Choosing Rose (Other World Series Book Six) Read online

  “How deep is the pool?”

  Teagan shrugged. “Not sure. There’s a drop off about ten feet from the shore, but no way to tell how deep it is.”

  “Are there any of the sharkgators in the pool?” She looked behind her shoulder at the water, shuddering a little.

  “No. The pool isn’t big enough for them and besides, I think they like the salt water. Most of the year they’re living out in the ocean. They only come close to the island when they’re looking to breed, from what we can tell.”

  He stopped picking leaves and pointed to the waterfall. “That right there is the closest thing we have to a shower. It’s fucking freezing though so don’t stand under it too long or you’ll get hypothermia. Or you can bathe in the pool. It’s just as cold though.”

  “Sounds great,” Rose said.

  A smile crossed Teagan’s face. “There’s a metal tub in one of the empty huts. You can use it if you want a warm bath, but you have to haul the water, heat it and empty the tub yourself. Most of us prefer the quick, cold shower method.”

  “Okay.” She picked more leaves and handed them to Teagan who stuffed them into the bag.

  “Soap is on limited supply though, so you’re only given a certain amount per week.” He eyed her long hair. “You might want to think about cutting your hair short so you don’t use up your soap ration on it.”

  “What about Talla? She has really long hair.”

  “Talla gets extra soap.”

  “Why, because she’s sleeping with Patrick?”

  “Yes.” Teagan’s voice was unapologetic. “Sleeping with Patrick gives you certain perks.”

  “Is Patrick dangerous?”

  Teagan stared silently at her and Rose picked another leaf before handing it to him. “I only ask because he seems… unstable.”

  “He has a quick temper. Do what he says, and there won’t be a problem.”

  “So it’s a dictatorship, not a democracy?”

  Teagan sighed and turned to face her. “Patrick won’t hurt you, but the smart thing to do is keep your head down and your mouth shut. Do you understand?”

  “Yes.”

  “Good. We’ve got enough leaves, let’s get back.”

  Teagan handed her the leather bag of leaves and she slung it over her shoulder. He carried the water buckets while Duncan led the way, his sword flashing in the light flickering down through the trees.

  When they walked into the camp, Rose almost dropped the bag of leaves. She stared at the man sitting next to Wallace. He was short and stout with shaggy black hair and bright green eyes. He was naked from the waist up, his hairy belly protruding in front of him. He scratched at his bellybutton then sniffed at his finger before casually flicking away the debris stuck under his nail. He was giving her a disgruntled look, but she barely noticed. Her gaze kept returning to the large blue gossamer-like wings that sprouted from his back. They quivered lightly, despite the lack of breeze.

  “What’s your problem, lady?”

  The voice was deep and as rough as sand paper scraping across vocal cords. She stared in silent shock at the short man and he scowled angrily her.

  “What’s your problem?” He repeated. “You never seen a fucking fairy before?”

  “I-I’m sorry,” Rose said.

  Wallace stood and took the bucket of water from Teagan. He set it on the table, dipped a mug into it, and pulled a toothbrush from the pocket of his pants. “Rose, meet Arden. Arden, this is Rose. Be nice.”

  “Yeah, yeah. Nice to meet you,” Arden grunted.

  Wallace dunked his toothbrush into the water and brushed his teeth vigorously. Rose sat down next to Duncan and tried not to stare at Arden’s wings.

  “Morning.” Brody climbed over the log and sat next to her. He yawned and rubbed his eyes before resting his head on her shoulder. “How did you sleep?”

  “Not well.” Rose patted his leg. “You?”

  “Not that great. Turns out that being sucked into an alternate reality plays hell on your sleeping pattern. Not to mention that jungle sounds aren’t exactly the most soothing noise to fall asleep…”

  Brody had caught a glimpse of Arden. The fairy curled his lip at him as Brody’s mouth dropped open. “Is that a…”

  “Fairy,” Rose said.

  “Holy shit,” Brody breathed. “So, when they said fairy, they meant an actual…”

  “Fairy,” Rose repeated.

  “You know I can hear you, right?” Arden glared at him.

