Chapter 10
Leandro
As we got off the plane, I looked around for Anais and made sure she was with the group. She was doing the same for her team, looking out for the three of them and making sure none of us were separated in the press of bodies making their way up the jetway.
We were soon grouped back together and I led them down through border control.
Although we were asked a few questions, especially as I was traveling on a European passport, Anais had a British one, and her team had American ones.
As soon as my details came up in the system, the man waved us through.
Thanks to priority status, our luggage was also some of the first off the plane and onto the carousel. We were soon making our way to the airport entrance.
As we grew nearer the doors, the three team members looked between them and then at Anais and me, slowing. I lifted an eyebrow, not sure what was bothering them but picking up on the strange tension.
“We’ve only got a few hours to get over to the port and checked in for the cruise. We should get a taxi as quickly as possible.”
“And you’re good to do that?” Naomi asked.
I chuckled and nodded. “I can daywalk, if that helps.”
Anais smiled. “Come on. Let’s do as Leo suggested.” She ushered the trio to keep going and put herself between me and them as she had been doing for most of our journey and every moment since I had showed up in her apartment.
We soon hailed a cab and I had to endure stares from the hunters as they saw me cope in the daylight.
It might be possible for me to walk in the day like a human thanks to a witch who cast a spell—or curse—on our clan a long time ago, but it still wasn’t comfortable and I avoided the direct sunlight.
Once again, I paid for the taxi despite Anais pulling out her wallet to attempt to pay herself.
I pushed it away and handed over the local currency before I got out.
Sunlight hit my skin and I hissed before I hurried into the shadows of the building ahead.
Only then did I check I had everyone with me.
“Remember I am Drew from here,” I said quietly as soon as the five of us were in an open space away from others.
The majority of the cruise guests were probably aboard already, the last check-in only an hour away.
This ship was going to leave soon, but I had deliberately chosen flights that would leave us with as little downtime out in the sun as possible.
From here we were going to part ways for a while, checking onto the ship in three groups as if none of us were together.
I didn’t like it much. For a short while I would be unable to keep an eye on Anais and protect her, but it was important that we appeared separate in case the vampires didn’t know we were together already.
This way I had a better chance of keeping Anais alive long term. As she and Naomi went off ahead and Alan and Tess lagged behind, I waited just long enough to be a few groups behind the two hunters and still able to see them for now.
The check-in desks were quiet enough that we barely had to queue, and I was soon handing over my passport yet again. It didn’t take long to get on the boat and I actually found myself ahead of Anais and Naomi, the pair needing to provide a lot more documentation than I did.
I could have kicked myself for not factoring that in.
I knew Anais had her ring that would make her more powerful than other humans.
It was draining if used too long, but I knew she had already been using it to good effect.
None of her team knew about it yet, or at least if they did, they were letting her keep the secret.
Still, it wasn’t necessarily enough on its own.
I had no idea how powerful these turned would be.
If it was turned that were after her. My uncle could also be strange.
If he had worked out I had a hunter as a pet, there was a chance he would want her dead and taken out of the equation so I would focus on my task.
If that was the case, he was going to be very disappointed. I wouldn’t let him take away the one good thing that had happened to me since my parents had died.
I didn’t care what happened in many ways from here. Bringing Anais back into my life had made one thing very clear to me. I needed her, and the strange unease I had been feeling since our first mission was only gone when she was at my side. Since I’d known her, I’d found a sense of purpose.
Protecting her was everything I wanted to do. Seeing her smile, feeling her pleasure. Making her happy and helping her achieve her goals. I wanted all of it.
There were relationships I had found fulfilling for a short while.
But even other humans I had brought into my life and had as pets for a while hadn’t given me this level of satisfaction.
I had enjoyed their submission for a while and having a body I had full access to and could indulge in whenever I wanted.
But Anais was different. I didn’t just want to enjoy her being mine. I wanted to do so much more with her. Give her so much more. For the first time I was living for the well-being of another. If this is what it felt like to find your soulmate, then I hoped it was a feeling that never went away.
For now, however, I was forced to walk away from her and head to my suite. She knew which room I was in and I had promised to go there and wait for her to come to me. In fact, all of them were going to come to me.
The suite was the usual affair and I quickly put my bags into my room, making sure that the room was clear of anything that could be used to listen in or track us.
Vampires weren’t above using technology on each other either.
Not that I expected many to even know who I was. I should be relatively under the radar.
I’d only had a few minutes to freshen up, change my clothes and make myself feel a little more normal when there was a knock on my door. I hurried to open it and saw Tess and Alan.
Both of them looked at me expectantly so I backed up to let them come past me. Alan took one step through the doorway and paused, swallowing.
