Rummaging deeper revealed some meal bars and a few bottles of water—those weren’t going to last long. At the very bottom, her hand struck something hard and metal. She wrapped her hand around it and pulled it out. Her breath caught when she saw what it was.
A gun? Why would she need a gun?
Okay, the producers obviously knew this would be a dangerous expedition. The premise of the show revolved around the idea that she might come face-to-face with whatever was responsible for so many people vanishing, never to be heard from again.
A rumble of thunder sounded, and she glanced around at the growing dark clouds. First things first, she had to build some shelter or else she’d be drenched. She shoved everything back into the backpack except for the knife.
Rhia worked a circle outward as she gathered sticks and branches. She brought them beneath the rock shelter. When she’d accumulated a pile about four feet high, she pulled the knife from its sheath, cut the longer branches down to usable campfire-sized pieces, and assembled them into the shape of a teepee. Even though she hadn’t had much personal experience in the wild, she’d seen enough television programs to know what she needed to do.
But it wasn’t quick—or easy. The leaves and branches were damp and didn’t catch fire right away. She tried over and over and over. At this rate the lighter would soon be useless. In every survival program she’d ever watched, they’d pounded home the necessity of a fire: to boil clean water, to keep warm, to ward off predators.
She thought of the dog she’d heard earlier and redoubled her effort.
Finally, a leaf caught. And then another and another. She sat back on her heels. Yes!
She inhaled and exhaled in a rush of excitement. She’d done it! Whew.
Carefully, she added more kindling to the fire. As she watched it burn, she realized just how much wood it would take to keep it going. At this rate, all she’d be doing the entire month was collecting wood. That wouldn’t work.
She needed time to meditate and tap into the energy and spirit that was her great-grandfather. Then, given a closer proximity to where he’d disappeared, perhaps she would discover his fate.
On her next wood scavenging trip, she found a long, straight stick that would make for a decent spear in case she needed protection. She took it back to camp. The question was, did she have what it took to use it if the time came? Or the gun, for that matter . . .
* * *
In his tiger form, Aidan halted well within the dense forest and listened. A woman’s voice floated to him on the rustle of tree branches. Alarm slammed into his chest, humans on his island never turned out well.
He growled softly to Takeshi, who paused several yards beyond Aidan and also raised his ears.
What on earth was a female doing on his island?
Aidan shooed the pup in the opposite direction. He wanted to move in for a closer look at the woman, yet at the same time, he couldn’t risk the pup darting out and becoming friendly. On a sigh, he transformed into his human body and scooped Takeshi into the crook of his arm. Yes. The best plan would be to remain hidden until she left.
The pup yipped.
“No.” Aidan whispered the command.
“There are not supposed to be dogs inhabiting this island.” Her voice held a pleasant tone, not really fearful but not sure of herself, either. She seemed to be trying to convince herself that she’d just been hearing things.
Takeshi wiggled to get free, and Aidan stroked the pup from head to haunches. “Sorry, I can’t put you down.” His stomach clinched. He was wary of this woman.
Needing to know more, Aidan worked his way through the shrubs until he achieved a partially unobstructed view. He cautiously peered between the greenery, ready to dart back at any second. Takeshi must have read his hesitant stance, for the pup grew still.
The female stepped from the foliage and stood in profile, with one hand on her hip, the other holding a large walking stick as she gazed out to sea. Her scent drifted to him, and he inhaled a long, appreciative whiff. She smelled of cinnamon and spices mixed with her own sweet fragrance.
She was the only new fragrance he detected, though. Which confirmed she was out here all alone. But why?
Her hair was the color of mahogany and barely touched her shoulders; it was actually much shorter than his own. She wore a camera strapped across her forehead, and she sported exercise clothes—form-fitting pants that hugged her legs to her calves and a tank top of black, peach, and sea green swirls.
