Leo probably hated her now. He’d never talk to her in the same open, carefree way. She’d miss that. But sacrifices had to be made in the pursuit of freedom. And she had to do what was best for her colony—even if that meant never seeing a glimpse of that dimpled smile again. The thought made her heart ache.
“I’d better go check on the prisoner then,” she said with a sigh, tucking the bags under her elbow. “Give him the update.”
Cascade shot up in the water, twirling as she went, until her tiny body was eye-to-eye with the mermaid. “How well does a vampire weather storms?”
Eina shot the flighty little creature a confused look. “Pretty well, I suppose. He is undead. A little rain won’t hurt him.”
She nodded and somersaulted slowly. “That is good. A storm went through while you were gone last night. I imagine that if he didn’t blow away, he’s probably quite wind-blown this morning.”
Eina gasped and stared up in the direction of the surface. She hadn’t expected a storm, but they could get nasty this time of year. She’d been too distracted by her desire to impress her sisters to feel the warning on the sea’s currents. And because of that nasty troll, her return had been far later than she’d expected.
If Leo’s shelter had blown away last night, he was a sitting duck for the sun’s rays. He’d burst into ashes as soon as they spilled across his handsome face. She clutched the ring around her neck and exhaled in fright. This was his only form of protection and she’d taken it away. If any harm had fallen to him, it was all her fault. She couldn’t bear to think of what waited for her above on that death trap of an island.
Without so much as a goodbye for her friend, she sped toward the surface, her heart threatening to burst from her chest. She’d been so stupid. How could she play with someone’s life like that? It had become clear several days ago that he wasn’t the unfeeling monster she’d imagined him to be. Instead, she’d turned out to be the monster.
Her whole body shuddered with self-loathing.
Her head burst through the surface of the water not far from the island. One glance at the tiny spot of land made her gasp. A storm certainly had gone through while she’d been away. It looked like someone had taken a giant machete to the sparse vegetation on the island and hacked it to pieces. No sign of the vampire as of yet. But the morning sun had already scaled the sky and targeted the island with its unforgiving rays.
She sped toward the beach, transforming her human legs in record time. Dropping the bags on the beach, she sprinted inland and searched desperately for any sign of Leo. In her heart, she knew he had to still be alive. She refused to listen to the voice in her head that told her she should be looking for a pile of ashes.
“Leo! Where are you? Talk to me.”
Her voice shook with emotion as she searched under the devastation. A few trees remained standing, but most of it had collapsed in messy, waterlogged piles. She stepped on a branch and cried out as it cut deep into her foot. There was no time to examine it. She had to find him.
“Leo!”
A stifled groan came from up ahead. For a moment, Eina thought she’d imagined it. But then it came again and she rushed forward, diving into a pile of trees and brush. She removed a branch and heard a hissing sound as something scrambled deeper into the shadows. Kneeling down to get a better look, she felt sweet relief course through her veins.
Leo was huddled beneath the mess. Gone was the suave, charming man she’d come to know. In his place was a mud-smeared animalistic creature, his eyes wide and unseeing. He hissed again when a ray of sun hit his bare foot and issued a sizzling burn across his pale skin. Eina rushed to readjust the brush so that he wouldn’t be hurt.
“Oh, Leo.” Her voice trembled as she spoke his name. He didn’t seem to recognize her. “It’s me, Eina. I’m here.”
He pushed back even further into the wet mess and the sharp, broken branches scraped against his bare arms and legs. Eina crept in slowly on her knees. She couldn’t be sure what she was dealing with here, but she knew she had to give him his ring back as soon as possible.
“Put this on.” She yanked the ring off her necklace and held it out to him.
He stared down at the ground, shuddering. She crawled closer until she was next to him. The smell of dirt, sea water, and fear hit her nose. She fought back tears as she gently took his hand and placed the small golden band on his right pointer finger.
“Oh, Leo, I’m so sorry. I never should’ve taken it.”
She pulled his stiff body into an embrace and laid his head on her chest. Small sobs wracked her body. All the fear and anxiety of the last few minutes had faded, but in its place she’d been left with emotion too strong to keep in. It left her body in salty tears running down her face and in a gasping, ragged breath. She clung to his shoulders, clutching him tight, as if she were afraid he would never recover.
They sat like that for what seemed like an hour. Eventually, her sobs subsided and she rubbed away the remaining tears. Leo had relaxed in her arms, his chest rising and falling in steady breaths. She’d assumed he’d fallen asleep, so when he spoke for the first time, a feeling of dread shot through her.
“What happened?” His voice was deep and gravelly. She felt him tense, but he didn’t pull away.
“My stupid pride happened,” she replied, fresh tears springing to her eyes. “I never should’ve taken your ring. When I got back this morning and heard about the storm, I raced here to find you.”
He gently disengaged himself from her arms and gazed into her face, doubt flashing in his eyes. “You were worried about me?”
“Of course, I was.” She made a face and swallowed down the lump that had formed in her throat. “I never wanted to hurt you.”
There was a glimmer of understanding in Leo’s eyes. He studied her face for a long moment, his jaw flexing as his mind seemed to work through all that had happened in the past few days. Finally, he looked down and reached out to gently touch the wound on her foot. She inhaled sharply, not sure whether it was the pain of the cut or the feel of his fingertips on her skin that made her react.
“Eina, you’re hurt.”
He pulled away enough to look into her eyes. Surprisingly, she didn’t see hate or resentment there. Only concern for her.