“I want to know more about the supernatural world,” I said, after a minute.
“What brings this up?” Lea asked, her dark eyes penetrating mine.
“I’ve been thrown into the middle of this shit, so I want to understand what I’m facing. Like what vampire blood does to me.”
“Besides its healing powers, vampire blood increases your senses, makes you more sensitive. The reason you’re so horny is you can smell him, much more so than usual.” Her mouth quirked up into a sardonic grin. “And I must say he smells quite good.”
“Hey!” Ivan protested.
“How long will it take before I’m back to normal?” I asked, my face burning with embarrassment. I’d have to be dying before I ever consented to drink vampire blood again.
Lea paused, but Ivan answered for her. “It depends on how much you drank. I would guess you had enough to last two to three hours.”
“Great,” I mumbled. “Just fucking great.”
“Does werewolf blood have the same effect? Or any at all?”
Lea laughed, but it wasn’t friendly. “No.”
“How the hell would I know?” I asked hatefully. “It wasn’t like I asked for any of this.”
“Are you sure about that?” she asked, her gaze penetrating mine.
“It would take a bite for our magic to have an effect on you,” Ivan said, sounding guarded. “That saliva that entered your bloodstream would do it. But it would make you one of us.” He paused. “You’re right. You do need to understand the supernatural world. Lea should have told you more by now.”
“Shut up, wolf.” She didn’t bother to spare him a glance. “We haven’t exactly had time.”
He leaned forward, his forearms resting on his thighs. “There are three species of supernatural creatures. Two are made and one is born.”
“The made are vampires and werewolves,” I said. “Are the ones who are born into it witches?”
“Yes,” Lea said, shooting Ivan a glare before turning back to me. “Witches are not to be trusted.”
“Because vampires are?” I asked dryly.
Lea scowled. “None of them are to be trusted.”
“Hey,” Ivan said good-naturedly. “Speak for your own species.”
“So werewolves can be trusted?” I asked, turning my attention to him.
“Just like everything, it depends.” He sat upright and stretched his arm along the back of the seat, behind Lea, and I found it interesting she didn’t break his arm off. She definitely had it bad for him. I suspected she needed a good lay herself, but I still worried he would distract her from our task.
Right now I had other men to worry about. Particularly the mystery man sitting behind me and my reaction to him.
“So what does it depend on?” I prodded.
“Wolves are territorial. Pack creatures. Everyone has his or her place. As long as you stay in yours, you are not only safe, but protected.”
“So werewolves can trust each other as long as they follow the rules?” I asked. “What happens if you don’t follow the rules?”
“Following the rules is expected. Those who don’t are punished. The punishment fits the crime, so to speak.”
“So why did you run?” Lea asked dryly, slowly turning her head to face him. “You’re not with your pack. In fact, you’re hundreds if not thousands of miles away. Get too cold for you? Or did it get too hot?”
He kept his gaze on hers, the heat between them palpable. “Some of us aren’t born to follow.”
“So you’re a lone wolf? That makes you dangerous. You need the pack to keep you emotionally in check.”
He gave her a lazy shrug. “Maybe, maybe not. I seem to be just fine on my own.”
“Trying to start your own pack?” Lea asked.
A slow grin spread across his face. His eyes never leaving hers, he said, “Are you volunteering?”
“Good God,” I groaned. “Do I need to sit up front and give you two some privacy?”
Ivan’s eyes darkened. “My reasons for being on my own are a lesson for another time.”
“I want to know more about witches,” I said. “What can they do?”
“They harness the energy of the earth,” Ivan said. “They have specialties—water, air, earth. Most are weak. They’ve diluted their lines and haven’t passed their ways down for generations. There are a few powerful witches, but they typically avoid vampires and werewolves.”
“And vampires avoid werewolves, and vice versa.”
“Typically.”
I cocked my head. “Why do I hear a but in there?”
