The Vampire SEAL Collection, page 64
Footsteps sounded in the hall.
“Sir?”
“Get Kate. Tell her we’re ready.”
A sharp pain grabbed me at my temples. I sucked in a breath. Suddenly, a stir of excitement surged through me. Was Dad nearby? I stilled, trying to quiet my mind. Dad was the only one who could make my head hurt without taking a baseball bat to it. Maybe if I drew images of Dad in my head, made the connection to him stronger, I could reach out to him telepathically.
I closed my eyes, placed my shaky hands under my legs, and pictured Dad and me sitting on the chaise lounge in the apartment. I remembered him explaining how a vampire’s heart beats. It had been a quiet moment between father and daughter. My breathing evened out, my pulsed slowed, and my mind cleared to only images of Sam and Dad—of family.
“Something wrong, Princess?” Edmund tapped me on the shoulder.
Dad and Sam quickly faded from my mind. As I opened my eyes, meeting his bloodthirsty gaze, my fangs dropped.
“I see you’re hungry, like me,” he said with a lopsided grin as though he were enjoying this more than a blood snack.
I wasn’t hungry. The predator in me was emerging. She was aching to attack. However, I wanted to wait to see if Dad was nearby. I waited for another sign—I’d even take the stabbing pain—to hit me.
Nothing.
“I hear Kate.” Passion colored his voice as he scurried to the door.
I rose from the bed, nerves propelling me to do something other than sit and wait for death to come to me. Although Edmund said he wasn’t going to kill me yet, I didn’t trust Kate.
I walked over to the window.
Her cinnamon scent wafted into the stateroom before she even entered.
“There you are, love,” Edmund said, pulling her into his arms.
Their lips locked in a heated embrace. Kate and Edmund swapping spit? My body went numb.
Suddenly, my heart ached for Webb. He was going to croak—absolutely die from this. His beloved twin sister had betrayed him with the leader of the Plutariums—his enemy.
They barely separated before Kate tipped her head to the side, sweeping a hand full of her hair and twisting it upward. The smooth column of her neck was completely exposed. Then Edmund gradually and slowly trailed his tongue down her bulging jugular. As if in slow motion, he eased down, twin fangs extended, and bit.
I shrieked.
He looked up at me with dark red eyes shooting sparks of fire as he sucked the blood out of Kate.
Impulsively, I licked my own lips. The aroma of blood sent a fire blazing down the back of my throat. I tried to look away but I was drawn to the act of animal claiming prey—the raw need to survive.
Edmund continued to keep his eyes on me as his throat moved with each pull of blood.
I salivated for a taste.
I balled my hands into a fist, digging my nails into my palms. I had to feel pain to ground myself in reality. Otherwise, I was afraid I was about to lose all sense of who I was.
Damn him.
He took one last gulp, then licked her neck with his gross tongue. His eyes returned to a golden brown at the same time as his fangs retreated.
Kate let her brown hair fall around her shoulders as Edmund kissed her on the lips.
“You’re delicious, love,” he said.
Eew! Disgusting.
I shook my head, trying to erase what I had just witnessed.
Kate turned. “Ah, she’s awake. Nice.” She giggled. “I can’t wait for the fun to begin.”
Her inhuman gaze swept over me from head to toe as she made her way over. Her navy blue eyes shifted to black, a clear sign the vampire within her wanted out.
I raised an eyebrow in challenge. A challenge I was delighted to entertain with the traitorous sister of the most gorgeous vampire in my world.
Her fangs slid out: I imagined she was dripping with the desire to kill me. Why? I had never given Kate London any reason to hate me.
We stood face to face as I searched my own mind for answers to one pinging question. What happened that she would betray her brother, her family?
Her voice pulled me from my thoughts.
“I see the resemblance, but I don’t see why my brother likes you. He’s still in love with Nicki. You do look a little like her, though—the dark hair and the color eyes. Only yours are more metallic silver, while hers are gray. It doesn’t matter. Soon, you’ll be a distant memory.” She yanked the lily out of my hair, sniffing it as she stared at me.
