The Vampire SEAL Collection, page 106
“I hate shifting sometimes,” she said as she covered up her breasts with her long red hair.
I swept my gaze over her milky skin, which seemed to be a beacon in the darkness surrounding us. But as sexy as she was, all I could focus on was her healthy beating heart and the blood pumping through her arteries. Thump. Thump. Thump. Her pulse beat a steady rhythm. I licked my lips as my gaze traveled up to her face, a very familiar face. “Crysta?”
Horror etched her delicate features. “Webb? Where’s my cousin, Tripp? Is he here?”
I wracked my brain as to why she would be part of Bruno’s army.
“It’s not what you think,” she said as though she knew what I was thinking. “Can I have your shirt? I left all my clothes outside when I shifted.”
I removed my ripped, soiled, and sweat-laden T-shirt then threw it to her. “So you don’t work for Bruno?” Man, Tripp would have a cow if she were working for our enemy.
She made quick work of covering her body. “Um, can you put your fangs away?” Her dark-green eyes appraised me as she smoothed down my shirt, which hung low enough to cover her knees.
“Until I get blood, they’re not going anywhere.”
She raised an eyebrow then erased her expression before a long nail emerged on her forefinger. “Here.” She dragged her sharp claw across her wrist. “Only a small amount. I know how you vampires can drain someone.”
Immediately, the scent of iron permeated the air. I shook off the urge to take her offer. She needed to stay healthy to help us get out of there. “Save it. I’d prefer you offer blood to my team if we can find them.”
She wiped the blood from her wrist as the skin knitted back together. “I can’t supply a whole team of vampires. So where is Tripp? Please tell me he’s not here.”
“He didn’t accompany us on this mission,” I said. “Why are you here?”
She flipped her hair behind her. “I’m a private investigator now. Tripp doesn’t know yet. The Crowe family hired me. They felt that the vampire government wasn’t doing anything to search for him.”
The moans lessened. We didn’t have much time to save those that needed saving.
I hopped over rocks and debris, following the moans. “Let’s start digging.”
She followed.
We settled on a small area where we heard two voices, one from a female and the other from a male.
As we moved rock, I said, “The vampire government is wrong. We’ve been searching for Crowe and Quade since their disappearance. We’ve never given up.”
“Maybe not, but the family isn’t seeing any results and hasn’t been contacted by the military with an update in months. Do you think your commander is looking for you?”
I couldn’t answer that, and at the moment, it didn’t matter. What did matter was finding my team, then finding and contacting Jo to stop her, although my gut was telling me she was already in the arms of Bruno.
When we cleared an opening, Olivia’s dirty, bloody, and bruised face came into view along with an unconscious Kraft, who had his fangs embedded in his bottom lip.
“They need blood,” I said.
Crysta didn’t hesitate. She slit her wrist again and shoved it against Olivia’s mouth. I did the same to Kraft, although I didn’t have much blood in me. Within seconds, Kraft was sucking on my wrist.
“Have you seen Crowe or Quade since you’ve been here?” Crysta asked as Olivia fed from her.
“Can’t say I have. I’ve been drugged for the last three months.”
She pulled her wrist away from Olivia. “Sorry, but pace yourself,” she said to Olivia, whose pale face began to fill with color.
I tried to release Kraft, but the strong vampire wouldn’t let go. “Kraft, enough,” I ordered. “I haven’t had much blood myself.”
He growled then retracted his fangs before sitting up. “What happened? The last thing I remember was some grunt throwing me into my cell.” Then he narrowed his eyes at Crysta. “What the hell are you doing here?”
Tension stretched between them.
“Nice to see you too, Kraft.” Crysta’s tone was sarcastic. “But we don’t have time for ten questions. We need to find the others, and then get out of here. Before I shifted, I heard someone say that three explosions would occur. Bruno wanted to make sure there were no survivors.”
And no evidence.
I helped Olivia to her feet. “There have been two so far.”
