A Shade of Doubt

  “Well, perhaps we should let Caleb decide for himself who deserves him.” She extended a hand. “Let’s just see who Caleb chooses now that I’m back, shall we?”

  I gripped her hand, squeezing it in a firm shake.

  I wasn’t going to let Caleb fall back into this bitch’s arms. Even if Caleb didn’t love me I would rather he ended up with any other woman than this wench.

  “Game on,” I said through gritted teeth.

  Chapter 8: Rose

  Annora left my cabin and headed straight for the control cabin again. I watched with amusement as she knocked, only to be completely ignored by Caleb. Even when she called to him through the door, he didn’t answer. Throwing a scowl back at me, she walked back to her own cabin and slammed the door shut behind her.

  I was fed up of sitting in my own cabin, so while I didn’t go to Caleb—I wasn’t sure that he wanted to be around me either—I went for a walk around the submarine to stretch my legs. As I was descending a flight of stairs down to the storage chambers below, the vessel shuddered suddenly, making me lose balance and fall to the floor. My stomach turned as I felt us rising. I winced as my knee whacked against a sharp metal step.

  What was that?

  I heard two cabin doors click open. I retraced my steps back to the front of the sub to see Caleb standing in the corridor with Annora. He looked up at me as I approached, a grim expression on his face.

  “We’ve run out of fuel,” he said. “I thought we might be able to make it to land, but I miscalculated.”

  He brushed past Annora and me and walked toward the ladder leading up to the hatch. When we climbed up it, there was a grinding of metal. As the hatch opened, Caleb groaned as sunlight streamed down over him. I hurried over, breathing in deeply as fresh sea air filled the chamber. Annora was about a step behind me.

  Caleb’s feet disappeared through the hole. I hurried up the ladder after him, peeking through. We were in the middle of the ocean, the sun beating down on us. At first I couldn’t make out any sign of land at all. But then I saw it—a faint outline of a shore in the distance.

  I felt a sharp pain in my ankle. My eyes shot downward to see Annora pinching me.

  “Hurry up,” she hissed.

  Scowling, I took my time in climbing up on to the roof to make way for her. It pained me to see Caleb standing in the sun. He could barely see with the glare of the sun reflecting off the waves and bouncing into his eyes.

  Annora brushed past me, almost making me lose balance and fall into the waves. I gripped hold of a pipe, pulling myself to the center of the boat. She walked up to Caleb, removing her shawl and covering his head and shoulders with it to shelter him from the sun.

  “What now?” she asked.

  Caleb stepped away from her and walked to the end of the vessel, staring out at the land in the distance.

  “I didn’t notice it on the map… but that seems to be an island a few miles away. We need to reach it.”

  He walked back toward the hatch, passing Annora and approaching me. He stopped, allowing me to climb back down before he entered in after me.

  Shut the hatch on the bitch, I couldn’t help but think as Caleb lowered himself down.

  As Annora turned the wheel of the hatch shut, we all stood together on the floor of the sub. “I’m going to see if there’s any way to jumpstart the engine to move us forward, just until we reach the island. If we can do that, we’ll be very, very lucky.”

  He disappeared down the steps. Annora, predictably, followed him. Unlike her, I had no interest in following Caleb around like a lost puppy. I walked to the control cabin and stared at the map. Caleb was right—this island appeared to be unmarked. I gripped the back of a chair as the submarine shuddered again, the engine beginning to hum and splutter.

  A few moments later, Caleb and Annora entered the room. Caleb resumed his seat behind the controls.

  “It restarted. We might just make it to land…”

  I watched with bated breath as Caleb urged the vessel forward. It soon became apparent that we were nearing shallower water. The sea bed, covered in rocks, boulders and multicolored flora, was beginning to emerge beneath us. Eventually the submarine hit soft sand.

  We climbed back out of the submarine again. Standing on the roof, I found myself gazing out at a pristine white sand beach lined with coconut trees. Further inland, there was dense vegetation. It looked like a jungle.

  “What is this place?” Annora asked.

