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Kira didn’t argue, and once we’d sent Chelsey and Gavin to sleep, she took a seat only a few inches from where the rain was pouring down at the entrance. I took a seat beside her and set the pistol on my lap.
We watched the storm for a little while. The wind might have been dying down a bit, but even if it was, it was still the strongest thunderstorm I’d lived through. If this wasn’t a hurricane, I hoped never to see one.
Eventually, I broke the silence. “So, uh, your family—”
“I know. Trying not to think about it.”
I put my arm around her and pulled her closer. For a moment, I was sure she’d pull away, say she was fine, tell me to stay focused. But she warmed my heart by leaning into me. She rested her head on my shoulder and let me hold her.
“Not that it means much, given our current situation,” I said. “But I promise to do anything I can to make things okay again.”
“Would you do it again?”
“Huh?” I looked down at her, but she was still staring into the storm. “What do you mean?”
“This. Would you do it again? If you knew what you know now, would you come on the show? Knowing that you’d end up right here hiding in a cave, our chances of survival dwindling by the second, no way to get back home, going through everything we’ve been through so far… would you do it again?”
“Of course.” I didn’t hesitate. “Even if I’d died in one of the past challenges, I’d still do it again. As long as it meant you were safe, I’d do it all again in a heartbeat.”
She finally pulled her eyes from the storm to look at me, a faint smile on her lips. “You really would, wouldn’t you?”
“I’m a man of my word,” I said with a grin.
Her eyes went soft and introspective. “You know I meant it, right?” she whispered. “I do love you.” She blinked and huffed, almost like she’d come back to herself. “I can’t believe I fell for the bossiest, nosiest, and most overprotective wolf in the world—and a lone wolf, no less.” A playful spark twinkled in her eyes. “But I can’t deny how strongly I feel for you, Wyatt. You’re also pretty hot. That helps.”
I laughed and leaned forward, kissing her hard and fast. Our lips merged for what might have been a few hours or a few seconds—time seemed to stand still. When I pulled back, I gazed deep into her eyes. In my heart, I had to admit the odds of all of us making it to Haven in one piece were low. Kira knew it, too, and there was no reason to dredge it up. She’d been through too much already. All I could do was vow to myself that I’d get her to safety. No matter what.
The storm continued to rage on and on. Finally, an hour before dawn, the trees stopped swaying as hard and the torrential downpour transitioned to a steady drizzle. Lighting still flashed every few seconds, but the thunder was fainter.
“Do you think we should give it a try?” I asked.
Kira stood and dusted her butt off. “Probably now or never. The storm could be passing, or maybe we’re in the eye. Either way, we need to move. Once things look less terrifying, the creatures will be stirring again.”
“Let’s scout a bit before we get the others out in this. At least find a direction that looks the least strenuous.”
Kira agreed, and we let the others know what was going on. Chelsey looked nervous for us to go, but I assured her we’d be back soon.
“Okay. Be careful, guys,” she said.
I left the gun with her and headed out with Kira. I’d completely dried off in the cave, so stepping back out into the rain—even though it was only drizzling now—was a psychological gut punch. Being wet and miserable was way worse than being dry and miserable.
Kira and I continued up the hill. We found the carcasses of the bear shifters, and they’d definitely been fed on. I was grateful that we’d hauled them this far from the cave entrance.
“What do you think was here?” Kira asked, poking one of the bodies with the toe of her boot.
I looked down at the creature. All that was left of one was a bloody skeleton. “No idea, but better it happened to this guy than us. Come on.”
The hill grew ever steeper. It was more of a small mountain than a hill. At the top, we had a good vantage point to see a large swath of the island. In the distance, the dormant volcano stood sentinel over the jungle.
I pointed to it. “Whichever way we go, let’s steer clear of that thing.”
“The volcano?”
“Yeah. It’s got some cave or cavern where Leif was trying to drag me into. I can’t imagine it’s a place we want to be.”
Kira pointed north. “Someplace near the mountains would be the best place for an encampment like Haven. Mountains to your back give you less area to watch. It looks like a river flows right beside that stretch, which would give them fresh water. We can try that way. It’ll take us past the volcano, but we should be able to swing wide and keep a safe distance.”
“Okay. I can’t think of anything better,” I said, but my mind replayed that strange whirring sound I’d heard coming from the cave in the volcano. I shivered, and it wasn’t from being wet.
