Page 1 of Marked By Night

1

Sadie

My fingers sink into the pebbles as I recline on the bank, dipping my toes into the warm water. The lake is relatively calm today, only the occasional wave since there is not much wind. The glassy surface is almost hypnotizing to look at, lulling me into a sense of serenity that I don’t feel.

The trees surrounding me are still and quiet. The occasional bird chirps or a squirrel scurries by, but other than that, it’s rather peaceful. Unlike the tumultuous emotions stirring inside of me.

I don’t go to the lake often anymore because the memories are painful and it makes me long for my brother to still be alive.

My hand slowly rises to find the silver pendant around my neck, feeling the worn groove that my thumb has imprinted into it from rubbing it so many times. This tiny necklace holds the last of my late brother’s ashes. The rest were scattered in the lake where I know he’d want them. This was always his favorite spot—our spot.

Relax, Sadie,my inner voice encourages me.

Yeah, that’s a lot easier said than done, inner voice.

I push my sunglasses further up my nose, trying to block out the harsh rays of the sun as they caress my body. Probably should put on sunscreen, but honestly, I can’t seem to bring myself to get up—or care.

A little while later, a loud thump and the rumble of an engine startles me, ruining the peace I’m trying to exude. Someone must’ve run into that humongous pothole on the way in. Amateurs.

I’m sure they’re heading back to the main part of the lake, because the fork in the road that brings you back to this particular section is so subtle that if you don’t know exactly where to turn, you’ll miss it. But on the off chance they’re not, I reach over and grab my switchblade from my pack.

When I hear the telltale sign of gravel crunching getting louder, instead of further away, my muscles tense.

Who the hell is barreling down my hidden lake road?

And why?

I get my answer a few moments later when a sleek Jeep Wrangler pops into view and is forced to slam on the brakes to avoid crashing into the lake. Clearly, these idiots have never been down here before. If they had, they’d know this path dead-ends straight into the water. It was once part of a road that led into a forgotten, and now completely, submerged town.

Yep, that’s right, a town.

The government bought all the houses and forced everyone out, flooding the area when they put the dams in. Or that’s the story, anyway. They claim it was for our benefit, but I’m not so sure their intentions were pure. This region’s history is steeped in illegal activities.

There are so many miles of nothing but trees and water. No one would ever find you or hear you scream.

The older folks in town say a lot of the houses are still down there, untouched. As if they were in a hurry to finish the lake. When the water is low, a boat or two have been known to scrape the roofs, but you’re not allowed to dive down there to find out for sure. It’s conveniently illegal and if you get caught, you will go to jail. Imagine that.

Makes you wonder what vile, evil things the government is trying to cover up down in those dark depths.

Guess we’ll never know.

“Moons above, thanks for the warning asshole!” The one behind the wheel seethes as he slings his door open and glares at his friend who is grinning from ear to ear.

“What?” The smirking passenger asks with a laugh as he comes around the vehicle and shoves the driver’s arm slightly. Like he thinks it’s amusing that they almost ended up in the lake trashing their expensive Jeep. “I couldn’t see it until the last second either.” He flicks his blonde hair out of his eyes in a move that only men seem to be capable of perfecting.

Surprisingly, they haven’t seemed to notice me yet. While nothing about them initially sets off my alarm bells, to ease my worry I gently open my center and caress them with my intuition. It never hurts to be cautious, but after a quick examination, they seem to be squeaky clean.

My eyes widen when they start stripping their shirts. I shamelessly watch them from my perch on the bank, telling myself it’s to keep an eye on them, but that’s a fucking lie.

The blonde one has sunkissed skin, giving him that beachy surfer vibe, while the other is slightly paler and more smoldering. They’re talking about something, but I tune out the rest of their words, intending to focus on my sunbathing.

Of course, I’m readjusting my pillow when they notice me. They both stop what they’re doing, and their heads snap in my direction. With their full intensity on me, I’m forced to hold back a gasp because holy shit, they’re stunning.

Whatever dark Gods created them must have tipped the entire bottle of sexy into their pots with more than a dash of abs and muscles to go along with it. Their looks alone could kill, that’s for damn sure.

The one with the pitch-black hair sweeps the area until his dark blue eyes land on my ratty little car, and then they return to mine in a fraction of a second. He’s observant, this one, though I’m surprised he didn’t notice my car beforehand.

The blonde one is laughing, and his amber eyes are sparkling in quiet amusement as he checks me out while I’m staring at his friend.

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