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She whimpers and lies limp in my arms. Adrenaline courses through my veins. This is my chance to grab her and go.

“Micah,” she mumbles and shifts, “he has her.”

I narrow my brows and pull her up into my arms. “London’s safe, Jade. She’s with James and Ezra. I didn’t leave her alone this time.”

“She’s not…” She shakes her head. “You fucked up, Micah.”

What in the actual fuck is she talking about?

My heart sinks as the realization settles in. That potentially Jade wasn’t the target… She was the bait.

Jade’s eyes are clear as I help pull her up and kneel in front of her. “Come on. We need to get you to safety.”

Tears sting her eyes, and I can sense the desperation in her voice as she struggles to express herself. “He has her now. You shouldn’t have left her.”

Left her…

I fucking left her.

I close my eyes. The burning sensation on my skin feels as if my body is shedding while the monster inside me claws its way through the fragile edges of my mind.

Heat hits my face, and all I see is red.

Smoke tickles my nose, twigs crackling in my ear. My skin is burning as flames engulf the roof of the shelter.

I barely make it out with Jade before the entire thing lights up around me. I cough and keel over, my weapon slipping from my hand as I pull Jade away from the flames and the shelter starts to disintegrate.

I turn just as Nigel comes into view, and he’s grinning as I’m brought to my knees from the lack of oxygen in my lungs. The knife in his hand shines in the brilliant sun, and he’s dressed for the occasion in full Nigel attire—bow tie, argyle, and all.

My bone weapon is back in my hand within seconds, and I jump to a crouch. I’m facing him, protecting Jade. Nigel steps back and frowns, like he’s surprised I can move so fast.

If he comes any closer, I will kill him.

The shelter is crackling and popping beside me. Smoke hangs in the air, and the fire starts to fizzle out on the wet ground.

“There is no way out of this, Nigel,” I tell him, rising and ignoring my burning skin. He’s not getting out of this alive. He must know that. “I’m taking Jade back. You’re not going to hurt her anymore.”

He runs his hand over his greasy, long hair. He looks like he hasn’t showered in a year; the stench radiates from him like a pigpen.

He snickers and tilts his head, looking at me, then waves a dismissive hand I plan on breaking or cutting off entirely. “Take her,” he spits. “I’m done with her anyway. She’s no longer of use to me. She served her purpose.”

I don’t know what he means by that, and I don’t like the tone he’s taking with me. I’m quiet, seething, and not in the mood for his riddles. I know people well enough to know that they will eventually say what they mean, and I don’t believe for one second that this fucker is just going to let me leave with Jade.

“How does it feel?” he asks me.

I curl my lip. He’s finally playing. This kid can’t help but get the last word. “How does what fucking feel?”

He snickers and takes a step back—likely because he knows he is going to lose a limb if he gets too close. “Being the reason you lose everyone you love. Everyone you get close to dies, Micah, or haven’t you noticed that yet?”

I roll my eyes, suppressing the nagging feeling that what he is saying is true. “Are we still talking about Olivia?” I keep my voice even and emotionless, even though the thought of her dying still suffocates me. “She’s not relevant to the conversation because I’ve got news for you, nerd, I wasn’t close to her. Actually, I didn’t give a fuck about her.”

His hateful eyes flash, and my lips twitch with a smile. He doesn’t want to talk about his sister, apparently. A slice of guilt hits me talking about Olivia that way—she was a piece of work, but she didn’t deserve that ending.

He tugs at his collar as the flames beside us simmer out and the last of the shelter burns to a heap on the wet ground.

We both pause, and I make a mental note he must still have fuel hidden somewhere.

He looks at me and mirrors my smile, his teeth all rotten and black. I shudder at the sight of it, happy I at least had the dignity to keep up with my personal hygiene while on this island. Clearly, he lost his toothbrush along the way.