20. Splish, Splash
Chapter 20
Splish, Splash
Hawaiian Desire cruise—Around the same time
C erissa took a deep sip of her citrusy drink, closed her eyes, and let her thoughts drift. So much had happened so far on her honeymoon—between the news of Petar’s murder and the vampire biting mortal guests on board—that they’d experienced more turmoil than expected. At least she was helping with the V-DNA results. Ernestine popped into her mind, and she wondered how the rabbit was getting on now without Petar.
The poor thing.
Maybe when they got back, she could babysit Ernestine whenever Jayden got too busy, so long as Henry didn’t object.
She opened her eyes to check her phone when she spotted him. Speak of the devil.
He strode into the solarium, a towel across his shoulders, a tight black swimsuit hugging his hips, a smoldering look in his eyes. Heat flowed through her at the sight of him. She fanned herself, grinning at him, and took another sip of her mai tai.
Bending over, he kissed her, his fingers caressing her shoulders, and dropped his towel onto her chair. “You look lovely, cari?a . I like the leopard print bikini. Very nice. Quite appropriate.”
“Thank you. You look delectably handsome yourself.”
He quirked his black eyebrows toward the side table next to her lounge chair. “And what is that?”
“The boat drink for the day, featuring top-shelf rum.” She held out the clear plastic souvenir glass. It was halfway filled with blue liquid and ice.
He sniffed the beverage and wrinkled his nose.
She laughed. “Believe it or not, as much as I prefer scotch, this comes in a close second. Are you going for a swim?”
He held out his hand. “Will you join me?”
“Love to.” She placed the mai tai aside—after taking one more swallow—and, hand in hand, they headed for the pool. With most of the passengers abandoning the solarium to get ready for dinner, they had the area to themselves.
When they reached the edge, he swept her into his arms and tossed her in, and water shot up her nose.
Rat fink.
She should have expected something like this. He did like to tease and play.
H enry dove in after Cerissa and reached the surface before her.
She rose with the bubbles, sputtering, wiping her face and pressing her hair back as she trod water. “Mr. Patel-Vasquez, that was entirely unfair.”
He chuckled and offered her a self-satisfied smile. “Would you like to race?” The way her covered breasts breached the surface, droplets rolling off them, caught his attention. “If you can beat me to the far end of the pool, you may have your revenge, Mrs. Patel-Vasquez. Anything you ask for.”
“I’ll take that bet.” She performed a surface pike, folding almost in half, and disappeared headfirst underwater.
He dove and swam toward the finish line. Anything she wanted would be a win for him, too. Though the likelihood of her catching him was low. She couldn’t morph into a mermaid here, not with the pool staff present.
Yet when he surfaced, she’d beaten him there.
“Got you,” she declared, her arms going around his neck.
He held on to the pool edge with one hand. “How did you—”
“Amazing what you can do underwater that no one can see.” She smirked at him, and then something slapped his ass.
A mermaid’s tail.
“Cerissa, the staff—”
“There.” Her legs wrapped around his waist. “They’ll never know.”
With a resigned shrug, he accepted the kiss she offered. She was quite competitive, his mate. His wife. “You won. Although I’m not sure it was entirely fair.” But he had promised. “What is your desire?”
She averted her eyes, and a slight blush appeared on her cheeks. At times she still exhibited a demure self-consciousness over sexual play. He wondered what had spurred it now.
“ Querida , let’s get into the hot tub and you can whisper your desire into my ear.”
He carried her out of the pool, because why not? They were on their honeymoon, and he meant to make their time together as romantic as he could, even though they had another couple tagging along with them—who, fortunately, weren’t there at the moment.
Straight-backed, Henry ascended the lap pool’s steps, and water sheeted off him. He glanced down at Cerissa, and the look on her face made him feel like the god Neptune himself. When he reached the hot tub, he slid her in and she giggled. Then he searched for the jet buttons.
She pointed at one of the four classic columns holding the awning aloft. “Over there.”
He rotated the timer knob until it marked fifteen minutes and the furious bubbles began. He swung his legs over the edge and slid in next to her. “Very well. Now, mi amor , what is your desire?”
She smiled coyly. “Well, you’ve asked about my secret fantasies, and we focused on exploring what I like. But I’ve never asked you about yours.”
“Mine?” He almost choked on the word.
“Yes, yours. My desire is to know all about you.”
