Left to Die on His Island of Traitors

My undercover mission goes wrong, and I'm captured, only to discover that the man I've loved for years is the heir to a powerful crime family. Desperate to keep me alive, Caspian hides me on a remote island. "Be good and stay here, Elowen. Once I convince my father to let you go, I'll come back for you." Only later do I learn the truth. The island is where the Hale family banishes its enemies and traitors. For an entire year, I fight to survive, coming close to death more times than I can count. When I finally escape, I return to the Hale residence to find my identical twin sister nestled in Caspian's arms. "Caspian, Elowen and I were both captured a year ago. Why did you save me and leave her behind?" He pauses, then looks at her with a tender smile. "My father only let me save one of you. You're too fragile. How could I ever leave you somewhere like that?" Something inside me goes cold. I turn to leave and walk straight into the arms of a stranger. "Ms. Vale, how would you feel about making a deal?" The man smiles lazily down at me. I recognize him immediately—Lucian Hale, Caspian's uncle and the man who rules the island. "Alright." Caspian, you're going to regret this. Chapter 1 Elowen Vale's POV By dusk, the rain was coming down in sheets. Caspian Hale stepped off the ferry beneath a long-handled umbrella. I hadn't seen him in a year. He'd lost a considerable amount of weight. There was an unhealthy pallor to his face, but he still carried himself with the same cool, almost aristocratic reserve. "Elowen, your eyes?" His brows drew together as he lifted a hand and waved it in front of my face. The exiles had once poisoned me, leaving me blind. But there must have been some medicinal plant growing wild on the island. I'd survived by eating whatever greenery I could find, and somehow, against all odds, my sight had returned. After striking a verbal deal with Lucian Hale that day, he'd told me to go back to the island, keep pretending I was blind, and wait for word from him. I had no idea how he'd managed it. But sure enough, Caspian had come all the way to the island to take me back. I kept my gaze fixed blankly ahead and followed him onto the boat with a smile. "It's alright. You came for me in the end. That's all that matters." Caspian faltered mid-step. His lips parted as though he wanted to say something, but in the end, no words came. I knew better than to call him out. I simply played along, following him quietly back to the Hale family's country estate. The moment we entered the courtyard, my younger sister, Mara Vale, came hurrying toward us with a six-month-old baby in her arms. "Caspian, what took you so long?" she complained. "The baby's been crying for you this whole time. What am I supposed to do with him?" Without letting anything show on my face, I slowly curled my hands into fists. So they even had a child together. Caspian, apparently worried Mara might tire herself out, immediately took the baby from her. He changed the diaper, mixed a bottle, and fed the baby with the ease of someone who'd done it countless times before. There was nothing left of the aloof, untouchable Caspian Hale the rest of the world knew. He and Mara fussed over the baby for a while before she finally turned to me. Her expression crumpled on cue, and she even managed to squeeze out a couple of tears. "Elowen, I heard you lost your sight?" She sighed, all false remorse. "It's my fault. If I hadn't been careless enough to get caught, Caspian wouldn't have had to expose you as the mole just to save me and throw his father off my trail." Then, as if she'd only just realized what she'd let slip, she clapped a hand over her mouth. "Oh… Caspian hasn't told you yet, has he?" Chapter 2 Elowen Vale's POV An awkward silence fell over us. Caspian quickly handed the baby off to the nanny. He couldn't even bring himself to meet my eyes. "Elowen, if you need someone to blame, blame me. Mara gave me a son. I have to marry her. "The truth is, there's another reason I brought you back. I've received word that my uncle is getting married too. He's my grandfather's illegitimate son. "He's ambitious, but he has no real power in the family, so I'm certain he'll try something while everyone's distracted by the two weddings. "Mara can't protect herself. You two look almost identical, and you're far better at handling yourself, so..." He paused. "I want you to take her place at the wedding." Once, I would've exploded. I would've torn into him without a second thought. But at that moment, I was strangely calm. That seemed to unsettle Caspian more than anger ever could. His frown deepened as he