Dillon Savage snapped his head around to look at his director, Sean Holiday. “Did you see that?” A tiger had just stalked into the screen, and Rhianna had shot it before hurrying back toward the camera and turning it off. The Livestream video had gone black.
“Yeah. That was some awesome footage. Prime ratings stuff,” Sean said, setting a schedule calendar aside. “And we didn’t have to pay extra for it. I hope that beast hangs around. She needs to keep that damn camera on, though.”
“Hey, she has a gun?” a cameraman asked. “I hope someone check to see if she knows how to use it,” he snorted.
Dillon’s jaw clenched. He rolled his eyes skyward. If You Dare had become all about the ratings. In another episode, a guy had gotten bitten by a cobra. And while it was great for ratings, he’d nearly died. Thank god they had a team of medics on board the yacht—ex-marine types who were pretty darn good, if unconventional. “You don’t want me to go back there, do you?”
Sean blew a puff of cigar smoke out the corner of his mouth. “Don’t worry your handsome head. We’ll take protection when we return to get her.”
“So you’re just going to leave her out there . . . alone?”
“She’ll be fine. And she signed a release.” Sean got up and walked to the door. “I’m going topside to get some fresh air.”
Dillon fisted his hands. If the money weren’t so good, he would not be doing this show. “You’re a heartless bastard,” he muttered.
Sean raised an eyebrow at Dillon. “Remember that. And don’t cross me.
* * *
She was heading the wrong direction—inland instead of out to the sandbar where she’d been dropped off.
Dammit.
Aidan paced in a tight circle and then paused to stare at Takeshi, who looked up at him with his big, dark eyes as if to say, Well, aren’t you going after her?
He turned and followed her, grumbling to himself as he went. She couldn’t make it easy and flee the island. No, she gathered her things and headed inland instead.
Aidan walked after her, not sure how he could force her to leave. He could hear her traversing the forest floor, with the snap of twigs beneath her slight weight, and her delicate cinnamon scent wafted to him on the breeze.
At the same time, the voice in his head was whispering how dangerous it was for her to be here. Every moment she remained increased the probability that she would never escape this island, never escape Theodora.
A dull, sinking sensation settled in his stomach at the futility of it all. His days were usually pretty much the same. He tinkered with his inventions and kept watch against evil shit trying to get to his tree. Aka the mysterious and demonic creatures of the Dark Realm.
The terrain dipped downward before it rose again, and Aidan continued to follow Rhianna. A chain of mountains circled the inner valley, and she took the course of least resistance along the base of the mountains. They were coming to the center, where the ground was soft and slick with moisture. Nearby, a stream flowed, washing over boulders and fallen tree limbs. As he walked, he began to notice the paths he’d worn through the forest. He hadn’t realized he’d done that, but he supposed it made sense. It also made it easy for her to travel without resistance.
And led her straight to the most critical spots on the island . . . such as where he lived.
* * *
Rhianna came to a clearing where the sky opened up over a small pond of translucent blue-green water. The place was magnificent, a fairy-tale abode. At the far side of the pool there was a wide arched bridge of rock. It was cave-like, yet around twenty feet or so inside the space, it opened up again with an enormous hole in the ceiling, where the sky shown through. A waterfall spilled through the opening, creating a drumming rhythm as water gushed into the pool. The setting was architecturally brilliant in its interlocking curves and structure and texture. A miracle only Mother Nature could create.
“So beautiful,” she whispered. Her eyes widened as she took it all in.
For several minutes, she stood there watching the water turn to white mist as it poured into the pool. It almost seemed magical. She inhaled the earthy fragrance, so different from the ocean on the coast.
She didn’t want to move lest she break the enchantment of this fantasy place, and she desperately wished the camera allowed for zooming in and out. But it didn’t. She’d had to move to get a closer look. Finally, she cleared her throat, “This seems like one of those spectacular finds for National Geographic. My words won’t do it justice, folks. But as you can see, this place is enchanting.”
A strange resistance washed over her. Part of her didn’t want to share this place with an audience, a selfish desire to keep the stunning locale to herself. But it wasn’t exactly to herself, she realized. Aidan had probably been here. He could even be following her now.