“Things are changing. The magical world is being threatened. We’ll all have to work together to save ourselves as well as the humans.” His entire body tensed and the air in the car felt electrically charged.
“Because of Stravinsky?” I asked.
“The vampires are not the only species he has experimented on.” His voice was hard and tight, and I suddenly realized Ivan wasn’t here just because of Lea. He had a stake in this deadly game. “He’s a monster that must be stopped or the whole world is at risk.”
“Finally something we all agree on,” Lea said, not sounding very happy about it.
I had more questions to ask, but I couldn’t stop wondering what Ivan had seen. If he’d lost people he loved. But the murderous expression on Lea’s face stopped me from asking more.
We arrived at the private airstrip in no time, and Antonio hustled us out of the car, through the small airport terminal, and onto a waiting jet.
I suspected the vampire blood was beginning to leave my system because my energy seemed to fade with every step. I climbed the steps to the plane, which turned out to be a luxury jet. Score one for Lea. I found a seat and collapsed, shocked to see that Antonio had followed us aboard.
Lea gave him a glare, but he ignored her. “Alfred has instructed me to make sure you all are comfortable. The jet is stocked with food and drink.” His gaze landed on her. “Including refreshments to suit your own special needs.”
“Thanks,” Lea growled. “Now, get out.”
A slight grin lifted his lips, but he turned around and exited the plane.
“Jesus, Lea,” I forced out. “You could have been nicer.”
“I’m saving your ass.”
“What’s that supposed to mean?”
“Nothing. Go to sleep.”
I looked a question at her.
“Madre de Dio. Anyone can see you’re crashing from the blood.”
I sat up in my seat. “Don’t treat me like I’m a fucking drug addict,” I snarled. “You know it wasn’t my first choice.”
“Ladies, ladies,” Ivan said. His words were friendly, but the tensed cords of his neck betrayed him. “I think we’re all a bit strung out right now. Let’s just get this metal box off the ground and regroup in a few hours.”
Lea gave him a strange look, but remained silent.
My eyelids felt like weights were attached to them, and I dozed off a little, trying to stay awake until after we were in the air, but that was a useless battle. I was about to let myself fall asleep when I opened my eyes, shocked to see Antonio standing in the doorway to the back of the plane.
His gaze drifted around the plane and then he squatted next to me and whispered, “I told you I would watch over you. Sleep.”
Panic surged through me, but my body was too depleted to stay awake. I crashed and fell into a deep slumber, wondering if he’d be alive when I awoke.
Because I had a feeling Lea was going to kill him.
CHAPTER 17
LEA
The captain of the private jet, Johnson by his tag, gave me a nod. “Getting into Turkey won’t be a problem. Are you sure that’s where you want to go?” His eyes flicked to Ivan, whom he believed to be Victor.
The werewolf nodded. I kept a hand on the captain’s shoulder. “He’s sure. And he pays your bills, so off we go like a good little fly boy.”
Captain Johnson’s face went sl
ack for a split second under my compulsion and Ivan poked me in the back. “You want him to be able to fly, don’t you? Ease off.”
“I think I know what I’m doing.” I bit the words out, but I let go of Johnson’s mind. He shook himself once, nodded, and twisted in his seat. His hands worked over the dials and levers at a rapid pace.
“If you two will buckle up, I’ll get my co-pilot in here and we can take off. We’ll stop over in London for a fuel up, then head directly to Istanbul.”
I didn’t want to tell him yet that we were only pit-stopping in Istanbul. From there, we would do another quick fuel up and fly straight to Baghdad.
I stepped out of the cockpit and into the main body of the jet. It seated only twelve, but the seats were so big even Ivan would fit with room to spare. Rachel was where I’d left her, passed out in the mid-section of the plane.
The supposed limo driver was bent over her.
“What the fuck do you think you’re doing? Did I not just tell you to get the fuck off this plane?” I strode toward Antonio, fully expecting him to cower.
