Page 39 of Desecrated Reign

“Easier said than done.”

Before I can respond, Saoirse’s voice echoes through the air. “We need to make a change, and instead of heading east, we need to veer slightly north along the next trail. When we pieced the two maps together, Lucas and I spotted a small red semi-circle at the highest point; and we’re assuming if the other two team maps have the same marking, it will create a circle, just like the one at the drop-off point.”

Lucas peers down at the maps again before bringing his attention back to the two groups. “Judging by the scale, it appears to be only a few kilometres from where we currently are. If we keep going, we can get there before we lose any daylight.”

“What are you saying?” Cadden pipes up. “You want us to all work together? Surely that’s not how this works.”

Next to me, Beibhinn shoots daggers from her eyes. “Have you a better idea?”

“I have loads of ideas, snowflake. Most of which involve you on your knees with those pretty lips wrapped around my cock.”

Her chest expands as she tries to calm her nerves. “Get fucked.”

“You offering?”

“He’s not worth it.” I lean in closer and link my arms through hers, leading her away from Cadden and towards the new path. “Want me to knock him out?”

“I can handle Cadden myself. But first, I need to get the fuck off this island.”

* * *

We’ve been walking along this steep trail uphill for what feels like fucking hours, and everyone is tetchy as fuck—myself included. We’re running out of light rapidly, and if we don’t keep moving, we won’t reach our destination before dusk falls.

“Maybe we should just call it quits for the night?” Dillon slows his pace before raising his near-empty water bottle to his lips, draining it dry. “We still have two more days.”

“Maybe so,” Saoirse agrees, “but we have no idea what happens when we get there or if it’s even the right location. We don’t have time to waste.”

Cadden closes the distance between him and Saoirse until he’s standing far too close for my liking. Towering over her, he peers down his nose at her. “Who put you in charge, Saoirse? You may be the leader of your team, but the rest of us don’t need to listen to you.”

I step forward, ready to intervene, but Beibhinn grips my arm, stopping me with a muffled whisper. “Don’t. She can handle it. She doesn’t need you to be her hero.”

As the blood in my veins boils, Saoirse squares her shoulders and raises a brow, then mirroring Cadden’s intimidation tactic, she pushes herself into his space. “One of us has to take charge, Cadden. And last I checked, you were too busy licking your wounds after my best friend laid you out on your back to give two fucks about where we’re going or how we’re getting there.” Cadden’s face turns bright red as he tightens his jaw. “But, by all means,” Saoirse continues, “if you and your team want to stay here tonight and risk failing this trial, don’t let me stop you. Meanwhile, me and my crew will be at the top of that fucking hill, one step closer to victory.”

Peering around Cadden’s broad frame, Saoirse assesses the group as a whole. “Who’s with me?”

I raise my hand, and the rest of the two groups follow, leaving Cadden the odd man out.

“Great. Now let’s go, people. We’re running out of daylight.”

“Ah, there’s the queen I knew she could be.” I tilt my chin towards Beibhinn and raise a brow when I see the pride lighting up her face. “Don’t act so surprised, King. Just ’cause I’m dealing with my own shit doesn’t mean I doubted her for one second.”

“Maybe you should tell her that.”

Her eyes fall towards Saoirse. “I know.”

* * *

“I fucking love my Docs, but fuck, they were not built for hiking.” Beibhinn slows to a stop, placing her hands on her thighs for support.

“How much longer?” Shannon moans as she slouches forward, dragging her feet behind her.

“I’m so fucking hungry,” Brodie pipes in. “If I don’t get something in my stomach soon, I’ll collapse.”

Out in front, Saoirse peers over her shoulder. “We’re almost there. I can see the clearing from here.”

“Oh, thank God.” Beibhinn tosses her head back, tipping her gaze towards the sky. “For a minute, I thought we were gonna die on this hill.”

“Hill?” Shannon exaggerates. “This is not a wee hill. It’s a mountain. You can roll down a hill, and if I rolled down this, I’d impale myself.”

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