Red Island

RED ISLAND A. A. DARK CONTENTS Author’s Note Map of Red Island Prologue 1. Chapter 1 2. Chapter 2 3. Chapter 3 4. Chapter 4 5. Chapter 5 6. Chapter 6 7. Chapter 7 8. Chapter 8 9. Chapter 9 10. Chapter 10 11. Chapter 11 12. Chapter 12 13. Chapter 13 14. Chapter 14 15. Chapter 15 16. Chapter 16 17. Chapter 17 18. Chapter 18 19. Chapter 19 20. Chapter 20 21. Chapter 21 22. Chapter 22 23. Chapter 23 24. Chapter 24 25. Chapter 25 26. Chapter 26 27. Chapter 27 28. Chapter 28 29. Chapter 29 30. Chapter 30 31. Chapter 31 32. Chapter 32 33. Chapter 33 34. Chapter 34 35. Chapter 35 36. Chapter 36 37. Chapter 37 Epilogue About the Author Also by A. A. Dark Acknowledgments Notes AUTHOR’S NOTE The timeline for Red Island takes place approximately 6 months from the fall of Whitlock from the 24690 series but BEFORE the opening of the Garden of the Gods series. The A. A. Dark world follows the Mistresses and Masters who occupy it. Mistress and Master is a title showing nothing more than ownership. The scale of darkness in the stories will range from Pitch Black, Static White, to the extreme, Oblivion. Red Island is classified as STATIC WHITE, walking the edge of OBLIVION (for some). Please be aware of this before you dive in. If you’re not familiar with the triggers that are in STATIC WHITE or OBLIVION, please visit the Home Page of my website where it explains all three tiers. If you are not comfortable with dark reads, and this one is DARK, please DO NOT read this book. Red Island International Bestselling Author A. A. Dark Copyright © 2023 by A. A. Dark All Rights Reserved All characters and events in this book are fictitious. Any resemblance to persons living or dead is strictly coincidental. The scanning, uploading and distribution of this book via the Internet or any other means without the permission of the publisher is illegal, and is punishable by law. Please purchase only authorized electronic editions, and do not participate in or encourage the electronic piracy of copyrighted materials. Your support of the author’s rights is appreciated. PROLOGUE THE DRAGON It was a glimpse at a fairytale—a moment stolen from when I thought I had everything. Love wasn’t supposed to be mine. I was never meant to feel happiness…but I did. I gave my entire heart, only for fate to completely shred it in its greedy hands. Or maybe I was the greedy one. After all, wasn’t this my fault? Hadn’t I been the culprit that triggered the events of what I was now suffering through? She was all I had ever wanted. Layla was a slave—raped by countless men before she got to me. The main one, Ram, I’d had the pleasure to burn alive. She’d almost died on her way to my island because of him. The pregnancy wasn’t expected or wanted on her behalf, but I claimed those babies. The twins were quite possibly mine given the timeline, and I made her see nothing but the possibility. We were going to be happy. I was going to be a father of twins. I was…a father. Or had been. Evil won. That should have meant victory was mine. Once, I was the devil, himself. Once, I was feared across all oceans and countries. They thought my coveted love would be the end of me like with Bram Whitlock. They dreamed it would. Like all things stolen, the universe found a way to set the taken free. It stole Layla. It almost took them all. “No! Layla, wake up. Layla!” Aamir’s screams could no doubt be heard clear across the island. He wouldn’t let his twin go, and me, I wouldn’t let her murderer free. Blood-soaked hair was tangled in my fingers as the woman’s severed head swayed in my grasp. I was walking in circles. Gasping with broken-up breaths of disbelief and panic. I couldn’t believe…I didn’t want to face that on some level I’d done this. Not an hour ago we’d all been so happy. I’d been smoothing back black hair, whispering words of encouragement. Feeding her all my strength through each push. Then, Jamison was born, blue, and not breathing. The moment went from miracle to tragedy faster than I could process. Eimine left to work on the baby, and Layla didn’t have long before she was pushing again. “Eimine!” “Gavin. Gavin!” Layla clawed at me, trying to push and see after our son at the same time. “Something’s wrong. Go to him. Gavin, please!” “Aamir.” Layla’s twin didn’t need me to tell him what to do. Aamir was already rushing over to my son. I was torn, confused on where I should go. I wanted to see my child, to try to help, but there was no way I was leaving the woman I loved. Not after the complications she’d experienced the entire pregnancy. “Look at me, Lovie. He’s going to be okay. Aamir is there. Focus on you right now. Do you need to push?” Layla’s scream filled the room, nearly cutting me off. The baby’s head was already crowning. My attention snapped to Eimine. I called to her, but when she paid me no attention, I didn’t hesitate to grab gloves and slide them on. “You’re doing so well. I need you to keep pushing. Jasmeen’s almost here. She’s—” “I can’t. I—” Layla’s screams echoed from the stone walls as she jerked to the side, penetrating the deepest crevices in my being. Still, she kept looking to where our son was. “Was he just crying? Gavin, is he okay?” “Focus, baby. You can do this. You’re strong. Jasmeen needs you right now.” “Something’s…wrong. Something…What is the doctor doing? His eyes had been open, Gavin. I saw…His eyes…when…she laid him down. Why isn’t he crying, anymore?” She took a deep breath, yelling out again as she pushed hard. When she