Page 10

ten

MOLLY

Ev got voted out on day fourteen.

I felt bad for my role in that, but as much as I kind of liked his personality, I didn’t know the guy. Keeping him around was too much of a risk.

I didn’t know Cam’s past, or a whole lot about him, but I did know that he would treat me well.

And that we could have fun together.

Jim went on day seventeen.

Harker was gone on day twenty.

And then, there were five.

The mood on the island grew more serious as the numbers dwindled. Kyle still wasn’t wearing pants, but everyone else was.

We were all aware that there were only two more votes before we got down to the final three. And when we got to the final three, it would be my game, not theirs.

No one was sleeping much. All of the guys seemed suspicious that I’d sneak away with someone if they closed their eyes for too long, so there were always at least two men awake.

Which meant I hadn’t had the chance to be alone with Cameron in ages.

We were still on the same page, I thought.

But I was getting more nervous about how little I knew about him, and the fact that I was going to be mated soon.

We would have time to get to know each other a little more when the voting was finally over, but still.

It was a huge decision. One that would determine the rest of my life.

The ride to the challenge on day twenty-four was quiet.

The speedboat was squished, as always, and I still wasn’t next to Cameron. Luckily, I’d managed to put myself between Chris and Reid, so Kyle’s junk wasn’t anywhere near me.

When we landed on the beach of a large, jungle island, my forehead creased.

There were no visible obstacles or events in sight, which seemed concerning. The only time that had happened was on the first day, when the guys hunted for the shitty survival gear.

I took my seat on the bench Rhett gestured me to, and he cleared his throat.

“I’m sure you’ve all been waiting for this day,” he drawled. “Because it’s care package day.”

Kyle whooped.

Reid whistled.

Travis smiled.

Cam grinned.

Chris did a little dance.

“Today, no one loses,” he said. “Everyone goes hunting for their package, and everyone comes out with it. Whoever finds Molly’s gets thirty minutes alone with her. Everyone else gets ten. First guy back goes first, and etcetera.”

No one had any questions, so they all headed into the jungle.

They did so with far less energy than they had the first day, though.

Rhett sat down next to me. “Only two more votes,” he said.

“Seven more days, and I’ll be a mated woman,” I agreed, trepidation making me a little nauseous.

Or maybe that was all the fish. I hoped to never be the reason another sea creature died after I left the island.

“Each of the guys’ bags has an asset folder. This is one of their largest chances to convince you to pick them,” Rhett said.

Asset folders.

Lovely.

“The Society is impressed,” he added. “They put together the first episode and aired it already, and it was a hit. Survival will be a regular after this.”

I grimaced. “Yay.”

“Most of the men will be coming back for the next season,” he said, watching me closely.

“That sucks for them.”

“The majority are too close to dying to have any other option.”

I bit my lip.

I hadn’t thought about that in a while. The dying thing.

If I didn’t mate with Cam, what were his chances of surviving?

And if I didn’t mate with him, who else would I choose?

Definitely not Kyle. That was a hard pass.

I didn’t want Travis, either.

Or Reid.

Or Chris.

Chris was probably my second-best option. He wasn’t an ass. He just sort of went with the flow, and obviously picked the right group to ally with from the beginning. I’d never been on a date with him, so he had either been holding back like Cam, or he was just worse than Kyle at all the challenges.

Both of which seemed like possibilities.

Whatever happened, I was pretty much trapped. And I really didn’t like knowing that.

“Who won’t be coming back if they don’t win?” I asked, hoping the question was vague enough. Rhett had seen me with Cameron, so he knew our plan even if we hadn’t had the chance to talk about it in a while.

“Just Cam,” Rhett said.

I bit down harder on my lip.

The first guy emerged with a bag a few minutes later.

I expected Kyle. He wouldn’t care about finding my supposed care package. He just liked to win.

Instead, I got Cam.

He must’ve wanted privacy when he showed me the package he’d put together, or he wouldn’t have let himself get back first.

My eyes widened when he walked out in a very familiar yellow sweatshirt.

He winked at me, and I sat down with him at Rhett’s instructions. The spot was tucked away so no one else could see us, but close enough that we were still within Rhett’s line of sight.

“Are you kidding me?” I asked, fighting back a smile.

He winked. “Good morning, Sunshine.”

I laughed, and he pulled the sweater over his head before handing it to me.

“Where’s your asset folder?” I teased.

He grinned and pulled it out of his bag, handing it over. When I opened it, I found pictures of a pretty house that looked over a gorgeous beach.

“There’s sand?” I asked.

“I’ll keep it off the floors for you.”

I made a face, and his grin widened.

Below that, I found a few pictures of the interior of the house, which were all beautiful.

I paused when I found the ones beneath the house pics.

There was a picture of him with my grandma.

One of the coffee shops I frequented.

My favorite grocery store.

My favorite movie.

My favorite couch pillow.

My thermostat, set much lower than it would’ve been if I were the one paying for it.

I closed the folder and met his gaze.

He handed me a bag of my favorite candy—the same lollipops he’d caught me eating when he walked into my apartment and gave me that nickname.

Then, he put a small box on my lap.

My throat swelled when I realized what it was, but I didn’t open it.

“This was supposed to be your care package,” I said, my voice growing quieter.

The smile on his face was playful, but soft. “I care about you.”

“I feel like I barely know you,” I admitted. “Yes, I trust you. But you know all these things about me, because you were guarding me. Who are you ?”

His smile faded, slightly. “That is a very long story. Not one I can tell in the three minutes we have left.”

I nodded, though emotions were still gathered in my throat.