studied me. He was just about to speak when Mara suddenly burst into tears and dropped to her knees in front of me. "Elowen, I know you're angry, but please don't blame Caspian. That night, he'd had too much to drink. He thought I was you, and... well, the baby's here now. I'm begging you. If nothing else, have some pity on me." She looked up at me through her tears. "My son is still so little. He shouldn't have to grow up being called illegitimate. And he needs his mother." The sight of Mara on her knees was apparently more than Caspian could bear. "Mara, you know you're not well. Stop throwing yourself on the floor like this." He shot me an angry look as he hurried to pull her to her feet. When he turned back to me, whatever guilt he'd shown earlier was gone. "Elowen, she's your sister. Are you really going to just stand there and watch her beg you on her knees?" Something inside me went cold. Not once since he'd come for me had Caspian asked how I'd survived the past year. Yet one glimpse of Mara on her knees, and somehow I was the one he was mad at. Then I noticed the necklace around Mara's neck. My fingers tightened around the matching pendant hidden in my left hand. They had once been a pair. One for Caspian, one for me. He'd had a tiny tracking chip embedded inside each pendant. "If you're ever in danger," he'd told me, "I'll know." And yet, over the past year, I'd come close to dying more than once. I'd screamed myself hoarse, waiting for him to come. He never did. I finally knew why. He'd given his necklace to Mara long ago. The cruelest part was that I'd nearly gotten myself killed more than once protecting mine, refusing to let anyone take it from me. After settling Mara into a chair and making sure she was alright, Caspian finally seemed to remember that, as far as he knew, I couldn't see. His tone softened. "Elowen, Mara's been worried about how you would feel about all this. She can't marry me with a clear conscience unless she has your forgiveness. You really shouldn't blame her." Mara had been trying to one-up me for as long as I could remember. Forgiveness? Please. She'd only done all this because she wanted me to know she'd won. Fine. If she wanted to gloat that badly, I was more than happy to give her one last reason to. "With Mom and Dad gone, I'm the closest thing you have to a parent. It's only right that I see you safely married." I closed my fingers around the necklace one last time, then opened my hand and placed it in Caspian's palm. The moment he saw it, he froze. "Elowen... this is the one I gave you—" I cut him off before he could finish. "The third of next month is a good date. You should get married then." My eyes burning, I stumbled out of the room before either of them could stop me. But the instant I crossed the threshold, every trace of hurt vanished from my face. A month. That would give Lucian more than enough time to put everything in place. Caspian Hale would pay for what he did to me—every last bit of it. Chapter 3 Elowen Vale's POV I deliberately missed the last step and went down hard. Sure enough, I heard Caspian hurrying after me. "Elowen! Are you hurt?" He helped me to my feet. I kept my eyes red but refused to let the tears fall, forcing my voice to stay as steady as I could. It still came out small and strained. "When did it start? You and her." Caspian went still. For a moment, conflict flickered across his face. He didn't answer. Instead, he led me over to a stone bench and sat me down. Then, just as he used to, he took my hands and gently wiped the dirt from my palms. "Elowen, what's done is done. There's no point dwelling on it. The baby hasn't done anything wrong, so promise me you won't take this out on him. "Once the wedding is over next month, I'll make all of this up to you. After that, you can yell at me, hit me, hate me… Whatever you want. "Uncle Lucian is ruthless. He won't go easy on Mara just because she's a woman, and she wouldn't stand a chance against him. The wedding is my best opportunity to get rid of him once and for all. "I'll slip something into his tea beforehand. You've handled worse situations than this, so you're the only person I trust to take Mara's place and serve it to him." His voice was as soft and tender as ever. That only made every word hurt more. Caspian really had thought of everything. He'd betrayed me with my own sister, and now he was dangling promises of making it up to me, all so he could squeeze one last bit of use out of me. I noticed he was still clutching the necklace I'd returned to him. Feeling my way forward as if I couldn't see, I took it from his hand and fastened it around his neck. My eyes remained