Chapter 36: 36. That Uneasy Feeling

Because of where Aiden parked when we arrived, the ocean is at my back when I open the passenger door. Before I drop into the seat, the roar of the crowd still on the sand overwhelms the boom and crash of the waves, and the thumping wind.

I turn to look back and feel the weight of this night.

The night's turned cloudy. With the moon behind them, the clouds create a gray haze of a sky, light enough to turn the beach silver and black. Slate-gray sand, quicksilver waves, black bodies. Only the fire is a hot splash of orange and yellow, mostly obscured by silhouettes jostling, weaving, shifting on the dark landscape. From this vantage point, even the boulder in the water seems to move under a lick of flame.

"Get in, Kate. Now."

Aiden's in the driver's seat, gripping the wheel, staring at me with the intensity of a nocked arrow. With a final glance over my shoulder to the beach, I slide into the passenger seat and close the door behind me with shaking hands.