The Vampire SEAL Collection, page 67
The violent sea had calmed. The waves had diminished, the wind had died, and the bright rays from the moon above sprayed over the open ocean. In the distance, the lights of the city blinked and twinkled.
We were close to home. My pulse sped up.
Hunter returned, kneeling down in front of me.
“Jo, do you know a Lieutenant Webb London?”
My head shot up. Oh, my God. Webb.
“Yes. Where…is…he?” I hiccupped, then swallowed.
“He just radioed. He’s on his way. So you do know him?” Hunter placed his hand on my knee.
“Yes. He’s my father’s second in command,” I said, meeting Hunter’s blue eyes.
“Your father?”
I blew my nose with Ben’s shirt. “Yeah. Steven Mason.”
“Commander Steven Mason?” Hunter asked.
I gave two nods as Hunter and Trace exchanged looks.
“Do you know my dad?”
“No, I know of him,” Hunter said. “I’ve been trying to get into the SEALs to join his team forever. So has Trace.”
My dad was a legend, and he probably didn’t even know it. I didn’t want to think of my dad. I’d only start crying again. Two people I cared about had been taken away, one by the government, the other by the furious ocean.
I shivered.
Looking at Trace, Hunter said, “Let’s get Jo inside.”
Then the ship’s radios blared to life, including the one on Hunter’s hip.
None of us moved.
“Captain Vic, come in.”
“Go,” the voice of the captain said.
“What’s your position? We have a stranded swimmer,” the other voice said.
The salty tears on my cheeks froze.
“Where?” the captain asked. “We’re about eight nautical miles from the harbor.”
Hunter didn’t move as he listened.
“Point Judith,” the radio guy blared back. “If need be, we can send Bridle in your place. She’s a little farther than you are.”
“We can respond,” the captain radioed back. “Hunter?” the captain called over the boat’s speaker. “The SEAL boat is approaching, and we need to turn around. Get Ms. Mason ready.”
“A stranded swimmer. Do you…think it’s Ben?” I asked, my voice hitching.
I had no idea how far Point Judith was from us, but hope infused me for the second time tonight.
“If it is, it’d be a miracle, Jo. People just don’t survive in the ocean in that kind of storm,” Hunter said in a temperate tone. “You’re ride is here.” He rose, slipping into his life vest.
“Is Point Judith the area where you found me?” I asked.
“No,” Trace chimed in.
Two other men approached and readied the ladder as Webb, Tripp and Sloan came into view. They were in some inflatable boat, Tripp behind the wheel.
Boy, they seemed to have gotten here pretty quickly.
“That looks like a fun raft,” I murmured.
Hunter laughed. “That’s one of the coolest boats the SEALs have. It’s called a RIB—a rigid inflatable boat. That boat can do things that you’d never imagine,” he said, practically foaming at the mouth. “They’re quiet and fast and can maneuver from water to beach without any trouble. Not to mention, that boat can handle waves as high as twelve, maybe even fifteen feet. They just don’t sink.” He sounded like a boy who had gotten his first Tonka truck.
Well, let’s hope we don’t have to test the RIB’s sea worthiness, I thought. I’d had my fill of water, wind, waves, and boats.
Our engine slowed, idling as they came closer. I could see them more clearly now. Relief washed over Webb’s face. Black overpowered the blue in his eyes.
Warmth settled over me as I met his gaze. I had never been happier to see him. But who I really wanted to see was Sam. Knowing my brother, he would’ve done everything in his power to make sure he was on the boat with Webb. Where was he?
A sudden tickle brushed the back of my neck.
As though Webb could read my mind, his voice filled my head.
Sam is fine. Do you know how worried we’ve been?
Where is he?
On base, helping out in the control room.
A small amount of tension seeped from my pores. Thank goodness. I couldn’t take any more bad news.
Trace caught the rope that Sloan threw to him, wrapping it around the railing as Webb boarded the boat.
“Credentials, sir,” Hunter commanded.
