“Look for what, Sebastian?” I asked, taking my bag from Akeno.
“Canteens. We can’t have lost them all.”
Concern flared in my chest. I tugged open my pack, sifting through the contents. My phone was zipped snuggly inside the front pouch and I was grateful to find my earbuds stuffed beneath. I owed Nevaeh, too, for keeping this safe. But the only thing close to a canteen in my bag was a water bottle I had drained on our trek here. Even so, I pulled it free and held it up.
“Better than nothing,” I said, noting that Nevaeh had two more and there were others scattered throughout.
Sebastian ran his fingers through his hair, then nodded. “Fine. Let’s find some fresh water.”
The sun burned hot on my shoulders. Perspiration was already forming on my brow, the sweater and leggings too bulky for the dense humidity. I frowned, digging into the larger compartment of my pack. A pair of shorts caught my eye, and a halter top underneath. I tugged them free, then slid my shirt over my head.
Someone coughed loudly. I ignored them and continued tying the halter behind my neck, straightening the front before I knotted the back below my ribs. Behind me, I heard Tarik bark, “Malachi, you have one second to look away before I bash your teeth in.”
Over my shoulder, I saw both twins turn. I rolled my eyes. Fae modesty. I grumbled as I peeled off the leggings already stuck to my skin, but a sigh of relief escaped when I tugged on the shorts. Better.
I shouldered my bag and then paused to take in our surroundings. The area seemed abandoned, as though no one had been here in a long while, and there were no docks or buildings. Instead, the area was overgrown, thick with tropical trees and vines. Birds filled the air with their chittering cries. Brilliant pink flowers sprouted up the tree trunks, their vines broken with clustered white mushrooms.
Beautiful.
Exhaustion tore at me, but I shoved past the group, stepping over the brush and into the line of trees. We didn’t have time to waste.
My boots crunched through the underbrush, the sound broken only by the chatter of voices behind me. Maneuvering the trees was a task, especially with no real sense of cardinal direction—or where we were supposed to go. The group was getting restless and worried. Well. Most of us.
“Come on, Seb, this one looks fine.” One of the twins had ducked off the path, a bright red mushroom grasped between his fingers.
Sebastian sighed. “Leave them alone, Malachi.”
“But look at these, they’re perfectly harmless.”
“Micah, those are death caps. Do you want to die? Those are how you die.” Under the frustration in Sebastian’s voice was real concern, and I turned in time to see the twins backing away from a cluster of white-green mushrooms. “Just stop touching things, please.”
I huffed a short laugh, catching Tarik’s eye for a fraction of a second. He offered his hand and I accepted, but we only went another twenty feet or so before the treeline broke. Nestled in the middle of the jungle was a large clearing, and at the center . . .
Water.
Bright, turquoise water that flowed down from piles of jagged rock at least four times my height.
“Oh, thank Gaia,” Sebastian breathed.
Despite Tarik’s protest, I leaned over the water first, swallowing a mouthful. Cold, clean, and absolutely salt-free. I grinned my approval before I filled my bottle, only to drain it completely. As I repeated the motion, I noticed that the others had ambitiously taken to the water. The twins had somehow clambered over to one of the larger waterfalls, drawing death glares from Sebastian as they threatened to shove each other under the downpour. Tarik circled the area, his eyes scanning the treeline. Nevaeh seemed to have dropped one of her bottles into the pool and Akeno was stretched over the surface, grasping for it. I chuckled softly, tucking the bottle back into my bag before I scanned the sky. The sun was creeping past the trees.
“Guys, we should find somewhere to camp that’s less . . . exposed.” When the group reluctantly agreed, I added, “We can always find somewhere relatively close and come back in the morning.”
I was almost to the treeline, following the somewhat more agreeable Fae, when I heard the first voice. Soft. Gentle. I froze.
“You look so weary. Rest here. Please?”
Nevaeh paused beside me, the gum-bubble she had blown popping with a sharp snap. I met her silver and brown eyes. She heard it too. Judging by the way the men kept moving, stepping between the trees, they hadn’t.
“Should we—”
“No,” I said quietly. I scanned the clearing, breath catching in my chest as my stomach knotted. “Keep moving. We need to distance ourselves from this place.”
“We offer shelter. Protection. This land is dangerous.”
In the back of my mind, something tugged me to stay. Listen to the voice. Hear it out. Another glance at Nevaeh and I saw my thoughts reflected on her face. We turned, cast our attention back to the water. Three men had appeared in the pool, muscled arms crossed over their glistening chests, eyeing Nevaeh and I . . . hungrily.
A shiver ran the length of my spine.
I grabbed Nevaeh’s arm and tugged, but my steps were slow. Reluctant. Wherever those men had come from, we wanted nothing to do with them.
Right?
The one in the middle rested his forearms on the grassy bank. “You look like you need help. Stay.” He softly patted the grass next to him.
Nevaeh jerked from my hold. “We should hear them out. We’re lost and alone anyway.”
Alone? But we had . . . didn’t we have company? My mind stumbled.
I shook my head. Nevaeh was right. We should at least hear them out. I spun on my heel and strode closer, Nevaeh at my side. Glittering scales caught my eye, shimmering from beneath the water, and I paused a few feet away. The first male had bright blond hair that fell around his shoulders and matched the orange and yellow of his tail. Beside him, with a tail of purple and red, a second male combed his dark hair back with his fingers.
Tail . . . wasn’t that . . . strange?
Well. I could turn into a lion. Who was I to judge?
The third had chestnut hair that sparkled in the sun and tail of green and blue. His lips spread into a grin and, when my eyes fell on him, his smile widened. “You’re safe with us.”
My heart thundered. Something felt . . .
Right.
We should stay. We were safe here. I spared more than a glance on the thick, bulging muscles that each male sported. As if on cue, the brunette stretched, slowly, his chest and stomach rippling with the effort.
“I don’t know about you ladies, but I could go for a swim. Hop on in. The water’s nice.”
“They’re harmless,” Nevaeh whispered, nudging my arm. I nodded mechanically.
Muffled sounds came from behind me, like voices spoken above water. But we were on land, right? I made out my name, and Nevaeh’s. I shook my head again. Did these three know our names already? Had we told them?
Fatigue settled over my limbs. But Nevaeh had already taken another step forward.
Right. Swimming. In the water. With these nice men.
Made sense.
“That’s right, pretty ladies. Just one more step.”
I lifted my foot, hovering right above the pool’s edge, when an arm snaked around me from behind, pulling me back. “Reagan! What are you doing?”
At first, I froze. Those doubtful thoughts tried to swirl to the surface, but I shoved them down. Rage trickled through my veins, and I loosed a low growl. “Let me go.” I squirmed against the restraint. “That’s not a request. You can’t hold me captive.”