CHAPTER ONE
The setting sun painted the Coral Pink Sand Dunes in shades of amber and rose, transforming the landscape into a breathtaking canvas. Amanda Weller paused atop a dune, her chest heaving from the exertion of the climb.
She raised her camera, framing the shot carefully. The interplay of light and shadow across the rippling sands was mesmerizing, and she knew her followers would love it.
At thirty-two, Amanda had been travel blogging for just over five years. It wasn't the life she'd imagined for herself growing up in suburban Chicago, where the horizon was hemmed in by buildings and the only dunes she knew were the ones along Lake Michigan. Back then, she'd been on track for a career in marketing, climbing the corporate ladder with single-minded determination.
But life has a way of upending even the best-laid plans.
It had been a work trip to Bali that changed everything. Sent to coordinate a photoshoot for a luxury resort, Amanda found herself captivated by the island's beauty and the sense of freedom that permeated the air. On her last night there, sitting on a beach and watching the stars wheel overhead, she'd made a decision that would alter the course of her life.
She quit her job the day she returned to Chicago.
Her parents thought she was having a quarter-life crisis. Her friends bet she'd be back begging for her old position within six months. But Amanda surprised them all—most of all herself. She threw herself into building her brand, "Amanda's Ambitious Adventures," with the same drive she'd once applied to climbing the corporate ladder.
It hadn't been easy. The first year was a struggle, filled with ramen noodles and hostels, uncertainty and self-doubt. But slowly, post by post, follower by follower, she built a community. People were drawn to her honesty, her eye for hidden gems, and her willingness to push boundaries.
Which was exactly what she was doing now.
Amanda glanced over her shoulder at the trail she'd left behind. The sign marking the boundary of the restricted area was barely visible in the distance, a silent sentinel warning of the dangers beyond. She knew she shouldn't be here. The park rangers had been clear: This section of the dunes was off-limits due to its fragile ecosystem.
But the most stunning views were always just beyond the boundaries, weren't they?
She'd justified it to herself a dozen different ways. She'd be careful. She wouldn't disturb anything. And the photos... oh, the photos would be worth it. Her followers were always clamoring for more exclusive content, more hidden corners of the world that only she could show them.
Amanda took a few more steps, her feet sinking into the soft sand. The wind picked up, carrying with it the scent of sage and juniper from the surrounding desert. She closed her eyes for a moment, savoring the sensation. This was why she did what she did. These moments of connection with the world, of perfect solitude in nature's embrace.
Opening her eyes, she scanned the horizon. The dunes stretched out before her, an undulating sea of sand that seemed to go on forever. In the distance, the snow-capped peaks of the Markagunt Plateau rose against the darkening sky, a striking contrast to the warm hues of the desert.
Amanda checked her phone. No signal, of course. She'd told Jake, her boyfriend and occasional traveling companion, that she'd be back at the hotel by nightfall. He'd wanted to come with her, but work had kept him behind. Now, as the shadows lengthened, she felt a twinge of regret at not having his steady presence beside her.
She shook off the feeling. This was her adventure, her story to tell.
Adjusting her backpack, Amanda started down the far side of the dune. The sand shifted treacherously under her feet, and she had to dig in her heels to keep from sliding. As she descended, the wind died down, leaving an eerie stillness in its wake.
It was in that stillness that she first sensed something was wrong.
A prickle ran down her spine, that age-old instinct warning of unseen eyes. Amanda whirled around, her heart suddenly pounding. The dunes loomed silent and empty, bathed in the last light of day. Nothing moved.
And yet...
She fumbled for her water bottle, suddenly aware of how dry her mouth had become. As she raised it to her lips, a sound reached her ears—the soft shifting of sand, barely audible over her own ragged breathing.
Amanda froze, the bottle halfway to her mouth. Her eyes darted left and right, searching for the source of the sound. The shadows between the dunes seemed to deepen, taking on sinister shapes.
"Hello?" Her voice sounded small and frightened in the vast emptiness. "Is someone there?"
Only the wind answered, whistling mournfully through the dunes.
