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“Ready?” Isaiah asked once more.
This time, there was no reply as Moon blocked the next attack, their swords clashing. The clanging sounds filled the air as they took turns hitting and blocking, with Moon not as experienced but holding his ground. When the boy managed to slice a piece of Isaiah’s sleeve away, Nicola clapped.
“Way to go, Moon! Give him hell!”
Isaiah raised a brow at her but gave Moon the brightest grin there was. He patted the boy’s shoulder and whistled. Then he spoke in a language she didn’t understand, and Moon replied in the same language enthusiastically.
“Good, that’s good. You are ready for some sword displays and a conversation over tea with our shifter friends.”
Her mouth dropped open as she listened to them discuss their upcoming afternoon tea and the reward possibilities over the meeting. Then the two moved on to more sword sessions, stopping now and then to roam the ship perimeter. She did the same on the other end, then found a makeshift hammock that one of the crew probably installed recently. Nicola took advantage, lying on it while she eyed the creatures, which moved less actively now and didn’t peer into the glass as much.
At some point, she must have dozed off, because the swords clanging extra loudly jarred her awake. Silence followed. She scanned the ship out of habit, hopped off the hammock, and wandered to the center.
“Captain? Moon?” she called out.
The two were nowhere to be found. Finishing her roam on that half, she looked to the dome next and frowned when no shadows lurked in the corners. It was…empty, and the captain’s words reverberated in her mind.
It means they got bored. Or it means they are calling for reinforcements and springing a trap.
“Please be bored,” she mumbled, then raced her way to the other side of the ship.
Her senses tripped when she spotted the swords lying on the ground. She stilled when a whisper glissaded in her ears. It felt like a silky caress and sounded like the most beautiful thing there was…and it was coming from outside the dome.
Nerves kickstarted. Her blood simmered as she ran around in search of them, but to no avail. Somehow, despite the sound’s cajoling nature, her body instinctively fought it, aware that it couldn’t come from anything good. Finally, at the very edge of the ship, she found its source: a figure looming close to the glass sheen, red hair cascading in all directions and tail shimmering like magic. Unlike the merman folks, the woman had the most beautiful face there was, set in the smoothest, silkiest skin—and she didn’t trust it one bit.
“Captain?”
She turned another corner and stopped, her blood running cold when she finally glimpsed the two. They were swaying to the beat of the voice, expressions thunderstruck. They were climbing the railing, with Moon already ahead and about to jump.
“No!”
She didn’t think. She dove in after them, grabbing their clothes at the back and pulling them back. They didn’t budge. She looked up, gaze meeting glittery ruby orbs, a smugness to the beauty that made her hackles rise.
Nicola bared her fangs, issuing a warning. The female creature’s arrogance didn’t abate, so she muscled her way in between the men until she could circle her arms around their waists. She dug her feet under the railing, locking her legs. Then she pulled harder than ever.
“Come on, guys. Ignore that fake lure.”
She knew all about fake lures, considering some of their kind could compel at the drop of a hat. Nathan could have anyone eating at the palm of his hand with just a look and a few crooned words, and while she didn’t inherit that particular brand of magic, she knew how to help humans break it.
She pulled and pulled, calling on her vampire strength until she felt the wood creak against the weight that she put on it. But it worked as the human bodies came back with her, no longer fighting her hold. She crowed when the two’s legs hit the railing and couldn’t help shooting the creature a triumphant sneer.
“Take that, you insane—”
A force yanked her hard, toppling her balance until her legs lost their grip on the railing. She flew forward, suctioned as much as the two were, and no longer standing on the ship. The melody raced to her system, holding every cell still and restarting that sense of dread. She couldn’t move, but she was being moved, and there was nothing she could do.
They were trapped.
Chapter 6
One minute, Isaiah was stuck in the most dreamlike state there was, with colors filling his vision and the most mesmerizing voice telling him many hopeful things:It’s okay. Everything is fine. Come with me and be safe.
Come with me, and I will make you feel good.
It was crazy, but also crazy good. It gave him the sense that he could just give in and stop being tired all the time, a surrender that was as sweet as they came.
Yes, give in.Come here.
No! Don’t you dare go!
