Chapter 48
CHAPTER 48
Rosalina
W aves crash against my mind in a gentle rhythm. Grainy sand coats my lips and cheeks. I flutter my eyes open, and it’s bright, so bright. Not just the sky, but white sand and brilliant green foliage. Disoriented, I slowly push myself up, sand clinging to my damp clothes. The scent of salt fills the air.
I take in my surroundings. The flotsam and jetsam from the ship lie scattered across the beach, wood and barrels and rope. I rub my eyes, trying to make sense of what happened. Memories flood back in fragments: the fierce winds, the roaring waves, and the desperate struggle to stay afloat. Dayton pulling me from the water.
Dayton.
“Day—” I gasp, voice hoarse. There’s a shape farther down the beach. I stagger to my feet. “Day!”
I run over, sink to my knees before him, and heave him onto his back. Damn, he’s heavy. Dayton starts to cough and sputter seawater on his bare chest. Relief washes over me.
“Hey, Blossom,” he croaks, dragging his knuckles across my cheek.
I can only imagine what I look like right now: waterlogged with wild sea-crusted hair, and ripped clothes.
“Any sign of the ship?” Dayton sits up.
We must have been out for hours. The sea is smooth as glass, azure water spreading as far as I can see, but no sign of any ship.
“Do you think they’re all right?” I ask.
A pained expression crosses Dayton’s face. “Most of them.”
It’s still hard to fathom. He jumped into the water, abandoned his crew, his mate, to save my life.
Dayton staggers to his feet and pulls me up as well. “We must be on one of the smaller Byzantar Isles. Most of them are uninhabited.”
Towering palm trees sway gently in the breeze. The beach gives way to foliage that leads up to a high point on the island.
“I could use my thorns to take us back to Castletree or Corsa Tuga,” I explain. “But I’ve never been to Hadria. There are no thorns there to travel to.” I’m sure Caspian has some about, but it would be too risky. That could take us right into the heart of Kairyn’s stronghold.
Dayton shakes his head. “If we go back to Castletree, the only way to get to Hadria would be on foot, and that could take weeks. Corsa Tuga will be in shambles after Kairyn’s attack. We’ll find no help there.”
“So, what do we do?”
Dayton turns his gaze from the sea to the middle of the island. “We’ll find high ground. Perhaps from up there, we can see The Deathly Sky Dancer and make a signal. We’ll also need to find food and water.”
From the position of the sun, it’s late afternoon, but the heat has almost already dried my soaking clothes and hair. My stomach twists. We’re truly on our own out here.
Dayton does a quick scan of the beach, looking for anything useful, but there’s nothing but driftwood and rope.
He leads us into the jungle. The beach disappears behind us almost instantly, and we’re engulfed in dense bush. Vines drape from towering trees, creating a verdant labyrinth. Yet Dayton seems to know where to go in an almost instinctual way.
About an hour into traveling, he motions for me to stop and then clambers up one of the trees, swatting down two coconuts with a stick.
“There’s an easier way to do that.” I smirk up at him. A golden briar shoots up from the earth, knocking the remaining coconuts free.
“Think you could make me a little knife with that?” he says, jumping back down to the ground.
I’m not as practiced with it as my bow, but after a few moments, I manage to craft something with a sharp edge. Dayton takes it from me and cuts open the tops of the coconuts. “Drink.”
I hadn’t realized how parched I was until the liquid slid down my throat. It’s slightly sweet, with a nutty undertone. As soon as I finish one, Dayton hands me a second, which I take eagerly.
“We should keep going,” he says, then continues into the jungle.
I keep following him. It’s uncomfortable, the humidity coating my skin with sticky sweat, and although my clothes have dried, they’re salt-crusted and stiff. I just know my inner thighs are going to be raw and red tomorrow.
But it’s also beautiful. The jungle is alive with bright blooming flowers and the symphony of chirping birds … which I can hear clearly because Dayton has barely spoken two words since we’ve left the beach. I walk up beside him.
