The Island Of Alphas: A BBW Paranormal Romance Read online

  Laura immediately looked up from her veggie-and-chicken salad, frowning. "Don't tell me you're done eating already. Three bites of a sandwich isn't nearly enough to sustain a person for a full day of work."

  While a few tropical birds shrieked somewhere nearby, I lifted my shoulders in a feeble shrug. "Just can't focus on food right now, I guess."

  "Still worked up about being torn between Eric and Nate?"

  "Well...that's not exactly my problem. Or, one of my problems, plural. I was about to talk to Eric and Nate about one of them last night, but as usual, they were both called away to deal with the other wolves. And I don't mean to make that sound like I'm blaming them or I'm angry at them about that; I'm just frustrated."

  Snorting, Laura set her fork down. "Tell me about it. Just for one night, I'd like to sleep next to my husband. Literally every single night for the past several weeks, he's been out dealing with the Forms or the other wolves. The past couple of nights, it's been the other wolves, it seems. I'd do anything to just make them go away."

  Thinking about the amulet, and Jason's request, I didn't respond. I couldn't deny that the idea of just doing what he'd asked was striking me as increasingly appealing. Not to mention that despite the fact that he'd broken my heart, shattering my trust in him on a love level, I still trusted him on a different level, just a basic human level, I supposed.

  We had a long history together, and I didn't believe he'd ever lie to me about anything regarding the wolves or the island. I felt like I could trust him, at least as far as his assurances that the amulet was all Dominic wanted, and if he got it, he'd just go away.

  I'd also been thinking a lot about what Jason and Dominic planned to do with the amulet. If there were women and children who wanted to leave the island, and if the amulet could somehow lead to a way that that could happen, I couldn't imagine withholding it. And yet, I knew Eric would.

  The way he'd spoken about Dominic, I couldn't imagine him ever willingly giving him anything. However, I reasoned, maybe his stance would change if I told him exactly why Dominic wanted the amulet. Maybe if I told him that a person I trusted and had known for years, Jason, had assured me that Dominic truly planned to use the amulet for good.

  Maybe Eric would change his mind if I ever got the chance to talk to him about the whole situation. Which would hopefully be soon after I'd gotten my own situation with my pregnancy resolved. Whenever that would be.

  I was spared any further conversation about the wolves with Laura, because Bev, who'd been finishing up something inside the clinic, now came outside and joined us at the picnic table, muttering something about one of the other nurses at the clinic having accidentally disorganized a drawer full of files.

  After work, I stopped by my bungalow to quickly change clothes, then set out down the beach to meet Jason, and meet him without the amulet. I hadn't even gone down to the bunker to have a look at it. I'd resolved to give everything some more thought before acting on anything.

  After walking in the warm sand for at least a half-hour while the sun sank low in a brilliantly bright orange-and-pink sky, I approached the stretch of beach where Jason and I had met before. I recognized the spot by the large log we'd sat on up by the jungle. I began heading toward the log, silently praying that Jason would be understanding about what I was going to tell him.

  At almost the same time, he emerged from the jungle, breaking into a grin when he saw me. "It's so good to see you again, Liz."

  Not one hundred percent feeling it, I told him it was good to see him again, too, and mustered a smile in return. When I reached the log, and him, he moved in to give me a kiss on the cheek, and I let him, deciding to let bygones be bygones about the way he'd left me. After all, knowing that he'd thought I'd think him crazy, which I definitely would have, I understood why he hadn't wanted to tell me about his new job assignment on a supernatural island that didn't even exist on a map.

  Also, things had worked out pretty well in the end. If Jason hadn't left me, I never would have ended up with Eric, the man I now loved, and loved more than any man I'd ever loved before in my life.

  After we'd exchanged a few more pleasantries, Jason got right to it. "So, did you bring the amulet?"

  Sure I was frowning, I shook my head. "No. I didn't. I said I'd think about the whole thing; I never said I was going to bring the amulet."

  Jason's warm expression faded instantly.

  He returned my frown, actually snorting. "Well, forgive me for thinking that you'd think things through, see sense, and bring it. I hope you do realize that because you didn't bring the amulet, you're now responsible for all future attacks on Clearwater. And if Eric or any of his men get hurt or killed, you have no one but yourself to blame.

  “Which is pretty pathetic when you could have easily stopped all of this, and also helped many women and children who want to get off the island, if you'd just brought me the amulet today. How very thoughtless and selfish of you, Liz."

  He'd practically spat the last few words at me. I stood speechless. Never in all the years I'd know him had Jason ever spoken so harshly to me. Ever. Not even close. Being respectful of each other had actually been one of the constants in our relationship.

  Jason had been the type of boyfriend who would only rarely even disagree with me, let alone blame me for things that were out of my control and call me thoughtless and selfish.

  Stunned, I drew a blank as far as a response. Intellectually, I felt like I should react in anger and indignation, but I was honestly more baffled than anything. And baffled wasn't really even a strong enough word, though I had no idea what was.

