by A. Vers
“You got a smart-ass mouth, boy.”
Kid. Boy.
Damn, how young did they think I was?
“And you idiots are on a rusting boat in the middle of water,” I muttered.
Their hands tightened, but they didn’t rise to my bait. They herded us down the hall and then around a corner. A long window of glass gave a view of what would have been a dining room. The space was devoid of tables and chairs and had been filled wall to wall with sparring mats, weapons, and gear.
A stern hand met my shoulders. “Move,” said one of the hunters.
Stumbling under the force of the blow, I ground my teeth to keep from snapping and followed Morgan as they took us down a set of stairs into another hall, this one with numerous doors. The men opened one of the panels and shoved us inside. Morgan crashed to her knees and I barely missed falling over her as the men backed out, laughing under their breath.
I pivoted in place and rushed the door. They slammed it in my face and there was a resounding click. One of the guards sneered at me through the glass window before walking off.
My shoulders rose and fell rapidly with my anger.
Fuckers.
I turned. Morgan was still hunched over, her own shoulders shaking silently with her tears. I walked to her and crouched in front of her. Her head rose, and I realized they hadn’t removed her blindfold. Damn.
Scooting closer, I said, “Hold still, I’m going to try and get your blindfold off.”
She bit her lip but held herself in place. Leaning into her, I lipped at the side of the fabric before gripping it in my teeth. It came up but was stuck in her long hair.
“They tied it in your hair,” I breathed as I spat it out. It hung down her back.
She blinked rapidly. “It’s okay. I can see now.” Her dull lilac eyes met mine and more tears welled, brightening the otherwise lifeless color. “Oh, Ryder.”
I kneeled in front of her and she leaned into me, laying her head on my shoulder. Her breath was warm on my neck and bare chest. It wasn’t a hug, but it was all I could offer. I scanned the room. It was all drab gray walls and a cracked door.
A bathroom, maybe?
Morgan’s sobs slowly tapered off and she leaned back. “What do you think is going to happen now?” she asked.
I sat down next to the wall and stretched my legs out. She followed suit.
“No idea,” I told her, trying to ease the ache in my arms. “The leader doesn’t seem to be in any rush, though I don’t get why.”
“What do you mean?”
“They’re hunters. I don’t expect them to kill you. You haven’t hurt anyone. Not really. But he doesn’t seem that interested in you. More in us.”
Her head turned at that, watching me. “Is it that rare for humans and vampires to be friends?”
I shrugged as much as my bonds would allow. “Not really. Some states intermingle really well. But this cat acts like it’s unheard of.” Pursing my lips, I scan the room again. There isn’t even a damn window to gauge the passage of time. “Their interest doesn’t make a lot of sense to me,” I finish.
She remained quiet and then turned her head back to the wall across from us. “I almost miss Lokworth.”
A low laugh spilled from my lips, but it wasn’t funny. Not even close. I sobered and leaned my head against the wall. “Me too,” I told her. “Me too.”
Chapter 17
Ryder
Morgan and I spent god only knows how long in silence. The ship rocked around us, but the motion was not as jarring as it once was. My stomach calmed and I dozed off and on with Morgan. The occasional sound of footsteps outside would make her startle and we would both awaken, our hearts beating at a rapid clip.
But no one came by our little cell room. Indeed, they seemed to forget about us entirely.
I knew better.
My mouth grew dry, and my stomach rumbled as the hours passed. The pizza in town seemed like ages ago. With Morgan’s feeding, my body needed calories, but the hunters didn’t seem too keen on providing them anymore than they wanted to give us answers. Or our freedom.
When I wasn’t sleeping fitfully, I worked on trying to break the zip tie binding my hands. The thick plastic rubbed the skin of my wrists raw as I worked it over a loose rivet that protruded on the wall. Morgan’s heightened senses acted as a kind of alarm. Whenever someone got too close to the door, we would both feign exhausted slumber. And when the coast was clear, I resumed my work.
It was slow going, but the plastic began to flake. I stomped down the small flare of triumph and worked harder.
Morgan went rigid beside me, her bodily cue telling me that someone was approaching. I leaned back, letting my burning shoulders rest as much as the binds would allow.
There was a loud squeal of metal and the door swung outward.
The male hunter from the church appeared in the space, his face still impassive and almost creepily empty. Even Dad had his rage. This guy was like a blank slate. Unswayed. Uncaring.
He climbed over the small lip and stepped into the room. Another large male accompanied him, this one with a folding chair in his meaty hands. The second guy popped it open in the doorway and the leader sat casually down as the other crossed his arms and took up permanent residence, blocking the only way out.
“Names,” said the leader.
“Ryder,” I ground out. “She’s Morgan.”
He bobbed his head. “I surmised that from the car.”
My face heated before I could stop myself, but I didn’t say a word.
His sharp blue eyes took in both of us. “We searched the abandoned house where you were squatting. You look like you’re on the run. Why? Were you planning on running away together? Did your parents disapprove?”
“Something like that,” I said.
He leaned back in the chair and just waited.