Webb pulled an ID card out of his cargo pants and gave it to Hunter, who read the front and back. Webb didn’t take his eyes off me. They fluctuated from black to blue several times while Hunter inspected Webb’s ID card.
“Thank you, sir.” Hunter handed the card back to Webb.
Tears streamed down my face. The moment was surreal.
Webb extended his hand, keeping his eyes locked on me.
I stood, but my knees gave out. Hunter hurried to my side, grabbing my elbow, guiding me toward Webb.
My legs were weak. My heart thundered. A mix of emotions had my hormones fluctuating like a sine curve. Seeing Webb, Tripp, and Sloan certainly made my emotions crest. The fact that a stranded swimmer existed added to the peak of that curve. But my heart splintered when I thought how unlikely Ben was to be alive. No. I refused to believe he was dead.
Then I had another horrifying thought. What about Darcy?
I hadn’t a clue what time it was now, and worse, there was no way Webb was going to exchange the brunette for Darcy or any of the other students that Edmund harbored. At this point, I had to pray and pray hard that a miracle would happen for all those involved.
Webb met me halfway, enfolding me into his warm, hard body. He hugged me so tightly I thought my bones were going to break. I drank in his masculine scent, sobbing.
“It’s okay. I’m here,” he whispered, burying his face in my hair.
I didn’t want to move. For the first time tonight, some of the tension in me waned.
“Jo. Lieutenant.” Hunter placed a hand on my back.
Webb growled low before releasing me. “Let’s go home.”
“Take care of yourself, Jo. I’ll come see you later. Will that be okay?” Hunter asked.
Grabbing Sloan’s hand, I turned. “I’d like that,” I replied.
Sloan guided me to a seat on the RIB before Hunter gave him a blanket.
“She’ll need this for the ride,” he said.
How sweet was he? I wrapped myself in it, waiting for Webb.
He said his goodbyes, thanking the captain and his team. Then he eased into the boat, taking a seat next to me.
Tripp gave the RIB power and, suddenly, we were moving.
“What happened?” Webb asked, his voice cutting through the wind.
Turning my head toward the open ocean, I shivered then tightened the blanket, but it didn’t help. “What time is it?”
“One-thirty. Why?” he asked.
My heart stopped. I’d missed the deadline. Did that mean that Darcy was dead?
“Edmund gave me a deadline of midnight to return the brunette you have. If I did, he would let Darcy live.” Tears streamed down my face.
Was Edmund even serious about letting Darcy live?
“What’re you talking about?”
I turned to face him. I wanted to tell him everything, but I had to keep two things to myself. First, I couldn’t tell him that I saw Ben’s eyes turn red. Telling someone else would make it more real, and delirium was the only reason I was willing to believe. The second thing was even harder, unbearable to say. How could I tell Webb about his traitorous twin sister, Kate?
I was frightened to tell him for many reasons, but mainly because it would break his heart, and then break mine to see him devastated. Plus, it might not be the smartest move for where we were. If I told him now, I was afraid of his outrage. I knew Hunter had said the RIB couldn’t sink, but a raging vampire was far worse than a raging human, especially with our super-strength. I decided at that moment to wait, at least until I had two feet planted on shore.
I told them how I’d woken up on Edmund’s boat. I told him about Edmund’s experiments, his sick game, his hope that I’d kill Ben out of sheer hunger and find a way to get the brunette and a supply of my dad’s blood to him by midnight in exchange for Darcy’s life.
“So if Edmund had Ben, why not experiment on him?” Webb asked.
“He did. According to Edmund, Ben was immune to Uncle Patrick’s vampire serum. Even Ben said they loaded him with it, and it still didn’t take. But Edmund has a few guys from Durfee who may not be so lucky.”
As the boat sped through the water, I went on to tell Webb about the storm, the boat sinking, and how Ben saved me by tying me to a buoy.
Webb watched me closely as I spoke.
“What’s wrong, Jo?” he asked. “Is there something you’re leaving out?”
Boy! He was good.
“My mind is still foggy. I almost drowned out there, you know,” I said quickly. “Anyway, I want to see my brother and my father. Is my father back yet?”
