by Amira Rain
A bit uncomfortable, I slowed in my walking even further, not knowing how to respond.
Jason chuckled, giving me a light clap on the back. "No more serious talk for now. I can tell you want to get home, and I should be heading out of these parts before the patrol guarding this part of the jungle and beach circles back around."
He slowed his pace to a stop, and I stopped, too. The sun was now sinking very low, its light fading quickly, though there was still enough light left to reveal bright orange sparks in Jason's strawberry-blond hair. His eyes sparked and twinkled when he spoke next as well.
"Just meet me by the log one more time. Five days from now. Tuesday. Just meet me once more, and if you've thought things over further and still decide not to bring the amulet...well, fair enough. That's your choice, and we'll part as friends. And hopefully good enough friends that you'll send me pictures of Mr. Blinkers the next time you're back in New York.
“See, all I have left of him is my memories. Just sweet, sweet memories of that endearing little fellow with golf cart tracks all over his face. They gave him an air of charming ruggedness, don't you think?"
I burst into laughter once more, making Jason grin.
"I'm glad I could make you laugh, though I suppose I should give the credit to Mr. Blinkers. Keep those happy thoughts in mind, and think things over. See you Tuesday."
After giving me another grin, he began striding away toward the jungle.
The next several days, it rained buckets, the unusual weather matching my mood perfectly, because I hardly saw Eric at all, or Nate, either. They were constantly busy fending off attacks from Dominic, who'd stepped up his activity around the outskirts of the village. If Eric and Nate weren't gone dealing with the whole mess and protecting everyone, they were collapsing in exhaustion, just trying to get a bit of sleep.
I felt terrible for them, especially knowing that one little move on my part could end it all, but I'd have to betray Eric in the process, which I'd come to the conclusion that I could never, ever do. And I'd thought about it, seriously thought about it, during the long, rainy days, which made me feel ashamed. As tempting as it was to just make everything stop, like Jason had said, I felt like the brief thoughts of betrayal I'd had shouldn't have even crossed my mind.
I'd also had thoughts about telling Eric everything, but I just hadn't been able to get over the fact that Jason might be hurt as a result, so I hadn't even attempted to bring up the subject to Eric. I knew I'd never be able to forgive myself if Dominic retaliated against Jason. Not to mention that even if that wasn't an issue, I wasn't sure when I'd even be able to speak to Eric long enough to explain everything. I still hadn't even gotten a chance to tell him and Nate that I was pregnant. I figured I might be full-term and ready to deliver before I did.
To make matters worse, on the evening of the third day of rain, Nate called me with an unmistakable hint of sadness present in his deep voice. "The jungle is quiet right now, and I just wanted to hear your voice. I miss you, Liz. A lot."
Gripping the phone hard enough to break it, I cringed. It broke my heart to think of him missing me and pining for me when I was very much hoping that he was not the father of my baby. It somehow seemed cruel, though I could hardly help the fact that my heart had been swayed toward Eric.
However, even with that being the case, there was a little part of me that did miss Nate in return. After all, it wasn't that I didn't have affection for him and maybe even a bit of love for him; it was just that I loved Eric more.
Trying to speak the truth while at the same time trying not to mislead him about my true feelings, I responded to Nate quietly and tentatively. "I miss you, too. And Eric."
There was a long pause before Nate spoke again, as if maybe he was contemplating my inclusion of Eric in what I'd just said.
"We've both been thinking about you a lot, and we both feel awful about leaving you alone all these days. This won't be forever, though. We just killed another of Dominic's men tonight, for a total of three down in three days. Slowly, by defending our village, we're chipping away at them, until eventually, there won't be any of them left to attack us. And I know this may seem like a painfully slow process, and it is, but this is better than us attacking Wulfric Palms and having women and children caught in the crossfire of a shifter battle.
“At least this way, we can keep the fighting in the jungle, and away from all people who aren't shifters. Away from you, especially. I'm not sure I'd make it if anything ever happened to you, Liz."
I cringed for the second time during our phone call, my heart aching about what he'd said. If what I wanted to be true was true, his heart was going to be broken, even while Eric and I found our happiness.
I had no idea how to respond to what Nate had just said, but fortunately, I didn't have to. He soon said that he heard sounds of fighting just to the west of him and he had
to go, and we quickly ended the call.
Later that evening, Eric sent me a text that made my heart ache just as badly as it had when I'd been talking to Nate. It read: Just wanted to tell you that I love you so much. This will all be over soon, and we can get to planning our happy new life and making a baby together, just the two of us. Just hang in there. It will be worth it. Can't wait to spend forever with you.
I barely slept that night, and the next day, my resulting lethargy was apparent to Bev and Laura, who both assumed I'd been sleepless over missing Eric and Nate, which was definitely part of it, though not all of it, of course. Over lunch, which the three of us ate indoors with the two other clinic nurses on account of the continued rain, I fought an urge to pull Bev and Laura into my office and tell them everything, from Jason being on the island, to his request, to my pregnancy, to my fears that my baby might not be Eric's. Just everything.
