Sully stayed tall and regal, despite not having a shirt under his blazer anymore. “That’s fine, Andika. My arrival wasn’t because of the sanctuary but because of other business.” His fingers tightened around my wrist. “However, now that I’m here, I could return with you to check on your charges.”
The guy beamed, shoving shaggy black hair from his eyes. “Oh, yes. That would be much appreciated, sir. We are proud to show off our latest arrivals.”
“Good.” Sully nodded, opening his arm wide. “Lead the way.”
We fell into step behind him, Sully cold and silent, me with a tiny parrot keeping me calm.
My mind raced with questions. Did Sully know all his staff by name? If so, that was impressive. If not, why would he know this man’s name on some remote island in the middle of the Pacific Ocean?
“We’ve been successful in rehoming the last shipment, sir,” the guy said over his shoulder. “We aim to be equally as successful with the upcoming arrivals.”
“I’m glad.” Sully sounded distracted, but his hold on my wrist never loosened. He kept me leashed as surely as he had when he’d knotted his tie around my neck. “Let me know if you need more supplies.”
The man ducked his head in embarrassment, as if asking for things went against his culture even if Sully was his boss. “We could do with another vet, sir. And another import of your animal-approved pharmaceuticals.”
“Consider it done.” Sully smiled stiffly. “I’ll ensure my company sends whatever you need. And I’ll enlist my assistant to begin interviewing acceptable candidates for an extra vet.”
“You’re very kind. Thank you.” The man pressed his hands together in prayer, bowing respectfully. “Very kind.”
Sully lost his edge of coldness for a moment. “Not kind. Just grateful for the great work your team does.”
“Only because you are our role model, sir.”
Sully scowled. “Don’t push aside credit when it’s due. You picked up my work when I grew too busy to continue. I’m grateful for you, not the other way around.”
The guy just smiled evasively and bowed again, accepting Sully’s compliment but also refusing it.
I hid my wince as we traded soft grass from the clearing to the prickly undergrowth of a jungle path. This one wasn’t manicured with orchids and palms but wild and barely tamed. Parts were so narrow, Sully had no choice but to let me go, frowning with sternness. “You follow my every step. You run, and the punishment I have planned for you will be a thousand times worse.”
I nodded.
I’d already attempted escape and now knew the futility of such a thing.
I wouldn’t waste my energy trying again. Instead, I’d search for other ways to claim my freedom. Ways that might include bartering my heart in return for gaining the reluctant one in the chest of my enemy.
The rest of the ten-minute walk was silent, all while my mind tortured me with guesses of what my punishment would be. Plotted a seduction that I wasn’t brave enough to try. And did my best not to watch Sully’s sleek and powerful body, striding before me.
* * * * *
I’d had many experiences since being snatched from that backpacker’s kitchen. I’d endured more than I thought I’d ever have to face. Yet when we arrived at the home base of the staff who’d come to get us, I struggled to combine all those experiences and all those endurances into one cohesive existence.
I’d expected to be beaten, abused, and ultimately craving death by now. And yet…I drifted through a paradise. Not a paradise like the island Sully had created for girls he called goddesses but a paradise for creatures who’d suffered.
Tears sprang to my eyes as Sully and his staff strode faster, familiar with what they’d created here, unable to see the magic and compassion painting the very air within.
I stopped in the middle of a small city.
A small city hidden and protected by an island in the tropics. Huge pens made of bamboo and vine held animals of their same species. Dogs romped in one. Platforms with beds, tunnels, toys, freshwater, and food. The huge space encouraged the canines to form packs, friendships, and loll in happy contentment.
It could’ve been a scene from a Doctor Doolittle movie or some strange kind of zoo, if it weren’t for closer inspection. Each dog had something not quite perfect. A few had ears missing, a leg, a foot, a tail. Some were bald with cream smeared or bandages wrapped, some hopped, some ran—all recovered from some injury but all of them seemed so unbelievably happy. They glowed with joy. They were the epitome of grateful bliss.
