Page 27 of Blue Arrow Island (Blue Arrow Island #1)

Sometimes what looks like disease is actually cooperation, and what seems destructive is actually beneficial. There are fungi that appear to attack plant and tree roots, but really, they are helping them absorb nutrients.

- Excerpt from a lecture given by Dr. Lucinda Hollis in her Plant Biology course

I leave my room the next morning and walk out of the tunnel, planning to go to the Hub for breakfast before I start my shift in the garden.

Vance puts his hand between my shoulder blades, steering me in a different direction. I move away from his touch and give him a questioning look.

“We’re going this way.” He doesn’t even look at me as he says it.

“Can I get some water first?”

“Did I say we were getting water first?”

I narrow my eyes, his tone catching me off guard. “Where are we going?”

“The ring.”

“I don’t know what that is.”

He huffs out a sigh. “You’ll find out in about five minutes. Let’s go.”

Trepidation weighs down every step I take. I don’t want to follow him, but what choice do I have? I know this has something to do with what Ray said about me last night.

Everything was going fine. I was keeping my head down and feeling more like myself every day. Not just more like myself than I have since I got to the island, but since before Lochlan.

Vance has a sheathed knife on his hip. It’s just a few feet away, but with all the people around us, it might as well be a mile. He doesn’t have a snap on it; if I could grab the hilt, I’d be able to pull it free quickly. My fingertips twitch with the urge to do it.

But then what? I can’t make it on my own in the jungle. Especially not if Virginia is still looking for me. Whatever device this camp has that creates an invisible perimeter to ward off anything with active aromium, it’s the only thing keeping Virginia from getting to me.

We reach the furthest buildings I’ve been to in the camp.

I know one of them is the housing block for the security team, where Amira lives.

Dread curdles in my stomach as Vance leads me past the buildings toward a huge fenced area with a well-worn dirt path around it.

The fence, around six feet tall, is made of small tree trunks lashed together.

A small group of people rounds a corner, running on the path around the fence. Marcus is at the front of the group, and he’s only wearing shorts, low-cut socks, and shoes.

It’s all I can do to keep my mouth closed so my tongue doesn’t roll out of it.

His chest is as bronzed as the rest of him, slick with sweat and defined with muscle.

I swallow as he gets closer, my pulse racing with awareness.

He has defined abs and dark chest hair, a trail of it dipping beneath the waistband of his shorts.

And the scowl. I never thought scowls were sexy, but pair it with that dark, intense gaze of his, and sexy is putting it mildly.

He breaks off from the group and jogs over to us, sweat droplets flying from his hair when he runs his hand through it. When I scan the rest of the runners, I spot Amira in the back. She smiles and gives me a little wave, which settles my nerves a little.

“Hey.” Marcus jerks his chin at Vance. “I’ve got her. Join the run.”

“Oh.” Vance arches his brows, surprised. “I haven’t been running at all since I started guarding her.”

Marcus’s scowl deepens. “All the more reason to get your ass in there.”

“Right.”

Vance jogs after the group and Marcus turns his focus to me.

“Let’s go.” His tone is clipped.

“Wait!” I clear my throat as he gives me a questioning look. “Um, about last night, when Ray said?—”

He cuts me off. “This isn’t about that. I know what Ray’s about.”

My breath stills. “Are you...”

“Come into the ring and we’ll talk.”

He stalks off, leaving me a view of his broad, muscled back and his damn near perfect ass. Even his calves are defined with muscle.

I square my shoulders and follow. I need to relax. I’m a tightly wound ball of nerves. A few deep breaths help slow my heart rate a little.

The area inside the fence, which he called the ring, has a door built from small tree trunks. Marcus opens it and gestures for me to walk inside.

The space is wide open, the ground mostly covered in mulch. There’s an area with a pile of tree trunks and stacks of different-sized rocks. Next to it is what looks like a pull-up bar, well constructed from smooth, sanded wood.

