Night Cries (Hunters of the Dark #2) Read online

“Too bad we won’t be enjoying the sights,” Chase remarked, pulling a bottled water from a cooler and handing another one over to Rachel, who accepted it gratefully as she sat down on the bench near him.

  The professor said something else, but his voice was drowned out by the sound of the engine as it started up and they began to move away from the dock. Not long after, he left them alone and went below deck.

  Soon the air was speeding by them, cooling Rachel’s skin, which was a relief. She felt rather alive on the ocean, the mist tossed onboard by the boat, watching other vessels grow closer, then further away as they went along. It was very peaceful, yet exhilarating at the same time. The clear blue sky overhead didn’t hurt, but once the sun began its descent over the water’s horizon, she didn’t mind either, as it provided quite the spectacular scene. It was as if the ocean was putting on a show for them, the salmon pinks and blazing oranges thrown over the water in the distance like it were on fire. The water’s rocking and roiling only furthered in giving it the illusion of living, breathing flames.

  “Nervous?” Chase asked, breaking the long silence that had felt like a spell of sorts.

  She tore her eyes from the sun and looked over at him. “Nervous? Why? Should I be?”

  He smiled easily. “I thought this was your first time.”

  Scowling, Rachel crossed her arms, suddenly a little chilly at the night’s first cooling caresses. “It is my first expedition, but I take direction well, and I’ve studied in depth what will be required of me, so…”

  “I didn’t mean any offense,” Chase explained. “You just have that look. You know, ready for an adventure into the unknown. Wide-eyed and innocent, don’t want to miss a thing. But the reality of it is that archaeology usually tends to be a lot of work with little to no results to show for it.”

  “I’m aware.”

  “No, it’s not… It’s just refreshing to see that look, is all.” He offered her a smile, and all at once, Rachel felt a knot of tension release from her shoulders. She hadn’t realized she was getting so defensive and had been bracing herself for a fight. She wondered why she was so paranoid. Chase seemed like a genuine, warm individual. Resolving to let down her guard a little, Rachel ran a hand back through her blonde hair and turned to him, all seriousness. “Can I tell you something?”

  He leaned forward and nodded.

  “My dad pulled some strings for me to get here.”

  Chase nodded again after digesting this for a moment. “Why would he have to do that?”

  “Oh, probably because most people out on an honest-to-god dig like this have gone through years of training in college.”

  “And you…?”

  “I just graduated from high school.” She sent him a quick look, a little afraid of what she’d see written on his face. Horror? Anger? Resentment? What she wasn’t prepared for was admiration.

  “That’s wonderful,” he told her. “You know what you want and you’re going for it, and you’re getting the experience a lot sooner than other people. You shouldn’t feel guilty about that. To get an opportunity so young…” He paused and looked her over quickly.

  “I’m eighteen,” she filled in the blank with a wry smile.

  He opened his mouth as if to say something, then closed it, considering.

  “What?” she pressed him.

  “I just…I guess the no drinking policy won’t be a problem for you.”

  Rachel laughed. “No. I…I actually don’t drink anyway.”

  “But you are legal,” he leered at her. “Good to know.”

  She imitated offense and punched him lightly on the shoulder good-naturedly.

  For a few minutes, they just sat and watched the sun transform into a round red ball in the sky, the water likewise, became a sea of blood. Slowly the sun descended until the blood seemed to devour the sun whole, and all was left violet, and then inky dark. With no lights visible from the coast, the darkness closed in quickly and without hesitation, making Rachel feel much smaller and more isolated than she’d expected. They were traveling a long way from the mainland.

  “The stars are bright out here,” Chase murmured.

  Rachel looked up and agreed. The sky was full of shining diamonds, shimmering brightly, cutting through the black sky and sea, offering a field of light, should the night be too overwhelming.

  Rachel hadn’t realized she’d been shivering until Chase put a light coat around her shoulders. She smiled gratefully and pulled it tight around her to ward off the chill of the evening.

