Page 56 of Love in the Wild

“Bwanbale asked me the same thing.” He paused in eating, a strange look coming over his face. “I discovered a cave—one deep in the mountains—which had the gold and diamonds I showed you. When I found it, I was overwhelmed by voices.”

“Voices? Whose voices?”

“Voices of the old gods, deep in the cave. They do not speak as you or I, but I understand their meaning. They spoke of homes among the birds, high in the trees.”

“The old gods spoke to you?” Eden’s skin prickled at the thought.

He frowned slightly and played with his fork. “When I sleep, I sometimes see pictures in my head.”

“Do you mean dreams?”

Thorne nodded. “I could see the cave, only long ago. The trees were not there as they are now. People used to live near it, in homes on the ground, only they live there no longer. But the cave remains.”

Thorne reached across the table and covered her hand with his. “Perhaps they are not gods—perhaps they are the spirits of those who hid their gold. I know so little, but I trust whatever it was in the cave.”

“Did you tell Bwanbale about that?” Eden leaned forward.

“I did. He said that long ago, an ancient people lived in the forests. They vanished, and the forest reclaimed all that they had once built. I did not understand all that he said. I know only of one cave. I offered to take him there, but he refused. He said they should be left in peace. I believe the men who killed your friends, they are searching for this cave.”

“Thorne, how many are there? How many caves?”

He shrugged. “Only one, but it runs deep inside the mountain.”

“And it’s full of gold and diamonds?”

Thorne nodded.

“No wonder men are hunting for it. The kind of money they can get from gold and diamonds ...” She didn’t finish, but he seemed to understand what she hadn’t said.

“More bad men will come to the jungle.” His tone was soft, but a dark edge was there beneath the words.

“Yes, and when they come, they will destroy anything that gets in their way. They might even try to burn the jungle down to make the cave easier to find.” Eden felt a deep need to protect Thorne from the greed of men, but she wasn’t sure she could.

A strange unnatural blackness burned furiously in Thorne’s eyes, clouding the beloved blue, and his voice seemed to deepen even further. “Then I will stop them.”

“Thorne,” Eden whispered, a little afraid. The blackness in his eyes cleared, and he gave his head a small shake.

“I went away,” he whispered softly. “I was back in the cave.” He seemed puzzled by that, and Eden shivered.

Even if Eden hadn’t seen him kill those men a few days ago, she would’ve seen the promise of death in his eyes and heard it in his voice and knew he meant it. If she believed what Bwanbale and Thorne had told her about the cave and the spirits of the lost civilization and their old gods, she might believe that Thorne really had been chosen to defend the jungle and all things within it. Could she believe that? The evidence was growing by the day, and she would be a fool not to at least consider it. She focused back on Thorne.

“Your uncle may be able to help us protect the jungle and the cave.”

Thorne looked doubtful but didn’t argue.

They spent the rest of the flight resting quietly, her head on his shoulder. They didn’t speak much. Thorne was naturally quiet, but she sensed he still carried a great many worries. She rubbed a hand on his chest, hoping she could soothe him. They spent the remainder of the flight in the quiet comfort of each other’s presence.

They landed at Heathrow, and a private car took them to a hotel in London, where they would spend the night. The next day she was going to take him shopping. Cameron had texted her a list of stores that had his card on file and told her to equip Thorne with some decent outfits. Then, around midday, a private car would pick them up and take them to the Somerset estate, somewhere on the outskirts of London.

The car stopped in front of the Mandarin Oriental Hotel in Hyde Park. It was like a white stone castle lit up by gold light. When Cameron had said he’d booked rooms for them here, Eden had nearly fainted. The Mandarin was one of London’s most expensive hotels, with rooms starting at $700 a night.

As she and Thorne walked into the glittering lobby, his eyes widened and his lips parted. She could only imagine what he thought of a place like this. From the towering bamboo and the canopies of hagenia trees to a veritable palace of stone. The Mandarin was decorated in a style reminiscent of the golden age of travel in the early twentieth century. It gleamed with a mix of contemporary London styles and timeless British elegance. Thorne stayed close to her, dragging her suitcase behind him, which he’d found highly amusing when he’d discovered he could spin it in circles.

Eden stopped in front of the check-in desk. A woman in a crisp white uniform and a black vest with a heavy gold nameplate that readLindalooked over the tall check-in counter at them. “Name, please?”

“Eden Matthews and Thorne Haywood. Cameron Haywood made a reservation for us.”

Linda gasped. “Yes, of course. We’ve been expecting you.” She pulled up their reservation on her computer, then made a couple of key cards and summoned the bellboy to take their luggage. The young man reached for the rolling suitcase, but Thorne jerked it out of reach and glared at the poor man.

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