165: Ada's POV

165: Ada's POV
The island was a vibrant shade of red.

It wasn’t what I was expecting to see as we approached, and it slowly appeared on the horizon. Something more like the ports and beaches of the Kingdom of the Moonglade had been what I was expecting. Tropical plants, blue water, white sand... There was none of that visible.

Heath handed me a telescope to get a closer look. The sands of the island were pitch black, sparkling in the sunlight. Waves crashed against the shore, the sea foam taking on a nasty rust color as the maroon-red water sloshed. Vegetation had taken on different hues of red— ranging from auburn to copper. As a whole, the island was striking. Beautiful, even, in a very creepy sort of way.

I returned the telescope to Heath. “Why does it look like that?”

He shrugged. “I never have gotten a straightforward response. Some say it’s a curse; others say it was formed that way and was a natural spot for vampires to land.”

Phoenix stepped up beside me, arms crossed over his chest. We were all clad in fighting leathers and armor, weapons at our sides. Dagger and Blade were right up against the edge of the deck, watching the island as it came into better view. Over the island, swirling black, purple, and gray clouds blocked out the sun. I cocked my head to the side, seeing no signs of lightning or rain.

Blade grunted, “Someone on that island is very powerful.”

There was a lurch as the ship came to a complete stop. A longboat was approaching from the left side, moving rapidly against the waves as it came. Three men, shrouded in long black cloaks, were in the boat. Paul and Felix stepped over, greeting the three men who seemed to float from their vessel and up onto ours. Muffled words were exchanged. Black eyes roamed over the crew as they conversed, curiosity sparking in them as they crossed over my group.

Within a few minutes, Paul and Felix were shaking hands with the three men and turning back to us all. They addressed Heath, “They are willing to assist us with provisions, but Ada and Phoenix cannot set foot onto the island.”

“And Blade and Dagger?” Heath arched an eyebrow.

“Perfectly welcome,” Felix said stiffly.

Phoenix and I exchanged a look. Heath sighed, “Well, the two of you and some crew from each ship should go and get provisions from each ship.” he turned and motioned to Blade and Dagger. “Seeing as we have no choice, one of you will have to go and represent Phoenix and Ada. I’ll stay here as well.”

Blade stepped forward. “I’ll go.”

Without turning to Phoenix or me for approval, Blade strode across the deck and trailed behind Felix and Paul as they made their way off the ship. Heath scratched the back of his head and turned to Phoenix and me, “Any guesses as to why they wouldn’t want the two of you on shore?”

“Fane Rosu,” Phoenix and I stated in unison.

“We were allied with him for a time, so I don’t see—”

I cleared my throat. “You were never really allied with him. We were, and we have some deeper connections to him as well.” My eyes stayed locked on the longboat heading toward shore. “Given that my mother is his mate, I’m not surprised they don’t want me there.”

Especially since nothing about this island screamed ‘Fane Rosu.’ Aside from maybe the colors.

Heath sighed heavily, “Well, we’ve all got a couple of hours to kill. Any ideas as to what we should do?” Phoenix and I both shrugged, and Dagger just stared at Heath wordlessly. Heath snorted and then stated, “If no one else has any suggestions, I think we should give a foursome a shot.”

Dagger snorted, a sneer crossing his face. Phoenix furrowed his eyebrows. I raised mine and tossed my hands up in the air. “Oh, why the fuck not? Let’s go, boys. You can fuck me, and then I can watch you fuck each other.”

Phoenix paled with surprise, physically turning his body to look at me. “What?”

I grinned as Heath started laughing boisterously. Dagger’s sneer turned into a grin as he winked at me. “If you two are in,” he motioned to Phoenix and Heath, “I’m in.”

That seemed to sober Heath up. He rolled his shoulders back, straightfaced, “I won’t be the one to chicken out.”

All eyes turned to Phoenix. I crossed my arms over my chest, trying to fight back my laughter. His eyes went wide, and he tossed his hands up, “I won’t be the one either.”

“Well, shit,” Heath clucked his tongue, running a hand through his chocolate-colored hair, “I guess we’re having a foursome to pass the time then.”

“We’re all far too stubborn for our own good.” I took a half step back and away from the three men who had all turned their attention to me. Each expression was different— the genuine amusement on Heath’s face, concern on Phoenix’s, and shock on Dagger’s. I wondered if my own gave any indication of how fast my heart was racing. Tamping down the growing fear in the pit of my belly, I swallowed and stated, “I won’t be the one to chicken out.”

Phoenix narrowed his eyes at my face. “Don’t tell me we’re all about to get ourselves into a situation just to see who the first to back out will be.”

“My bets on you,” Heath said instantly, “I think you’ll feel too protective and possessive over your mate once we get going.”

Dagger took a small step toward me, grinning. “I think it’ll be Ada. She’s nothing if not loyal to her mates. The second you or I try anything, Heath, she’ll go running.”

There was a loud sigh from Phoenix. “She definitely won’t back out now. She’s like my brother Nik in that way— once she’s challenged, she won’t be the one to lose.”

I set my jaw, meeting Heath’s gaze and smiling softly. “I’d bet on you being the one.”

He arched an eyebrow, immediately striding toward me until we were face to face. “Why’s that?”

Heath angled his head down, leaning so that our lips were almost touching. His breath was hot on my face. If this had been Phoenix or Darius or Nik, I would have been out of breath just from the proximity. But it wasn’t, and that meant I was more able to keep a clear and level head,

I looked up at him, moving my lips even closer to his, and dropped my voice to a whisper, “Something tells me you believe too much in the sanctity of the mate bond,” the smile on his face disappeared as I continued, “You might have your own fun until you find your mate, but since I’ve already found mine, I don’t think you’ll take any part in having me.”

A dark, strangled chuckle came from between Heath’s lips. He traced my jawline with his finger. “See, you’ve got me all wrong, Ada.”

And then his lips pressed against mine.