical jungles and exotic rainforests. She’d loved every single experience and repeated those visits as often as possible, but she’d never felt awakened. Alive. Not like she did the moment she stepped off the boat in her present location. That feeling had been brand-new and exhilarating. But…
Sarika closed her eyes and allowed herself to relax into the hot water while she ran over the list of pros and cons of remaining there in the forest. She wanted to stay. She wanted family. She loved therainforest and the inhabitants. She knew shifters lived there, and she was a shifter. It would be so nice to become friends and soak up as much information as possible about her history, her capabilities and the traditions and laws of her people.
But then there was the certain danger of male shifters like Percy, who clearly had his own interests at heart. Instinctively, she knew he wouldn’t give up his pursuit. Eventually, there would be a showdown between him and Luiz. One of them would be killed. She had the feeling it would be Percy, and she didn’t want that. She wanted it less for Luiz, even though her cousin could make her want to pull out her hair in sheer frustration.
It wasn’t safe to stay—that was the bottom line. She had the feeling that the people Luiz planned to introduce her to were Carpathian, just as he was. She wasn’t down with donating blood anytime they decided they wanted to take it. Under normal circumstances, she doubted if she would have known Luiz had taken her blood, but her senses continued to be heightened since she’d entered the rainforest.
Sarika sighed as she made up her mind that she would have to leave. That meant getting Luiz to escort her out of the rainforest after making arrangements to get downriver to civilization, where she could take a boat and then a plane back home.
She listened to the sounds of dawn arriving. Wings fluttering as birds settled. Monkeys calling to one another. The drone of insects and scuttle of lizards and voles in the debris on the forest floor as they scrambled for last-minute meals before seeking shelter. An owl screeched, an early hunter, the call indicating it missed its prey.
Her hearing had always been acute, but now it seemed as though it was even more so. Just in the short hours she’d been in the rainforest where she’d been born, she felt the difference in her—and in her jaguar. Forcing herself to leave the bathtub, she enveloped her body in the large, fluffy towel Luiz somehow managed to have in his tree house home. She realized it was like he’d read her mind and provided herwith every single thing she desired for her stay. Was that possible? How could he conjure up towels out of thin air? She had the scary feeling Luiz was capable of just that.