If that was what she wanted, far be it from him to deny her. He pulled her onto his lap, straddling his legs, her position masked by the vigorous bubbles, and put his lips near her ear. “Do you remember the time I chased you through the oak tree woods bordering our vineyard?”
“How could I forget? You carried me back to the pool lounger and used your knife to cut off my bra and panties.”
“You have an excellent memory.”
She laughed. “A memorable time was had by all.”
“Indeed.”
She tilted her head, her gaze on his. “And your hidden desire has something to do with chasing me?”
He paused, misgivings grappling with his deepest fantasy.
Cerissa stroked her finger through the beads of water on his collarbone, curiosity in her eyes.
Henry cleared his throat. “I want to dress you in a long cloak and hood, something to protect your skin, but only a lacy slip underneath—”
“A cloak and hood…” she repeated, and a sly smile spread across her face. “Little Red Riding Hood for your big bad wolf?”
The image of Cerissa in barely anything more than a red cloak set his blood heating. “Now, querida , I was only thinking of your protection from the elements.”
“Hmm. I suspect there’s more to the outfit than that.”
He canted his head, urging her to continue.
“A chase, a bright red target…a hunt .”
He gave a brief nod. “Perhaps you are right.”
“I know I’m right. What I don’t know is what happens when you catch me.” She side-eyed him, shifting on his lap. “What happens when you corner your quarry?”
Henry inhaled, his basest instincts flaring. Hunt. Catch. Feed. “What do you want to happen?”
“Nuh-uh, this is your fantasy, and I’ll hear all of it.”
Cerissa’s face revealed nothing, and Henry felt uncertainty trickle through him. Fear that the scene would repulse her had kept him from suggesting the idea until now.
She leaned into him and whispered, “Tell me.”
“I’d chase your mortal form through the wilderness, and when I caught you, instead of carrying you back to the house, I’d—” A predatory thrill clawed its way up his spine. “I’d force you to the ground and rip off your slip. You would fight back, my prey trying to escape, trying to flee. I’d take it all—the kicking, biting, scratching, hissing, but then, uh, then—”
“You’d pin me down and fuck me?”
A blush heated his cheeks, but he found the courage to continue. “Yes, I’d fuck you hard while you moaned with pleasure, screamed with it. I’d bite you, feed from you, right there in the dirt. I’d hunt you, overpower you, and feast.”
She let out a slow breath. “Fully predator and prey.”
“Precisely.”
“Henry, you just sent shivers down my back.”
His gut clenched. “Good shivers or bad shivers?”
She chuckled. “Oh, very good.”
He breathed out a sigh of relief. “Yes?”
“Yes, I’d very much like to play this game.”
“We would, of course, negotiate everything in advance, and you could use your safe word at any time.”
“I never thought otherwise, Quique. I trust you.”
He held her tight to his chest, still whispering in her ear. “You’d truly be willing to try?”
“Absolutely.” She reached for his hand and entwined it with hers. “I love that you trust me with this, too. I know you rarely cater to your primal side these days, modern vampire that you are, but that instinct is still there.”
There was no judgment in her voice, no distaste. He kissed the spot where her shoulder met her neck.
She squeezed his hand. “But after we return home, okay? I don’t think the cruise ship is a suitable location for predator play, even if I could find a red cloak on short notice.”
“Agreed. Besides, once we reach Hawaii, I have a surprise planned for you—one of your fantasies you’ve mentioned.”
“Really? Any hints?”
“No.” He sat back and tapped a finger to the tip of her nose to emphasize his point. “You’ll have to be patient and wait. My plan wouldn’t be a surprise if I described the fantasy in advance. But rest assured, it’s one you’ve requested.”
Her lips quirked sideways. “Tease.” She crossed her arms. “You’re a big, mean tease sometimes, but I’ll wait.”
“Very good, cari?a . I look forward to surprising you.” The spa bubbles rising around them tickled his back, and the thought of chasing her sent those sensations deeper. He ran his hands over her shoulders, following the warm contours of her muscles with his fingertips.
“Thank you for confiding in me,” she said.
“Of course, mi amor .” If they stayed there much longer, he’d ravish her in the hot tub. He lifted her from his lap, rose, and set her on her feet. “Now, if you don’t mind, I’m becoming overly warm, and you need time to get ready for dinner.”
