Chapter 4

With a groan, Ava’s eyes blinked open, pulling the cool wet cloth from her forehead. Wherever she was, at least it was cool now. In her haze, Ava had lost all sense of what had happened or what time it was.

“Ugh. Where am I?” she asked, trying to sit up.

Mr. Halifax, the owner of the island, sat beside her on the bed in the infirmary patting her hand, seeming concerned. Whether it was for her or expecting a pending lawsuit, she wasn’t sure. Letting out a labored breath she watched as the island doctor placed his stethoscope back in his bag while the assistant Rebecca watched on with worried eyes.

The handsome gray-haired man beside her gave her a kind smile as he glided her head back to the pillow once seeing she was still a little woozy. “Take it easy there, sweetie. You fainted. Doctor Stevens says you were a little dehydrated. Mr. Constantine caught you just before you had a nasty fall. You’re lucky he was there when he was. You couldn’t have cracked your head on the sidewalk.”

Looking past Rowan Halifax’s shoulder, she saw a man in a fitted white t-shirt leaning on the door frame looking like pure sex and sin. His shirt hem slightly lifted over his hard abs, revealing a glorious V leading over his hips. His short hairstyle allowed a loose curl to fall over his forehead that he brushed back from his face. Muscles flexing in his arm, he rested it once again against the entryway with a dangerous, yet mysterious aura.

A slight half-smile pricked the corner of his lips and he nodded to acknowledge her safety. Once he saw Ava was in the clear, he turned on his heels, gone in an instant, just as he’d done before.

“Who was that?”

“Master Hunter Constantine,” the woman Rowen responded with complete matter-of-factness.

“The millionaire tech guy?”

“Billionaire. The heir to the Apollyon Corporation. He’s also a high-end real estate investor,” Rebecca said as if her whole job as an assistant was knowing everyone on the island’s life story. Tapping on her clipboard, she noted, “He’s one of our most prominent guests.”

Ava’s eyes went wide. “Wait. Isn’t he the one whose father went missing years ago? It was such a mystery and still is. I’ve followed that story for years. That whole family is weird though and it’s become a legend. I hear he and his stepmother never leave their estate and are into crazy cult stuff. People joke they’re into witchcraft or vampires because we rarely see them in public.”

Mr. Halifax nodded. “Yes, that’s the rumors I’ve heard as well. Hunter has become well-traveled and a highly intelligent man. The paparazzi rarely find him in the light of day, so that’s how the stories started. He likes his privacy and keeps to himself, mostly. He’s here on a special excursion.”

Ava sat up. “Well, I should go thank him for helping me. He even came to my aid on the boat when I was feeling sick.”

Holding up a hand, Rowan stopped her. “Not a good idea, dear. Mr. Constantine insists that his stay here be under strict rules. General guests are not to have contact with him unless he instructs otherwise.”

“So, my mystery hero doesn’t allow a simple thank you? That’s ludicrous. I’ll just go say thanks and be right back.”

Ava stood ready to head out before Rowan stepped in front of her.

“Ms. Cole. It’s best not to pry into his affairs. I’ll make it my number one priority to ensure that he is aware of your gratitude. I’ll see to it myself.”

With a sigh, she rubbed her head, still not complexly lucid. “All right. I still feel a little dizzy, anyway. Maybe I should just rest here for a while until I’m feeling better.”

“I think that’s best. I’ll have the dining staff bring you up some lunch and some cool drinks to hydrate you. Maybe some ice cream to cool you. Don’t worry about your photography today. There will be plenty of time to get the images we need for our marketing later in the week. I’ll also see to it you have a flight out at the end of the week rather than the boats. I hear you were sick from the ride over from the mainland and I want you to feel top-notch to enjoy your stay.”

“Thank you, sir. That’s nice of you.”

Heading to the door, the man turned back. “Miss Ava, I want you to take a little time to explore the island on your own once you’re feeling better. I think we have something here for you that will be of interest to the application you submitted. I have set up a wardrobe for your stay here as well. I think you’ll find it quite interesting.”

Ava noticed the devious smirk arise on Rebecca’s face as Rowen said that, giving her a wink while closing the door behind them. The sudden silence left Ava only to her wandering thoughts.

“This is going to be a weird trip if everyone here is so cryptic about everything. What’s with the wardrobe? I have clothes. Screw him and his fancy garb. Damn rich people. Just like my mother and her snooty friends, even though she’s not even rich herself.”

Laying back on the bed, Ava thought about the man who reached out to help her. Even though he seemed to taunt the sick woman, he had been mindful of her well-being, starting from the point they first saw each other. Even though she had yet to get a full view of Mr. Constantine, he had piqued her interest. But what about the secrecy, and why didn’t he talk to her?

Slowly getting up from the bed, she went to grab her laptop from her bags. Placing it on the desk in the room, her nosey instinct was to begin searching for Hunter Constantine on her internet browser. Not one clear photo of him was anywhere online. He was always lurking in the background of some dark club or society event his father’s company hosted. It was as if he purposefully hid from view.

The sudden disappearance of his father was a mystery. Hunter lost his mother as a young boy, then raised by his stepmother; a woman who became harder to find information on than Hunter himself. Only rumors of the family dabbling in the occult and urban legends of vampirism came on the screen. The same things Ava had seen for years.

Ava laughed to herself. “Sure. Mr. Mysterious is a vampire. Vampires aren’t real... Are they? No. That’s silly. He was in broad daylight all day today. But damn, he’s weird.”

Ava spent hours looking for information on the man. She found no trace of whom the Constantine family was behind the scenes, only known to be the most influential tech company in the world. Researching the name of the company, Ava gasped.

Apollyon: The angel of the bottomless pit in the Book of Revelation.

“Holy shit! Maybe he is a vampire.”

Sitting back in her chair, she thought about the possibility. Too many scary references over the past hours had given flight to her overactive imagination, as usual. Her years of curiosity in urban legends were getting the best of her.

“Okay, I’ve read too much of this nonsense. I need to go get some dinner and fresh air.”

Taking a quick shower, she changed into a short boho dress. Slinging her camera strap over her shoulder, she was ready to take on the rest of the day, heading to the main dining hall. She would not let hell-boy cloud her mind any more than he already had. It was time to enjoy her vacation.