Page 114 of Blue Arrow Island
I squeeze Amira’s hand, exchanging a glance with her. “Good luck. Be careful.”
“You too.”
Marcus is silent on our walk to my former room in the Sub. Or maybe it’s still my room, I don’t know. He opens the door with his thumbprint and I gather the few clothes I have there.
We start the walk to his quarters then, and I search for the right thing to say the entire way there. I want to tell him it’s going to be okay, but I can’t, because it might not be. False reassurances annoy me, and I have a feeling he’s the same.
Once we get to his rooms, I go into the bedroom and close the door, changing into a clean Rising Tide uniform of canvas pants and a T-shirt. Marcus changes into a clean pair of the same pants and a gray T-shirt, his arms and shoulders filling every inch of the worn soft fabric.
“Have you ever turned your aromium back on?” I ask him.
“No.” His brow is lined with worry.
He passes me the shoulder and waist holsters he got for me from the Sub. We both sneak glances at each other as we get our holsters and weapons on. I’ve got a handgun in the shoulder holster and a machete and McClain’s knife on my waist.
Marcus is strapped with two machetes and a handgun. He also has a high-powered rifle attached to his pack. His pack is loaded with extra ammo, food, our canteens and other supplies.
“Where’s my pack?” I ask.
“You don’t need one.”
“I can carry supplies.”
He lowers his brows. “I want you traveling light. This is nothing for me.”
I decide not to fight him on it. There’s so much tension thickening the air in the room that I wouldn’t believe we’re the same two people who recently played Would You Rather in here and laughed about it.
We stand a couple of feet from each other, my chin tipped up so I can see his face. I can tell he wants to say something, but he’s just brooding silently, scratching his jaw.
“What is it?” I finally ask.
He sighs softly. “I don’t like who I am with the aromium on.” He looks away. “I guess I don’t want you to know that version of me.”
Something inside me softens at his admission. I offer him a small, reassuring smile. “I know that’s not really you, Marcus. And I know you’re using the aromium for a good reason.”
He shakes his head, agitated. “Fuck, this is hard.” He runs a hand through his hair, then meets my eyes. “Aromium amplifies attraction. That’s gonna be an issue.”
I can’t help it—my smile widens. This massive, muscled, scowling man is wrecked over this conversation, of all things.
“What can we do about that, though?”
He huffs out a groan. “I was able to control it before. I never felt like Ihadto have any of the women at Rising Tide.”
I shrug. “Maybe you’ll feel that way about me, too.”
He glares at me. “You’re going to make me say it, aren’t you?”
My heart takes flight because even though I shouldn’t be letting this happen, it feels incredible. For a few moments, I’m not a prisoner in a tropical hellscape, racing against time to save myself and those around me. I’m just a woman, feeling light and giddy because a man I want feels the same way about me.
He grunts, clearly annoyed. “I think about you constantly. You’re the most beautiful woman I’ve ever seen. Sometimes I forget to breathe when I’m looking at you. And it’s not just that.” He rubs his jaw, looking away. “You’re also strong and smart and ...fuck. You’re so blindly brave I want to tie you up sometimes to keep you out of trouble.”
My hands tremble and my breath stutters at his admission. I knew he liked me, but I didn’t know it was likethis.
“I ... wouldn’t mind being tied up by you.”
That’s all I can get out. I’m afraid to tell him I feel the same way because it’s too dangerous. If we both give in, the spark of attraction between us will soon become an all-consuming inferno.
I’m a weapon. A sharply honed spear, my tip pointed directly at Whitman, Lochlan, and the regime they’ve forced on so many innocent people. But if I let myself completely fall for Marcus, I won’t care about that anymore. I’ll crave him instead of payback and destruction.
