As her stomach filled, she gained more strength, yet at the same time, her eyelids became heavy. She feared if they didn’t start walking now, she would fall asleep.
She found it intriguing to watch Felix as he chatted with his friends. He was certainly a leader, which was clear by the way the others looked up to him. Felix could speak the other language well.
He was a mystery to her, and deep down inside, she wanted to unravel therealFelix Knightly and get to know him better. She knew he was from England, but he acted as if he belonged right here in the jungle with these other men. At other times, she noticed he was so proper he could fit right in with the upper class. He could tell her he was a duke, and she would believe it.
So, what circumstances had brought him here? Obviously, he was raised in an aristocratic home that taught him how to be a gentleman. And if he were raised in such a way, why would he be satisfied to live here?
Before too long, the men started gathering up their things in preparation to start walking again. Grudgingly, she stood and rolled up Felix’s raincoat and handed it to him.
“Are you refreshed now?” he asked.
“Yes.”
“Are you ready to continue our journey?”
“Of course.” She smiled, although it was weak.
She tried to put on a happy face and a good attitude as she joined the men. In the back of her mind, she worried about those Turri Indians. What if they were captured? What would happen if Felix was shot with a dart? Who would save her—save them all—from being eaten?
Off in the distance, in the midst of the chatter of monkeys and the chirping of birds, came the roar of a jungle cat through the air. Chills ran up her spine and fear froze her legs. Even Felix and the men stopped and listened.
She focused more on Felix’s expression since he was her guide. He looked as startled as Katrina felt, which didn’t make her feel any better.
“Felix?” she asked in a low voice as she slowly moved toward him. “What is going on?”
He met her stare with worried azure eyes. “That was a jaguar.” He shook his head. “The jaguars are very dangerous, but we have all killed one before, and we’ll do it again if necessary.”
“Then what worries you?”
“Those cats are not supposed to be in this section of the jungle. They usually live deeper in.”
“So why is the animal here?”
“I don’t know.” He stepped closer to Katrina and withdrew his machete. “By the sound of his growl, I can tell he’s still far away, but we want to keep a wary eye out for anything peculiar.”
When the group continued, they took softer, unhurried steps. Katrina stayed as close to Felix as she dared, and thankfully, he didn’t seem to mind this time.
Her heartbeat knocked crazily against her ribs, and she feared the others could hear it as well. A few times she caught herself holding her breath, so she slowly released it and tried to keep quiet. She wasn’t the only one trying to be silent. Even the choir of monkeys and birds she’d heard earlier had hushed to almost nothing.
This was not a good sign.
Suddenly, the branches to the right of them rustled, growing louder and louder by the second. Standing in front of her, Felix shielded her with his body. She grabbed a handful of material from the back of his shirt. All the men surrounded her in a circle, holding their knives and machetes as if ready to attack.
Terror crawled inside of her, turning her blood to ice. The closer the noise came to them, the more she felt like screaming. Instead, she held her breath again.
When the rustling stopped, she bit her bottom lip, hoping not to cry out in fear. But what exited the bushes wasn’t an animal. Two very dark-skinned men came into view. Both were mostly naked except for flaps over their manly regions and bottoms. Both held spears and had black and red war-paint streaked across their cheeks and forehead.
And both had bones sprouting from their lower lips.