Getting the impression that he didn’t want to put his back to me, I let go of the door and headed deeper into the suite, showing him my vulnerable back. Not that I feared they might try to kill me. I would hear them coming, even if I couldn’t see them.
As I gave them space, they came into the suite and then looked around the sitting area with wide eyes. They passed the large bedroom I had claimed on their way in and both of them peeked inside.
Continuing to give them space, I backed up and leaned near the balcony window.
If Anais wasn’t also here within another fifteen minutes, I was going to go out there and see if I could find her room.
I didn’t care that I would be exposing myself to sunlight again, nor that the ship was still docked and there was a chance that someone would notice me.
Alan and Tess continued to stare about the room, and drew my attention back to them when Tess dared to come a little closer in order to see into the bathroom. It was also far larger than anything they would have had in their twin room.
“There are two more bedrooms on the other side,” I said, pointing over to the doorways.
The pair hurried over to look inside. “Feel free to pick one each if you wish. I don’t need them and they’re probably nicer than your twin room.
Just make sure no one sees you coming here and the corridor is empty. ”
Alan frowned and didn’t go to look, but Tess was either curious enough or more comfortable, because she rushed over and gasped when she saw inside.
“I think I’ll be fine in the twin room,” Alan said, shaking his head. Despite his caution, he sat down on the sofa. “We’re just here to meet up with Naomi and Anais somewhere safe.”
Although I was tempted to point out the irony of such a statement, I kept it to myself. With time, they would come to understand that I just wanted to be with Anais and if she wanted them safe, they would be safe.
I didn’t say that either.
Tess looked a little disappointed at the idea of having to go back to the twin room so I made the mental note to make the offer to her again when Alan wasn’t in earshot. If she didn’t immediately have a negative voice to respond for her, she might say yes.
“You’re both free to go where you please. Don’t think I’m going to be any trouble. All I care about is finding this relic and keeping Anais safe.” I tried to smile and Tess came back this way.
“You really care about her, don’t you?” she asked.
I nodded, giving her my full attention. “She’s a wonderful hunter and a good person. You’ve got a good team leader in Anais.”
“And the two of you do make a pretty cute couple. We don’t mind the relationship. I think Anais is worried about what we think, but if she’s happy, that’s good enough for us.”
Alan turned toward me again and nodded. “Yeah, Tess is right. You have our permission to date her.”
Raising an eyebrow, I had to fight not to laugh at his words. I didn’t need his permission to do anything, but I doubted that my amusement at him declaring something to be okay that he had no say in would help.
“Thank you, I think,” I said instead. “Shouldn’t you have a problem with your vampire hunter team leader shaking up with a vampire though? Wouldn’t you call that fraternizing with the enemy?”
Tess shrugged and looked toward Alan. It was clear he was the spokesperson for the two of them, although I suspected that when Naomi was around, it was usually her instead. The limelight was certainly not something that Tess wanted.
“It’s... different.” Alan stood up and sized me up.
“There’s a difference between the turned and true-blood, that much is clear.
Anais explained that you have some goals in common with us.
You’re reluctant to feed on unwilling humans and you’re trying to keep it from being a problem for humanity that you exist.”
“That’s true.” I waited to see what else he was going to say.
“On top of that, you literally came to vampire hunters to ask for help to kill a whole host of turned instead of making more turned yourself. You understand how dangerous they can be and want to stop them. That means a lot.”
Tess nodded and came closer again, standing only a few feet away from me.
“And you care for Anais. She trusts you. We know what she is capable of and what she has done to keep us safe and turn us into an even better team than before. If she thinks we’re safe with you, then I trust that we’re safe with you. ”
I inclined my head toward her, grateful for the vote of confidence. It meant a lot that she believed she was safe with me even if her years of training made her instinctively wary still.
“Besides, Blade is also part vampire,” Alan said, bringing our attention back to him. “He’s a very effective vampire hunter. You’re basically making Anais into a sort of half-Blade. You’re her vampire part... Just outside her body.”
“Oh, I assure you, I’d very much like to be inside her.” I chuckled, but the sound died in my throat when I saw their wide-eyed look.
Eventually Tess let out a giggle and then put her hand to her mouth to stifle it.
This had Alan laughing, and before I knew it both of them were set off.
They laughed for several minutes, letting out the anxiety and tension and finally beginning to understand that they were safe in the same place as I was.
I joined in a little, but I was too worried for Anais to be relaxed enough to let go and laugh out the stress.
While I knew she was likely to take longer to get settled and make sure her room was safe and she wasn’t followed here by anyone, I also knew that there could be vampires lying in wait and I would never forgive myself if something happened to her before we even set off.