Page 19 of Castaway Heat
After a few seconds, Ronin’s eyes fluttered open. He stared up at Shiloh, blinking a few times before rolling to his side and dragging himself upright. Ronin embraced Shiloh, holding him tight. Shiloh wrapped his arms around his alpha’s neck, elated they were both still alive.
Ronin pulled away and cupped Shiloh’s cheeks. He planted kisses all over. “Thank the gods you’re alright.” He smiled. “We made it.”
Shiloh clasped Ronin’s wrists, running small circles on the underside with this thumbs. Tears filled his eyes. “We made it.”
After another long hug, Ronin pulled back. He looked up and down the beach. “Have you seen any other survivors or signs that the island’s inhabited?”
“No signs of either. Just flotsam washed up on the beach or floating nearby.” He grinned. “And you.” He fought a sob. “I was so scared when I woke up alone.”
Ronin hugged him again. “You’re not alone anymore. I’ve got you.”
“I’m so tired, Ronin,” Shiloh murmured.
“I know. I am, too… but wehaveto find help. If not that, water and shelter of some kind.”
“Where do you think we might be?”
“Haven’t the foggiest,” Ronin said.“Somewherenear Fiji is as close as I can guess.” He forced himself onto his feet before offering Shiloh a hand. “We should investigate the island. See if we can find help.”
Shiloh agreed. They walked hand-in-hand down the beach. At least the view was spectacular. The sand was the whitest Shiloh had ever seen. The glare off it was near blinding, though. The water was crystal clear and intensely blue. Palm trees swayed all around and the rich, verdant green on the opposite side of the sand was lush with trees—though there were black rock outcroppings poking out here and there.
Almost an hour later, they’d seen no signs of other survivors—but theydidstumble upon the remnants of an old, weathered, broken pier.
“This means the island might be inhabited. Or was at one point.” Ronin looked toward the center of the island. “I don’t know if we should head into the rainforest and see what we might find or continue ahead on the beach.”
“I vote the beach. All I can imagine is snakes hanging in those trees,” Shiloh said.
“I’ve been to Fiji many times and I don’t recall ever seeing a snake.”
Shiloh shivered. “But we don’t know where we are. This place could be infested with them.”
“The beach it is,” Ronin murmured.
Another hour later, they returned to the same spot where he’d found Ronin unconscious.
“Great. A big circle of nothing.” Ronin glanced up at the sky. “We don’t have much daylight left. We need to find shelter of some kind for the night. If there was a pier, maybe there’s astructure we can use. I suggest we return to the pier and go inward.”
“Orwe could root through the luggage washed on the shore and make ourselves a tent,” Shiloh suggested. “If we move into the trees, rescue planes overhead might not see us down here.”
Ronin searched his face a moment. “You’rethatscared of snakes?”
“Terrified,” Shiloh whispered.
Ronin mulled a moment. “How about we return to the dock? Along the way, we can collect anything from the luggage that might be useful. You stay on the beach and tie together clothing and I’ll go into the forest and find us some wood to hold up our makeshift tent.”
“About as good a plan as any,” Shiloh said, relaxing.
By the time they returned to the pier, the sun was getting lower in the sky. Shiloh sat on the beach with their collected items and got to work tying loose bits together to fashion a tent of sorts. As he watched Ronin nearing the edges of the jungle, fear swept over him. All they had was one another and he didn’t want something to happen to his alpha inside that forest. There could be dangers at every turn.
“He’s a big boy and can take care of himself,” Shiloh told himself, focusing on the damp fabric in his hands, realizing it wasn’t going to do much of anything to protect them from the elements. Luckily the skies were clear. If they stayed that way, at least there would be a little shade, if nothing else. “Stop worrying. We made it this far. We’re going to be okay.”
As the minutes stretched into what felt like an hour with no signs of Ronin, Shiloh reminded himself that his alpha was big and strong over and over again. Just before the sun dropped below the horizon, Ronin appeared, a smile on his face.
But his hands were empty.
“Where’s the wood?”
“I found something better,” Ronin murmured. As he neared, he lifted a plastic bottle of water toward Shiloh.