vacant, fixed somewhere in the distance. But from the corner of my eye, I caught the pendant blinking red. Just once. I waited a long moment before giving him an obedient nod. "As long as you know you owe me. But your uncle is suspicious of everyone. What if he sees through me before I can even get close? "Why don't you let me carry the Hale family's most sensitive documents that day? And the orders that authorize your men to move. "They'd give me something to bargain with if things go wrong, and more importantly, if your uncle thinks I'm bringing him something that valuable, he'll be too tempted to question why I'm there." Caspian hesitated. He clearly didn't want to agree. Then his gaze dropped to my scraped, bloodied palm. "Alright then." Relief washed over me. I'd gotten exactly what I needed. That night, Mara came to my room with the baby in her arms. The moment she stepped inside, she dropped the sweet little sister act. "You really are hard to kill, Elowen. But if you think you're getting Caspian back, think again." Before I could respond, she dug her fingers into her son's arm, then shoved the baby into my arms. He immediately began wailing. Footsteps came rushing down the hall. Mara smiled. Then she mussed up her hair and slammed her forehead against the corner of the table. "Elowen, please! Don't hurt my baby!" Blood trickled down the side of her face as she dropped to her knees, putting on a convincing show of terror. Caspian burst through the door moments later. He saw Mara kneeling on the floor, then spotted the bruise on the baby's arm. His expression darkened. "Elowen Vale," he said, his voice deadly quiet. "Have you lost your damn mind?" Chapter 4 Elowen Vale's POV "No. It wasn't me…" The slap came without warning, knocking me to the floor. Caspian was beyond reason. He grabbed me by the throat and hauled me back up. "I told you, Elowen. All you had to do was cooperate, and I would've made sure you were more than compensated afterward. So why couldn't you leave Mara and the baby alone? "I've let you get away with too much. You think that means you can do whatever you want? Maybe it's time I made sure you couldn't hurt anyone again." He seized my right arm and wrenched it back. Something gave. Pain exploded through my arm. I heard a sickening crack, and my scream tore through the room. One look at my mangled arm beneath the harsh overhead light was enough to turn my stomach. For a second, everything blurred. Every instinct in me screamed to fight back, but I forced myself to stay still. I couldn't ruin the plan. Not now. Caspian tossed me aside like I was nothing. I should have remembered who he was. He was a Hale, born and raised in the criminal underworld. Cruelty had always run in the family. "Elowen, I've overlooked more than I should because I know I wronged you," he said coldly. "But that doesn't give you the right to go after my child behind my back. "I'm disappointed in you." He gave me one last look of disgust and turned to leave. At the doorway, he stopped. His gaze fell on me curled up on the floor, shaking from the pain, and for the briefest moment, something like regret crossed his face. Mara saw it too. Her expression twisted before she quickly pulled the baby closer and cried out, "Caspian! Something's wrong. The baby's not waking up!" Then she turned on me, tears spilling down her cheeks. "Elowen, I know you hate me, but he's just a baby! What did you do to my son?" Caspian's expression changed instantly. Without another glance in my direction, he scooped up the baby and rushed off to find a doctor. The pain in my wrist was becoming unbearable. I lay there alone until, at some point, everything went black. The next thing I knew, pain dragged me back to consciousness. "Snakes?" Only then did I realize there were snakes all around me. Panic took over. I scrambled desperately across the floor, screaming as I tried to get away. Then, through the open doorway, I caught sight of Caspian and Mara standing outside. My heart sank. So this was deliberate. Caspian knew better than anyone how terrified I was of snakes. Years ago, I'd been bitten by one while protecting him, and the experience had left me with a crippling fear of them. Back then, he'd held me close and made me a promise. "As long as I'm here, I'll never let another snake come near you." And now? He was the one who'd put me in a room full of them. I couldn't risk letting Caspian realize I could see. So I stopped trying to escape. I went still, forcing myself to endure the snakes crawling over me and striking again and again. "Mara, are you satisfied now?" Caspian asked. "You know snakes are Elowen's worst fear." His eyes