Page 16 of The Virgin's Chosen Dragon

“I think this is real,” Theo said, then tensed up even morewhen the men began to surround them. “We have to decide what we want to do, go with them or try to escape. I vote for going with them, they don’t look like they want to hurt us.”

After studying the men for a second more and seeing nothing hostile in their eyes, she turned and started down the beach in the direction the man had pointed. “I think we should go with them, at least until we figure out what’s going on,” she said. “Something happened while we were sleeping, I just don’t know what.”

“I don’t usually sleep that like during the day,” he said, glancing at the men around them. “Do you think they drugged us or something?”

She shook her head. “That doesn’t explain the resort disappearing,” she said, forcing herself to take a deep breath to hold back the panic. “It’s like we went back in time, a long way back in time.”

They were walking through where the little village had been. “That’s the only thing that makes sense at this point,” he said, looking carefully around. “There’s no sign that anything was ever here. Even if this was some kind of elaborate joke, that’s just not possible.”

“Unless we’re both going crazy,” she said. “A shared psychosis or something like that.”

“I think we should stick with your time travel hypothesis,” he said, a little smile on his face. “We’re not both crazy.”

“Well, that makes more sense than time travel,” she said, with a sigh. “I’m trying really hard not to be scared, Theo.”

“I know, sweetheart,” he said. “But I’m right here. I won’t let anything happen to you.”

The trail started to climb into the jungle, forcing them to walk single file ending the conversation, and she replayed Theo’s words in her head every time she started to feel the fear and panic creep up. But as they got further from thebeach and the jungle closed around them, it became more difficult to stay calm. Even on an island this size, they could get lost for days if they tried to escape, and the thought of wandering around in such a hostile environment scared her even more than what the men might do to them.

When she turned to look back at Theo, she was sure that he was thinking the same thing, but he flashed her a smile and gave her a thumbs up. Not feeling much better, she smiled back at him, then turned back around, wondering how much further they had to go. Only a few minutes later, she spotted a clearing in the trees ahead, and her heart began to pound furiously in her chest, but only a second later, Theo was by her side, taking her hand.

She looked up at him, let out a relieved sigh when her nerves instantly calmed, and a wave of comfort washed over her. Under different circumstances, she might have questioned what she was feeling, but right then, it was just a relief to have Theo by her side. When they came out of the jungle into the clearing, she paused for a second, surprised by the busy little settlement in front of them, then let Theo pull her forward.

An older man was walking toward them, a smile on his face. Several women followed him, their hands full of trays and bowls of food. “Welcome to our village,” the older man said, his words slow and measured. “Come and have food, you are hungry.”

They both stared at him in astonishment, but Theo found his voice first. “Thank you,” he said. “We are hungry.”

The man motioned for them to follow him. “I am Peter,” the man said over his shoulder. “You are very welcome. We mean you no harm. You eat, you rest, then we talk.”

He led them through the village to a small hut, ignoring the stares of the other villagers, pulled back the covering fromthe door, and gestured for them to go in. She hesitated for a second, but Theo nodded his head, and she slipped through into the quiet, cool darkness. Theo was right behind her, and they stood watching as Peter and the women crowded in with them.

“Eat, sleep, then we talk,” Peter said, then waved his hand at the women and said something in a language she couldn’t understand. They quickly set down the food, then backed out of the hut. “Now, you relax, I’ll be back……later.”

CHAPTER 10

***THEO***

When they were alone, Theo pulled Eden into his arms. “Are you okay?” he asked, looking down at her. “Or as okay as you can be?”

She nodded her head. “I think so,” she said. “I just wish we knew what was going on.”

“Me too, but maybe Peter can explain,” he said. “He speaks English, which means we can’t be the first ones to show up here. Maybe he’ll know how to get us back.”

“Do you really think so?” Eden asked, a spark of hope in her eyes. “It would be so nice if someone could make sense of all this. I’d feel a little less crazy.”

“Yeah, me too,” he said, then looked down at the food. “Suddenly, I’m starving. What about you?”

Eden looked down at the food. “It does look good,” she said. “Do you think it’s safe to eat?”

“There’s only one way to tell,” he said, walking over and picking up a piece of fruit. “I’ll go first.”

He took a big bite, then wiped the juice off his chin as he chewed. “It seems fine to me,” he said, then held it out to her. “Come on, try some.”

She took a much smaller bite; the sugar from the fruit exploded on her tongue, and she let out a little groan. “Oh, that’s good,” she said. “I guess I am a little hungry.”

When they’d satisfied their hunger, they curled up on the pallet tucked into the back corner of the hut. “I’m sleepy again,” Eden said, yawning. “But I’m scared to fall asleep.”

“Maybe we’ll wake up right back on the beach,” he said, his eyelids already getting heavy. “And we’ll find out this was all a dream.”

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