"That''s enough time. We''re good," Yvonne said,pletely unfazed.


    Chloe didn''t argue.


    Susanna was truly exhausted-she''d slept the entire flight and still wasn''t awake.


    When it was time to get off the ne, Chloe moved to wake her, but Yvonne stopped her. "Leave her."


    "Huh? Aren''t we supposed to get her up for training right away?"


    "If we don''t let her rest, she''ll drop dead," Yvonne replied tly.


    Chloe blinked. "Drop dead?"


    Well... Susanna really was a delicate one, not built for this kind of grind. If anything happened to her under their watch, they''d be in deep trouble.


    Without another word, Yvonne stepped forward and scooped Susanna up in her arms, carrying her bridal-style off the ne.


    Chloe just stared. Wow. Yvonne''s strength was something else. To an outsider, it might look like she was carrying a puppy, not a grown woman.


    They walked across the uneven beach, Yvonne bouncing a bit with every step. Half-awake, Susanna snuggled into whatever soft, warm thing her face was pressed against. It was sofortable-she couldn''t help but nuzzle closer. Forcing her heavy eyelids open, she squinted up. Wait... was that—?


    Was that... a chest?


    Uh-oh.


    "Yvonne?" she mumbled, groggy.


    Yvonne nced down. "Go back to sleep. Two more hours."


    "Um, could you maybe let me down?" Susanna asked, though she was still bone- tired.


    Was she really being carried like a princess? By another woman? She''d never imagined this would happen to her in her lifetime.


    Yvonne didn''t argue. She just let go.


    With a thud, Susannanded butt-first in the sand.


    Her mind nked for a second, and then she red at Yvonne with a mixture of shock and betrayal. Seriously? That''s what "put me down" meant?


    Sure, it was just sand, but it still hurt.


    Yvonne looked back, unimpressed. "What? Didn''t you say you wanted to walk? Then get up and walk."


    Susanna whimpered, "My butt hurts..."


    It felt like she''dnded on a rock.


    Yvonne rolled her eyes. "Drama queen."


    Clearly, she wasn''t about to offer a hand. She hadn''t coddled Ste during


    training, and she sure wasn''t going to start with Susanna.


    Yvonne strode off, leaving Susanna to scramble up and hurry after her.


    "I really could have slept another two hours, you know," Susanna muttered, rubbing her sore backside.


    Heaven knows, Yvonne had barely let her sleep these past few days. If she got two hours a night, it was a miracle and she was always hungr on top of it. To make things worse, all they had to eat onCybele Ind was fish, which she hated, so she barely touched her food.


    Yvonne nced back. "You''re up now, so forget about sleep." Susanna''s eyes widened in despair. "But-!"


    She tried to protest, but Yvonne


    suddenly stopped cold. Susanna et


    trailing right behind, didn''t have time to react and bumped straightinto Yvonne''s back.


    Wow, whatever perfume Yvonne wore smelled amazing... Except mixed with her


    own sweat, it wasn''t exactly a winningbo.


    Why had Yvonne just stopped?


    "You got some other trick up your sleeve?" Susanna blurted out, words tumbling out before she could think better of it. She''d picked up that habit from hanging around Hull and Barnaby too much.


    Yvonne shot her a dark look. Susanna gave a sheepish grin. “Um, anything I can help with?"


    Yvonne just huffed, turning her attention to a mountain in the distance. It was crescent-shaped, with a hollow in the middle.


    She pointed. "See that mountain over there?"


    Susanna squinted. "Yeah, you want me to move it?"