by Terry Spear
When she jerked it open, she found Levka waiting for her. Looking around him, she asked, “Where’s Vlad?”
“He went off to bother someone else for a while.”
She smiled. “Are you going to shore with me?”
“Too dangerous.”
Raising her brows, she headed in the direction of the ramp where the passengers disembarked for shore excursions. “Vlad said he’s going.”
“He may be. But your tour has been canceled.”
She turned and stared at him. “What?”
“I thought maybe you’d like to watch the staff prepare ice sculptures, or—”
“My foster parents paid for my excursion.”
“The money has been refunded, credited back to their card.”
Her mouth gaped, then she snapped it shut.
Taking her hand, he led her to the ship’s railing and pointed to the hillside. “This is how many of the people live.”
“You canceled my tour?”
“It’s not safe.”
Frowning at him, she pulled away. “You had no right to cancel my tour.”
He waved his hand at the hillside again. “It is not safe for you here. I couldn’t allow any harm to come to you.”
Trying to curb her annoyance at his actions—though she couldn’t help but like that he was always so concerned for her welfare—she stared at the goat trails winding around the steep hills, hovels built against the earthen terrain. “There are no roads.” Studying the land closer, she frowned. “What’s glittering all over the hills. It…it looks like crystal.”
“Trash. The people dump trash outside of their homes. It remains where it gets tossed. No garbage pickup.”
The sound of firecrackers popped in the distance. She glanced in the direction of the noise. “Fireworks?”
Levka leaned against the railing, but didn’t say a word.
“I’ve read newspaper accounts where people say they’ve heard what sounds like firecrackers popping, but it’s really gunfire,” she said.
Taking a deep breath, Levka nodded. “But the ship’s crew will tell you the sound you hear is from firecrackers. Did you know the city was founded as Santiago de León de Caracas in 1567 by Diego Losada?”
She leaned against the railing. “You’re starting to sound like Stasio. But go on. I find history fascinating. Besides, I missed having a tour guide give me the history, so you’d better do a good job.”
A slight smile curved his lips. “English pirates ransacked the place.”
“Pirates, beastly characters.”
“The city was burned, and earthquakes have ravaged the area.” Levka motioned to the slum dwellings. “Recent mud slides have forced inhabitants to build these hovels. The city itself sits in a lush green valley surrounded by mountains. A tropical paradise encircles the city, but like many large cities, it’s noisy, filled with millions of inhabitants, has terrible traffic jams, and...” Levka glanced at Caitlin. “…dangerous slums, the stark contrast between those who have, and those who have not.”
Caitlin turned her attention back to the hillside. “It’s really sad.”
“It is. There’s a lot of wealth to be had, but most of it is kept in the hands of a few.” He ran his hand over hers. “Do you want to get something to eat?”
Facing Levka, she asked, “What happened to Vlad? He was bugging me about inviting him in, and the next thing I knew, you were standing at the door.”
Levka gave her a devilish smile and took her hand. “He decided to bother someone else for a bit.”
She wondered how Levka and his friends had convinced Vlad to leave her alone, as she was sure they had, but she forgot all about asking him when she saw some of the crew carving ice sculptures. Dragging Levka, she hurried him over to see the one a bearded man was carving of a mermaid.
But just as she was to remark about the beautiful detail the man cut into the mermaid’s tail, Levka turned his head as if someone had just startled him.
“Is something wrong?” she asked.
Levka’s brown eyes turned nearly black and his jaw tightened. “Stay here and I’ll be right back. Don’t go anywhere. All right?”
***
Of all the blasted times for him to hear the troublemakers speaking.
Levka communicated to his friends, “I hear the ones who are planning some devilment somewhere on the deck below me, mid-ship. But Caitlin’s watching the crew carve ice sculptures. I don’t want to leave her alone for long.”
“We’re on our way to the location you’re speaking of,” Ruric said.
Levka concentrated on the voices as he stormed toward the stairs.
