by Wulf,Rose
She was so out of her depth in this situation it really wasn’t funny. At least before … well, at least before she hadn’t had to deal with it so directly. Not until the real danger was over. But she remembered those last few days with Veronica. Veronica had been scared, understandably, but she’d refused to let the vampires cower her. And if the woman she’d once loved like a sister could face something this overwhelming head-on then so could she.
She hoped.
“Here we are,” their guide declared as he came to a stop before an unassuming door. He extracted a keycard and swiftly swiped it through the lock. The red light flicked to green with an almost inaudible click and he caught the handle. One push down and another push in and the door was swinging open. The wider the door opened the lower Ali’s stomach fell.
Here we go.
The room beyond the door was pitch dark. Not unlike the vampire’s eyes. Ali couldn’t see a thing except for a faint glow around the closed bedroom curtains. But Boris’s barely familiar voice called calmly out to them.
“Please, come inside.”
The door shut heavily behind them with a thick, audible thunk and Allison nearly threw up as they were plunged into darkness. She tightened her grip of Mick’s hand, as if that one point of contact would be her salvation. Whether or not the surrounding darkness bothered him, too, Ali had no idea—but he gave her hand a squeeze regardless.
“Scared, yet?” a male voice breathed at Allison’s left ear. It was their guide. But he was far too close.
She jumped and took a stumbling step closer to Mick, desperate to get away. Of course she was scared, but she wasn’t about to admit it aloud. Not to their faces.
“Back off,” Mick said, his voice so low it came out like a growl.
“That’s enough, Nico,” Boris’s disembodied voice commanded. It carried through the air with an undercurrent of power that Ali had never noticed when she’d spoken to him before. It sent chills down her spine.
Immediately yellow fluorescent light filled the space, temporarily blinding Allison with the contrast.
Her eyes had barely started to adjust when Mick tensed and a curse she hadn’t been expecting fell from his lips.
“Fuck.”
Chapter Seventeen
“Mick?” Ali asked, blinking rapidly in an effort to adjust her vision faster.
Mick’s anger was directed outward, though, and so he demanded, “What the hell did you do, vampire?”
“I should think that would be obvious,” Boris replied, his tone as calm as ever.
Finally Allison could make out more than just a shape of dark clothes sitting on a beige piece of furniture. She recognized, as she’d known she would, the older man sitting there. One leg crossed formally over his opposite knee. His hat was off, this time revealing his thinning silver hair and somehow emphasizing his dark, pupil-less eyes. As she studied him the other vampire moved to stand at the side of Boris’s chair.
She felt Mick take a breath at the same time as her better-adjusted eyesight took in the human-sized object stretched out on the floor. Between Mick and Boris.
Bile rose, thick and hot, in her throat and her hand flew over her mouth as tears stung her eyes. Oh my god!
“Why kill him?” Mick asked, his voice firm with anger.
That human-sized object was a body. And though Ali had never met the man in question, she knew as soon as she looked at him who he was. He was dressed in a primly pressed sailor’s uniform, sans hat. Not a drop of blood on his skin or staining the white of his outfit. But she recognized his face from the screen where she’d first seen it on the day of departure. That man was the ship’s Captain. It’s Captain.
They killed the Captain… Why?
“I should actually think that obvious,” Boris replied. “Our departed Captain averted course. I didn’t take this cruise to wind up back in Baltimore.”
“A plane would’ve been faster,” Mick stated. He was doing a good job at keeping only his anger evident in his voice.
Allison wasn’t so used to this sort of scene. It took most of her willpower to swallow the bile back. Her voice was less stable than it should’ve been when she opened her mouth. “That’s stupid,” she said. “The ship’s not going to resume course now that the Captain’s dead!”
Boris turned calm eyes to her. “No,” he said. “Of course not. But if I’m to be so inconvenienced, I may as well get a good meal out of it.”
“Why tell us?” Mick asked as Ali’s stomach heaved again. She looked away to spare herself the indignity of vomiting right then and there. “Why bring his corpse to your room? There’s no way you lured him in here.”
