Dane was right before. The warmth from the fire that fills the room isn’t too much from the coolness of the dark forest around us. The suns fell below the trees long ago, and the windows on the opposite side of the room are black. The only thing visible is our reflections in the dark glass. The island is silent around us, except for the crackling of the fire, and I let out a loud yawn. I am exhausted, but getting to sleep is the next step of my plan. I need Dane to let his guard down enough to take the dust off and fall asleep so I can take it and escape.
Dane stands, his chair scraping against the floor as he leans over and presses a quick kiss to my hair. “I’m going to go getsome more firewood. Why don’t you lay down? I’ll be back in a minute.”
“Alright,” I say with a nod, as I fight off another yawn.
He walks to the door and slips on his boots while I cross the room to the bed. I need the best advantage possible to escape, so I sink into the bedding and curl up on the side closest to the door, pleading with my body not to fall asleep.
Not in outdoor clothes, you aren’t.
I shiver as Weston’s words play in my mind, and close my eyes for a moment, pretending I’m back on the ship, getting ready for bed.
But I’m leaving these clotheson.
I can do this. I can do this.
Please help me do this.
The island wanted me to be here, wanted me to leave the ship and go through with my plan, so now I plead with it to let me get through this to help my friends. My family. There has to be a reason it let me off the ship, because if there wasn’t, if I wasn’t meant to be here to steal the dust from Dane’s belt, I would have stayed locked in Weston’s room, with the entire plan thwarted.
CHAPTER FIFTY-FOUR
Only a few moments later, Dane returns, arms piled high with firewood. He kicks the door closed behind him and steps out of his boots, before crossing the room to the hearth and setting the wood down beside it. The fire pops and flares as he adds more of the dry logs to it, and another wave of heat erupts into the room.
Unstrapping his serrated blade from his belt, he sets it on the hearth next to the wood. I’d never given it a second glance before, but now I can’t seem to draw my eyes away from it; the same blade that carved up Weston’s abdomen, leaving the mangled, wretched scar from the wound that almost killed him.
I pull my gaze away, and focus back on Dane as he crawls toward me from the foot of the bed, laying on his side and propping his head up on his hand. I try not to sneak another glance at his belt, trying to keep my intentions hidden but also preventing him from thinking that I have others.
He didn’t take the dust off.
I don’t know why I thought he would; I’ve never seen him take it off. Now, trying to remove the pouch from his belt without waking him up is going to be a significant challenge, and might get me caught.
“Is something bothering you?” He reaches up and brushes a piece of hair off my face. His touch is gentle, but my body stiffens beneath his fingertips. I don’t know what his expectations are for tonight, for this alone time that I requested, but he assured me we wouldn’t do anything I was uncomfortable with. Flashes of what we had done before, the few times we’d been alone together, plague my thoughts, and my skin crawls thinking about him touching me that way again.
His hand settles on the curve of my hip, and I cringe inwardly as he pulls me closer. I need to pretend, even if that means getting close to him, not like before, but enough to convince him to let his guard down.
“No. I’m fine,” I say. “I’m just really tired. Searching and thinking all day and late last night wore me out.”
“It might be helpful if I’m the only one who can search the safe houses,” he says. “That way, you can take a break and get some rest back at camp.”
“I don’t think I’ll be able to stay still while you’re out searching. I’ll have to keep looking too, or I’ll keep searching for the cure. Either way, I have to do something.”
His thumb slips under the hem of my shirt and strokes the skin just above my pants, and my lips flatten into a tight smile.
Don’t think about it, Lennox.
“I think we should give it a few more days before sending you back out. At least let me check all the safe houses first so I can go search with you. That way, no one can touch you.”
“Whatever you think is best,” I say.
He leans forward, eyes fixed on mine. “I’ll do anything to keep you safe.” He closes the distance and presses his lips to mine, and I can feel the question in his movements.
I stay focused on my breathing, preventing the short pants from taking hold of me, letting his lips stay pressed to minebefore I pull back. I glance down, hoping it seems more nervous and less uninterested.
As I look back up, my eyes catch on his scar, and I reach out, running my fingertips over it, the same way I had all that time ago. His lips part slightly at my touch, but as he leans forward again, I press into them, holding him in place.
“Tell me the story again?”
He’s already told me once, but I want to hear it from his lips again and see how easily the lie rolls off his tongue.
