Heather was the one sandwiched in between the other two. She still had the blush of life, not like the dead white skin of the others. When he caught sight of her face, the resemblance to Ivy was noticeable. They had the same pert little nose. There was blood smeared on Heather, giving evidence that she had been bitten at least once.
Holt didn’t discount the fang marks on Ramsey. Ramsey’s neck bore at least three purplish bruises with puncture wounds centered in them. Holt frowned, wondering why, if Ramsey had been a constant source of food for the Clutch, he was still human. A puzzling question that they would have to investigate further, after the Clutch was destroyed. Assuming that Ramsey survived, that is.
Holt, Colin and Rogue had been poked, prodded, sniffed and drilled with questions when they had first arrived. Their entrance had interrupted the private orgy that had been taking place and, now that the Clutch of women had accepted them as vampires—a bit tricky since the three of them were warm to the touch but they explained their temperature by saying that they had recently fed—the sensuality level in the cabin was again beginning to warm.
They were going to have to act soon. If it wouldn’t have been for the storm and the rocking of the boat, they would have begun extermination immediately. Also, Holt had been thrown off by the realization of what the little orgy really was. It wasn’t just about sex. The vampires were preparing Heather to turn her.
Holt couldn’t let that happen. He leaned against the wall, about two feet from where his duffel bag lay. Ramsey sat in a chair in the corner, mouth turned down in a frown.
“Ramsey, sweetheart,” the one who had introduced herself as Catharine said, “don’t pout. It’s not very macho.” Catharine drew Heather to her side. “What do you think, my pet? Is Ramsey looking manly at the moment?”
Holt gritted his teeth to keep from ripping Heather out of the vampire’s arms. Heather’s eyes were unfocused, as if she was drugged, and her lips were parted slightly. She slowly looked toward Ramsey. “Not … macho.”
Colin and Rogue were stationed one on each side of the room. They both were involved with keeping the two vampires they had met at The Cellar busy without getting bitten. Holt caught Colin’s eye. Colin nodded. Then Holt looked to Rogue just as he raised his head from the vampire that was all over him. Recognition flashed in Rogue’s eyes. Holt tensed. It was time they put an end to this hellish scene.
“What the HELL?” a female voice rang out.
Holt had been ready to reach for his duffel bag and the axe hidden inside when those three words stopped him dead.
Ivy.
The whole Clutch turned as one at the sound of Ivy’s voice. She stood in the stairway door, her eyes narrowed slits and deadly with rage. “Heather—get your ass dressed!”
Heather turned, blinking. “Ivy?”
Catharine smirked. “Do you know this intruder, my pet?” she asked, stroking Heather’s hair.
“My sister,” Heather whispered, her eyes going wide. “Ivy—get out!” Heather wrapped her arms around Catharine, as if she could stop the vampire from attacking.
“What is this … holy shit!” A man came up behind Ivy. His eyes were ready to pop out of his head as he took in the sight of five mostly naked women.
Ivy surged forward. “Heather, come on. You’re the one getting out of here.”
Holt had to move fast. He dove for Ivy, intercepting her just before she grabbed a handful of Catharine’s hair. He slung her sideways, shoving her into the corner. She connected with the wall, letting out an ‘oomph’ before she lost her footing and slid down to land on her butt.
Holt immediately grabbed the duffel, ripped the axe out of it and tossed the bag to Colin.
Hot shifted his position, blocking them from Ivy, planted his feet and drew back.
Catharine’s eyes went wide. She shoved Heather away from her and snarled. One second later, Holt’s axe sliced cleanly through her neck.
Ivy’s deafening scream joined Elizabeth’s as Catharine’s head fell backward, severed from her body, and bounced across the floor. Holt took a deep breath and swung again, taking advantage of Elizabeth’s horror at her bloodkin’s demise. This time, the blade didn’t make it all the way through the bone. Elizabeth grabbed Holt’s arm with both hands, blood spurting from her neck. Ivy’s screams cranked up a notch.
Holt grit his teeth. His eyes searched out Colin. Colin had two wooden stakes in one hand, taken from the duffel. He tossed the bag to Rogue. Rogue caught it, pulling two more stakes out of it before letting it drop. Holt turned back to the vampire that was stuck on his axe.