Webb raked his hands through his hair, even though the wind was doing a fine job of keeping it out of his face.
“What’s wrong?” I asked. “Did something happen?”
“Your father has been—”
An explosion rocked the shoreline. Then another.
Webb stood. “Fuck. Speed it up, Tripp.”
“What was that?” I peered around Tripp.
Bright orange flames soared high into the sky. Then several more explosions boomed, splitting the silent night air.
The boat sped through the harbor as fast as my heartbeat.
I followed the line of the flame to land. “Is that the base?” I asked. Trepidation soaked my voice.
“Yes,” Sloan said.
I lost all air in my lungs.
“Sam!” I exclaimed.
This couldn’t be happening to me. Ben was missing or dead. Dad…I didn’t know where my father was. Darcy…was she still alive? And now my brother could be in danger. My heart couldn’t take one more second of all this crap. I wanted to kill Edmund Rain for sure.
“When we land, Sloan, you’re with me. Tripp, secure Jo in the safe house. Do not let her out of your sight.” Webb turned to me. “Jo, I need you to cooperate. I’ll check on Sam. Go with Tripp. No antics. If you don’t listen to Tripp, I’ll make sure you don’t see the light of day outside the base. Is that understood?” He raised one eyebrow, glaring at me.
Whoa! Where did the attitude come from? What was it with alpha males?
“Jo?” Webb asked.
“I’m not going anywhere with Tripp. While Sam is on that base, that’s the only place I’m headed.”
The fire raged in the distance as smoke billowed up, disappearing into the night sky.
“You will obey me,” Webb said calmly, but there was no mistaking the bite behind those words. “Do you hear me?”
His staunch power commanded compliance, which I was unwilling to give when my brother’s life could be in jeopardy. I wasn’t losing any more people close to me, not tonight.
“If I don’t?” I challenged.
“I already told you the consequences. The more you fight me, the more I will make your life hell.”
At Webb’s last words, Tripp said, “Lieutenant.” Shock riddled his tone.
I guess he didn’t get the text message that my life was already a living hell. A violent storm swirled inside me, and I couldn’t contain it.
“Well,” I said, the words rolling off my tongue, “let me make your life hell right now, Lieutenant. None of this would’ve happened tonight, or maybe even ever, if your stupid sister wasn’t sleeping with the enemy.”
A loud, collective intake of breath came out of each of the hulking vampires, even over the wind.
I searched inwardly. Did those words really just spill from my lips?
Webb’s fangs immediately shot out as he pulled me onto my feet. His grip was tight, his eyes pure rage as they swirled, shifting to onyx.
Immediately, I wanted to take the words back. I’d seen him mad at Ben, but the power emanating from him was so strong it felt as though he were about to kill me.
“Sit her down, Webb. We’re about to hit the beach,” Tripp yelled.
Webb let go of my arm, pushing me into my seat. I threw out my hands, latching onto Tripp’s chair, and braced for impact.
The RIB rode up smoothly onto the sand about a mile from the base. I guess Hunter was right. This RIB was slick.
Tripp cut the engine as Webb and Sloan jumped out.
I didn’t move. My heart burst into infinite pieces and kept shattering the more Webb paced around the sand.
“Sir,” Sloan called. “We need to go.”
“Get her to safe house four, Tripp. ASAP,” Webb seethed, his tone resolute. Then he and Sloan ran down the beach toward the burning base.
I wanted to jump out and run with them to find Sam, but I was tired, my chest hurt. There was something about my words and his reaction that rendered me immobile. My system was shutting down, and so was my life. Everyone around me that I cared about was vanishing. I wanted to run and hide. I had to get away from all this turmoil and evil.
I lifted my head. As if the gods above me shot me with a dose of adrenaline, I jumped out of the RIB and ran for the woods that lay beyond the sand.
“Jo, come back!” Tripp called. “Shit.”
I didn’t turn around. I didn’t hesitate. I kept running. To where? Hell if knew. I ran deeper into the canopy of trees as Tripp’s voice faded behind me, with only the unknown lying ahead.
