Softly I whisper, “Are you awake?”
The side of his mouth quirks.
I press my finger to his lips. “Freak.”
He keeps his eyes closed.
I touch his chin.
He grabs my wrist.
I laugh, surprised, and something softens in his face, as though he likes the sound. Hearing is everything to him. He opens his eyes.
“Take a picture, it might last longer,” I joke.
He furrows his brow, like he does when he doesn’t quite understand something.
Suddenly everything that was soft and beautiful in him goes hard and feral. He tightens his hold on my wrist. His gaze shifts to the side.
He hears something.
All I hear is the wind in the treetops. “What—”
“Shhh.” He sniffs the air.
“Ow.”
“They’re here.”
“Who?”
He glares at me.
“What?”
“You alerted somebody. With your phone.”
“I didn’t alert anybody! There was no signal. We’re not near anything—”
“There’s no way anyone could’ve tracked us. It had to be your phone.”
“I didn’t alert anyone. I swear—”
He sucks in a breath. “They’re the ones from before. They’d kill you as easily as they’d kill me. Why would you signal them?”
“I didn’t! I wouldn’t—I don’t even have anyone to alert.”
He studies my eyes. He wants to believe me. Finally he takes my hand and pulls me up and away from the small encampment. Maybe he half-believes me.
“You won’t call out to them if you know what’s good for you.”
“Why would I? What’s happening?”
He regards me warily. “We have to get off the island.” He pulls me across to the far, swampy edge. We’re surrounded by cattails and scrubby willows.
He listens. I still don’t hear anything, but from the way he moves his head, I can tell he hears and smells things. Maybe he’s even zeroing in on the location. Because Kiro is fucking magic.
“Take off your boots.”