Marcus stands in the middle of the ring, facing me with his hands on his hips. I try to look casual as I walk out to meet him, but I can’t help scanning the sky. This feels like a trap. Are arrows going to come flying over the wall at me?

“What’s going on?” I ask when I reach him.

He puts a hand out. “Relax. Nothing bad’s about to happen.”

“I’m fine.”

He pushes his brows together. “You look like you’re about to puke or pass out.”

Or pee my pants, but I don’t admit it. “Just tell me why I’m here.”

He exhales heavily, looking away and running a hand over his stubbled jaw before looking back at me. He’s usually clean-shaven. Now that I’m close to him, I can see dark circles beneath his eyes.

“I just wanted to talk to you in a place no one can overhear.” He crosses his arms and widens his stance, looking uncomfortable. “I keep things close to the vest for a lot of reasons. A big one is that I don’t want to worry my people.”

I nod slowly, more confused than ever about why he wanted me here.

“I’m asking you not to repeat anything from this conversation with anyone. You good with that?”

I open my mouth, then close it again. “I think so.”

His brows shoot up. I relent, nodding.

“Okay, it’ll stay between us.”

My gaze falls on a bead of sweat rolling down his chest. It trails into a line on the side of his pecs. I force my eyes up to his. They’re a mix of dark chocolate and caramel—possibly the only thing about him that’s remotely sweet.

“I’m on the team that does the last perimeter check every night. Last night, we found one of our emergency supply stores emptied.” Worry is etched into his expression.

“What kind of supplies?”

“Stuff we’d need if we had to evacuate this camp. Weapons, tools. Things Virginia didn’t have access to.”

“Fuck.” The reality of it hits me. Virginia is already terrifyingly strong thanks to aromium.

“Yeah. We have caches buried in several places around the island. I don’t know how she even knew to look for them.”

“You’re sure it was her?”

He shrugs a shoulder. “It’s probably her. But there’s a chance it’s the person whose knife you found.”

He’s so damn tall, and big, and intense. I force myself to keep my eyes locked on his.

“Who is she?” I ask. “Give me something. Friend or foe? Do you think she could be working with Virginia?”

He furrows his brow. “ He’s definitely not working with her.

And...” He rubs his jaw, looking like he’s at war with himself about whether to continue.

“Again, keep this between us. If our aromium shield ever goes down, we’re fucked.

Virginia checks it every day and she’ll know immediately.

The owner of that knife—if he’s still alive—is the only one who can help. ”

I turn and look at the fence, needing to think and knowing I can’t do it while looking at him.

The knife didn’t belong to a woman he’s in love with, which is more of a relief than I want to think about at the moment.

And despite his cool, I’ve got it all handled demeanor, leading this camp is more stressful than he wants anyone to know.

After a few seconds, I look back at him. “What would Virginia do if the shield went down?”

He shakes his head. “Honestly? She’d either boot us out of camp and take it over or kill us all and take the supplies. We’re dead either way.”

“They’re starving,” I murmur. “I get why she wants the supplies.”

Marcus’s expression darkens. “She doesn’t just want to feed her people, Briar. She knows I’ll feed anyone as long as I can turn off their aromium first.”

That revelation sends me reeling. “Really?”

“It’s a lot to take in, I know. You don’t respond well to...my usual questioning, so?—”

I laugh. “Does anyone respond well to it?”

He bristles. “Plenty of people do.”

I roll my eyes. “You want to know where I found the knife so you can try to find the guy it belongs to.”

“If he’s still alive, yes.”

“How long has it been since you saw him?”

A flicker of something passes over his expression, passing quickly. “About a year and a half.”

My lips part with surprise. “He would have had to live in the jungle alone this entire time?”

He nods. “Yeah, it’s a long shot. But it’s all I’ve got. And if anyone could stay alive in that jungle, it’s him.”

I cross my arms, matching his stance. “I’ll take you to the place I found it. But only if I get to come with you every time you search, and only if we can leave some food for Rising Tide.”

“What the actual fuck?” He turns around and paces a few steps, then returns to glare at me. “Tell me you think you’re funny and that was a joke.”

