“Not to worry, Miss Landon,” Alexio continued, “the Turri Indians live farther into the jungle. They will not go out of their way to capture and eat us.”
Never in her life had she thought of fainting, but her body certainly felt like it now. Perhaps it was because she was so hungry. But just imagining what the Turri Indians were going to have for lunch... Her stomach lurched again.
Within seconds, she recalled the forewarning she’d had with the dart. “Tell me,” she continued, “do these Indians shoot poisonous darts at their um... prey?”
Alexio nodded. “Yes. Why you ask such a thing?”
She licked her dry lips. “Well, I think we should warn Mr. Knightly. I would hate for him—or anyone—to get in the way of a poisonous dart.”
“Not to worry, Miss Landon. As I’d said before, they live farther into the jungle.”
“Wh—what do these Indians look like?” she asked with a quivering voice. The image of Felix being struck with this dart and losing consciousness wouldn’t leave her mind now.
“It is easy to spot their warriors. They have a large rod-shaped bone sticking straight down from their bottom lip.”
“Why in Heavens name would they put a bone in their lip?”
Alexio shrugged. “It is what their ancestors did. They follow tradition.”
The other men in the group tried to hide smiles behind their hands, but the twinkle in their eyes let her know they were laughing at her. They were either laughing at her reaction to the Turri Indians, or because she was about ready to faint. No doubt the color in her face had vanished as well.
A rustle up ahead had them all stopping and turning in that direction. Within seconds, Felix strode into view. When his gaze met hers, his eyes widened, and he quickened his step until he was in front of her.
“What is wrong?” he asked, sweeping his fingers across her cheek. “You’re quite pale.”
Of course she was. The mere idea of another human eating her...Inwardly, she cringed. “I shall be all right. I’m just hungry.”
“Can you walk now?”
“Yes.” She stood. “I’m feeling much better.”
The first couple of steps, she wobbled and didn’t dare put all of her weight on her bruised foot, but when she realized the pain had disappeared, she was more confident to walk on it.
“Do you need to hang onto my arm?” he asked, putting forth his limb for her to take.
“No, I shall make it on my own.” Although it was kind of him to offer, she feared touching him again would cause him the same reaction as earlier. She wasn’t ready for that kind of rejection again.
Strange how he could be so cold one minute and so steamy sensual the next, then within seconds, he was back to being cold. That explained the way he’d been around her since they met. Infuriating man!
It didn’t take long before the group reached the rest area. Carlos had a fire started and was already cooking something over it. She inhaled deeply, but nothing smelled familiar. However, the round looking red and deep purple objects inside the pot appeared to be some kind of bean. Her stomach grumbled, eager for the food.
Felix shrugged off his pack and dug inside it. When he pulled out his raincoat, Katrina’s heart sank.It’s going to rain... again?But when he laid it on the ground and gestured for her to sit, her heart jumped up to her throat. How very considerate of him to do that for her. She offered him a sweet smile and sat on the ground covering.
“I hope you enjoy nuts and seeds,” he said, pulling out another pouch from his pack. “These are grown here in the jungle, and they are delicious.” He knelt beside her and poured some dark brown nuts in her hand.
“Thank you, Mr. Knightly. What are they called?”
“Brazil nuts. They are grown on large trees. The nuts come in clusters that look similar to a coconut. Inside the pod are the nuts.” He nodded toward her hand. “Try one.”
She took a nibble of one, and her mouth watered for more. “Umm, they are really very good.” Glancing over her shoulder, she pointed to Carlos. “What is he cooking? It smells wonderful.” She returned her gaze to Felix. “In a way, it looks like beans.”
He chuckled and shook his head. “It’s not beans. He’s cooking a fruit called bacaba.”
“Cooking a fruit? How odd.”
“This kind of fruit is best as a juice, which is why it needs to be cooked. Trust me, you’ll enjoy every last drop.”
As she ate the nuts, she noticed the men harvesting armfuls of other fruits from some of the trees. She was given a banana, papaya, and mango. As hard as she tried to eat lady-like, she found herself devouring them. Soon Carlos brought her a drink of the bacaba fruit, and Felix had been correct. She enjoyed every last drop.
