A Shade of Doubt (A Shade of Vampire #12)(20)

I raced back up to my own bunk and, lying on my stomach, peeked over the edge. The spider was already beginning to make its way upward, onto Annora’s leaf skirt. I held my breath as it crossed the leaves and began crawling over her stomach, across her bare chest, up toward her face. Her eyes didn’t shoot open until it started climbing onto her face.

There was a muffled scream as she sat bolt upright. Her hands shot up to her face, which only squished the spider closer against her skin. Feeling its furry back, she lowered her hands again, now screaming so shrilly it hurt my eardrums.

She only had to endure the trauma for a minute or so before Caleb came swinging up the tree. Based on the terror in her voice, he’d probably thought one of us had just murdered the other. Gripping the spider’s back, he yanked it off Annora and dropped it onto the canopy of leaves beneath them.

Spoilsport.

I moved my head out of view again. I found myself wondering if the spider had bitten her. She was still moaning, which gave me hope that it had. Now we just had to wait and see if its venom really was deadly…

Once Annora stopped sobbing after half an hour, I finally started to drift off. Then a cold hand touched my shoulder. I opened my eyes to see Caleb staring down at me.

“Caleb?” I said innocently.

“I want to finish my tour of the island,” he whispered. “And I want you to come with me.”

I looked down at Annora. She appeared to be sleeping again.

I didn’t need a second invitation. I sat up and as he moved his body closer to my bunk, I wrapped my legs around his waist, my arms around his neck. He put one arm around my waist, supporting me as he leapt downward from branch to branch.

I held him tighter as we hit the ground and he began running forward. I closed my eyes, burying my face in his neck, wanting to lose myself in him. I wished he would keep running forever. Across the ocean, away from this island, away from Annora. To somewhere Caleb and I could be together without any interruptions. No distractions. Just us.

For now, I appreciated him taking me away from her, if only for an hour or so. I felt him stop running and he lowered me down. I looked around. We’d stopped at the other side of the crystal lake. I stared out at the beautiful, calm waters covered in lotuses.

Caleb caught my hand, pulling me to face him. He looked at me seriously. “You’ve been trying to say something for the last two days. There are no interruptions now. Talk to me.”

Finally, I did. “I-I want to know what Annora’s return means for us.”

He remained silent for several moments, his eyes roaming my face. I was reassured that his grip on my hand didn’t loosen after I’d asked the question. If anything it tightened.

I held my breath as his lips parted, fearing his answer.

“I loved Annora. Deeply. Madly. I doubt I would have put up with her all those years if I hadn’t. When I saw her again on the submarine, as a human… and she kissed me the way I’d wished she would for the longest time, I was afraid. Afraid that all those feelings would return.” He slid his hand beneath my chin, tilting my head up to look directly into his eyes. “But they didn’t, Rose. I wondered at first whether it was just the shock of seeing her and the rush of feelings would come later. But they still haven’t and now I doubt if they will ever return. She’s… different than the girl I fell in love with. Even though she’s human again, she just doesn’t feel like that same girl. I’ve come to realize that I’m more in love with the memory of her than I am with her. I just feel… numb. You, on the other hand…”

I held my breath. He took a step closer to me, slipping his hands either side of my waist and resting them on the small of my back. Dipping his head, he rested his rough cheek against mine as he whispered: “My heart still races every time you glance my way, Rose.”

The emotions coursing through me left me barely able to breathe, much less speak.

Catching my lips in his, he backed me up against a tree. I felt tears in my eyes as his lips caressed mine, slowly, tenderly. I relished every second that kiss lasted, and when he broke apart, I gripped his hair and pulled him down for more. I was starving for him. I felt like I could kiss his lips all day, just standing here lost in this perfect moment.

“So you’ll still come back to The Shade with me?” I gasped.

He kissed me harder until I felt the tips of his fangs against my lower lip. “If we can find a way off this island.”

“What about Annora?” I whispered.

He paused, furrowing his brows.

“Until we can find somewhere safe for her to stay, I am responsible for her.” He stared at me, apparently reading my thoughts. “I can’t just abandon her.”

I feared he might say as much. Caleb was a man of valor and responsibility. After all, he’d grown up in a time very different to mine. Even after all Annora had done, I couldn’t imagine him leaving a young woman alone and helpless. His old-fashioned values were a part of him that I loved, but in this case I couldn’t deny that they were annoying.

“She’s not going to be welcomed by anyone in The Shade,” I said bluntly.

“Oh, I know.”

“Then what could we possibly do with her?”

He looked out at the lake. “I don’t know yet. But while we’re figuring out how to get off this island, we have time to think about it.” He turned back to me, pressing his lips against mine once more before picking me up again, guiding my legs to wrap around his waist. “We should finish scoping out the island now.”