Was she an adventurer of some sort? He’d seen the helicopter fly over a short while ago, yet he couldn’t fathom why anyone would drop her off here. To the world, this was an uninhabited island. One where people disappeared. The Japanese natives were very superstitious about the island, creating tales of dragons, hence the name Dragon Vortex.
He watched as she gathered sticks and branches for a stockpile of firewood. Her graceful movements were intriguing. He had few opportunities to observe people, or interact with anyone for that matter, except when he did so via computer. A yearning stirred inside him as she went about her tasks. The sway of her hips, the reach of her willowy arm, the angle of her chin as she seemed to consider her next choice . . . Liquid heat spread through him.
Without warning, Takeshi slipped through his grasp, launched from his arms, and bolted in her direction. Dammit. He lunged forward several steps and stopped short of revealing himself as Takeshi entered her camp.
The female’s head snapped up. She froze, studying the pup, and her eyes grew round with alarm even as a smile pulled the corners of her mouth upward. “I knew I heard a dog.”
Without hesitation, Takeshi bounded over to her.
She gasped and drew back several steps. “Are you wild?”
But the pup simply sat at her feet and then sprawled on his belly.
She observed him for a few more seconds. She knelt, then stretched her arm out, presenting the back of her hand to him. “Why, you’re just a puppy. How did you get here?”
Takeshi rose and nuzzled the woman’s hand.
Traitor.
Aidan retreated farther into the shadows. He couldn’t possibly get his dog back without revealing himself. He sighed. The goal was to get the woman to leave without discovering the Divine Tree. But he’d also have to wait until the pup decided to return to its owner.
The dog pushed his way onto her lap. She sat back on her bottom and crossed her legs, laughing. It was a delightful sound—warm, inviting, gentle. In all his loneliness, it was definitely a sound he could get used to.
But why is she here? he asked himself again. His brother Ian’s words rang back in his ears: Even if there is no clear danger at present, it may be the calm before the storm.
He clenched his teeth. Could this female be part of that coming storm? Or the cause of it?
She reached up and flicked on the camera. “Look what I found. I thought I’d heard a dog barking earlier. He’s such a sweetie.”
Why was she filming here? Who was she speaking to? The camera made him uneasy...as if the secrets of the island were going to be revealed.
With a warning flaring inside him, he went into protection mode as he transformed into his eagle.
•
His arms morphed into powerful wings that caught the current of air and lifted him off the ground. The rest of his body changed at the same time, and he could feel the tiny pinpricks of feathers forming, not actually painful but perceptible. The process was seamless, and it was natural for him now, although it wasn’t always so. In the beginning, he had to learn how to fly like any baby bird. Trial and error had been a bitch.
He dug his talons into the ground to gain purchase before he launched into the air. As he did so, the earth shook with a vibration he felt deep in his bones.
Aw, shit. That isn’t good.
His whole body was suddenly alert and on guard. If his guess was correct, someone had just broken through from the Riam dimension. And that someone was probably the sorceress, Theodora.
Depending on her intent and mood, the experience ranged from a minor earthquake tremor to a sonic boom.
She’d taunted him in the past, trying to persuade him to give up secrets from the Divine Tree. Now she would want this woman. He was sure of it...just as she desired all humans who passed through the Dragon Vortex.
He tensed. In every instance when someone had visited the island, sorceress Theodora had taken them to her alternate universe, Riam. He didn’t actually know what the place looked like, for no person who had ever been here left again. As far as he knew, the only way in or out of Riam was through Theodora. Custos had told him it was a place of continuous fighting and the people she took there became warriors.
Aidan flew in a high circle over the woman and the pup. Neither paid any attention to him.
If Theodora was visiting his island, experience told him it was the woman who drew her here. As he banked, his gaze swept the area. The sorceress materialized from the mist shrouding the trees. Slowly, she descended to the ground. Her long black dress hung in strips around her ankles, however, the bodice fit perfectly to her body.
