Page 139 of Blue Arrow Island
There are so many voices out there. Marcus is all alone to defend himself. I want so badly to call the vines back so I can help him, but something stops me. It’s a feeling deep inside me, soothing my fear and telling me to stay where I am.
You’re safe now. We’re here.
My eyes widen with disbelief. I’ve sent mental messages out to the vines a few times now, and they always show up. But now, somehow, they’re communicating back.
39
None of the test subject plants have shown any measurable reaction to aromium. It may not work on them.
-Excerpt from the journal of Dr. Randall McClain
My nose is ice cold. I turn my face into the warmth of the blankets around me, sighing contentedly.
A kernel of worry tugs me out of my relaxed sleep. How can I be cold? The island is never cold.
My eyes fly open, darkness surrounding me. The blankets I’m snuggling into are warm, yes, but they’re also moving up and down, like the rise and fall of a chest while breathing.
“Marcus,” I whisper-hiss.
“I’m right here.”
My panic recedes. His voice is calm, and he’s very close. But also, the cloying scent of pine is everywhere, and something sharp is poking into my leg.
It comes back to me all at once. After the fight with the Tiders, I willed my shelter away and the vines uncoiled andreceded. Then we took shelter beneath a massive pine tree, cutting a few branches out to make room for us to burrow in since the snow allowed us no visibility.
“What’s in here with us?” I ask.
“Wolves.”
A sense of dread fills every cell in my body. The warm blankets are actually wolves—with massive teeth and predatory instincts.
“It’s okay,” he assures me. “I called them here. It’s Flavius and his pack.”
A frantic laugh bursts out of me. “You called them? Like on the phone? Do you have their contact info saved?”
“When my aromium’s on, I have the same connection with wolves that you have with vines. They helped me fight off the Tiders.”
I take a few seconds to process the news. “Okay.”
“You were so cold. Grannie’s at your back and Flavius is between us.”
My brows drop. “Grannie?”
“Her fur’s silvery gray like my grandma’s hair was, so I call her Grannie.”
I exhale a note of amusement. “Okay, well, we aren’t ungulates, so hopefully Grannie won’t decide to eat us.”
“We aren’t what?”
“Ungulates. Large, hoofed animals like deer and elk. Those are the most common prey for wolves.”
“Goddamn, woman. Can I fuck you while you wear nothing but glasses and spout scientific facts?”
I smother my laugh in Flavius’s fur. He lifts his head, probably wondering what the hell is going on. And honestly, same. I’m inside a pine tree in a rainforest while a blizzard rages outside, and a pack of wolves is keeping me warm.
I smooth a hand over Flavius’s back and he drops his head back to the ground, huffing an exhale.
“Do you think the Tiders will come back?” I ask.