He grabbed a handful of Elizabeth’s hair and jerked her head back. Bones popped loudly in the brief silence of Ivy finally taking a breath. He jerked the axe free of the gorge in the vampire’s neck. Still, she hung onto his arm, stopping him from taking another swing.
The next thing he knew, Elizabeth’s head was wrenched back, twisted, then ripped from her neck.
Holt shook the now lifeless hands from his wrist. The body dropped. Then he stared.
“You didn’t think I was going to let you have all of the action, did you?” Ivy asked, Elizabeth’s head dangling from her hand. She held up the head, looked at it. “Bitch.” Then she tossed the head to the side and winked at Holt. “Let’s finish the job.” She turned and stomped toward the abandoned duffel bag.
Holt stifled a laugh, then strode to where Colin was struggling with the one named Peg.
*
The realization that these weren’t Sanguine women, but true vampires, had hit Ivy like a ton of bricks when the one had latched onto Holt’s arm. Vampires. Real vampires. The legends were true. The shock had made her spring into action and she quickly joined the fight.
Ivy hefted the weight of the stake she had taken from the duffel. Not too heavy but solid and thick. She whipped herself round just in time to see Rogue go down.
A vampire was on him. Ready to rip his throat out.
Ivy vaulted up from her crouch and raised the stake above her head with both hands. “Get off him, you bitch!” Ivy dropped down on the vampire’s back, pinning both the vampire and Rogue to the floor. Screaming at the top of her lungs, Ivy brought the stake down. Speared in the center of her back, the vampire howled and arched up.
Ivy was thrown off. She hit the floor hard.
Someone grabbed her. Jerked her up.
“Let go,” she growled.
He had her by the upper arms. The man who had been sitting in the corner when she had first come in. The one she suspected was Ramsey.
“You killed her!” he spat, driving Ivy against the wall. “I’m going to take you apart.”
Ivy stopped struggling. She pressed the palms of her hands against the wall. With a grunt, she brought her knee up. “Rack ’em, baby,” she said, her knee connecting solidly with his crotch.
He jack-knifed at the waist, releasing his hold on her upper arms. He went to his knees. Ivy fell on top of him.
She rolled off, swinging her legs around at the same time. God, she was pissed. Rage filled her, burning her up inside. Her legs pistoned, pummeling his back with kicks.
He curled into a ball, a strange high whine issuing from him
That pissed her off even more. Don’t you just hate a whiner? she thought, pushing herself up.
Ivy rolled Ramsey over and sat on his stomach. He brought his knees up, trying to buck her off.
Ivy drew back and slugged him. “That is NOT how you treat a lady,” she said, shaking her hand. “Shit. That hurt.” She smiled anyway.
Ramsey was out cold.
“Are you done yet?” Holt asked from behind her.
A rush of emotion swelled over her at the sound of his voice.
With a groan—she was going to be sore in the morning—she rose up and turned to face him. Her heart skipped a beat. Even spattered with blood and gore—he was gorgeous. The adrenaline rush that she had been riding drained away. Suddenly she was very, very tired.
Holt took her by the
arms. “Are you all right?” Concern was etched in his dark eyes.
Ivy felt her lower lip begin to quiver. Don’t let me start blubbering now, she thought, her eyes beginning to sting.
Holt took her chin gently in his hand, lifting it. “You’re not bitten, are you?”
“No.”
He met her gaze. “What’s wrong?”
Ivy sucked in a breath. Her eyes traveled to his mouth. Such a scrumptious mouth. The things that he could do with that mouth. The way he could make her feel…
“Ivy?”
Her eyes snapped back up to his. He has fangs, a voice in her head said. Fangs hiding behind those firm lips. She took a shuddering breath. “You’re not…” She almost choked.
He raised an eyebrow, waiting for her to finish.
Ivy swallowed. “You’re not one of them, are you?”
For a second, he was silent, and then he pulled her into his arms, crushing her in his embrace. “No, Ivy. I’m not one of them.”
Relief flooded through her. She laughed shakily. “Are you sure? ’Cause those teeth of yours are just a tad sharp.”
