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I was right to wait Just before sunrise, he returned I heard the snapping of twigs as he walked on the ground at the foot of our tree He moved toward the body IHe lifted it up and carried it over to the lake I stared as he laid it down on a rock and began piling dried leaves and twigs around it A few minutes later, there was the spark of a fire I cliround and walked toward hi hiher

He knelt on the ground, staring into the flainning to break in the distance Today would have to be the day we left I’d felt nervous about staying the night here But Caleb had needed the space

I waited for an hour or so, watching as he re as the flames consu the corpse even as it faded into a pile of ashes

Finally he stood up and walked over toto say soht pastto keep up with hi," he said, his voice hoarse

I breathed out in relief

"Have you finished the boat?"

He ignoredto force him to stop and look at me

He yanked his hand away fro at me cut me to the core I’d hoped that he would be less likely to bla up Rose’s kidnapping I supposed it was foolish to expect that after I’d already ad to kill Rose on the submarine

"Caleb, please" My voice broke as I knelt at his feet "Don’t leave me alone on this island I swear to God I didn’t push Rose off that tree" He paused, turning around to stare at h to him "I know you don’t love me any more I-I can’t expect you to But please don’t leave me here Drop me off at the nearest shore, and you’ll never have to see ain"

I tried to read his expression A h the er Confusion Conflict I thought he was about to turn away again, but instead, gripping my shoulder, he pulled me to my feet and pulled le

It splitreed tohi was to just get off this island by any means necessary I could deal with the consequences ofbefore we reached the beach and he droppedat a small, half-co to rise in the sky as he began working furiously to finish it He certainly hadn’t lost his skill

Tears welled in ht back memories of the time when my father would moor our ship in his father’s yard I’d always find an excuse to be in the part of the ship Caleb was carrying out repairs in And I’d often catch hi

What I wouldn’t give to turn back time…

I tried to offer to hold a broad leaf over hi to sizzle his skin, but he brushed me aside

I was stunned that within what felt like less than two hours, the boat was completed It was a small boat constructed of a mixture of pieces frole He’d built a s over it to protect him from the sun We didn’t know if it would float yet But there was only one way to find out

I followed after hiripped the edges and hauled myself up after him I moved to the end of the boat while he raised the sails he’d constructed of tarpaulin he’d found in the wrecked subine, of course This was an old-fashioned boat The type Caleb had been used to sailing all those years ago The type Caleb and I had been planning to travel the world in after we got married…

I suspected that Caleb’s hope was that ould coer, faster vessel we could jump aboard, which could take us to land Because this boat would only get us so far

I didn’t knohere I’d go with Caleb once I et hi as I ith hietting ahead of s first

After Caleb set our course and we began gliding through deeper waters, he sank down on the floor beneath the covering He turned his back on me and buried his head in his hands

I shifted into rackhim to not takeat his that erupted in h he see for him was just as intense as ever It painedhis skin was fro I wondered how long it had been since he’d last drunk blood…