by Terry Spear
They both smiled at him, the look they gave him, saying they knew him better.
When Levka escorted Caitlin into the Blue Lounge near the bow of the ship with an ocean view, Arman communicated to them from somewhere else on the ship, “I haven’t located Alicia yet. Is Caitlin all right?”
“Under Levka’s spell, and he is totally under hers, if you call that all right,” Ruric answered, his tone amused.
“Where are you?”
“The Blue Lounge, bow of ship,” Levka responded.
“I’ll…”
When Arman didn’t finish his telepathic message, Levka asked, “Arman?”
“I’ll join you in a few minutes.”
Levka attempted to seat Caitlin with her back to the ocean in the blue cushiony lounge chairs. Instead, she shifted around so she could see the water.
“Are you going to be all right, Caitlin?” Levka touched her arm above the bruises.
“I used to try and communicate with people telepathically all the time,” she said, ignoring his concern and focusing on the waves. “It was just this strange overwhelming desire. I mean, at first, I didn’t know that’s what it was. Just this compulsion to speak to someone without saying the words. Sometimes, I thought I was a little crazy. I told a girlfriend once. She thought I was nuts. She told her parents, and they wouldn’t let her play with me anymore.”
Arman walked into the lounge. “I found Alicia with Dylan and a bunch of his friends, Levka. I couldn’t talk to her.”
“Thanks, Arman. Get us some drinks, will you?” Levka asked.
With her back to Arman, Caitlin didn’t see him and continued with her story. “After my girlfriend didn’t have anything more to do with me, I tried not to reach people telepathically.”
Arman brought a tray of sodas to the coffee table, interrupting her.
“I promised I’d get your drink the next time,” Caitlin said.
He smiled. “A gentleman buys the lady her drinks, not the other way around.”
“That’s the past,” Ruric said. “In the future…”
Levka and Stasio gave him a sharp look.
Ruric smiled. “I’m outvoted. A gentleman always buys the lady’s drinks.”
Caitlin laughed.
Glad to hear her cheerfulness, some of the tension eased out of Levka’s taut muscles. “You were saying about how you knew no one could speak to your mind.” He had to know everything he could about Vlad, but he didn’t want to come out and say so. What if she thought he was jealous? He wasn’t. Well, he was, but he was more concerned the vampire might feel he had an earlier claim to her.
“Yes, well, I couldn’t control the urge. I don’t know how to describe it. It’s like I was a Martian on Earth seeking one of my kind who understood what I was feeling. Anyway, I was at an ice cream shop with some girlfriends, and this guy said, ‘Your eyes are like emeralds sparkling in the fluorescent lights. And your full glossy lips look kissable.’ But he didn’t say this out loud. It was if his thoughts were projected into my brain.” Caitlin took a sip of her drink.
Though Levka normally thought himself patient, he tapped his fingers on the arm of the lounge chair. Ruric cocked a red brow at him.
“Well, you might imagine, it came as quite a shock. When I looked around the ice cream shop to see who had said that, I caught his black eyes watching me. At first, he just stared at me, like he couldn’t believe I might have heard him. Then he gave me an odd kind of smile.”
Levka fisted his hands. Apparently, Caitlin had drawn this Vlad under her spell just like she’d done with Levka. “And?”
“He became my first boyfriend.”
Levka glanced at his friends, knowing what they all suspected, that Vlad would have wanted her, too. Had he tried to get permission with the Orlando league and failed?
“But after the accident,” she continued, “I figured he was like my other friends. He didn’t want to have anything to do with me as messed up as I was. So, when I got better, and he never tried to get in touch with me, I killed him off.” She gave kind of a sad smile. “You know, a friend isn’t a friend who won’t stick by someone even through their darkest hour. He’s dead to me.”
“You have us now,” Levka said, knowing he was headed down the path of no return.
She gazed at him for several seconds. “I think you would be a friend always, no matter the circumstances.”
He would not be her friend, if he took her where his dark heart urged him to take her. He reached out and squeezed her hand.
