"Not ominous, just careful," Jay corrected. "Shall we retire to our tent?" he asked, smiling Eleanor's way and taking her arm. They'd either have to be very quiet or wait until they got to Boa Vista to consummate the marriage.

Alex's laughter at her blushing smile just made the blush darker. She stuck her tongue out at her friend, wrapping her arm through Jay's.

"I believe we shall," she agreed with her husband.

"See you in the morning, Alex," Jay bid the man goodnight, presuming he wouldn't be summoned in the middle of the night. Considering what the men had been telling him about the strange noises in the night, that wasn't a given, but he was hoping they were just over-reacting to the usual noises of jungle animals hunting in the night.

"I'm sure you'll have a good night," was the Scottish lawyer's parting shot, his grin audible as he turned away.

Still blushing, Eleanor hugged Jay's arm, pressing her burning cheek against his bicep for a moment. "Good grief, that man is embarrassing sometimes."

Good was a little vague, but Jay had a feeling their evening would at least be interesting. "Shall we, wife?" he asked, her arm still in his as he led her away in the direction of her tent, which had been placed in the middle of the encampment.

"I thought we were, husband," she countered, giggling softly at the word on her lips. "That is going to take a little getting used to, I think."

"Would you prefer Mrs. Marshall?" he asked, knowing that would probably take some getting used to, too, not only for her but for him and for everyone they knew. "I can't wait to see the look on Liza's face when we tell her the news." We, not I.

"You do not intend to write to her, or send a telegram?" she asked in surprise. Having not had siblings, Eleanor couldn't quite fathom the sheer mischief in presenting a complete stranger as his wife to his sister when he hadn't seen her in a few years.

"Why ruin the fun?" Jay countered, a mischievous smirk on his face that she may not have expected coming from him. "I'll send her a telegram and let her know we're coming, but I'm not sure I want to share the news with her just yet."

"There are complexities to having a sister that I am going to have to learn, clearly," she answered, more amused than concerned with the mischievous plan. The tent set aside for her was quite a bit smaller than the tents the men were sharing; it would be an interesting squeeze once they were inside.

"Don't worry. Liza is going to adore you. She's been pestering me to marry for years." Jay knew his sister well enough to know she wouldn't be angry at him; just the opposite, in fact, though she might be a little annoyed at not having been able to witness the happy event. He let go of her arm once they reached her tent, pulling the flap back to let her step inside first. "After you."

"Thank you." Ducking through the flap, Eleanor skipped over the two bedrolls - which made the free space inside the tent much smaller than it had been originally - and staggered down onto her backside with a laugh. "Such dignity in a bride, hmm?"

Jay frowned at the size of the tent, which was really much too small for the two of them. It was still bigger than the lean-to they'd been sharing near the river, but much smaller than the one he'd been sharing with Hennessy. "We'll swap tents tomorrow, so we have more room," he assured her. He couldn't help but chuckle at her antics, however, glad to see she was willing to make the best of it. "I didn't marry you for that, El," he reminded her, pausing to secure the tent as best he could and then remove his boots.

"We can make the best of it," she pointed out, pulling her own boots undone and then off. She stretched, touching a hand to her still damp hair twisted into its chignon. "I shall have to visit a jeweler in Boa Vista," she mused thoughtfully. "So I will need to measure your finger at some point in the next few days."

"I will need a ring for you, as well," he pointed out, dropping down beside her. "Tell me, El ....Are you happy?" he asked, reaching over to help loosen and unwind her hair from its trappings.

She considered this for a moment, letting him pull the pins from her hair so it flopped free to untangle itself against her back. "It seems strange to say it, in the middle of nowhere with no conveniences, surrounded by natural dangers, but ....yes, I am happy," she admitted with a soft laugh. "I truly am happy to be your wife, Jay."

"I'm happy, too, love," he said, his fingers finding their way to the back of her neck to draw her close for a kiss that was much more passionate than the one they'd shared in front of the men, but just as tender.

