Page 59 of The Temptation of Roan Island

“Did you see Mrs. Darning?”

“No,” Kay replies. “Why?”

“Nevermind.” I shake my head. Kay’s exuberance must have scared her off. I’m certainly frustrated by it. The young woman prances across the room and bounces on my bed as if she’s ready to stay up all night sharing gossip. It won’t be easy to get rid of her.

The hairs on the back of my neck stand on end as I join Kay, still thinking about Mrs. Darning. Maybe it’s good if Kay stays around a bit. It might set me more at ease.

“So?” Kay asks, her bright eyes shining. “How was it?”

“How was what?”

“You’re first Mavarri bite!” She giggles, bringing her hands up to cover her smile. “Isn’t it divine?”

It is, but it’s also not something I want to stay up talking about. My experience with Shemaiah feels both sacred and oddly trivial. One of the best moments of my life, a moment I want to hoard for myself, but also only part of a fake agreement, a bargain to accomplish a goal. I’m not sure how I feel about it, let alone how to talk about it.

I draw my knees up to my chest as I lean back against the headboard, then redirect the conversation. “So, you and Zarah?”

Kay lays down on her back, staring up at the ceiling with a giddy smile. “I think I’m in love.”

“Oh.” For some reason, I wasn’t expecting that, even though I know the two women have spent a lot of time together.

“And how does Zarah feel about you?”

Kay rolls onto her stomach, a slight downturn of her lips sullying her smile. “I don’t know.”

“Will you risk the bite at Summer Solstice? Is she willing to⁠—”

“Don’t sour my mood, Pippa,” Kay snaps. “Let’s talk about you.”

“I’m not comfortable disclosing intimate details of my love life.”

“So you do love him,” she squeals, kicking her legs. “I knew it. Even when you said you were only exploring the possibility, I knew. I have an eye for this sort of thing. This one time…” Kay continues talking about a friend of hers from before she went into The Sanatorium, but I’m only half paying attention. She doesn’t take a breath long enough for me to correct her assumption about me being in love with Shemaiah. Although I guess it’s better for our arrangement if she thinks I am.

“Tonight, Zarah chased me through the woods,” Kay says, suddenly changing the subject. “It was terrifying and exhilarating. Like that moment just before your fingers hit the keys at a big concert. And when she caught me…” She shivers and moans. “Did Shemaiah use his tongue on you? I swear there’s something different about a Mavarri’s tongue. Or maybe it’s just the way they use those fangs.”

This conversation is not helping my already heightened libido. I can almost feel Shemaiah’s teeth scraping over my mound, his tongue gliding over my clit before fangs sink into the fleshy part of my inner leg. I squeeze my thighs together.

“Do you think Zarah will bite me on Summer Solstice?” Kay’s voice is hesitant now, a touch of insecurity lacing her words.

I can’t bring myself to offer her false reassurances, so I say the only thing I can, “I hope so.”

And I really do. I hope this sweet, innocent girl will live. Against all odds, I hope all of us will.

25

SHEMAIAH

Dark clouds roll on the horizon as heavy as the water we’re crossing, though at this time of year, the impending rainstorm isn’t a surprise. The wind rushes over the surface of Lake Nettor, whipping the waves into a frenzy.

“Pippa?” The clanking of the steamship almost drowns out my voice.

“Don’t,” she says, not looking at me. She heaves nothing and spits into the angry, red water below. She’s been sick since we left the dock.

Unsure how to help her, I tighten my grip on the railing and stare back at the island as it fades from view. It’s been a strange morning. And not just because of the awkwardness after last night.

At breakfast, Noah came to take Pippa’s blood before we left, and she said Mrs. Darning had already taken it.

“What do you mean Mrs. Darning took your blood?” Noah asked her, the incredulity clear on his face. “Why would I ask her to do that?”