“You are a smart one, Mick,” Boris said. He sounded pleased. “Assuming that’s your real name, of course.” He didn’t pause long enough for Allison to believe he really cared. “I brought his body for you to see. To make my point. And as it’s sufficiently made, I think Ms. Drake would prefer not to have to continue to look at this body.”
Allison lifted her head from Mick’s bicep on reflex. She wasn’t sure that was meant to be encouraging or threatening. It somehow managed to be both.
“Nico,” Boris said. He gestured to the body with a haphazard flick of his wrist. “Time to feed the sharks.”
Allison’s eyes widened as Nico, their formerly unnamed vampire guide, threw the Captain’s corpse over his shoulder like a sack of potatoes and moved to the sliding glass door that undoubtedly led to a balcony. She watched, stunned into speechlessness, as Nico pushed the curtain back just slightly and unlatched the door.
“What makes you so sure that’s a good idea?” Mick asked. “Aren’t you worried about being noticed?”
Boris scoffed. “At three-fifteen in the morning? Don’t be absurd. Humans are either sleeping, gambling, or lost in the throes of ecstasy.”
“And the crew?” Mick pushed as Nico stepped out onto the balcony.
Allison tore her gaze away, knowing she only imagined the splash! that followed.
Boris’s lips lifted at the corners. “Working and likely sucking down their body weight in coffee. Some, perhaps, are knocking on their Captain’s door at this very moment.”
“All clear,” Nico declared as he stepped back inside and pulled the door shut. He secured the lock, then the curtain, but remained stationary.
“Now then,” Boris said with a faint nod. “Let’s get down to business, shall we? I imagine you’re in no rush to die tonight. And Nico and I aren’t particularly famished, so I might allow you to live.”
Allison’s stomach clenched uncomfortably. She couldn’t think of too many ways they could survive this.
“What’s the catch?” Mick asked. He was still holding his ground and Allison had to admit to being impressed. She’d never considered herself a coward, but this confrontation was not her style. She wasn’t at all prepared. She was a planner. A thinker. A strategizer.
“First,” Boris said, drumming his fingers casually over his knee. As if they were sharing a cup of tea and talking about the weather. “Why were you looking for me? Was it that missing woman that tipped you off?”
“That was pretty sloppy,” Mick replied.
Boris’s head tilted almost imperceptibly to the side. “Sloppy,” he repeated. “I’d have used that word for the mess with the Michaels woman.”
“You didn’t have to kill her,” Allison heard herself saying. Amanda Michaels’ smiling face flashed through her mind. Followed by the memory of Jude’s raw grief and the less recent, but still powerful, memory of Mandy’s mangled body. Left for display. Used as a warning. Just like the Captain’s. Something hot and wet rolled down her cheek and Ali curled her free hand into a tight fist as she glared at the man she’d thought was just a harmless, sweet old man. “You didn’t have to kill any of them!”
“Ah,” Boris said with a smile. As if speaking to a child. “To feed a man of my stature I do require the sustenance of an adult. Women are just my preference. But I do agree that Mrs. Michaels’ death
was unnecessary.” He cut a pointed look to Nico, who had the good grace to look away. “Unfortunately she woke up and caught a glimpse of her attacker. And instead of finishing her off swiftly, he panicked. Really that whole situation got out of hand.”
“What is wrong with you?” Allison demanded, seeming to have found her footing now. “I’ve met a few vampires. They don’t all suffer from such a superiority complex. What makes you so special?”
“Woman,” Nico said, spitting the word with obvious venom.
“Patience, Nico,” Boris said with a smile. He never looked away from Allison. “You may speak freely, Ms. Drake. But I don’t think I’ll answer that question. Frankly, it’s not your place to know such details.”
Allison reeled and inadvertently let Mick take some of her weight. “I’m sorry,” she said, “not my place? You’re threatening to kill us and I don’t deserve to know why you’re entitled to do so?”