Cam packed everything except the asset folder back into the bag, and left it next to me. “Better leave the sweatshirt and ring in there until we get down to the final three.”

I nodded again. “Do you think you can do it?”

His lips curved upward. “Hell, yes.”

A snort escaped me, and he winked before he stood up and walked away.

Despite my uncertainty, one thing was very clear.

Cameron did care about me.

Kyle was second.

He dumped everything out of his bag, and showed all of it to me.

A hat with his favorite football team’s logo.

A pair of expensive socks.

A picture of him and his sister. That one made me feel kind of bad for not liking him, honestly. He seemed proud of her, and I knew there weren’t many female fae. He’d probably been a good, protective older brother. I’d always wanted one of those.

After those three things, he pulled out his asset folder.

He showed me dozens of pictures of his mansion, his pools (yes, pool s ), and his massive garage full of luxury cars. He gave me bank statements, and a plan for the monthly allowance I’d have.

“How do you feel about your mate working?” I asked him.

He laughed. “I’d be ashamed if my female ever had to lift a hand a day of her life. Providing for you is my job.”

Oof.

I mean, that was probably someone’s dream answer.

Just not mine.

“What would I do with all my time, then?” I asked.

He shrugged. “Whatever you want.”

“What if I wanted to work?”

“Then you’d find a new hobby, or we could travel or something.”

That answer was slightly better.

It just wasn’t what I would’ve hoped for.

Kyle wasn’t a horrible guy, but we weren’t compatible. If he made it to the end, which seemed likely, I’d have to pick literally anyone other than him.

Luckily, our time was up soon. He put his ballcap on his head, tugged his fancy socks on, and grinned as he left me sitting on the sand with the folder.

I didn’t bother glancing up at him.

I’d seen plenty of his junk without getting a glimpse of him wearing nothing but socks.

Travis was next.

Like Cam, he brought things for me in his care package. They weren’t as personalized, but he didn’t know me before, so that was understandable.

There was a massive, melted bar of chocolate.

A thicker, warmer blanket than the one I already had.

And a locket necklace with a picture of his house in it. Apparently, he lived on a private island, in a mansion of his own.

His asset folder had pictures of his home as well as ones of his family. He didn’t have a bank account summary sheet, or anything like that, which made me feel like he’d be a better option than Kyle, at least.

Reid was the fourth guy, and he proudly showed me photos of the apartment complex he owned and lived in. His penthouse was on the top floor, and had a gorgeous view of a large city I’d never visited before.

His package had a letter for me, written by his mother, trying to persuade me what a perfect mate he’d be. It was accompanied by a family heirloom ring that I quickly handed back. I told him I’d accept it if I chose him on the final day, and he reluctantly agreed.

Afterward, I learned that his parents lived in his penthouse with him.

That was a hard pass.

I was sure they were lovely people, but I wanted privacy.

Chris was the final competitor to return, and he did so with both his bag and my own.

Granted, my bag was one I’d never seen before.

We spent the next half hour laughing over the stupid items the Society had sent for me. I noticed Cam watching us at one point, but didn’t think anything of it.

It included a tiny, hot pink bikini that was somehow even smaller than the green one I had on. Also, a box of condoms, and a mesh sunhat that absolutely wouldn’t keep any sunshine out of my face.

The Society was made up of assholes.

Ass.

Holes.

But, Chris was decent. He lived on a ranch out in some southern state I’d heard of, but never visited. There was no sand but a lot of dirt, which he warned me about.

Everyone who paid attention knew how I felt about sand.

He had three younger brothers, all of whom were already mated. Two of them had been on Bachelorette , and won, but I hadn’t watched any part of their seasons.

Despite his big family, Chris was fine with whatever I wanted as far as children went. He didn’t care whether or not I worked, and would support me either way.

It seemed like he just wanted a companion, which I could understand. I hadn’t spent much time alone, given that Cam had been guarding me 24/7, but having no one on your side felt like shit. It had been me against the Society ever since I got my bloodwork back. And Cam had always seemed like part of the Society, given his job.

So… that was something to think about.

There were a lot of somethings to think about.

At least I didn’t have to think about the vote. Reid had been on the outs for a long time. As far as I knew, he hadn’t even been voting with the other guys. So, Reid was going home.

I hoped I could somehow get the next vote to go against Travis, so I could choose between two good options. Cameron vs Chris felt like a much different decision than Cam vs Travis.

I wasn’t including Kyle.

He’d make it to the end, but our personalities absolutely didn’t work together.

Anyway, Chris left me with his entire care package too. It was full to the brim with prepackaged desserts and candy. He apologized for not being able to pack real food, but that had been against the rules, apparently.

When we made it back to the island, I passed out desserts, melted chocolate, and lollipops for everyone to share. We all chatted and had a good time pigging out on sugar.

Afterward, we all felt like shit, and everyone crashed in the shelter. It was quite possibly the best day I’d ever had on the island.

Everyone was quiet again while we walked to the voting area. I was at the back of the line, and Kyle was the only guy stupid enough—or smart enough—to walk beside me.

It was the first time I’d been to the vote since that first day, but it was worse than the first one.

My heart sank as Rhett read the votes.

Chris

Reid

Chris

Chris

Chris

Reid was supposed to go home. How had the vote switched to Chris?

The only thing I could think of was the way I’d caught Cameron watching me laugh with Chris.

But Cam wouldn’t have come up with the idea to vote out my only other good option, would he? If he was booted at four, after getting rid of Chris, I’d have to choose between Travis, Kyle, and Reid.

And Travis would’ve been the best option.

Travis .

So it couldn’t have been Cam’s idea.

…Right?