Page 98 of Fated

With a towel wrapped around his waist, Ash carried our bags as we made our way up the first set of stairs. We had walked only a few steps before I spotted a set of sliding glass doors ahead.

As I neared the doors and caught a glimpse inside, my jaw nearly hit the floor.

“Oh, my God!” I rushed toward the glass, pressing my face against it. “Oh—my—God,” I repeated, grinning like a kid on Christmas. “That’s a pool!” I shouted at him, nearly bouncing with excitement.

Ash laughed, clearly amused. “That’soneof the pools.”

My eyes widened even more, and I turned to him in shock.“There aremore?”

“There are three,” he said, his amusement growing as he watched my reaction. “Come on, I’ll take you to a room where you can shower and change.”

Oh, thank God. I’d been hoping to have a chance to clean up before meeting his family.

We ascended another set of stairs, and I couldn’t help but crane my neck for one last look at the pool room before we moved on. When we reached the next set of doors, Ash waved a hand over them, and they slid open to reveal a stunning cabin.

The cool white marble floors gleamed underfoot, and large glass windows lined the walls, offering breathtaking views of the river below.

Attached to the space was a gorgeous full-sized kitchen with polished countertops and stainless-steel appliances, and just beyond that, a winding staircase led up to yet another deck.

As we passed the stairs, Ash led me through a door into a bedroom which was large and airy, and connected was a bathroom bigger than any I’d ever seen.

Ash set my bag down on the bed in the center of the room.“You can get ready in here. I’ll be in the room above, just come out when you’re ready.”

I nodded, suddenly aware my mouth was hanging open in awe.

Ash chuckled as he left, closing the door behind him.

Once he was gone, I grabbed my bag, making my way to the bathroom. After shutting that door, I set my bag down in front of the vanity and took in the space around me. The opulent bathroom was as extravagant as the rest of the yacht.

Beyond the vanity stretched a shower large enough to comfortably fit at least eight people, and to the right, a sprawling bathtub took up an entire wall, equally oversized. Above the tub, wide windows framed serene river views. I noticed one of the windows was cracked open, so I crawled over the tub and shut it before returning my attention to the shower.

After fumbling with the myriads of buttons and knobs—controlling everything from the temperature of the water to the water pressure, and to where the water would spray from, I finally managed to take a quick shower and wash my hair.

Stepping out, I reached for one of the oversized, plush white towels on the counter. It was so large that it almost wrapped around me twice. I bent down, unzipping my bag to pull out things I needed to get ready. As my fingers brushed the handle of my hairbrush, a flicker of movement caught my eye. My heart skipped a beat, and I froze in place.

Please, let it just be my mind playing tricks on me.

Slowly, I turned my head toward the bathroom door, dread creeping up my spine.

What I saw ripped the very breath from my lungs.

It wasn’t just a spider. No, this creature, this horror, was a nightmare come to life. Its bloated, shiny black body was the sizeof a large rat, covered in bristling, wiry hairs that made my skin crawl. Eight thick, segmented legs jutted out from its grotesque body, but its head was the worst part. Eight beady eyes, round and gleaming like tiny, dark marbles, stared unblinking, fixed on me as though eyeing me as its next meal.

For a moment, I was paralyzed, unsure if I was hallucinating.

And then, it moved.

With terrifying speed, it shot across the floor, a black blur disappearing beneath the vanity in the blink of an eye. My entire body erupted in goosebumps, the hair on the back of my neck standing on end. Terror gripped me like an icy hand, and my heart plummeted into my stomach as a scream tore from my throat. It was loud, raw, and filled with pure fear.

Oh, my God! Holy shit. Another terrifying blur of motion, and the spider darted toward me.

Panic surged through me, and without thinking, I screamed again, hurling my towel at the creature as I leapt onto the toilet, trembling.

Before I could catch my breath, a deafening explosion occurred somewhere beyond the bathroom. A split second later, the room’s door blasted inward, splintering into a million pieces as if it had been blown apart. Standing in the doorway, shirtless and ready for battle, was Ash.

His expression was fierce and alert. He scanned the room quickly, his eyes searching for the threat. But when no immediate danger presented itself, his gaze finally landed on me standing on top of the toilet, completely naked.

His expression shifted from intense focus to utter confusion as his eyes swept over my body.

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