never left me. Behind his back, however, his hand had curled into such a tight fist that his knuckles had gone white. Mara noticed. She immediately slipped an arm through his, her voice turning sweet and coaxing. Her words sounded merciful enough, but I could hear the calculation underneath. "Caspian, that's enough. I'm not angry anymore. I'm sure Elowen didn't really mean to hurt anyone. "The baby's fine, and that's what matters. Why don't we just leave her here for a while to think about what she's done? There's no need to take this any further." Caspian's expression finally eased. But when he looked at me, his face hardened all over again. "See, Elowen? That's the difference between you and Mara. You're twins, yet somehow she has more compassion in her little finger than you do in your entire body." I couldn't hold on any longer. Everything went black. I came to with a gasp as freezing water hit me. I was soaked through, shivering and aching all over, struggling just to catch my breath. Mara stood over me. She grabbed my chin and forced my face up, then slapped me several times. "Do you know why Caspian stopped loving you?" Something in her voice made my stomach drop. Whatever came next, I knew I didn't want to hear it. I covered my ears, but Mara yanked my hands away. Chapter 5 Elowen Vale's POV "I'll tell you the truth. He never loved you. Not even from the beginning. The only reason he got close to you was to get his hands on the organization's secrets. "You probably don't know this yet, but Caspian wiped them all out. Mom, Dad, every last one of our uncles in the organization. Their bodies have probably been rotting for days by now." Mara laughed. I froze, the words hitting me like a physical blow. Tears spilled down my face before I could stop them. "No!" I screamed. "Mara, they were your family too! How could you do something like this?" All I felt was hatred. The smile slowly vanished from Mara's face, leaving behind something cold and ugly. "I was only fighting for what I wanted. Do you really think I'd just stand aside and let you have a man like Caspian? I wanted him, Elowen. And I was willing to do whatever it took to make him mine." Make him mine? Before I could ask what she meant, Mara walked out and locked the door behind her. The next night, I found a bottle of ointment in my room. It was the kind used to help broken bones heal faster. A week before the wedding, Mara had me dragged out of my room and taken into the courtyard for her wedding dress fitting. She didn't care that everyone was still there. She simply ordered them to strip me down. "Wow, Elowen. Look at all those scars. They're disgusting. Oh, and I heard the women locked up on this island are treated worse than prostitutes. Don't tell me you..." Her gaze flicked toward Caspian. She left the rest unsaid, but the implication was obvious. I clutched my clothes against my chest and gave her a cold smile. "What, Caspian barely touches you? Is that why you're so curious about what it's like?" "You!" Mara flew into a rage and raised her hand to slap me. Caspian's eyes were fixed on the scars covering my back. His grip tightened around the glass in his hand until it shattered. "Enough!" Mara had never seen Caspian in such a stormy mood before. She immediately backed down, not daring to provoke him any further. But the way Caspian looked at me had changed. His gaze lingered on me, troubled and conflicted, as if he were wrestling with something he couldn't quite resolve. The night before the wedding, a violent thunderstorm rolled in. Caspian got completely drunk and somehow ended up outside my room. He sat there alone with a bottle in his arms, mumbling to himself until he gradually drifted off. "Elowen... that girl you captured five years ago was my little sister. Why couldn't you just let her go? She was only 15. Whatever you did to her left her in a coma. She never woke up… "If you hadn't been so cruel, I never would have done any of this to you…" Five years ago? I stared at him in shock. I had caught a suspicious girl lurking near the base five years ago. So that girl had been Caspian's sister. But I'd told Mara to let her go. Once Caspian had fallen asleep, I changed into dark clothes and slipped out of my room without anyone noticing. I made my way into the rear wing of the estate and found an almost fairytale-like bedroom tucked away inside. There, lying asleep on the bed, was the girl I'd been looking for. She looked exactly the same as she had five years ago. A faint smile tugged at my lips as I slipped a specially formulated pill into her mouth. I hoped Caspian would enjoy the wedding gift I had planned for him tomorrow.