Page 182 of Reverie

“I don’t want anything to happen to you,” I whisper, and tears make my vision blurry.

“I know,” he says. He runs a thumb beneath my lower eyelids. “But there isn’t another option that I can really live with.”

My eyes slide shut. He’s right, of course.

He has to go.

“Go to the safe room, Sunbeam. Stay there until someone gets you. Misha and Leo are on the way to Winter Island. They’ll be with you if I’m not.”

I want to wail and throw up and fall to the ground.

Hunter looks back at the helicopter when Patrick and Keegan begin to load it with massive amounts of firearms.

“I’ve got to go, Winter. I love you. I’ll be back before you know it,” he says. And from the steel in his jaw and the way his eyes blaze, I know he means it.

“I love you too, Hunter. Keep yourself safe and come back to me. To us,” I say.

He puts a hand on my belly, kissing me again.

Right at that moment, the baby decides to give a firm kick right where Hunter’s hand is.

I gasp. “Did you feel that?” I say, awe lacing my voice.

Hunter’s smile is wide.

“We gotta roll,” Patrick yells from the co-captain’s chair.

“I did feel that. And I’ll feel it some more tonight. I swear it.”

With one final kiss, Hunter steps onto the helicopter and flies off a few minutes later.

I stare after the helicopter until I can’t spot it anymore. The sun is low in the sky, and we have a few hours before it sets. The image before me would be beautiful to witness at any other time. The clouds cast a pink and orange highlight as the clear blue skies make way for the night.

Resentment is a sharp knife in my chest. We’re supposed to have this time forus.The world is scary enough back home, and we’re going to face some serious shit when we return stateside.

And yet, this time is supposed to be for us.

I let the tears fall as I turn to head back to the house.

We aren’t that far from Isla Cara by aircraft, only a hundred nautical miles away. I don’t know what it means that Hunter bought an island so close to his father’s.

I’ll have to ask him about it later.

If he comes back.

I put one foot in front of the other, but when I step on a bramble, I shriek. It’s a totally overblown response, but I can’t stop the sound from exiting my lips. Leaning on a boulder placed on the edge of the path, I remove the object from the sole of my foot.

When blood wells up, the spinning gets worse.

I’m about to have a full-blown panic attack.

I grab my chest, looking up at the house. I just need to get into the house.

Slow your breathing, Winter.

Inhale. Step. Exhale. Step. Get to the goddamn safe room.

I repeat and repeat the mantra until I reach the covered landing to enter the house, but then my hands start to shake, and an icy shot of adrenaline causes my face to tingle. I hold on to the walls, making my way through the back of the house toward the kitchen.