She should go back. The thought crystallized in her mind with sudden clarity. This was no longer about getting the perfect shot. Something was wrong, deeply wrong, and every instinct screamed at her to flee.
Amanda turned, ready to retrace her steps, only to realize with a jolt of panic that she couldn't see the trail she'd left behind. The wind had erased her footprints, leaving the sand as smooth and unmarked as if she'd never passed.
Disoriented, she spun in a circle, trying to get her bearings. Which way had she come from? Where was the sign marking the boundary? The dunes all looked the same in the fading light, a labyrinth of sand and shadow.
Her breath came in short, sharp gasps. The camera hung forgotten around her neck as she fumbled with her phone, praying for a signal. Nothing. The screen reflected her panicked face back at her, pale and drawn in the blue light.
That's when she heard it again. The shifting of sand, closer this time. Deliberate.
Amanda's head snapped up. A figure stood atop the nearest dune, silhouetted against the twilight sky. Relief flooded through her, momentarily washing away her fear.
"Jake?" she called out, her voice trembling with hope. "Jake, is that you?"
For a heartbeat, everything was still. Then the figure threw back its head and let out a sound that froze the blood in Amanda's veins. It started as a low growl, building to a hair-raising howl that echoed across the dunes.
The realization hit Amanda like a physical blow: this was not Jake.
Terror clawed at her throat as the figure began to move, sliding down the dune with inhuman grace. Sand hissed beneath its feet, the sound carrying clearly in the still air. Amanda's mind reeled, unable to process what she was seeing. Who was this person? What did they want?
She didn't wait to find out.
Amanda ran.
Her feet pounded against the sand as she scrambled up the nearest dune. Each step was a struggle, the loose grains shifting treacherously beneath her. Her lungs burned, and the strap of her camera cut into her neck as it bounced against her chest. The weight of her backpack seemed to double, dragging her down.
At the crest of the dune, Amanda risked a glance over her shoulder and immediately wished she hadn't. The figure was gaining on her, eating up the distance with long, purposeful strides. In the deepening twilight, she couldn't make out any features, just a dark shape pursuing her with relentless determination.
She pushed on, half-running, half-sliding down the other side of the dune. Sand filled her shoes and scraped against her skin, but she barely noticed. All that mattered was putting distance between herself and her pursuer.
But which way should she go? Every direction looked the same, an endless sea of sand under a sky now painted in deep purples and blues. The familiar landmarks she'd noted on her way in were lost in the gathering darkness. Was she running further into the restricted area or back toward safety? She had no way to know.
Amanda's foot caught on something—a buried root or rock—and she stumbled, nearly falling. As she fought to regain her balance, she heard it again: that chilling, animalistic growl, closer now. Too close.
Panic overrode all other thoughts. Amanda ran blindly, no longer trying to navigate, just desperate to escape. Her breath came in ragged gasps, and her heart pounded so hard she thought it might burst from her chest.
She crested another dune, hope flaring as she spotted a dark mass in the distance. Trees! The edge of the dunes, it had to be. If she could just reach them, maybe she could lose her pursuer in the undergrowth.
Amanda pushed herself harder, ignoring the burning in her legs and lungs. The trees seemed to crawl closer with agonizing slowness. Behind her, she could hear the soft but steady sound of footsteps in the sand, never faltering, never tiring.
She was so focused on her goal that she didn't notice the ground dropping away sharply. One moment she was running, the next she was falling, tumbling down a steep incline. Sand filled her mouth and eyes as she rolled, unable to stop herself.
When she finally came to a halt at the bottom, Amanda lay still for a moment, dazed and disoriented. Every part of her body ached. She spat out sand and blinked grit from her eyes, trying to clear her vision.
That's when she saw the bare feet standing inches from her face.
Amanda's gaze traveled upward, taking in the naked, athletic body, the glowing eyes. A scream built in her throat, only to die as something hard connected with the side of her head.
Pain exploded behind her eyes, and the world tilted sickeningly. As consciousness slipped away, her last coherent thought was of Jake, waiting for her at the hotel.
And the promise she'd never be able to keep.