  “There is another reason you should be nervous about going to this island,” Chase said as he scooted closer to her on the bench.

  “Mmm. What’s that?”

  “I stayed overnight at a hotel and when I was at the bar last night, I was talking to a local. I don’t know, he must have been a superstitious type or something.”

  “Superstitious?” Rachel sat up and watched him carefully. “What do you mean?”

  “Well, when I told him where I was headed, he got this scared look. Then he crossed himself and said he would pray for my soul.”

  Rachel waited for him to continue, letting the words sink in. “Well? Then what?”

  “Then nothing.” Chase shrugged. “He got up and left. But left me feeling creeped out.”

  “Is there some sort of local legend associated with Black Forest Island?”

  “Not that I’m aware of. But then again, I didn’t really ask around. I kind of had my blinders on going into this thing, only concerned about the ruins and what we might find there.” He glanced at Rachel and smiled. “Did I scare you?”

  Rachel rolled her eyes. “Hardly.”

  They both looked up at the stars then, Rachel attempting not to indulge the shiver that threatened to steal over her body at his words.

  Chapter Two

  It was nearly eleven at night by the time they docked on Black Forest Island, and while the sunset had only been an hour prior, their colleagues were already fast asleep, as the professor had predicted, having had a rigorous day of setting up the campsite. However, the site architect, another professor named Candy Brooks, was awake to greet them as they made their way to the beach on a smaller raft, as the yacht had to anchor a short ways distant, and show them to their tents.

  Candy was a timid-looking woman, very thin and tall with a nervous smile. She was a little awkward conversationally, letting the others do the talking and chiming in from time to time to add a scientific fact or observation, or to laugh in a way that sounded to Rachel like she was asthmatic and gasping for big gulps of air. But she was nice enough, and Rachel tried not to let her shortcomings color her in a negative light. Candy was, after all, another person who would be determining her future in the field, and Rachel could kiss ass with the best, and was not above doing so. Although with a quick glance, Rachel noted several things that Candy could incorporate into her regimen to improve her complexion overall, she would keep them to herself for the next three months, if she could help it.

  Or maybe I could innocently offer her something in a non-threatening way, Rachel debated. Oops. I dropped my toner. Could you get that for me? You know, this would do wonders… Rachel shook her head. She sounded like an Avon lady.

  After finishing a brief meal at a small campfire, they cleaned up after themselves and made their way to the tents that were erected just a little ways back from the beach, in a small clearing not far into the otherwise dense forest. Unfortunately, Rachel couldn’t make much out in the dark, so any exploring of the camp would have to wait for morning, which was a little disappointing. While the others seemed rather tired by their day, she was bursting with energy on her first evening in the field.

  Since all but two of the tents were occupied already, they paired off by gender, leaving Rachel to bunk with Candy for the night.

  “But just for the night,” Candy had assured her. “I know how intimidating it would be to share a tent with on
e of the professors for months on end.” Cue nervous asthma-laugh.

  It was bad enough sharing the tent with the professor, but the tent was tiny. There was just enough space for them to stretch out in their sleeping bags, with their luggage on either side. And while Rachel wouldn’t be falling asleep for hours, Candy began to snore like a freight train the moment her head hit the pillow.

  Thank god it’s only for the night, Rachel thought darkly, or I might be tempted to smother her with a pillow already.

  After fifteen minutes of lying motionless, Rachel got up and left the tent after throwing a hoodie on over her t-shirt. She just had too much pent-up energy. She decided a quick walk along the beach to tire herself out was just what she needed.

  There were several bird calls that resounded from the forest as she walked along the beach, but it was too dark to make out any forms. It was eerie in the middle of the night, with no sign of civilization anywhere once the campsite and yacht were out of range.

  After walking for a few minutes, she slipped off her flip flops and walked through the sand with a smile, enjoying the feeling of the water running over her feet and the soft sand gushing between her toes. It was still rather cool, so gooseflesh covered her bare legs before long, but the hoodie was warm enough to compensate for that neglect, making the walk still rather pleasant.