  However, after a long moment or two glaring at me, practically scowling, Jason suddenly winced, his expression becoming one of complete remorse. "Oh, my God, Liz. I'm so, so, so very sorry. Please forgive me. I shouldn't have spoken to you like that. I'm so very sorry. I'm just so tightly wound these days...under so much pressure.

  “I just want to do my job and help the people of Wulfric Palms, and without pissing off Dominic. I'm so sorry. I just let the pressure get to me. Can you forgive me for being so abrasive and rude to you?"

  Jason's light hazel eyes seemed to be radiating genuine pain and contrition. I honestly felt bad for him. Clearly, he was under an extreme amount of stress, and I could certainly relate to what that felt like. Though his words had been pretty jaw-dropping and even borderline cruel, I decided to just let them go. However, with a caveat.

  In response to his question, I nodded. "I can forgive you. But...under one condition. If you ever speak like that to me again, you will not see me again. Ever. Whatever new tentative platonic friendship we're forming will be over. Any remnants of affection I still have left for you will be gone. I realize you're under a great deal of stress, but I won't tolerate you speaking to me disrespectfully, for any reason. I hope I've made myself crystal-clear."

  Jason nodded enthusiastically. "You have. You absolutely have. I'll never speak to you that way again. You have my word.

  "All right, then. I'm going to hold you to that."

  "Completely fair."

  "But, yes, I forgive you, then. And if you're ready to speak with total civility, we can talk more about the amulet now."

  "Thank you. Thank you, Liz."

  We decided to take a stroll along the beach, heading up toward Clearwater, and we set out in silence that wasn't entirely comfortable. I wasn't quite sure what to say, because I wasn't sure what I could say. Obviously, Jason wanted me to take the amulet and give it to him without telling Eric. The thought of this struck me as just as sneaky and underhanded and wrong than it had days earlier. Maybe even more so now that Eric's and my relationship had deepened.

  After a minute or so of ambling over the sun-warmed sand, both of us holding our shoes, Jason finally spoke, though not about the amulet, to my relief. "Are you happy in Clearwater, Liz? I mean, are you really, truly happy?"

  I didn't even hesitate before responding. "Yes. Sometimes I think I'm happier than I've ev
er been in my life. I love my work with the women in the village; I love the island and the climate; and I love Eric. Sometimes I don't know what I ever did to end up in this paradise...to have this be my life. But then, other times...."

  Not wanting to say too much about my personal life, I didn't finish the thought and just shrugged.

  Jason glanced over at me, his face the perfect picture of concern. "'Other times' what? What makes you unhappy about living here on the island?"

  I shrugged again. "I really shouldn't have even said that."

  "But you did, and because we're friends now, I want to understand. I want to listen. So, please tell me. What makes you unhappy about living on the island?"

  Knowing that he wouldn't just let it go, I exhaled in a rush, deciding to tell him, though maybe not all the nitty-gritty details, like the fact that I was pregnant but I wasn't sure who my unborn baby's father was.

  "Well...your boss Dominic's attacks are a constant source of unhappiness for me, because they take Eric away from me. Eric and I love each other and want a future together, but...well, there's some stress involved, even beyond his absences to fight off Dominic and his men. There are just some things that need to be figured out and resolved before Eric and I can move forward, and before I can be truly happy."

  "But he does love you, though? And you're positive of that?"

  "Yes. I'm positive. I know he loves me."

  Jason slowly stopped walking and turned to face me. "Take your happiness, then. Get Eric back home with you, where he belongs, and where you can work on whatever issues are between the two of you. It would be so easy to accomplish this. All it would take is for you to simply give me the amulet. Then, immediately, Dominic will have what he wants, and he'll stop attacking Clearwater. Eric will be back home with you. All the women and children in Wulfric Palms that want to go to the United States can.

  “Everything will be perfect for everyone."

  I'd also stopped walking and now turned to face Jason. "It's not that easy, though. You've said that you don't want me to tell Eric about your request, and you've said that's for your own safety, which I understand. But you're asking me to do something behind Eric's back, and I'm just not comfortable with that at all."

  "But don't the ends justify the means? Wouldn't this tiny little thing done without Eric's knowledge be worth it to create the happiness you want, and to help other people? You have to think about the payoffs, here."

  I shifted my feet in the sand, certain there would indeed be payoffs to my deception, but just not sure that I could fully enjoy them while knowing what I'd done.

  Suddenly, I had a thought, incredulous that it hadn't occurred to me earlier. "Hey...you say that you don't want me to tell Eric about all this for fear of Dominic doing something to retaliate against you for going behind his back to get the job done, but what would he think if I did give you the amulet, and you just show up back in Wulfric Palms with it? Won't he know then, that you went behind his back?"

  Now it was Jason's turn to shift his feet. He looked more than a bit uncomfortable, like I'd taken him off guard.

  After a long moment spent surveying the gentle waves lapping at his toes, he returned his gaze to my face. "Well...well, I guess in my zeal to help everyone, I hadn't thought that part through yet. But...." He shifted his gaze to the waves for another moment before looking at me again. "I'll just tell Dominic I stealthily crept into Clearwater and took the amulet myself, without involving anyone else."

