Total pages in book: 131
Estimated words: 118860 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 594(@200wpm)___ 475(@250wpm)___ 396(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 118860 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 594(@200wpm)___ 475(@250wpm)___ 396(@300wpm)
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 her with 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.
“I’m so in over my head,” she whispered to the dawn. “I want to stay more than anything I’ve ever done, but I’m not prepared for this place.” It was an admission of sadness. She’d studied and worked hard, interned all over the world just so she could come home and be of use to her people and the animals that inhabited the forest.
Still, as much as she wanted to make up her mind decisively, she thought it would be wise to sleep before completely making her decision. She’d spent days traveling to get there, and she was exhausted. Sarika pulled on a long tee she often slept in and dragged up the cover before dropping the mosquito netting around the hammock. As a rule, she wasn’t bothered by insects, but she thought it prudent just in case. She wanted a good night’s sleep so she would have every brain cell working when she made her decision.
The sounds of the day were far different from the night, but she was so exhausted she fell asleep almost immediately.
She had no idea if it was minutes or hours later when she woke to a growly male voice calling her name. Instantly, her heart began to pound with alarm. Clutching the blanket to her, she sat up slowly and looked carefully around.
“Sarika.” There was a demand in that voice. Impatience. A clear warning.
Now was the time to believe in her cousin’s word. Danger prowled outside the tree house in the form of Percy Rios. Forcing calm through deep breathing, she got up slowly to help orient herself and went to her pack to pull out clean clothes. The bath had definitely helped with the aches from traveling. Her internal clock, one that had always been fairly accurate, told her it was nearly six in the evening. She had managed to sleep most of the day.
Entering the kitchen, she ignored the demands coming from around the house. Percy was circling it, looking for a way in. The fact that he hadn’t already breached Luiz’s home went a long way to easing the tension in her. She made herself a cup of tea. She always carried her favorite tea with her, something she found soothing at the beginning and end of the day. Wrapping her hands around the cup, she made her way into the main living area so she could look over the short walls to observe Percy.
The male shifter appeared very agitated. Twice he banged his fist on what appeared to be a transparent wall. Transparent for her, she remembered, but Luiz had said no one would be able to see in. She was beginning to think her cousin knew what he was talking about. It was strange to go into a room with a low wall where she could see the extensive deck and massive tree limbs where Percy prowled back and forth, but even looking straight at her, he didn’t appear to be able to see her.
No jaguar could do that. The ability had to come from Luiz’s Carpathian side. She didn’t understand exactly what he was talking about, but she knew no one should have that kind of power. No one. If they did, sooner or later, power corrupted. She believed that. She’d seen it in every corner of the world. Just talking with Luiz, it was apparent he wouldn’t take no for an answer if he believed he was right. Even if he did know exactly what he was talking about and she didn’t, he had no right to make decisions for her—and he had. If the power he’d displayed was because he was a Carpathian, she knew she would never fit into that world.
Percy snarled again and again, slamming his fist against the transparent wall. Then suddenly his voice turned soothing. Pleading. “Sarika, you can’t trust Luiz. Let me help you. He’s locked you in, and you’re his prisoner. Can’t you see that?”
She hadn’t tried leaving, and she wouldn’t with Percy prowling back and forth on the deck, but what if Percy was telling her the truth? That Luiz had closed her inside, and she thought she was secure and protected, but she really was a prisoner. Not that she wanted anything to do with Percy or would ever trust him.