  “Sorry.” Brody studied Arden’s wings. “I’ve never met a fairy before.”

  “Yeah, well, I never met a redheaded moron before, but here we are.”

  Brody flushed as Wallace grinned around his toothbrush.

  “Be nice, Arden.” Teagan set the bucket of water next to the second one. “Who’s on trap duty today?”

  “Brian and me.” Wallace finished brushing his teeth and stuck his toothbrush back in his pocket.

  “Good. Don’t forget to check the one by the falls.”

  “I won’t.”

  “Holy shit. Does that guy have wings?”

  Daryl’s voice echoed across the clearing. Arden scowled and jumped up before stomping into a hut.

  “Keep your voice down,” Wallace snarled.

  “Sorry, but seriously did that guy have wings?” Daryl stared at them and despite how tired and afraid she was, Rose started to giggle.

  After a moment, Brody started to laugh too. Before long, Wallace and Duncan had joined in, and even Teagan had a smile on the face.

  “You guys are assholes.” Daryl turned and stalked back into his hut.

  “He ain’t wrong,” Wallace said with a grin. He stood and clapped Brody on the back. “Come on, Red, I’ll wake up Brian and we’ll show you how to check the traps.”

  * * *

  “Tell me more about this Vida creature.” Patrick stared at Solomon.

  It was late afternoon and everyone was sitting around the fire. It hadn’t escaped Rose’s notice that Doc was sitting next to Brody. Their thighs were brushing, and Brody looked both pleased and nervous.

  Solomon shrugged. “There isn’t much more to tell. He’s big, blue, strong and needs water to live.”

  “How strong?”

  “Patrick, it doesn’t matter.” Teagan leaned forward. “You know he’s dead by now.”

  “Maybe, maybe not.” Patrick ran a lazy hand down Talla’s thigh.

  “Why are you so interested in him?” Marissa asked.

  “Don’t you worry your pretty little head about that.” Patrick gave her a condescending look that set Rose’s teeth on edge. “How did he escape again?”

  “That’s the million-dollar question, isn’t it, Rose?” Daryl said. “You want to answer that?”

  “What are you talking about?” Brody asked.

  “I’m saying that Rose set that blue idiot free,” Daryl said

  “No, she didn’t,” Brody glanced at Rose, “she wouldn’t do something like that. Would you?”

  Rose gave him a nervous look. “I didn’t know…”

  “What the fuck did you do, Rose?” Solomon was sitting beside her, and he gave her a hard poke in the leg.

  She flinched, and Duncan immediately stood with his hand on the handle of his sword. “You would be wise to keep your hands to yourself, Solomon.”

  Solomon gave him a wide-eyed look of fright and Patrick made a sit down gesture at Duncan. “Enough, Duncan.”

  Rose turned to Solomon. “You were torturing him. He would have died if I hadn’t helped him. His organs were shutting down.”

  “So, what, you just decided to untie him and lead him straight to the orb?”

  “No! No, I didn’t know he would try and go back to the orb. I was going to get him out of the lab and then…”

  “Then what?” Solomon asked. “What were you going to do with him? Do you really think you could have hidden a giant blue alien in our apartment? Christ, you are so fucking stupid! We’re on this stupid fuckin
g world because of you, Rose!”

  He stood and stormed off to their hut. Rose started to stand, and Brody grabbed her arm. “I think he needs a minute.”

  She studied Brody. His face was pale, and he was giving her a sick look. “Brody, I’m sorry. I didn’t mean for this to happen.”

  “I know.”

  “You’re sorry?” Marissa stood up and glared at Rose. “You’re sorry? All of this is your fault and all you can say is you’re sorry? John and Leslie are dead because of you.”

  Rose winced. Her face was burning, her hands were ice cold despite the warm and humid air and she felt sick to her stomach. “I know, and I feel horrible about it. I didn’t mean for any of this to happen. If I had known that Vida would lock all of us in with the orb, I would have…”

  Daryl glared at her. “You would have what? Not tried to rescue the big blue fucking ape?”

  “No,” Rose replied. “I would have helped him escape, just not when the portal was opening up.”