  The island was beautiful, she decided, as she admired the eucalyptus trees, as well as the more familiar pines and firs. She could see why it was called Black Forest Island, as the foliage was rather dense and made the actual forest floor pitch black. She imagined that during the day it would still seem very dark, and perhaps night-like. It might not be the palm trees that most people would wish for on a deserted island, but she, for one, was ultimately charmed by the setting. It was peaceful and quiet and just picturesque. She felt a million miles away from everything. And the beach…that didn’t hurt either.

  Before long, Rachel began to hear noises in the dark. At first they were distant and muffled, but the further she walked, the louder they grew, until she identified them as shouts and the sound of water splashing. A smile played over her lips as she hugged the treeline while approaching the people playing in the water, keeping out of view, with the intention of turning around and returning to camp after a quick look.

  By cover of the trees, she watched the forms of the young men and women frolicking with humor, and completely unobserved by them. There were two guys and three girls altogether, although in the dark, it was difficult to make out much when it came to features. But she couldn’t help enjoying the sight nonetheless, when the three girls pulled one of the guys, protesting all the while, into the water with all of his clothes still on.

  “No fair!” the wet guy yelled good-naturedly. “Three against one? Rick, what, you couldn’t help a bro out?”

  “I wasn’t going to get in the way of the girls,” the other male replied. “Once they’ve set their eyes on something…they get vicious.”

  “I’ll show you vicious!” a blonde girl ran out of the water straight for him, squealing with pleasure as he quickly yanked her off of her feet and threw her over his shoulder, making a beeline back into the water, where he dropped her unceremoniously among the others again.

  “Having fun?”

  Rachel jumped and stifled a scream before registering that Chase was standing next to her, a lopsided grin on his face. “You scared the crap out of me.”

  He chuckled. “Sorry. Couldn’t help myself. It was just too good an opportunity to pass up. You seemed so…engrossed.”

  “Hardly,” Rachel shrugged. “I was just seeing what was making the noise. I was about to head back.”

  “And once you uncovered the ghastly scene, you couldn’t help but be so distracted as to not notice someone walk right up to you?”

  Rachel opened her mouth to say something, but couldn’t come up with a sharp retort, so she just held up her hands in guilt. “Think what you want.”

  “That you’re a perv?” Chase teased. “I like.”

  Rachel laughed. “Hardly. Speaking of perverts, what were you doing following me out here anyway? Going to lie in wait for your moment alone with me?”

  “You wish.”

  “Maybe.”

  He looked taken aback for a moment, but it didn’t last long, as one of the guys had come to investigate the noise they were making.

  “Chase? That you?”

  “Yeah, it’s me, alright.”

  In the moonlight and full sky of stars, Rachel saw the blonde guy step up to greet them, bare chested, and couldn’t stop her admiring eyes from drinking him in.

  “And you come bearing gifts,” he said, noting Rachel in much the same way she had appraised him.

  “Rachel,” she held out her hand.

  “Rick.” He shook it firmly and called back to the others “Hey, we have a guest!”

  Giving Chase an uncertain look, she turned back to Rick to find him checking her out again. She would use the word “leering,” actually, and any immediate attraction to him waned quickly as she took an unconscious step back toward Chase.

  “Where have you been hiding this fine piece of merchandise, Chase, you old dog?”

  “She’s standing right there, Mr. Sensitive,” a girl with long curly black hair informed him, swatting his chest offhandedly before offering it to Rachel. “Hi. I’m Cyrena, and you want to watch out for this one. He’s a wolf in sheep’s clothing.”

  “Transparent sheep’s clothing?” Rachel quipped.

  Cyrena laughed. “I guess most girls are blinded by his…charm.”

  “I’m Kelly,” a blonde girl said from behind Cyrena, topless and acting natural in spite of that fact, although Rachel suspected she was annoyed by the intrusion.

  Averting her eyes, Rachel saw Chase do the same, for which she gave him some credit.

