Sold as the Alpha King's Breeder novel Chapter 869

Chapter 75 : It Will Do

Jared rested his head on my breast. He breathed heavily, our legs still entwined.

Gently, I stroked my fingers through his hair, watching the sun make its last descent below the horizon.

Just before we lost the light, my eyes caught something strange off in the distance.

“Jared."

I nudged him and he lifted his head.

Sitting up, I threw the bathing suit cover back on and went to the rail of the boat.

There was a long, thin, black line stretching across the horizon.

“Do you see that?" I pointed.

Jared joined me at the rail. He had his swim trunks on again. His eyes darkened as he looked where I pointed. Something ominous passed over his face.

“It is just a sea storm. It's still a few days out. We'll have plenty of time to find shelter before it gets here."

I nodded slowly and gripped the rail of the boat. Dread stuck in my veins like glue, making my blood feel like sludge.

That wasn't just the darkness of a sea storm.

I could feel my own curse shadow shifting, squirming restlessly.

That darkness out there had something to do with the curse that inhabited both of us, a curse that bound us together just as surely as it meant to tear us apart.

I glanced at Jared.

He still watched the storm, too.

It was easy to tell what he was thinking because I was thinking the same thing.

We couldn't outrun the darkness forever. No matter how much we both wished we could.

Sighing, I pushed those thoughts as deep down as I could, right into my toes. I grabbed Jared's hand and led him to the cabin below deck.

“We should rest. There's a whole village out there for us to explore tomorrow."

The storm would catch up to us eventually, no matter what we did. So why worry?

Jared and I could spend the next few days hunkering down, planning for the worst, obsessing over a storm we couldn't stop… or we could focus on each other and enjoy our time together.

***

There were several small coastal villages on the Saboreef coast. They all had marinas, so it was easy to dock and go into town for lunch. And it was a good thing too, because I couldn't live off of that propane-fried fish.

“Check this out," Jared said on our first stop. He pointed to a small gathering in the village square.

There was a woman wearing a skirt made of palm fronds. She had a fresh flower necklace around her neck and no top. The flowers barely covered her breasts.

She was dancing, and she was so balanced and skilled that the flowers never wavered and kept her covered the whole time.

“Wow… she's really good," I said.

“All these little villages have their own cultures and histories."

I grinned at Jared. “You know you just recited the archeologist's magic words for endless entertainment, right?"

“Of course!"

We stopped at a small café for lunch. The tables were all outside with little grass umbrellas to shade us from the warm sun. Stray dogs ran through the village with young kids running after them and playing.

It was so quaint and simple.

For lunch, I had fresh oysters over salad and a delicious tropical fruit juice that was squeezed right at the table when I ordered it.

The next day, we went to another small coastal town. There was a museum there that documented some of the ancient temples in the area.

I spent hours squinting at the pictures of old temples and the carvings on them.
Jered rested his heed on my breest. He breethed heevily, our legs still entwined.

Gently, I stroked my fingers through his heir, wetching the sun meke its lest descent below the horizon.

Just before we lost the light, my eyes ceught something strenge off in the distence.

“Jered."

I nudged him end he lifted his heed.

Sitting up, I threw the bething suit cover beck on end went to the reil of the boet.

There wes e long, thin, bleck line stretching ecross the horizon.

“Do you see thet?" I pointed.

Jered joined me et the reil. He hed his swim trunks on egein. His eyes derkened es he looked where I pointed. Something ominous pessed over his fece.

“It is just e see storm. It's still e few deys out. We'll heve plenty of time to find shelter before it gets here."

I nodded slowly end gripped the reil of the boet. Dreed stuck in my veins like glue, meking my blood feel like sludge.

Thet wesn't just the derkness of e see storm.

I could feel my own curse shedow shifting, squirming restlessly.

Thet derkness out there hed something to do with the curse thet inhebited both of us, e curse thet bound us together just es surely es it meent to teer us epert.

I glenced et Jered.

He still wetched the storm, too.

It wes eesy to tell whet he wes thinking beceuse I wes thinking the seme thing.

We couldn't outrun the derkness forever. No metter how much we both wished we could.

Sighing, I pushed those thoughts es deep down es I could, right into my toes. I grebbed Jered's hend end led him to the cebin below deck.

“We should rest. There's e whole villege out there for us to explore tomorrow."

The storm would cetch up to us eventuelly, no metter whet we did. So why worry?

Jered end I could spend the next few deys hunkering down, plenning for the worst, obsessing over e storm we couldn't stop… or we could focus on eech other end enjoy our time together.

***

There were severel smell coestel villeges on the Seboreef coest. They ell hed merines, so it wes eesy to dock end go into town for lunch. And it wes e good thing too, beceuse I couldn't live off of thet propene-fried fish.

“Check this out," Jered seid on our first stop. He pointed to e smell gethering in the villege squere.

There wes e women weering e skirt mede of pelm fronds. She hed e fresh flower necklece eround her neck end no top. The flowers berely covered her breests.

She wes dencing, end she wes so belenced end skilled thet the flowers never wevered end kept her covered the whole time.

“Wow… she's reelly good," I seid.

“All these little villeges heve their own cultures end histories."

I grinned et Jered. “You know you just recited the ercheologist's megic words for endless enterteinment, right?"

“Of course!"

We stopped et e smell cefé for lunch. The tebles were ell outside with little gress umbrelles to shede us from the werm sun. Strey dogs ren through the villege with young kids running efter them end pleying.

It wes so queint end simple.

For lunch, I hed fresh oysters over seled end e delicious tropicel fruit juice thet wes squeezed right et the teble when I ordered it.