This, too, earned a gasp from her, but a far less tentative answer in her own kiss. Her hands crept over his chest to loop her arms about his neck as he kissed her, surrendering giddily to the tender passion that set her alight in ways she had never experienced before.

His body was once again reacting to the sight and smell and taste of her, just as he had before, but now, she was his wife, and he did not have to worry about tarnishing her reputation with his advances. Still, he was happy to take his time and go slow. In fact, he was far more concerned with showing her what it felt like to be loved than in satisfying his own desires. He let his lips wander to her cheek and ear and neck, leaving behind a soft trail of kisses, while his fingers searched for a way to relieve her of her shirt.

Perhaps it was odd that, only an hour before, they had been bare and shy of touching at all, yet here and now that shyness was out of place. Strange, that sharing vows could do so much in so short a time. Eleanor dared to echo him as much as she could, her skin tingling in the wake of his kisses, her own fingers undoing buttons with tentative curiosity as she bit down on a tender sigh.

He knew they had to be quiet, else the entire camp would hear them. As it was, the men were probably hoping to hear something. He'd have to be quiet, and there was no way of taking her quietly, unless he was very careful. Still, it was difficult to resist the temptation that was Eleanor. He wanted to explore every inch of her and let her know what it felt like to be loved. He effectively silenced her moans with kisses as his fingers undid the buttons and fastenings that kept her from him, baring her to him once again, eager to explore.

Outside the tent, the camp was settling to sleep for the night, fires damped down and nightwatchmen taking their positions as lamps were extinguished. But inside, Eleanor didn't know any of that. She was consumed with Jay, with the need to be quiet, the desire to take and be taken, to love and be loved, forcing aside her natural hesitation as she lay back in her husband's arms.

Instinctively, he knew she was a virgin, but she was no child. What she lacked in experience, she more than made up for in enthusiasm, or so he thought. There were lessons that needed to be learned, and he was a patient teacher, making use of his own experience to show her what until now she could have only imagined.

And this was just a taste, for privacy would bring them better opportunity to learn and teach. For now, they had to be quiet. Eleanor clung to Jay as she trembled, one hand pressed firmly over her own mouth to muffle the gasping pleasure that wanted to erupt from her in his arms. She could never have imagined it would be anything like this.

He only took her as far as he dared, giving her a taste of what awaited her when they reached Boa Vista and were at last alone to freely enjoy the pleasures of the flesh and share their hearts' desires. But he didn't leave her wanting either, showing her there was more to lovemaking than anything she might have read in a book. He was no expert, by any means, but they had a lifetime to learn together.

As she came down, lips seeking kisses from his in trembling amazement, his new wife couldn't help producing a quiet tease despite it all. "So ....next time it is your turn?"

"Next time, it will be together," he corrected her, offering yet another kiss, before he settled down beside her and wound his arms around her to pull her close. He was aching with desire, but good things were worth waiting for, and she was better than good - she was the best thing that had ever happened to him.

She was innocent enough of carnal relations not to know that he had denied himself to give her pleasure; indeed, not to realise that they hadn't actually technically consummated their marriage just yet. But Eleanor was buoyant, curling into his arms without a second thought as he drew her close. "I wasn't too loud, was I?"

"No, you weren't too loud," he assured her, before pressing a kiss to her temple. "I'll make love to you properly when we get to Boa Vista," he promised, unaware just how innocent she was.

She blinked in surprise, tilting her head back to meet his eyes in amazement. "You mean ....that wasn't ....we didn't ..." She bit her lip, her eyes wide. "Properly?"

It appeared that Hennessy, over on the other side of the perimeter, had given similar orders, because it was not long at all before every third man was holding a flaming a torch. The fire seemed to agitate the creatures outside the camp, earning the party a cacophony of snarls and growls that seemed to come from all around.