My eyes cut to Morgan, but she was staring studiously at her bare thighs. “My father was an abusive prick,” I finally said. “Morgan is the best thing that has ever happened to me. When I was getting ready to bail on my family, she asked to come with me. I agreed. You know the rest.” I lifted my gaze and looked at him.
It was true enough.
I just happened to leave out Lokworth, Giroux, her parents, and the fact my father wanted her dead.
He inclined his head. “My name is Chris Airgid. I’m a hunter.” He scoured me. “You are spry for a kid your age.”
My snort of amusement came out before I could stop it. “I’m twenty. Not exactly what I would call a kid.”
I felt more than saw Morgan’s attention shift to me. Considering I had been masquerading as a senior when we met, I understood her sudden tension. But I was only a year younger than the male vampire her parents promised her too.
It wasn’t that much of a difference.
Was it?
I wisely didn’t look at her.
“Fine,” Chris said. “But you managed to evade myself and my team easily. How?”
I jerked my head at Morgan. “She can hear your heartbeats. How do you think?”
“And your fighting ability?”
My face froze.
Danger, Will Robinson. Danger.
“I studied martial arts and boxing as a kid.” Another truth. “I don’t like being cornered. I’m sure you get why.” I cast a pointed glance at him and the guy in the door.
“I’m sorry that you felt we were a threat,” Chris told me, and if it wasn’t for that cold emptiness in his face, I would have almost bought it. “I assure you, my interest is merely that. A curiosity.”
“Why?” I asked. “I’m no one. A kid, remember?”
“And yet, you managed to fight and keep you both safe for how long?” He peered at Morgan. “You’re incredibly protective of her. That is uncommon in humans.” He had no idea. “But I could use someone with your latent abilities. Your loyalty.”
Everything inside me went still and Morgan’s shoulder stiffened against mine.
; “You want me to … work for you?” Even saying it aloud seemed wrong.
“We are … hunters,” he told me. “We work for an anonymous benefactor in the Church. In return for your aid on the occasional task, I will allow you to stay here. We have generators for electricity. Running water. Food. You would be safe. All I ask in return is your cooperation.”
My heart sped. “And Morgan?” His eyes cut ever so slightly in her direction. “She stays with me or you let us leave now,” I told him.
“You are not really in a position to bargain, boy,” he said.
“And are you really in a position not to?” His expression turned shrewd at my words. “You picked me up off the street. That seems a little desperate. So either your people suck at their job, or you need someone that has enough skill to be useful but isn’t recognizable because your team now is.”
His ice-blue eyes flicked over me and the first hint of a smile curved his lips. He glanced back at the man in the door, who smiled too.
“All right, kid.” Chris leaned forward in the chair, bracing his arms on his thighs. “The girl can stay, too, but she is your responsibility. None of my people will open a vein for her, and if she so much as flashes fangs, I kick her off my ship. We understand each other?”
It wasn’t perfect, and I didn’t trust him as far as Morgan could throw him. But if I played my cards right, they would get complacent. And when they did, we would book for the southern states.
“Okay, Airgid,” I said. “Deal.”
They led us from the small cabin to another one farther down the hall. It was only a little bigger with a narrow set of bunk style cots, a bathroom with a small shower, and a table that could be let up or down depending on the need for it.
Chris cut through the zip tie binding my hands, but wouldn’t get near enough to Morgan to cut through hers.
He held out a pair of dull scissors, but did not release them. “You try anything funny, I sink both of you to the bottom of the South River.”
“If I wanted to kill you, I wouldn’t need the scissors,” I promised.
For the longest time he watched me in silence. Then his lips gave another quirk and he let go. I hefted the rusted blades in my hand and backed up. He did the same.
I didn’t rush to untie Morgan. I took each step calmly. She stood perfectly still and allowed me to gnaw through the plastic. When the tie snapped, she drew her arms in front of her and hunched in place, but didn’t move.
I wanted to hold her, to shield her. But I just handed the scissors back to Airgid and waited for him to speak.
“I’ll have someone bring down some food and the clothes we took from the house you were in,” he told me. “You can both shower and rest.” His gaze shifted over me. “I want you ready to leave at a moment’s notice.”
“Leave?”
His features twisted into another empty smile. “You eat, you work. And your first job will be soon enough. Don’t worry.”
I didn’t speak. I couldn’t. So I just nodded.
They walked out, shutting the door behind them.
Morgan stood rigidly in place when I turned to her, her entire torso caved and her dark hair obscured her face.
I walked around her and reached to cup her cheek.
She drew back.
My hand hung in the air between us. “Morgan?”
“Why did you agree, Ryder?” Her words were so soft. So quiet.
“What are you talking about?”
She lifted her head and stared at me. “They are hunters, too. They want you to hunt. Don’t you get that?”
I shifted and scowled back. “Yeah, I do.”
“So you’re going to hunt again?”
“I was a hunter before I met you, Morgan. This is a chance to keep you safe for a few days, with regular meals, showers.” I assessed her features as each word fell between us. “It’s not permanent.”
“Isn’t it?” she demanded. “They aren’t going to let us leave, Ryder. We are stuck here.”