“Man, we gotta do it once we leave the last port. Close in, just in case something goes wrong. Don’t wanna sink the ship with us on it.”
Another teen laughed. “Okay, so we do it after St. Martin.”
“Yep. Extend our spring break a bit.”
“Cool.”
By the time Levka reached the middle of ship the deck below where he had heard the conversation first, a dozen teens heading for some activity flocked toward them. Two of the girls were giggling about something, but no one else was talking so he couldn’t pinpoint who might have spoken.
Arman and Ruric joined him.
Levka shook his head and started back for the stairs. “They’re planning some disaster so they can extend their spring break.”
Ruric snorted. “If I could, I’d send them to a Mars penal colony for even thinking about causing trouble.”
“Why don’t the two of you follow that group and see if you recognize the guys’ voices, Ruric.”
“I’m on it.”
“I’ll go with you,” Arman said.
“Where’s Stasio?” Lekva asked, frowning.
“He hurried to make sure Caitlin was all right while you tried to track down the bad guys,” Ruric said.
“And no one’s watching him?”
“We can’t always keep an eye on him, Levka.” Ruric hurried after the teens.
Arman shrugged. “He’s right you know.” Then he took after Ruric.
Levka did double time up the stairs and stalked back toward the middle of the ship. If he could vanish and reappear without getting caught, he would have. His heart hammered against his ribs as he worried Vlad might make a move against Caitlin. But when he saw her pointing at the ice sculpture of a polar bear while Stasio folded his arms and nodded next to her like a dutiful bodyguard, Levka calmed his breathing. On the deck above, Vlad caught his eye. The vampire gave him a cold, hard stare.
Yeah, if Stasio hadn’t been there with Caitlin, the old flame would have tried for her again.
“Thanks, Stasio,” Levka communicated.
Stasio glanced back and smiled. “My pleasure. Vlad’s on the upper deck stewing.”
“I see that.” Levka looked up, but Vlad had vanished.
***
That evening before everyone sat down to dinner at the formal dining table, a crewman dressed like a pirate greeted Caitlin with a charming smile, but instantly, Levka’s hand tightened on hers.
Black curly hair touched the pirate’s partially bare chest, and a black mustache curled above his smiling lips. A gold hoop earring dangled from his ear, while a red and white striped scarf covered his head, and an authentic-looking sword hung at his waist as he held out his hand to Caitlin. “Take a picture with me, me beauty?” He bowed low as if she were royalty.
Before she could accept, Levka pulled her toward their table. He motioned to Ruric. “If you need a picture taken with a pirate, Ruric is a descendent of the Viking explorer, Eric the Red.”
Ruric shook his head. “So you keep saying, though it is not true, at least as far as I know.”
Caitlin considered Ruric’s appearance. His wild red curly hair did look pirate like. But then again, Levka and the others with their long hair looked pretty wild at times, too, only none of them had even a hint of facial hair, no matter the time of day or night.
When
they reached the table, Alicia gulped down a couple of headache pills, and Lynne grabbed her bottle and helped herself.
“I wish we hadn’t gone to the city,” Alicia whined, rubbing her temple. “We were in an awful traffic jam in a tunnel forever. No air conditioning on the bus. The windows were open and the gas fumes from all those vehicles nearly asphyxiated us. I have the most horrible headache.”
“Oh, oh, and armed guys in uniform all over the place in the shopping plaza. I just knew someone was going to snatch my purse and one of those guys was going to shoot him and hit me by accident.” Lynne gulped another drink of water.
“Guess I’m glad my trip got canceled,” Caitlin said, relieved, as they ordered their dinners. She glanced at Levka, wondering if he had been to Caracas before and that’s how he knew. Then she turned her attention to Vlad. “Did you go?”
“Without you to accompany? I think not,” Vlad said smoothly.
Alicia rolled her eyes, then she patted Lynne’s arm. “I’ve decided I don’t know what I ever saw in that idiot, Dylan. Bobby Drewery asked me if I wanted to see a movie tonight.”
