Page 33 of Hooked By a Hero
“Me?” Elias balked. Perhaps it was his exhausted mind and sore body after the effort of surviving the storm, but he could not comprehend that he should be in any position of authority.
But Brunning nodded and said, “You’re a physician. You demand more respect than most. Unless you want to count Lord Osterley as a leader.”
They all turned to the middle-aged viscount who had been all but silent throughout the journey so far, mostly because he was fleeing England in shame after bankrupting his family and apparently marrying his only sister off to a man far beneath her.
“He’ll never do,” Caspian said grinning at Brunning and then Elias.
Perhaps it was the exhaustion again, but Elias frowned curiously at Caspian before he could conceal the wariness of his feelings. His sweetheart had been so ill that he could not stand just hours before, when they were still on the ship. Then he’d been tossed overboard by a drunken and raging Tumbrill and Dick. Elias did not see how anyone could survive a plunge into the churning sea during a storm, but there Caspian was, as hale and fit as ever. If anything, he looked better for his dive into the ocean.
“Is it necessary to have any leader?” Ruby asked, rubbing her smeared and tired face with one hand. “I do not feel the need for a ruler to tell me to make a bed in the sand, cover myself with branches from those palms, and sleep until the rain ends and the sun rises.”
Hunt smiled proudly at her and slipped an arm around her waist. “Perhaps you should be appointed governor of us all, my dear,” he said. “You certainly have the wits and the fortitude to lead men.”
Ruby laughed tiredly, then leaned into Hunt, closing her eyes and resting her head against his shoulder.
Hunt pulled her closer and kissed the top of her head, then glanced up at the others. “Ruby is right. The discussion of leadership can wait until morning. Right now, we all need to sleep and recover.”
He was correct, but more than his suggestion that they all disperse to find a place to sleep for the night, Elias was struck by how sweet the couple was. Hunt was miles beneath Ruby in station and income, but the two seemed so much in accord. It made Elias smile and extend his arm enough to touch Caspian’s hand, even though he was uncertain whether the gesture would be noted negatively if he grasped his lover’s hand.
“I say we delay any major discussions or decisions until tomorrow,” Caspian said.
“Agreed,” Elias sighed, exhaustion gripping him harder.
Their small group disbanded, and Elias and Caspian joined the others farther up the beach, where the vegetation grew thicker and stretched back into some sort of thin jungle.
“I could sleep for a fortnight after everything we have endured this day,” Elias said, rubbing a hand over his face.
Caspian pointed to one of the clusters of bushes that seemed prevalent along the edge of the beach, and like several others from theFortunehad done, they dropped to their knees to dig into the sand and dirt directly under the bush, then curled together in the somewhat sheltered dip they had created.
“You deserve to sleep,” Caspian said, boldly pressing his body against Elias’s back and taking him into his arms. “You were a hero today. You saved everyone who made it to this island.”
Elias grunted, feeling as though he should resist the heavy sweetness that came over his body as he snuggled in Caspian’s arms and separate from him for the sake of propriety. “You are the hero,” he said, his words hazy as sleep descended quickly over him. “Though I’ve no idea why you aren’t dead now.”
If Caspian replied to those words, Elias never knew. He was asleep in seconds, and despite the awkwardness of his bed and the mountain of troubles that still loomed over them all, he embraced oblivion wholeheartedly.
Caspian was awake before him and sitting up when the morning light woke Elias. The sandy bed was not as uncomfortable as it could have been, and though the air was thick and humid in the aftermath of the storm, the clouds had mostly gone and the rays of the sun stretched toward them from the eastern horizon.
“Have you been awake long?” Elias asked groggily, pushing himself to sit. He was covered in sand and his clothing was still damp with salt water. He immediately wished for a bath in clean, fresh water, but knew the likelihood of having one anytime soon was nil.
“For some time,” Caspian answered with a smile.
That smile sparked one in Elias as he stood to brush as much sand off his person as he could, along with a few ants, then went to sit beside Caspian. As strange and mysterious as the man was, there was something about him that made Elias feel as though all were right with the world and that the two of them would survive and thrive.
Those happy, cozy thoughts melted as Elias worked some moisture into his mouth and realized how thirsty he was. “Water,” he said. “Fresh water. Do we know if there is any on the island?”
“Brunning and a few of the passengers set out into the jungle at first light to see what rainwater could be collected from leaves and puddles,” Caspian reassured him.
Elias shook his head. “Rainwater alone will not be enough. We need to ascertain if there is a source of fresh water on this island and if it is truly clean or contaminated in some way.” His thoughts rushed on from there. “We will need to feed ourselves. We need to determine whether there are edible fruits or plants on this island, what sort of fauna it contains, and whether any of the plants or beasts here are poisonous or venomous. Islands such as this may appear to be paradise, but they are rife with a thousand dangers. We must?—”
Caspian rested a hand on Elias’s leg, silencing his increasing panic. “All will be well, Elias,” he said, still smiling, as if they were enjoying the comforts of some tropical holiday spot.
Every suspicion Elias had about his sweetheart rushed to the surface. “How do you know that?” he asked, meaning the question genuinely. “Who are you, Caspian? Where are you from that you have such knowledge of tropical islands and that you could survive being thrown into the ocean in the middle of a storm?”
Caspian grinned at him and laughed gently. “I have not proved that I know much about tropical islands at all yet,” he said.
Elias gaped at him. That was the bit of what he said that Caspian latched onto?
He opened his mouth to ask even more questions, but before he could get a single word out, Caspian shifted to face him more fully, cupped the side of Elias’s face, and leaned in to kiss him tenderly.
