There were dozens of conversations going on at once and they were all overlapping each other, so it was hard to focus on one.

As the night drew on, I hoped that people would turn in to bed and there would be fewer conversations, thus making it easier for me to concentrate.

I jumped down onto the rocks beneath the base of the castle and curled up in a nook beneath an overhanging rock, monitoring the conversations from this safer, less visible spot.

As it turned out, I was right in my assumption that people would start going to sleep.

What felt like a few hours passed and finally, I was left with only four conversations to decipher.

One sounded like it was coming from the ground level—some argument about the amount of human blood someone was trying to consume—while the other three were drifting down from the floors above.

As the argument on the ground floor faded away, I soon realized that the conversation on the floor most distant from me, perhaps even the top floor of the castle, was the most interesting.

“How could we have run out?” It was the angry voice of Rhys.

“I told Lilith we’d be ready to leave for The Shade!” A chill crept down my spine at mention of the island.

“I’m sorry,” a quieter female voice replied.

“Your palms were damaged much worse than I thought, and I underestimated our supply of mer-fin.” “What about the other two islands? Stellan’s, and our own back through the gate? There are kitchens full of ingredients there, Goddamn it.” “I already checked in both places.

We’ve run out.

I’ll need to make another trip to The Cove to retrieve some more.” Glass smashed.

“And how long will that take?” he seethed.

“You know that’s a question I can’t accurately answer.

But while I’m gone, keep drinking as much were-blood as you can down.

I’ll instruct Arielle to bring you a goblet five times a day.

It will help to build your strength until I can brew up my potion again… I’ll leave through the gate now.

And, Rhys, I promise I’ll be back as soon as possible.” Rhys grunted angrily as the conversation came to an end.

My mind was still fixed on The Shade.

What did they plan to do exactly? Were they finally going to attempt a full-blown invasion? At least, for now, it seemed that some time had been bought for the island.

But how much?

Chapter 20: Annora

I had to admit, I thought that the night Caleb finally sank his fangs into me might have been my last.

The hunger in his eyes was both terrifying and exhilarating.

He drank deep.

So deep my head began to feel faint.

But even as my vision became fuzzy, I didn’t struggle.

I still clung onto him tight, beckoning him to take more of me—all of me, if that was what he wanted.

But then he stopped.

Wiping my blood from his mouth with the back of his hand, he staggered back, as far away from me as he could on the deck.

His chest heaving, he turned his back on me and forced his gaze out toward the ocean.

I could only take his restraint and self-control as evidence that he didn’t want to end me.

I’d been right all along: he did still love me, and I just had to prove to him that I was still the girl he’d sworn to marry.

I felt a sense of elation as I stood there, watching him struggle to control his hunger on the other side of the boat.

His refusal to end me was the first step toward recovering what we’d once had.

I’d survived Caleb’s initial attack, and now he craved me.

Madly.

Deliriously.

I kept my distance from him for the rest of the night, as well as the following morning.

I noticed him putting more effort into navigating us toward a shore where he could drop me off, though I could still see land nowhere in sight.

In this old boat—unless we came across another ship—we had no chance of reaching land any time soon.

He fasted for the entire day, but as evening fell again and I settled down to sleep in my corner, he approached behind me, grabbed my waist and pulled me back against him as he once again gave into his craving for me.

I reached my arm around the back of his neck, once again pulling him closer, inviting him to take me fully, even though pain was shooting through me from his bite.

But as he’d done the night before, he regained control over himself.

I stared into his eyes—turned almost black with bloodlust—and brushed my fingers against his cheek.

He flinched as I leaned forward and kissed his neck, and shot back toward the opposite end of the boat again, cursing and slamming his fist against the wood.

But as morning broke, I woke up to a cupful of blood next to my head.

A long metal spear lay a few feet away from me, its tip tinged with red.

Caleb was nowhere in sight—though his breathing came from the inside of the cabin.

I smiled knowingly as I lifted the blood to my lips.

It was Caleb’s blood.

He couldn’t afford for me to waste away now, or he’d no longer be able to satisfy his craving.

He was addicted to my blood.

Now, it was only a matter of time before he became addicted to me.

Chapter 21: Rose

I couldn’t keep my head above the cloth for long if I wanted to stand a chance of clinging to Bella’s waist.

I found myself shivering.

I didn’t know how high up the dragon had brought us now.

A fierce wind whipped past us as it flew with breathtaking speed.