Page 70

Nigel merely raises a brow and smiles as Ezra eyes that food like a rabid dog.

Asshole. Vile, despicable asshole.

So humiliating.

“You mean, this food?” Nigel merely shrugs and grins. “Hand her over, and it’s yours. And I can forgive you for taking her to begin with,” he says, his tone so casual—as if he owns me. As if I’m merely a possession to barter. This is likely why, I’m realizing, Ezra saved me to begin with.

Would Ezra actually hand me over to Nigel, knowing what he’s capable of?

Ezra runs his hands through his hair, contemplating. And I can’t blame him. I’m nobody to him. He peers at me, then back at Nigel. The pain in his eyes is evident as he grapples with the weight of this seemingly simple choice. I guess that hunger will do that to you.

I refrain from making any sort of facial expression, especially when I can sense Ezra coiling up with tension beside me.

Finally, he says with a shrug, “No, man. I think I’m going to keep her. London is officially off-limits to you.”

I suppress a smile, and Nigel’s stare hardens as he takes me in, hiding behind Ezra’s tall frame.

Nigel takes a careful step back and studies me. “You truly possess a remarkable vagina with extraordinary powers, don’t you, London King? Maybe you will let me have a go.”

Ezra doesn’t respond or react to that insinuation or disgusting threat, and I do my best to stay hidden behind him. I hate Nigel, but he scares the fuck out of me. He killed Maison with zero hesitation in front of everyone. Who knows what he will try to do to me? Ezra is protecting me right now, even though he has no good reason to. This means he has some sort of ulterior motive with me as well.

Nigel scoffs and flicks his wrist. “Do you really want to eat rodents for the rest of your miserable life?”

Speaking of said rodents, one crosses the clearing as if on cue. A muskrat. My instinct is to catch it… Kill it. Eat it.

My stomach twists at the primal urge, and I lunge forward on instinct.

Wild.

It crawls toward Nigel, slow and steady, and we all stare as it squeaks. Ezra takes his spear and throws it. It severs the rat in the heart, a mere foot from Nigel’s feet, causing Nigel to stumble back. Ezra steps over to the rat and stares down at it, then pulls the spear from its fat, furry body and rises.

“Yeah,” he says, looking at Nigel, and flexes his jaw. “I do.”

I could kiss him—I won’t because it’s Ezra and that’s just gross, but I could.

Nigel holds his spear, gripping it tightly as if realizing now that he should be scared of Ezra. He steps back, keeping his distance as he walks backward, and finally says, with an acidic lace in his voice, “I’ll be seeing you very soon, London. It will be only you and I left on this island. Ezra can only protect you for so long.”

That threat will forever haunt my dreams.

Ezra grabs our meal, then my good hand, and pulls me away from the clearing.

I turn to face Nigel, sensing his cold stare piercing my back.

When we are out of earshot, Ezra turns to me. “Quit staring at him, or you’ll piss him off more. If it were up to him, he would kill you right here, right now.”

My heart stills at that thought and at Ezra’s confirmation of what I have long suspected.

Nigel is a stone-cold killer.

When I turn back, Nigel has disappeared into the shadows and mist, and I can breathe again. If only for the moment.

We don’t talk on the way back, but I watch him. For whatever reason, Ezra just chose me over food, and I’m not sure why. We make eye contact, and he doesn’t smile. He shows nothing, barely blinking.

He’s supposed to loathe me, and it’s clearly paining him not to. I’m not sure if he likes me, but I don’t think he harbors any animosity toward me, either. He’s certainly not acting like he hates me. Eventually, I pull my hand away from his and stop walking. I need answers, and he needs to start talking to me. “Why don’t you just let him kill me, Ezra? What’s your endgame with me?”

He grimaces and shrugs. “I’m bored, and you’re better than nothing. And you’re definitely better than him.”

I cross my arms and cock a brow. “I’m not going anywhere with you until you tell me what headspace you’re in. What’s going on in that mind of yours? What’s your plan for me, Ezra?”