Page 44 of Blue Arrow Island (Blue Arrow Island #1)

You’ve heard of catfishing? Certain orchids are so perfectly able to mimic female wasps that they can fool male wasps into trying to mate with them. The males then, inadvertently, pollinate the flower. So if you see a wasp on Tinder, swipe left.

- Excerpt from the Introduction to Plant Biology course taught by Dr. Lucinda Hollis

Seven cells were carved into a hillside that faces the ocean when the Dust Walkers’ camp was built. Three of them are large enough to hold many people; the other four were designed for just one each. The cells are all empty, except for one of the smaller ones.

I’m walking alone down the path that descends to the cells, the lapping of ocean waves providing a peaceful backdrop. It’s the morning of the fourth day since we found McClain, and it’s my third day in a row of bringing him breakfast.

Marcus protested me coming on the first day, but I reminded him that solitude isn’t a punishment for a man who’s been alone for more than a year and a half.

“Oatmeal and toast today,” I announce, sliding the dish through the small opening at the bottom of the metal bars.

The reinforced steel cell seems like overkill for the slight man inside. I don’t know if McClain is trying to starve himself to death or if he’s ill, but he doesn’t look well.

I sit down on the ground, setting my own bowl of oatmeal beside me. McClain keeps his gaze focused on the ocean’s waves and doesn’t make a move toward his breakfast.

“Have you ever heard of flamboyant flame trees?” I ask him.

He shakes his head in answer.

“They thrive in tropical climates. They’re actually very cold-intolerant.

And when they bloom, they’re covered in beautiful orange-red flowers.

But their blooming season is short— a few months at most.” I pick up my bowl.

“So what if the flower we’re searching for has a limited blooming season and that’s why we haven’t been able to find it? ”

He clears his throat. “It’s a good theory. I was searching during the transition from dry season to wet season, though. That’s the least likely time for tropical flowers to be dormant.”

“But maybe you didn’t search in the right place at the right time.”

“It’s possible.”

I scoop a spoonful of lukewarm oatmeal into my mouth, breathing in the mix of saltwater and the light, sweet scent of plumeria.

“The people at Rising Tide are starving,” I say.

“Marcus isn’t withholding food to be cruel.”

Interesting that the man Marcus detests is defensive of him.

“I know, and I understand why he’s doing it. But food is precious here, and I think you should eat yours.”

He doesn’t respond, but a few seconds later, he picks up his bowl and takes a bite of the oatmeal.

After both of us eat our oatmeal in silence, he says, “We didn’t study the effects of turning aromium off and on. If Marcus is doing it, he may reach a point where he can’t turn it off.”

I don’t let my alarm show. Even though I know there are risks to turning our aromium on every day to search and off when we get back to camp, there are also risks to not turning it on.

We heard a group of Tiders in the jungle yesterday. We hid and stayed quiet until they’d passed. But we could encounter them at any point, and we’re walking targets without aromium.

I stand, brushing the dirt from the back of my pants. “I hope that doesn’t happen, but no one can convince him to stop doing it at this point.”

McClain looks up at me through the thick lenses of his glasses, his brow furrowed. “The long-term effects of aromium haven’t been studied, either. We fast-tracked everything.”

“The solar array was damaged in the last storm.”

The worry lines in his brow deepen. “Is it repairable?”

I shrug. “We’d have to cross through unprotected territory to find out, and Virginia’s just waiting for us to do it. She killed one of our team members last time and injured another one.”

McClain’s shoulders slump. “The shield will go down.”

“We’re searching for the flowers. It’s all we can do.”

He nods, his expression grim. “This is all my fault.”

“Maybe you’ll be able to do something to help.”

He shakes his head. “It’s too far gone. Even if I had the flowers and could make a stabilizer, Virginia wouldn’t let her people take it.”

“Let’s hope that’s a problem we get to work on a solution for.” I hold my hand out. “Can I take your bowl?”

He takes the piece of toast from the bowl and passes it to me. I nod to him as I take it and walk back to the rock path that led me here.

The past few days have been a contradiction of sorts.

Marcus brings me to the highest peak of happiness, both in and out of bed, when we’re alone together.

But we’re also running on borrowed time as we search for the flowers every day, because our supply of electricity is dwindling by the day and because every day his aromium is activated so close to full bonding, the more likely it is that it won’t go back off.

I’d be devastated if he was sentenced to a lifetime of aromium. When I start to think about it, I force the idea from my mind. We’re not there yet.

When I get to the Sub’s entrance, Amira, Nova, Chance, Wyatt and Adele are all gathered there, waiting for the rest of Command Team One to arrive.

A small tree nearby that had leaves yesterday morning is blackened and bare today, because yesterday afternoon Rising Tide members shot two dozen flaming arrows into our camp.

Thankfully, two of the security teams were drilling in the center of camp when it happened, and they were quick to get everyone sheltered and get the fires put out. One man was grazed by an arrow, but he wasn’t seriously injured.