Olivia wiped her lips as she wobbled. “We need to get to the lab that’s topside. That’s the last place I remember seeing Sloan and Kodiak.”
“What about Crowe?” Crysta asked.
Olivia shrugged, and Crysta eyed Kraft.
“Don’t look at me.” Kraft’s voice was scratchy. “I don’t remember much except I thought I saw Edmund in the lab, standing over me while I was high on some drug.”
I glanced up at the bridge. “Well, your eyes weren’t seeing things. Bruno and Edmund are working together.”
“Edmund Rain?” Crysta asked. “I heard about Jo Mason’s court hearing. The chatter after that hearing was that Edmund is trying to build a vampire army.”
“With Jo Mason’s DNA,” I said. Then I turned to Olivia and Kraft. “The bigger problem is Bruno has lured Jo to him. She’s on her way to Alaska.”
Olivia barely chuckled. “And how is she going to get away from her father?”
That was the million-dollar question since the commander kept her under lock and key. I couldn’t worry about Jo for the moment. I had to pray she knew what she was doing. My goal was to get the fuck out of there and find that lab.
“Here’s the plan,” I said. “We need to quickly search the rocks and rubble for any signs of life. Then we’ll need to build a staircase with rocks up to that bridge.” I pointed up.
Crysta stabbed her thumb to my right. “There’s sort of one near the far end. That’s how I climbed down here to begin with.”
Kraft sniffed the air as he sized her up. “You shifted. Is that Webb’s shirt?”
I held up my hand. “Kraft, whatever you two have going on, deal with it later.” It was clear they had some sort of relationship with “had” being the accurate conclusion. “Olivia and Kraft, scour the area ahead of us. Crysta and I will take this half. We’ll meet at the base of the bridge. Make it quick.”
Olivia and Kraft obeyed, even though Kraft growled his annoyance.
Crysta and I combed our area. “Do you have a phone anywhere?” I knew she didn’t have one on her, but she should have one with her clothes.
“I do, but it’s in my jacket outside.”
That was the best news I’d had in a while. The phone meant a lifeline to Jo. “So how did you know where to find Crowe?”
“Got a tip from a colleague.” She sniffed. “He heard some chatter on the streets in Miami that a shipment of powerful sentinel blood was due in soon. I started digging further with some of the lieutenants who run the gangs in Miami. One of them talked. He said Bruno was hiding out in Alaska. I’ve been living up here, watching and taking notes for months, until I got a break the other night at a club in Anchorage. Some human dude was drunk and spilled that he could get his hands on some powerful vampire blood. I tracked him here two days ago.”
“Mmm. I guess Bruno has been educating humans about vampires.” That news wasn’t something I needed to be worrying about.
I moved rocks, trying to listen for any signs of life, but I heard nothing. I prayed Kodiak and Sloan were still alive. I didn’t hold out too much hope that Crowe and Quade were, not if Bruno had been draining blood out of them for over a year. Then another horrifying thought hit me like a fucking hurricane. Jo could be facing the same fate as Quade and Crowe.
8
Jo
I wanted to jump out of the deathtrap of an airplane. I’d never been in one before, and given that Webb’s plane had crashed, I wasn’t all that enamored with being in one.
Yet there I was, holding on to the armrests for dear life, as Sam looked completely calm across from me. The plane had seats that faced each other and a table that was bolted to the floor in between us.
“What are you thinking?” I asked. We hadn’t said much since we were shoved into the private jet.
He tossed a look over his shoulder to where the guards sat, playing cards. They hadn’t given us so much as the time of day. We couldn’t exactly escape, although the thought of hijacking the plane had crossed my mind. The only thing stopping me was the fact neither Sam nor I could fly a plane.
Sam turned his attention back to me. “What trap are we walking into? This Bruno guy isn’t just going to hand over Webb or the sentinels if they’re alive.”
I mashed my lips together hard. Webb better be alive or else people were going to die.
The guard facing me, who I called beard man, glanced up from his cards. It was hard to tell the men apart since both had large builds, buzz cuts, and rough-looking features. I’d asked both of them their names, and all they had done was raise an eyebrow. So bearded man it was.