"Well, that answers that question," Jay muttered, regarding the creatures' reaction to fire. "Is everyone accounted for?" he asked, the question directed to whoever was closest. Everyone but Estevo who had scrambled up a tree.

"No one's missing," Bailey told him confidently. "Apart from that sneaking little coward, anyway."

From the tree in the center of the camp, Estevo swore down at the men discussing him and, to everyone's surprise, Eleanor was the one who answered him, scolding him soundly in the way only a woman can for being a coward. Perhaps oddly, the agitated sounds from beyond the circle of fire stuttered at the sound of a female voice demanding that the grown man come down from his tree and behave like an adult.

Jay couldn't have been the only one to notice it, but it only made his need to protect Eleanor all the stronger. Whatever the creatures were, they'd recognized the nuance of a female voice among all the males. He was half-tempted to tell her to say something again, just to see what the reaction would be, but no. He didn't want them to know how precious a commodity they protected in their midst. He didn't want to give the creatures any reason to want to investigate further. Not until they had time to think, but morning was a long way off.

"Estevo!" he called. "Get your bloody arse down here before I shoot you myself."

The little man was still muttering as he climbed down, but whether it was Jay's threat or Eleanor's scolding that brought him to the ground was anyone's guess.

"I tell you," he was saying as Alex pushed him toward Jay at the perimeter. "I say, is dangerous. I say, is death. You make me come, I no want to come, I -"

He broke off as a low, menacing growl began in the undergrowth directly in front of him. The wide leaves shook threateningly.

"I suggest you be quiet, if you know what?s good for you," Jay ordered the man between clenched teeth. He really was starting to lose his patience with the man, whose worth was starting to wane. Jay grabbed a torch from another man nearby and waved it toward the undergrowth, just far enough away that it wouldn't catch fire.

The growl stopped as quickly as it had begun with the warning wave of the torch, but was replaced with the curious sound of the large creature sniffing, as though trying to identify scents on the air. From the other side of the perimeter came another yell, hastily quashed by Hennessy.

"It's fine, all under control!"

"Whatever they are, they're assessing us, as we're assessing them," Jay murmured, more to himself than anyone else, as that seemed obvious enough. "Collins, bring me an electric torch," he said, hoping to get a glimpse of the creatures without having to leave the perimeter of the encampment.

Collins, who was the youngest on the expedition at seventeen, nodded hurriedly and scurried into the camp. Estevo was trembling, too frightened even to move, it seemed. It wasn't Collins who brought the torch, however - it was Eleanor, rifle in hand, passing the flashlight to her husband.

"That boy is terrified out of his wits," she informed Jay.

"He's not the only one," Jay murmured with a nod of his head toward Estevo. He didn't blame anyone for being scared, but they needed to keep their wits about them if they were going to survive this. "You shouldn't be here," he told her quietly enough that his voice wouldn't carry beyond her hearing, as he took the flashlight from her.

She met his gaze, speaking so softly that only he could hear her clearly. "If you are going to fall, then I will fall at your side," she told him firmly. "I won't be left behind again, Jay."

"No one is going to fall, Eleanor," he assured her, his tone of voice leaving no room for argument. Though he couldn't be absolutely sure of that, he would do everything in his power to keep them all safe. "Stand back," he told her, glancing at the rifle in her hands. "Is that loaded?"

She rolled her eyes, stepping back obediently as she raised the rifle to her shoulder. "Of course it is," she informed him confidently, tilting her gaze toward the darkness beyond the circle of burning torch-light. She gasped - though Alex had said he had seen no eyes in past nights, there were eyes there now, glinting green in the darkness and far taller than anyone might have guessed them to be.

Jay saw them, too, but didn't seem quite as terrified as the rest of the men. Maybe that was because he'd faced more terrifying monsters in the trenches during the Great War.

