Page 60 of Shadow

Her eyes snapped up, smoldering with a challenge that Beast didn’t take lightly. His low grumble vibrated within me, but I shoved him aside, unwilling to let him interrupt.

“I’m thinking about taking a day off tomorrow and touring the island,” I said, watching her closely. The flicker oflonging in her gaze was unmistakable, and the small sigh she tried to suppress cut deeper than I expected. I wished, just for a moment, that the look was for something other than leaving the citadel.

Desire was a game we had been playing since the night she drank the rum. It was a subtle dance of veiled innuendo and unspoken truths. Neither of us had crossed the line, though it felt thinner with every passing day.

She shrugged with forced indifference, but I saw through it. “As your prisoner, mentioning new surroundings is cruel and unusual punishment.”

I arched a brow, her sour mood tonight feeding my determination to draw her out. “You’re part of my escape plan, you know. You seem to think life for the rest of us is all fun and games.”

Her expression shifted, morphing from a pout to intrigue and back to frustration, each change more fascinating than the last.

“Should I beg you to take me with you?” she snapped, her voice sharp enough to sting.

“If you’d like,” I replied, my tone deliberately even.

Her fire was uncontainable, and when it focused on me, it set my blood ablaze. Beast surged, his own frustrations fueling mine, and for a fleeting second, I wanted to tell him to get over himself and accept this woman, and not just for sex.

She took a deep breath, her shoulders rising and falling as she exhaled slowly. “You’re needling me on purpose,” she accused, her voice calmer but no less pointed.

The grin I had been holding back slipped free, along with a nod. “I am.”

Her expression shifted again; the spark of humor extinguished by a veil of sadness.

“The Federation thinks I’m dead,” she murmured.

This week, for the first time, she hadn’t asked about returning home. It was an odd change; one I couldn’t quite unravel.

“They know you’re alive,” I said.

“How nice of you,” she snapped, bitterness lacing her words.

I didn’t bother responding. Itwasnice of me. Her government had made it painfully obvious they couldn’t care less about her. They hadn’t asked to speak with her once. Not even a coded message in the Morse system we used. No questions about her well-being, no signs of concern. It was as if her survival or lack thereof meant nothing to them.

Why they had sent her here in the first place remained a mystery, especially given the absurdity of her title as Secretary of Defense. None of it added up, but I would unravel it eventually. What was becoming harder to ignore was the growing realization that Marinah might not have the answers either.

∞∞∞

We set out early the next morning, or at least wetried.

“I’m not riding that thing,” Marinah declared, glaring at the vintage Russian two-stroke twin like it was some grotesque creature.

The bike was a work of art, its polished chrome gleaming in the morning sun.

“I’m not asking you todriveit, just to hop on the back,” I grumbled, already irritated. Leave it to a woman to drain the joy out of riding along the coast with the wind in your face, open air, and freedom.

She crossed her arms and planted her feet, her stance practicallyscreamingdefiance.

“I’ll eat pavement. And what about my hair? It’ll be in my face the whole time. And helmets? Where are those, huh?” Her eyes darted around as if expecting safety gear to materialize from the bushes.

Straightening up from adjusting the choke, something I had noticed was off yesterday, I mimicked her stance, arms crossed, exasperation written all over my face.

“You want to run back to your room with your tail between your legs? Be my guest.”

I was trying to stay civil, but Beast wasn’t helping. His grumbles echoed in my chest, testing my patience. He really needed to stop this behavior.

She glanced at the bike, and I caught the flicker of unexplainable longing in her eyes. Boot’s praise for her training had risen to the point that I was jealous it wasn’tmein the gym with her.

“Scared?” I challenged, tilting my head back to look down my nose. Just enough to push her buttons.

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