Blood and Metal

by Nina Croft

  Reaching inside, he flipped the internal switch. His brain clicked into another mode like a load of lights flashing on, until the whole of his head was lit up. The people around faded out of focus, but the machines came into harsh relief. The ship was a living, breathing thing. He could sense the hum of her workings like the beat of a heart. The console in front of him was buzzing. He needed to focus. Resting a hand on the keyboard, he pressed a few keys, not because he needed to but because it might make it a little unclear to those watching exactly what he was doing.

  Then he opened his mind and spoke to the computer. Immediately his brain flooded with information. He didn’t try to slow it, just set his brain to sorting. He delved farther inside, found the wall that Saffira had spoken of, thought about knocking it down, but it dissolved before him.

  All the information in the universe was there for him.

  He was vaguely aware of Daisy returning, standing behind him, and resting one hand on his shoulder. The touch anchored him, brought him back to himself a little, and he realized he’d been in danger of getting lost in the maze of information.

  Someone placed a bowl of food in front of him, and he ate it absently, the flow of information not slowing down. He sorted through it, sifting at lightning speed. Finally, he latched onto the files he needed and informed the machine in front of him to output what was required. He was dimly aware of it flashing up on the screen in front of him for the others to read.

  He searched some more for the prison records. Forgot to switch off the external feed and swore as the details whizzed out to the monitors. Finally, he withdrew, closing down the links, pulling out. When he was sure he’d shut off everything behind him, he clicked off his internal switch and heaved a sigh.

  Everything was quiet.

  He swiveled his chair so he was facing them.

  “Fuck,” Saffira said. “What the hell did you just do?”

  Daisy squeezed his shoulder, and he glanced up. She looked good, her cheeks flushed with color. Tannis, on the other hand, looked pale, but okay. She was reading through the information on the monitor, flicking through quickly. “Jesus, you’ve even got what Hatcher had for breakfast.”

  “Dry bread and water?” he asked.

  “Yeah, how did you know?”

  Fergal could have said because that’s what the man always had, but he didn’t. Instead, he shrugged. He shouldn’t have said anything, but it was taking a minute for his brain to come back to itself.

  “Well, he’s definitely there, and we have all his security details as well. They’re not very heavy.”

  “He probably believes God will protect him,” Devlin said.

  That’s exactly what he believed, but this time Fergal kept the information to himself. He was coming around.

  “We’ve got the fucker,” Tannis said and punched him on the shoulder. “Crazy or not—you certainly have your uses. And not only getting information, according to Daisy.” She gave him a sly look.

  What exactly had Daisy been saying? He cast her a glance, but she just smiled.

  “What’s this other stuff?” Tannis asked. She’d gone back to reading the screen. “It’s the prison records for Trakis Five. What did you get those for?”

  “No reason. I’m not too good at controlling the output yet.” He reached forward and deleted the file. He didn’t need to read it. He already knew that Stefan wasn’t listed as in the prison. Which presumably meant he was at the Church’s headquarters. Though he hadn’t found any reference to him. At least not under that name.

  Shit.

  Somehow, he had to get Stefan out of there before the crew of The Blood Hunter blew the whole place, and Stefan, into little pieces.

  For a moment, he considered asking for their help. But only for a moment. It wasn’t in his nature. And they were too determined to kill Hatcher and destroy the Church. Why would they let what he needed stand in their way? He was nothing to them.

  That caused a little jolt of something. He just wasn’t sure what. Daisy might be upset if he dropped dead on her, but she would be the only one.

  He looked up and found her watching him, her brows drawn together. What was she thinking?

  But even Daisy would no doubt turn against him if she learned exactly what his connection to Temperance Hatcher was. No, he was on his own, as he’d always been. He’d have to find a way to get Stefan out. But he hoped he could find a way that wouldn’t mean the end of the crew of The Blood Hunter.

  He was lying about something. Daisy just wasn’t sure what it was.

