Isla swallowed and slowly peeled back the sleeves until the deep purple of the bruise was exposed. She hadn’t realized how tightly Rynn had gripped her until she’d had time to examine it in the bath. There were four long, dark imprints around her forearm and one even darker spot where his thumb had pressed in.
Bri stared at it, blinked once, then spun on her heel toward the door. “Son of a—where’s that dagger? I’m going to kill him.”
“Wait, Bri—stop! Just wait a second!” Isla grabbed Bri’s hand as she turned the doorknob.
“I’m literally going to kill him. Screw him being an elemental, I’m still going to cut off his balls and—”
“Please, hold on! We’ve got more important things going on, can’t you act out your creatively gruesome revenge after we get through this alive?” Isla tugged her friend back into the bathing room.
Bri clenched her jaw. “How are you not wanting to claw his eyes out? You practically have a bow and arrow in your hands ready to go when you think a man says something rude to me at a bar. This is so much worse. Gods, I want to strangle him!”
“Trust me, I’m not happy about it either. It happened after I went to see Sebastian last night, and Rynn was shocked.” She quickly told Bri about visiting Sebastian again and her theories about him. “Rynn thought I was betraying everyone.” Isla shook her head. “You know what? I don’t even know why I’m trying to justify it. He shouldn’t have touched me, no matter what he thought, but we don’t have time to deal with it now, okay?”
A soft knock sounded at the door. “Yes?” Bri snapped over her shoulder.
Kai peered inside. “You both may want to come out to the main deck. We’ve spotted land.” Excitement shimmered brightly in the elemental’s eyes. “We’re almost there.”
An entire colony of butterflies took flight in Isla’s stomach. She and Bri exchanged glances, and her friend softened, pulling Isla into a hug. “I’ll be with you every step of the way,” Bri said into her shoulder.
Isla smiled. “I love you.”
“I love you, too. But I still want to cut Rynn’s balls off.”
“Not yet, Bri,” Isla said with a laugh as she stepped away.
“Just one?”
Isla shook her head. “When did you get so violent?”
Arm in arm, they walked out the door.
Chapter Fifty-Three
Isla
TheMekaisawas much closer to Iona than Kai had let on. The island was no longer a small strip of land that one had to squint to see; Isla could now clearly make out a smattering of lush green trees lining the beach and a monstrous mountain reaching to the sky.
Excitement pulsed through her, and a pleasant warmth crept across her skin the nearer they drew. She stood on the bow of the ship, relishing the wind against her cheeks as the morning sun lit the water, making the waves sparkle like diamonds. Ever so slowly, the sandy shore grew, and the trees took shape. She was captivated by the vibrancy of the whole scene; the water was a clear, stunning turquoise, and the bright canopy of greenery stood in contrast to the white beach shining under a cloudless sky. While she loved Evonlea, this was so very different from her cold kingdom of white and ice and sharp edges.
“Beautiful, isn’t it?” She turned to find Rynn holding out an apple.
She took it without meeting his eyes. “Thank you,” she said. His presence didn’t scare her, but it set her on an uncomfortable edge, making her more aware of every movement he made, every breath she took.
“I hope you are excited to see the island,” he said after a moment. “It’s our home. And I suppose it’s yours, too, in a way.” Something in her jumped at the idea. It seemed strange to call a place she hadn’t even known truly existed over a month ago “home.”
“I hadn’t thought about it that way. Do you miss it?” she asked quietly.
He was silent as he grasped the railing and stretched out his arms. “Yes. I think we all do. Even after all that has happened over the centuries, this is still our oasis. We have gone through dark times, but we could always return to Iona.”
She nodded, biting into the apple. Her anger from earlier had been depleted, leaving only solemn resignation and a bit of loss. Loss for something that could have been magical but had ultimately slipped through their fingers.
Rynn took a deep breath. “Isla, I cannot…I don’t know how to tell you how sorry I am for what happened last night.” His eyes fell to her bruised arm, and he quickly looked back out at the ocean, rubbing a hand against the stubble on his jaw. “There is no excuse. I know that. I’m sorry.”
She closed her eyes, the warmth of the sun sweeping across her face. She thought back to their time together in the cave, of his body curled around hers, his warm lips on her neck, his promises of safety when fear threatened to claim her. All of that had been real. And it had beengood. But she no longer needed his comfort—not when it came with possessiveness and control. Not when his storm raged stronger than his balm soothed.
Besides that, she had realized that an immortal and a human had nothing in this world to offer one another. Except, perhaps, forgiveness.
Isla opened her eyes and finally met his gaze. “I forgive you, Rynn. And I’ll always be grateful to you for helping me get my family back. But this isn’t a life I want, and I think it’s best that we all go our separate ways after this is over with.”
