Shadow Haven

by AJ Schippers

  Table of Contents

  Acknowledgements

  Dedication

  Chapter 1

  Chapter 2

  Chapter 3

  Chapter 4

  Chapter 5

  Chapter 6

  Chapter 7

  Chapter 8

  Chapter 9

  Chapter 10

  Chapter 11

  Chapter 12

  Chapter 13

  Chapter 14

  Chapter 15

  Chapter 16

  Chapter 17

  Chapter 18

  Chapter 19

  Chapter 20

  Chapter 21

  Chapter 22

  Chapter 23

  Chapter 24

  Chapter 25

  Chapter 26

  Chapter 27

  Epilogue

  About AJ Schippers

  Other Books from Ylva Publishing

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  www.ylva-publishing.com

  Acknowledgements

  Thank you, Astrid, for giving Shadow Haven a chance. I will forever be grateful for making my dream come true.

  Thank you to Zee for being the most wonderful editor any person could have. You have been a blessing, an inspiration, and an incredible cheerleader.

  SWEN—I started writing for you and I’ve never regretted that decision. Thank you for being awesome human beings—long live the Queen (because we all know her swan is dead).

  Thank you, Amanda, for being my responsible adult. And—since you two will always be the original OTP—thank you, Emma, for being my “dyde” and writing about mermaids with me.

  Liv, you’re my sounding board and my voice of reason and I can’t wait until I get to give you real hugs.

  There’s a group of people who have taught me lessons that I never knew I needed. They have been friends, crushes, and pains in the asses. I’ll single out three of them, because I only have limited space: Maisy, Rex, and Eva. Thank you. I love you all dearly.

  I’ve never been much of a Twitter person, but the #SHBC (Shadow Haven Book Club) brought me joy, entertainment and so much love. Thank you.

  And lastly, thank you Mama for always believing in me. Just skip the kinky sex, okay?

  Dedication

  Dear Amy,

  When my world couldn’t be any darker, you were my sunshine.

  When I wanted to give up, you encouraged me.

  When I was lost, you found me.

  I love you.

  SO much.

  *wiggle wiggle*

  Chapter 1

  Julia smiled at the man she presumed was the captain of the twenty-foot center console. He extended a hand to her, which she shook firmly.

  “Julia Quinn?” He raised an eyebrow, as white as his hair and beard. Despite his age, he looked stout and vigorous. “I’m Horace. I was hired by your boss to take you to Shadow Haven.”

  “That’s me.” With a smile, she handed him the large backpack that was filled to the brim. He stowed it under a seat before extending his hand again, helping Julia on board.

  “There’s a life vest right there for you.” He pointed toward the sleeveless jacket lying on the seat.

  “Do I have to wear it? This isn’t my first time on a boat.”

  “Afraid so, ma’am. If this was a pleasure trip, then I’d let you decide for yourself, but seeing as I have been hired to bring you safely to your destination, you’ll need to wear it.”

  She quickly put her blonde hair into a messy ponytail, then slipped the vest over her head and locked the straps. It was an action she performed quickly, yet quite reluctantly. Wrapping the straps around herself always made her feel a little too good, and when the time would come to take them off, she usually felt an inkling of loss.

  “Sit tight,” the captain said as the engines roared to life. “You’re in for a bumpy ride.”

  Julia repressed the urge to roll her eyes. The boat sped away, and she instantly regretted the decision to wear shorts, as the lack of sun and the rushing wind made her legs chilly. She tucked her feet under her legs and hung on tightly to the seat as Horace increased the speed. Within minutes, her stomach was churning.

  “Fuck,” she murmured under her breath, and gave the man a scolding glare when he laughed loudly.

  “So, what are you going to do on a private island? You don’t seem like the adventurous type,” he yelled. Julia was impressed that his voice was louder than the engines.

  “Obviously, you don’t know the first thing about me,” she yelled back, hoping Horace wasn’t a conversationalist. Having to raise her voice to match his was only going to lead to a sore throat. She wasn’t quite sure what he meant by “private island” but ignored it as she considered his question, which was one she’d been asking herself.