  He’d gone all shifty-looking when Tannis had mentioned the prison records. He’d said they were a mistake. She didn’t believe him. Earlier he’d told her he was looking for a man. Had he been searching in the prison? If so, had he found him?

  He didn’t trust them, that much was clear.

  And why should he? Trust had to be earned. But she’d thought they were coming closer. Given time, she knew he would come to trust her, at least. How could you not trust someone who let you tie them up? He could have killed her at any time.

  But they didn’t have time. Things were coming to a head.

  There’d also been a minute tic in his cheek every time Hatcher was mentioned.

  Did he also have reason to hate the man? She sensed it was more than that. What was clear was Fergal Cain had secrets he wasn’t ready to share.

  Perhaps she should tell someone of her concerns. Maybe they would all be safer if they had Fergal locked up tight in one of the cells on the lower level of The Blood Hunter.

  He’d be safe there.

  Or would he?

  Fergal had told her that if he didn’t find this man he was dead. What did he mean?

  She wished he would open up to her. All the same, she wouldn’t have him locked up. He’d saved her life. She couldn’t repay him by maybe causing his death. But she could keep a close eye on him. And maybe mention her concerns to Rico.

  “Is it okay if I go get some more food?” Fergal asked rising to his feet.

  Rico shook his head. “Amazing.”

  “I’ll come with you,” Tannis said. “I want to talk about…your brain.”

  “Me too,” Callum said.

  Fergal looked at her and raised a brow.

  “I’m going to go shower.” Daisy answered the unasked question. “Get a change of clothes.” Have a chat with Rico. “I’ll see you there.”

  He gave her a long look, but shrugged. “Okay.”

  She waited until they had gone.

  “So what’s up?” Rico asked.

  Daisy tried for a casual shrug. She was going to have to be careful here. She didn’t want Rico going overboard and maybe locking Fergal up anyway. Or worse. “Why do you think anything is up?”

  “Come on, spit it out. What do you think I should know?”

  “Nothing, really. Fergal saved my life back at the prison. He could have left me, and they would have caught me and…”

  “So, he’s a good guy.”

  She tried for another casual shrug. “Maybe. Maybe not. I like him.”

  “I noticed.”

  “But I think he has another agenda. One he’s not sharing with us.”

  “And you think whatever his agenda is—it’s going to be an issue?” He shook his head. “Stupid question. You wouldn’t have brought it up if you didn’t think there was some issue.”

  “I’d just feel happier if I knew what it was.”

  “Have you asked?”

  “Yes. He needs to find someone. I know that much but no more, and he won’t open up. He doesn’t trust us.”

  “So what do you want me to do? Beat it out of him?”

  She smirked. “Didn’t he nearly thrash you last time you fought? I doubt you could.”

  “Maybe not. So what? We could lock him up for his own safety.”

  “No. I don’t want to do that. I just wanted to let you know. So you can keep an eye on him.”

  Rico studied her for a moment and gave a nod. “Oka
y. But if you find out anything, you come and tell me. If he’s a danger to us, I want to know. Up until then, it’s your call.”

  “Thanks.”

  “So how are you doing?”

  “Good.” She bit her lip. “I killed a man back at the prison. That’s when Fergal saved me. I lost it. Again.”

  “It had to happen. So how do you feel about it?”

  “It was…” She was going to say the best feeling in the world, and then she remembered the feeling of Fergal deep inside her. Warmth washed over her.

  “It was…?” Rico prompted.

  “It was amazing. But for the first time, I really got that I was different. I came face-to-face with the darkness and it was part of me. And I hated it. The man was a stranger. I killed him, and I enjoyed it. He didn’t deserve that.”

  “Well, maybe we can find you a few people who deserve to die. There are always plenty about.”

  She hadn’t thought of it like that. There was a lot of killing to be done in the near future. Some people needed to die, but she’d always considered it wrong to actually get pleasure from their deaths. But things were different now. She was different.

