The River (Book 3 of The Claiming Series)

Chapter Eight

I stare out the front window uneasily as the four of us ride in silence along a winding road. We got through the walls smoothly—just a generic guard who sits in a tall stone box and stares through a glass pane in boredom, waiting for the flash of identification before he hits a button and opens the gates.

"We just need to get far enough away before we can find a place to rest for the night, and then we'll hopefully get to where we're going tomorrow," Eli had said.

An hour ago.

Lily and Adrian have fallen asleep leaning into each other. I nearly drift in my own seat, but every bump in the road brings my senses back into focus.

I glance at Eli, who's hard gaze is fixed on the road. He's determined to get us there in one piece.

But I wish he would slow down.

I mean, yes, he's driving a little faster than I'm comfortable with, but not entirely what I mean.

I want to cherish this time with him before he has to go back to being the future king of New Athens. Before he has to marry someone else.

I hope she makes him happy.

I peel my gaze from the face I've come to adore, and glare out the passenger's side window at the bleak darkness zooming by—outlines of thick trees and shrubs that have grown too big and too wild for their own good. They crowd the road, turning a two-lane into a narrow one-lane.

"There should be somewhere to stay the night around here," he says quietly, possibly to himself. "Otherwise, we do have the sleeping bags your parents found for us to bring.

I shudder at the thought of sleeping outside with bugs, decaying leaves, and in the open for anyone to come by and...

Suddenly, the headlights flash on something reflective straight ahead as the road bends into a curve. Eli slows the car down to about five miles per hour, and we both lean forward to see. As we get closer to the reflective object, we notice a rusty copper awning overhanging one of the front windows to a secluded cabin, shielded by the forest around it.

I lean back in relief.

Eli finds the driveway, which is right at the bend on the road and is made up of loose gravel. The car jolts and jerks us around as we get closer to the cabin. At last, we pull right up to the front door.

The cabin is a two-level little thing, with wooden logs making up the exterior, vast windows with blinds covering the interior. Beside the front door sits a bench and a wooden bear holding a metal swinging sign that reads "Home Sweet Home".

"Where are we?" Lily asks groggily.

"Our luxury hotel for the night," Eli says, smirking. He peers closer at the front door. "There's a lockbox on the knob. I'm wondering if this is like the rentals that Mom and Dad are planning to open up next summer, down by the beach? I bet no one actually lives her or even really lived here before."

Eli turns off the vehicle, and the four of us pile out.

"You two stay here," Adrian says to Lily and me. "Eli and I will break in and scope the place out, make sure it's safe."

Lily narrows her eyes at him. "What? You think we can't defend ourselves?"

"You're pregnant, Lily," he says gently, cupping her cheek in his hand. "I just want to keep you out of harm's way if I can.

Her mouth twitches between a scowl and a smile. Finally her face decides on a smile. "Fine."

Eli is gazing at me when he nods his head towards Lily, and I understand. Watch out for her.