Page 60 of The Hunt

“Do you work for them?” she went on, stepping closer. “Trying to test us to see if any of us break the non-disclosures?"

I shook my head quickly, my breath catching in my throat. "No," I said, trying to steady myself. "I don't work for them. I don’t even know whotheyare. I honestly have no idea what’s going on here."

“So how did you end up here, then?” she asked, narrowing her eyes. She gestured to the dark water surrounding the yacht. “This is a pretty damn specific location. It’s not like anyone can just wander in off the street, for obvious reasons.”

My eyes began to sting with tears, and I blinked rapidly, trying to hold them back. “I really don’t know how I got here,” I said, shaking my head. “I woke up below deck in a bed feeling really weird, like I’d been drugged or something. I have no memory of who brought me here, and I don’t know anyone at this party, either. I’ve tried to ask people what’s going on, but they just talk vaguely without giving me any details. Like, apparently there’s some sort of game tomorrow? But when I asked the guy what it was, he got angry at me and walked away. And then that other guy started talking about NDAs. I just… I don’t know what’s going on. Can you please,pleasetell me before I totally lose my mind?”

As I rambled, the woman’s expression shifted from suspicion to something a little more cautious, though she still looked unsure. “Why do you have a wristband if you’re not a contestant?” she asked. “We all got them when we boarded.”

“I found it when I woke up. There was a note telling me I had to wear it, along with this,” I said, running my hands over the red fabric of the dress. My voice began to quiver, and a tear slid down my cheek. “Please believe me.Please.”

The woman’s voice softened. "You really didn’t choose to come here?"

“No! I don’t even know what day it is!” I said, voice hitching as more tears spilled out.

“Okay. Just try to calm down. Take some deep breaths,” she said in a low voice, moving closer. She placed a hand on my shoulder and gently patted it. “I’m Cheryl. What’s your name?”

“Everly.”

“Okay, Everly. It’s the 30thof October, 2024. Does that make sense to you?”

I frowned. “The last day I remember was the 29th,” I said, wiping my cheeks with the back of my hand. “But it’s pretty blurry. I was in a class at college, and then… nothing. It’s all gone after that. So there’s more than twenty-four hours missing.”

“What college do you go to?” she asked.

“Hollingsworth.”

Her brows rose. “Ah. That could explain it.”

“Explain what?”

Cheryl was silent for a moment, eyes flickering with unease. Clearly, she still wasn’t sure if I was a plant trying to bait her into breaking her NDA.

“Have you ever heard of The Wild Hunt?” she finally asked.

I nodded. “Yeah, it’s a secret society on my campus. I know some of the guys in it.”

“Friends of yours?” she asked, looking wary again.

“Definitely not,” I said through gritted teeth.

She frowned, tilting her head. “Have you signed anything with one of the members recently?”

“No.”

“Any contracts at all, even verbal ones? Maybe something you agreed to without thinking?"

“No,” I said, voice barely above a whisper as I choked back more tears. “Could you please just tell me what you know?”

An announcement crackled through the ship's speakers, interrupting our conversation.

"Attention all guests. We’ve just received a sudden wild weather warning. For your safety, please proceed below deck immediately while the crew takes care of things. I repeat, please head below deck now."

The calm yet commanding tone made it clear there was no room for negotiation. I looked around. Everyone else wasalready heading toward the stairs that led below deck, a ripple of murmurs spreading through the crowd.

Cheryl nudged me. "We better go."

My mind was still reeling from our strange conversation, but the urgency of the announcement made it impossible to delay further. As we slowly headed down the stairs, I felt a new layer of unease settle into my stomach. Whatever was going on here, it was obviously related to The Wild Hunt… and that couldn’t possibly be a good thing.

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