“We’re free,” she said, though she knew she’d be returning.
Charlie didn’t tell him that; she would give him these hours of peace before letting him know she was returning to the island. There would never be any real peace for them until every monster involved with the hunt was dead.
Dylan fell asleep with his head against her shoulder, and Charlie drifted off to sleep. The crackle of static woke her, and she opened her eyes to find David with the radio in his hand. Mike and Mia stood beside him.
Jack shifted against her back but didn’t rise as Liam and Ethan also got on their radios. Throughout the next hour, they worked out a plan to deal with the remaining Savages on the island.
When the sun was higher in the sky, Ethan got into the dinghy and steered it away from the cabin cruiser with LeNae and Miguel inside it. He dropped LeNae off at Liam’s boat, and Miguel came over to theirs. Afterward, Ethan returned to the cabin cruiser and shuttled Mal, Aiden, and Ian to shore before picking up Maggie, Paige, and Kirha and taking them to land.
Darlene, Gio, and Lucia remained on the cabin cruiser while Ethan returned to Liam’s boat. He picked up Liam, Stefan, and Brian and took them to shore and returned for Isabelle and Abby while LeNae took control of Liam’s boat.
The dinghy couldn’t hold more than four at a time, and it was time consuming to shuttle everyone to shore, but they decided to use it instead of swimming in the hopes of drawing a few more Savages in with the noise. Plus, they were all a little tired of being wet.
When Ethan returned to their boat, Charlie reluctantly removed herself from Jack’s arms and rose to embrace Dylan.
“Do you have to go?” Dylan asked.
“Yes,” she said as she brushed the hair off his forehead. “With the island completely different now, Mal will need help to locate all the caves we know, and I’m sure there are some we never discovered that the Savages could be hiding in. The humans and Miguel can’t return as they’re easier targets for the Savages. Plus, Miguel didn’t venture out as often as Mal and me, so he doesn’t know the island as well. We have to make sure the Savages are all dead before we leave. There could be survivors from the hunt still on the island too.”
Dylan looked about to protest further, but he clamped his lips together and stepped away from her. “I’ll be okay,” she assured him. “And I won’t be gone long.”
She didn’t want to leave him, but if even one of these bastards was still alive, they were in danger.
“Be careful,” Dylan said as he reluctantly released her.
“I’ll make sure she stays safe,” Jack promised him.
Dylan gave him a wan smile, and though he tried to act brave as he straightened the tattered remains of his clothes and threw his shoulders back, Charlie hated the terror in his eyes.
“I’ll be back,” she promised. “I love you.”
He glanced at the others as a blush crept into his cheeks. “I love you too,” he muttered.
“Come,” Miguel said as he rested his hand on Dylan’s shoulder. “Did I ever tell you about the time I fought the lobo?”
Dylan gawked at him. “Isn’t that awolf?”
“It is,” Miguel confirmed.
“You never told me about that.”
“Oh, you are in for a real treat, my friend,” Miguel said as he steered Dylan away from her.
“Thank you,”Charlie mouthed to Miguel when he glanced back at her. He nodded before limping over to the wheel with Dylan.
“This was the craziest lobo you ever did see,” Miguel said. “I think it was rabid, but it was still no match for me.”
“How’s your gas looking?” Ethan asked David as he climbed into the dinghy.
“We just filled the tanks, and we still have a full can.”
“Good,” Ethan said. “With as many trips as this thing has to make back and forth, I need a refill.”
* * *
Charlie triedto find something familiar in the charred remains of the landscape, but nothing was left of the island she’d known. Some stubborn, burnt-out trees still towered over the earth, but almost nothing else remained. The scent of burnt wood was oppressive, and in a few places, smoke still coiled into the air and low flames flickered.
They’d landed on a section of the island where the cliffs were only a few feet high and easy to climb. Ethan pushed the dinghy back into the ocean; Mia guided it away from the shore and back toward Miguel and Dylan. She’d wanted to come with them too, but they needed a mate to remain so they could communicate with someone at the boats, and Mia reluctantly agreed to do it.