“You’re different from Vlad. Kind of the same, mysterious, totally intriguing, but there’s something different about you. I can’t put my finger on it.” She looked out at the ocean, but he sensed she really wasn’t seeing it.
Memories of Vlad? “How long did you know him?” He had to ask, had to know. If they’d been together long…
Levka couldn’t imagine anyone wanting her for very long and having the restraint not to make her his.
“A couple of months, but he wasn’t around all of the time. He kept saying he had to take care of business. When he returned, he’d seem distant at first, then he’d become his cheerful self. A couple of times guys joined us who called themselves friends of his, but he didn’t seem pleased at all. I thought he even acted jealous. But I sensed there was something darker going on. Anyway,” she shrugged, “it’s all in the past.”
Levka hoped it was, because he and his friends didn’t need any other complications in their lives about now. She lifted the soda to her lips, and he again noted the bruises.
His blood heated. Unable to curb how dark his words sounded, he demanded, “What made you go onto the balcony, Caitlin?”
Chapter 9
Caitlin sensed Levka’s concern. He tried to keep his voice calm and unruffled though his tone was slightly hard, but his eyes told a different story, darkening from lighter chocolate to black diamonds. He was not as unconcerned as he tried to show.
Which is why she chose not to tell him what had happened with Dylan. Not that she had any care for him. He didn’t deserve anyone’s charity. But she did worry what might happen to Levka and his friends. There were way too many of Dylan’s buddies on board the ship.
Everyone waited for her to say something, though they drank their sodas as if they didn’t have a care in the world.
“I fell,” she lied.
“Why?” Levka asked.
“Why?” She didn’t follow his questioning. “I guess it was slippery. I was clumsy. The boat rolled and I lost my balance. Why else would someone fall?”
He didn’t shift his hard gaze from her. She noticed then that the others watched her with the same dark scrutiny.
“Why,” Levka asked, “do you cover for him?”
She stared at him, then withdrew her gaze.
“Not once have you wanted to check on Alicia. You wouldn’t let her out of your sight before. Why the change?”
“She’s nearly eighteen. She can take care of herself.” Caitlin rubbed her arms and focused on the ocean, but not really. Her mind shifted to the balcony, to the railing pressing into her stomach, to Dylan’s terrorizing her.
“Did he threaten you?” Levka reached for her hand, but she pulled away. “What are you afraid of now, Caitlin? That we will hurt him?”
She looked up at Levka, tears blurring her eyes. “That he and his thugs will hurt you. They outnumber the four of you by ten or so. It’s best to just leave it be. Alicia can do what she wants.”
Levka pulled out a package of cards. “Do you know how to play Spite and Malice?”
“No.”
“Want to learn?”
She glanced back at the doorway to the lounge.
“Caitlin? Do you want to learn?”
“To play the card game?”
“What else would I be talking about?”
His hard look hadn’t changed, and she didn’t think he was talking about cards. She wanted to check on Alicia, because no matter how much she hated Dylan
and was afraid to cross him again, she worried more about her foster sister. The creep had too volatile a temper. Would he take his anger out on Alicia, too, if she crossed him?
“I’ll just watch you play and learn the rules that way.”
For an hour, Caitlin refrained from joining the game. Then she excused herself to go to the bathroom, and the guys all exchanged looks. Though no one said anything, she wondered if they could communicate with each other and not allow her to hear them. How could they do that?
No one offered to come with her, which surprised her a little. On the other hand, she was glad to be alone and stretch her legs without feeling she had to have a bodyguard for her every move. Still, when she left the guys in the lounge, her hands grew clammy. She couldn’t stop looking for Dylan, and she hated how he’d made her afraid of something new—him.
When Caitlin walked into the restroom, Lynne opened a bathroom stall door and glanced at her. “What happened to you? I thought you were supposed to be Alicia’s shadow. Guess you really do have the hots for the wheelchair guy.”
“How’s Dylan treating Alicia?”
