Page 1 of Hiding Nessie
Chapter One
The engine roared in Cam’s ears as he sped down the narrow forest road on his Matchless G50. It was the middle of the night. The white beam from his motorcycle was his singular point of focus as it cut through the darkness—as though nothing existed outside of its illuminated sliver of reality. The wind buffeting against his helmet added an extra layer of sensory numbness.
On high alert, he navigated the tight bends and blind summits with speed and precision. Trees loomed out of shadows around sharp corners. A broken rail suggested a steep drop off to one side where another vehicle hadn’t been so lucky. He had to get there in time. He had to reach Lachlan.
A brief glimmer ahead made his heart lift. Starlight rippled over Loch Ness. For a fleeting moment he glimpsed the clear expanse of twinkling water as he crested a hill, then it dipped out of view as the road sent him hurtling downwards again. He was so close. He was going to make it.
A shadow stepped into the beam of his headlight.
Cam yelped, jerking sharply to the left. His wheels squealed over rough tarmac, swinging in a wide arc. He felt the back wheel sink and realised it was tipping over the sheer edge of the road.
‘Shit, shit, shit!’ he screamed, furiously gunning the throttle.
By some miracle of luck the tyre bit into the ground and rolled back up onto the asphalt. The bike shot forward. In the process, Cam overbalanced. He threw his arms instinctively over his head as he toppled off while the bike careened away without him. It crashed into a rocky outcrop and smacked down onto its side.
Gasping for breath, Cam yanked off his helmet. Blood pumped loud and fast in his ears, adrenaline still hammering his heart at a thousand miles an hour. Blinking spots from his eyes, he followed the beam of his bike’s headlamp to the point in the middle of the road where the shadow had appeared. A large shape lurked on the edge of the light.
‘Are you—Are you all right—?’ Cam wheezed, stumbling closer. He couldn’t make out the figure clearly. Was it a person? A deer?
Then, as if only having just taken notice of him, the shadow unfolded. With a creaking, shuffling sound of joints and flesh, it stretched seven feet into the air and rolled massive shoulders back into a dominating posture.
Cam’s blood froze. At the same time, his veins filled with fire.
The creature sniffed the air; a wet, snuffling sound.
Cam bit down hard on his tongue as magic threatened to burst over his flesh. His Scorched arm twitched with the urge to bring it forth, to pull molten fire out of his soul and hurl it at the monster in front of him.
The shadow seemed to look straight at him and grunt. Then it hunched its shoulders and slipped away from the light. Cam heard scuffling footsteps retreating into the night air.
He forced his boiling insides to calm down. Lachlan’s face rose in his mind’s eye like a soothing balm. His sunny smile and bright, happy eyes. Slowly, the flaming heat in Cam’s core ebbed away.
He tasted blood in his mouth. That had been close.
What the fuck was that?
He tentatively stepped to the edge of the light. There was no sign left of the creature. Perhaps the thing had gone back into the trees. It was definitely not human. Cam hoped he wouldn’t run into it again—although, with a sinking feeling of inevitability, he knew he’d have to investigate it.
Tomorrow,he promised.Or the day after. Lachlan first.
Scrubbing both hands through his hair, he assessed the damage to his bike. He knew instantly that it was fucked. The force of the impact had driven a chunk of sharp stone into the front tyre and—yep, a test of the ignition confirmed with a loud misfire—something crucial in the engine had been knocked loose, likely connected to the spark plugs. Not to mention the way the previously sleek black chassis was all scratched up. He’d need daylight, tools, and patience to repair the damage.
Cam looked from the bike to the dark road ahead and let out a long, low groan. He guessed he was still around twelve miles from The Lucky Teapot. Only another thirty minutes or so to reach on his bike, but a gruelling trek over steep hills on foot. He probably had the best part of a night’s walk in front of him.
Hauling the bike upright, Cam began to wheel it by foot. Balancing it with one hand while fumbling his phone with the other, he dialled Lachlan. It only rang twice before Lachlan answered.
‘Hey, Cam! What’s up?’
Lachlan’s bubbly voice lifted Cam’s bruised spirits by a mile. ‘Hey. I’m afraid I… I’m afraid I’m not going to make it.’ He winced at the moment’s silence on the end of the line.
‘What happened?’ Lachlan asked, voice laced with both worry and—even worse—resignation.
‘Work got in the way again,’ Cam muttered, not proud of the lie. But there was no way he was going to mention the creepy maybe-monster he’d nearly run into, much less that he’d crashed his bike. Lachlan wouldfreak.Cam knew he already worried far too much about him while he was away; no need to pile on even more anxiety.
‘It’s nearly midnight,’ Lachlan replied, a touch forlornly.
‘I know. I’m sorry…’ An idea struck Cam. ‘But I think I can make it to you before dawn. How’d you feel about watching the sunrise together?’
A brief pause, in which he felt he could hear Lachlan smile. ‘I’d like that.’