Fear for the woman’s safety struck him hard. Theodora was a mix breed of siren and Valkyrie who had been given the gift of magic from the Demon Prince, and she was like a dog sniffing out a bone when it came to visitors to the Dragon Vortex. The chilling sorceress hadn’t wasted any time seeking out the female, either. Maybe it was simply coincidence, or maybe with the approaching Age of Atonement, she’d been waiting for an opportunity. For what, he didn’t know. Another go at trying to get knowledge from the Divine Tree, perhaps? He had stopped her last time, but not without Custos’ help.
An odd expression crossed Theodora’s face as she paused, seeming to admire her surroundings. He wondered what went through her malicious mind. Her features relaxed and her eyes shone florescent green. Something seemed to hold her in check, as if she were testing the waters. Could that be because she knew he was watching?
Aidan flew to a branch where he could see both the female and the sorceress, although it would be like watching a tennis match if he had to turn from one to the other.
A snap of a twig alerted him someone was on the move and he jerked his gaze to the woman. She was walking through the trees, Takeshi close behind her. Suddenly she paused, talking as if to herself. But then she took the portable camera from her brow and turned it toward herself, and he realized she was documenting her actions for some reason.
“It’s day one here in the Dragon Vortex, and I’ve settled in at my overnight location. The fire is going—” she looked up at the impending storm “—but I’m not sure how long it will last. I’ll probably get rained out any second. And as you can see, I have an unexpected friend.” She reached down and stroked the pup’s head.
On the heel of her words, large drops began to fall from the sky. A few intermittent splotches at first, and then the rain started to come down faster, each plop a little smaller and more intense than the ones before. She ducked beneath the ledge, curling her limbs in under the cover of the rock. “And that’s it for now. Rhianna Mori signing off from day one of On Your Own in the Pacific Ocean.”
So that was her name. Rhianna. He tossed it around in his thoughts, liking the sound. Pretty, like her.
But the rest of what she’d said was beyond him.
Theodora strolled right into Rhianna’s camp, halting a few feet away from him. Rhianna didn’t so much as shift her gaze. She just stared straight ahead.
Aidan tensed. Theodora was invisible to humans unless she chose to reveal herself. One of her many sorcery powers. And she usually only revealed herself when she was going to do something horrible. He had to get her to leave before she did something irreversible.
It’s been awhile, Aidan said, mentally transferring the conversation to her.
Yes. Now what have we here? she asked.
Go back to your world, Theodora.
She turned her head to look at him and smiled wickedly. With a raised eyebrow, she asked, Now why would I want to do that?
It was verbal play, he knew; she didn’t truly want an answer.
She doesn’t know anything about our worlds, he said roughly. Let her be in hers.
Perhaps.
She was taunting him. Theodora loved to play games . . . and change rules. The encounters he’d had with her over the centuries left him with a lot of uncertainties. To his understanding, according to Custos, the people who she’d taken by force into her alternate universe were not dead, nor completely alive, but somehow they simply existed. She kept them as her pets. Or more like entertainment. But the truth was, he’d never been to Riam, so he wasn’t certain.
He only sensed he didn’t want Theodora to capture this woman.
Rhianna placed the recording equipment inside a bag—he hoped it was waterproof—and then unwrapped some sort of snack bar and ate. Eyeing Takeshi, she broke off a piece and fed it to him. “What do you eat out here? How do you survive?” she asked softly. There was a fresh innocence about her that made his chest flutter. He tried to shake off the feeling. He couldn’t be drawn in, couldn’t care. He just needed to send her on her way.
But something within him resisted. As ridiculous as it seemed, he felt something for this woman. Maybe it was her beauty, or the fact that all the other humans who had come to the island had been men. Maybe it was protectiveness that stirred inside him at knowing if Theodora took this woman, he couldn’t leave his tree and venture after them.
An unfamiliar restlessness tugged at him. He stared at Rhianna as she made a bed of palm branches. She looked up at the limb where he was perching and spotted his eagle. Their gazes held.
Oh, how sweet, Theodora commented. I think you like her.
Irritation flared that she’d read his feelings so easily. He did like this woman, this Rhianna. He would not admit it to Theodora, though.