Was that why Webb kissed me? Did I really remind him of the woman he might still be in love with? A sharp pain pierced my heart, and it hurt like hell, but I had to focus on the current situation. Thinking about Webb wasn’t going to get me out of this mess.
“You’re crazier than him,” I spat, nodding at Edmund.
“She’s in a great mood for our little play time. She looks hungry too. Probably very hungry now she witnessed you feeding on me. Doesn’t she, darling?” She glanced over her shoulder.
“So tell me, Kate,” I said. “Why? Do you hate your brother that much?”
With no hesitation, she said, “My brother has rose-colored glasses on when it comes to what’s right in this world. He believes that the military is the answer to all the world’s problems and it’s not.”
“So, you betray family because of Webb’s beliefs?”
I didn’t buy it. There had to be something else.
“What goes on between me and my brother is none of your business.”
While I wanted to explore the reasons, the situation didn’t warrant an intervention.
“You think your boyfriend, Edmund, is the answer?” I asked, flicking my head in his direction.
Her nostrils flared. “He’s a better man than my brother and your father combined.”
Edmund grinned.
The adrenaline zipped through me; my insides came alive. I didn’t know Kate’s history or relationship with my father, but something was wrong there. Sure Dad had his faults, but he was a far, far better man than Edmund Rain.
Without even a thought, I punched Kate in the mouth then grabbed the sides of her head before smashing it against my raised knee.
She fell backward for a moment, and then jumped at me. As she lunged, Edmund grabbed her.
“She’ll get her due soon enough. We need to get this show started, love.” He smoothed back her hair and wiped the blood from her mouth. “Jonah, bring in the boy.” Gone was Edmund’s lovey-dovey voice, and in its place was a ruthless tone that ached for revenge.
Silence filled the small room as Edmund escorted her back to stand at the door. The air crackled with a surge of electricity, as if the three of us could power a small neighborhood.
I allowed my fangs to retract as I struggled to think of a way out. My options were extremely limited, though. My only escape route was through them and into a body of water that would swallow me up in a nanosecond.
“So where are we?” I stole a peek out the window.
Edmund’s cell phone rang. “Tell her, love, while I answer this. What?” Edmund said into the phone, exiting the room. “We should be ready in fifteen minutes.” His voice trailed off.
“You’ll know soon enough,” was all Kate said as she played with her own cell phone.
Jonah appeared in the doorway. “Ma’am. Here he is.” He nodded to his right.
Kate held up her hand. “One moment.”
A soft breeze blew in, carrying with it a burned-sugar scent. There was only one person I knew of with that enticing fragrance. I said a quick prayer in the hope I was wrong. I had to be wrong. But something told me I wasn’t.
Suddenly, my throat burned.
“Jo, are you ready? This is going to be so sweet.” She smiled, venom dripping from her voice.
“And what a game it is,” Edmund said, sauntering in before kissing Kate on the cheek. “Princess, we have something you want, and you have something we want.” He was all business now.
“You don’t have anything I want,” I snarled.
Please don’t let it be him.
“Oh, but we do.” Edmund’s voice exuded confidence.
Jonah pushed Ben into the room.
The universe came to a standstill. The waves lapping against the hull of the boat froze. Ben couldn’t catch a break from these vampires.
He stumbled, falling onto the bed. His complexion was pale.
His gray T-shirt hugged his muscular chest and there were wet spots around the collar and underneath his arms. He righted himself then looked at me. His brandy-colored eyes were opaque. There was no sparkle or shine in his gaze anymore; it was as though the Plutariums had taken his soul.
It took every ounce of energy I had to keep my fangs in place. Tears clouded my vision. Please let him be okay.
Kate and Edmund studied me as though they were watching a good movie. Their vampire-colored eyes flickered with pleasure. They seemed proud of their plan so far. If they were trying to get a tear out of me, then bravo, they succeeded.
I shook my head a few times, trying to get the fog to lift. I blinked as well, just to make sure this wasn’t a dream. Nope. I was still on a floating coffin in the middle of the ocean, in a bedroom with my enemy, and Ben. To add to the pile of problems, my throat burned and my gums ached. The predator within me was very hungry and eager for a taste.
