Page 169 of Blue Arrow Island
“No one burns her,” I say, my voice breaking as I get to my feet. “Give her a respectful burial.”
He looks up at me from beside Virginia, the fury in his expression taking me aback. “You’re not leaving here.”
I feel Marcus’s warmth beside me. “Yes, she is.” He puts an arm around me, his palm on my lower back, and says, “Let’s go.”
We walk out of the circle, my gaze straight ahead as Amira draws her bow, aiming an arrow behind us.
Marcus and I both turn to find Pax stalking toward us, his hands trembling with rage.
“I’m calling you into the circle,” he says to me. “Right now.”
Marcus answers. “No. It’s over, Pax. No one else dies tonight.”
“Who the fuck do you think you’ve become?” Pax sneers at Marcus, disgusted. “You’ve got her convinced we’re the killers and you’re some sort of avenging angel, but that’s a load of shit.”
“We’re leaving.” Marcus steers me over to our group of people.
I’m still reeling from what I just did. It hurt more than I expected it to. Amira’s warm brown eyes meet mine, silently telling me it’s going to be okay.
“Tell her who you really are,” Pax says from behind us.
Marcus’s shoulders tighten and he stands straighter. We both turn around. Pax is unhinged, his fists balled at his sides and veins corded at his neck.
“I already know,” I say softly. “He told me everything. About the aromium strains and the reason you and I and he and Virginia can call on other living things.”
“He did?” Pax gapes between us, genuinely shocked.
“Yes. I know we all have relatives who contributed DNA to aromium. None of us asked for this.”
He scoffs, narrowing his eyes. “That’s not totally true.”
“Pax, don’t,” Marcus cautions.
“Fuck you, Marcus.” Pax meets my gaze. “My father was one of the original twenty-six. But Virginia didn’t have a family member who was in it; shewasone of them. And so was Marcus.”
Marcus stiffens beside me, his cold gaze locked onto Pax.
My heart races and bile rushes up my throat. “What do you mean?” I look at Marcus. “What does he mean?”
It’s Pax who answers. “Marcus helped make aromium. He was one of the first ones on this island. He and Virginia were the original leaders of Rising Tide. Isn’t that right, Marcus?”
Marcus says nothing, but I don’t need him to answer the question. The answer is all over his face. There’s fury at Pax for telling me, but also shame. Guilt. Disgust.
It hits me harder than any of the punches Virginia threw. What a fool I’ve been.
49
The shred of humanity left in me is outraged at the carnage I’ve caused. The arrogant cynic I’m becoming, though, asks if there’s even any significance to adding a few more people to my list of casualties.
- Excerpt from the journal of Dr. Randall McClain
Marcus
Niran and Nova are yelling at me. Briar’s pained expression flashes through my mind, lasting only an instant. Then Ellison is there, her brow furrowed with concern. I want to ask them what’s going on, but I can’t seem to move.
Everything is so heavy. My limbs. My eyelids. My secrets. I can’t fight any of it anymore.
“Marcus.” Ellison’s voice is sharp and insistent. “Wake up. I need you to wake up, Marcus.”
