Destiny's Challenge by Cali Rising

Author:Cali Rising
Language: eng
Format: epub
Tags: romance, fantasy, funny, free

CHAPTER 16

Punching the pillow under her head in a vain effort to make it more comfortable, Riley yelped in pain. Rubbing her hand, she opened her eyes and saw that the pillow was Cole’s shoulder. He was fast asleep, a lock of honey hair covering one eye. Smiling, she snuggled closer. She recalled being back in the Great Hall and starting to spin. Cole had grabbed her hand, holding on fiercely to her. A feeling of exhilaration had gripped Riley at first but as the spinning intensified, she grew dizzy. Her stomach lurched into her throat, and nausea overwhelmed her. Just as she felt her gorge rising, the spinning stopped and blackness claimed her.

Sitting up, she saw that they were in a rustic log cabin, small but cozy. Climbing out of the king sized bed, she went exploring. The bedroom opened into a long, narrow living room area furnished simply with a plump couch and a couple of armchairs, a narrow hallway led into a roomy kitchen. Opening cupboards she found them all fully stocked with supplies. Shaking her head she wondered how long they were supposed to camp out here. She stepped out of the back door and on to a white sandy beach that sloped gently down to the ocean. Strolling down to the water’s edge, she looked back at the cabin noticing that it sat on top of a hillock. Her mouth fell open as she realized that the hillock was really just a minute island, totally encircled by the ocean.

Blood pounded in her ears as fear and anger flooded through her. “Shalimar! Sultan! Where are you? Come here at once. Why did you bring us here? Shalimar! Sultan!”

Cole came running out of the cabin and slammed into her, knocking her off her feet. “Are you okay? I heard your shouts.”

Lying on her back, gasping for breath, she glared at him. “Can’t you watch where you are going?”

With a sheepish grin, he pulled her to her feet, and started to dust sand off her clothes. “Sorry. Your yells yanked me out of a deep sleep. I thought you were in danger so I was just trying to get to you in a hurry.”

She slapped his hands away as they lingered on her butt. “No need to get fresh!”

His expression was pure innocence. “Excuse me, but I am only just trying to help you brush off the sand.”

She continued to glower at him. “Yes, you are a helpful fellow, helping yourself to a handful.”

He laughed, gazing at the part of her anatomy under discussion. “Surely you can’t blame me given the generous temptation.” She looked as if she was going to take a swing at him so he hurriedly changed the subject. “It does not appear that you are in danger. Why were you yelling?”

Her irritation with him melted away as she was reminded of their situation. “Look around. Do you have any idea where we are? Why would Sultan and Shalimar bring us to this speck of an island?”

The teasing light in Cole’s amber eyes went out as he took in their surroundings.

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