Page 89 of The Temptation of Roan Island

Zarah’s head tilts as her brows furrow. “Will you bite Pippa?”

I note Noah’s shrewd gaze on me, his narrowed eyes, and wonder what he’s thinking.

Jafeth snorts. “Of course not. Shemaiah wouldn’t trust love even if it bit him in the ass. It could be staring him right in the face, and he’d still worry it was all a lie.”

I reel back from his words as if I’ve been slapped. Is he right?

“Personally, I’m not gambling with Kay’s life for the next six months.” Zarah kicks her feet up onto the coffee table. “I love Kay, and she loves me. And I want forever with her. It’s as simple as that.”

I swallow. What would it be like to have forever with Pippa? Not just a few short years of a human lifespan, but the centuries that a Mavarri can live. The image is shockingly clear in my mind. Pippa and I, waking up together and falling asleep together every night. Pippa, round with my child. The two of us, old and weathered, surrounded by a family of our own. Happy. So much happier than I could ever be without her.

“We should talk about Solstice,” Noah says, interrupting my thoughts. “I don’t want to do things the way Hammish did.”

“What? No virginal women in white gowns?” Jafeth deadpans.

“I’d prefer to be alone with Kay.” Zarah has a dreamy look on her face. “We don’t need an antiquated ceremony.”

“Can we get back to the task at hand?” I say, attempting to change the subject. “We need to find Mrs. Darning.”

“Noah!” Ruby’s frantic voice cuts into the room from down the hall.

When she finally appears a beat later, her lopsided bun and blanched skin tell the story of her worry.

Noah crosses the room in a blink and scoops Ruby in his arms. “What is it, ta’ari?”

“Pippa, Kay, and Anna are missing.”

38

SHEMAIAH

“Iswear to Mirrav, Shemaiah, if you don’t stop fidgeting, I’m going to knock you out,” Jafeth snaps.

I ignore my brother, focusing on the back doorway to The Sanatorium. We’re well hidden, cast in shadow from where we wait behind thick foliage. My hearts beat an erratic rhythm, every nerve in my body tense. The clenching of my hands is the only thing keeping me from tearing this place to the ground brick by brick.

She’s been missing for nearly thirty-six hours. Kay and Anna, too. We searched every inch of the house, the island, the gatehouse, the secret passages. But we didn’t find them. None of them had any reason or means to leave the island. And if they did, where would they even go? Clearly, something terrible happened. Our only lead is that Mrs. Darning is also missing. She clearly has connections to The Sanatorium, since she stayed there for a month without any of us knowing about it. After the way Dr. Reter was acting, I’m convinced this is where we need to focus our search. He and Dr. Witten were far too eager to get Pippa back here. It’s a little too convenient that she went missing only a few hours after they saw how well she’s doing.

Fuck, she has to be here. I don’t know what I’ll do if she isn’t. Zarah and I wanted to storm the place and search every inch, but Noah used his patriarchal power to restrain us until we calmed down and saw reason. Or at least pretended to. I haven’t been reasonable since the moment Pippa disappeared.

But Noah’s plan is good enough for me to try to contain myself. The nurses are the real eyes and ears at The Sanatorium, and we have an in with one.

If anyone knows what’s happening, it’ll be Mrs. Potter, the head nurse, and a regular attendee at our new moon parties.

A light shuts off two stories up, and I bounce on my toes. Fuck, why is it taking her so long? I need Pippa back. Safe. Protected. In my arms.

I need my wife.

Nothing makes sense anymore without her. I’m not sure how we got here, but somehow she’s become more important to me than my next breath. And right now, she’s out there somewhere. Alone. Grieving her boy. Hurting. And I’m not with her.

“Fuck.” I pace a few steps away, then pace back.

Jafeth bumps my shoulder with his. “You really love her.”

The words strike like an anvil hitting metal. I open my mouth, then close it. Awareness opens inside me and slams me with the truth. I love Pippa. I love her!

Of course, I love her. It seems so obvious now. Why did I fight and deny it for so long? She’s my light in the darkness, my hope in every storm, my joy in the morning, and my relief each night. And without her… No. I can’t.

She’s mine and I’m not letting her go. Not to whatever has taken her from me now. And not to fucking Vastatio. She’s going to live. I’m going to make sure of it. She deserves a long and happy life, filled with safety and love. And I’m going to give it to her.