This time his smile sent a chill down her spine. “Exactly.”
“That’s enough,” Mick said, running his thumb along the back of Ali’s knuckles. He kept his gaze on Boris. “I don’t care who you think you are, old man. If I have to spend the rest of my trip standing guard outside your door, you’re done dropping bodies. Both of you.”
Nico cut in before Boris could do more than raise a single brow.
“You think you could stop us? With what power, human?”
Allison threw a glare at him for the way he spat the word, as if humans were no more than rats in a wolf fight. Then again, maybe we are… But Mick wasn’t. Mick had strength.
“No,” Boris said slowly. “Your assumption is off, Nico. This man is no ordinary human.” Boris paused and that chill at the base of Allison’s spine flared, spreading out until her heartbeat slowed. Boris leveled a challenging stare on Mick. “You’re a witch, aren’t you, boy?”
Instead of denying it Mick held his ground and replied, “And people are waiting for me in Baltimore. I promise you’re not making it off this ship unless you’ve learned to fly.”
Boris smiled again, clearly amused. “How charming. It’s been some time since I’ve tussled with a witch of any variety. But were we to fight now it would be unfair to you. Perhaps I should give you some time to rest and recoup your strength.”
Recoup … his strength? Boris intended to fight Mick? Ali’s gaze flicked back to Nico and she amended that realization. No, if Boris fought there was no doubt in her mind that Nico would, too. It’d be two-on-one at best. Unless she could find some way to help.
“Father,” Nico interrupted. “Why are we wasting our time with a witch and his whore?”
Allison bristled at the “w” word and turned a glare on the vampire.
“Language, Nico,” Boris scolded. “Don’t demean yourself in their presence.”
“Demean away,” Mick returned. “But remember my words have power.”
“Would you really be so ignorant as to threaten a vampire who’s recently fed?” Boris asked. Ali didn’t get the impression he actually cared.
“Why call us in here?” Allison interrupted before the posturing could get worse. “Why show us your room? Why bother with a face-to-face at all? Is it just boredom?”
Boris smiled again and switched his legs around. “You were working so hard for this moment,” he said. “I felt inclined to reward your persistence.” He paused and focused his gaze on Allison. “Also, because I do like you Ms. Drake, you should know your neighbor is somewhat obsessive over you. I would be happy to eliminate him for you.”
Ali found herself staring at him in stupefied silence.
“Ali doesn’t want you killing anyone in her name,” Mick said firmly.
Finally giving her head a shake, Allison said, “No, I don’t.” She frowned. “You must mean Warner … how did you even meet him? Have you been stalking me?”
“Is that his name?” This time he let his teeth show in the smile and she was transfixed by the sight of his fangs. Just two pointed teeth, slightly longer than the rest, on his upper mandible. Classic vampire fangs. But how did he talk around those things? “He didn’t offer it. I wasn’t stalking you, merely inquiring after you. He caught me knocking at your door.”
At my…? “How did you even know which floor to find me on?”
Mick drew a breath at the same time as Boris replied with a simple word. A name.
“Tami.”
The nurse. So she was involved.
“The nurse is a vampire?” Mick asked. He didn’t sound as surprised as she felt.
“No,” Boris replied. “She is my … pet, if you will. She does as I wish.”
Ali’s stomach rolled again and she held tighter to Mick’s hand. “Are you going to kill us tonight?”
“Of course not,” Boris said. “I don’t enjoy wasting my time.” He slid his gaze to Mick and added, “Feel free to tell the crew a feeble old man killed their Captain. Feel free to tell them I’m a vampire. I suspect either statement would be equally laughable to them, at least in the beginning.”
“And we’ll be watching,” Nico added.
“Watch if you want,” Mick returned. “Letting me catch my sleep will be your downfall.” He turned his stare back to Boris. “Both of yours.”
“Cocky witch,” Nico said with a sneer. His lips curled over his teeth and Allison noted that his fangs weren’t extended. His teeth looked perfectly normal.