Sierra Escondida Police Department—Around the same time
A bout twenty minutes after Liza left, the police station’s doorbell rang. In light of the other mysterious threats—the silver stakes and the note by Petar’s body—the station break-in had taken on more ominous tones. Tig had ordered all doors locked, and had a doorbell installed, replacing their previous open-door policy.
She scrambled to her feet to answer it. Although Jayden was in the squad room, still sorting through evidence from the murder scene when he wasn’t playing with the rabbit, she didn’t want him answering the door alone.
Striding down the hallway, she followed Jayden to the door. While the glass and metal wouldn’t stop a determined vampire for long, the door would give her a small head start to defend them. The clear glass panels also allowed her to see who sought entrance, and surprise filtered through her when she saw Shayna and Mikhail waiting.
Jayden turned the lock. “Come in. What can we do for you?”
Shayna held out a plate of cookies covered in plastic wrap. “These are for you.”
“Thank you.” He accepted them and peeled back the covering. “This is a pleasant surprise. We’ve been working hard… I can use the energy boost.”
From the brown lumps, they looked like homemade chocolate chip cookies. Or were those raisins? Tig sniffed at the air. Definitely chocolate chip. Jayden’s favorite.
He resealed the plastic wrap. “You didn’t have to bring them here. I could have stopped by your house.”
“My pleasure. I was over at the community center for theater rehearsals and planned on dropping them off when Mikhail called.”
“Good evening,” Rabbi Mikhail Abrakhomov said with a slightly old-world bow, a cardboard box tucked under his arm. He’d been officially dating Shayna now that two obligations had ended: her year of mourning was over, and his sibling had passed away—the one suffering from a form of vampire dementia. Freed from his responsibilities, he’d moved from Denmark to the United States. Through the grapevine—mostly from Ari, who was turning out to be quite the gossipmonger—Tig had learned the couple was doing well but taking things slowly.
Mikhail held out the box. “I received something in post today.”
Tig gestured to the brown vinyl reception couch, then pulled over matching chairs for her and Jayden. “Why don’t you sit and tell me about it?”
Mikhail held Shayna’s arm, keeping her steady as they walked to the couch. The care he showed touched Tig’s heart. The widow had been in a car accident as a teen, and some days had difficulty walking. After helping Shayna get seated, Mikhail sat across from Jayden, moved aside the magazines on the waiting room’s coffee table, and placed the box there, opening the flaps. “When I opened, I discovered silver stake inside.”
Tig motioned for him to stop. “Let me take a look. We’re hoping to get fingerprints off one of the boxes.”
“Boxes?” Mikhail’s eyebrows rose and his forehead wrinkled. His short brown hair had partially receded during his mortal lifetime, almost to his kippah —the small cap he wore for religious reasons. Now he was vampire, his hairline would recede no more.
Across from Tig, Shayna gasped. “Someone else received one of these besides Henry?”
“A stake was delivered to Evelina’s house.” Tig hadn’t mentioned Evelina’s package in her report to the Hill about Petar’s murder, but the gossip chain had already twigged to the second stake. She was surprised Shayna hadn’t heard what happened from her friends in the theater troupe. “And Petar, the magician who performed at Henry and Cerissa’s wedding, was killed five nights ago. So we’re approaching the stakes seriously. We don’t know for sure if they are related, but we aren’t taking a chance.”
So far, she hadn’t told the community about the method of Petar’s demise and had impressed on Zeke and Liza to keep their mouths shut. It was important to hold back key evidence so they could weed out false confessions.
Tig pulled nitrile gloves from her back pocket and opened the box flaps by barely touching the sides. Packing peanuts filled the box. “Were you burned by the silver?”
“No. I felt its presence before touching it. So I dumped out the contents on Father Matt’s table. When I saw the stake, I used newspaper to scoop everything back into box.”
That was both good and bad. At least Mikhail had preserved the contents, but he may have contaminated the evidence. Hmm . Cerissa already had his and Father Matt’s V-DNA on file. If Jayden found anything in the box worth testing, Cerissa could rule out if the V-DNA came from one of them.
“Jayden, please get an evidence bag and take this back to our forensics lab.”
“Sure thing.” Jayden placed the cookie plate next to the box, then strode over to the administrative assistant’s desk and pulled an evidence bag from a collection in the lower file cabinet. He opened the large bag, and Tig lowered the box, since she was the only one gloved. “I’ll be right back,” Jayden said as he headed toward the squad room carrying the bag.