Holt drew her back and looked her in the eye. “I’m not one of them. I hunt them. The teeth are just part of the super-hero costume.”
Ivy held her breath. Blinked. She tilted her head. “Holt?”
“Yes.”
“You just made a joke.”
He grinned toothily.
Ivy threw her arms around his neck and laughed.
Holt picked her up, swinging her around twice before his mouth claimed hers.
Immediate heat seared Ivy as his tongue plunged into her mouth, stroking the back of her front teeth. She groaned, sucking at his tongue. Her nails dug into his shoulders as she rubbed her already peaked nipples against his chest.
“Hey!”
Ivy jumped and jerked back.
“What!” Holt said with obvious impatience.
Ivy turned to see Rogue standing behind her, a grim look on his face. “We’ve got one helluva mess to clean up here.”
Ivy glanced around the room.
Her stomach did a little flip, then settled. She’d better get used to the sight of blood and gore if she was going to date a vampire hunter.
Dead bodies and severed heads. Blood so dark, it looked black. Pieces of the insides of vampires clung to the furniture.
She looked down at herself. Yep. She had blood on her. Sick, vampire blood.
“I need a shower,” she said, stepping away from Holt and brushing at her clothes. Her hands came up gooey. “Ugh.” She took a step back and bumped against Ramsey.
Ivy looked down at him. He was still out cold but breathing. The corner of her mouth crooked up as she noticed the purplish bruise blossoming on his jaw where she’d socked him. “What about him?” she asked. “He one of them?”
Holt’s brows drew together. “Surprisingly—no.”
“Surprisingly?” She didn’t understand.
Holt pointed, sweeping his finger back and forth. “They’ve bitten him. Drew blood yet he hasn’t turned.”
“What are we going to do with him?” Colin asked, limping over. “We can’t very well kill him.”
Holt shook his head. “No.” Then he stilled for a moment.
Ivy could almost hear the gears turning in his head as she watched Holt’s eyes narrow.
“Rogue. Colin. Find something to tie him up with. He’s coming with us.” Holt turned away, the intensity in his eyes thrilling Ivy.
Take him with us, he had said. Ivy took a deep breath. She couldn’t wait to get off this boat. Get back on dry land.
The men were piling bodies and their assorted parts in a pile in the center of the room. Let them clean up, she thought. It was their mess anyway.
Exhaustion was beginning to trickle through her system but there was still one more thing she had to do.
“Heather?” she called out, stepping over Ramsey’s limp body. Ivy frowned, moving around the room, searching. “Heather, it’s okay. Come out now.” Where the hell had she gone? Ivy thought, looking inside a slim closet. Nothing. Ivy parked her hands on her hips. “Heather!”
The three men froze and looked at her.
Ivy met Holt’s eyes, icy fear lancing through her heart.
“I can’t find Heather,” she said.
Then her tears burst forth.
Chapter Nine
“Where did you last see her?” Holt asked, dropping the head he was holding into the pile of vampire parts.
“I don’t know,” Ivy said, her voice rising in a whine. She buried her face in her hands and cried.
Holt rushed to her, his heart squeezing as he drew her into his arms. He knew that Ivy was under a tremendous amount of stress. She had fought like a prizefighter once the initial shock of what was happening had clarified in her mind. He also thought he knew her well enough to know that Ivy Green rarely cried. “Shh,” he crooned. “We’ll find her.”
“B-but what if she … she fell over?” Ivy said, looking at him. Her eyes swam with tears, her cheeks wet.
“Ivy. You’re a strong woman. Stop crying.” He wasn’t sure he was using the right effect on her but if he could get her mind on solving the problem, instead of letting her emotions rule her, she’d be in much better shape to deal with it.
She hitched and gulped. Shook herself, then sniffled. Taking a deep breath, she wiped her nose with the back of her hand.
Holt was reminded of a little kid, but held her eyes with his. “Okay,” he said firmly.
Her chest hitched one more time. “Okay.” Her voice was tiny. Holt saw frustration pass over her expression. She cleared her throat. “Okay,” she said, more powerful now.
