Waterlocked
Page 23
“I ‘ave to be…” He somehow managed to shake off the ache in his wrist and pull Gemma closer. “Keep up with you.”
“You’re not making sense. And you need to wake up now.”
“No.” He was comfortable. And Gemma was right next to him where she belonged. “Why… don’ you share my room when we get home, Gem? Be nice, you know…”
“Terrance, wake up. There are five humans and two vampires on this vessel.”
Th-thunk. His heart gave a quick lurch and he opened his eyes. Th-thunk.
He held out his hand. “Blood. Now.” He felt her put the cold packet in his hand and he brought it to his mouth, biting through the plastic and draining it quickly. He sat up. Gemma was wearing a pair of black leggings and a bikini top.
“What else do you need to wake up?”
Terry dragged her mouth to his, nicking her bottom lip with his fang and sucking hard as she let out a barely audible whimper.
“Terry—”
“More later.” He could feel the heady energy filling him. It was more than the few drops he’d tasted by accident in the past. He’d taken a solid swallow of Gemma’s powerful blood and could already feel the effects. His limbs prickled with awareness, the fog began to lift from his mind, and his senses went on alert. He was also hard as a rock, but there wasn’t much he could do about that. Damn.
“The humans arrived during the daylight, but obviously, I couldn’t do much. The two vampires just arrived.”
“Any sense of them?”
“Not much. I don’t recognize any voices. The humans have been bashing around in the back of the stateroom for over an hour.” As if to demonstrate, Terry heard a solid thump on the other side of the wall separating the day chamber from the interior cabin.
“Bloody humans on my boat,” he muttered, curling his lip. “Fucking vampires. Kill every last one of them, just for disturbing my honeymoon. Dammit, Gem. Can we get a single week to ourselves?”
She was looking around the wooden chamber of the Conquest with wide eyes. “There’s only one way out of this chamber. I don’t like this.”
“They’d have to have a battering ram to get in.”
“How did they find us? I thought you said that Carl and Roger were the only ones who knew about this boat.”
He felt his brain pick up her train of thought. The realization brought a pang of unexpected grief. “Then Carl is dead.”
“Roger?”
“Not likely. Carl was human. We have to assume it was Carl.” Amnis or torture? It could be either, but for his assistant's sake, he hoped it was the former. Terry pushed a button in the wall and heard the hiss of the pneumatics as the wooden panel lifted to reveal a few small monitors. He squinted, making sure not to get too close so he didn’t short out the equipment.
“I know that one.” Gemma pointed to one monitor, which immediately went fuzzy. Terry batted her hand away.
“Look, don’t touch. Which one? The shorter one?” He glanced at the humans; two were stumbling around on deck and the other three were still searching the cabin for some kind of trap door.
“Yes.” She glanced at him from the corner of her eye. “He’s Leonor’s.”
A cold knot settled in his stomach. “You’re sure?” The Spanish noblewoman was almost as old as Gemma and known to be as ruthless as Terry. She’d controlled the Iberian peninsula and the Straight of Gibraltar through more regimes than Terry could count. She was not only powerful, but rich. All trade into the Mediterranean passed through her shipping lanes, owing her tribute. Leonor was a formidable opponent who he would have bet with confidence was an ally.
“Let’s not jump to conclusions,” Gemma said, as if reading his mind. “This would be foolish of her. Why get rid of us? She doesn’t have the physical resources to take London, nor the ambition. This could be an internal problem that we were dragged into.”
“Or it could have to do with that bloody elixir, Gem.”
“Or that.”
They watched for a few more minutes. The two vampires were conferring on the deck. One grabbed a bottle of the blood wine from the cabinet, eyeing it with interest.
“Damn,” he muttered. “If he wasn’t dead before, he is now.” Terry wasn't willing to let them have their business secrets any more than the personal ones.
“Plan?”
“Did you hear any boats?”
“No.”
“Then it's likely humans brought them during the day while you were sleeping. Has to be at least one boat. Maybe more. No telling how many humans aboard.”
“They wouldn’t want to attract attention.”
Terry shrugged and stood up, debating whether to put on clothes. “It’s a big ocean. And we’re out in the middle of it.” With a grimace, he settled on a pair of black swim shorts. He may not have liked wearing clothes in the water, but neither did he plan on killing and maiming with his glory flapping in the breeze.
“Ah yes, out in the middle of the Atlantic. Have I told you what an excellent plan that was, darling?”
Terry grinned. She’d never called him ‘darling’ before. “Just look on the bright side, luv. No one will raise any questions when they hear the screams, now will they?”