Now that Rhianna had noticed him, he decided to move a little closer. He flew to a lower branch across the clearing, putting himself between her and the sorceress.
He didn’t think Theodora would try anything yet. Straight and to the point was not her style. She liked to drag it out, to get the most entertainment value from it as she could.
That was a good thing this time. It would give him more opportunity to come up with a plan and outsmart her.
From past encounters, he’d gleaned that she trolled the Pacific, its islands and waters, and collected her victims. She was the reason the Dragon Vortex had gotten its reputation. Because the people who entered this area were not only lost but usually not in this dimension any longer.
Rhianna patted a spot on her makeshift bed. “Come on,” she said to the dog. “It’s dry in here.”
Takeshi trotted beneath the shelter and curled up next to her.
Hmph. Theodora snorted. Abruptly, she cocked her chin and looked off to the side, as if tuning in to something else, something far beyond even his enhanced hearing. She snapped her head back to glare at him. I’ll be back—she pointed a finger at him—and then you’re going to give me this sweet girl on a silver platter.
With that, Theodora disappeared.
Aidan took a deep breath and returned his attention to Rhianna, only to find her watching him with apprehension. Then she flicked both hands at him. “Go away. Shoo,” she said. “You’re making me nervous.”
He angled his head at her. Nervousness was the least of her problems.
“I’m sure those claws are sharp,” she mumbled. “I wish I recalled if eagles attack humans . . .”
He could if he wanted to. But if the eagle bothered her, he wondered what she’d think of his tiger. Perhaps if he showed her that form, she’d be scared enough to call someone to come get her.
Given the mountainous terrain behind them, the sun disappeared quickly, leaving behind a sudden drop in temperature along with the darkness. She still had that fire going, but it wouldn’t last through the night, even with the firewood she’d gathered. And it got very cold out here in the elem
ents.
He could change into a human and take her to his home. But she’d probably have a heart attack at that. Instead, he decided to run to the Divine Tree where he had a sleeping bag stored. He’d set it where she’d discover it.
The plan appealed to him. He liked the idea of helping her, but he knew he couldn’t leave her for long in case Theodora returned. So he would have to be quick.
After that, he would hunker down for the night and watch over her.
* * *
Rhianna’s back muscles loosened, and she let out a sigh of relief as the eagle flew off.
Good. It was gone.
The rain had eased to a misty drizzle. She zipped her jacket up beneath her chin and then rubbed her hands up and down her arms. She was pretty sure the show’s producers hadn’t been so nice as to include chemical hand warmers or any such thing in her emergency kit, but she’d check anyway.
She clicked on her flashlight and dug to the bottom of the sack. The light reflected off something, and she reached in and removed the item. It was a Mylar thermal blanket. She hadn’t noticed it when she’d looked earlier. She grinned from ear to ear at the find. She wouldn’t have to worry so much about the fire now. This would at least keep her fairly warm and dry.
The Mylar made a crinkling sound as she opened the package and unfolded the blanket. She wrapped it around her shoulders and snuggled back into her sheltered spot. This would do for tonight. Tomorrow she’d have to find the perfect place to call home for the next twenty-one days. Someplace dry, out of the wind, and with access to fresh water.
Closing her eyes, she sighed. A warmth formed in her core and spread outward into her limbs.
Mmm. Much better.
She couldn’t shake the feeling of being watched, though, as she stared out into the darkness beyond the firelight. Her vision darted around from one black spot to another. The puppy snuggled up to her hip, comforting her.
After being awake for what seemed like hours, she finally fell into a restless sleep. At one point, she thought the night would never end, she’d awoken so many times. But eventually, the sky grew lighter, the first hint of dawn bathing the sky in a soft lavender and then pink. The hues were quite muted and hazy given the mist that shrouded the island, but as the sun rose, a brightness filled on the horizon.
Awakening Storm: The Divine Tree Guardians (The Divine Tree Guardians Series Book 3) Page 3