Page 71 of Venom Island
“How?” Enrique asks.
But Xavier merely smiles.
“Apparently, they’ve befriended dragon smugglers,” Elias mutters. “Something about the rocks in certain mining areas of this island provide for excellent trading. Give a dragon a box of stones in exchange for a few Omegas, andvoilà. You have Venom Island.”
“I never confirmed that,” Xavier tells him.
“You didn’t have to,” Elias bites back. Then he looks at Enrique. “So what’s it going to be? Fancy guns or a job?”
“A leadership position that comes with promised assistance in nurturing your brother back to health,” Xavier clarifies dryly.“And we can trade for guns, should that be something of interest to you.”
Elias grunts. “Mine are not tradeable.”
Xavier shrugs. “Yours are not the only ones available.”
“They are one of a kind, though,” Elias points out.
“As are other grades and types,” Xavier drawls.
Enrique just shakes his head. “I need to talk to my mate.”
“Fine, fine,” Elias agrees. “But hurry up. I want to go home today.”
Enrique nods, then pulls me away.
We walk in silence for a while, Enrique seeming to take in the various structures built into the lagoon-like landscape.
There’s a large tower with waterfalls all behind it, streaming down from a mountain.
Glancing up, I see the sheen of glass hovering above it, confusing me greatly.
“It’s a dome,” he tells me. “I have no idea how they made it, but I’m guessing dragon shifters had something to do with it.”
“I’ve never heard of dragon shifters,” I whisper. But then, I wasn’t all that familiar with vampires either until Guðrún.
I frown, thinking of her, and then the others.
“Do you think they’re okay?” I blurt out, causing Enrique to frown.
“The dragon shifters?”
“No, sorry, the other Omegas. Guðrún, Hel, those Arctic wolves…” I trail off, swallowing. “They didn’t land here, did they?”
He shakes his head. “No, they didn’t. And honestly, I don’t know. Ander said there’s no way to track where they landed, and all the islands are out of X-Clan jurisdiction. We wouldn’t even know where to start hunting or whom to work with to begin the hunt.”
I shiver. “Oh.”
He pulls me close, the two of us pausing on a path near one of the waterfalls. “I’m sorry, Caja. I… I don’t know how to help them.”
I bite my lip. “I don’t know either.” And I hate that. I hate that we can’t help them.
But this world… it’s about survival.
I’ve known that my entire life.
And I’m certain the other Omegas learned that lesson early on, too.
Enrique pulls me into a hug. “I’m sorry,” he repeats.
