Page 24 of Awakened Light

“No. It will take me minutes but you hours. Longer even. And if I try to carry you, the speed will make you sick. I don’t want your first minutes on the mainland making you puke.”

“So, what do we do?”

What did we do? I was about to offer to run home, grab a map and run back, but then I realized it would mean not getting to show her any of our world... and not getting to spend the time with her I so desperately wanted. Even though I knew I could keep it from her, I decided it wouldn’t be right to lie.

“Well, it will only take me a few minutes to run home and a few minutes to run back. I could go there, grab the map, and come back. Then you can go right back to your island.”

“Oh,” she said, the disappointment heavy in her voice.

“Or you can wait here for just a bit. There are a few farms I passed on my way here. One is just a few miles away. I can run to it, grab a vehicle, and come back to get you. We can take the vehicle back to the estate.”

“Vehicle?” she asked.

“Yes... it’s... how the hell do I explain this?” I scratched my scruffy chin while I tried to think of a reasonable comparison. “You know what? Why don’t I do that? When I get back, you can decide if you want to ride back with me, or just have me bring you the map and take you home. How does that sound?”

“Okay,” she answered.

“Just sit here right by the boat, and I’ll be right back. You’ll be safe here. I promise.”

Those blue eyes of hers filled with worry, but she nodded anyway.

“Don’t worry, Cat.” I placed a hand on her shoulder. “You’re gonna love it out here, and I’ll take care of you. I promise.”

She pressed her lips together and smiled.

With one last look into those eyes I never wanted to stop staring into, I turned and flashed off toward the farm.

CHAPTER SIX

Catrain

I SAT AT THE EDGE OF the lake with my knees pulled up under my chin. It had only been about ten minutes since Thorne had left, but it felt like hours. On my island, I was confident and strong. Fearless. Capable. A born leader. But over here on the mainland, I felt vulnerable and unsure. The foreign feeling unsettled me, and I hoped Thorne would return quickly and bring back the security I felt at his side.

I still couldn’t believe I’d done what I’d done.

Disobeyed my mother.

Left my island.

Left my island with a vampire, no less.

It seemed impossible that I’d made the decisions that brought me here to this moment, but the fact I still sat on the other side of the lake and could feel the grass beneath my feet confirmed my new reality.

My whole life I’d imagined what lay past where my eyes could see, and now I was here. It terrified and excited me all at once.

A strange noise ruptured the silence around me and sent the birds in the tree overhead fluttering away. I furrowed my brow while I listened to the sound growing louder and louder. I’d never heard anything like it, and my heart started pounding as it continued intensifying.

I jumped up from where I sat and slid behind the boat, pressing low to the ground while I waited. My instincts sent me reaching for my spear, then I cursed myself for leaving it on the island. With no spear or bow, I had no weapon to defend myself. The wooden boat paddle caught my eye, so I reached forward and grabbed it, pulling it into hiding with me behind the boat.

When the sound that buzzed like a giant bee grew even louder, I gripped the paddle tight and prepared to battle. Thorne wasn’t here to protect me, so I’d need to remember the training I’d spent most of my life perfecting and hope my magic worked the same on this side of the lake. I channeled the magic inside my body, ready to unleash hell on whatever threat approached.

“Catrain? Where are you?” Thorne called over the now-quieting buzz of the giant bee. “Catrain?”

The buzzing disappeared, and I peeked my head up over the edge of the boat. Thorne stood beside a strange object as he continued calling my name.

“There you are. I thought you’d run off.” With a relaxed smile that didn’t allude to any danger nearby, he walked toward me.

“What was that noise?” I stood up slowly, still clutching my paddle.