Chapter 22 #2
At my cocked head, Rei explained that apparently Lyneca and Captain Larsel knew of a few islands around their current location, so they’d follow their direction and hope they happened upon us.
“And he said that we should build a bonfire so they can keep their eyes peeled for a smoke signal. He signed off with ‘Y’all better not die of dehydration, or I’ll have to bring you back to life so I can kill you myself. ’ Ha, I think he’s still pissed at us.”
I shrugged and resolved to give Ashkade the most suffocatingly tight hug of his life when I saw him.
I hopped to my feet, far more energetic than my companion, and helped him up.
“We should start by exploring. Keep your eyes peeled for fruit trees, berry bushes, clean water, and any animals we need to worry about.”
He moaned in protest. “Are you sure we can’t just relax? We’ve earned a vacation.”
Keep whining. I’m about to put your lazy ass to work.
A realization hit me that he hadn’t genuinely needled me in a long while, so I threw out an opportunity for him. “Is this the part where you complain for hours about being stuck on an island alone with a Siren?”
Surprise crossed his face, but it shifted into a smirk as he gently lifted my chin with his finger. “Oh, I don’t know…I think I could do a lot worse than being stuck with you.” He brushed his thumb against my cheek so briefly it might have been a mistake before pushing past me.
I didn’t know how to respond, so I grabbed a handful of sand and flung it at him. It coated his hair and prompted him to cackle and sprint towards the jungle, away from the beach and the ocean. Away from my home.
And I followed him, smiling.
We traipsed around the island, noting the location of anything that might seem useful.
The yellow-gold sand of the shore ebbed into a blanket of soft grasses that then melded with the plentiful foliage.
Further within the lush jungle was an entire grove of coconut trees and a few pineapple plants sporadically amongst them.
At least we wouldn’t starve. We were lucky to run across a stream of clean water that cut through the center of the tropical forest, perfect for boiling and drinking.
The shore on the opposite side of the island proved to be far rockier.
A moss-covered cliff of black stone jutted out over the ocean, but I was more interested in the crabs scuttling about between the nearby boulders.
Pelicans and gulls screeched high above, and insects sang and chirped from high in the trees as we made our way back to the other shore, gathering dry wood as we went.
I left Reiven in charge of attempting to build a fire while I shook a few coconuts from a tree. I brought them back to the grassy patch right between the jungle and the beach. We had determined that spot would be our camp, since the trees provided some shelter from the balmy wind.
Rei sat cross-legged, rubbing some sticks together over a pile of branches and dry grasses surrounded by stones.
And he was having absolutely no luck. We feasted on the ivory flakes of coconut meat after cracking them open with my knife and a sharp rock he found.
The water inside was deliciously refreshing.
Reiven grumbled and showed me his box of matches, damp and all but useless. “Might as well use these for kindling.”
“Well, I might be fine without fire, but you’ll definitely get cold. Keep trying, Rei. I believe in you.” I rested my hand on his shoulder without thinking, letting my touch and gaze linger.
I departed and returned an hour later with a bundle of sticks, only to find him snickering as he added his remaining kindling to a small campfire.
He ran his hand through his hair and said, “I actually managed to make a spark that caught on some of the grass. After several minutes of blowing on it and begging it not to die, here we are. We’d better keep it alive, though.
It’d be a pain in the ass to get it started again. ”
“I can’t believe one of those wet matches actually worked. Nice job.”
Reiven grinned proudly. “Now we can relax.”
“Go on and take a break. Just don’t let the fire die. I’ll go hunt for some shells we can use to boil some water for you. And when your break is over in an hour, you can gather more wood so we can make the fire bigger.”
He lay back in the grass, groaning, “Yes, mistress.”
I shushed him and left for the shoreline.
Hermit crabs scuttled for the water as I approached.
Rather than hunting for shells, I settled in the gritty sand, watching the crabs creep about, the pelicans dive for fish, the waves roll towards me.
I sat just outside the range of the water, chin resting on my knees.
Even with the waters of my home so close, my thoughts kept returning to Reiven.
The way he returned my kiss underwater felt so real.
My mind drifted to the first night we slept together in his cot, when his heavy breaths and the hunger in his eyes made me desperate for more.
His body had molded against mine so perfectly, yet it was infuriatingly incomplete.
I was a Siren. Humans held me captive for years. I should feel nothing but hatred for the entirety of their race, especially the worst of their kind—a former pirate. A Siren-hunter. Falling for one of them would be a catastrophic mistake.