Focus, damn it.
“I still don’t understand,” I managed to say, thankful I had the willpower to keep my vampire sedated—for now anyway.
“We want Jewel. You know who she is. It’s too bad she couldn’t hold her own against you,” Edmund said.
“Are you serious? You sent a human to kill a vampire?” I asked incredulously.
“No, I sent a vampire to kill you. It just so happens you killed him instead.” Edmund stalked up to me.
“Blake Turner?” My voice definitely matched a high-pitched soprano.
“Blake was my first protégé. He was going to be a great vampire, but the first batch of the human-vampire serum, HVS-1, had some flaws.”
So, my Uncle Patrick was close to a serum that would change ordinary humans into vampires. While more puzzle pieces fell into place, leaving more unanswered questions, this revelation was bad. Very bad.
Still, why did Edmund want Jewel, a human no less? Was he going to transform her like he did Blake?
“He wasn’t a vampire. He was a demon.” I peeked around Edmund.
Ben’s complexion matched an albino’s now. My heart lurched. Had they injected Ben with this concoction?
“I’m so excited you said he was a demon,” Edmund mused. “I trained him that way.”
Sick. Demented. Two words that only scratched the surface of describing the lethal vampire.
“If you already figured out your vampire potion, you don’t need me for anything.” I dropped my hands to my side, allowing the blood to flow through my shock-infused limbs.
Edmund let out a guttural laugh that sent shivers skating across my frozen blood. “Oh, Princess, but I do. I told you the serum hasn’t been perfected yet. Blake was our first test subject, but he had a small glitch. One that wouldn’t suit my needs of a vampire army. You see, he couldn’t go out in the sun.”
So that was why Blake’s skin blistered that day at school.
“I need an army that’s going to be able to function twenty-four hours a day,” Edmund said. “Your uncle is very close to perfecting a serum. He’s also stubborn. Kind of runs in the Mason family, doesn’t it? Which brings us full circle. I want Jewel unharmed. Your Uncle Patrick can’t seem to function without his daughter, and I need him to focus on the next batch HVS-2. He’s so close. Humans into vampires. It’s exciting times.” He grinned, showing off his pointy twin canines.
I didn’t know whether to be relieved that the first batch had flaws or shocked that Jewel was kin to my uncle. That would mean she was my cousin.
Fear snaked through me as I leaned against the wall, hoping it would keep me upright. I gulped in air. Why hadn’t I put two and two together?
“So you sent Blake, the test vampire, and my Uncle Patrick’s human daughter to kill me at school? Why the human?”
“For one, she believes in what her father is doing. And she was there to make sure Blake did his job,” Edmund explained. “She’s a tough cookie among vampires.”
“Obviously, neither of them did their job,” I said.
“You’re right. What I didn’t figure into the equation was your powers. I should have. After all, I dreamt that you would be a powerful force.” Edmund sounded disappointed in himself.
“If you want to kill me, why the game?” The wall was doing its job of keeping me upright and stable, but for how long?
Everyone around us was tuned in to Edmund and me.
“I love a good game. If you succeed, I’ll let you live a little longer. If you fail then I’ll make it my first order of business to kill your brother.”
I narrowed my eyes, biting my tongue. Showing anger would only fuel his fire, and I sensed he was trying to get a reaction from me. I didn’t want to play his game; I wanted to kill.
“I see I have your attention,” he said.
I didn’t say a word.
“Here’s how it’s going to work,” he continued. “My team and I are late for an engagement that we can’t miss. So, you and your boyfriend will find your way back to port, grab Jewel and bring her to me. Simple enough. Oh, and I do have one other demand. Your father’s blood. Bring me all of it.”
“Why couldn’t your beloved there” —I nodded at Kate— “bring you Jewel and my father’s blood? She has access to more places on that base than I do.”
Kate laughed. “Smart girl. But I’m not stupid either. Getting past my brother would be a monumental task. Webb would never let me near Jewel; I’m not one of his Sentinels. My role was strictly intelligence.