She set the GoPro aside and breathed deeply, taking in the moist air, and then exhaled with abandon. A giggle bubbled up and echoed off the grotto. This was what freedom and secrecy and a mixture of recklessness and delight felt like. She was in her own world now.
Giving into the spell of the place, she glanced about, making sure she was alone. Then, stepping behind a plant with large tropical leaves, she stripped off her clothes. After another quick look around, she dropped into the water.
The ground immediately fell away. The pool was deep and warm, like a hot spring. It was heaven after spending the night on the damp, hard ground. The water felt more buoyant than any pool she’d ever experienced, too; it must have a very high salt content. She dove deep and kicked back to the surface. She floated on her back and gazed up through the trees overhead.
Soon, her attention turned to the waterfall. She wondered if there was a cave behind the falls. She’d heard of that. Curious, she swam beneath the stone arch. As she popped up on the other side, a shadow fell, blocking the sun. Her heart pounded in her chest. If something happened, she was completely on her own.
As she came closer to the waterfall, another space in the rocks opened above her. Water poured over a ledge into the pond, spraying over her head. It was ice-cold, a sharp contrast to the warm water of the depths. She gasped as she inched closer to the slapping white foam, peering through the flowing sheet of water.
Geez, that’s cold.
She shivered and swam backward. Maybe she’d investigate the waterfall more later.
She rotated into a sidestroke and savored the rise in temperature as she traveled back to the warmer side of the pond. A long sigh escaped her lips as she looked around. Up on the rocks where she’d left her things, a movement caught her attention. She began to tread water and squinted to see into the shadows.
OMG. The tiger!
The effing tiger stood over her belongings. She tensed, sunk beneath the surface—hoping he wouldn’t notice her—and came up again sputtering. With her heart thumping in her throat, she swam in reverse, putting more distance between them. God, she hoped tigers didn’t like to swim.
As if the big cat understood her dilemma, he lumbered along the path to a large rock. He sat, looking back at her, seeming to give her space. But Rhianna didn’t trust the animal. Her breathing quickened as she imagined the damage those huge claws could do. Could she retrieve her clothes and ease on out of here in one piece?
As if he were disinterested, the tiger turned and moved to the other side of pond.
Slowly, she floated toward the rocks. She climbed to the ledge, all the while keeping a watchful eye on the tiger. He was near enough to make out the black irises and golden-green rims of his eyes. He lowered his head, restrained, and turned away.
With controlled movements, she slid on her panties and bra, shirt, pants, and shoes. The tiger almost seemed as if he were asleep. Almost. She wouldn’t have faith in that assumption, though. It was too risky.
Carefully she hefted her satchel and walked backward, toe to heel, to maintain her balance on the slippery rocks. The tiger lifted his head and cocked it to the side.
Nope, he wasn’t sleeping.
The pounding in her rib cage increased. So close and yet . . . No, she would just keep on walking, slowly and calmly. She needed to find a shelter where the tiger wouldn’t bother her. But was that even possible?
As if a humongous tree had fallen, a boom echoed through the forest, and the ground shook.
What was that? An earthquake?
Rhianna swept her gaze around the area. She didn’t notice anything unusual . . . at first. Then her attention settled on the tiger again. As she watched, the cat morphed into a man, and her jaw dropped, letting in much-needed oxygen. The gorgeously tall, well-built specimen of manliness she had met earlier, seemed every bit in tune with the tiger he’d sprung from, but he wasn’t gazing back at her. Instead, his expression was twisted with fury as he stared off to the side of the pool. Suddenly, a woman magically marched right out of a slab of rock.
Rhianna rubbed her eyes. What the hell was going on? She wanted to get the heck out of there, but her feet wouldn’t budge. Her body trembled, curving in on itself in a protective stance. He . . . he had changed right before her eyes into Aidan Hearst. And then another stranger just appeared as if out of thin air? It wasn’t possible. But if it was . . .
Oh god. Had he been watching her swim naked the entire time?
She flinched at the notion. However, given the situation, it seemed an absurd thing to worry about right now. She cast it out of her mind and refocused. Something way weirder was going down.