  Caleb shrugged. We slid down into the water and made our way toward the dry sand. Caleb sped up ahead and rushed beneath the shade of the trees while Annora and I followed after him.

  As I turned my back on the island and looked back out at the ocean, I breathed out deeply. Great. Now we’re stranded on a desert island.

  If Annora hadn’t been with us, the idea of being stranded here with Caleb wouldn’t have been so unappealing at all…

  I quickened my pace to reach Caleb before Annora. She was panting already and we’d hardly traveled far at all. Apparently her powers had allowed her muscles to grow weak and lazy.

  I sat down with Caleb on a fallen tree trunk, staring at her as she struggled toward us through the sand. I looked past her at the submarine moored on the beach. At least there was still a stock of food for Annora and me on the vessel if we ended up stranded here for days. As for Caleb, I had no idea what we’d feed him. If he refused to drink blood from either one of us, which I knew he would, he’d have to go hunting.

  Annora collapsed as soon as she reached the shade, panting and spreading herself out on the sand.

  Drama queen.

  I looked out at the horizon. I didn’t need a watch to see that it was evening. The bright orange sun was descending over the ocean. We had perhaps a few hours left of sunlight.

  “The submarine must have a radio?” I said.

  Caleb grimaced. “It’s capable of contacting my or Stellan’s island. Nowhere else.”

  “Damn it.” I stood up, kicking sand beneath my feet as I paced up and down.

  The truth was, I wasn’t sure where we could head to even if the submarine was filled with limitless fuel. Even if the submarine hadn’t broken down. The Shade of course was my first choice. But after what Hermia said, I didn’t know if going there would be like riding right back into the jaws of the black witches.

  My breath hitched. I suddenly remembered Micah. I’d been so wrapped up in the idea of losing my family, and the situation with Annora and Caleb, I’d totally forgotten that we’d left him behind. I turned to Caleb.

  “What happened to Micah?”

  He looked concerned as he shook his head. “I don’t know. I lost sight of him in the waves as we were escaping Julisse and Arielle.”

  I wet my lower lip nervously. I hoped the witches hadn’t gotten hold of Micah. Or perhaps he’d made his way back to The Shade… and whatever lay in wait for him there.

  “You knew those two witches?” I asked.

  “I knew of them.”

  Annora began to fidget in the sand, annoyed no doubt that she wasn’t getting the attention she was seeking.

  Caleb stood up, leaning an elbow against a low-hanging branch and squinting at our surroundings. “At least while we’re here, it makes sense to sleep in the submarine.”

  I couldn’t have agreed with Caleb more. I didn’t fancy trying to sleep out here. God knew what kind of wild animals and insects came out on this deserted island at night. Even if we built some kind of shelter up in the trees, there could be poisonous snakes and dangerous insects.

  At least the submarine offered some level of comfort in this situation. There were showers there too—basic amenities that I suspected we would begin to cherish in the days to come.

  I shuddered as I realized we might not be any closer to escaping in a week than we were now. We had no communication device. Unless we found someone else on this island, we would be just as stuck here in a week’s time. No closer to escaping.

  We had to try not to
think about the future and just focus on surviving.

  Annora finally stood up and walked over to Caleb, taking his hand in hers. She stood right in front of him, trying to meet his eye. “I’m human now. You don’t need to worry about blood. I can feed you mine.”

  I rolled my eyes as Caleb scoffed. “You honestly think I would sink my fangs into you again?”

  She took a step back, looking hurt as he brushed her away.

  “Once night falls,” he said, “I’ll explore this island while the two of you remain in the submarine. I’ll scope out this place and figure out if it really is uninhabited or if there’s perhaps a town or village somewhere with boats.”

  “In the meantime,” I said, noting how red Caleb’s eyes were becoming, “we should return to the cool of the sub.”

