Hilton Head, South Carolina,
United States of America
Atlantic Coast
I WHISTLED QUIETLY. “YES, THAT IS a yacht, Bel.”
“Told you.” He smirked in pleasure, his eyes traveling left and right over his stunning white and blue baby. “We need to board so the captain can do his work.”
I followed behind him and strolled up the gangway. “How many employees do you have on here?”
“Fifteen.”
“They aren’t coming with us when we get to S’Kir, are they?”
“No. They’ll stay onboard.” Bel glanced to the side, where a vampire waved. With a gentle nod of his head, Bel greeted him as we stepped onboard. “Captain, how are you?”
“I’m wonderful. However, I am highly confused by the orders you sent. I am supposed to go out of port, and then just…go wherever I please?”
The king nodded his head, the sun glistening on his hair. “This is the part I did not tell you. At one part of the journey, the way you will know you are there is the mist. The heaviest mist you’ve ever seen. You need to stop then and anchor down.
“Queen Gwynnore and I will take the tender to shore from there. You and the crew will stay onboard. We may be gone days, weeks, or months. You did get all of the supplies I told you to order, correct?”
The captain nodded his head. “We did. May I ask where you will be for so long?”
Bel smiled so big his molars showed. “We’re going to S’Kir.”
His eyes widened. “Are you sure—”
“Absolutely. And I expect you to use your discretion when speaking about our destination. Yes?”
“Of course.” The captain ducked his head into a bow, but his eyes were still enormous on his face. “When would you like to leave?”
Instant. “Ten minutes ago.”
“Understood.” The captain pivoted and went through a sliding door, disappearing from sight.
I lifted my brows with a playful smile on my face. “I want to go to the very front of the boat and stay there. I want to see this magical island from the first second the mist arrives.”
“Then you shall have it.”
Bel took my hand and led me straight to the bow of the boat. A hot tub and massive seats with blue cushions decorated the space.
He said, “Pick wherever you want.”
I dropped my backpack on the ground…and raced for the tip of the boat and stood there. If my life was turning to the bizarre, I was going to embrace it—for today, anyway.
Bel walked at a sedate pace until he stood next to me. He gripped the railing and lifted his gaze to the ocean. He whispered, “We’re so close.”
“And we’ll get there.” I bumped my hip gently against his. “You have two Original amulets in your pockets. It’ll happen, Bel.”
He simply nodded, though. His hands gripped the railing tighter, his distress showing in his whitening knuckles.
I sniffed in his direction. “Bel, there’s a foul stench coming from your backpack.”
“It’s the brat’s head. The sun’s baking it.”
I stared at his profile. “Why did you bring it?”
“I made a promise. I intend to keep it.”
I turned my head to look at the ocean along with him. “All right. I’ll deal with the smell—for now.”
He snickered softly. “It’s not that bad yet.”
“Yet is the keyword.”
“True enough.”
We stood in silence until the yacht started to move.
All it did was move a meter in the water…
And the mist came.
I sucked in a harsh breath. “Holy shit.”
That. Was. Quick.
And very much unexpected, my heart hammering.
Bel started laughing, full of hilarity and glee, and threw his arms out wide. “You missed me, didn’t you, you beautiful bitch?”
The mist swirled around us…affectionately.
I took a step closer to my lover—smashing my side against his. “I was all about embracing the bizarre thirty minutes ago, but now, I’m not so sure. That was very fast. And the mist likes you. And you’re talking to it. And there’s a big magical island right in front of me. I think I might need a moment.”
Bel grabbed my left hand and started dragging me across the bridge. “We’re going to watch them put the tender down. I want to leave as soon as it’s in the water.”
“What? The loving mist won’t do it for them?”
My lover snickered, grabbed my backpack from the ground with his free hand, and shoved it against my chest. “Are you ready, Gwen? Are you ready to step foot on sand that hasn’t been stepped on in three thousand years?”
He was very excited.
I cleared my throat, plastered a smile on my face, and stated calmly, “That is actually intriguing. I’m thrilled.”
Bel snorted. “You’re scared shitless. But, that’s okay. One step at a time, and we’ll make it through this.”
“One step at a time?”
He nodded regally. “One step at a time.”
* * *
Thunder boomed in the night sky as I took my first steps onto the sands of S’Kir, my boots sinking down into the soft white sand. With ominous clouds swirling overhead, I murmured in awe, “This is amazing.”
“It is,” Bel whispered.
Our eyes scoured the beach with the tender safely tied to a bleached white tree trunk jutting out of the sand.
A few crushed clamshells dotted the seashore, and a random, scraggly palm tree leaned to the side ten feet away. Dune grass peeked up indiscriminately from the sands, and dry seaweed lay where it had been spat out by the ocean.
In the distance, cliffs rose high into the air, the gray-blue stone of the plain granite cliff frightening and alien with its jagged peaks. The drip of water from damp caverns was loud to my sensitive hearing, the beach eerily silent everywhere else.
I sucked in a breath, and asked, “Where do we go?”
“Straight forward. Until we see the Gate.”
“All right.” I grabbed his hand, holding tight. I lifted my chin up and marched straight forward with him. “Bel?”
“Yes?”
“I’m proud of you. For never giving up.”
Air rushed out of him in a shuddering breath.
“You should be proud of yourself, too,” I added.
Bel squeezed my hand tight. “Thank you, little one.”
“You’re welcome.”
The mist floated off the water and followed us, occasionally wrapping around us to give us…a hug.
I shuddered. “My apologies if this offends, but the mist is a little creepy.”
Bel’s laughter filled the silence. “It’s just saying it cares. Don’t be afraid of it.”
“I won’t…until it decides it doesn’t like me and grabs my ankle and drags me back to the ocean to drown me. Then I’ll be afraid of it.”
My lover snorted. “It’ll be okay, Gwen.”
I sniffed. “We’ll see.”
The mist did its hugging again. Ugh.
Eventually, I squinted and pointed. “I think I see it.”
“I do, too,” Bel stated darkly.
“It’s closed. Is it supposed to be closed?”
“No, it’s not. I imagine that’s why I’ve never been able to find this place in all my time searching. When the brat stole the Original amulets, he fucked everything up. Including life here, it seems.”
Sand kicked up under my boots as we walked faster. I questioned, “Will you be able to open the Gate?”
“I hope so. With the help of both Original amulets.” He cleared his throat roughly. “I don’t know what we’re going to find on the other side.”
I hummed. “Glad you brought the head then?”
“Fuck yes, I am.” He sighed heavily, staring at the Gate with hardened determination.
“We’re getting closer.” I squeezed his hand. “It’s almost time.”