The Jewel of the Isle by Kerry Rea

Author:Kerry Rea [Rea, Kerry]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Penguin Publishing Group
Published: 2024-11-26T00:00:00+00:00

TWELVE

RYDER

Hiking under the cover of darkness sounds cool in theory. But in reality, it’s a total fucking shitshow. For one thing, without the warmth of the sun, it’s cold as balls out. For another, the darkness makes it impossible for Emily and me to see where we’re going. It wouldn’t be so bad if we could use our flashlights, but I’m paranoid about inadvertently alerting Sinclair’s men to our whereabouts, and so we hike and hike and hike through inky darkness until our legs threaten to give out.

Finally, when I ask Emily how she’s doing and she only groans in response, I know it’s time to call it a night. We need to rest at some point, and while I’m in better shape than my partner in battle, I’m pretty sure my legs won’t last another mile.

“Look,” I say, pointing to a cavern-like opening in one of the sloping rock formations bordering the forest. “We could ride out the night here.”

Emily blinks at me. “You want me to spend the night in a cave? Are you aware that bears live in caves?”

“It’s not a cave,” I insist, shining my flashlight into the wide opening between the rocks. “See? It’s just a hollow groove where the rock layers formed together.”

She peers into the opening—which, granted, looks very much like a cave—and raises an eyebrow.

“Can’t we just set up our tents?”

“Sure, but tents might draw attention, and I’d very much like it if Sinclair didn’t find us.”

She peers into the cavern again, biting her lip uncertainly, but whatever reservations she has are clearly trumped by exhaustion and hunger.

“Fine,” she says, relenting. “But if a bear eats me, I will haunt you from beyond the grave for all of eternity.”

“Frankly, I’d expect nothing less.”

Tossing my pack into the cavern, I clamber over several loose rocks and step inside, surveying my new surroundings. The rock walls are gray and streaked red with mineral, and I can’t stand upright without bumping my head against one, but other than the unsettling darkness and a dartboard-sized spiderweb that I will definitely not point out to Emily, it seems like a safe enough place to ride out the night.

“You coming?” I ask as I extend a hand toward her. “Or should I book you a room at the Ritz-Carlton?”

She rolls her eyes but weaves her fingers through mine, allowing me to help her into the not-a-cave cave.

“Charming,” she says as she glances around warily. “This does not at all look like the haunted home of an ancient demon.”

She’s right; this place is creepy, but so is the whole island at night. I’m doing my best to project an air of confidence and not startle every time I hear the hoot of an owl or the cry of a loon, but it’s hard to stay calm when an armed assailant could jump out and grab us at any moment.

“Better a demon than a deranged archaeologist,” I tell her.

She coughs as I unzip my pack to pull out a handful of protein bars, passing some to her.

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