Page 348 of Shadowblood Souls
I hesitate again, appreciating the offer but not sure it’s quite what I needed. If Griffin has actually been lying about his intentions, this would be a perfect opportunity to work against us.
My instincts tell me he’s been honest. But what if they’re wrong?
I thought we could trust Rollick to keep the other kids safe, and look how that turned out.
Andreas steps close to me and lowers his head by my ear. “I’ve had Ajax monitoring Griffin’s thoughts as well as he can. He told me he’s only picked up things that confirm his story. Ideas about how to help, worries about how his past actions might have hurt us.”
I exhale slowly, releasing a little of the tension that’s gripped me since we first got the opportunity to flee the island. I don’t think Griffin is skilled enough to conceal every suspicious thought, if he’d even realize that Ajax would be searching his mind.
I can believe that my instincts were right this time with that outside confirmation.
“Okay.” I offer Griffin a slightly guilty smile because of my initial uncertainty and aim a brighter one at Celine. "Thank you. A couple of us will take over in a few hours. You should spread out so you can keep an eye out all around the hotel.”
Booker gives me a playful salute. “We’re on it, Captain. Don’t worry—we’ve been training our whole lives for this.”
The wryness of his tone makes Andreas’s lips twitch. “Hopefully we’ll find something better to do with our lives once we’re out of the jungle.”
Celine cocks her head, her tone still light. “Are you thinking we’ll go to the monsters to see if they’ll help us like you did before?”
I hesitate, my regrets about my past decisions still stark in my mind. “I—I don’t know yet. We can’t turn toanyonewithout being really careful about it.”
She nods and casts her gaze away. I hope my uncertainty won’t add to whatever worries she must already be grappling with.
Most of the kids have already shuffled out of the kitchen. The five of us Firsts meander down the hall after them.
I’m not totally sure what we’re searching for. We pass the first several rooms that’ve already been claimed by the younger shadowbloods and then start peeking through doorways at random.
I skip past a bedroom with a large water stain in the ceiling and another where some jungle creature appears to have crashed through the window and made a nest out of the bed. Then Zian lets out an awed sound from farther down the hall.
The rest of us hustle over to join him.
He’s stepped inside a massive suite that must have been reserved for honeymooners and high-profile guests. In the dim moonlight that seeps past the vast windows, the four-poster bed in the center of the far wall is bigger than any I’ve ever seen, the duvet barely wrinkled.
One window is cracked, a vine winding its way partway to the floor, but only a thin smattering of dirt and dust has coated the floor. The mirror mounted on the ornate vanity still gleams.
But Zian’s attention has been captured by the tub.
A huge jacuzzi bathtub stands across from the bed, half embedded in the wooden floor. Its white walls are dappled with dirt, but Zee gazes at it like it’s the most glorious thing he’s ever seen.
I can’t stop a fond grin from crossing my lips. He’s always been drawn to the water on the rare chances we had to appreciate it.
The image of him floating in the jungle pond near the island facility drifts up from my memory. He looked so peaceful, so content, just for those few minutes.
I walk over and prod the controls on the side of the tub. “I bet we could rinse it out and then fill it up. You can have first dibs, Zee.”
At a twist of a knob, water gushes from several of the jets. It carries the dirt in swirls down the drain. With a few swipes of my hand over the smooth surface, I bring back a faint gleam of white.
When I look up, Zian is watching me, not the water. Watching me with an expression that brings back other memories from that night by the pond.
Desire glimmers in his eyes, and uncertainty twists his mouth. The signs of his inner turmoil bring a lump to my throat.
“We’ll give you your privacy, of course,” I say, and lean down to push in the stopper so the tub will fill. “There are lots of other rooms where we?—”
Jacob clears his throat, stopping me in mid-sentence. “I have a better idea.”
We all glance over at him, and he gives the rest of us an unusually soft smile. “The tub’s big enough for us all to share, don’t you think? What have we got to hide at this point?”
He holds my gaze for a moment with a warily hopeful air and then shifts his attention to Zian with a flicker of concern. Jake must know as well as I do that Zee has the most reason to balk at the idea.
