Page 6 of Seducing Scylla (Mated Myths #1)

Morgan

T he cave is deeper than I first thought, the entrance narrow and damp before widening out further in.

I don’t venture into the darkness, too afraid of what I might find.

I’ve had enough adventure for a lifetime, if that’s what you could call this.

I’m inclined to call it a nightmare. Instead, I huddle just inside the mouth of the cave on the sandy rock floor, my arms wrapped tight around my knees as I watch the ocean rise.

My breaths even out as I sit and stare into the blue-green expanse of water that feels like it’s desperately trying to reach me, its watery tendrils reaching out to drag me back and swallow me whole.

The tide has risen so high, it sits a hand span below the edge.

I close my eyes, sending my gratitude out into the ether, to any god that will listen, thankful that I found this hidey-hole in the nick of time .

A single tear fights its way free and carves a path down my worn and tired face.

It’s like the crack in the wall before the dam bursts and before I know it, I can’t breathe from the heaving, racking sobs that engulf me.

The enormity of the situation suddenly hits home, my emotions slamming into me hard and fast.

I was kidnapped. Freaking kidnapped! Are you kidding me? I could curse myself for being so naive. Look at what happened! Tied up inside a container on the way to who knows where, and now this. Stuck on an island, no help to be found, no people at all, I don’t think, and no way off. No way home.

I let out another loud wail. There are other people.

The other women... The ones I left to fend for themselves.

Guilt floods me. Where was the woman who attempted to scare off the creep at the library?

I thought I was braver than that. But I’m not.

I’m just a coward who ran away at the first sign of trouble.

I don’t know what those red creatures were.

Maybe the local fauna? But they seemed too intelligent, too purposeful to be animals.

I hope not. That wouldn’t bode well for anyone.

They probably think we’re a tasty meal that’s been dropped right on their doorstep.

I shudder at the thought, hiccupping through my sobs.

Tears stream steadily down my cheeks, and I wipe my snotty nose on my cold damp skin, grimacing at the feel of the salty sea residue.

The shadows lengthen, the sky blending from light blue to pinks and oranges as the sun begins to set.

With it, the warmth seeps away, replaced by a light breeze and a coolness that’s not quite like the bite of a winter chill, but more like spring.

It would be pleasant if I wasn’t sitting in soggy and sand-smeared clothes in a damp and sandy cave.

Instead, I shiver, my teeth rattling, and snot drips from my nose faster than I can wipe it away.

Sniffling, I lay down, pulling my knees into my chest and tugging my soaked dress over them for as much warmth as I can muster.

I rest my head on my hands and stare into the darkness of the cave, a constant trickle of tears escaping my eyes.

The numbness isn’t just seeping into my fingers and toes, but also my insides.

My tummy lets out an angry gurgle. Okay, maybe not all of my insides.

Hunger gnaws at me now that I have a moment of reprieve.

The hopelessness feels overwhelming. I don’t know how I’m going to get out of here.

I don’t know how to hunt or fish, or if there’s any food I can pick.

I don’t know how to start a fire to keep myself warm in the night.

I don’t know how I’m going to get off this beach and home again.

I don’t know anything at all. I am utterly useless.

I can’t help myself let alone any of the others out there.

If they’re still alive. I shudder, closing my eyes against the darkness pushing in at me.

I try not to think about how cold or hungry I am.

I try not to think about my warm, cozy bed drowning in cushions.

I try not to think about the women I abandoned on the beach.

I definitely try not to think about any creepy crawlies that might be lurking in the dark, waiting for me to drift off to sleep before crawling inside my ears and laying eggs in my brain.

That would be the icing on the cake. Please don’t let there be spiders in here.