“Which part?”

He gapes at me like I just grew two new heads. “All of it! I try a softer approach and you respond like this? You said you wanted information for information and I held up my end of the bargain.”

I shrug, trying to look resolved even though I’m shaking inside. “Now I want something else too.”

He puts his hands on his hips, narrowing his eyes in a furious look. “Absolutely the fuck not. Tell me where it was.”

“Your softer approach sucks.”

I look away, hoping he thinks I’m unconcerned even though my heart is beating so hard I’m surprised my rib cage isn’t audibly rattling.

The location where I found the knife is my only leverage.

I need information about this island, and going with him is how I can get it.

Also, I can’t leave Olin and the others at Rising Tide to starve while I eat three meals a day. It’s not right.

The muscle in his jaw tics as he pinches the bridge of his nose, takes in several deep breaths and lets them out.

“It’s not safe out there,” he says, his tone measured.

“That’s a risk I’m willing to take. Put a weapon in my hand and you’ll find out I’m not as helpless as you think.”

“I don’t think you’re helpless.” He says it like I’m a five-year-old he’s trying to placate.

Fuck this guy, and all men who underestimate me. The well of fury inside me, usually at a steady simmer, is threatening to boil over. I tip my chin up a notch, holding his intimidating gaze.

“Pick a woman from your security team. No weapons. If I pin her within ten minutes, I get to go with you.” I hold out my hand to him. “Deal?”

Brows hiked up to his hairline, he stares at me for two long seconds before shaking my hand. His enormous hand dwarfs mine, his touch warming me all over.

“Okay, deal. One round only. No two out of three or three out of five.”

I laugh, knowing he doesn’t think I have a chance of winning. “One round.”

“Tomorrow morning, first thing.”

“Great. We can start searching right after. If Felix can spare me in the garden, I mean.”

Something in the way he’s looking at me makes the bottom of my stomach fall out.

“All this confidence because your dad taught you self-defense?” There’s an edge of amusement in this voice.

I told him and Nova during questioning that I had “some” fighting skills, but I made sure to downplay my abilities, just like I did at Rising Tide.

“He was a really good teacher.” I shrug.

We stand in silence, our gazes still locked.

This close to him, the pull of residual aromium is stronger.

I don’t even care that he’s sweaty. In fact, I might even like it .

Marcus doesn’t have the edges aromium gave Pax, but somehow, he seems even more powerful to me.

He could command me with his expression, his voice, or his touch, and I don’t know if I could?—

The aromium is taking over again. I clear my throat, making myself stay focused.

“And the food is part of the deal? We can spare it, and they’re starving.”

“That’s the idea. They’ve got a choice—food or aromium.”

I glare at him, his oversimplification aggravating. “Virginia’s not giving anyone that choice and you know it. She’s choosing. And there are children.”

His scowl returns. “You don’t get it. Those kids could kill us in two seconds flat. And they would if Virginia told them to.”

“It’s just some food, Marcus. Not a lot. We can leave it in a place they’ll find it so they can all have one good meal.”

He shakes his head. “This is a hard line for me. No way.”

My mouth comes up with a new deal before my head has time to think it through.

“Your two best female soldiers against me, one at a time. Five minutes each. If I take both of them down, you and I deliver food for Rising Tide. No one else has to know.”

He scoffs, then bursts into laughter. It’s the first time I’ve really heard him laugh, the amusement even reaching his eyes. It throws me off balance, because I like it and hate it at the same time. He’s laughing at me . But damn, that smile .

“You’re cocky as fuck. Our women are just as good as the men.” He holds his hand out. “Deal. And props for trying.”

Our second handshake sends the same thrill of awareness shooting through me as the first one did. How long will it take to be completely free of the aromium’s influence?

I pull my hand away, the reality of what I just shook on settling over me. I have a feeling Marcus’s people are very well trained, and I’m out of practice. There’s a good chance he’s right and I’ll get my ass handed to me.

But I’m too stubborn not to try.