Before she could stop herself, Caitlin shook her head. Bobby wasn’t any better than Dylan, another spoiled rich kid, both parents lawyers who had gotten him out of jail on minor shoplifting charges numerous times. Maybe a little tough love, in the form of a little jail time, would cure him of his sticky fingers?
The waiter returned with bread, soups, and salads.
Vlad tapped his fingers on the table, then leaned over closer to Caitlin. “Would you dance with me tonight?”
His black eyes willed her to say yes, but she had every intention of saying no. She buttered her bread. “I…”
Levka put his hand around Caitlin’s shoulder and gave her a slight embrace. “Her dance card is full.”
Alicia and Lynne stared at him.
Alicia turned to Lynne. “I think I’m going to get majorly sick. You finished with your meal?”
“Not interested. I’m feeling really nauseated, too. Sure it has something to do with the company.”
The two hurried out of their seats and left the dining room.
Leaning back in his chair, Vlad crossed his arms, his face dark. “She won’t be yours.”
Caitlin sipped her vegetable soup.
Levka’s lips and eyes smiled. “I don’t want Alicia.”
Caitlin nearly laughed and sat back in her chair when the waiter brought them their main dishes.
His mouth forming a hard line, Vlad said, “You have your friends to protect you for now, Levka, but what will you do when we reach Fort Lauderdale? You know you’ll be outnumbered. Your own league is furious with you, mad enough to send a tracker. There will be no one to watch your backs when you arrive. That isn’t your territory. You won’t be able to keep her.”
Carving up her roast duck, Caitlin said, “Why don’t you all eat? Your food will get cold.”
“Fort Lauderdale isn’t your territory either. But that is neither here nor there.” Levka began to work on his veal. “You have no claim to her.”
“Have you taken her blood yet?”
Levka glanced at Vlad.
“I see you have.”
“Then as you can see, you have no claim.”
“My league backs me,” Vlad threw in.
“I don’t care anything about this league business.” Caitlin finished eating the delicious orange-flavored duck. She folded her arms. “I’m not interested in seeing you anymore, Vlad. I really cared for you at one time, but then I discovered we really didn’t mean anything to each other. I can see how controlling you are. You never bothered to see me when I really could have used your kindness. And now…” She hmpfed. “Now, all you can say is you claim me. Why? Because I have a new boyfriend.”
“You have a mate,” Levka corrected her.
She looked up at him and saw the turmoil in his dark eyes. “Right.” She said to Vlad. “I have a mate.” Without another word, she glanced at Levka’s plate and seeing he was done, she reached for his hand. “Ready to dance, my mate?”
His mouth lifted, and she smiled, then pulled him from his seat to dance in the theater, hoping that Vlad would get the hint and drop dead.
“Do you dance as well as Stasio?” Caitlin asked, as she pulled Levka into the theater where a waltz was playing.
“Better.” Levka grinned when she smiled up at him.
“Well, I have to warn you I don’t. So you’d better watch your feet.”
He walked her up onto the stage and pulled her close. “You will dance like an angel, I have no doubt.”
The way he moved her across the floor, she felt like an angel, gliding, effortless, like a slip of fresh air. She’d never danced with a guy who could move so elegantly.
“Yeah,” she said sighing, her head resting against his chest. “You’re even better.”
“You have caught me, and now I can’t let you go.”
“Good. I could dance with you like this forever.”
No matter how much Levka told himself he didn’t want her, he knew it was a lie. He wanted her for now and all eternity. Sensing Vlad’s presence in the theater, Levka noticed him dancing with Lynne, quickly closing the gap between them.
“When we reach Grenada tomorrow, I’ve got a sight-seeing trip. Will you come with me?” Caitlin asked.
“If the weather permits. I’ve heard some of the water excursions have been cancelled.”
“I’m afraid I’m not brave enough to try one of those yet.”
Vlad and Lynne moved closer to them. Levka tried to pivot away, but Vlad followed him step for step until he was close enough for them to hear.
