I was severely pissed at Jade. He was in charge. He should’ve been the one dealing with this shit, not me.
The plane’s engines accelerated. By the time I was in diving range of the runway, the plane had taken off, its magic-propelled metal ass blinking out into the night sky. I was too late.
“Fuck,” I hissed.
I braked midair, hovering for a few beats. My gaze fell to the beach. But as I scanned it, something odd struck me.
Where were all the contestants? There should’ve been a horde of people hauling their shit to the nearby hotel. Weirder still, I didn’t even see Gaius escorting anyone to the building.
Then I saw a single figure struggling to drag a crappy suitcase behind them, but I couldn’t tell who it was. I was too far away, and it was too dark to make them out.
Only one person?I thought.That can’t be right...
There was no way Jade only summoned a single contestant to the island. That snake was thorough, if nothing else.
But an inkling of doubt ran through my head. When Jade said there’d be no Dragonfate Games, I didn’t believe him. After all, I’d seen the contestant-carrying plane with my own eyes. So, where the hell were they? It surely couldn’t be that single person.
My wings pumped slowly as the questions flooded my mind. Below, the lone figure reached the end of the runway, then started dragging their suitcase behind them in the sand.
I rolled my eyes in cynical sympathy. Not only did they show up for nothing, but their struggle to haul their shit back to the hotel was pointless, too. I wasn’t good with emotional shit, but the least I could do was help on the physical side. Besides, if I only disappointed a single person, maybe it wouldn’t be so hard.
When I made up my mind, I folded my wings against my body and dove down to the beach. As I reached grounding range, I shifted to land on my feet, hitting the sand with a thump.
The loud, sudden noise startled the person. He yelped, losing his grip on the suitcase before falling backwards on his ass in the sand.
Then I got a good look at him.
And I knew exactly who he was.
My nostrils flared as I inhaled a sharp breath. His fluffy white hair and warm amber-brown eyes were unmistakable. Not to mention the way my chest twisted painfully when I met his gaze.
The world swayed around me. That or my legs were just shaking.
I wanted to ask what the hell he was doing here, but I couldn’t get the words past the lump in my throat.
Poppy blinked at me with those shiny puppy dog eyes. He seemed just as surprised to see me, and just as tongue-tied. We stared at each other silently for a few long beats.
Then I realized how fucking rude I was being. Poppy was knocked flat on his ass while his heavy suitcase lay like a brick beside him. I reached down to pick it up, then awkwardly offered him my hand.
Poppy’s gaze lingered on my palm, like he was making sure I wouldn’t retract it. Then he gingerly reached out to take it. When I pulled him to his feet, he felt light as a feather. He’d barely gained any muscle or fat since the last time I’d been this close to him. He was as soft and delicate as ever.
“Thank you,” Poppy said after a moment.
Another silent beat passed before I realized I should respond.
“It’s nothing,” I mumbled. “Couldn’t watch you stumble around on your own.”
He met my eyes for a brief second, and in that second, my ribs tightened against my rapidly beating heart. I forced myself to stare at his beat-up suitcase instead.
“Can’t haul that back to the hotel on your own, can you?” I asked.
Poppy scratched the back of his head. “Well, each time I come here, I manage somehow...”
Each time.
How many damned times had he come to this island? This marked the seventh instance. Was he trying to torture me?
I turned my head to stare at the empty beach. It really was just Poppy. Nobody else was present. I couldn’t slip away from the crowd and disappear like I usually did, because therewasno crowd. It was just the two of us.
