Sealed With a Curse(44)

Slowly Colleen’s natural color returned. The minute her lips tinged pink, she scrambled to her feet and joined the others, careful to give Misha ample space.

“Shall we, ladies?”

The vamps rushed to pick up the twigs my sisters and I had dropped when Colleen challenged me. They placed the neat piles at Shayna’s feet once she sat in the nearest boat.

“I don’t suppose I can convince you and Emme to ride with me?” Misha asked.

I leaped into the boat with my sisters and two other vampires. “No. I stay with them.”

Misha watched me closely from the dock while six vampires piled into the boat farthest away. “Master,” a vampire in the center boat pleaded. “You’ll be safest with your own.”

Misha joined the vampire and three others after a brief pause. “Stay no farther than six yards apart.”

“Yes, Master,” the captains echoed before the engines caught and the motors roared in unison.

Shayna adjusted the bow back onto her shoulder once she finished fastening her life vest. The vamps had eyed her suspiciously when she hauled the giant weapon out of the car, likely questioning her lack of arrows. Yet they failed to ask her directly. Perhaps they didn’t want to risk pissing Misha off. His response to Colleen’s behavior left little doubt that punishment in the House of Aleksandr was swift, severe, and potentially lethal.

No one spoke most of the way. Emme wriggled in her seat nervously and Taran kept lighting balls of fire between her palms. Shayna remained unusually still, focusing ahead, ready to attack. Her reflexes were as sharp as mine. And while she didn’t have much physical strength, the sharpness of her blades compensated for her lack of muscle.

I moved next to her and nudged her with my elbow. “You okay?”

She grinned, surprising me with her typical sparkle. “Yeah. I’m ready, you know, dude? I mean, I’m scared senseless, but it almost seems like I’ve been preparing for a fight for a long time.” Her brows quirked. “I never knew why I could pick up sword play and weapons training just by watching movies and stuff. It seemed like such a waste of a gift—with all the guns out there and all, who cares if I’m good with a knife?” She reached into her back pocket to check her toothpicks for the fifth time. “Maybe this is the kind of thing I’ve been working for.” She shoved the little box away before returning her focus ahead. “I just hope I get more than one opportunity to show what I can do.”

I tapped her thigh with my hand. “Yeah. Me, too, honey.”

Thunder and lightning struck in the distant mountains. “Goddamn witches,” our captain said. “They’re probably the ones bringing the storm.”

“What the hell are you rambling on about?” Taran asked.

The vamp rolled his eyes. “Witches often practice their spellwork in the mountains to avoid accidently killing anyone when they cast. The stronger spells charge the air with magic, stimulating nature to produce storms.”

I watched the gathering clouds and the escalating bolts of lightning. Witches smelled of magic and the dried crushed herbs they used in their spells. Ambrosial scents of spearmint, sage, rosemary, and basil thickened the air.

Taran shuddered. “Damn. Their magic is strong.”

The vamp smiled. “Yes. It makes their blood pretty damn tasty.”

Emme winced. I shook my head. Why did we always end up with the freaks?

My tigress paced restlessly inside me. Neither of us liked the boat—not enough room to move, to roam. And the whole fear-of-drowning thing didn’t help either. I stood and stretched my legs just as Fannette, Tahoe’s only island, came into view. We’d arrived. It was time.

The vampires hustled to get their gun holsters on, cringing as the clips of gold bullets brushed against their bodies. The gold would soon make them sick, but nausea was a small price to pay in exchange for the firepower we’d need.

The motors cut as we approached the bay. We glided across the fog-covered water, stopping a few yards from shore. Silence sliced like Shayna’s blade. No birds flew, and the breeze ceased to a trickle. The only sound was Tahoe’s gentle splashing against the smooth rocks bordering the beach. Yet its normally gentle lullaby failed to reassure me. An odd eagerness seeped into my pores, taunting me to draw closer.

“Come into my parlor,” said the spider to the fly.

Misha and the vampires stood as a single entity, their eyes sharp, their claws protruding. The taunting sensation grew nearer, stronger. My inner beast growled, loud enough to rattle my heart.

“Wha-what…” Emme began.

“Something’s here,” I whispered to Emme.