Felix met her gaze with wide, worried eyes.
“I am,” she stated as anger boiled inside her. “And all becauseyoudidn’t want me touching you!”
Chapter Nine
Felix’s chest tightened. Tears dripped from Katrina’s terror-stricken eyes as she pleaded for his help, yet at the same time they held an accusing gleam. She had every right to blame him. It was his fault and nobody else’s that she was bitten.
When she had clung to him just a moment ago, she pressed herself so intimately against him. For a brief second, he didn’t want to let her go. He’d wanted to keep her next to him as she relied on his protection. Satisfaction had swept over him, which confused him greatly. He’d actually enjoyed being the one to save her from the emerald boa hanging from the branches, even though they were not dangerous.
Then his mind had cleared, and he’d realized in an instant that his heart was in big trouble. So, without thinking—just reacting—he’d shoved her away... right into another snake. Of course, he didn’t know what kind of snake had bitten her, but right now he needed to find a large rock—or some other place—to sit so he could examine the wound. He would know then if she was in real danger.
“Katrina, I don’t think you are going to die of a snake bite. I’m well acquainted with the methods of extracting the venom before the poison reaches the heart.”
He spotted a tree stump. This would be perfect for her to sit on while he cared for her injury. After checking all around it to make certain nothing else could harm her, he placed her on the stump and knelt in front of her. Gently, he cradled her foot as he rested it on his knee. He lifted the leg of her trousers above the boot. Immediately, he saw the punctures in the leather that the snake’s fangs had left.
“What kind of snake was it?” he asked.
“I don’t know.” She sniffed and wiped the tears from her cheeks.
“What color was it?”
“Black and red with stripes of white.”
His heart sank. “That’s a coral snake. They can be poisonous.” Silently cursing, he swallowed the lump of panic rising in his throat. He didn’t dare give her any more to fret about, but if indeed the coral snake had bitten her, she requiredimmediatemedical attention. “I need to take off your boot, all right?”
She nodded, her gaze not leaving his eyes.
He tried not to act as if he was hurrying, but he unlaced the boot as fast as his fingers could move. Guilt wrenched his chest to think this was all his fault. If she died... Inwardly, he recoiled. No! He’d make certain that didn’t happen.
“Are you having difficulty breathing?” he asked without meeting her eyes. “Or are your muscles aching at all?”
“Uh, no. Not really.”
“Do you feel anything different?” He finally met her stare.
“Why?” Her voice broke. “Am I going to die?”