I’d been wandering in the woods for nearly an hour, or so I thought. I didn’t really have any sense of time. All I knew was that I desperately needed to feed. Since being a vamp, I’d never been this long without blood. The trees swayed along with my body. The dense woods blurred even as I tried to sharpen my vision, blinking several times.
Not knowing where the safe house was, or if I really wanted to go there, I figured the most sensible place to head was the base. We had landed the boat not far from it. I tried to follow the glow of the fire that raged on, but the dense canopy above limited my ability to see clearly. Or maybe it was the lack of blood fuzzing my vision.
The forest floor had its own challenges, with rocks and mounds of debris piled every few feet to try to trip me, as though someone had deliberately placed them in certain spots.
The crunch of dried leaves crackled somewhere behind me. I opened my senses and scanned the area.
Nothing.
Then an enticing smell wafted in my direction. I turned and came face to face with a coyote. All sense of getting back to base vanished instantly. I didn’t care about rules or laws and drinking Dad’s blood. The only thing on my mind was to capture this animal and feast on him. Somewhere in the back of mind a voice screamed, Gross! I ignored it, licking my lips as we stared at each other for a split second, both deciding our next move. I knew mine and I didn’t even blink. I just lunged. The sucker was fast. Yeah, he should be, considering I didn’t feel like I had even an ounce of energy in me. But hunger fueled me, powered my adrenaline, and I ran after the creature.
I dodged low-hanging branches, jumped over rocks, mounds and a large tree stump. The coyote darted to the right, and I followed. He ran in and out of trees, leading me deeper into the woods. He sailed over a low rock wall. With no hesitation, I did the same. All I could think about was sinking my teeth into him, tasting his blood to ease the inferno in my throat. My heart raced with pure excitement. I was so close. Then he sailed into the air over a mound of debris. I lunged, holding out my arms, and I caught his back paw.
Then everything happened so fast.
He howled and fought me before I lost my grip. Unbalanced from the struggle, I fell to the ground, but was suddenly jerked high up in the air. I shrieked and spun; there was a rope tied around one ankle, suspending me like an upside-down music box ballerina. A trap? Who put these traps in the woods?
Great. I’m starving. My brother and best friends could be dead. Oh, and I’m hanging from a tree.
Don’t panic.
I laughed at the two words I just whispered in my head. I had been chanting those words every minute since my encounter with Blake Turner. The mantra wasn’t helping me in the least. I had to find a new one.
I laughed even harder when I surveyed my situation. I was hanging in the air high off the ground, with a noose tied around my right ankle. My free leg had a mind of its own. It flailed with gravity, flopping around as I continued to spin in circles. Laughter consumed me. My tear ducts were empty, my rage fizzled out, and my body was detached from my brain. I almost thanked the tree I was hanging from.
Now what?
It didn’t matter that my brain and body were disconnected. I had two desperate missions—feed and get my butt back to base.
Okay. First, figure out how to get down.
I relaxed both arms. I crossed my free leg over my tethered one. I swung my arms behind me, trying to gain some momentum to swing my torso upward into a sit-up. I’d seen Sam do an upside down sit-up in the training room on one of those pull-up bars. I sucked in a breath and reached out in front me as my upper torso came forward. I let out all the air in my lungs as I grabbed onto the rope with both hands. I stilled for a moment. Then my gaze followed my hands upward as I scaled the rope, hand over hand just above my shackled foot. I slowly reached down with my left hand, keeping my right one tightly wound around the rope. Pulling out my ankle, I lowered my legs as I secured my left hand to the rope. Hanging, I closed my eyes, and counted to three.
Then I took in a breath and released my hands.
Within seconds, I hit the ground—or at least what I thought was the ground, until someone gasped at the impact and warm arms wrapped around me.
My eyelids flew open, meeting Webb’s stark blue gaze and reviving my deadened heart. For a moment. Then I remembered what he’d said to me.
“Put me down,” I snapped.
“Okay.” He threw me to the ground.
“What the heck?” I lay flat out on my back.
