I duck back immediately, pressing myself against the railing as my heart slams against my chest so violently I can hear it pounding in my ears.
That nagging voice comes again, louder this time.Back away, Elena. Leave now.
The instinct to comply hits me fast and fiercely, and I don’t hesitate.
My breathing turns shallow as I slowly ease one sneaker backward along the dock, careful not to make a sound. I struggle to conquer my fear as I squeeze the tablet tightly against my chest, silently thinking words of affirmation that have always helped me in the past.
And it seems to be working.
Until the wood creaks. It’s a soft sound and could easily be lost in the wind. But whatever ill luck brought me out here in the first place seems to be working overtime, because the sound is noticeable enough to make my blood run cold.
The hushed voices on the deck stop completely, and every muscle in my body locks.
Just when I think I might make it through, that gruff voice says, “Did you hear that?”
I stop breathing, and the silence stretches for several terrifying seconds.
My body is stiff, rigid against the railing, my breath trapped somewhere high in my chest as their footsteps shift softly near the storage hatch. I can practically feel my heartbeat vibrating through my ribs.
So I do the first thing that crosses my mind.
I pray.
For the first time in a long while.
Five years ago, I was sixteen, young and frustrated to a point where I thought I needed supernatural intervention. It worked then.
But now it’s been so long that it feels like my prayers don’t move past the railing. There’s a disconnect. Maybe a shift in the cosmos, or a broken satellite.
Damn it!
Immense fear glues me in place.
And then I feel it.
A sharp prickle races down my spine so suddenly it almost hurts. It’s like a sizzle on my skin, an instinctive, ancient awareness that I’m being watched.
Deep down, I wish I was making up things in my head. But the sizzling sensation doesn’t fade.
With each passing second, it grows, like a burden placed on my shoulders that keeps getting heavier. A burden I can’t ignore.
Slowly, against every ounce of common sense screaming inside my head, I lift my gaze.
At first, all I see is the darkness layered across the upper deck of the yacht. Then, with the sudden whoosh of wind that hits me,hesteps into the faint light.
His figure is intimidating: tall and muscular, the kind of physical power that can’t be hidden, even in darkness. And his gait is controlled, smooth and commanding in a way that steals the air straight from my lungs.
The mysterious man leans one hand against the railing above, dressed entirely in black. The dim marina lights catch the sharp outline of broad shoulders and the hard angle of his jaw.
That’s why I see the subtle twitch in his cheek and the menacing frown that moves over his thin lips.
My breath hitches in my throat.
I’m breathing now, but it’s still akin to suffocating. The air thins as it goes through my lungs and my brain fires up with loud warning sounds—
Retreat! Back away! Run, Elena, run!
Heavens know I want to flee, but his eyes are already on me. And it’s strange how clearly I see them through the night.