  "But that still would be going behind his back. And since that's what you say you're afraid of him finding out-"

  "I'll handle Dominic. Don't even worry about him. In some ways, I've got him wrapped around my little finger. So, don't even worry about him. But at the same time, still don't tell Eric about all this. It's just that...well, if Dominic were to find out that I enlisted your help, and then you told Eric...well, that's just the type of thing that would make him mad. But as long as he thinks I simply got the amulet myself, he'll be fine. Just trust me on this."

  "Well...." I paused, heaving a sigh. "Some of the things you're saying don't even really make sense, like there's something you're not telling me, but it doesn't even matter. I'm not going to do what you want me to do. I just can't. I can't betray Eric like that."

  With his greenish-golden eyes glinting in the waning sunlight, Jason studied me for a long moment, clenching his jaw. "You know what, Liz? If you don't bring me the amulet...well, how do I say this? There's going to be trouble. Trouble for you, personally."

  *

  Not even a split-second after Jason had said his threatening-sounding words, I began striding down the beach toward Clearwater, irate. I'd warned him. I didn't care what kind of stress he was under, I wasn't going to tolerate him speaking to me in a hostile, disrespectful sort of way.

  "Liz, please! I didn't mean that to come out how it did!"

  He was striding along beside me, his expression pleading, but other than a quick glance, I completely ignored him.

  "Liz, please. Just stop walking. Just look at me. Please."

  I didn't even slow down in the slightest. In fact, I increased my pace to an incredibly fast speed-walk, bordering on a jog.

  "That did not come out right, Liz, and I'm so sorry. Please let me explain what I meant. By 'There's going to be trouble for you personally,' I just meant that you're going to have a lot of trouble in your personal life if Dominic doesn't stop in his attacks on Clearwater. That's all. It wasn't any kind of a threat, I swear. I just simply wanted you to be aware that Dominic will never stop until he gets what he wants, and so long as that's the case, you'll have problems in your personal life.

  “You said yourself that having Eric gone all the time to deal with Dominic is one spot of unhappiness in what is otherwise a very bright and happy life here on the island. I was just trying to make clear to you that if you choose not to get the amulet for me, and if your mind is completely made up about that, you're going to have some troubles in your relationship. Do you understand what I'm trying to say?

  “I was just trying to help you with a word of warning from a friend to a friend. Please believe me. I would never do or say anything to make you feel threatened. I'm so sorry that I chose my words very poorly back there, and even after you warned me about speaking to you with respect. I'm so sorry. Please believe that what I said back there just came out all wrong."

  Still mad, though softening, I didn't respond, and Jason continued trying for a response.

  "Come on, Liz. I swear to you on Mr. Blinkers that I didn't intend for what I said to come off as threatening."

  That did it. I cracked a smile almost against my will and even had to fight not to laugh.

  Mr. Blinkers was a stuffed elephant Jason won for me at a county fair while we'd been visiting his cousin in Iowa years earlier. He'd gotten his name because I'd accidentally dropped him from the top of the Ferris wheel, and by the time we'd been able to retrieve him, he'd been run over by a fair employee driving a golf cart and was mangled, dirty, and missing an eye, making him appear to be blinking.

  Jason had suggested we throw him away, but, sentimental about Mr. Blinkers since Jason won him for me, I'd refused, saying that a run through the washer would fix him right up. Only, it hadn't. It had cleaned most of the dirt off his fur but had only served to mangle him further, making his foam "guts" spill out from a tear in his side. I'd kept him anyway, and still had him even after Jason had left me. He was somewhere in my apartment in New York City.

  "Believe me, because I'm swearing to you on Mr. Blinkers, Liz. I'd swear to you on his filthy, mangled little head if he were here."

  Completely unable to help myself, I burst out laughing, and Jason joined in.

  Still heading up the beach toward Clearwater, but walking slowly now, I finally turned my face to look at him. "All right. I believe you. But only because you're swearing on Mr. Blinkers."

  "Thank you.""I still won't agree to take the amulet without Eric's knowledge, though. Howe
ver, I will give the whole situation some more thought. I really don't want to do anything to betray Eric's trust in me, but...." I paused, realizing that I actually was entertaining the idea of taking the amulet. Disappointed in myself, I gave my head a quick shake. "No. I won't betray his trust in me. I can't deny that the idea of stopping all these attacks by Dominic and his men appeals to me an awful lot, but...." I gave my head another quick shake.

  "No. I'll just think about things some more. I have some personal issues to deal with right now, too, so that's all I can promise you right now, same as last time. But also same as last time, I won't tell Eric about what you've requested I do, and that's because I don't want Dominic to lose it and try to hurt you."

  "Thank you. That's more than fair. And that's all I ask, that you just continue to think things over until we meet again...maybe in five days, same time, let's say? Who knows...if Dominic's attacks continue or even get worse, and if you're barely able to see Eric at all, you might meet me next time amulet in hand, just ready to make it all stop."