Drifting forward, I peered into the next township. Skittles inched closer to my ear, almost as if aware that this place changed everything. That it broke the final chain preventing me from free-falling.
This one held rabbits. Just like the dog’s enclosure, this one housed hidey-holes, cubbies, and holes in the ground for warrens. Big piles of grass were nibbled happily by fluffy critters, their noses twitching, their bodies alert but calm. And just like the dogs, none of them were perfect. So many of them were missing an eye, an ear, and even a paw.
It broke my heart to see such bravery from such timid, vulnerable things. They didn’t ostracise each other for their disability. They didn’t let depression steal the joy of today. They were wise in their acceptance of whatever they’d endured.
Sully glanced back, noticing I wasn’t close by. He snapped his fingers, and I sprung into speed. Catching up to him, I noticed another large enclosure, this one full of mice. Wheels and tunnels, nesting boxes, and food bowls. The tiny rodents ranged from hairless to horribly scarred.
“What is this place?”
Sully grunted but didn’t reply.
His staff held no such qualms about talking to me, though. He didn’t question why I was there, where my clothes were, or how I came to be in Sully’s control, and was proud to show off his charges. “This is Serigala. It’s wolf in my language.” He beamed, waiting for Sully to pass him by to slip beside me. “Mr. Sinclair called it wolf because we have teeth to protect the weak and a pack to heal the sick.”
I gawked as we entered a modern-day structure. Thatched roof and sweeping beams but the inside spoke of technology and competence. Embarrassment filled me to be in such a place dressed only in a shirt and tie. My bare legs were visible. The silver-grey of Sully’s shirt barely hid my decency.
“Where do the creatures come from?” I asked quietly, awed and slightly frightened by the magnitude of empathy, the size of the heart required to build such a place.
Sully cleared his throat. “No need to answer all her questions, Andika.”
“Oh, I’m happy to inform her, sir.” His chest rose with pride. “All these animals have been liberated from labs around the world.”
“Labs?”
“Yes, you know. They were binatang coba…eh, guinea pigs.” He grinned. “We also have guinea pigs. We have otters and cats and fish and hamsters and pigs and—”
“Enough,” Sully interrupted. He turned and crossed his arms, his gaze navy with secrets.
“But…” I shrugged helplessly, looking around at the sanctuary this man had created. “How can you walk me through here and not give me answers?”
“This is not a school excursion, Jinx.” His face stayed remote and closed off. “You weren’t supposed to be here. This part of my life does not mingle with my main enterprise.”
“Why? Because it shows you have a heart, after all?”
Andika cleared his throat, moving off toward a paddling pool with no barriers or bars.
Inside frolicked three otters, all sleek and swift, rolling and darting through the water. One had no tail, and the other two had patches of waterproof fur missing. It didn’t matter that the tiles of the foyer were covered in water from their antics or that their happy barks pierced the otherwise sedate silence.
They were perfectly at home.
Sully looked to where I stared, flinching as an otter launched itself from the water and zipped quicksilver fast to twine
and rub against Sully’s suited leg. The adorable squeaks and insistent affection whittled at Sully’s temper.
With a glower at me, he dropped to his haunches and scooped up the wriggly, besotted creature. All signs of anger and cold-heartedness vanished as the otter squirmed in his arms, rising up to rub his head against Sully’s chin. “You’re looking much better,” he murmured, stroking the sore looking skin on the otter’s spine. “I’m glad we’ve finally created a waterproof cream that’s helping.”
I couldn’t help it.
I fell.
I tumbled.
I wanted.
All control over my own emotions had been stolen by this enigma of a man. Beastly to humans. Saintly to animals. How could I not fall for a man like that? Crave to know a man like that? A man who saw the world in such black and white. Who understood what humans were capable of and turned his back on his own race to defend the creatures at our mercy.
God, how would I ever survive him now I knew this existed?
