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“Made it?” I tried to catch my breath. “We’re on a deserted island.”
“But we’re together,” he said, pulling me into him as he wrapped his arms around me. “I’d rather be marooned on an island with you than be Cael’s puppet in a crown.”
I hugged him back fiercely, almost ashamed at the relief I felt for having him here with me. I shouldn’t have been happy, not with Graham ruined, my father dead, and his murderer free.
But I had two things: the man I loved—and a single but powerful lifeline.
I let go of Graham and held up the radio I’d managed to swipe from Cael at the last moment. “If we’re lucky, we won’t be here for long.”
He smiled widely. “I love you, Mara.”
I looked up at him with surprise, a smile playing on my lips and hope in my heart despite the pain surrounding it.
“Because of the radio?” I asked. “Or?—”
He cut me off with a kiss, his hands pulling me firmly into him, as if the threat of losing me had made him realize how much he needed me close.
“And Ireallylove you,” I said back, “but I wanted so much better for you than being abandoned on another island.”
“But you’re not abandoning me this time,” he said, “which I have to say is a definite improvement.”
“No.” I laughed. “I’m not leaving you again.”
“Good.” He grabbed my hand and started to pull me to shore. “Because you know how bad at fishing I am.”
“If this does its job,” I said, holding up the radio, “we won’t have to do much fishing.” I switched it on, getting ready to turn the dial to channel M, where I hoped I’d find Cait, but before I could, a voice came through.
“Ruskin! Where are you? Did you depose Brennin yet?”
Graham and I stared at the radio, realizing who spoke.
“That’s Anton Byrne,” said Graham, his eyes wide. “It seems Cael won him over after all.”
My last hope—that Cael would lose his title—was dashed.
Cambria was under his power now.
I paced the beach,trying to reach Cait for the hundredth time that day, with no success.
I’d tried not only channel M but every other letter of the alphabet except the one the radio had been tuned to when I took it from Cael’s belt.
Graham and I explored the island as we tried each channel, getting a feel for the resources, and scouting out the best place to make camp. There was little fresh water to be found, but after several hours, we stumbled upon a freshwater spring and thirstily drank from it.
By the time the sun sank, we still hadn’t made contact. I suspected we were too far apart from each other. After days onthe ocean with a speedboat, Cait could be a thousand miles away by now. As reality hit, my hope waned and my oppressive grief returned.
Graham and I started a fire, roasting the fish we’d caught, then settled in to wait, trying the radio every few minutes. I knew if I kept using it all night, it could run out of power until the sun returned, but I couldn’t help myself.
“Come in, Cee,” I said into the radio again, back to channel M, the one I most expected to find her on. “Come in, Cait! . . .” My voice faded into hopelessness and I leaned into Graham’s shoulder, my eyelids drooping.
“Let’s give it up for now,” said Graham, reaching around my back and pulling me into him. “You need some sleep.”
“So do you,” I said with a yawn, savoring the warmth and security of his touch. I hadn’t wanted to get comfortable here or to even spend a single night on these shores, but we had no choice.“Will you stay by me?”
“There’s no one here to stop us,” he said, kissing me on the forehead, his arms holding me until I faded off into a sleep riddled by grief but comforted by Graham’s touch even in my dreams.
When the firstrays of sunlight warmed my face in the morning, I awoke on the beach wrapped in Graham’s arms. I sat up and reached for the radio once more.
“Come in, Cait,” I said into it again. “Please, come in.”