  Nobody had any objections, not even Annora, so we walked back across the sand toward the sub. Before we climbed onto the roof, Caleb gripped hold of the front railing of the vessel, digging his heels into the sand and pulling the entire vessel with his bare hands until it was fully inland. He lowered himself through the hatch and reappeared moments later. He leapt back down into the water and, holding the vessel’s anchor, dug it into the sand. That would hopefully stop the submarine from getting swept away during the night.

  Then he helped both Annora and me onto the roof, and we climbed back inside, sealing the hatch above us.

  We headed to the control cabin where we all took a seat. Annora attempted to sit on Caleb’s lap, but he caught her by the waist and sat her down in her own seat. I heaved a sigh, rolling my eyes again. I wanted nothing more at that moment than to have time alone with Caleb. To hold him in my arms, feel his lips against my skin. But it wasn’t to be. Annoying Annora remained with us the whole time. Not many words were exchanged as we sat watching the waves becoming darker and darker.

  Eventually Caleb deemed it dark enough for him to leave on his excursion.

  I would have given anything to go with Caleb, to have some quality time with him, but I didn’t want to slow him down. It was better he went alone. Besides, if I went, Annora would want to go as well. She wouldn’t want me to ever be alone with Caleb.

  It was with a despondent heart that I watched Caleb climb up the stairs toward the exit. Before he left, he looked down at me seriously. “Lock your door when you go to sleep.” As an afterthought, he addressed Annora. “You too.”

  I nodded, watching him disappear and close the hatch behind him.

  Annora and I stared at each other.

  I had no reason to be out here now, so I left her and walked back to my cabin, locking myself inside.

  As I flopped down on the bed, Annora’s footsteps approached my door. To my surprise, they stopped outside.

  “Good night,” she called.

  When I didn’t respond, her footsteps continued along the corridor toward her own cabin.

  I wasn’t sure why she’d bothered to say that at the time, as I drifted off to sleep. But when I woke up a few hours later, coughing and spluttering as thick smoke choked my lungs and stung my eyes, I realized.

  She was planning to make this a good night for herself. The night she got rid of me.

  Chapter 9: Rose

  A deafening explosion pierced my eardrums. I rolled out of bed, landing on all fours. I scrambled toward the door, reaching for the handle and pulling it open. A blast of heat scorched my face, stinging my eyes. A wall of flames engulfed the entire corridor to my left and had almost reached my door. I hurled myself out, flattening myself against the floor.

  The flames were blocking the route to the exit. There was no way I would make it through there alive. The only direction I could head was right, toward the control room. Although I felt close to suffocating—my head faint—I forced my body forward with all the speed I could muster. I gripped the handle and pushed the door open before closing it behind me.

  It felt like there was more oxygen in this room. The door to this room was thicker. I was able to stand. I looked around the room for any plan of the submarine, hoping I could find an emergency exit. I hadn’t noticed one since I boarded. I cursed myself for not making myself aware of all the emergency exits as soon as I boarded. I was unable to find any plan of the vessel and the temperature in the control cabin was rising by the second. It wouldn’t be long now until the flames began licking the door.

  I stared at the large glass window and gasped. I had expected to see the moonlit beach. All I saw was a wall of dark water. The anchor had loosened—or been loosened—allowing the tide to claim the vessel.

  I began scrambling around for a heavy object. I found a box of tools beneath one of the seats and pulled out a screwdriver. I didn’t know if I would survive the sudden rush of tons of water spilling into this room, mixing with glass. It might cut me to shreds. But it was either this or certain death by burning alive.

  I found a pair of goggles in one of the drawers. Donning them, I didn’t hesitate a moment longer. Wielding the tool, I smashed it against the center of the screen.

  It didn’t smash. It barely even made a scratch. This was thick glass. I slammed against it again. A slightly stronger crack. Again and again I attacked the glass until finally it gave way.

  I barely had time to hold my breath before water crashed over me, smashing me back against the door. The force of it was so overwhelming as the cabin filled up with water, I could barely move my limbs. The breath I’d taken hadn’t been deep enough. As shards of glass ripped my skin, I was already feeling my lungs—weakened from the smoke—beginning to strain and only a few seconds had passed. The submarine began to creak and groan as water leaked through the door into the corridor, and the vessel began sinking.