But I knew I couldn't. Eric and Nate deserved to hear about my pregnancy before anyone else, and as far as Jason, there was really no need to say anything about him since he'd soon be out of my life for good. I'd decided that when we met again, I was going to tell him in no uncertain terms that my final answer about procuring the amulet for him was no. I'd thought it over and I wasn't going to do it, and I also hadn't been able to think of any other way I could help him without revealing everything to Eric.
I was also going to tell him that if he had any ideas about going into the village to try to take the amulet from the bunker himself, it would be very foolish for him to even try. Despite the fact that so many of Eric's men were needed in the jungle, he always left at least a dozen of them behind in the village to protect everyone.
Additionally, I was also going to tell Jason that I could never meet with him again. For one thing, after I gave him my final, unequivocal answer about the amulet, I couldn't see that we had anything to talk about anymore. For another thing, even if we did, the thought had occurred to me that maybe our meet-ups on the beach, with just the two of us present, weren't exactly right, as far as relationship ethics were concerned.
After all, I'd realized, if the situation were reversed, and Eric were meeting an ex in private, even if they were just platonic friends, I didn't think I'd be at all pleased.
For these reasons, I was determined to make Jason's and my final visit a very brief and to-the-point one. I was going to steel myself against all attempts by Jason to soften me up, particularly jokes about Mr. Blinkers. I was going to have to be hard, and I would be. I was going to get in, tell him my final answer in regards to the amulet, then tell him I could never see him again, but I wished him well, and then get out and be gone.
Early in the evening on Tuesday, after a long walk down the beach, I made it to our sitting log at the usual time. The rain had finally stopped, though the skies were still a dreary gray, with only a few rays of sun peeking out between the clouds every so often.
Jason soon arrived, giving me a friendly grin. "So, did you bring it? Did the attacks these past few days make you desperate to make them stop and get your man back home?"
Biting back a
groan of disgust that he'd thought I'd betray Eric so easily, I shook my head. "No. No, Jason, I didn't bring the amulet. And I came here to tell you that I never will. I can't see you ever again, either. This is goodbye."
Jason's amiable expression immediately became replaced by a look that could only be described as menacing. It was a look so dark and cold it instantly made a chill dance along my spine, despite the fact that the day was unusually muggy.
He took a step forward, narrowing his eyes at me. "You're right about that. This is goodbye. For you."
THE FINAL CHAPTER
The split-second Jason had narrowed his eyes at me, I'd been able to tell something was off. Way, way off. He wasn't himself at all. There was something much more threatening about him now than there had even been when he'd spoken so harshly to me days earlier. He wasn't the same Jason I'd dated for several years. He didn't simply seem stressed now. Something about him was spinning off its axis, and I didn't even know exactly what. Panic made my heartbeat begin to sound like a jackhammer in my ears.
Even before Jason had spoken his threatening words, about how this was indeed goodbye, for me, I'd begun reaching into my shorts pocket for my phone. While he was speaking, I'd been unlocking the touch-screen and getting it to the numerical keypad screen for placing calls without even taking my gaze from his face.
Now that he'd finished speaking and had taken another step closer to me, making the distance between us maybe only seven or eight feet, I froze, afraid to take my phone out of my pocket to dial Eric's number. Something about Jason's angry scowl just told me he'd knock my phone out of my hand immediately.
Instead of risking that, I decided to try to placate him in an attempt to de-escalate the situation. Trembling inside, I forced my lips to curve in a tiny smile. "I'm sorry, Jason. I didn't mean to make you mad. I should have never said this was goodbye for good; I was just being dramatic. We can still visit, even tomorrow again if you'd like.
“I'll even bring you the amulet. Maybe I didn't realize before how badly you need it, but I do now. I'll bring it. I promise."
My de-escalation act didn't sound convincing, even to me. It elicited a snort with a curled lip from Jason.
"You seriously think I'm going to believe you? Try again. I'm not an idiot."I took a little step back from him and his menacing eyes, trying to be discreet about it. "No, of course you're not an idiot. I've known you for so many years; of course I know that."
He snorted again, narrowing his eyes even further. "We actually only met very recently. Stupid bitch."
A gasp got stuck in my throat. I suddenly found it difficult to draw in air. Something had happened to Jason, and I couldn't even begin to fathom what. Not only had he never called me a bitch before, I'd also never even heard him say it in regards to anyone else. I honestly couldn't even remember him ever doing any name-calling at all, even to call someone a jerk. He'd always been very cool, calm, and collected. Even somewhat emotionless at times. He'd certainly never called me even the mildest of names before.
Folding his arms across his chest, he glared at me silently, and at that moment, with my hand still on my phone, I felt it vibrate. Someone was calling me. Maybe placing a call or just praying for the patrol guards to come around wouldn't be my only way to summon help, after all. I just needed to answer the call with my phone still in my pocket, then speak loudly, in order for whoever was calling, probably Eric or Nate, to hear me.
