“Hold on tight,” I growled, holding Rose closer against my chest as I leapt into the starry abyss.

Chapter 35: Rose

After Rhys had put me to sleep on the boat, I’d come to again once Rhys had already jumped through the crater. The free fall had forced me to consciousness and the next thing I knew, we’d landed on a black pebble beach beneath a tall grey statue. The warlock had refused to answer any questions as he carried me toward the cave, but, despite the agony my leg was causing me, my addled brain managed to come up with some theories.

I thought back to the first time I’d met “Micah”. He’d been floating in the ocean calling for help, claiming he’d strayed outside the boundary and needed our assistance in coming back in. That was how the warlock had first entered The Shade. The real Micah must have strayed past the boundary in search of fish, and that was when the warlock had caught him.

I’d seen with my own eyes how Corrine had managed to turn my mother into my father. I doubted it would have been much of an effort for Rhys to turn into a werewolf. I shuddered to think where Micah might be now, if he was still alive.

I remembered how keen he’d been to stray from the boundary that day on Sun Beach. If Saira hadn’t swum up to stop him, he would have made off with me then.

And to think I’d been beginning to fall for his act… I thought back to our conversation in the boathouse. Rhys had likely made up everything he’d told me about Micah’s tragic past. It had all been designed to evoke sympathy from me and draw me closer. The real Micah likely had a completely different story.

Although I’d managed to piece together some parts of the puzzle, there were still so many questions clouding my mind.

Once Rhys had gained entrance onto the island, why hadn’t he taken the opportunity to sneak more witches in and overpower Mona? If he’d done this, it wouldn’t have been difficult to take over The Shade and our supply of humans.

And why take me of all people? Why would the witches throw away the chance to take over our island just to have me, a weak human girl, kidnapped again?

Nothing made any sense.

My blood was still boiling at the warlock’s deception. I felt almost as angry as I had when I’d believed Caleb too had been a lie. Only in his case, I’d been mistaken.

Now that Caleb had jumped back through the gate with me, I had no idea what was on the other side. I thought we might arrive in Stellan’s or perhaps even Caleb’s island. But when we reached the end of the tunnel, I landed on a bed of wet soil. I gasped for breath. The air was heavy and humid. A symphony of chirping, hissing and buzzing pierced my eardrums. In the distance was the sound of thundering water.

I opened my eyes, trying to adjust to the darkness. We had landed in the undergrowth of some kind of jungle. Sharp-leaved bushes surrounded us. I stared up at the canopy of trees—so thick it shut out the moonlight but for a few shafts.

Caleb stood a few feet away, casting his eyes around the area. He walked over to me and gripped my arms, helping me up. My leg still useless, I had to lean against him for support.

“Where are we?” I whispered.

Before he had a chance to answer, the bushes rustled to our left. I let out a scream as I came face to face with a wild boar. Caleb grabbed me by the waist and helped me onto his back. Holding my weak legs around him, he began to run.

“We need to get far away from the gate,” he said, his chest heaving as we lurched forward with furious speed. I tightened my grip around his shoulders. He was travelling so fast, the jungle was a blur to me and it was a struggle to breathe.

My leg was already causing me agony, but now that it kept bumping against Caleb’s hip as he ran, the pain intensified. After what felt like fifteen minutes, I could no longer hold in my groans of pain. He stopped and laid me down on the ground. He crouched down next to me and rolled up the right leg of my jeans. But these jeans were tight and wouldn’t roll up high enough for him to reach my injury. To my surprise, he lowered his head to my thigh.

“What are you—?”

The tips of his fangs pierced through the fabric and grazed my skin as he ripped a gash in my jeans. He used his claws to tear the rest of the way around my leg and pulled the fabric away, leaving my skin bare, my injury in full view.

His breath hitched. I dared not look down. The pain was overwhelming enough as it was, I was afraid I might lose consciousness again if I saw how mushy a wound the warlock’s sharp boot had caused. I kept my eyes on Caleb’s face.

Extending a claw, he slit the center of his palm. Holding the back of my head with one hand, he held his bloody hand to my lips.

“Drink.”

I refused to drink my own parents’ blood, let alone Caleb’s. But my suffering was now so overwhelming, even I wasn’t stubborn enough to refuse. I held his forearm and sensed his muscles tense as soon as my mouth touched his skin. I ran my tongue gingerly along his palm, lapping up his blood like a cat would do milk.

I held my nose, trying to avoid experiencing the taste. But it had such a strong flavor, I tasted it all the same.

Caleb made me keep drinking for several minutes. Finally he let go of my head and allowed me to sit back. But as soon as I did, my stomach began to churn and I felt a burning in my throat. Crouching on all floors, I retched, remnants of the last meal I’d eaten spilling all over the soil. Spinach lasagna laced with vampire blood. Yum.

Caleb reached an arm around my waist and forced me to stand. I groaned, pre-empting the pain I’d become accustomed to in my leg, but found I was able to stand straight without even needing to lean on him. I stared down at my knee. It looked quite normal. My skin was grubby and covered in dried blood, but it seemed intact. I ran my hands over my skin over my face and my arms, my lower lip—the cuts seemed to have healed.