Just when I think my anger for Virginia has peaked, she decides firing flaming arrows into a camp of innocent people is a good idea.

I should have finished her off when I had the chance.

She was restrained by vines and I had a knife.

I could have cut her throat and ended her, but I didn’t.

Something tells me that decision will come back to bite me hard later.

“Everyone ready?” Marcus asks.

He and Niran are approaching, and my stomach does a full somersault just from looking at him.

All six feet, four inches of him are mine every night, and I still can’t get enough.

We fall asleep wrapped around each other in his small bed, waking up sweaty the next morning in the tropical heat, but also content.

Maybe even more than content, but I don’t want to tempt fate by even thinking words like happy .

“Hey, B.” Marcus passes me a hair tie and my canteen, which he filled for me.

“Thanks.”

Niran smirks. “You two are gonna put me in a sugar coma. I’d think you just stare into each other’s eyes and recite poetry every night if my room wasn’t on the other side of the wall your bed bangs into.”

Marcus scoffs and rolls his eyes. “Put some lipstick on your hand and maybe it’ll feel more like a girlfriend, asshole.”

“It’s like a battering ram! I thought you might actually bang that bed all the way through the wall the other night.”

I clear my throat, my face warm. “Moving on. The flower we’re looking for may only bloom at certain times every year, so just because you’ve looked somewhere already, that doesn’t mean we shouldn’t search it again.”

“Stay alert,” Marcus adds. “The Tiders are probably out looking for us. If you encounter them, radio as soon as it’s safe.”

Ellison insisted she be there when our aromium is turned on and off, so she joins Stella in walking us to the perimeter where it can be safely reactivated.

“How’s everyone doing with being locked down?” I ask Ellison.

“There’s worry, of course, but overall it’s okay.”

Only essential workers are allowed out of the Sub. Everyone else remains sheltered in there because it’s the safest place in camp to be if the shield goes down.

“If you have a chance, tell the laundry and kitchen workers how much we appreciate them. Clean clothes and good food make our work easier. I know they work hard.”

She trades a glance with me, smiling. “They’ll appreciate hearing that.”

“This could be the day, guys,” Amira says.

After looking over the files on the computer about the flower, I can’t say I’m positive of anything about it.

But my best guess is that if it’s still here, it grows in well-drained soil rather than the swamp, and that it grows best in full sun.

I only told Marcus about those theories because I don’t want to limit the search areas of the other teams.

We reach the perimeter, and I stand beside Marcus as we wait for our turn.

“Please reconsider staying,” I say in a low tone meant for only him.

He shakes his head, refusing to meet my eyes.

Last night, he had a hard time with his aromium deactivation.

When he was walking it off, he vomited and almost passed out.

I’m concerned about him turning it on and off again today.

But he’s about as flexible as a brick wall, so he refuses to stay at camp while the rest of us go out.

We argued about it hard in our room last night, and I was so frustrated I tried to turn my back to him and go to sleep without us having sex.

It only took him about five minutes to change my mind.

“McClain still alive?” he asks me.

He doesn’t like me visiting McClain every morning, but he isn’t fighting me on it anymore.

“He is.”

“Awesome,” he deadpans.

Ellison finishes activating all six of the other team members’ aromium, sending them on their way. Once they’re out of earshot, she pinches her brows together and gives Marcus a serious glare.

“If you get sick when I turn it on, you’re not going out there.”

“I’ll be fine.”

“I hate to break it to you, but you’re not invincible.”

He gives her a placating smile. “Just push the button, El.”

She does, and she watches him as he paces away, hands on his hips and gaze on the ground. I don’t know which is harder for him—having the aromium turned on or having it turned off.

“Bring him back here if he’s having problems,” Ellison whispers to me. “I’m worried about him.”

“I am, too. I’ll do my best.”

“Radio if you need help,” Stella says. “I’ll do whatever I can.”

Ellison activates my aromium, and I feel like I just downed three cups of strong coffee. It’s not a bad feeling at all. Truth be told, I feel stronger and less vulnerable with aromium on, and I like that.

“Good luck,” Stella says.

“Thanks.”

I catch up with Marcus, touching his forearm. He jerks his arm away.

“You want to get shoved up against a tree and fucked?” he asks briskly.

My heart pounds. “I mean ... yes? Is that the wrong answer?”

He flicks a look at me. “I won’t want to stop if we start. Let’s get moving.”

I check our surroundings, patting my knife and my gun to reassure myself they’re where they should be. Then I follow Marcus, distracted by the way his back muscles are outlined in the light army green T-shirt he has on today.

Shaking my head, I force myself to look away. We have to find this damn flower, and I could miss it if I’m busy ogling him.

Finding the flower is a distant hope, but it’s the only chance we have. My only chance of seeing my sister again. I think of the photo of her as I walk past a thick, coiled snake.

It’s either find that flower or die trying.