her hair damp and stringy. “I have a spare toothbrush and mint-flavored toothpaste that you can use to brush your teeth. And as soon as you’re well enough, we’ll take you to the falls, and you can wash.”
Kat’s eyes widened a little, and then she gave a small smile. “I’d like that. But I do have my own toothbrush and paste.”
“The falls,” Connor said darkly, stalking into the hut carrying a string of fish. He eyed Kat warily, then appeared to relax marginally. “Are you feeling better?”
“I think my knee is all healed up.”
Maya caught her brother’s concerned look. The knee hadn’t been the problem. The high fevers and the wound on the back of her leg had been the major concerns, although Connor had never managed to see the scratches, thank God. Or if he had, he’d never let on.
“She’s doing much better, Connor. If she can manage to make it to the falls in a day or so, I’ll take her.”
“She’s too weak,” he said, expressing what Maya knew would be the case.
“Then you can carry her.” Maya smiled brightly.
She knew that Kat would feel better if she could just have a clean shower. Maybe she could even swim in the river with the pink dolphins one day. Maya was dying to show Kat everything wondrous about the jungle.
He grunted, then handed the fish to Maya. “Here, make yourself useful.”
That was his not-so-subtle cue for Maya to butt out.
She smiled again and tossed him Kat’s shirt, bra, and panties. “Sure, if you’ll make yourself useful.”
Then movement in the jungle alerted them of possible trouble— men . Monkeys howled and were noisy; the birds squawked and sang and chirped, too. But the monkeys and birds lived among the trees, one with nature and its environment. Men slashed and hacked and destroyed wherever they went.
Worried, Maya looked to Connor.
“Stay,” he warned. Then he pulled a high-powered rifle out from under his bed and crossed the fallen tree that they used as a natural bridge to their lookout post.
Kat tried to get dressed, but she was weak from not having taken much more than sips of whatever soup Maya had managed to prepare for her.
“Here, I’ll help you,” Maya said in a hushed voice, joining Kat and helping her fasten her bra.
“Who are they?”
“Maybe natives, who usually are no problem. They’ll be hunting, that’s all. But maybe not.” Actually, probably not. Maya noticed that the drums had ceased to beat. And the hunter-gatherers were usually like the jaguars, moving about just as quietly and elusively. “Sometimes the cartels use the locals to transport drugs through the Amazon jungle.”
To get her mind off the men and wanting desperately to learn if Kat was experiencing any shifting urges or changes in her hearing, smelling, or sight at night, Maya asked, “Do you feel all right? Feel any… differently ?”
“I just feel incredibly tired and weak. I’m sure it’s because I haven’t eaten enough.”
“Yes, you’ll also need to get some exercise when you’re feeling stronger. But you don’t feel any… differently otherwise?” Maya had to be careful she didn’t overtly say anything she shouldn’t, but she was dying to know if she had turned Kat.
Kat shook her head. “My knee feels nearly back to normal. The bruise is fading but doesn’t hurt, and the stiffness in the joint is gone.”
Maya sighed and buttoned Kat’s shirt. She was glad Kat’s knee wasn’t hurting, but that wasn’t the issue. “I like your leopard panties and bra.”
Kat smiled. “It was a joke from a girlfriend because I kept talking about the spotted cats and how much I loved them. They’ve had five jaguars born at the Palm Beach Zoo. And I was always going to the zoo to visit them. Then I wrote a couple of articles on them.”
That was a good sign. “Palm Beach, as in Florida?” Maya asked, hoping to finally learn more about Kat.
“Yes.”
“That’s where you’re from?”
“Yeah.”
“So, have you got family
Kat’s eyes widened a little, and then she gave a small smile. “I’d like that. But I do have my own toothbrush and paste.”
“The falls,” Connor said darkly, stalking into the hut carrying a string of fish. He eyed Kat warily, then appeared to relax marginally. “Are you feeling better?”
“I think my knee is all healed up.”
Maya caught her brother’s concerned look. The knee hadn’t been the problem. The high fevers and the wound on the back of her leg had been the major concerns, although Connor had never managed to see the scratches, thank God. Or if he had, he’d never let on.
“She’s doing much better, Connor. If she can manage to make it to the falls in a day or so, I’ll take her.”
“She’s too weak,” he said, expressing what Maya knew would be the case.
“Then you can carry her.” Maya smiled brightly.
She knew that Kat would feel better if she could just have a clean shower. Maybe she could even swim in the river with the pink dolphins one day. Maya was dying to show Kat everything wondrous about the jungle.
He grunted, then handed the fish to Maya. “Here, make yourself useful.”
That was his not-so-subtle cue for Maya to butt out.
She smiled again and tossed him Kat’s shirt, bra, and panties. “Sure, if you’ll make yourself useful.”
Then movement in the jungle alerted them of possible trouble— men . Monkeys howled and were noisy; the birds squawked and sang and chirped, too. But the monkeys and birds lived among the trees, one with nature and its environment. Men slashed and hacked and destroyed wherever they went.
Worried, Maya looked to Connor.
“Stay,” he warned. Then he pulled a high-powered rifle out from under his bed and crossed the fallen tree that they used as a natural bridge to their lookout post.
Kat tried to get dressed, but she was weak from not having taken much more than sips of whatever soup Maya had managed to prepare for her.
“Here, I’ll help you,” Maya said in a hushed voice, joining Kat and helping her fasten her bra.
“Who are they?”
“Maybe natives, who usually are no problem. They’ll be hunting, that’s all. But maybe not.” Actually, probably not. Maya noticed that the drums had ceased to beat. And the hunter-gatherers were usually like the jaguars, moving about just as quietly and elusively. “Sometimes the cartels use the locals to transport drugs through the Amazon jungle.”
To get her mind off the men and wanting desperately to learn if Kat was experiencing any shifting urges or changes in her hearing, smelling, or sight at night, Maya asked, “Do you feel all right? Feel any… differently ?”
“I just feel incredibly tired and weak. I’m sure it’s because I haven’t eaten enough.”
“Yes, you’ll also need to get some exercise when you’re feeling stronger. But you don’t feel any… differently otherwise?” Maya had to be careful she didn’t overtly say anything she shouldn’t, but she was dying to know if she had turned Kat.
Kat shook her head. “My knee feels nearly back to normal. The bruise is fading but doesn’t hurt, and the stiffness in the joint is gone.”
Maya sighed and buttoned Kat’s shirt. She was glad Kat’s knee wasn’t hurting, but that wasn’t the issue. “I like your leopard panties and bra.”
Kat smiled. “It was a joke from a girlfriend because I kept talking about the spotted cats and how much I loved them. They’ve had five jaguars born at the Palm Beach Zoo. And I was always going to the zoo to visit them. Then I wrote a couple of articles on them.”
That was a good sign. “Palm Beach, as in Florida?” Maya asked, hoping to finally learn more about Kat.
“Yes.”
“That’s where you’re from?”
“Yeah.”
“So, have you got family
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