  “You’re such a bitch,” Marissa spat. “I’m glad Daryl left you to die in the ocean. I just wish you had been torn apart like -”

  “Marissa, shut up,” Brody said.

  “Fuck you, Brody,” Marissa said. “And fuck you too, Rose. I hope you die a fucking horrible death on this stupid island.”

  She turned and stormed away to her own hut. Rose stared at the ground as Daryl stood. “She’s right. You’re a bitch and you’re gonna get what’s coming to you for trapping us all here.”

  He left, and Rose forced her gaze to Peter. He was staring at her and the disgust on his face made her want to vomit. “Peter, I’m sorry.”

  “Yeah.” He stood and walked away.

  Brody put his arm around her and she leaned into his embrace. He kissed the top of her head, avoiding the goose egg, and squeezed her hard. “It’s okay, Rose. They’ll get over it.”

  “They won’t, and they shouldn’t,” she said. “Everything they said is true. This is my fault, and Leslie and John are dead because of me.”

  “It’ll be okay,” Brody repeated.

  “Well,” Patrick grinned at her and she swallowed down the trickle of fear she felt at the hard sheen in his eyes, “that was a fun show. Who’s hungry?”

  Chapter Six

  Rose dunked the shirt in the water repeatedly until all of the soap was gone. Beside her, Wallace was dunking clothes as well and they worked silently. Wallace glanced around every few seconds, studying the trees and plant life that surrounded the waterfall.

  “Where did he learn to do that?” Rose stared at Duncan. He was standing waist deep in the pool with a spear held high over his head. A mesh bag was slung across his chest and hung at his hip. He stared fixedly into the water, not moving a muscle.

  Wallace shrugged. “Duncan knows a lot of stuff about surviving in the wilderness. Of course, he just calls it a goddamn regular old Tuesday. Truth be told, having Duncan around has saved our bacon more than a few times. Turns out, if you want to survive on a deserted island, you should have a guy from a medieval world with you. Duncan taught us how to build the traps, make spears, and skin the animals for their fur. Hell, he even showed us how to repair the roofs on the huts. He’s a regular Mister Fix-It.”

  Rose smiled a little and Wallace winked at her. “Haven’t seen you smile in days, Rosie-girl.”

  She gave him a startled look. “Days? How long have we been here now?”

  “Ten days,” Wallace said.

  “No, that can’t be. Ten days already? Are you sure?”

  Wallace wrung out the t-shirt and threw it into the basket weaved from dried grass. “Yep. Time has a funny way of getting away from you on this island. I noticed your friends still aren’t talking to you.”

  She wrung the shirt dry and grabbed a pair of pants from the pile. She dunked them in water before smearing soap across them and rubbing them briskly. “No. Well, Brody is talking to me.”

  “Dick move from the others.” Wallace sat back on his heels and watched Duncan.

  “I don’t blame them. It’s my fault they’re here.”

  “Sounds like it’s that big blue guy’s fault.”

  “That’s nice of you to say, but it isn’t true. Vida was only able to lock us in with the orb because I released him.”

  “You don’t regret it though, do you?”

  She scrubbed the pants against a large rock under the water. “Nope, I don’t.”

  “Good for you.”

  She glanced at Wallace and he nodded. “I mean it. From the sounds of it, Vida was a prisoner and being tortured by your fiancé. Maybe your fiancé deserved what happened.”

  “John and Leslie were innocent.”

  He touched her shoulder and she stopped scrubbing the pants and looked at him.

  “I know what you’re going through, Rose. Believe me, I do. Innocent people have died because of my actions and while I’m not saying you ever forget that, it does get easier to live with.”

  “Does it?”

  “Yes. Anytime you need to talk about it, I’m your man. Okay?”

  “Thanks, Wallace. I appreciate it.” She was a little surprised by his thoughtfulness. He had it completely hidden behind a thick armor of sarcasm and self-deprecation.

  “Or, if you want to not think about it and just want to have hang-from-a-thatched-roof, hot and sweaty sex, I can be your man for that too.”

  Her mouth dropped open and Wallace laughed before scrubbing at another shirt. “Don’t look so surprised, Rose. You’re hot and smart and you have a great ass. And if you haven’t noticed, there’s a lack of women at our camp.”