“Hey beard man, do you know if Webb and the sentinels are alive?” I didn’t think he would answer or know, but it wouldn’t hurt to ask.
He grimaced. “Don’t know. Don’t care. Our mission is to deliver you both to Bruno.”
Sam popped to his feet. “If you can.”
Rising, the other guard laughed. “You do know we’re on an airplane. So you’re not getting out of here.”
Sam and the non-bearded guard got into the other’s face.
“Easy, Howell. Remember, we need them alive for now.” Bearded man emphasized the last two words.
Growling, Howell bared his fangs before he disappeared into the bathroom in the back of the plane. Sam leaned against a seat.
“So we now know Howell’s name,” I said. “Care to clue us in on yours?”
He huffed almost like a child. “All you need to know is Smith.”
“Well, Smith,” I said. “Get word to your boss that we want to see Webb London alive and standing on the tarmac when we land. If not, you’ll wish you never met us.”
A muscle jumped in his jaw. “Are you threatening me?”
Sam chuckled, although the sound was demeaning. “It’s more of a promise.”
Smith shook his head. “Why not? It’s your death, not mine.” He unfolded his large body then pounded up the tight aisle, brushing Sam’s shoulder.
Sam dropped his fangs, his eyes turning to a molten black. My brother looked downright scary when he was angry and about to attack.
“Calm down, Sam,” I said.
Smith ignored Sam and kept going until he reached the galley, where he picked up the receiver. “Get Bruno on the phone.” A beat passed before Smith said, “Yeah, Boss. The girl wanted me to relay a message.”
“Put her on. Let me hear it from her.” Bruno’s voice blasted in the small cabin, or maybe it was my sensitive hearing.
I hurried to pluck the phone from Smith. “I—”
“Your precious Webb is alive if that’s what you’re worried about,” Bruno said evenly.
“Then make sure Webb is standing beside you when we land.”
Bruno roared with laughter. “Or what?”
“Do you know much about me?” I asked in a soft tone, trying to hold back my anger. With any little outburst, I could bring down the plane, and I wasn’t ready to do that. So I blew out a breath.
“I know more than you think.” Bruno sounded proud.
My ears began to pop. “Then tell me.”
“I know you have a unique DNA makeup that Edmund Rain wants. I know that I’m about to make millions just delivering you to Edmund.”
Not if I could help it. “So why my brother?”
“Ah. You don’t know, do you? He doesn’t either, I take it.” He laughed. “The medical records we stole from the lab show your brother has almost the same DNA makeup as you. In fact, he just might be more powerful than you and your father combined.”
My eyes found Sam’s now green ones. He angled his head before his voice was in my head. He just confirmed our suspicions.
I fidgeted where I stood. “We had a deal, Bruno. Me for Webb. My brother has no stake in the game.”
Bruno raised his voice. “Tell that to Edmund.”
My fangs descended as I bit my lower lip. Suddenly, the plane dropped several hundred feet.
Smith’s face paled as he grabbed onto the stainless counter. “What was that?”
“Jo,” Sam said. “Relax.”
“What’s going on?” Bruno asked.
The plane dropped again as I tried to rein in the rage coursing through me.
The pilot came on the overhead speaker. “Take your seats. I’m not sure what’s happening, but the plane is out of control.”
“Are you the cause of the turbulence?” Smith asked, his voice breaking up.
“Bruno, have Webb on the tarmac or else you won’t get your millions.” I hung up and stared at Smith. “Seriously, you have no idea the power I can wield.”
He puffed out his pale white cheeks as I headed for my seat. When I sat down, the turbulence stopped.
“I know you won’t kill us, but cool it. I’m not exactly fond of flying,” Sam said.
Smith staggered down the aisle then banged on the bathroom door. “Howell, are you okay?”
I smiled. I shouldn’t be so smug since my stomach was trying to recover from the roller-coaster ride.
“Okay,” the pilot said. “We’re ten minutes out, so stay seated.”