I glanced at the closed door behind us and then gripped her arm and tugged her toward the bathroom. She abided it as we stepped inside. I closed the panel and we stood in the small cubicle, nearly chest to chest.
“They need me, Morgan,” I told her. “And no, this isn’t permanent. For now, we let them believe that I’m working for them. Then, when we can, we get the Jeep and break for Florida.”
Her lilac eyes flashed in the dark. It was just enough light to illuminate her cheekbones. “And if we can’t get away? Do you really think they will let me stay for long?”
I rubbed her arms and forced my heart to stay calm. Steady. “And if they try to force you out, then we both go, Morgan. Even if I have to fight all of them.”
She sagged in my grasp. “I don’t want you to fight them, Ryder. I don’t want you to fight at all.”
Pulling gently, she finally stepped into me, wrapping her arms around my waist and laying her head on my chest. I ran my hand over her tangled hair. “I don’t either, Mor. But I’m good at what I do. And if I have to get my hands dirty to keep you safe, then I will.”
“Even with vampire blood?”
My stomach gave a sick twist, but I had no answer for her beyond the truth.
If Airgid asked me to kill a vampire to protect Morgan, I would. But could I really come back to her afterward?
The sooner they began to trust me, the sooner we could get the hell out of dodge.
And that day couldn’t come fast enough for me.
Chapter 18
Morgan
The hunters left us alone for the remainder of the night save for a single tray of food that we divided between us. But the quiet was not peaceful. Ryder and I squeezed onto the bottom cot after our meager meal, our backs to the wall so we could watch the door. I dozed fitfully against his shoulder. It would have been more comfortable to lay down, but I did not trust the hunters.
And judging from how little he slept, I knew Ryder did not either.
Which is why it bothered me so much that he would agree to work with them. Even for our safety, it seemed wrong. Like he sold himself for my life.
And with every minute inside the dim room, my mood soured more.
The next day dawned with the footsteps of others just beyond the metal door. An occasional flash of hair or forehead moved past the window. No one stopped. No one looked inside. And Ryder and I spoke little.
By mid-day, judging by how busy it became, another tray was brought to the room by a lean male hunter. Another waited in the hall behind him as he passed his burden to Ryder. And even through the door I caught the faint scent of metal.
Weapons. They all carried weapons.
Ryder and I ate again in silence. Then he laid down on the cot and I watched the door while he slept for several hours. Hours that left me counting his heartbeats, his soft breaths.
It was strange being with Ryder, on a ship, surrounded by hunters. Weeks ago, I was counting down the days until my senior year at Lokworth began. Such a simple thing now. Graduating.
I drew my knees up to my chest and propped my chin on my arms.
Lokworth was not home. Not really. But the last four years I had felt safe inside the academy walls. Out in the real world, I was losing my way. Losing the old me.
I did not miss her. She had been weak, naïve. Foolish to believe in the ideals that others told her to believe in.
But now?
Now I just wanted to find somewhere safe for Ryder and myself.
Perhaps, in the South, I could go back to school, graduate. That, at least, was something I enjoyed. Learning.
Though I imagined human schools taught things beyond proper treatment of a blood donor and how to manage the full moon cycles. It would be an adventure in mediocrity. Normalcy.
We could use a little normalcy.
I glanced at Ryder.
With his head propped on his arms and his broad back bare, he slept in a kind of sprawling repose. So different from Ames.
&nbs
p; Again the stabbing ache filled my chest.
Ames.
I dug my fingernails into my arms.
His betrayal, his secret keeping … We would have married at the end of the year. Would have gone back to the colony and taken our places in the household. Man and wife.
And he knew. He knew for years that my parents were murderers. Let me believe that I was.
But I could not shake the way he looked at me the night we left. How haunted his gold eyes had been when he said he loved me.
Did I love him?
Could I?
Not now. Not after what he did.
But the pain inside of me did not agree.
Ryder woke up sometime later and stretched. I glanced over at him. “Sleep well?” I asked.
“As well as I can.” He peered at the door. “Anyone come by?”
I shook my head. “It’s been quiet, mostly.”
He swung his legs off the bed and climbed to his feet. “Good.” He walked past me to the bathroom and closed the door.
Water ran after several long moments, then shut off. He came out, his temples and chin wet. He dabbed at the water on his face with a thin towel.
A soft knock sounded on the heavy metal door, but it did not signal the joy of something to eat besides sandwiches. It signaled the truth that we were still in captivity and Ryder had sold his soul to get us even the necessities.
He walked to open the panel and the female hunter from the woods, Stel, stood side by side with another woman, this one as dark as Stel was pale. Her thick hair was mahogany and gold, longer than my own, and her eyes were a heavy chestnut in the dim lights. She appraised me in silence before her gaze shifted away and the tray in her hands fell to the floor with a clatter.
Silence echoed through the hall, through the room. Save for the rapidness of Ryder’s heart.
I peered at him, my head cocking in confusion.
“Mom?” The word was tremulous, like a lost little boy unsure of the monster waiting under the bed.
The female blinked several times, her expression morphing from shock to outright disbelief.
