I dared to shoot a glance over my shoulder only once I’d reached the top of the stairs leading to the glass doors of the hostel. Three men were chasing me now—including the young stall holder. I ran through the doors and cast my eyes about the foyer. My heart sank to my stomach.

“Caleb?” I gasped.

I ran to the woman at the reception desk. “The boy I was with,” I mumbled, even though I knew she barely understood me. Her eyes widened as the front door swung open and the men lunged for me.

I stumbled back and ran deeper into the reception area. I swung open the doors of the dining area in the adjoining room, praying that I wouldn’t meet with a dead end. I didn’t know how long I could keep up this pace. I was already heaving from exhaustion. If there wasn’t an easy exit at the back of the kitchens somewhere, I’d be screwed.

The two men hot on my heels, I barged into the kitchen area.

A hollow feeling gripped my chest. Where’s Caleb? I could only assume that I’d been gone longer than ten minutes and he had indeed gone looking for me. We must have just missed each other.

Two bewildered cooks looked up at me as I skidded across the floor followed by three burly Brazilians. There was a door right at the end. I gripped it and swung it open. It led onto a tiny balcony. I hurried out onto it and slammed the door shut behind me, thanking the gods that there was a bolt on the outside. I pulled it shut and leaned against it, trying to steady my palpitating heart. I looked around me. Not far beneath the balcony was the bank of a river. If I could jump off the balcony and wade into the river, maybe they wouldn’t bother following me, but then what? How will I find Caleb again? Damn it. Where is that stupid boy?

The door shuddered as the three men barged against it. I wasn’t sure how much longer the rusty bolt would hold up.

I swung a leg over the balcony railing and was about to leap off when a familiar voice cut through the shouts and crashing.

“Gentlemen, please.”

I held my breath as the banging stopped. Without warning, there was a mighty crack and the door flew off its hinges. I found myself staring into Caleb’s face. He stood a foot in front of the other three men. Their faces were red and sweaty. Their angry eyes fell on me. I could tell from Caleb’s skin that he’d been out in the sun. His face was much redder than normal and his arms had painful blotches on them.

Caleb’s eyes roamed me briefly, then he turned to address the men. “I’m sorry for my wife’s behavior,” he said.

I stared dumbstruck at the vampire. My stomach fluttered a little hearing Caleb refer to me as his wife.

“I hope you’ll forgive her. She has a mental illness, you see.”

Whatever thrill I’d experienced evaporated. Gee, thanks.

The young shopkeeper glared at me over Caleb’s shoulder. “Give back the suit,” he demanded.

“Of course.” Caleb turned to me, his expression reproachful. “Now, Rose,” he began, talking to me like I was a child. “You know what I’ve told you about stealing. Hand over the suit, darling…”

As he closed the distance between us, he grabbed the suit from my hands and pulled it over himself. Hurling me over his shoulder, he leapt off the balcony and began racing along the bank.

Shouts erupted from the men again as they glared down at us. As Caleb began wading into the river, it was obvious that they weren’t going to bother following us. Instead they hurled insults at us as we drifted down the river.

As Caleb swam deeper, I suddenly remembered the wallet I had still clutched in my right hand. I’d been so panicked about running away from those men, I’d forgotten I was still holding it.

“Oh, no,” I said, lifting the wallet into the air. It was filled with water. I hoped that the notes would dry out and be usable again, but they were already starting to disintegrate and I’d lost several as Caleb had splashed with me into the water.

“There’s nothing we can do,” Caleb grunted. “If we need more money, we’ll just have to find some more.”

Feeling frustrated that we might have to rob yet another innocent person and overwhelmed by the crime I’d just committed, I took my frustration out on Caleb, even though I knew it wasn’t fair.

“Where the hell were you?”

“Why didn’t you pay for the jacket?”

“I asked you a question first.”

“I told you I’d come searching for you after ten minutes. I waited thirteen before I left the lobby.” His breathing was heavy as he swam upstream against the current.

“I would have paid for the jacket,” I said through gritted teeth. “But there wasn’t enough money.” I paused, trying to calm myself. “I’m sorry. Are you okay?”

“I wasn’t out in the sun for long…”

He stopped swimming and groaned.

“What’s wrong?”

“My eyes. The sun is blazing into them.”

It was terribly bright. The sun’s rays were reflecting on the waters, casting harsh glares on us. Having nothing else I could use, I placed a hand against his forehead like the brim of a baseball cap. I doubted its effectiveness, but Caleb kept moving, albeit slower than before.

We both drifted off into our own thoughts as Caleb continued swimming up the river. Buildings surrounded us, and we seemed to be in a more urban area. I hoped there weren’t as many leeches in these waters. Or alligators, for that matter.

Chapter 3: Rhys

I’d become convinced that the wolf was deliberately slowing us down. I didn’t know whether he had actually formed some attraction for Rose before I stole him away from The Shade, but as we arrived through the gate, he began moving through the rainforest at an excruciatingly slow pace.