  She was a vampire.

  A bloodsucking monster.

  A creature of the darkness.

  She’d been rejecting the idea, clinging to the remnants of her humanity, trying to hold on to the nice girl she had been. And she had been nice.

  Could there be a middle ground?

  “Do I have to lose myself completely?” she asked.

  Rico shook his head. “No. The old you is part of the new. We have a bad reputation, but the truth is, in the past, only those drawn to the darkness were changed, so vampires tended to be on the dark side. But we don’t have to be totally evil. You know what it feels like now to take a life. It’s good. But don’t kill pointlessly.”

  “You’re not evil,” she said.

  “Perhaps not now. But when I was first changed, I killed indiscriminately. And frequently. I fucking loved it.”

  “Were you drawn to the darkness?” she asked.

  “I was never a good man, but I didn’t consider myself evil. Then the Church took my wife, burned her at the stake as a witch. After that, I went hunting the darkness. They offered me a chance of revenge, and I grasped it.”

  Revenge. She wanted revenge. For Janey and Tris. For her family. And it was so close now. She couldn’t let Fergal mess that up. “I’m going to find Fergal.” She’d ask him nicely and see if he wouldn’t open up, let her help him.

  “Well, tell me if you find out anything.”

  “I will.” Maybe.

  “And perhaps it might be a good idea not to let your boyfriend tie you up again until you’re sure of exactly what he’s after.”

  Chapter Twelve

  Fergal kept his eye on the door, but Daisy didn’t appear.

  He’d eaten two more bowls of food while answering Tannis’s questions about how he’d accessed the computer systems. He’d told her the truth. He saw no point in lying. And she was impressed.

  “You know,” she said, “we need a tech person on The Blood Hunter. We’ve struggled since Janey…left. But once this Church business is finished we’ll be open for business again, and a source of good intel is always useful.”

  He wasn’t quite sure what she was saying. “Are you offering me a job?”

  “Why not? Daisy likes you, and I trust her judgment.”

  For a minute, he contemplated the idea. Truth was, it made him feel all sort of warm and fuzzy, not something he’d ever felt before. If he’d been the type of guy who wanted to belong, he might have even shed a tear. What would it be like being part of The Blood Hunter? They were a motley bunch of space pirates. A motley bunch who happened to include the ex-leader of the known universe and the leader of the Rebel Coalition. Somehow, they attracted powerful people.

  He glanced at Callum Meridian where he sat at the table. “You okay with this?”

  “Yeah,” Callum said. “And there’s no reason why you can’t keep up with the reporting at the same time. The Blood Hunter has the most up-to-date information delivery systems available.”

  Again, he felt that little jab of curiosity. What would it be like to be part of this? And with Daisy thrown in. If she still wanted him. Where the hell was she?

  But perhaps it was better she wasn’t here. She clouded his judgment. This was a fucking fantasy. No way could he join The Blood Hunter and go have fun in space with them.

  First they had to deal with the Church. And if they did that, likely Fergal was a dead man.

  The knowledge was like a bucket of ice water poured right on top of his warm fuzzy feeling.

  “I’ll think about it,” he lied, pushing back his chair and getting to his feet. “You mind if I have a look around?”

  “No problem,” Callum said. “The ship responds to voice control and will ignore you if you try and go somewhere you’re not supposed to be.”

  That was exactly what Fergal intended to try. He needed to find a way to delay the attack on the Church, and he was pretty sure he could get past any security system they had in place. Of course, he hadn’t mentioned that when Tannis was questioning him, and she obviously hadn’t thought it through.

  No, what he needed now was a good bit of sabotage, and then he could climb into his shuttle and fly away. Go to Trakis Five, find Stefan, get his antidote. And somewhere along the way decide whether he wanted Temperance Hatcher to die. After that, he’d disappear because there would be a whole load of people unhappy with him.

  Including Daisy.

  A pang of something nasty stabbed him in the gut.

  He ignored it.