Vlad’s eyes bored into Levka’s. “I wish to dance with Caitlin.”
Lynne gave an unladylike snort, but everyone ignored her. Caitlin tightened her grip on Levka, but he gave her a reassuring squeeze and a small satisfied smile. “Yes, I’m sure you do.”
“Let’s trade, shall we?”
Glancing at Lynne, Levka noted Vlad had quickly hypnotized her with his vampiric charm. Again, Levka couldn’t help smiling. “I don’t need to force my mate to dance with me. Why don’t you move along?”
Vlad bowed his head slightly, then swept Lynne across the floor.
“I can’t believe he’s being so gentlemanly about it,” Caitlin said.
“Believe me, under that cool exterior, he’s the devil.”
She sighed deeply. “I believe it.”
For some time they danced in silence. Levka listened to the beat of her heart, felt the blood pulsing in her wrists, calling to him to take his fill. Already he’d had to clamp down on his teeth to fight the urge to extend them. Only when facing danger, did he have so little control.
“I…I have a question, Levka,” Caitlin said.
“Hmm?” He kissed her forehead and smelled the heavenly scent of peach fragrance in her hair, the silk strands tickling his nose.
“It’s about Dylan.”
He tried not to react, to tense his muscles, but she looked up at him, and he assumed he’d failed to conceal his reaction.
“How come he doesn’t know Alicia? It’s not a form of hypnotism. It’s more like memory loss. You couldn’t make him lose his memories, could you?”
He hated to lie to her, but what other choice did he have? Tell her the truth? Vlad was right? They were blood sucking monsters after all? He decided to evade the question.
“Dylan’s probably mad that he got into trouble over Alicia. I’m sure he’s been told he’ll have to fly home at his parents’ expense if he causes any more trouble.”
She nodded. “Yeah, I didn’t think anyone could do that to anybody else.”
His own blood raced and his teeth extended. Leaning down, he kissed her neck, felt the blood pumping through her veins, enticing him further.
Moving her head aside, she exposed her neck.
Inwardly, he groaned, but he couldn’t control the bloodlust. He grazed his teeth along her skin, careful no
t to nick her.
“Wonderful dancer,” she murmured.
The music, the dancers, the low lights all faded as he concentrated on the angel in his grasp.
“Let’s play a game of cards,” Ruric said, breaking into Levka’s concentration, bumping him abruptly.
Levka bit back a hiss.
Ruric smiled. “You need a break.” He added silently, “Before you bite Caitlin in front of the hundred or so people in here.”
The dance ended, and Levka led Caitlin off the stage. “Do you want to play cards, Caitlin?”
“I’ll have a seat and watch.”
Levka gave Ruric a heated glare.
Ruric shrugged. “You were ready to go to the moon and back, without a safety net.”
“We are not going to dance anymore?” Stasio asked, sounding disappointed as he led an older woman back to her seat.
“Time to rescue lover boy,” Ruric explained.
Arman hurried to join them. “What did I miss this time?”
Chapter 15
Not long after Levka and Caitlin sat down on a sofa in the Seabrook Lounge where the seawater fish tank divided the room in half, he noticed Vlad taking a seat across the room.
Caitlin glanced his way, then turned her head away from him. “Do you know Vlad’s followed us here?”
“Yes.”
“I can’t believe I ever saw anything in him. And I can’t believe after all the time he left me alone, he’d be like this now.”
Levka didn’t say anything and motioned to Arman to play cards.
“Do you want me to get us some drinks? My treat this time?” Caitlin began to rise from the sofa, but Levka captured her wrist and shook his head.
Smiling to put her at ease, he said, “Ruric will be happy to.”
Ruric hopped up from his chair, swung his ghostly light saber around and said, “For the lady, I will do anything. Including…” He gave Levka and the others a look of contrition. “…paying for the lady’s drink, as it should be.” Then he sauntered off.
Caitlin took a deep breath and relaxed on the couch. “I’m so glad I met you guys. I would have had such a miserable time if it hadn’t been for you.”