Lynne washed and dried her hands, then brushed out her tangled blond hair. “One thing I hate about cruise ships is the wind. Every day is a bad hair day.” She faced Caitlin. “He’s her boyfriend. Right?”
“Let me know if he’s…mean to her.”
“Well, you know Dylan. He’s just…” Lynne shrugged. “Dylan.”
“If Dylan gets ugly toward her, let me know, will you?” Caitlin didn’t think Lynne would keep her informed, but just letting her know her concern might make Lynne watch him with her foster sister more.
“I take it you’re too busy watching her then. What will Thomas and Mildred say?” Lynne gave a smirk, then hurried out of the bathroom.
“She was just talking about you,” Lynne said to someone outside of the bathroom.
“Crap.” Was Lynne talking to Alicia or Dylan?
“Why don’t you talk to Alicia? I want to hear what Caitlin had to say about me,” Dylan said, his voice dark and threatening.
Chill bumps coated Caitlin’s skin. How she wished he’d tried something with her when she was on shore. He wouldn’t come near her if he only knew what she was capable of.
“Is everything all right, Caitlin?” Levka asked telepathically.
She imagined she’d been gone an awfully long time to have just run to the restroom, unless there had been a long line waiting for the stalls.
“Caitlin?”
“Can you…can you come and get me?”
“I’ll be right there. Are you at the restroom still?”
“Yes, just let me know when it’s all right to come out.”
“Wait for me, Caitlin. I’ll be right there.”
The restroom was near the elevators across the hall from the Blue Lounge so she knew it wouldn’t take him long to get there. She prayed Dylan would take one look at Levka and decide not to bother with either her or him. She assumed Levka would bring one of his friends if he thought there might be some real trouble.
“Caitlin? I’m here. Are you all right?”
She opened the door and walked out of the ladies’ room. There was no sign of Dylan, thank God.
Levka took her hand. “Are you all okay?”
“Yes, sorry. I didn’t mean to worry you.”
“Anytime you need me, or any of us, just send out the message. One of us should be able to receive it.” He walked her back toward the dining room. “It’s lunchtime. Formal dining or buffet-style?”
“I don’t want to sit with Dylan.”
He studied her for a moment, his eyes dark as the ocean water. “Buffet it is.”
“If I communicate silently with you, do all of you hear me?”
Levka squeezed her hand. “Yes. But if you say whoever’s name you wish to speak to, the others will try not to listen.”
She made a face. “I thought maybe you guys were speaking to each other privately, shielding your communication from me in some way. I hoped I could do that, too.”
He smiled down at her. Did he think she sounded foolish?
They passed the pool where swimmers were splashing water everywhere. Sunbathers still hogged the loungers and the blue and white-striped swing was again occupied by the same couple who’d earlier laid claim to it.
“Anytime you want to sit in it again with me, just let me know,” Levka said.
Thankfully, he didn’t ask her why she was afraid to come out of the restroom. If only she had her powers, she wouldn’t have to put up with that creep Daryl.
She wondered if his friends were going to join them since he didn’t seem to go very far without them. “It sure is nice to have friends like you have.”
“We’re your friends, too, now, Caitlin.”
They walked into the buffet line where a cook was making hot roast beef sandwiches. Levka handed her a plate and grabbed one for himself.
“Yes, but you’ll go back to Texas, and I’ll be in Florida. It won’t be the same.”
“Sour dough, wheat, or rye?” the cook asked.
“Sour dough,” Caitlin said.
“Same,” Levka added. “And I like my meat the bloodier the better.”
Caitlin looked up at Levka. “I’ll miss you.”
He shook his head. “We haven’t even made it to the islands yet, and you’re already saying goodbye?” He tsked.
Looking down at her plate, she nodded. “Take one day at a time. That’s what my doctor said. I really have a hard time doing that. I keep wanting to plan my whole life ahead.”
“One day at a time sounds like a good plan.”
When they took their seats at a round table for eight, the place was empty. Before long, Stasio, Arman, and Ruric joined them with three cute girls in tow.
