Page 142 of Blue Arrow Island
“Time messes with your mind here. There’s no Netflix. No great restaurants. No concerts. We’ve got nothing but time, each other, and a set of problems we never could’ve imagined before the virus.”
It’s the most he’s said to me at one time since we crawled out from beneath the pine tree. I lock eyes with him, connecting, if just for a second.
“My mom named me after briars because they’re thorny and hardy and they protect themselves fiercely. Some of them areeven beautiful when they flower, like wild roses. She said when she first held me, she hoped I’d be all of those things.”
“You are. And you’re more beautiful than any rose.”
My stomach flips, his words making me surprisingly emotional. I deflect his compliment with humor.
“So you think I’m thorny?”
“Minus theT. You drained me dry last night.”
I look away, my cheeks warming as I grin.
“Don’t get me wrong, I loved it,” he says. “And yeah, you’re thorny. But in a good way. You’re tough and resilient. You don’t take shit.”
“And yet.” I lower my brows in a mock aggravated look. “You keep testing me.”
His gaze is so warm and affectionate that I can’t make myself look away. I’m trapped, unaware of anyone or anything that may be lurking around us.
“You’re not intimidated by me,” he says. “I love that about you.”
Slow down, heart. He didn’t say he loves me.
I sigh dramatically. “Well, now that you said I’m resilient, I guess I have to search some more. And not bitch about it.”
“Bitch if you want to.”
I’m about to respond when a crackle sounds from our radios. “Circe to Ares, emergency. Get to camp. Don’t respond.”
It’s Adele, and she spoke so softly into the radio that I could barely hear her. Marcus’s brows are drawn together with worry.
“Fuck.” He puts his hands on top of his head. “It sounds like Rising Tide got in. The shield must be down. She doesn’t want us to respond because she doesn’t want them to hear my voice on the radio.”
I’m too dazed to speak for a few seconds. Tears well in my eyes as I imagine the savages at Rising Tide attacking Ellison,Olin, Amira, Vadim, and the kids. All the innocent people who work so hard to keep the camp going and take care of each other.
“I can get there faster than you can,” he says. “I hate to leave you alone, but?—”
“Go,” I practically yell the word at him. “I’ll be behind you and I’ll go as fast as I can.”
He gives me a warning look. “Don’t come into camp just to get yourself killed. Be smart.”
“You too. Don’t race in there alone. We need to figure things out first.”
He turns to go, looking over his shoulder at me. A dozen different emotions swim in his eyes.
“Be safe!” I call out.
He races off, my head swimming as I watch him go.
The Tiders will take everything. They’ll want the camp, which is far nicer than what they have. They could kill everyone. Dread pools in my stomach as I check my holsters and weapons, packing my canteen into my bag.
What will Virginia do to McClain?
A vine curls over my shoulder, several tiny bright-green leaves sprouting from its end. I close my eyes and take a deep breath to relax. Then I take off running, wishing again that I’d killed Virginia when I had the chance.
I’ve gotten crazy fast from the aromium. It takes me around thirty minutes of running at top speed to reach the switch point, where I’m shocked to find Marcus.
