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“My sentiments exactly,” Jasper Draper said. “I’m a journalist. I need my phone.”
Marcella Earle looked at her phone and groaned. “Don’t worry, they won’t bother to grab our tech. No service.”
Talia took her phone out of the pocket of her coat and checked the screen. “You’re right. Well, I suppose that’s not a surprise.”
“Fuck,” Oliver said.
“Shit,” Jasper muttered.
The ferry bumped gently against the wooden dock. Luke watched a man dressed in jeans and a flannel shirt climb out of the van andcome forward to handle the lines. He waved at the ferry pilot and then greeted the passengers as they trooped off the vessel.
“Welcome to Night Island,” he said. “My name is Nathan Gill. I’m a guide for the Unplugged Experience. Prepare for three days that will refresh, renew, and restore your inner balance.”
“Translated,” Oliver Skinner said, “that means prepare for the most boring three days of our lives.”
“And probably a lot of kale,” Jasper Draper grumbled. “But at least there will be booze, according to the brochure.”
“An excellent collection of wines and top-shelf liquors,” Nathan assured him cheerfully. “Don’t worry about a diet of kale. Octavia Venner is a magician in the kitchen. You’ll be eating vegetarian, but I think you’ll enjoy it.”
Talia brightened. “I’m really looking forward to the cuisine. The online reviews were very enthusiastic about the chef. I’m excited to try the mushroom pâté and the risotto.”
Luke managed, barely, to hide a smile. The other guests stared at Talia as if she was from another planet.
“Got a feeling it’s going to be a very long three days,” Marcella Earle said.
CHAPTER FIFTEEN
The energy inthe atmosphere was getting stronger. Maybe it varied depending on where you happened to be on the island, Talia thought. Or maybe the currents got more powerful after dark.
She opened the door of the small, rustic cabin and paused on the threshold, taking in the night. The evening was surprisingly warm, considering that it was the end of November—not tropical island warm by any means, but the temperature was higher than normal in the Pacific Northwest at this time of year. She would not need her down coat or knit cap for the walk through the gardens to the lodge. The lightweight parka she had tossed into her bag at the last minute would do.
Here and there the lights of the guest cabins could be glimpsed through the maze of heavily overgrown plants that surrounded the lodge. The nearby forest was a looming darkness that blended seamlessly into the deep black of a night rendered starless by a thick cloud cover. Luckily the path to the lodge and dinner was illuminated. The stepping stones emitted a subtle blue light.
She slipped into the parka and stepped outside the cabin. A little shock of awareness arced across the back of her neck when she turned to lock the door. The sensation was different from the one she had felt a moment ago. This vibe stirred her senses in another way. There was a disconcertingly intimate quality to it. It was not the first time she had experienced it. Earlier that morning while preparing breakfast she had identified the cause. Her intuition was telling her that Luke was nearby.
She had never reacted to the presence of any other man in this way, and that was more than enough to make her turn to the universe for an answer to the question that leaped to mind:Why this one, universe?
The universe responded with a dose of common sense.One night in your spare bedroom does not a relationship make.
She turned on the step and watched Luke make his way toward her, his duffel bag in one hand, the pack slung over his shoulder. He was following one of the stone paths that wound through the lush foliage.
“I’m not an expert when it comes to gardening,” he said, shoving a broad leaf out of the way, “but these plants look like they haven’t been trimmed, pruned, or cut back in a long time. It’s amazing that you can still see the stepping stones.”
He wore the battered leather jacket, trousers, and black pullover that he’d worn on the ferry. Outwardly he appeared relaxed, but she was getting to know him, and something about the way he moved told her that he was on high alert.
“The plants do seem to be flourishing, don’t they?” Talia said. “And it’s so warm here compared to Seattle. What’s up with all the energy in the atmosphere?”
“Probably a storm on the way,” Luke said.
Talia reached out to touch a long, sword-shaped leaf. “I don’t recognize any of these plants. Some of them, like the ferns, look familiar but... different.”
“Don’t forget this whole island was a botanical research laboratory in the twentieth century and now it’s under the control of the Wynford Institute for the Study of Medicinal Botany,” Luke said. “There must have been a lot of experiments over the years. These plants are the result.”
Talia shivered. “Don’t know about you, but the wordexperimentmakes me nervous these days.”
“That makes two of us. The others didn’t seem to notice the energy—at least, they didn’t comment on it.”
“We didn’t say anything, either, except to each other.”
