She ducked her head while her mind busily worked, tossing up the consequences and Ari’s probable reaction.The advantages of getting away from here and starting over.If her mother and Hana were protected, she’d be able to focus on herself and her safety.
Nyree drew in another careful breath and gingerly straightened and lifted her head.“Thank you for this opportunity.”
Emma tsked for a second time.“You’re family.Of course, we’d want to help you.”
“Thank you,” Nyree said.“A summer job on South Georgia sounds amazing.”
She surreptitiously crossed her fingers and sent a prayer skyward.Please don’t let Ari spoil this opportunity for me.
2
Mysterious Gargoyle
Nyreestoodoutonthe supply ship deck, breathing in the sea air and watching the graceful glide of an albatross.Earlier, she’d marveled at a pod of orca gliding through the waves, their upright dorsal fins distinctive and majestic.The waves slapped at the ship’s hull with low to medium to very loud thumps.The sounds were familiar.Comforting.She spent every moment out on the deck, despite the wind and the chill in the air, cataloging briny scents and drinking in the ocean’s stark beauty in its many moods.
The trip to South Georgia from Chile took several days, and after two long flights to Argentina and onto Chile, Nyree now savored the more relaxing style of travel aboard the supply ship.She had a cabin of her own, which suited her perfectly.
With the full moon tonight, her taniwha was on the rise and with it the sexual urges that plagued her each month.Luckily, she’d hit on a workable system for her, which included a collection of vibrators and an ample supply of batteries.She hoped that once she arrived at South Georgia, she could shift to her dragon, which would nullify her urge for sex.Her dragon nature was a double-edged sword, and she either transformed or indulged herself in copious amounts of sex.Ari had enjoyed that part, and fortunately, hadn’t understood what her increased sexual urges meant.
Carolyn and Keith, the married couple she’d be working with on South Georgia, had told her they’d spot land later this morning, and she was eager to see Grytviken, the place she’d live for the summer.For the first time in months, she felt young and carefree and excited to start this adventure.
A flash of worry pulsed through her, though—concern for her parent and sister—before she pushed her anxiety away.Manu and his mate, Jessalyn, had promised they’d watch over her family, and she trusted them.
Carolyn stepped to the railing at her side, her lined face filled with excitement.“Look!Do you see the penguins?”
Nyree scanned in the direction the brunette pointed and soon spotted a large group of sleek birds gliding through the water and diving beneath the surface.They swooped up and down, graceful and a delight.Nyree looked forward to seeing the colonies of king penguins massed on land and the smaller Gentoo and the Macaronis with their golden yellow forehead crests.
“We should see land in the next half hour,” Keith said, who’d joined them at the rail.His sandy blond hair ruffled in the breeze, and he narrowed his brown gaze while studying the horizon.
Nyree turned to smile at the couple she’d come to like because of their laid-back attitudes and caring natures.That they hadn’t been too nosy about her situation helped.“Is there a jetty?”
Keith turned to her with a nod.“Yes, but the cruise ships must moor offshore and use their inflatables to land crew and passengers.Landing our supplies is not always easy, although there is mooring available for small yachts at one of the old docks.”
“You said I’d be able to walk and get outdoors,” Nyree said.
“Yes, but you must always tell one of us where you’re going and note your destination in the book we keep in the community area,” Keith warned.
Carolyn patted Nyree’s arm.“It’s not that we don’t trust you or wish to restrict you, dear.It’s that we have only ourselves to rely on in an emergency.Danger to one places us all in peril.”
Nyree smiled, having listened to this lecture or its variation several times since they left Chile.She understood, of course.South Georgia was an isolated territory.“How many scientists will be down here?”
“Oh, they’ll come and go all season,” Carolyn said.“They’ll be pleased to see a pretty girl like you.”
Nyree pulled a face.“I’m not looking for romance or sex or anything except friendship.I split from my boyfriend earlier in the year, and I’m not ready to throw myself into the dating pool anytime soon.”
Carolyn laughed, taking her face from plain to arresting.“It won’t stop the men flirting with you, although some of them will have wives and girlfriends.”
“After they’ve been out camping and doing their research studies, you can smell them coming,” Keith warned, his eyes twinkling.“No sensible woman would venture too close.”
“That’s true,” Carolyn said with another tinkling laugh.She made a waving motion in front of her upturned nose.“They pong.”
“I can’t wait to see the penguins.The seals, too,” Nyree said.“I’ve been reading about Sir Ernest Shackleton and his exploits.He was an interesting man.Grytviken has so much history.”
“What with Shackleton’s grave and the old whaling station plus the church and museum, our little community of Grytviken has a lot going for it,” Keith said.“Ah, the islands are coming into sight now.”
Nyree glanced in the direction he indicated and spotted the smudge of land on the horizon.Excitement pulsed in her, and she experienced a weird surge—a sense of coming home.A release of stress.Nyree bit back a snort.Now that part was natural since she’d escaped Ari, and it was a weight off her shoulders.Her gaze remained glued to the landmass as they sailed closer.
“I might go to pack the last of our belongings,” Carolyn said.
