by Colette Gale
“Jane!” someone shouted from beyond her door.
She aimed the pistol as close to the snake’s head as she dared, looking at the wild man as he struggled to hold it in place, and taking a deep breath, she pulled the trigger.
“Jane! Are you all right in there?” Kellan shouted from beyond the door. He was pounding on it now. “Jane!”
The snake jolted as the bullet went through its head, and collapsed in a long, black river on the floor.
“Jane! Jane!”
Her door was rattling in its place, and now Jane could hear her father and Efremina calling after her. She spun uncertainly toward the door, then back to face the man…just in time to see him disappear out the window.
“Jane! Are you all right? Did you shoot something! Jane, answer me!” The door made a soft splintering sound as the bamboo began to give away under Kellan’s battering.
Heaving a breath, her knees weak, her hand slick and trembling where it held the pistol, Jane managed to call back, “I’m safe. It was a snake. It’s…dead.”
There was silence for a moment, and then Efremina’s voice came muttering through the night. “And didn’t I tell you to beware of them creatures?”
— VIII —
After all of the excitement the night before—most of which Efremina and her father were unaware of—Jane slept late the next morning.
When she awoke, it was to the sounds of shouting and excitement below. Groggy, half-asleep from a range of hot, sensual dreams, she sat up and looked around her chamber.
The snake was gone. Its massive black body had been heaved out the window by Kellan Darkdale. She’d heard it tumble through the branches and leaves and land with a thud on the ground below. He claimed he had some use for the creature, but Jane hadn’t asked what it was.
She suspected, based on Mr. Bellingworth’s book, that it might be served to her as a meal at some point, and she thought she’d prefer not to know until after the fact. There was a dark stain of blood on the floor, and the scent of death and violence lingered in the chamber…but beneath it, Jane could smell just a hint of heat and cinnamon and something fresh.
Or perhaps that was merely her wishful thinking.
The sounds from below were growing more urgent, and she knew it was time to rise for the day. But Jane was slow and her knees were weak. Her body still hummed from the ministrations of the wild man and his flexible, sleek tongue last night…and she blushed when she thought of what might have happened if a snake hadn’t interrupted them.
Her breath caught when she remembered the sight of him fighting with the powerful, deadly snake: clinging to the thick body, riding it even as its tail lashed out at him, whipping into his skin and limbs. Jane felt a little breathless at the thought of that dark, tanned, muscular body, and the power and strength he must have.
And what it would be like to have it plastered against hers.
She glanced toward the window and pursed her lips. Kellan had told her she must find a way to shutter it at night to keep out unwanted creatures like the snake, but Jane thought she might just take the chance on leaving the chamber accessible.
It would be worth it.
“Jane!”
Now she could hear her name clearly, and with a sigh, she rose from her bed. It sounded urgent and excited, and she supposed it was time to cease being a slugabed.
“You must come down here! You must see this!” cried her papa from below. “Janie!”
“I’m coming!” she called out the window, a bit crossly.
Nevertheless, she dressed as quickly as she could, slapping water on her face and quickly plaiting her tangled hair into a long, serviceable braid. She climbed down the ladder and found herself in an empty parlor and kitchen. Voices still rose from below, and she climbed into the lift (not trusting her weak knees on the ladder) and lowered herself.
“Jane!” Efremina greeted her when she stepped off the lift. Her round face beamed and her eyes sparkled with some great tale. “Lordy! You won’t believe it! Look at this! Look who’s here!”
Jane turned and the whole world tilted and tipped. Her breath stopped. Her chest felt as if an elephant was sitting on it.
A man stood there, near the edge of the clearing. He had shoulder-length, golden-brown hair and a close-cropped beard and mustache. He was dressed in what could only be described as native clothing: skins lashed together in short, loose trousers and a sleeveless tunic-like shirt. His face, arms, and legs were tanned, and he wore crude boots on his feet.
“Jane,” he said, reaching out a hand to her. He smiled.
“Jonathan?” The world was still spinning. She took one step toward him and suddenly, everything went dark.
~*~*~
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Now available: the next installment in
Jane’s Erotic Adventures in the Jungle
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Coming soon….
Colette Gale is the pen name of a New York Times and USA Today bestselling and award-winning author who has written for three major publishers in a variety of genres.
She has also written several “seduced classics,” including the popular Unmasqued: An Erotic Novel of The Phantom of the Opera.
Colette can be found on Facebook or through her website and loves to hear from her readers. Do stop by and say hi!
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Other books by Colette Gale:
Unmasqued: An Erotic Novel of The Phantom of the Opera
Master: An Erotic Novel of The Count of Monte Cristo
Bound by Honor: An Erotic Novel of Maid Marian
Table of Contents
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