Page 36

I see the moment she spots us on the beach. Her arms raise as she waves at us in sweeping gestures.

Will takes a couple of steps toward the water, but I grab his forearm. He turns back to me, confused at first, but then he must see my face.

Every instinct I have is screaming.

Protect my mate.

Reject the stranger.

Before Ivy, no one new had come to the island in twenty years, and we'd had plenty of notice about her arrival from her aunt's will.

It wasn't like this.

Complete strangers sneaking onto our shores in the night.

"Randy, we talked about this. They need help."

Will's voice is level, but pleading.

"Here!" a deep voice calls.

Laz's tall, broad form comes down the bluff and onto the beach, heading straight for the water. He wades in without a thought to the cold or his clothes, pulling the vessel to shore.

Will shakes off my grasp and hurries over to help the woman out. She looks shaken and lost. She keeps saying that the boat began steering itself.

I roll my eyes and stomp down into the sand.

The island is a monster of sorts, possessed by the ghost of a powerful witch. She clearly led this human in her boat here.

"I’m calling a town council meeting," I practically growl.

Will hears me and turns. "Why?"

"A new human is now wandering around the island. You don't see that as an issue? What if she calls reporters? What if she exposes us to the world?"

Will shakes his head. "I don't think the island would put us or itself in danger like that, Randy. She clearly needs help. Trust me on this. Can you?"

"I—"

He's staring at me, but all I can focus on is the threat to the island. This can't work.

"Maybe we were wrong to accept the new protections. I have to call the council—"

My arms feel colder, and I realize Will's hands have left them.

When I glance at him again, my breath catches, and I have to grit my teeth to keep from gasping.

Will's eyes are glassy as he holds back tears.

I step toward him, but he simply turns and walks back up the beach toward Laz and the human woman.

By now, more islanders have gathered. Layla and Conall are both offering towels and blankets. Colt is coming out of the water, his kraken features retreating before the human can see them.

They're all comforting her, and even from where I stand, I see that she's shaking and crying.

What a horrible feeling.

To be lost in a tiny boat on a lake that's as big as an ocean at night.