  Gripping hold of a pipe in the ceiling, I forced myself forward. Although my limbs were screaming in agony, I continued to reach for fixture after fixture until I reached the window.

  I could only thank the heavens that I’d thought to put the goggles on. I could see what I was doing at least. Without them, I doubted I would have had a chance in hell of surviving.

  Squeezing myself through the cracked window, and grazing myself even more in the process, I kicked wildly toward the surface. A few more seconds, and I knew my lungs would give in. The weight of the submarine sinking was causing suction, dragging me down. I felt darkness closing in on my vision. Everything was becoming hazy.

  I was about to lose all hope of ever reaching the surface when a strong arm wrapped around my waist, jerking me up to the surface. As I was lifted up above the waves, I gasped for breath too early and swallowed several mouthfuls of sea water. I choked and spluttered, gasping for breath. My vision was still unfocused. My head felt like it was splitting in two. Even though I had air now, I was finding it hard to breathe properly. Each time I tried, it was only shallow breaths, not enough to satisfy my sore lungs.

  I was dragged through the water. I felt sand beneath me.

  “Rose.”

  The goggles were torn from my head. Legs closed around my hips. Hands pumped my chest. Fingers pinched my nose. And then a cold mouth sealed over my lips, breathing life into me.

  My vision came into focus for but a moment—enough to see Caleb’s chocolate-brown eyes less than an inch away. Then I lost consciousness.

  Chapter 10: Rose

  A warm breeze blew over me. I opened my eyes. I was staring up at a roof of glistening leaves. In the distance, waves crashed against the shore. I tried to sit up, but hands pushed me back down.

  “Don’t sit up so fast.”

  I turned my head to the side to see Caleb sitting beside me. I was lying on a bed of leaves piled on top of sand.

  His face was lined with worry as he looked at me. He reached out and touched my face, brushing hair away from my forehead.

  “Oh, thank God.” To my right, Annora knelt in the sand. She had a look of relief on her face. “We thought we might have lost you.”

  Memories of the burning submarine came flooding back.

  “Would you like som
e coconut water?” she asked.

  I just glared at her and turned the other way to face Caleb again. Caleb took the coconut from Annora and, sliding his arm around my back, helped me sit up and drink.

  My head still felt dizzy, though my cuts seemed to have healed. I guessed Caleb had dripped his blood into my mouth while I’d been asleep.

  He looked at Annora pointedly. “Apparently, something blew in the engine room and the force of the explosion unearthed the anchor.”

  Annora nodded. “I only just got out in time myself.”

  Clearly, Caleb had doubts about the story Annora had fed him. Though neither of us could prove that she had just attempted to murder me, I knew the truth.

  But I wasn’t going to bring it up with Caleb. I wanted to handle the bitch myself.

  “So now what?” I said, rubbing my head. “We’ve just lost the one safe place we had to sleep. Along with all the food and water we had there.”

  “I’d almost finished scanning the island when I heard the explosion and came running back.” Caleb said. “I found nothing but jungle and beaches during that time. I’ll need to complete the search still, but it doesn’t look hopeful.”

  That’s just great.

  I shot another glare at Annora. I hadn’t believed it possible to hate her more than I already did. Well, she’d just managed to prove me wrong. Thanks to her, we’d lost everything that would have made surviving on this island a bit more bearable—comfortable beds, showers, toilets, food, fresh water, and clothes.

  Now we had nothing but the clothes on our back. Hell, I didn’t even have shoes.

  Images flitted through my head of Annora and I running around in bikinis made out of palm leaves. Caleb wearing a loincloth…

  “What about you?” I looked at Caleb. “Aren’t you craving blood?”

  “I found a boar while I was out last night. How are you feeling?”

  “Okay. I think I can stand now.” Gripping the trunk of a tree nearby, I slowly propped myself up. Blood rushed through my head, blinding me suddenly. I closed my eyes, waiting for it to pass.