Colette Gale - [The Erotic Adventures of Jane in the Jungle Part II] by Entangled

empty. Perched in the window, he sniffed the air, but the new man’s scent was not mingled with Jane’s. He had not been in the nest.  
    It was simple for Zaren to find her after that. But when he looked down at the clearing with the hot, bubbling pool of water, she was sleeping on the ground. Her mate was with the other light-skinned man, the non-mate. And they were talking, looking at a paper.
    The scents on the air told him what had happened: mating. But he was confused by the three strong scents, and that of the lystra plant mingled with it all. How could three mate together? It wasn’t possible. That wasn’t how it was done. Only one male and one female.
    He watched for a time, trying to understand, watching the men and watching…Jane. She rose and joined them at the fire, sitting near her mate. But there was something wrong about the men and the scene below.  
    He sniffed, listened, watched…but he couldn’t understand what bothered him.
    And then moments later, the leopard made her appearance, and Zaren took the opportunity to help the woman…Jane…escape. He realized he felt no compulsion to return and ensure the mate and non-mate were safe. They had fire, and one of them had the loud stick. They could evade the leopard if they were careful and smart.
    He cared only for Jane’s safety.
    Now, he settled on the floor next to the…bed…yes, that was the word. He listened, sniffed, and looked around the small place. With the light flickering soft yellow and orange, sending gentle shadows dancing, it was warm and cozy and safe. He remembered…something…something like this….
    But his head hurt. The sharp pain chased the hovering memory away and instead, he closed his eyes. He could rest as well.
    The slightest sound, the barest shift in the wind, even the most gentle waft of a change of scent, would awaken him. She was safe, and he, for the first time, slept, breathing the comfort and pleasure of her essence.
     

— VI —
    When Jane opened her eyes, it was to daylight…and a very intense blue gaze looking down at her.
    “Zaren,” she said, and reached for his hand when he would have moved it away.  
    “Jane,” he whispered, and left his fingers on the edge of the bed, covered by hers.
    She looked down, lifting his hand to examine it. Tanned deep brown, rough, sprinkled with hair on the back. Wide, callused, the underside broad and tough and slightly more pale. His nails clean and short, one of them black from an injury. Scratches, some new, some healed. His fingers…long and elegant. One of them had been up inside her. She shivered.  
    Jane looked back up at him and their eyes met again. Heat raged between them and her insides fluttered and seemed to take flight. He seemed to be drinking in the sight of her as he did every time they were together. She wished she knew what he was thinking. She wished she could speak with him.
    She might have reached for him. She almost did, pulling him to her…but then he moved away, like a skittish cat. How could such a strong, powerful man be so uncertain?
    But when he looked at her, the expression in his eyes wasn’t uncertain. It was enough to make her melt into a puddle of hot lantern oil.
    And why was she thinking about him that way? She had a fiancé. Jonathan. Whom she loved. She truly, truly loved.
    Zaren had turned away, and now he offered her a small cup and two small bowls carved from wood. Water? No. She sniffed the contents of the cup. Tea? She frowned and sniffed again. The liquid was warm, and it had a scent to it. Some sort of jungle tea. Had he heated the water with his small fire, or had he found natural water from the hot springs? She wished she knew how to ask; she was becoming more curious about this man every moment.
    She sipped the tea and tasted cinnamon and other fresh, astringent flavors. It made her mouth feel clean and alive. The other two bowls contained berries and nuts. Jane realized she was hungry. She glanced at him.
    Shy and