Raising her brows, Caitlin greeted them. She was glad she didn’t know any of the girls.
“This is Trish, Amie, and Jaygen from Georgia,” Stasio said.
“Caitlin, what had happened at the restroom?” Levka asked her.
She stared at him. Why ask her now? Because she was surrounded by friends? Safe? “I worried about Alicia,” she said telepathically. She wished the rest of the guys didn’t know what she was saying, but though they seemed to be listening to the girls’ conversations, they glanced her way when she began to communicate with Levka. “Lynne was in the restroom, and I asked if Dylan was being mean to Alicia.”
“Like he was mean to you.”
Ignoring his comment, she cut her sandwich in half. She was still afraid he’d go after Dylan, and Dylan’s friends would take Levka and his friends on. “I asked Lynne to watch Alicia and Dylan. When she left the restroom, I heard her tell Dylan I’d been talking about him.” At once Caitlin noticed Levka’s back stiffen. “Dylan said he’d like to ask me what I’d said. I…” She tilted her chin up. “I was afraid to come out of the bathroom.”
Levka seemed totally in control, showing no emotion whatsoever, yet beneath that calm exterior she imagined he was not so easy-going. “What happened on the balcony, Caitlin?”
He would not give it up. She squared her shoulders, wishing they were broader and that she was taller. She felt smaller than everyone at the table. Though the girls continued to talk, she noticed then, the guys all remained silent. Waiting for her to spill the truth? “I fell.”
Taking her hand in his, he studied the bruises. “Dylan’s fingers imprinted on your wrist?” he asked, looking up at her.
She pulled her hand away. “Promise me you won’t go after him.”
His mask slipped, and for an instant she saw the feral look in his eyes.
“Promise me.”
“I won’t promise not to protect you.”
She took a deep breath. Figuring he wouldn’t quit badgering her about it, and probably would have already guessed, she said, “I found him and Alicia in the bathroom together.” Her whole body warmed when she told him about it. “I told Dylan to get out.”
A n
early imperceptible smile curved Levka’s lips.
She looked at the table. “He got angry and forced me onto the balcony.” Glancing at Levka, she felt the darkness again. “He told me not to say anything to anyone about what had happened between him and Alicia. I imagine he was only referring to my foster parents. He wouldn’t care if anyone else knew. But they might forbid her to see him, so…” She shrugged.
“What else, Caitlin?”
“Nothing else.”
“What did he threaten to do?”
She toyed with her napkin.
“Caitlin, what did he threaten you with?” Levka reached for her hand, but she hid it in her lap.
“I probably can visualize something pretty awful. I have a very good imagination, Caitlin. Why don’t you tell me the truth so I won’t picture something worse?”
“He threatened to throw me overboard! He shoved me halfway over the rail and forced me to see the ocean, to see where my family died! He said the fall would kill me so that I didn’t have to worry about the sharks. That’s what he did, Levka! Are you happy?”
The girls at their table sat with their mouths agape. Caitlin didn’t bother to look at Levka’s friends to see what horrified expressions they might wear. She jumped up from her chair and stormed out of the dining hall. Despite being upset, she felt better. Just getting the truth out in the open, felt like such a relief. Now Dylan would kill her. Or Levka would kill him. Or Dylan and his thugs would go after Levka and his friends. Whatever! It was out of her hands and not her fault.
But it was her fault! She shouldn’t have told Dylan to get out of their room. She should have left the proverbial sleeping dogs lie. How she wished she could get him on shore and then she’d work her magic on him, and not in a good way.
She bit her lip. Making a disgruntled face, she crossed the deck, then passed the pool. She glared hard at the water. She was not afraid of the water. Tonight, when everyone was eating dinner, she would swim. She would prove she could get in the water again.
***
For a moment, no one said a word, then the Georgia girls all began to ask what was going on with poor Caitlin. “I’ll see you all later,” Levka said, and left his uneaten sandwich behind.