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“Like the jaguar.”
He strokes her long white tresses, now tamed after days of brushing and repeated washes. “Your hair would’ve freaked them out. A white-haired woman would be sent from the spirits. You would be equally disturbing to them as they were to you.”
“I’ve never been more flattered to be called ugly,” she murmurs.
He offers a weak smile, knowing her nightmares may go on and cause her other grief.
“The jaguar… I see it too. It’s in my dreams only I’m not afraid, which is weird,” she murmurs.
“Why is it weird?”
“It’s the one animal the Indians fear even though they respect everything about the jungle. My brain must work backward because I’m afraid of the things you mention can help, and what everyone else fears, I’m like… meh.”
“Dreams and reality are two different things. There must be something about it that’s talking to you,” he prompts.
“It has the most hypnotizing blue eyes. It watches me. It’s not like I’m its next meal or anything, it’s more like…” she shrugs, “… it sounds crazy but as though it’s protecting me.”
“Not crazy,” he says. Samuel thought her grandmother’s spirit might look out for her granddaughter. “The jungle speaks to us in many forms.”
“It’s another reason I want to stay. There’s a voice calling me, and I feel like the jungle isn’t done with me yet. I hope it’s not the Mawarí enticing me back to seek revenge.” She holds his gaze. “I’ve made mistakes before, but this feels different.”
“It’s not the Mawarí.” He kisses the top of her head. “I have something to tell you. While you were sleeping, I emailed the pharmaceutical company’s HR explaining I won’t be renewing my contract for another year. One more journey to the tepui to retrieve the flower along with the roots, and once I’ve sent the samples to Caracas, my contract can be terminated.”
“What about your duty to the Ularans?”
“You and our baby will be my responsibility.”
For a long moment, Eden stares at him. “You’ll struggle to say goodbye.”
“I will,” he says, his throat suddenly tight. Fear runs along his spine at the thought of returning to society to the place that caused him years of unhappiness. Back then, he had no soul. He’s no longer that man, thanks to the beautiful woman beside him. Yet that dark voice whispers to him, reminding him of his past.
A failure.
And Eden is better off without him.
He has built a life in Ulara. A life he loves.
Now it comes down to a choice.
And he’ll always choose her.
Regardless of the consequences on him.
17
EDEN
The following morning, Samuel left to meet with Asoo. He says they need to discuss business and to call him if I need him. I have a couple of hours to spare, so I wander out to the gardens and stroll a short distance along the path.
It’s truly paradise, and the postcard view lifts my spirits. Closing my eyes, I visualize the animals and their sounds echoing from the rainforest. Howler monkeys high in the treetops. The macaws deathly screech. The constant clicking of insects, and now the buzzing above my head. I head back to Samuel’s room intending to nap. If only I had a book to read.
It’s been a couple of weeks since I opened Gran’s diary. I retrieve it from my backpack and slide onto the bed with a piece of chikoo fruit. Samuel insists this fruit should be part of my daily diet because it’s a super food that has everything our daughter and I need. He also emphasized that it will help my body heal quicker than most drugs people have been shoving at me. Since it tastes similar to a pear, I’m not objecting, and it’s easier to eat than some foods I’ve been offered in Ulara.
Relaxing with a book feels much like home.
The thought comforts me.
Until I clasp my chest and burp out air. Ugh, this heartburn is annoying.