He smiled, but it didn’t reach his eyes. “Alfred instructed me to stay with you three and make sure you were well cared for on your flight.”
We were almost nose-to-nose. “We don’t need your help.”
The jet lurched forward and Antonio stumbled, grabbing the back of Rachel’s seat for balance. “I am here to do a job. You are not the one who calls the shots.”
Ivan put a hand on my waist and pushed me sideways into the seat next to Rachel. “Sit, we’re about to take off.”
I glared up at him, even though I knew he was right. Mierde. When the werewolf was right, I was obviously in trouble.
Rachel’s breathing was deep and even, and I leaned close enough to smell the air escaping her. My blood had faded in her. There was only the barest hint of it in her system now, a whisper that would be gone by the time she awoke.
The jet engines roared, rumbling through the cabin, and I breathed through the anxiety that rolled across my chest. There was a reason Calvin and I had driven everywhere for the last fifty years.
“Don’t tell me you’re afraid to fly,” Ivan whispered across the aisle to me.
I kept my eyes closed. “It goes against God and nature. A large metal box soaring through the air defying gravity is not something I consider safe.”
“You’d survive a crash.” His words made my teeth clench and he sucked in a breath. “Shit, have you survived a plane crash?”
The tremor started in my hands and I clenched the armrests. “Twice.”
“Damn, you are a badass. I’d still like to spank you, though.”
I sucked in another sharp breath and whipped my head around to glare at him. “You did not say that.”
His yellow-green eyes sparkled. “I did. And it’s the truth. You’ve got a great ass, all but made for spanking. And I did peek when you changed in my cab. The rest of you isn’t half bad either.”
“Wolf, do you have a death wish?”
“Nope.” He grinned and I stared at his mouth, my mind racing with all sorts of thoughts. Naked bodies and biting mouths, hands tracing muscles, and the softness of lips meeting in ecstasy. I shook my head.
Ivan didn’t look away from me, but let out a wide yawn. “I’m going to have good dreams, I think. Those panties fit you perfectly, just this side of too small.”
He closed his eyes and tipped his head back, exposing his throat, which did all sorts of bad things to my libido. I pressed my body back into my seat, but didn’t dare close my eyes. The images were too strong.
And then I realized what he’d done.
“You sneaky bastard.”
“You’re welcome,” he murmured sleepily.
His distraction had kept the anxiety at bay long enough to get us in the air without me flipping out. My lips twitched and I let out a long breath. The cabin was small enough I could hear everyone’s heartbeat. Rachel and Ivan slept deeply, their bodies healing from the wounds and trauma they’d experienced.
The captain and his co-pilot were wide awake, but calm, thank God. Antonio, though...the steady beat of his heart told me that not only was he awake, but he was hyper focused. I unbuckled my lap belt and stood. Antonio was sitting at the back of the plane, his eyes closed and his head leaned back.
I walked down the aisle, my skin prickling. Limo driver, my spankable ass. I crouched beside him, breathing in the different scents he had swirling around him. Peeling back the layers, I picked up on the faintest whisper of oak. The hair along the back of my neck rose and my skin prickled. Every Cazador took an oath in a grove of oaks, and the scent stayed with them for years, the oath seeming to burn it deep into their very beings.
“¿Por qué estás fingiendo dormir?” Why are you pretending to sleep? The question was simple, and I knew he’d heard me. But he rolled his back to me even as his heart picked up pace.
I stood and backed away. My seat cushioned me as I slid into it, but I took no comfort in the plush seat. There were times even I needed more than superficial comfort.
I reached over and put my fingertips on Rachel’s wrist, feeling her pulse bounce under my skin. I tipped my head back and let her heart rate slow my own.
My dreams caught hold of me as I slept.
The smell of oak on Antonio had stirred up the darkness of my past, dredging up memories I had avoided—no, run from.
The dark of the night caressed my skin; I hated it. Hated that I had become the very thing I’d fought for so long to destroy. I went to the only place I could find respite, the haven that had taken me in after my family had been shattered.