  “We leave in six hours,” Tannis said. “If you don’t want to tag along, you need to be off the ship by then.”

  “I’ll remember.”

  He stepped out of the galley and stood for a moment undecided. Should he go find Daisy first, say his good-byes? Though she wouldn’t realize it was good-bye.

  There was that something again, prodding him in the stomach, as though he had a choice. For the first time, he actually considered letting things take their course. He stopped in his tracks and leaned against the curved wall of the corridor while he tried to come to terms with the idea.

  His whole adult life had been driven by one goal—to be able to say, “fuck you” to his father. To tell the bastard that he wasn’t going to die. Ever.

  It was weird. He’d never been particularly keen on the idea of living forever. He just didn’t want to die. There was a difference. And he still didn’t want to die. More so than ever.

  Trouble was, what he needed to do in order not to die would ruin his chances of what might be his only go at a meaningful existence.

  With Daisy.

  On The Blood Hunter.

  But who knew? They would both be immortal. Perhaps given enough years she might forgive him. A few centuries, perhaps.

  No, he wouldn’t say good-bye.

  He pushed himself away from the wall and continued down toward the next transporter bubble. The place was quiet. He half hoped he would bang into Daisy, now that he’d decided he wasn’t going to seek her out, but he saw no one.

  “Engine room,” he murmured. The bubble drifted downward.

  The engine room was empty and as pristine as the rest of the ship, gleaming white and silver. He wandered around, his hands stroking the sleek metal. He’d never been interested in engines. How did you stop one working?

  He’d maybe need to consult the ship’s computer. There was a console in the far corner; he could no doubt hook into that. But he didn’t hurry.

  The truth was, he didn’t want to do this. But what he planned wouldn’t hurt them. It would only delay them.

  Wimp. He shook himself, headed to the console, was reaching out toward it—

  “Looking for something?” Rico said from behind him, and he whirled around.

  The vampire stood, leaning against the door to the engine room, arms folded
across his chest. As Fergal studied him, Rico straightened, his arms unfolded, and he rested one hand on the laser pistol at his thigh.

  The action wasn’t threatening, but all the same Fergal knew there was a warning there if he was willing to accept it. He wasn’t. He could take the vampire. Even armed.

  “Nothing in particular. The captain said it was okay for me to look around.”

  “You should get Devlin to show you in here. This place is his baby.”

  “I’ll do that.” He took a step closer.

  A lazy smile curled Rico’s lips. “So has Tannis offered you a job?”

  “You knew she was going to?”

  “I guessed. She was positively salivating at the intel you pulled.”

  “You think I should take it?”

  “Up to you, but you’ll make Daisy happy.”

  Fergal took a step closer. He concentrated on his right hand; he’d form a blaster shield that would protect him from the laser and propel the shots back to Rico. Should give him enough of a chance to knock the guy out.

  Rico’s eyes narrowed, tension radiating from him, but the smile never faltered, as if he was urging Fergal on.

  He shifted onto the balls of his feet, readying himself, just as the room filled with the shrill of an alarm and a red light flashed on the wall.

  Rico cast him a quick look but raised his wrist and spoke into the comm unit. “What the fuck is going on?”

  The tension oozed out of Fergal’s muscles. Mission screwed. Were they under attack?

  “Dragons?” Rico snapped. “You’re fucking kidding me. Or not.” He shut off the comm and looked at Fergal.

  “Dragons?” Fergal asked.

  “It’s a long story. Looks like we’re leaving a little earlier than anticipated. So you need to decide now. Staying or going?

  And once again, he didn’t have a lot of choice. “Staying.”

  “Good. Let’s go see about these dragons.” They took the transporter bubble up to the bridge. “Were you really going to try and take me back there?” Rico asked.

  Shock flashed through him. “Of course not.”

  Rico chuckled, but at that moment they arrived at the bridge, so there was no opportunity to say anything further. He glanced around but couldn’t see Daisy.