Total pages in book: 60
Estimated words: 58226 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 291(@200wpm)___ 233(@250wpm)___ 194(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 58226 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 291(@200wpm)___ 233(@250wpm)___ 194(@300wpm)
He just killed a man. Maybe I should proceed with a little more caution, but a part of me wants to show him I’m not a hapless female who needs his prowess to survive.
I pause in the middle of my tirade and swallow.
Where am I? What just happened? Where the hell do I go from here?
Where did the third man go?
I have to get back to the ship.
The man doesn’t say a thing, just watches me with his furious, narrowed eyes, and it makes me angrier.
I continue inanely, though my voice has lost some of its edge. “The next time someone tries to attack me, you don’t have to swoop in and save me.”
This might be the stupidest thing I’ve ever said, the stupidest non-conversation I’ve ever had.
Still, he doesn’t respond. Instead, he grabs me by the arm and hauls me away from the dead body, dragging me toward him. My pulse spikes when suddenly I realize he could hurt me, that maybe he wasn’t trying to help me at all.
Maybe he just wants me for his own.
Oh, God.
“Let me go,” I whisper, but he ignores me, tugging me closer to him so that I’m standing toe to toe. He wraps one strong, sinewy arm around me as if to anchor me to him, and with his free hand, tips my chin so he can look in my eyes.
In another time and place, he’d be hot as hell, ruggedly masculine with the square cut of his jaw and vibrant blue eyes, muscular and tall, covered in ink that makes my heart accelerate. But there’s a desperation in his eyes and thirst in his grip that sends warning bells clanging.
“Who sent you here?” he demands, his voice thick and snarling. “Was this a trick? Were you sent here to distract me?” His voice is angry and tight, his eyes flashing while he questions me. “To tempt me?”
Tempt him?
“What the hell are you talking about?” I say, trying to pull out of his grip, but he only tightens his hold. This man is no savior of mine, but every bit the enemy.
“Why are you here?” he demands, shaking me.
“I—there was a ship,” I say, almost pleading, because his grip hurts, and I want to get away, but he only holds me tighter. Still holding my chin in his hand, his narrowed eyes tell me he doesn’t trust me. “There is a ship—”
“And why aren’t you on that ship? Why didn’t you get back on before it left? Did you know I was here? Have you come to mock me?”
“I… what?” I whisper. “No, I—I just wanted to explore a little.”
Is the ship still here? Oh, God, it has to be. Is he serious?
How will I find it? How will I get home? I’m going to cry, and I don’t want him to see me, so I yank my chin out of his hand. He still holds me in his vicious, tight grip.
“I don’t need your help,” I manage to grit out. “You didn’t have to kill that other man.”
“Fine, then,” he finally says. His voice is husky and rough. “You can kill the other one.” He lets me go so quickly, I stumble, falling to the ground and skinning my knee, but I barely pay attention.
There were three men in that skirmish. One lies dead, one walks beside me, manhandling me like I’m a piece of property, and the third is missing.
I get to my feet. He’s eying me as if I’m a slab of steak and he’s a starving dog. I swallow hard and pretend I’m courageous.
“Where’d he go?” I snap.
He scoffs, his eyes traveling the length of my body before he answers. “Who the hell knows? Likely to the easiest place where he can hide, maybe one of the shelters we’ve made before. He’ll need food and water, and he’ll want to put as little effort into his own fucking survival as possible.”
He takes a step toward me and grabs my hand, pulling me away from the forest and toward the beach.
“Let me go,” I tell him.
“No.”
I grit my teeth but don’t fight him. I’m not so sure he won’t hurt me if I argue, and if I’m honest, the terrain is rough and rocky. His footing is more sure here, and if I hold his hand I’m less likely to fall again.
I’ll get away from him. I’ll fend for myself. But first, I need to find out where I am and how I’m getting out of here.
He continues to drag me out of the woods to a sort of cliff that overlooks the beach. I blink. The beach is familiar. I still see the shells lined up at the water’s edge where I left them earlier today. But my stomach ties in knots when I see the vast, empty shoreline with no ship in sight.