Mikhail looked uncomfortable, glancing from Shayna back to Tig. “I am sorry to make work for you.”
Tig waved off his concern. “Not at all. This is what we’re here for. Do you have any idea who sent it to you?”
“I am afraid not.”
Tig cocked her head, pondering the meaning. “Do you think the stake is a warning, or is the message that you’re meant to use it?”
Not the first time she’d thought through the question, but the first time she’d voiced the idea out loud.
Mikhail appeared shocked by her suggestions. “I had not considered using it. My first thought was like in the movie…” He struggled to find the word he wanted. “The movie with the horse’s head.”
“ The Godfather .” Yeah, she could see where a package containing a silver stake would be as scary to a vampire as a severed horse’s head was to a mortal when left on their bed. “I understand, but we haven’t been able to rule out whether it’s a threat, a challenge to duel, or a gift you use to protect yourself. That’s why I asked. And there was no note?”
“None.”
Shayna cocked her head, her lips pursed. “Henry, Evelina, and now Mikhail. Everyone who was involved with Jonathan or his capture has received one, then?”
“All except Gaea and Gavin,” Tig replied. The Hill’s oldest vampire was also a child of Jonathan, just like Mikhail and Gavin were. “And me, of course, as the arresting officer. We’ll do our best to sort this out. Thank you for bringing it in.”
And now she really needed to phone Henry to let him know the update on the stakes. Henry and Cerissa weren’t aware of the other deliveries or the potential link to Jonathan. The later arrivals and the station break-in all occurred after they’d started their honeymoon, and when she last saw them in their cabin, they’d all been focused on Petar’s murder—and Henry didn’t need more bad news at the moment. But now, given another person linked to Jonathan had received a stake, Tig owed them a warning. Once she wrapped up with Shayna and Mikhail, she’d make the call.
Jayden came striding back. “And thank you for the cookies.” He had a cup of tea in each hand, along with napkins. “Shayna, would you join me? Tea and cookies?”
Shayna laughed. “I’d love to.”
He gave Shayna a cuppa—as Tig’s friends in England would refer to it—then peeled all the plastic wrap off the cookies. Shayna always delivered cookies on a decorative ceramic plate. Once he finished the treats, he’d wash and return the plate to her, and she’d fill it with more. Tig had watched Jayden participate in this ritual long enough that she knew Shayna preferred tea with her cookies rather than coffee.
“So, aside from the stake,” Jayden said, speaking around a bite as his cookie crumbled a little into his tea, “how are you two doing?”
“I am a very happy man.” Mikhail patted Shayna’s arm. “She said yes.”
“Wait.” Jayden swallowed his cookie. “You two are engaged?”
Shayna set her teacup on the small table and held out her hand, and Tig took her fingertips, tilting her hand for a better view. A sparkling pink sapphire graced her ring finger. Tig smiled. “It’s lovely.”
“She wanted something different,” Mikhail said.
He didn’t need to say anything more. Shayna’s deceased husband had been a diamond cutter. A diamond would have been a constant reminder. But Tig hoped Shayna hadn’t agreed to marry just to stay in their community. The town council had promised to give her extra time if she needed it. And Mikhail—he wouldn’t ask the widow to marry him just to move permanently to Sierra Escondida, right?
Tig looked at the ring again. “A perfect choice.”
Jayden slanted an eyebrow at her. They’d fallen into their usual comfortable rhythm since the wedding reception, and he hadn’t raised the topic of marriage again. But with various friends going the traditional route—Henry marrying Cerissa, not to mention Marcus and Nicholas’s plans to hold their nuptials in a few months—it also wasn’t entirely absent from their awareness either.
Now Shayna and Mikhail had joined the wedding parade. Would she and Jayden be next?
“Tig?” Shayna said.
She’d spaced out. “Sorry, I was thinking about things. What did you ask?”
“Do you have any hint who might be sending the stakes?”
“Not yet. But we’re working on it.” Tig rose to her feet. “Speaking of which, we should return to processing the evidence we have. Thank you for dropping off the stake. And congratulations. We wish both of you all the best.”
Shayna stood and took Mikhail’s arm. The way she looked at him, like he was the center of her universe, and the way Mikhail’s eyes lit brightly when he gazed at Shayna, made Tig feel better. Maybe they were getting married for all the right reasons.