  “I also have a fiancé,” she reminded him.

  “Do you, though?”

  She stared at the pants in her hands. There were plenty of empty huts and Solomon had moved into one of them the night she had admitted to releasing Vida. Like the others, he was completely ignoring her. She knew how he was, and she had given him his space. Anytime they had a fight, he needed a few days to brood about it. Only, she hadn’t realized how much time had passed. He’d never gone this long with giving her the silent treatment before.

  Of course, she had gotten him transported to another world where it was very possible he would die a painful and horrifying death.

  He lied to you, Rose. He told you that they didn’t know how to rehydrate Vida, remember? He was putting Vida through agony and doesn’t even seem to feel bad about it. Solomon isn’t a good guy and it’s time you admit it. Deep down you know he isn’t. It’s why you’re not actually that upset about him ignoring you.

  She was upset, dammit. She loved Solomon and she needed him now more than ever. He wasn’t perfect, but neither was she, and he still loved her.

  Does he?

  “Rose?” Wallace touched her arm and she gave him a faint smile.

  “I think I do. I don’t know. He’s upset and when he’s upset, he retreats and… never mind, none of this is your problem. Thank you for the, uh, offer of sex, but I’m going to pass.”

  “All right.” Wallace gave her a cheerful grin. “But just remember, if you change your mind, it’ll be hot and sweaty sex.”

  She laughed despite her anxiety and fear. “I’ll keep that in mind.”

  She rinsed the pants and glanced at Duncan when the spear he carried dropped into the water with deadly accuracy. He lifted his arm and stared in satisfaction at the fish impaled on the spear, before pulling its body free and dropping it into the mesh bag around his hip. He resumed his position, the spear held above his head and his gaze searching the water around him.

  * * *

  Rose stared at the ceiling of her hut. She shifted in the bed of furs before rolling to her side. The moon was very bright tonight and it shone through the cracks in the wall of the hut in thin stripes.

  She sat up and wrapped a fur around her shoulders. It got surprisingly cold in the jungle at night, and she wished she had Solomon’s body heat to snuggle up to. She was suddenly close to tears and she abruptly clim
bed out of the furs. It had been another two days since her conversation with Wallace at the falls, and Brody was still the only one who acted like she existed.

  She deserved their anger, she knew she did, but their continued silence was starting to get to her. The tension and anger in the camp had put everyone on edge, and she knew it was only a matter of time before Patrick kicked her out.

  He wouldn’t, Rose. There’s safety in numbers in this world.

  Yeah, that was true. But she had a feeling that Patrick was growing impatient with the tension between her and the others, and that he didn’t always think rationally. She wouldn’t be at all surprised if he decided to fix it by just giving her the boot.

  She paced back and forth in her hut. It wasn’t that late, but everyone had retired to their huts almost an hour ago. She stuck her feet into her shoes and dropped the fur on the bed before heading to the doorway of the hut. A fur hung across it and she ducked past it and stepped into the clearing.

  She glanced up at the tree that served as their watch tower. Daryl was on watch. He studied her for a moment and then flipped her the bird and looked away. She sighed and walked toward Brody’s hut. It wasn’t that late, maybe Brody was still up. If he was, she’d ask if she could stay with him tonight. The loneliness was crushing her tonight, and she couldn’t stand being by herself in that hut for a moment longer.

  She was walking by Patrick and Talla’s hut now and her cheeks flushed when she heard the low sound of Talla’s moans. She had tried to make friends with the dark-haired beauty over the past week or so, but Talla wasn’t interested. She spent most of her time either sitting by the fire with Patrick, or in his hut with him.

  Brody had told her that Marissa and Daryl had already started making noise about the fact that Talla didn’t do anything around the camp. She didn’t help clean or cook or fetch water. Her sole purpose seemed to be – Rose grimaced a little – sleeping with Patrick.

  She heard a low masculine grunt followed by Talla’s breathless cry and she realized she had come to a complete stop outside of their hut. Her cheeks bright red, she hurried away. She knocked on the doorframe to Brody’s hut and then ducked past the fur.