  What was she going to do? A week ago, Caroline, her boss and good friend, had taken her aside and had pressed an envelope into her hands. It had contained a plane ticket and instructions for her “mandatory vacation,” as Caroline had called it.

  She sighed. “My boss very firmly suggested that I needed a vacation,” she shouted. “She set it all up for me. I have no idea where I’m going. All I know is that I’m under strict instructions to relax and not come back until I’ve achieved that.”

  Horace only nodded in response, and Julia decided to focus on the view rather than continue the conversation. The gray clouds gathering on the horizon mirrored her current mood. But as the boat sped along and the wind blew through her hair, Julia started to relax. Despite the gray-blue color, the water provided an astonishing view. If where she was headed was as beautiful as her current surroundings, Julia would be in for the trip of a lifetime.

  That reminded her of something Horace had said earlier. “By the way, what did you mean by ‘private island’?”

  “Shadow Haven is owned by Alexandra Ortega. It’s one of many private islands in the Bahamas. The island is ninety-five miles from the main coast, and it takes about ninety minutes to get there, depending on the weather conditions. There are some resorts around here for the rich and famous, but the private islands are about fourteen miles further away.”

  The corners of Julia’s mouth curled up, her laughter drowned out by the engines. “I have had quite enough of the rich and famous. I could do with some privacy.”

  For the next hour and a half, the boat crashed against the white waves. A bumpy ride, yeah right, Julia thought. More like a ride from hell. Clinging to her seat, she focused on the open ocean instead of the knot in her stomach. When Julia had told the captain she’d been on boats before, she’d meant cabin cruisers, which were a world apart from this center console.

  The dark clouds were now directly above them, and the rain began to fall. She quickly moved to sit under the covered area of the boat. Mist engulfed them, and Julia’s perfect view of the ocean was taken away. She shivered in her seat and wiped away some of the raindrops that had landed on her face.

  “There’ll be a lot more of that where you’re headed.” The captain roared with laughter. He motioned for Julia to look behind her.

  She gasped. When the mist cleared, as if creating a pathway just for the boat, it revealed a stunning, green-covered island. The boat slowed down, and Julia looked back to the captain for a moment. “Is this Shadow Haven?”

  “It is indeed. How long did you say you were staying?”

  “I didn’t.” Julia grinned. “Three weeks.”

  “Well, storm season is about to start and will last two months at least.” The old man frowned. “Most of us who charter people won’t make the trip during that time. I love the ocean, and I surely could use the money, but I don’t have a death wish. During storm season, these waters are trea
cherous and can turn into a raging ocean within seconds.”

  She shrugged. “I’m sure something will be arranged. My boss is a meticulous planner. She wouldn’t leave me stranded here.” Her mouth fell wide open again as the boat maneuvered into a cove. “Wow. This is beautiful!”

  Where the gray ocean had been turbulent, the water here was clear and calm. Everywhere she looked, she saw nothing but trees on the hills, engulfed by fog.

  The skillful old sailor maneuvered the center console up against the dock, then tied the boat up. It lay low in the water, which seeped through the cracks of the small pier.

  Julia raised her eyebrows. “Is that going to hold?”

  He laughed. “This is what adventure looks like, ma’am!”

  Julia hesitated for a moment as her feet wobbled on the hardboard pier, making sure her footing was steady and she wouldn’t slip. Thankfully, she was no stranger to the sensation of having to find her land legs after a long boat trip.

  The captain set Julia’s backpack on the dock with a thud and then untied the boat. “Well, off you go. Have a great adventure.” He waved at her as the engines roared.

  “Wait! Where do I go?” Julia gestured around her. “Where’s my hotel?”

  “You’re on a dock… If you go straight ahead, you’ll walk into the water. So unless you fancy a swim, I’d turn around and follow the path.” He saluted her before speeding off.