“Tomorrow will prove interesting, then,” Boris said with a nod of his head. “You’re free to leave. But know this. The next time we run into each other likely won’t be so pleasant.”
Pleasant.
The word left a bitter taste in Allison’s mouth even as she and Mick stepped into the elevator just a couple of minutes later.
Her heart was still pounding hard in her ears and her palms were clammy. She felt bad for making Mick hold one of them, but she needed his strength. His calmness. His presence.
The elevator doors shut behind them and Mick pulled her wordlessly into his arms. With her face pressed into the crook of his throat Ali finally let the tears fall. Too much stress and an overload of fear on top of tired, frayed nerves was a bad combination.
“Shh,” he whispered, running one hand along her spine in a slow, repetitive gesture. “Breathe, baby.”
“What,” she said on a gasp. “What are we going to do?” She knew in her gut that Boris was too powerful. Nico they could handle, assuming her judgment of Mick’s capabilities wasn’t too biased. But Boris … was terrifying. He held himself with an air confidence beyond anything she’d ever encountered before. And several amazingly arrogant surgeons had visited to lecture in her various classes over the years.
She was so far out of her league here.
Mick tightened his arms around her waist as the elevator came to a stop on his floor. “We’ll figure that out,” he whispered. “I promise.”
Chapter Eighteen
Three fitful hours of sleep and one delivered breakfast later Mick still wasn’t sure what the best course of action should be. Yes he was tired, but more than that he was worried. Worried about the horrendous advantage their enemies had over them. He knew now that they were facing only two vampires. That should have been good news. But Boris was worrisome. Mick had met some impressive characters since he’d been cleared for active duty over a decade earlier. He wasn’t sure he’d ever met a vampire so steeped in power that it oozed from him even while he relaxed in an armchair.
A frightening thought had occurred to him sometime while Ali had slept at his side. A thought—more a fear—that he still couldn’t shake. He had to acknowledge the possibility that, although the ship had departed from Maryland, Boris was connected to the First Family. Certainly every witch worth their title knew the First Family traveled. More than most vampires, actually. The First Family “policed” their younger, smaller branches all over the planet. Hell, while he’d been in California recently he’d met a vampire the First Family employed as an enforcer.
So the quest
ion is … what role does Boris play with them?
He had to play some sort of role. A vampire with that much power not from the First Family would be a threat. Or at least he assumed as much.
Allison stepped out of the bathroom, fresh from a shower and donning one of his shirts over her short shorts. She was still towel-drying her light brown hair and Mick’s mouth went dry. Damn. What had he just been thinking about?
“What? Do I have something on my face?” Ali asked, staring at him as a slow flush darkened her cheeks.
Mick stood and crossed the room into her personal space. “Just my attention,” he assured her, hearing the thickness in his voice. What the hell had he been thinking, anyway, not insisting on showering with her?
Allison laughed against his lips as he claimed her mouth in a hard kiss. He slid one hand around her jaw, weaving it into her slick hair, while his other arm locked around her waist. He held her tight, letting her feel his arousal while he stroked his tongue over hers. She was moaning in moments and her arms came around his neck, the towel falling to the floor.
He devoured her mouth slowly, mapping out the crevices and drawing every moan he could from her throat. He kept his arms in place until she was squirming against him, her hips grinding over his with blatant desire.
There was so much that needed to be dealt with on the other side of the door. So many people whose lives depended on his focus. On his victory. And all Mick gave a damn about right then was tearing the clothes off the beautiful woman in his arms and having his way with her. He remembered their previous night together, and how neither of them had had the energy to make love the night before. And it was time to rectify that lost opportunity.
Mick slipped one hand beneath his borrowed shirt, spreading his fingers over her smooth, moistened skin. She was still warm from the shower. Or maybe that was her desire for him.
Ali scraped his scalp as he caught her ass and tugged her against his erection.
“Mick,” she said breathlessly as he pulled away, bowing his head and trailing his lips down her throat.
