Page 58 of Corrupted Lies

That smile quickly faded. “What are we going to do, Jake?”

Knowing they had to be smart about this, he’d made the decision to focus on their immediate needs first. As much as he’d love to just pick Alannah up and transport her off the island and back home, that wasn't something he could do. They couldn’t just jump back in the water and hope to swim to some other more populated island, there wasn't even anything else within sight. So shelter and water had come first. Tomorrow, after the storm, he’d find them something to eat, then they’d work on figuring out a longer-term plan including how they might attempt leaving the island.

But right now, what Alannah needed was rest not obsessing over a problem with no immediate solution.

“Come here.” Shifting slightly so he was a little closer to her in the small space but still blocking most of the entrance with his body, she didn't hesitate. Once he had her in his arms, snuggled against his body, he laid them both down. Curling around her so she wasn't exposed to any wind, and was closer to the fire for its warmth and comfort, he held her snug against him.

Which was nice.

Holding her like this was intimate in a different way than sex would be. Sex could just be sex, it didn't have to mean more, but cradling another person in your arms was deeper. It meant something.

Right now he just wasn't sure what.

“I don’t want you to think right now,” he told her.

“How do I stop thinking?”

“By closing your eyes and remembering that for now we’re safe, and mostly warm and dry. Soon we’ll have water to drink,and then we can work on a plan. The best thing you can do for both of us right now is sleep.”

“I'm not sure that I can. I'm so tired but … the fear, it’s too much,” she admitted in a soft whisper.

His heart cracked at her declaration. He was supposed to be her protector, but all he’d done was fail epically over and over again.

And this might be his biggest fail of all, because there were no guarantees either of them was making it off this island alive.

October 19th

6:07 A.M.

It felt like they'd gotten sucked into a time vortex rather than gotten stuck on a deserted island.

Time just moved so slowly.

Didn't help that the storm had been going on for hours so they were stuck in the little shelter she’d helped Jake to build. Well, he’d done most of the work and she’d just followed his instructions, not that Alannah had minded, it had given her something to do so she didn't give in to the panic threatening to consume her. It had also helped that it reminded her of summer days playing in the woods for hours.

Thankfully, the shelter had been able to withstand the storm, the location Jake had chosen was protected by the trees, and he’d clearly known what he was doing. His calm, steady, sure tone as he’d talked her through what he was doing and what he wanted her to do had also helped keep her from losing it.

Aware of the fact that she’d done nothing but twist and turn all night, Alannah did her best to remain still. She wasn't theonly one who was exhausted, and she knew she had kept Jake awake all night.

He was the kind of guy who wouldn't allow himself to sleep until she was asleep. While she’d done her best to fake it, she was guessing she hadn't done a very good job, which meant neither of them had really slept at all.

Why she couldn’t just close her eyes and give in to the exhaustion weighing heavily upon her she had no idea. It wasn't like she wasn't tired enough, she felt like she could go to sleep for a month, it was just she couldn’t seem to shut off her mind.

Jake told her to leave worrying until the morning, and in theory, it all sounded so simple. He was right, for now they were warm and dry, but that didn't change the fact they were still stuck on an island she had no idea how they were going to get off.

The only times she’d managed to drift off to sleep, that sleep had been ruined by nightmares where she and Jake were trapped there forever, dying a slow death without enough food and water.

Honestly, she’d rather be awake and exhausted than sleep and live out her worst fears.

Because she really had been trying to allow Jake to rest properly even if she couldn’t, Alannah hadn't asked about the water they were collecting. If she told Jake how thirsty she was, she knew without a shadow of a doubt he’d head out there to get her a drink. With the howling winds and pouring rains, he’d be soaked and frozen, not that he’d complain about either, but she’d feel even more awful than she already did.

All of this was her fault.

If she’d just agreed to go with him and the rest of his family, none of this would have happened. Jake would be really safe, warm, and dry right now instead of huddling on the hard ground, before a small fire, in a tiny shelter, on a deserted island.

Tears filled her eyes, but she held them back.

Crying would only disturb Jake and make him worry more than he already was.

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