Carefully tapping my finger in the center of the screen in order to answer the call without simultaneously ending it at once, I tried to distract Jason from the action by talking. "I'm not going to lie...you're kind of scaring me right now. This isn't at all how I thought our meeting on the beach would go today. But I'm not only scared, I'm confused, too.
“We've known each other for several years, and we were even engaged once. So what did you mean when you said we actually only met very recently? And also, what did you mean when you said this is 'goodbye' for me? You're not really going to hurt me, are you?”
I hoped I wasn't laying it on too thick, but I wanted whoever was on the phone, listening, if I'd even managed to properly answer the call, that is, to know that I was scared and in trouble. I realized there was at least a good chance someone was listening, because the phone had stopped vibrating the instant I'd tapped the screen.
If Jason thought I was doing any kind of an act or speaking louder than usual, he didn't show it. In fact, he seemed somehow placated by my questions. His scowl lessened just a bit.
He did, however, take a large step closer to me. "One question at a time. As to what I meant when I said we actually only met very recently...well, I'll just show you."
Stunning me, within the blink of an eye, Jason shifted. But he didn't shift into a wolf, or any of the other shifter animals I'd heard about on the island. He shifted into the form of another man. A man I'd never seen before, with inky black hair and piercing pale blue eyes. When this man spoke, his voice was completely different than Jason's, much deeper.
"I'm not Jason. I'm Dominic. It's me you've been visiting with all these times, not your ex-fiancé."
Petrified, I struggled to find my voice. "But...but, how?"
"Literal magic. You see, over the past several months, I've developed some supernatural gifts that Eric and your wolves have probably never even imagined before. I have the ability to read the minds and memories of outsiders to the island, then shift into perfect images of people from those memories."
Astonished, I couldn't even respond. I realized what Dominic had just said explained why "Jason" had appeared so typically pale even after supposedly having spent several months on the island.
Smirking, Dominic continued. "Based on all the very vivid memories buried in your mind, I probably could have even shifted into Mr. Blinkers himself." Pausing, Dominic took yet another large step toward me, making him now only three or four feet away from me. "Now, you asked me another question, and I'll answer it with all honesty and sincerity. You asked if I'm going to hurt you, and the answer is...maybe.
“You see, getting you to simply bring me the amulet with a minimum amount of hassle was just my plan A. Now we've moved onto plan B, which is me hauling you back to Wulfric Palms, kicking and screaming, I have no doubt, where I'm going to keep you and hold you hostage in exchange for the amulet. If Eric gives me the amulet willingly, I might let you go unharmed. If he doesn't give me the amulet...well, I'll send him different little pieces of you until he does."
With an icy chill tickling the back of my neck, I decided to begin asking as many questions as possible in an attempt to stall for time. Dominic seemed to almost like questions, as if he found them flattering.
"Why do you even want the amulet so badly?"
Smirking again, he scoffed. "Simple. It will increase my supernatural powers to the point that I'll be able to kill Eric and all his men single-handedly. Then, I'll take over Clearwater and all its land, women, and resources will be mine. Then, I'll be the strongest leader on the island. At that point, I'll begin work on taking out the bears and the dragons as well.
“After that, I won't just be an alpha anymore; I'll essentially be king of this entire landmass. King, with hundreds of women at my disposal. Hundreds of women to do with whatever I want. And if you play your cards right, you could even be one of those women. I might even give you special status, just because I've taken a liking to you...particularly to that nice, round ass of yours."
Leering, with his surprisingly white teeth glinting in a bit of pale sun breaking through the clouds, Dominic took another large step forward, putting us almost face-to-face. Reflexively, I took an equally large step back, not wanting him to grab me or touch me, but that's exactly what he did.
With his leer turning into a scowl, he grabbed my upper arm and squeezed it painfully. "Stepping away from your future king is no way to earn special status."
I tried twisting away from him, but to no avail. "Let me go!"
"Not a chance. It's time for us to
go now. The patrol guards will be coming by here before too much longer, and I intend to have us halfway to Wulfric Palms before they do."
"But, just wait. I have more questions for you. I want to ask you if-"
"No, question time is done. We're leaving right now, and you can either come willingly, or I can carry you through the jungle on my back. Your choice."
With panic rising in me once again, I attempted to yank my arm from his grip with one good tug. "Let me go!"
He only squeezed my arm tighter, making me yelp.
"Ow! You're hurting me!"
"There's more where that came from. Now, shut up, and start walking."
"No! I'll never go back to your village with you! You'll have to knock me unconscious and drag me."
With his pale blue eyes completely devoid of expression, Dominic suddenly stooped, picked up a rock about the size of a baseball from beneath the log, and raised it above my head. "Knocking you unconscious can definitely be arranged."