I stepped closer to Sully and the otter squeaking joyously in his arms. I didn’t know what to say, how to speak, or how to stop the smarting in my soul. I remained quakingly silent as Sully ignored me, kissing the otter as it strained to nudge his chin again, then ever so gently placed it on the ground.
The otter didn’t run off, though; it stayed twined around Sully’s legs as if showing him thanks, speaking in otter tongue with all its gratefulness that Sully had found it, saved it, healed it.
A loud oink sounded from behind a closed door. Sully turned to look just as the door opened and a black and white pig bowled free. A woman with long black hair and wearing a cream coat ran after it, calling in Indonesian. She noticed Sully and slammed to a halt, letting the pig dart to the man every creature seemed to adore. It oinked and nosed the otter out of the way, wanting its own chance to say thanks.
I gasped, studying the pig’s skin. Where healthy colour and flesh should exist, he was almost translucent. Sores pockmarked his body, and the parts of skin he did have revealed veins and arteries that looked sickly and weak.
Sully once again ducked and rubbed the excited animal. He touched him exceedingly carefully, stroking only the healthy areas, aware of causing pain. “Hey, Cuthbert. You’re also looking better but not ready to join the main sty yet.”
“Sorry, Mr. Sinclair. He heard you while I was administering his antibiotics. He has learned how to open doors.” She shrugged, a capped needle in her gloved hand. “He is too smart.”
Sully smiled. “He’s relaxing…learning he’s safe.”
“Yes.” The woman smiled back. “He takes his medicine well. Even with the injection twice a day.”
“Is the new formula working better?”
She nodded. “It seems to be. His condition has cleared up quicker this past week. Soon, he’ll be able to go to the powder antibiotic instead of the needle.”
“That’s good to hear.” Sully studiously avoided my stare.
I was sure my mouth hung open as my curiosity blazed bright. I wanted to grab him and demand to know everything.
But Sully moved away, motioning for the woman to follow.
I stayed glued to the sandstone tiles, suffering a more profound change than I had when I’d been washed and prepared for sale.
Who was he?
Who is Sullivan Sinclair?
Andika moved quietly to my side, his attention on Sully and the vet but his words just for me. “I see your confusion, ma’am. Do you want to know what this place is?”
I turned to look at him, desperation in my gaze. “Please, tell me.”
Andika cast a look in Sully’s direction again before giving me his full attention. His black eyes glowed with affection for his employer and pride at his vocation. “When Mr. Sinclair took over his family’s pharmaceutical empire, he rewrote the rules. He banned all animal testing in his labs. Those already there, he took with him on his sixth day in power. He healed the ones he could, humanely euthanized those in too much pain, and made it his purpose to deliver a life worthy of the soul his scientists had almost destroyed. Most still live on the island, some have been transferred to other islands to live the way nature intended, and others have been gifted to loving homes—all with very strict follow-up contracts to ensure continued well-being—but all of them are happy and healthy.”
“I…I don’t know what to say.”
“There is nothing to say, ma’am.” Andika shrugged. “After he liberated the animals from his own labs, he set about changing the rules for everyone. He, eh…went to war for them. He did unspeakable things. He…um, chose animal lives over human life and set up this sanctuary for them.” His eyes dropped to the floor. “He lost so much by fighting for those who couldn’t.”
“What do you mean?”
“I mean—”
“Jinx.” Sully broke us apart, shooting a livid gaze at Andika. “The helicopter is here. We’re leaving.” Holding out his hand, he shook Andika’s. “Thanks for your excellent care. I’ll ensure you receive your requests.”
“Thank you, sir.” Andika shot me a final look before bowing and stepping back.
Sully glowered at me, his gaze probing mine, searching to know how much I’d been told. His features etched with anger as his hand lashed around my wrist again and yanked me outside.
Behind the animal hospital, the helicopter waited.
Ready to fly me back to hell.
Chapter Nineteen
SILENCE REIGNED BETWEEN US.
Not through choice but necessity.
The helicopter whirred too loud to speak without a headset, and any conversation between Eleanor and I probably wouldn’t be suitable for pilots.