“True,” she said just as he heard the splash. His eyes darted back to the monitor. Only one vampire was visible on the screens. “Vampire overboard.”
“You’re not making sense. And you need to wake up now.”
“No.” He was comfortable. And Gemma was right next to him where she belonged. “Why… don’ you share my room when we get home, Gem? Be nice, you know…”
“Terrance, wake up. There are five humans and two vampires on this vessel.”
Th-thunk. His heart gave a quick lurch and he opened his eyes. Th-thunk.
He held out his hand. “Blood. Now.” He felt her put the cold packet in his hand and he brought it to his mouth, biting through the plastic and draining it quickly. He sat up. Gemma was wearing a pair of black leggings and a bikini top.
“What else do you need to wake up?”
Terry dragged her mouth to his, nicking her bottom lip with his fang and sucking hard as she let out a barely audible whimper.
“Terry—”
“More later.” He could feel the heady energy filling him. It was more than the few drops he’d tasted by accident in the past. He’d taken a solid swallow of Gemma’s powerful blood and could already feel the effects. His limbs prickled with awareness, the fog began to lift from his mind, and his senses went on alert. He was also hard as a rock, but there wasn’t much he could do about that. Damn.
“The humans arrived during the daylight, but obviously, I couldn’t do much. The two vampires just arrived.”
“Any sense of them?”
“Not much. I don’t recognize any voices. The humans have been bashing around in the back of the stateroom for over an hour.” As if to demonstrate, Terry heard a solid thump on the other side of the wall separating the day chamber from the interior cabin.
“Bloody humans on my boat,” he muttered, curling his lip. “Fucking vampires. Kill every last one of them, just for disturbing my honeymoon. Dammit, Gem. Can we get a single week to ourselves?”
She was looking around the wooden chamber of the Conquest with wide eyes. “There’s only one way out of this chamber. I don’t like this.”
“They’d have to have a battering ram to get in.”
“How did they find us? I thought you said that Carl and Roger were the only ones who knew about this boat.”
He felt his brain pick up her train of thought. The realization brought a pang of unexpected grief. “Then Carl is dead.”
“Roger?”
“Not likely. Carl was human. We have to assume it was Carl.” Amnis or torture? It could be either, but for his assistant's sake, he hoped it was the former. Terry pushed a button in the wall and heard the hiss of the pneumatics as the wooden panel lifted to reveal a few small monitors. He squinted, making sure not to get too close so he didn’t short out the equipment.
“I know that one.” Gemma pointed to one monitor, which immediately went fuzzy. Terry batted her hand away.
“Look, don’t touch. Which one? The shorter one?” He glanced at the humans; two were stumbling around on deck and the other three were still searching the cabin for some kind of trap door.
“Yes.” She glanced at him from the corner of her eye. “He’s Leonor’s.”
A cold knot settled in his stomach. “You’re sure?” The Spanish noblewoman was almost as old as Gemma and known to be as ruthless as Terry. She’d controlled the Iberian peninsula and the Straight of Gibraltar through more regimes than Terry could count. She was not only powerful, but rich. All trade into the Mediterranean passed through her shipping lanes, owing her tribute. Leonor was a formidable opponent who he would have bet with confidence was an ally.
“Let’s not jump to conclusions,” Gemma said, as if reading his mind. “This would be foolish of her. Why get rid of us? She doesn’t have the physical resources to take London, nor the ambition. This could be an internal problem that we were dragged into.”
“Or it could have to do with that bloody elixir, Gem.”
“Or that.”
They watched for a few more minutes. The two vampires were conferring on the deck. One grabbed a bottle of the blood wine from the cabinet, eyeing it with interest.
“Damn,” he muttered. “If he wasn’t dead before, he is now.” Terry wasn't willing to let them have their business secrets any more than the personal ones.
“Plan?”
“Did you hear any boats?”
“No.”
“Then it's likely humans brought them during the day while you were sleeping. Has to be at least one boat. Maybe more. No telling how many humans aboard.”
“They wouldn’t want to attract attention.”
Terry shrugged and stood up, debating whether to put on clothes. “It’s a big ocean. And we’re out in the middle of it.” With a grimace, he settled on a pair of black swim shorts. He may not have liked wearing clothes in the water, but neither did he plan on killing and maiming with his glory flapping in the breeze.
“Ah yes, out in the middle of the Atlantic. Have I told you what an excellent plan that was, darling?”
Terry grinned. She’d never called him ‘darling’ before. “Just look on the bright side, luv. No one will raise any questions when they hear the screams, now will they?”
“True,” she said just as he heard the splash. His eyes darted back to the monitor. Only one vampire was visible on the screens. “Vampire overboard.”
