The thing about channels is that they can go both ways.
As the fire rekindled in him, Cam found the thread that led to Bryce. He followed it urgently, furiously. The boiling darkness shimmered with a new vision. One from Bryce’s eyes.
He was in a dark cave. Chalk covered his hands. Bryce was drawing a series of runes over the floor. He glanced up, at two unconscious bodies. One began to stir.
Cam’s heart leapt to his throat.Why was Lachlan there?
In that instant, Cam chose to truly stop running. He chosehard.
The dark waters of Loch Ness churned as a deep well of power opened within it. On the seething loch bed, Cam locked eyes with Elspaith for the final time.
Wake up, little witch.
Elspaith smiled, opening her arms.
It is time to wake up.
Chapter Thirteen
On the western shore of Loch Ness, Tillie Cooper finished setting up camp under the trees where she’d first seen The Monster enter the loch. Her boyfriend, Mike, didn’t quite believe her story, even with the photos, but he’d cheerfully agreed to stay out late with her, nevertheless. She hoped they’d finally see something that would convince him.
Checking her camera tripod again, Tillie trained it on the water and sat down to watch the pale sunset. Mike excused himself to take a piss and disappeared into the trees.
Just then, there was a disturbance on the water. A stream of violent ripples making a beeline for her spot on the shore. A massive, dark shape travelled underneath it. Tillie jumped up, directing the camera.
‘This is it!’ she whispered excitedly.
She was not in the least prepared for the way the water fountained upward in a jet of steam as the ripples hit the bank. Nor was she prepared for the man who stepped out of the spray, bone-dry and faintly sizzling where the droplets hit his skin. His very, very naked skin.
Some kind of black paint or tattoo covered his right arm and half his face, giving him a dangerous vibe. It matched the strange markings on the Nessie photo she’d captured.
He noticed her and strode forward, plucking the camera from its tripod. ‘Is this thing on?’
Tillie nodded, her mouth hanging open.
‘Then I’m really sorry about this,’ the man said, and to be fair to him, it sounded sincere. Then he hurled the camera into the loch. It hit the water with asploosh.
He turned back to Tillie. His skin was still steaming. ‘I, uh, don’t suppose you have any clothes I could borrow?’
Mutely, she pointed to her boyfriend’s rucksack.
‘Thank you,’ he said, pulling out Mike’s spare cargo trousers and flannel shirt. ‘I’ll find a way to make it up to you.’
‘You’re the monster, aren’t you?’ she asked in a rush.
His expression suggested he was thinking,What the hell?‘Sure. No one will believe you, though.’
She inhaled sharply. ‘I know.’
The man finished buttoning up the shirt. He nodded at herSave Nessieplacards leaning against a tree. ‘I appreciate the thought. But I’m not the one who needs saving.’
He was about to leave.
‘Wait!’ Tillie called out. She scrambled to the tent and pulled out Mike’s hiking boots. ‘Take these, too.’
The man hesitated. ‘Are you sure?’
She grinned and gestured breathlessly to the placards. ‘Doing my bit. Hope it helps.’
