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“But I see no need for such crassness,” he continued, his tone generous and grand. “I would rather you please enjoy our hospitality. I have many questions about the way of life on your island. You gentlemen seem to have quite the compelling array of female visitors. ”
My blood ran cold. It was the Lilac thing that had him acting this way.
We rowed alongside the larger boat, and Alcántara stood, sweeping his arm as if welcoming the kid onto a Carnival Cruise instead of a stinky old fishing boat. “You don’t mind going for a little ride. ” It was a statement, not a question.
Once aboard, Alcántara dragged the kid belowdecks, and instinctively I began to follow. Carden stopped me with a hand on my shoulder. We stood frozen like that until Alcántara disappeared down the stairs into the shadows.
“You’ll want to be elsewhere,” Carden murmured.
My mouth went dry. I remembered the terror I’d seen in that kid’s eyes. I tried not to think about it as I listened to his screams.
All night.
We made our way back home, the boy shrieking so loudly I could hear him over the chugging of the trawler. I don’t know what, if anything, Alcántara was able to torture out of him. I tried not to think about how he was just a kid like Yas, or Josh. Or me.
He was dead by morni
ng.
CHAPTER THIRTY
I hustled to the dining hall, needing to talk to someone. I was home again, yet I’d never felt so displaced in all my life. I knew I couldn’t tell anyone about the bond, but still, I needed to talk to someone about something—anything to feel real, to normalize this unsettling and, frankly, invasive relationship in which I found myself.
I skipped the lunch line, grabbing only my allotted shooter of the drink, and made a beeline for Emma. But when she and Yasuo spotted me and flinched apart, something inside me cracked, just a little. They had a real affection for each other, whereas I seemed destined to find myself in disturbing entanglements with vampires.
But then, for the umpteenth time, I wondered what would happen when Yas became a full-fledged vampire. I’d found myself with a front-row seat to their deadly game, and it was all too clear they played for keeps.
I shoved it all aside, though, pasting a pleasant expression on my face. And it wasn’t so hard, really. I’d been prepared for good-bye forever, and was genuinely happy to see them. “Hey,” I said.
Emma gave me one of her quiet smiles. “Hey yourself. ”
“Welcome back, homegirl. ” Yasuo patted the empty seat next to him. “Sit down—we’ll celebrate your triumphant return. ”
I gave him a sly look. “What, no parade? No gifts for the returning warrior?”
“Looks like you got one better. ” Yas waggled his eyebrows. “Seems your reward is a new vampire buddy. ”
I stiffened. Had he sensed the bond? What did they know? I searched their eyes; then my shoulders eased. They didn’t know anything. And of course they didn’t—how could they?
I forced my mouth into an easy smile. “Yeah, Car—Master McCloud is okay. ”
Yasuo caught my almost slipup and gave me a probing look, wickedness dancing in his eyes.
But his expression was wiped clear when Emma announced, “He’s quite attractive. ”
I gave a casual shrug, but inside I was bristling. Was it jealousy that made my insides feel so jangly? Whatever it was, it was weird, and I didn’t like it.
Yas scowled. “Who’s attractive? That vampire, you mean?”
Emma nodded.
“Dude,” Yas exclaimed with a smirk. “The guy walks around wearing a black skirt. ”
“It’s a kilt,” I corrected, my face straight.
He leaned toward me on his elbows. “It’s a skirt. ”
I was on the defensive now, my feelings inexplicably intense and out of control, as if I were PMS-ing or something. I folded my napkin into tiny squares, feigning indifference. “Whatever it is, it’s hot. ”
