A Shade of Doubt (A Shade of Vampire #12)(31)

I dried myself with the shawl Caleb had found earlier. I turned around to see Caleb ripping off leaves from a cluster of bushes nearby. I walked over to him, eyeing him questioningly. He’d found the ripped pair of pants I’d discarded on the bank the day before and, removing the elastic from the waist, began to string it through the broad leaves to form a skirt.

I watched with fascination as his nimble fingers completed the garment. He looked up at me, beckoning me closer. He tugged away the shawl I was holding around my body and wrapped the skirt around my waist before knotting the elastic at the side.

I was impressed. It was long enough to make me feel comfortable wearing it, but not so long as to get in the way. The leaves were also softer than I’d imagined they would be. They felt almost velvety against my skin.

Using the piece of elastic he had left over, he began stringing it through two more broad leaves. Then he stood up, kissing me deeply as he reached around me and adorned my chest with the bikini.

“Wow,” I said, eyeing the complete result once I’d recovered from his kiss. I looked at him. “And what about you?”

I could see he’d been so absorbed in thinking about my own modesty that he hadn’t yet stopped to consider his.

He cast his eyes around the bank, an amused look on his face. “Do you think a skirt would suit me?”

I laughed. “Um. Probably not.”

He furrowed his brows. “Then what do you suggest I wear until my own pants dry?”

Still giggling, I picked up my torn pants. There was no elastic left in them, but we could use the fabric to string something together… I picked some more of the velvety leaves he’d used for my bikini.

“Can you rip three long strips off the fabric with your nails?”

He did as I’d requested and handed them to me. My skills weren’t as impressive as his, but after a few minutes I’d managed to fashion him something half decent.

I held it up to him.

“How about a loincloth?”

He grimaced as he took it from me and fastened it around his waist.

“Sexy,” I said, giggling as he finished putting it on.

He rolled his eyes.

“How does it feel?” I asked.

“Stupid.”

I laughed harder. At least it was better than a skirt.

Picking up his own pants, he walked over to the water and washed them, laying them out to dry on a stone near where I’d left my underwear.

Then, bending down so I could get onto his back, he carried me back to the foot of our tree and climbed with me up to his bed.

I climbed up first, crawling to the edge to make room for him. He was about to follow when the inevitable finally happened. Annora returned.

Caleb’s and my eyes shot downward as we heard the creaking of a branch. I groaned internally as her dark head approached closer and closer until she had reached our level. Since she’d found me about to climb into Caleb’s bed, I expected her to throw me a deep scowl. She didn’t. She barely even looked at either of us as her eyes fixed on her clasped hands.

Caleb slipped off his bunk and stood up, staring down at her. “Where were you?”

Her voice was deep and cracked as she responded. “I thought we needed a time out… I needed some space to think about things.”

Caleb and I exchanged glances. He looked as confused as me.

“What do you mean?” he asked.

Annora sighed deeply before finally raising her eyes to his.

“I’ve been thinking about you, about me… about Rose. First, I need to apologize to you, Rose.” Her gaze fell on me. “I was the one who set the submarine on fire.”

I gaped at her. Caleb exhaled sharply.

Why would she admit to that?

“I was so blind with jealousy seeing the affection Caleb held for you. I wasn’t thinking straight. I’m not sure that you’ll ever forgive me, but I’m sorry.”

She leaned back against a tree, clutching her left arm. Caleb and I remained speechless. “It’s not fair that I resent either of you. I neglected Caleb for many, many years. I can’t just expect things to be the same as they were.” Her voice trembled, and I thought she was about to break down, but she swallowed hard and continued. “I’m going to step back.”

I could barely believe my eyes as she gripped the engagement ring on her finger, pulled it off and handed it to Caleb. She had tears in her eyes as she looked at him, her chest heaving. “It’s better you have this back.” She reached for his hand and closed his fingers over the ring.

Then she turned to me again, placing a hand on my shoulder. “I won’t get in your way again. And I’m sorry for all the harsh words I spoke to you earlier. You didn’t deserve them. I just needed the time I spent apart to clear my brain and think things through. And as I did, I realized I felt like a monster for my behavior… So again, I’m sorry. I wish the two of you happiness. I’ll no longer be in your way. I suppose we’ll have to try to find a way to get off this island. When we do, you can drop me off somewhere and I’ll… I’ll try to start a new life away from all this supernatural craziness. Perhaps, in a few years, I’ll meet a new sweetheart of my own.”

Caleb’s mouth opened and closed, but no words came out. I was sure I looked like a drowning fish too as I tried to understand what game she was playing with us now. It felt like she’d just had a personality transplant. Or been possessed.