“Is everything all right?”
“Yes.”
“Day?” I grip his arm and he whirls around to face me.
“Why didn’t you go below deck when I asked?”
“I was trying , but I got knocked over!” It suddenly comes back to me: the words he spoke right as the storm hit. How he loathes me. “Do you regret jumping in after me?”
“No, of course not.” He runs a hand through his hair. Something’s clearly still bothering him. “Just drop it, okay?”
“Look, I know this isn’t ideal, but we’ll find the ship again. We’ll get back to the crew and … and your mate.”
“I might not even have a mate anymore,” Dayton snaps, then continues into the jungle.
My stomach sinks. What does he mean? What happened after I passed out? “Dayton, wait.”
I rush after him, and we break out of the treeline onto a rocky outcrop overlooking the island. The vista stretches before us. Below, the lush greenery meets the glittering ocean. There’s not a single ship on the horizon.
“What do you mean, you might not have a mate anymore?” I ask.
He shakes his head, avoiding my gaze. “I mean, we have no idea what happened to the ship. No idea where they are.”
A warm breeze tousles my hair, and I step closer to him. “Can you feel her?”
“What do you mean?”
I place my hand on my chest. “I can feel my mates in my heart. Even Kel, despite not completing our mate bond. I would know if they were dead.”
Dayton shakes his head. “I don’t think it works like that for me.”
It makes me sick to help Dayton strengthen his bond with Wrenley, but he’s clearly worried about her and it’s my fault they’re separated now. I step closer and guide his hand over his heart, but when I move to pull away, he keeps my hand cupped in his. My fingertips graze his sculpted chest.
“Tell me what to do, Blossom,” he rasps.
“Close your eyes,” I whisper. “Mine is like a warmth beside my heart. My mates flicker in the flames.”
He tilts his head, and his lips brush my hairline. “I don’t feel anything—”
“Just think about her,” I say. “The feel of her. Make a shape in your mind.”
“Mmm-hmm.” He presses his hand on the small of my back, drawing me closer against him.
My eyes close. “Imagine your heart is an arrow. Where does it lead you? Where is it guiding you?”
His other hand tightens around mine, and I feel the vibrant beat of his heart. I breathe in, getting lost in the intoxicating scent of his salt and sunshine skin. I squeeze his hand and he instinctively draws me closer, my heart beating in a wild tandem with his own.
“I feel something,” he says, and even without opening my eyes, I hear the smile in his words. “Like … like something beside my heart that isn’t my own.”
“That’s her,” I whisper, a silent tear running down my cheek.
I feel a flame in my own heart spark, one that doesn’t feel like Kel, or Ez, or Farron. But I’d believed so vividly that Dayton was my mate before, I won’t be fooled by this phantom flame again.
“Thank you, Rosalina,” he mumbles, words slurred as if drunk. It’s like he’s in some sort of daze. He leans down, his mouth gliding across my temple, salt-crusted lips caressing my cheek.
“Dayton,” I say, my heart beating like a war drum in my chest. My whole body is a moth drawn to the flame of his lips.
“Just a thank you,” he rasps, the edge of his mouth touching mine.
“Dayton, we can’t.” I shove him in the chest and stagger back into the jungle.
I hear him swearing behind me. I don’t slow, needing to get some space between me and the Summer Prince. Stupid. I was so stupid to let him touch me. Stupid to let him get so close.
“Rosalina, I’m sorry. I got carried away.” Dayton catches up and grabs my arm. “Will you just listen to me?”
There’s a snap of rope. Dayton looks down, then up at me. “Oh fuck.”
The grass and dirt beneath our feet shifts, revealing a rope net. It draws upward, whipping us up into the air and then dangling us from a tree high above the ground. My arms and legs tangle with Dayton’s. Before I can summon my thorns, before I can even scream, a silhouette emerges from the edge of the treeline. A fae, holding a huge trident in one hand.
We’re not alone on this island.