  “Hi, I’m Jeanette. Nice to meet you,” a third bubbly girl said, holding her hand up casually as she attempted to pull her long black hair back into a ponytail.

  “Nice to meet you too,” Rachel said, already forgetting names as she turned expectantly to the final guy, a redhead with a lightly freckled back and shoulders, as well as a collection over his nose and cheeks.

  “I’m Lucky,” he told her, and immediately shook his head sadly. “And that’s not a come-on either. My parents decided to curse me with the name the moment I was out of the womb.”

  “Oh. That’s…too bad,” Rachel wasn’t sure how to react to the statement, which everyone else had apparently heard before, as there were a few eye rolls at the introduction.

  “Well, come on into the water,” Rick told them. “We have to celebrate our first day here, and, you know, get to know each other better.”

  “Much better,” Kelly purred, putting an arm around him and sending Rachel a clear look of ownership.

  “Oh, I didn’t bring a…” Rachel began, then looked away from Kelly, before she could finish her sentence.

  “Skinny dripping’s a rite of passage,” Rick countered. “Come on. We won’t bite.”

  Cyrena shook her head as Kelly coaxed him toward the water. “Don’t mind him. He just wants to get an eyeful of the goods, if you know what I mean.”

  Rachel chuckled nervously. “I guess so.”

  “But please join us,” Jeanette said. “We’ve got some beer.”

  “Oh. But I thought alcohol was…” She looked helplessly at Chase, who took the hint that she was rather uncomfortable.

  “I think Rachel is probably tired from her trip,” he said gently. “Jet leg, like me. We’ll probably go turn in for the night. She just wanted to come introduce herself.”

  “Too bad,” Cyrena puffed out her lower lip in a mock pout. “But you have to promise to have some fun with us sometime, okay?”

  “I promise,” Rachel said gratefully. “I’m just…yeah, tired.”

  “See you bright and early then!” Jeanette said as she walked back toward the wa
ter with Cyrena and Lucky.

  Chase steered her back the way they’d come with an arm around her. “Sorry. I know they can be a little…overwhelming.”

  “No, not at all,” Rachel told him. “I just…wasn’t expecting to run into anybody, let alone everybody.”

  “Yeah, well, they’re a nice bunch, once you get to know them. We’ve all pretty much met over the past few months before the dig, so we’re all pretty tight. But I don’t think you’ll have any problems fitting in.”

  “Good to know.”

  “Except with Kelly. She can be possessive and a little…bitchy.” He laughed. “But at least you got the meeting with her girls out of the way already.”

  “Her gir - oh. Her…yeah. She’s not the shy type.”

  “You could say that. She takes her top off at every opening that presents itself.”

  “Classy.”

  They walked in silence for a moment before the yacht came into view and shortly afterward, the campsite.

  “Oh, hey. I’m sorry I ruined your night,” Rachel said. “You can go hang out with your friends if you want. I just…”

  “I know I can,” Chase chuckled. “I wanted to walk you back though. And it has been a long day. I wasn’t just saying that.”

  “Well, thank you. I appreciate it.”

  “I’m just sorry I couldn’t rescue you from Candy. I’ve heard her snore from clear across camp before.”

  “You’re telling me,” Rachel murmured, eyeing her tent warily. “But I can handle it. For the night, at least.”

  “I have the feeling you can handle a lot.”

  “I try.” She looked away shyly before a shudder ran through her body and she recalled how chilly the night actually was. “Brrr. How can they go swimming in this?”

  “You can feel warm in the right company,” he said, offering her a smile that warmed her quickly enough.

  Impulsively, Rachel grabbed his hand and held it for a moment, unsure of what to do once she had it. Her lack of experience with boys was becoming apparent, she presumed, before she felt Chase lean in and kiss her on the forehead softly.

  “Goodnight, Rachel. I’m glad I got to meet you first.”

  Rachel, a little dazed by the kiss, innocent as it was, didn’t respond until he was already to the tent he was sharing with Professor Grant and quietly unzipping it.