"Let's see what we have here, shall we?" he asked, as he flicked the flashlight on and pointed it toward the shadowy figure with the green eyes hiding in the darkness. Crude as it was, the flashlight cast enough light to see into the bush and light up whoever or whatever was looking back at them.

Alex swore in shock. Riggins reared back; Estevo gibbered in terror. The creature caught in the beam of light reared back and plunged into the darkness, but not before they got a reasonable look at it - a jaguar-face, fangs bared, but a man's shape from the shoulders down, covered in the mottle fur of the cat. The hands were paws, the legs were feline, the waist draped with a cloth for modesty. And then it was gone, a harsh call echoing through the trees as others retreated as well.

Jay echoed Alex's vulgarity, falling back a step and instinctively shielding Eleanor with his body. He had looked into the face of the beast and survived. He'd found intelligence in those predatory green eyes, but something else, too - hunger, cunning, and quite possibly rage. This land belonged to them, and here, men were not only trespassers, but prey. Jay turned as soon as he was certain they were gone and started shouting orders to close the perimeter and set up torches to hopefully keep the beasts at bay. He ordered men to stand guard around the perimeter and to switch shifts every four hours so no one fell asleep on watch. They'd head out at first daylight and try to cover as much ground as they could.

No one needed telling twice, not when news of what had been seen was so quick to sweep through the group. Of them all, though, only Eleanor stayed staring into the undergrowth, seemingly less fearful now she had seen what was menacing them.

"What in bloody hell was that?" Jay asked, once the men had disbursed to follow his orders, and only Alex and Eleanor remained. From what he'd seen, the beast was standing on two legs and wearing some kind of covering at its waist, like a man.

"Why didn't it attack us?" Eleanor asked softly.

Alex, on the other hand, was rubbing his brow. "There are legends about jaguar-men in the Basin," he said quietly. "Everyone put them down as just stories. Monsters to scare the children." He frowned, looking over Eleanor's head to Jay. "I think our Estevo needs to come clean with us."

Estevo was staring at her in horror. Back in Manaus, he had told Jay to keep her safe; now she was proposing to go into the heart of the danger.

"Did you bring a photograph of your father?" Jay asked, though he wasn't sure if showing it to the beasts would do more harm than good. If they were going to be allowed to search for her father or his remains, they were going to have to get their meaning across somehow and assure them they meant no harm.

"I always carry a photograph of my parents," she assured him quietly, tilting her head toward Estevo once again. "Just tell me where to go," she told the man in a low tone. "Lead the others safely to Boa Vista, and we'll join you once we're done."

Estevo frowned, looking to Jay. "This no good idea."

Jay wondered just who was leading this expedition, but she held the purse strings, and he had a feeling she wasn't going to listen to reason. Alex had already agreed to go along, and Jay had no choice. Whatever had happened to her father, they were going to find out together. After a moment's consideration, he echoed what Eleanor had already told the man.

"You don't have to go. Just tell us how to get there."

Of course, technically Jay now held the purse-strings, given the laws surrounding property and marriage, but for now, Eleanor was definitely exercising her right to lay down the law.

Estevo sighed, shaking his head. "North," he said reluctantly. "There is rising stone, hard to miss. Less than a day north from here."

"Can you draw up a map to Boa Vista?" Jay asked further. If their guide was leaving them, they were going to at least need a map to show them the way, or risk getting lost in the jungle.

"This, I do," Estevo agreed. "We leave trail, give map. We wait, when they no more threat us."

Alex patted the man's shoulder. "Come away over here with me, then, and let's make this map," the Scot said firmly.

Jay turned to Eleanor as Alex drew Estevo away, his expression grim again. "Are you sure about this?" he asked, more afraid for her than for himself. He had promised to keep her safe, after all, and it seemed she wanted to walk right into danger.

"No," she answered honestly. "But I have to know, Jay. And if it means I have to go alone, then I will. I won't force anyone to go with me, not even my husband."

