Page 68 of Beautifully Wild

“Look down,” Samuel demands.

I do, although not before my eyes meet with the man holding the decorated stick. My gut tightens seeing conflict in his dark eyes. It’s a look that tells me he doesn’t trust me combined with an expression of power.

A conversation takes place between Samuel and the two men. One of them is the man from the river—the shaman—the one who’s onmy side. I slowly raise my chin and sneak a glance. The shaman is watching me, staring at me as though he’s mesmerized. Maybe it’s my hair? The other guy is more interested in speaking with Samuel.

“Is there a problem?” I whisper.

Samuel hushes me.

He nods repeatedly.

“Stand. Follow me,” Samuel commands.

I do as he says and nod to both the older men. “Thank you for having me,” I say.

“They don’t understand English.”

“I know, but I feel like I have to say something. Show gratitude.”

“They’ll be expecting gratitude in other ways.”

“How?” I ask and keep up to his pace as we walk the snake-like path again.

“Showing your worth. Not being a liability.”

I let out a sigh. “Oh, right. Because my survival skills suck. Wait, where are we going now?”

“To cleanse. There’s a stream behind the village. It’s the best place to bathe. The water flows from the tepui and leads to a pond before flowing into a cave.”

“I’m not complaining because I’m bloody hot, only we both showered today, and we have less dirt on our skin than everyone else here.”

“It’s not about dirt, Eden. We need to be purified.”

“Okay. I’m not going to comment.”

“I find it hard to believe.”

I’m not going to object to a swim in this heat. And swimming with Samuel.

“Tonight is a celebratory dinner. After I take you to your hut, you need to help the women prepare the food.”

“What sort of food are we cooking?”

“Fish, potatoes, bread, and fruit. They call the bread from yuca, oo. I’m not sure if you’ve heard of it. It’s only prepared by the women, not you.”

“You think I can’t cook?”

“Eden.” He gives me a pointed look. “It’s laced with cyanide and takes special preparation before you can eat it.”

“Oh.” Shit, even the food can kill me. The perils of the jungle tick over in my mind until we stop at a stream.

Samuel unties his skirt. “Take off your clothes.” He wades in before I get a good look at his front, although Samuel’s rear is just as pleasing.

After kicking off my sneakers, I peel off my sweaty top and bra before removing my shorts. I wade in, allowing the cool water to swirl around my legs, walking slowly toward Samuel. He doesn’t look at me until I’m waist-deep and in the center of the stream. He turns slowly, keeping his gaze averted.

“The stream is relatively safe. There is no caiman, only the occasional snake, so keep a lookout.”

I grin and wiggle my eyebrows. “A snake?”

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