Page 9

nine

CAMERON

I fought the urge to tap my foot, sprawled out on the sand beside the fire.

Molly had been gone far too long. Ev and Jim were among the better options for her on the island, which she would likely realize if she spent time with them.

I just didn’t want her to realize it.

What if she enjoyed her time with them too much?

What if she realized she’d prefer one of the other bastards on the island?

I wasn’t going to walk away from her, regardless of whether someone else charmed her. I’d just have to figure something out.

Kyle plopped down beside me. We’d voted Kaden out an hour earlier, and he would not be missed. He had been the biggest remaining threat to my position in the game, so it was a relief to have him gone.

There were still other threats, of course.

They were just more manageable.

“So, what’s our plan?” Kyle asked.

“I thought we’d already figured that out.”

Kyle grinned. “Not that plan. What’s our plan to make one of our asses the winner? In case you haven’t noticed, our girl only looks at either of us when she has no other choice.”

I bit back my irritation.

She was my girl. Not ours .

It would be a great day when I could finally get her away from Kyle.

“I haven’t thought that far ahead,” I lied. “I guess as we get closer to the end, her options will dwindle, and she’ll be forced to give us a chance. We just need a third she doesn’t like, so the three of us can battle it out when we get there.”

Kyle nodded as if that was a reasonable plan.

It was bullshit, but he would learn that when Molly picked me.

He scanned the other guys. A few of them were sleeping in the shelter. Two were tossing a coconut back and forth on the beach. Three were adding more palm fronds and bamboo to Molly’s little shelter. That was probably an attempt to win her over by providing comfort.

It wasn’t going to work, but I wouldn’t stop them. I would make it more comfortable myself if I could do so without causing suspicion.

“Travis is our best bet,” Kyle finally decided. “I can talk about how shitty it is to be under compulsion during my next date with her.”

I nodded slowly.

The idea was poor, but I couldn’t tell him that.

“She might know that her mate can’t use his magic on her that way,” I said.

“Nah. We’ll scare her into thinking he can,” Kyle said.

I bit back a snort.

The man was a class act.

I agreed with his shitty plan, then started talking about sports to distract him from the competition.

A few minutes later, Molly’s boat arrived.

I resisted the urge to put myself at the front of the group and help her back onto the beach. Making myself a target would only screw my game, though I itched to claim her publicly.

Unlike me, Kyle didn’t hesitate. His was the hand that helped her.

It irritated me, but knowing she didn’t like him eased that.

It had been too long since I’d gotten her alone. Nearly a week. On the island, that felt like a lifetime. But with everyone’s eyes on her, there was no way to do so without putting a target on my back.

The guys in the shelter stumbled out in front of me, and I followed them to the group. We were at the back, but that was the best place for me at the moment.

Molly greeted everyone, taking in the fact that Kaden had been voted out. I expected her to go straight to her shelter, given that it was already late.

Instead, she headed for the campfire.

A few guys exchanged surprised looks.

Someone muttered, “Don’t overwhelm her. If we act cool, maybe she’ll make a habit of this.”

I bit back a snort.

If they tried to manipulate Molly, she’d see straight through them. I hadn’t had the chance to tell her every little thing about fae, but she was wickedly smart. She would pick up on their efforts even if she didn’t call them out for it.

A few of the guys reluctantly went back to the shelter to give her space.

Kyle followed her right to the fire, of course.

I sprawled out on the sand a ways in front of the two of them, not intervening, but staying close enough that I could hear. She had obviously taken a seat by the fire for a reason.

Ev joined the men in the shelter.

Jim headed for the bathroom.

Kyle asked her about the reef, and she gave him simple answers.

It was beautiful.

The sunset was gorgeous.

The food was good.

After a while, the guys in the shelter started snoring. One first, then a few more.

Molly whispered, barely loud enough for me to hear, “Kyle, can you see if Ev is asleep?”

That caught my interest.

“Sure.” Kyle strode over to the shelter, his footsteps loud. He whistled loudly as he went, and when he walked past it, called out, “Sorry, gotta piss.”

A groan sounded in the shelter, but it wasn’t Ev’s.

“You listening, Cam?” Molly murmured. Kyle was far enough that he wouldn’t have heard.

I dipped my head in the smallest nod, answering her question in a way that couldn’t create suspicion if anyone was watching.

Kyle shuffled back loudly before plopping down beside her again. “He’s out.”

The man’s whispers were so damn loud.

“We were talking on the boat, and Ev told me that you’re a threat,” Molly said, her voice soft.

Fuck .

Though she was talking to Kyle, I knew her words were for me.

“Bastard,” Kyle growled. “Why does he think that?”

“You’ve been winning so many challenges that he thinks you’ll make it to the end easily if he doesn’t get rid of you.”

That obviously wasn’t pointed to me.

I didn’t know exactly why he was going after me, and I didn’t think Molly would come right out with the answer. Not if it was something that could possibly make Kyle suspicious as well.

“He’ll be the next to go,” Kyle swore.

“Just be careful. If he realizes you’re coming after him, he could retaliate,” Molly warned. “And you don’t want him trying to convince everyone else that you should be a target.”

“I’ll keep quiet about it,” he agreed, though he had to grit out the words.

I doubted he would.

But I could probably spin it in a way that made it sound like Kyle was pissed just because Ev won a challenge instead of him. He obviously didn’t do well with losing.

“Good luck,” Molly said quietly. “I’m going to bed. Night.”

“Goodnight,” Kyle grumbled.

Though I didn’t let myself watch her go, I listened to her footsteps, and to the sounds of her shelter creaking as she sat down.

Kyle stormed over to me, glaring down at me. “Change of plans. We’re going after Ev.”

“Good idea,” I said, as if it was all on him.

He grinned wickedly, and when he held out his fist, I bumped mine against it.

He wasn’t alert enough to realize what was happening between me and Molly… but he was the perfect ally.