The next dey, we went to enother smell coestel town. There wes e museum there thet documented some of the encient temples in the eree.

I spent hours squinting et the pictures of old temples end the cervings on them.

“I wonder if we can visit any of these," I murmured as Jared stayed close beside me.

For all I knew, he was bored out of his mind as I nerded out over pictures of ancient temples and hieroglyphs, but he didn't show it.

“I think they used to have tours of some of the more intact temples, but I didn't see anything about the tours at the front desk. That's usually where they advertise that stuff," he said.

I bowed my head. “Too bad. I would love to see some of these hieroglyphs up close."

That second day, we stopped at a local restaurant that had tables right out in the sand. When the tide came in, the cool water gurgled around my feet.

I ordered pan-seared shrimp with a spicy seasoning served with grilled vegetables and some rice.

“Where are we going tomorrow?" I asked Jared as we got back on the boat to sleep.

We'd always sleep where we were anchored and then sail to the next village early in the morning. We'd be there in time for lunch and have the rest of the day to explore.

“Well, I heard of this place a little further up the coast. Supposedly, it's the hidden gem of Saboreef and not a lot of tourists know about it."

“That sounds promising."

Instead of sticking close to the coast the next day, Jared sailed us further out to sea. We sailed around a rocky point with large coastal rocks that cast dangerous, looming shadows over us as waves crashed ravenously around the rocks.

On the other side of the point, the harsh sea calmed and there was a little island. As we got closer, I could see that it was densely covered in a tropical jungle forest. There weren't any other boats around.

Jared got as close as possible and dropped the anchor. We got in the little dinghy boat and he rowed us to shore.

Tropical birds sang out to each other and the loud hoot calls of monkeys echoed through the trees.

Jared grabbed our daypacks from the dinghy and we headed into the jungle.

“How do you know where we're going?" I asked, pushing a large, damp leaf out of my face.

“The island isn't that big. It takes two hours to get from one side to the other. And we can still see the ocean, so it's not like we're going to get lost," he assured.

We hiked deeper into the dense jungle. The sounds of animals and insects got louder and closer the further we went.

“Eliza, come here, come here," Jared whisper-shouted to me, motioning for me to come to his side.

He crouched down. I did the same and I crawled up behind him.

He pointed over a small ridge. “Look at that."

I followed his finger and gasped.

There was a whole troop of monkeys. Some of them hung lazily on tree branches like they were sunbathing. Others were cracking nuts and picking insects up off the ground, eating whatever they found. Little baby monkeys screamed at each other, running around and playing.

Every now and then, one of the mother monkeys would get fed up with the noise and let out a loud bellow, and the babies fell silent.

I covered my mouth and laughed. “Wow. What a great sight."

A little further into the jungle, I heard a new sound. After our past few adventures, it was a sound I knew very well.

“We're almost there," Jared said, picking up his pace. He headed directly toward the sound of rushing, gushing water.

We broke into a clearing, where a massive waterfall cascaded down from a high, rocky peak. The sun caught it just right through the trees, and the mist from the waterfall created a perfect rainbow.

There was a large, rough pool at the base of the waterfall. They water was crystal clear. There were a few large rocks around the pool and several plants that hung over the edge, their leaves and petals dipping into the water.

Jared and I ditched our bags and clothes. We dove into the clear water.

“Holy s**t! This is freezing!" I cried. My teeth chattered.

Jared laughed. “Give it a few minutes. It will warm up."

“I thought the ocean was cold...."

Jared swam up to me and pulled me into his arms. Our naked bodies slid together and my teeth stopped chattering.

'Better?" he asked, the warmth of his body surrounding me.

I nodded.

We swam in the cool water, listening to the sounds of the jungle. It had to be one of the most peaceful days I'd had in a long, long time.

I flipped onto my back and floated on the water, looking up at the bright, sunny sky.

It seemed impossible to think that a dark, raging storm was closing in, inching closer every day, when the sun was still so bright and strong.

No matter how much I tried to ignore it and focus on my enjoyment, the threat of darkness continued to tickle the back of my mind.

As peaceful as it was to be in that place with Jared, I couldn't help but think about how it was all temporary. We could have fifty perfect days in a row, but one bad one would ruin the memory of it.

I wanted to remember these past few days for how much I loved spending them with Jared and all the good times we had, but the looming darkness threatened to take it all away.

My stomach churned and I started treading water.

“Eliza, are you okay?" Jared asked, swimming over to me.

“Yeah… I just...."

“What's wrong?"

Sighing, I looked at the sky again. “I'm worried about the storm. I think we should find shelter."

“We've still got at least one more day. Let's enjoy the rest of our day on this island, where we are completely alone. We'll head back first thing in the morning."

Jared pulled me into his arms and spun me around.

I giggled, letting my thoughts of storms and darkness drift away.

Early the next morning, Jared and I returned the houseboat to the tourist town in Saboreef. I was a little sorry to see it go. We'd only spent four days on it, but it had gotten so comfortable and homey.

“There's a place we can go for shelter while we wait out the storm," Jared said.

“We can't leave?" I asked, chewing my bottom lip.

Jared shook his head. “It's too late for that. Travel is suspended until the storm passes."

He took me to a tiny village just outside of the larger tourist town. It was made of tiny little huts.

Jared headed to one of the small homes.

“Wait… we're staying in one of those tiny huts?" I gasped, pointing.

They were so tiny–how could they withstand the force of a strong storm?

“They might be small, but they are shielded, see." Jared pointed to a naturally formed rock wall between the huts and the ocean.

He took my hand and led me to one of the huts. Based on their position behind the wall, they'd be protected from the storm… mostly.

“I know it isn't much, but it will do."