Total pages in book: 106
Estimated words: 104729 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 524(@200wpm)___ 419(@250wpm)___ 349(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 104729 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 524(@200wpm)___ 419(@250wpm)___ 349(@300wpm)
“Either I’m a little wet or a lot wet.”
“Wet dove is not a sight I’m opposed to seeing.”
That makes him smile even wider, and now I huff.
I choose option one, sexual innuendo be damned.
22
Alaric
She is a lot more stubborn than I gave her credit for.
No question.
Here we are alone on an island with no food source, no water, and no shelter, yet she refuses to play nice.
I get it, she hates me. I killed someone she cares about, but the simple truth is, she needs to get over it.
I might have been her enemy on the boat, but here on the rugged terrain, I can be her ally.
Not that she’ll do it.
That girl would rather eat worms than talk to me.
I watch as she stands from where she slept last night.
Her body probably aches. I’d offer to give her a hand or maybe a massage, but something tells me she’ll reject my offer.
Pity.
She really is something else.
In a different place and different world, I’d like nothing more than to have her naked in my bed.
I really need to stop checking out her ass, but the smirk still comes even as I’m shaking my head while she walks behind the trees to do her morning business.
Today is another gorgeous day in paradise. It’s hot, but the breeze from the ocean makes it bearable.
Where we are going, however, might be different. The options for rescue are slim.
I didn’t tell her that, but it’s the truth. I can’t imagine my men are still alive, and if her father was behind this, he wouldn’t know where to look.
It’s not good.
Without another water source, I estimate we will run out of what we have in three days.
By then, even with rationing, we will already be severally dehydrated.
I know most of these islands. They’re close together. It might be worth trying our luck in the open seas.
The first thing we need to do is see what else is here.
From a few feet away, I can hear Phoenix cursing.
Not happy at all about the fact that she has to pop a squat behind a tree.
But at least I’m giving her privacy.
After a long string of swear words, she steps back into the clearing of the beach.
“Here.” I throw her a container of toothpaste that was in the pack. “You still have water?”
“Yes.”
“What crawled up your ass?” I ask as I hear her gargling and swishing toothpaste in her mouth.
After she spits, she wipes her mouth with her hand and then walks back over to me to hand it back.
“Other than the fact that we will probably die here?”
“We won’t die here.”
“How do you know?” she asks, stepping away from me and walking to the pack.
She moves to a kneeling position, but I can’t see what she’s looking at.
“I just do. Listen, I won’t sugarcoat it. It’s bad. We have two choices. We can wait here and see if anyone comes. Or …”
“Or what?” Her eyes are wide. Large and blue like the ocean backdrop behind her.
“Or we can chance it.”
“What does that even mean?”
I lift my hand and point at the raft. “We can take it out and see if we can find help.”
Her mouth opens and shuts, probably trying to figure out a question to ask.
“The problem with that is, I’m not sure it’s worth the risk.”
“Either way, there is a chance we will die.”
I think about how to respond to her comment. My jaw tightens as different things to say play in my head. “Yes, but before we can decide, we need to know what we are dealing with. The island might not be a death trap. The sea might not be one either.”
“Do you think anyone is looking for us?”
“Yes. But depending on the supplies on this island, we might not last long enough to find us. There are hundreds of islands in the vicinity.”
“What would we have to do if we left?”
“We would have to gather supplies, food, and water. And then I guess we have to hope.”
“What do you suggest?”
Without realizing, I’ve begun to pace. I take a deep breath and then blow it out. I turn to face her, our eyes locking.
“I suggest that we search the island for food sources and a water source and collect everything we can find. We give it a few days, and then if no one comes, we chance it.”
Her brow furrows. “We’ll die if we leave,” she whispers, more to herself then to me.
“Maybe.”
“We’ll die if we stay.”
“Maybe.”
She nods, resigned to the fact that, in both cases, we are living on borrowed time.
“Are you ready?” I ask, needing to change the topic.
“Yep. Lead the way.”
I reach into my pocket and pull out a folding knife. “Here.” I hand it to her.
“Aren’t you scared I might stab you with that?”
“No.”
“Why not? Maybe I want you dead.” She smiles coolly at me.