Page 17 of Castaway Heat
Screams sounded from the stairwell. All he could envision was bodies being sent flying against one another. Looking down at Shiloh’s face, he saw terror in his omega’s eyes. “Are you okay?”
Shiloh nodded. “I think so.”
Ronin waited a moment for the ship to right itself, but it never did. It was lodged on one side and felt like it was moving deeper onto its side. He crawled toward the door to the stairs, holding Shiloh beside him. After wrenching open the door, he found he’d not been far off the truth. Bodies laid all over. A man near him clearly had a broken leg, sitting at wrong angles. A few others had small cuts on their faces as they tried to rise to their feet.
“Are we going to be able to get out that way?” Shiloh asked. “Where do we go if we can’t?”
Ronin considered their options and hated that he didn’t know the ship better. The elevators were obviously out, and he suspected the other stairwells looked the same as the one beside them. His mind kept going back to the wall of windows and the deck outside it. They weren’t far from the deck that held the lifeboats. With the ship on one side, could they climb over and down to a lower deck? Or would the ship pitch again and send them into the ocean before they could? He was a strong swimmer, but could he make it to shore carrying Shiloh on his back? It would all depend on how far the nearest island was. A few miles he could manage. More, he wasn’t sure.
He couldn’t chance it.
“I don’t know,” Ronin said, frowning. “Why haven’t there been any messages over the PA? They should be directing us… giving us some idea what to do. There’s been nothing but the alarm.” He searched the hallway for the steward they’d spoke to but saw no one.
His frustration and dread weren’t good for Shiloh. He saw his omega’s eyed widen even more. Ronin took a deep breath.
“We try the stairs,” Ronin said. “And help as many on the way down as we can.” He shoved Shiloh ahead of him through the door. “Be careful. I’m right behind you.”
Shiloh wasoverjoyed when they finally reached the lifeboat but when he saw how high it was—and that it was nearly impossible to reach, he wasn’t so sure there was any joy left. Because the ship was tilted as it took on water, the side of the boat had basically become the floor. The many lifeboats, which had hung on the side of the ship during their voyage, were above them.
Passengers were scaling the side or using ropes to climb up to them. A few crew members were hanging out of the lifeboats, hoisting guests up and inside while others helped lift them up.
He eyed Ronin and yelled over the storm and cries from the panicked guests around them. “I need to look for Eirin and Sage. I’m going back.”
Ronin’s brows furrowed as he searched Shiloh’s face. “We nearly died getting out—and you want to go back in?”
Shiloh searched the deck around them, hoping to see their faces in the crowd. Not one familiar one appeared among those clustered around them. He faced Ronin. “Ican’tleave without trying.”
Ronin grasped his face with both hands, eyes wild. “There’s no way I’m letting you go back in there.”
“You won’t tell me what to do,”Shiloh screamed, indignant.
“I didn’t wait this long to lose you now!” Ronin roared, his hands trembling.
Shiloh could see Ronin’s anguish in his expression. He’d likely would’ve felt the same way if the tables had been turned.
“They could beanywhere.The ship’s filling with water. There’s not enough time.”
Shiloh closed his eyes a couple of seconds, his heart aching. “They’re my friends.”
“They’re grown men,” Ronin roared over the winds. “They have the same chances for survival you do.”
Shiloh wasn’t so sure of that. His were better because of Ronin at his side.
“You can be angry at me all you want, but you’renotgoing back in there. You’re getting on one of those lifeboatsnow.”He scowled. “You are my future, Shiloh. Icannotlose you.”
Shiloh held Ronin’s stare a second before giving in.
Ronin kissed him before spinning Shiloh to face the boats. They pushed into the crowd awaiting their chance to climb into a lifeboat, many of them shoving and jostling to get in front. Ronin held him with one arm around his waist, ensuring they didn’t get split up.
Lifeboat after lifeboat was filled and send toward the ocean. There were few left and a lot of people still in need. By the time they’d gotten to the front, there were only two lifeboats left, but they held a lot more than he’d imagined going by the others.
Shiloh noticed an elderly couple nearby and shoved them ahead of him.
“No!”Ronin yelled over the storm.
Shiloh turned to glare.
“You go first so you can help me get them inside. I’ll carry them up after you.”