  “What the actual fuck?” Julia turned around and took in her surroundings. The dark clouds above and the fog surrounding the trees made the hairs on the back of her neck stand up. She was alone in the middle of nowhere, her clothing soaked from the heavy rain earlier.

  This wasn’t at all how she envisioned the start of her vacation.

  She groaned at the weight of her backpack as she placed it on her shoulders. Caroline had told her that she and Alexandra Ortega had been close friends for a long time. But when Caroline said she knew of the perfect place for Julia to get some rest, she hadn’t mentioned that the island was a private one. Why in the world would a private island have a hotel? Didn’t that defeat the purpose of private?

  “You’re on an adventure, stop thinking…” Julia mumbled to herself as she made her way up the path. The island was absolutely stunning—lush, green bushes and brightly colored flowers everywhere—and she had to give her friend some credit for finding it. She followed the path for another ten minutes, enjoying the peace and quiet, when she laid eyes on the “hotel.”

  It wasn’t that Julia had quite known what to expect, but this definitely wasn’t it. She associated the word “hotel” with luxurious, tall buildings, yet what she saw in front of her was, at best, an oversized cabin. It looked spacious enough to house several guests, though, and Julia was disappointed at the thought of the place crawling with people and having no separate room to retreat to. It wasn’t that she minded other people around her; it was just that she had been looking forward to some alone time, and it didn’t seem like she would get any of that if the place was filled with guests.

  She looked through the windows and frowned when she didn’t see a single person. The place looked completely abandoned. A shiver ran down her spine. Where the hell was everyone? For a moment, she wondered if Horace had dropped her off on the wrong island. As much as she had looked forward to some time by herself, this feeling of complete isolation was the opposite of what she wanted.

  “You’re being silly. Stop it,” she told herself. She looked around once more, then made her way to what appeared to be the front door.

  The door wouldn’t budge. There was no bell in sight, so she knocked three times instead. When no one answered, Julia looked around, unsure of what to do next. Aside from the wind whispering through the trees, it was completely silent. The knot in her stomach grew tighter when she noticed that the fog appeared closer than before.

  “Okay. I’ve landed in some kind of horror movie, and I’m fast asleep… Wake the fuck up,” she murmured. She took a deep breath to try and calm down and let her backpack slide off her shoulders. So far, this really was not her day. She stretched her back, then whipped out the cellphone from her pocket. “Of course there’s no service on an island in the middle of fucking nowhere.”

  “Who the hell are you?”

  Julia jumped and then snapped her head around at the sound of a voice behind her. “Oh, thank God,” she said. “You must be Ms. Ortega. My name is Julia Quinn.” She held out her hand and offered her widest smile.

  The woman in front of her crossed her arms and narrowed her eyes. “I have no idea who you are, and I do not recall having a session scheduled. Who sent you?”

  Julia’s smile faltered, and she let her hand drop as it became obvious the woman wasn’t going to take it. “Caroline arranged the hotel for me? She, uh, said to give you her regards.”

  “You are on a private island, and I assure you there is no hotel here. How did you get here?”

  “I was—” Julia’s voice broke, and she coughed to clear her throat. “I was brought here by boat. By Captain Horace? Caroline arranged that too.”

  “You are spouting names that mean absolutely nothing to me.”

  Julia had almost forgotten about the package Caroline had given her for Alexandra. With trembling hands, she reached into a side pocket on her backpack and got out a box. It was small and wrapped in silver paper. Julia had previously wondered what kind of gift could possibly fit in there.

  “And she asked me to give you this.” Julia handed over the gift.

  Ms. Ortega’s gaze scanned over the little card that was attached.

  Panic raced through Julia’s body. The woman was clearly not impressed by her presence here, and Julia’s heart started throbbing in her throat.

  “Excuse me for a minute,” Ms. Ortega said. She scowled at Julia before using a key to enter the cabin and slamming the door shut.

