Page 8 of Awakening Storm

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 offhere. 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.