Page 3 of Outcast’s Vow

It’s fair of him to point out our difference in attire. Antoni, like the rest of the men on this plane, is in a dark, tailored suit, ready for the glamorous women waiting for him on the beach. Formal. Fancy. Expensive.

But me? I’m dressed to hunt. Tactical black shirt. Charcoal cargo pants. Custom-fitted combat boots. A GPS-enabled watch with night-vision display. A military-grade rucksack slumped by my side. A med kit, flashlight, carbon fiber machete for clearing vegetation, and thermal imaging binoculars.

“You mean like this?” I ask Antoni calmly, flicking my hand over my chest.

“Yes,” Antoni scoffs. “Like this. Like over the fucking top. What’s the need, man? These women... they don’t even hide.”

Sure, he’s right. Those wannabe brides will already be waiting for their future husbands, probably also equally drunk, with open arms.

But I am not after any Castaways woman.

I’ve got only one target in my sights. The one woman who doesn’t even want to take part in the Chase. The only woman who can give me, an outsider to this elite world, the final stamp of validation. I was born with nothing to my name, and after today, I will leave with the greatest trophy in the Order. I’m sure of it. She’s worth earning.

I’m not dressed over the top when it comes to her.

Antoni is staring at me. Gawking. A revelation grows in the drunk man’s eyes.

“Oh, I get it now. You’re after Sylvie Levine, aren’t you?”

I don’t reply. Instead, I stare straight ahead.

“Ha. I’m correct, aren’t I? The Supreme Elder’s daughter? Baptiste, she doesn’t want to be found. Everyone knows that. She’s crazy, man. Why don’t you forget all about that effort and just pick from the delicious buffet presented on that beach?”

I still don’t say a thing.

“Fine, then,” Antoni continues, mumbling. “You waste all day chasing a phantom while the rest of us will be getting with some pretty little rich thing.”

And that’s when I finally look at him.

The moment lingers. The air between us sets on fire.

Antoni finally sees the cold determination in my eyes. Even in his inebriation, he registers the fact that I am not like him, nor like the rest of the guys in the cabin.

Men like him were born into power. I’ve had to take mine. Sylvie is going to be proof I can.

“That’s the difference between you and me, Antoni,” I say coldly. “Ambition.”

There’s a pause as the plane’s engines emit a dull roar under our feet. Antoni’s gaze flickers away from mine, and then he backs away to the rest of the smug bastards partying, head low.

The plane trembles. I swallow and look out the window. My gut tightens as green rainforest sharpens in the blue below. We have begun our descent. The Chase is about to begin.

And I am ready.

I let a smile cross my lips.

Sylvie Levine doesn’t know it yet, but I’m coming for her.

2

SYLVIE

“The sun is rising. Ladies, the Castaway Chase has begun.”

There’s a beat.

Then a giggle ripples through the lobby.

And then it happens.