  “Sure,” Julia yelled after her. After she was out of earshot, she muttered a soft “bitch.” Tears pricked behind her eyelids, and she massaged her temples, cursing the onsetting headache. This definitely wasn’t the relaxing vacation it was supposed to be. Instead, it rather felt like the trip from hell, and that feeling was only intensified by the wind increasing in speed.

  Julia stepped onto the covered part of the porch and reached into her backpack again to get out a bottle of water. Gulping most of its contents down, she let out a long sigh as she put the bottle back in her pack. With every minute that passed, she was getting angrier.

  Finally, the door opened again, and Ms. Ortega leaned into the door frame. Black, wavy curls fell perfectly around her face. She was slightly taller than Julia, with skin a bit darker than Julia’s pale tone. Dark-brown eyes seemed to pierce right into Julia’s soul, and she took an involuntary step back.

  “Right. You are Julia Quinn.” Her gaze traveled over Julia’s body, and she arched an eyebrow.

  “And you are Ms. Ortega, owner of the hotel which you say doesn’t exist.” She offered a tiny smile but didn’t get one in return. None of this made sense to her anymore.

  “My name is Alexandra Ortega, yes. But as I said before, there is no hotel. This is a private island, and I own it. There seems to have been a mistake. Caroline’s secretary e-mailed me a week ago to say that I would be housing a guest for three weeks, but in two months’ time.”

  Julia stared at her. “What? No, that’s not right. Everything was booked for today. Look,” she said and held up her phone, “here’s my boarding pass.”

  “Be that as it may—”

  “And hang on—” Julia scrolled through her phone.

  “Ms. Quinn, it’s not that I don’t believe—”

  “One sec.” Julia held up a hand. “Okay, here it is! See? Here’s the e-mail confirming the trip.”

  Alexandra snatched the phone from Julia’s hand and skimmed the screen’s contents. “That’s not what I was told at all. My e-mail read August the sixth. Yours reads otherwise.” She pointed to the tiny 6/8 date on the screen.
<
br />   “Holy shit.”

  “Please watch your language around me, Ms. Quinn. I just spoke to Caroline and am seriously reconsidering my friendship with the woman. As much as I understand that this is not her fault, I do not like to be caught off guard. And you…you definitely did just that.”

  Julia inhaled sharply. “I’m sorry, but this is all a bit confusing to me. You knew I was coming, but you were expecting me two months from now. Does that mean I have to go back? I mean, there’s supposed to be a hotel here, but there isn’t. I’m supposed to be on vacation, but this doesn’t feel like a vacation at all. I’ve been up since forever, I’m soaked through, and my back hurts from carrying that damn backpack!”

  “I am afraid getting back is a bit of an issue at the moment,” said Alexandra. “Storm season is about to begin, and many of the charter companies do not operate during this time. I could probably arrange for a boat to take you to one of the resorts, but by the looks of it, a storm is brewing. For now, you are stuck here.”

  The groan came from deep within Julia. “I feel like I’m being majorly pranked.”

  “Trust me. You are not. I know this is all quite unexpected for both of us. Perhaps you would like to come in, and I could show you to a guest room. After you are settled in, we can discuss this a bit further.”

  She hated the confused, frustrated tears that she couldn’t hold back. Julia quickly wiped them from her eyes. She strapped on her backpack and followed Ms. Ortega into the cabin.

  Her eyes bulged at the enormous space and luxuriousness of it all. Giant windows provided a broad view of the island. As she ventured further, she found herself in the living room. A dark-gray, L-shaped couch stood in the middle, with a warm red rug in front of it. It was surrounded by several black chairs that seemed perfect to curl up in for a night of reading. On the wall to her right hung a television of a size Julia could never afford. DVDs were stacked up against the wall next to it, and she noticed what she thought was a gaming console. Her eye caught a painting that seemed to vibrate with dark colors; she had no idea who’d painted it, but Julia assumed it was an original. Ms. Ortega didn’t seem like the type of person who would have a reproduction on her wall.