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“They need your little badass self, Eliana. I’d want it to be you playing doctor over Chase if I were them.” Adam strolls from the back of the cave, clean and dressed in the clothes Kellan brought. He hands me the bag, and I pull out the extra blanket, wrapping it around myself.
I sigh. “Fine. But I expect you back before dawn.”
Adam comes up to me next and ruffles his fingers through my hair playfully. “You can blame that asshole if we’re not. I think he might overestimate our ability to navigate this hellhole island in the dark.”
Turning to Kellan, I say, “I trust you to bring them back safely.”
He tightens his jaw and nods once. “You have my word.”
Chase and Evander stroll from where the saltwater pool is, and Chase offers me a weary smile. I quickly kiss his cheek and tell him to be careful before turning to Evander.
He keeps space between us and crosses his arms over his chest. His rejection stings, but I can’t blame him. We still haven’t had the chance to talk about him attacking Tristan. And now? Fuck. I can’t think about it.
Kellan shakes his head, staring at Evander but no one comments. I shift on my feet, deciding to let them leave the cave together instead of watching after them.
Kellan murmurs softly, and Tiffany releases a breathy sob. I turn my focus toward where Tristan and Davian sleep on blankets on opposite sides of the cave. Vines tangle around Davian’s wrists and ankles, securing him in case he falls ill and his body rejects the bites. Just because it hadn’t happened yet, doesn’t mean it won’t. Kellan said everyone reacts differently.
I close the space to Davian, giving him a quick once-over, double checking to ensure he’s as comfortable as he can possibly be, all things considered. Adam and Evander did their best to pad the cold floor with leaves and moss. The blankets Kellan brought help as well, but I don’t think anything will ever be good enough.
Tristan groans, drawing my attention to him. He opens his eyes and tries to sit up but fails. I stride to him, kneeling on the blanket to get into view.
“Relax. It’s going to take a bit for your body to heal from such a deep wound. Kellan said with his salve, you’ll be better by tomorrow night as long as you take it easy.” I scoot closer, keeping my voice calm. I was so scared seeing him bleeding out. The terrifying moment is forever imprinted on my mind.
Tristan licks his lips. “My gorgeous hero. How can I thank you?”
My heart lightens with his playful comment. “By behaving and not dying. Can I get you anything? Water? Something to eat?”
“I’m a bit cold. Lie with me?” He extends his hand to me.
I don’t know if he’s serious about being cold or just using it as an excuse, but I won’t deny him such an easy request.
I ease myself down beside him and tuck my body against his, taking care not to touch my hand near the wound slicing across his torso. He rolls his shoulder, shifting slightly to meet my gaze. “What did I miss? Where is everyone?”
“They’re getting a few things taken care of to help us for tomorrow.” I try not to think about the hunt Kellan mentioned. He didn’t get into detail, but I know shit will be going down tomorrow night.
“Did you guys get the boat?” he asks, reminding me of the reason he and the others had been in the forest in the first place.
I puff a breath of air through my lips and frown. “Not yet. But we will. We had nowhere to hide it, and Chase didn’t think you could handle heading to sea in your condition.”
His brows lower on his forehead. “Ah, fuck. You guys gave up on escaping because of me?”
“Not exactly.” He doesn’t know about Davian, and I’m not exactly sure if I should tell him. “I don’t want you blaming yourself either. It just wasn’t possible. Not yet at least.”
“Why don’t you sound so sure?” Tristan runs his fingers along my arm.
I roll to my side and face him. Linking my fingers through his, I hold his hands close to my chest. He already looks better. Color returns to his handsome face and he no longer appears as if he’s on the verge of death. Being able to lie here with him, clutching his hands and gazing into his eyes fills me with relief. It helps suppress the fear constantly rolling inside me, tangling up with my soul.
“Because I’m not. Things are changing here. I don’t know what to expect. Kellan says that something has shifted within the packs and their rules no longer stand and the laws agreed upon by the alphas are being challenged. There’s hostility. We’re caught up in the middle of it.” I lean forward and rest my head to his, wanting to just blur the world with him as my focus.
“This is all so unbelievable. You know I still can’t accept that this island is full of werewolves. What is so great about me that they think I’m a good candidate to be one of them? I’m not exactly talented. I could barely keep a job. I was a damn beach-bum half the time. I have no motivation to do anything except be in the water and live my life without ties. Just me and my van.” It’s funny how easily I can imagine him living that lifestyle.
“I was squatting in a vacant house,” I admit, whispering the words so close that my lips graze his. “I made money by being...I had a...let’s call him my sugar daddy.” This is the first time I’ve said the words out loud. My chest tightens, and I expect Tristan to pull away from me. I expect him to frown against my mouth and tell me that my former lifestyle is something he wants nothing to do with. Maybe he’ll change his mind about me.
He surprises me with a chuckle. “A sugar daddy, huh? How do I get one of those?”
A smile crosses my lips at his teasing. “The internet. I was desperate and apparently, it’s a thing...Rocco was tolerable at first—smart, likable, okay-looking, and we had a pretty good arrangement. But then things became...difficult. We had different expectations.” I squeeze my eyes shut, thinking about him and how my life went from blah to crazy.
It started out casual with Rocco. He was a businessman and single, just looking for companionship and someone to have on his arm for events. Sex wasn’t part of our arrangement at first, but then I became more comfortable. He gave me more and more until I thought I’d be set. I was working toward getting my real estate license and had planned to do something more, which he didn’t want. He wanted me to depend on him. And then his friends found out. Some of them offered me much more money for a moment of my time and I couldn’t refuse. It pissed Rocco off. I was his girl. His piece of ass. He thought he could do whatever the hell he wanted with me.