The Cazadors held their secrets tightly, and their places of safety even closer. The crumbling castle didn’t look like much, but it was in the hidden passageways that led downward that I finally felt my fear slip from me. Death was not something I ran from, no. I would be with those I loved.
With those who had loved me.
The passageways were silent as always, but the smell rolling up through them caught me off guard. Blood.
Far too much blood for a sanctuary.
I ran toward the smell, feeling it on my skin like a band that strangled me as it grew stronger.
In the last few steps, I stumbled and fell to my knees. The scene was straight out of my nightmares.
The bodies strewn about, the blood on the walls, viscera coating the floor.
“No, no!” I screamed the word over and over again, my head flung back.
We were the last band of Cazadors, the last of those who hunted the night.
“I found them through your memories.”
I was on my feet in a split second, facing the direction I thought the voice had come from. “I will find you and spit you over an open fire!”
“And laugh while I scream? Rather melodramatic, don’t you think?”
“I will kill you.” I spun again, the voice seemingly behind me now.
“I doubt it. You are weak. You want only death, but you are death, Cazador. That is your calling now, to prey on the weak. To feed from them.”
“NEVER!” The word ripped out of me and I ran from the place I’d called home and into the dying night. Never. I would never prey on the weak. I would hunt down the one who’d made me.
The one who’d taken my second family from me.
I jerked awake as the jet gave a shudder. Captain Johnson’s disembodied voice crackled over the speaker. “We’re getting ready to land at Heathrow in about an hour. Shouldn’t be more than another one-hour delay. Everyone stay on the plane.”
“Lea, you okay?” Rachel asked.
I turned to her, realizing only then that I still had my fingers on her wrist. I pulled back.
“Yes.”
“Nightmares?”
That she’d guessed so easily should have upset me. But it was a relief to share even a small part of myself with her.
“Yes.”
“Bad.”
I nodded. “I’m going to ch
at with the captain. Make sure the compulsion is still on him.”
Rachel’s blue eyes softened—only a little, but I saw it. “You want to talk?”
“Not yet. Maybe later.” I stood and walked away from my first friend in a long time.
I paused mid-stride and couldn’t help but glance at Ivan. He slept still, snoring softly. Maybe two friends in a long time.
What in the world was happening to me? If I wasn’t careful, I’d end up going soft.
And soft wasn’t something I could afford to be.
CHAPTER 18
RACHEL
Lea disappeared into the cockpit and I turned in my seat. Antonio sat in the last row, on a front-facing seat across from a back-facing one. He flashed me a grin that pissed me off six ways to Sunday. I had no idea what he was up to, but I sure as hell was going to find out.
I unbuckled my seatbelt and moved to the back of the plane, sitting in the chair across from his. “I don’t believe we’ve been formally introduced,” I said sarcastically.
His grin spread and he sat upright in his seat. He gave off an air of nonchalance, though he was anything but. As his sharp eyes watched me, his fists slightly tensed. “I believe I introduced myself when you got into the car.” He shifted, then held out his hand. “Antonio Valdez.”
I sat back in the seat and crossed my arms. “Rachel Sambrook, but you already know that, don’t you?”
He winked.
I stifled a groan. One of those assholes who thought he could get a woman to do whatever he wanted. “You work for Victor?”
“Everyone needs a job, no matter how unsavory.” A non-answer. His gaze flicked to the front of the plane. He was talking about Lea, but I wasn’t sure in what context.
“So where do you fit into the whole supernatural hierarchy?”
He shifted, resting his arm on the armrest, but his grin never wavered. “I’m on the outside looking in. Courtesy of my job, of course.”
“Oh, really? Did your job have you working on the subway last night? Where I just happened to run into you. And you just happened to be carrying an extra silver blade. You need to renegotiate your contract if you’re really working 24/7.”
Replica (The Blood Borne Series Book 2) Page 10