“As for your father’s blood, I was successful the first time, but it would be impossible to do it again with your father’s senses on high alert. He’s been keeping tabs on everyone since I got Edmund out of the prison. And it didn’t help that he had an alarm installed. So, I tried to win your brother over after he came on to me in the stairwell where I dropped my phone that night. I figured I could use him in my plan. But Sam seems to have a unique ability to read emotions and people. I tried to turn on my feminine charm several times after our heated kiss, but he said no. He was paranoid whenever I came near him. After that, it was too risky. So I came up with a much better idea—you. We would kill two birds with one Jo Mason. It’s brilliant,” Kate bragged as her voice rose in pitch.
Inwardly, I rejoiced for a couple reasons. First, the mystery of all this was slowly unraveling, though I wasn’t sure how Kate got the combination to Dad’s safe. Second, while a part of me hated the idea of Sam’s tongue dancing with the bitch’s, I was thrilled he’d turned her down. If I got out of this alive, I would throw my brother a party.
“So how did you get the combination to my father’s safe?”
I didn’t think she would answer me, but I had to ask.
She flashed shiny white canines. “It’s called a bug, Jo. In my line of work as an intelligence officer, gleaning information from people is my specialty.”
I was surprised she answered. Maybe if I kept asking questions, she would tell me more about their plans. After all, she seemed excited to tell me the details.
“And you think I can get into his safe?”
“You’re his skanky daughter, aren’t you?” Kate barked.
I ignored the skanky part for now. “You’re not as smart as you claim. Sleeping with him” —I pointed to Edmund— “has fried those brain cells to a crisp. You should know that my father would never let me near the safe.”
“Enough, both of you,” Edmund intoned. “We’re wasting time.”
“And what do you suppose Webb’s going to do when he finds out you’re a traitor, Kate?” I asked, glaring at her.
She leapt like a tiger after its prey, flying through the air and into Edmund, who’d blocked her.
“Patience, love. I promise you’ll have your chance.”
“She’s mine.” Kate flashed bloodthirsty fangs.
“Looking forward to it, bitch,” I countered.
“Edmund?” Ben’s voice broke the tension in the room.
I’d almost forgotten Ben was in the room. Almost.
Edmund turned. “You don’t get to speak.”
Ben rose and matched Edmund in height.
“Stay out of this, Ben,” I said, glaring at him. “Why is he even here?” I asked Edmund.
He rubbed his jaw. “We’ve trialed our first batch of serum on several teenagers. It seems your boyfriend here has a high resistance to our experiments. Nothing we’ve tried works on him. Your uncle wanted to keep him so he could keep testing his genetics, but Kate had a brilliant plan. You see, Jo, she’s informed me you have a thing for this brute. Why?” He shook his head in disgust. “Anyway, since he’s useless to me, we thought we’d have a bit of fun.” He paused for a second. “Jonah,” he called.
When Jonah appeared, Edmund nodded toward Ben.
As if Jonah knew what Edmund wanted, he pulled out a pocketknife from his jeans, exposing the blade. Then he grabbed Ben’s hand, angling the tip of the blade above his palm.
“What are you doing?” I snapped, taking a step toward Ben.
“No, no,” Edmund said, holding up his hand, blocking me. “A human and vampire stranded on boat. Hungry, hungry, hungry. Can you stay afloat?” he sing-songed.
“You’re sick,” I barked.
“You didn’t think I would make this easy on you, did you? You’re a brand new vampire. Your bloodlust will kill him.” He laughed, and so did Jonah and Kate. “I just love a good game.”
My relief that Ben’s system couldn’t change into a vampire’s quickly disappeared. The mere thought of Ben’s blood had every taste bud in my mouth on high alert. My fangs pounded for freedom.
This wasn’t good.
Ben pinned me with an it-will-be-okay look.
Not a chance. Clearly, he didn’t know the effect his blood had on me.
Edmund nodded once to Jonah.
I pushed off the wall and stiffened, holding my breath.