"We've been over this, Ellie. I'm pretty sure Alex and I both agree that you're not going alone," he replied, that tone of voice once again leaving no room for argument. "I think it might be better if it was just the three of us. They'll be less likely to find a smaller party a threat," he reasoned.

"I think you're right," she agreed softly, glancing around at the restless camp. It didn't seem likely that anyone would sleep any more tonight, but no one would want to move on until daylight came. "I'm sorry I've put so many people in danger. I had no idea it would be like this."

"We knew there would be danger. We just didn't know what kind of danger," Jay assured her, reaching to give her hand a reassuring squeeze. "You should get some rest," he told her, knowing they were going to have a long day come morning.

"So should you." Eleanor sighed, turning to lean into him, pressing her face against his chest for a long moment. "Not quite the wedding night we might have wished for."

"We'll have a proper wedding night when we get to Boa Vista," he told her quietly, one arm going around her waist, as he buried his nose in her hair and held her close. It wasn't the kind of wedding or wedding night he'd have liked to have given her, but he had no regrets. "I'll make it up to you," he whispered, intending to do just that once they were safe.

"You don't have to," she whispered back, raising her head to meet his gaze with a tired smile. "But I know you will." She rose onto her toes, touching a gentle kiss to his lips. "I suppose I should make a kettle of tea or coffee. I doubt anyone is going to sleep much tonight."

"I can put a kettle on. You should get some rest," he told her again, lifting a hand to graze her cheek with his fingertips. "It's going to be a long day, come morning, and we still have to figure out what we're going to do."

"We all need to rest, darling," she reminded him. "I am not the only person here who needs to sleep a little more. I can hardly protect you and Alex if you're both asleep on your feet, can I?"

"Protect us?" Jay echoed, looking more than a little surprised by her statement. "How are you going to protect us?"

She rolled her eyes. "I think you may have missed my point there," she clarified gently. "I mean to say that if neither one of you sleeps again tonight, I will be the only one of us fully awake tomorrow when we approach these ruins."

"You're right," Jay admitted, knowing none of them were going to get a full night's rest, but a few hours was better than nothing. "Tell you what ....You put the kettle on, and I'll make my rounds, and I'll meet you back at the tent," he said, brushing a kiss to her forehead. Though he didn't really want to take his eyes off her, she was safe here, so long as she didn't wander off.

"Now that sounds like sense." She smiled at him encouragingly, squeezing his hand before she stepped away. Thankfully, there was plenty of water inside the limits of the camp, collected earlier that evening. A good pot of tea to share among the party would be one way to pass the time.

"No wandering off alone. If you need to, well, you know, come find me or Alex," he told her. There would be no going off into the jungle to do their private business until morning, not without an armed escort.

"Yes, dear," she said obediently, smiling at him once again. "Go and do what you need to do, and let some of the men sleep. I don't think we are going to be disturbed again tonight, do you?"

He turned to glance at the jungle, but couldn't see much beyond the torches that circled the perimeter. It was quiet now, as if nothing had ever happened. "I don't think so, but we haven't seen the last of them."

"We have for tonight," she said firmly. "So let the men who can sleep do so. They'll be moving on tomorrow as well." She patted his hand. "I'll make the tea."

"Be careful," he told her, leaning in to brush an affectionate, if brief, kiss against her lips. Those two words, along with the look on his face, was enough to tell her how he felt about her without him saying the words.

"You too," was her soft reply as she let him walk away, glancing into the darkness for a long moment. Then she squared her shoulders and turned toward the cooking fire, taking charge of the large kettle to boil water for tea and coffee.

Meanwhile, Jay moved around camp, checking the perimeter to make sure it was secure and checking on his men, some of whom he told to sleep and others to stand watch, taking four hours shifts again, as before. He let them know the kettle was on, if anyone wanted coffee or tea, and urged those who weren't standing watch to get some rest. When that was done, he went in search of Alex to see what Estevo had told him.