Total pages in book: 137
Estimated words: 132491 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 662(@200wpm)___ 530(@250wpm)___ 442(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 132491 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 662(@200wpm)___ 530(@250wpm)___ 442(@300wpm)
There’s a squelching noise, followed by a thud that I think is the drop of a body.
There are so many voices out there. Marcus is all alone to defend himself. I want so badly to call the vines back so I can help him, but something stops me. It’s a feeling deep inside me, soothing my fear and telling me to stay where I am.
You’re safe now. We’re here.
My eyes widen with disbelief. I’ve sent mental messages out to the vines a few times now, and they always show up. But now, somehow, they’re communicating back.
39
None of the test subject plants have shown any measurable reaction to aromium. It may not work on them.
- Excerpt from the journal of Dr. Randall McClain
My nose is ice cold. I turn my face into the warmth of the blankets around me, sighing contentedly.
A kernel of worry tugs me out of my relaxed sleep. How can I be cold? The island is never cold.
My eyes fly open, darkness surrounding me. The blankets I’m snuggling into are warm, yes, but they’re also moving up and down, like the rise and fall of a chest while breathing.
“Marcus,” I whisper-hiss.
“I’m right here.”
My panic recedes. His voice is calm, and he’s very close. But also, the cloying scent of pine is everywhere, and something sharp is poking into my leg.
It comes back to me all at once. After the fight with the Tiders, I willed my shelter away and the vines uncoiled and receded. Then we took shelter beneath a massive pine tree, cutting a few branches out to make room for us to burrow in since the snow allowed us no visibility.
“What’s in here with us?” I ask.
“Wolves.”
A sense of dread fills every cell in my body. The warm blankets are actually wolves—with massive teeth and predatory instincts.
“It’s okay,” he assures me. “I called them here. It’s Flavius and his pack.”
A frantic laugh bursts out of me. “You called them? Like on the phone? Do you have their contact info saved?”
“When my aromium’s on, I have the same connection with wolves that you have with vines. They helped me fight off the Tiders.”
I take a few seconds to process the news. “Okay.”
“You were so cold. Grannie’s at your back and Flavius is between us.”
My brows drop. “Grannie?”
“Her fur’s silvery gray like my grandma’s hair was, so I call her Grannie.”
I exhale a note of amusement. “Okay, well, we aren’t ungulates, so hopefully Grannie won’t decide to eat us.”
“We aren’t what?”
“Ungulates. Large, hoofed animals like deer and elk. Those are the most common prey for wolves.”
“Goddamn, woman. Can I fuck you while you wear nothing but glasses and spout scientific facts?”
I smother my laugh in Flavius’s fur. He lifts his head, probably wondering what the hell is going on. And honestly, same. I’m inside a pine tree in a rainforest while a blizzard rages outside, and a pack of wolves is keeping me warm.
I smooth a hand over Flavius’s back and he drops his head back to the ground, huffing an exhale.
“Do you think the Tiders will come back?” I ask.
“No. They lost a few people. I got a good hit in on Pax, but with the aromium, he’ll heal quickly.”
They lost a few people means he killed them. I heard some of them go down. Marcus sounded like an angel of death, striking down anyone who dared come close to him.
“Really nice trick with the vines,” he says.
“It seemed like ...” I hesitate, unsure how to describe what I felt. “Almost like they were communicating with me. But how? And why only me, and only wolves for you?”
He takes in a breath and lets it out before responding. “The bond gets stronger with time.”
I wait for him to say more, but he doesn’t.
“Marcus,” I say, frustrated. “Why am I the only one who can communicate with plants, and you’re the only one who can communicate with wolves?”
“There are different strains of aromium. McClain also experimented with putting it in animals and plants, but every strain is different.”
I shift, the tree branch in my leg scraping over my skin as I move. “You only tell me things when you have to. When I straight up demand to know. Why are you so secretive?”
He sniffs. “I’ll tell you whatever you want to know, just ask. It’s not my favorite subject, so that’s why I don’t bring it up.”
“How many people on this island are connected to animals or plants?”
There’s a pause before he answers. “I don’t know for sure.”
I make a low, grumbling sound of aggravation. “You know more than that. Keep talking.”
“There’s you and me. Pax has a connection with anacondas. Virginia can call ravens. They’re giant fucking things, mean as hell.”
“Why us and not other people? Or more people?”
“Because of the strain we were given. That’s all I know.”