Chapter 14
Marcus
She’s pissed. Spitting mad…and I can’t say I blame her. But there was no other option. The damn fool would literally get herself killed to save one of her kind.
In a way, I can respect that. There’s honor in it.
But there’s no fucking way I’d let her do it.
Now, she’s glaring at me with that mix of fire and fury that I’ve come to know so well.
“Where are we?” she snaps, her hands on her hips. She unbalances slightly as the floor moves beneath us.
“Someplace safe.”
“Take me back!” Her nostrils flare. “Take me back at once!”
“Back to your death?” I cock my head. “Not happening, Kara.”
She whirls around, taking in our surroundings.
“Fine. Then I’ll get there on my own steam.
” She sways again as the floor tips slightly, then takes several quick strides away from me.
I hear her footsteps on the floorboards as I watch her, my arms folded across my chest. She stops abruptly a few feet away, her hands tightening on a railing in front of her.
There’s a long pause as she stares out into the distance. “By the goddess! That’s the ocean,” she growls, then spins to face me. “We’re on a ship?”
I nod.
“We’re on a freaking ship?” She stomps back to me, standing in front of me and poking me in the chest with one finger. I don’t budge. “You get me off of this thing right fucking now!”
“No.”
“You can’t…! You… I…” She flings her hands into the air. “This is kidnapping! You know that, don’t you?”
I shrug. “It’s for your own good.”
“It’s not up to you to decide that, damn you!” she yells. “My people need me. Seraphina needed me! She could be…she could be…” She stops, swallowing thickly. Tears fill her eyes, and something in my chest tightens.
“You can’t help her if you’re dead.” I pull in a deep breath, then reach out a hand and cup her cheek. It’s soft and warm against my skin. “I’m sorry, Kara. I can’t let that happen.”
She slaps my hand away abruptly. “They wouldn’t have killed me.” Her eyes are mutinous now. “I’m too valuable to them.”
“Yes. As a blood source. They’d take you and drain you, just like they did with your sister. Do you want that?”
She shakes her head. “I would have… I wouldn’t…” She trails off.
“You’re brave, Kara,” I say softly. “Smart, powerful, a skilled fighter. But you’re up against something stronger than you.
More ruthless than you. Something evil. That’s not what you are.
” I reach for her cheek again. This time, she doesn’t push me away.
For a moment, I let her warmth soak into me, the life within her seeping into my long-undead pores.
It’s…unsettling. I like it altogether too much.
“Listen to me.” I drop my hand from her cheek and grip her shoulders instead. “Lucien’s played this game for centuries. He anticipates the noble, self-sacrificing moves. He counts on them.”
Her jaw clenches. “So, what’s your brilliant alternative?”
“We need to think like him. Be more calculating. More ruthless.” I feel her muscles tense under my hands. “Not evil – but smarter.”
“While my grandmother suffers?” Her voice cracks.
“Your grandmother is one of the most powerful witches I’ve ever encountered.” I keep my voice steady, willing her to understand. “She won’t break easily. And Lucien needs her alive.”
Kara’s shoulders slump slightly. “For what?”
“That’s what we need to figure out. Why take her specifically? Why now?” I release her shoulders and pace across the deck. “He’s always ten moves ahead. So we need to be eleven.”
“You sound like you admire him,” she spits.
I turn back to her. “I respect his intelligence. That’s different. And it’s necessary if we want to beat him.”
She wraps her arms around herself, whether from the ocean breeze or her own turmoil, I’m not sure. “Fine. You want to be calculating? Then calculate. What’s his game?”
“He’s collecting magic. Power. But why? What’s the endgame?” I step closer to her again. “Help me figure it out, Kara. Work with me instead of charging in blindly.”
Her green eyes meet mine, fierce and bright with unshed tears. “And if we take too long? If we’re too late?”
“We won’t be. But we have to be smart about this.” I reach for her hand, half expecting her to pull away. She doesn’t. “Trust me. Please.”
I hear footsteps and turn to see Darick and Soren approaching with Rowan and Mia in tow. Neither woman looks impressed right now.
Great. Just what I need – an audience for this clusterfuck.
“What the hell?” Kara’s voice rises. “What are you all doing here?”
“Same as you, apparently.” Rowan leans against the railing, her hair blowing in the ocean breeze. “Getting shanghaied.”