How much had Andika told her? Why the hell had he opened his mouth? What I did on Serigala wasn’t for public knowledge. It was my…hobby. My one saving grace.
Eleanor sat stiff beside me, her gaze alternating between Skittles trembling in her blistered hands and the view of my utopian empire outside. The sun shone extra bright this afternoon, making up for the storm that’d swept through, leaving a few trails of destruction from broken trees to flotsam besmirching the postcard-perfect beaches.
I studied her out the corner of my eye. She sat straight-backed and supremely royal. It didn’t matter she only wore my shirt, that seaweed still clung to her long, tangled hair, or that her sunburn turned her from snowy to pink. She had an aura about her that hadn’t slipped since arriving on my island. She hadn’t lost her tenacity or inner strength. If I had a sister (and found it appropriate to use such ‘girly’ words), I’d say she hadn’t lost any of her sparkle since becoming mine…if anything, she glittered brighter.
From cubic zirconia to a Hawk diamond. Unbreakable, untouchable, unaffected by time or pressure—the strongest stone on earth. Yet despite her diamond exterior, I tasted a delicate girl beneath. She’d hidden that from me.
She still did.
It was Skittles who’d shown me the truth.
Skittles who I’d raised and protected, who’d always appreciated my involvement in her survival but had never fully accepted me as Pika had. The moment I’d moved to my island, she’d flown off to be with other flighted creatures, visiting occasionally, welcoming a touch periodically, but most of the time, happy to remain on her own.
I’d never expected Skittles to seek out Jinx. To not only seek out but to choose her as her person. Out of all the women sharing my shores, not one had ever been deemed worthy enough for Skittle’s shy affection.
It changed everything.
It fucking terrified me at how much it’d changed things.
I no longer had a single feeling for her. I had a fucking blizzard full of temptation and want. I was…confused. Twisted up, lost, and blindfolded on what the hell this all meant.
When we’d first went to board the helicopter, I’d eyed Skittles as she took off from Eleanor’s shoulder. I waited to see what my goddess would do. A test of her character. A revelation into her truth.
She�
�d stuck an arrow in my heart when she’d backed away, shaking her head. “I can’t go on that. Not if Skittles is too afraid. She can’t fly the distance back to your island.”
“She’ll be fine.”
“No.” She’d looked worriedly into the forest. “She rested a lot in the kayak…it…it wouldn’t be fair to leave her here alone.”
I’d crossed my arms. “She wouldn’t be alone. There are other parrots she can befriend.” Of course, I had no intention of leaving a bird I’d raised and cared for over fourteen years but I wanted to see how strong Eleanor really was. How far she’d go to stand up for a creature who she’d only just met.
“I can’t.” She shook her head. “I’ll…I’ll row back. I give you my word that I’ll return. But…I also gave Skittles my word that I’d keep her safe.”
Her reply clenched my stomach with barbwire, twisting me up until I bled.
Without thinking, I’d waved my hand at the pilot, cut the helicopter’s engines, then whistled the special call when it grew quiet. Skittles flew from the jungle and straight onto Eleanor’s shoulder. I didn’t want to stress or harm the caique, but if I had to throw a blanket over her or trap her in some way so she’d accept the mechanical flight, then so be it.
But Eleanor gave me a soft smile and walked away. She held up her hand for Skittles to perch on. She murmured something to the bird, pressed a kiss to her delicate head, then gently planted her free hand over her wings. Holding her sandwiched between her hands, cradled into her chest, she walked past me with her sexy bare feet and climbed into the helicopter.
And
fuck
me.
If I’d been worried for my sanity before? It was all over.
I’d lost it.
Right there.
Forever.
I’d clambered in after her, watched her the entire time the engines whirred back to life and we traded gravity for flight, all while my heart pounded as she soothed Skittles on her lap.
Shaking my head, I dispelled the memory.
I was turning into a fucking fool. Just because she was kind to animals, I had stars in my fucking eyes?
Twice a Wish (GODDESS ISLES Book 2) Page 14