“All right then. Let’s find her.” He gave her one last squeeze, then looked to Rogue and Colin. They both stood silently watching. “Okay boys—we got one missing. Spread out.”
“Hey,” Ivy said, her forehead creased with a frown, “where’s that guy that brought me? Jerry?”
Holt nodded. “Two missing. And remember—they’re both human.”
Holt took Ivy’s hand in his and started up the stairs to the deck.
The rain had chilled the air but at least the storm was long past. Holt kept a firm hold on Ivy’s hand as they moved around the deck, checking every possible place that Heather could hide. The girl hadn’t looked too with it when all hell had broken loose. When she had seen Ivy, a flicker of reality had dawned in her eyes. That must have been when she had gotten scared and ran. Holt hoped that she hadn’t gone in the water. Lake Michigan was a huge body of water. Even in the hottest months, it never warmed.
“I’m really getting scared here, Holt,” Ivy said in a strained voice. “Where the hell could she be?”
“We’ll find her,” he said, praying that he was right. They had searched around the sides of the boat and the bow. They hadn’t seen any sign of either Heather or the guy that had brought Ivy. A snake of jealousy surprised Holt at the thought of Ivy being with another man. Even if it was only for a boat ride. He wasn’t familiar with the feeling. It made him feel awkward and weak. One thing he hated was feeling weak.
They worked their way back toward the stern. The only place they hadn’t checked was the dinghy.
Holt leaned over the edge and looked in the dinghy that the vampires had brought he and Colin and Rogue to Blood Hell in. He couldn’t see all of it. “Where is the boat you came in?” he turned to Ivy and asked.
She pointed past him. “We tied up to that little boat there,” she said. “It’s gone. Jerry must have left in it.” She looked at Holt. “You don’t think Heather would have left with him, do you?”
“It’s possible.” He turned back to the dinghy. “You stay here while I check that one over a little better.”
“Be careful.”
Holt felt a strange feeling come over him. No one had asked him to be careful in a very long time. Not when they had a look in their eye like Ivy did right now.
She liked him. That�
��s what her looked declared. Liked him and cared for him in a way no woman had before.
Holt gave her a nod and climbed into the dinghy. He wished this were over. There were a million things that he wanted to discuss with Ivy Green.
The dinghy rocked gently under his feet as he moved to the steering wheel. This was no ordinary dinghy. This was a true boat. He wondered at the amount of cash these vampires managed to accumulate. Of course, if you lived more than one normal lifetime, he guessed you would be able to accomplish much more.
A whimper came from under the dashboard.
Holt ducked down low and peered beneath. He caught a flash of wide eyes in the moonlight.
“Go away,” Heather whispered. “You’re just a nightmare. A nightmare. That’s all.” She hugged herself and tried to tuck herself further underneath.
Holt looked up at Ivy and smiled.
“Found her.”
* * * *
Ivy dried Heather off with a towel, her heart breaking.
Heather refused to go back into the cabin. She’d refused to even set foot back on Bloody Hell so Ivy had left Holt with her, watching so she didn’t do anything stupid, and raced inside to get towels, blankets and some dry clothes. Ivy informed Rogue and Colin that they had found Heather and that Jerry and his dinghy had disappeared. Then she raced back to Heather’s side.
The pitiful way Heather looked made Ivy feel guilty for being mad at her. As she helped Heather into a pair of jeans and a sweatshirt, she remembered all the nasty things she had said she was going to do to Heather when she found her. No more. It was bad enough the way it was. Ivy wasn’t ever sure that Heather would recover from her experiences.
Dawn was breaking by the time Ivy had Heather dried and dressed. All Ivy wanted to do was to get back home, taking Heather with her. Heather needed to be looked at by a doctor. Ivy hadn’t been able to count just how many bite wounds Heather had. Plus, Ivy didn’t doubt Heather would be in for a few years of counseling. The blank forlorn look had stayed in Heather’s eyes, even after Ivy had cleaned her up, speaking soothing words to her the whole time.
Now, Heather sat huddled in a corner of the small boat, a blanket wrapped around her, her eyes as wide as saucers. Ivy stood and shook her head.
Holt the Interceptor Page 11