“Your father asked us to keep you safe,” Soren says. “All of you.” From his expression, he’s just had a similar conversation to the one I’m having with Kara. Mia’s jaw is set. Her eyes flash dangerously, but other than that, she’s silent. Which is probably more of a warning sign than anything else.
“This is Darick’s ship,” I explain, watching Kara’s face darken. “Well, technically mine now since he’s…changed…human. It’s part of Clan Sanguis holdings. My clan.” It feels strange saying it. Strange acknowledging that I am now a clan elder.
“Dad put you up to this?” Kara’s voice is dangerously quiet. “He had no right—”
“He had every right,” I cut in. “He’s your father, and he’s terrified of losing another daughter.”
“We’re not children!”
“No, but you are his children.” I step closer, lowering my voice. “Think about what he’s been through. Mia kidnapped. You and Rowan constantly in danger. Your grandmother taken. He’s afraid the next time, luck won’t be on our side.”
“He’s right, Kara.” Mia’s soft voice carries across the deck. “Dad’s been through hell this past year.”
“We all have,” Rowan adds. “Maybe we need to step back, regroup. Figure out what Lucien’s really planning.”
I watch Kara’s face, seeing the conflict there. Her magic throbs around her, responding to her anger, but there’s something else too – understanding, maybe. Reluctant acceptance.
“Fine,” she finally huffs out. “But I’m not happy about this. Any of this.” Her glare encompasses all of us, lingering longest on me. “And when we do go after Lucien, no one gets to tell me to stay behind.”
“I wouldn’t dream of it,” I assure her, though part of me wonders if this is a promise I can keep. The thought of standing by while she faces death again does something unpleasant to my insides.
“What about Mom?” Rowan changes the subject. “Surely she should be here too?”
“Your father is taking care of her,” Darick replies. “She’s safe.”
“For now,” she mutters.
“For now, yes,” he acknowledges. “But it’s a start.”
“I think it sucks.” Kara has her arms crossed and is glaring around at the rest of us. “Toxic masculinity, that’s what this is. All of you have hero complexes.”
“It’s for the best, Kara.” Mia touches her arm.
“I know,” Kara mutters grudgingly. “Doesn’t mean I have to like it.”
“There’s nothing that any of us can do now, anyway, Kara,” says Darick, and I’m grateful that, for once, I’m not the one trying to talk sense into her. “The best thing for us is to get some rest so we can think clearly about this.”
“He’s right,” Mia agrees. “Tomorrow, we can reach out to the others, figure things out from there.”
I keep listening as they finally settle on this course of action. It’s probably why I notice the faint glow on the horizon first – that telltale lightening that signals approaching dawn. My skin prickles with instinctive warning.
“Time to get below deck,” I announce, cutting off the ongoing debate.
The others glance east, understanding dawning on their faces.
Well, most of them. The Blackwood sisters have never had to worry about burning to ash in sunlight.
And now, neither does Soren or Darick. I, on the other hand, am still vulnerable to it, and I’d rather not die out here.
I lead them down the curved staircase into the ship’s interior.
The corridor gleams with polished mahogany and brass fixtures – a remnant of Darick’s expensive tastes.
Thick carpeting muffles our footsteps as we pass original artwork and antique navigation instruments mounted on the walls.
Each piece probably costs more than most humans make in a year.
“The staterooms are this way.” I gesture, trying not to notice how Kara’s scent fills the enclosed space. “They’re well-appointed. You’ll be comfortable.”
I open doors as we pass, revealing luxurious cabins with plush furnishings. Everything speaks of vast wealth and refined taste – exactly what you’d expect from vampire nobility. Even the air feels rich down here, filtered and climate-controlled to perfection.
“This one’s yours,” I tell Kara, stopping at the largest suite.
She peers inside, taking in the king-sized bed with its silk sheets, the sitting area with leather chairs, the private bathroom visible through an open door.
Her expression stays carefully neutral, but I catch a flash of appreciation through.
“My quarters are directly below, in the protected lower deck,” I say, keeping my voice professional. “If you need anything—”
“I won’t,” she cuts me off, stepping into the room. The door closes with a decisive click.
I exhale slowly, sharing a look with Darick. He raises an eyebrow, and I catch his meaning clearly: Good luck with that one.
After showing the others to their rooms, I head down to my own sanctuary as the sun creeps higher. The windowless space below offers perfect protection from deadly daylight. But somehow, I doubt I’ll find much rest today.