The snowcapped mountains drew closer as the plane lowered in the sky. I gazed out the window, thinking of a plan we didn’t have. My heart kicked into gear as the vast terrain got closer and closer. Then doubt took hold for the third or fourth time. I’d lost count. All I kept thinking about was my dad and how furious he would be or already was. I wanted to laugh. I was more worried about how my dad would react than whatever craziness Sam and I were walking into. Stop thinking of the worst. Webb is alive. You’re doing this for him. Your father will understand. I wasn’t so sure.
You need to do whatever you can to get away, I said telepathically to Sam. I didn’t want him in any danger.
No. You heard Bruno. Edmund wants us both.
Do you believe him about your DNA? They could be bluffing.
Sam rubbed a hand down his thigh. They’re not. Edmund wouldn’t include me unless he knew for sure my DNA matched yours.
As the plane came in for a landing, Howell and Smith hurried into their seats.
I gripped the armrests as nausea swished around in my stomach. From my window, I couldn’t see anything except mountains.
No sooner had the tires screeched on the runway, than Smith bolted out of his seat with Howell on his heels. They converged in the galley area as they waited for the plane to stop taxiing down the runway.
My brain scrambled for a plan while Sam unsnapped his seat belt, ducked into the row across from us, and peeked out the window. Then he tossed a look of despair over his shoulder. I joined him as a chill skated over my spine. The tarmac was empty. No cars. No Bruno. I went to every window to see if civilization even existed beyond the mountains. Nothing.
“Where’s Bruno?” I demanded as I closed my hands, digging my nails into my palms. The plane shook lightly.
Howell crossed his large arms over his chest. “Sit down.”
I drilled my gaze into Howell’s dark eyes. The longer I glared at him, the more the plane rocked from one side to the other.
“Stop.” Smith said as he pushed Howell out of the way. “Bruno will be here shortly.”
“Was that hard?” My words dripped with sarcasm as I unclenched my fists and the plane stopped rocking like a boat in rough seas.
We heard two clicks, and the cockpit door opened.
I sniffed the air. The short squat pilot was human. Human blood always smelled sweeter than vampire blood. Humans also had a slight sense of fear around us as though they knew what we were. Maybe the pilot did, although in my world, a vampire could get thrown in jail if they educated humans on our species.
I have an idea, I said to Sam. Can you compel everyone?
Normally, a vampire’s compelling power was done through eye contact. But Sam had mastered the ability to compel the mind with a magic spell made of a series of numbers, thanks in part to our classes with Ms. Costner. She’d taught us that one could spark different spells with the right combination of numbers.
You know it takes the energy from me, and I need to be able to fight.
We’re not fighting, I returned. We’re hijacking the plane.
Smith unlatched the door, pushed a button, and the stairs lowered. Brisk air seeped in.
“Get ready,” I said to Sam as I walked up to Howell.
“In a hurry to die?” Howell asked excitedly.
“Maybe. I want to see if Bruno met my demands. Do you mind?”
He backed away with his hands in the air. “Your funeral.”
I laughed. “Then bring flowers.”
Smith and the pilot also didn’t stop me as I shuffled up to the open door. A black SUV rolled to a stop, and a tall, white-haired vampire slid out.
I held up my hand and unleashed my power, building an invisible wall between us.
“Where’s Webb?” I asked, trying to see into the SUV.
The white-haired vampire drew close. “It’s nice to finally meet you, Jo.” His voice confirmed that he was Bruno.
Aside from a man inside the vehicle, I didn’t see anyone else—no Webb and definitely no sentinels. I darted my gaze in all directions. No other cars were approaching or anywhere in sight.
Bruno put his foot on the first step. “Don’t worry. Edmund isn’t here yet. I have one thing to do before I turn you and your brother over to him.”
“I told you to bring Webb. Where is he?”
Bruno climbed to the second step. When he did, his head hit the invisible wall. He stumbled backward. “Nice one. I see you are as powerful as Edmund says.”
