AllFreeNovel
Share Us
“Right,” she said, sarcastically. “Just like Vlad is no one to worry about, right?”
He didn’t answer her, and she knew then he really was concerned about Mr. Petroski.
After lunch, she was a little curt with Levka when she retired to her stateroom. She couldn’t help it. Why did he keep leaving her in the dark when she was supposed to be his “mate”?
She gave a haughty laugh and started to climb into bed when she saw Alicia was fast asleep.
Caitlin realized she hadn’t worried about what was going on with Alicia for some time now. Where did she go for the day?
Caitlin pulled the cover to her chin. She wasn’t her foster sister’s babysitter, she had to remind herself, which didn’t stop her from stressing about her.
***
All the rest of the day and into the evening, Levka and his friends tried to determine if the tracker was on board the ship. Though they couldn’t locate him, Levka couldn’t quash the sinking feeling the tracker wasn’t through with them yet.
Ruric took Levka aside and said, “I’ve heard more whisperings about the plot against the passengers, but nothing sure about what is going to be done or when.”
Levka shook his head. “It’s the tracker I’m most concerned about.”
“I think he doesn’t want you to have Caitlin.”
Leaning against the ship’s railing, Levka looked out to sea and watched as the pale cold moon turned pink, then pumpkin orange and then eerily blood red in its entirety. Blood moon…hunter’s moon, so named when the hunters tracked and killed their prey in the moonlight. “Vlad won’t have any say in it.”
“Do we kill him, then?” Stasio asked.
Letting out his breath in exasperation, Levka said, “We’ll deal with this matter if it becomes more of an issue.”
Arman shook his head. “No good will come of this.”
Ruric touched Levka’s shoulder. “Caitlin just walked into the building that houses the dining room.”
Levka glanced at his watch. “She’s early and didn’t wait for me to get her.”
“She doesn’t appear to be happy.”
Clearing his throat, Levka said, “She’s angry because I won’t explain what worries me about Petroski.”
“So then she is most likely assuming the worst,” Stasio said.
“Well, I can’t explain what might be the worse-case scenario, can I?” Levka headed for the dining hall, assuming unless he explained more, Caitlin was bound to give him an icy reception. And if he did clarify what he thought the tracker was up to? Ensuring he stayed away from Caitlin?
She wouldn’t understand.
***
Several hours later, Levka watched over Caitlin in her stateroom. He wasn’t sure now what to do. Return home and do what the league wanted, but leave Caitlin to fend for herself against Vlad? No, he would never do that. Maybe Petroski knew that.
Then what? Move to Orlando and guard over Caitlin there? He would have to be ever vigilant, and he didn’t think he could manage watching over her constantly even just on the cruise, let alone day in, day out wherever she lived, forever.
Which meant his only option was to turn her.
And that meant the death sentence for both of them.
He unbound his hair and ran his fingers through it as he reclined on the couch. As much as he wanted her and desired more than anything else in world to keep her safe, he couldn’t see any way out of their dilemma.
Chapter 18
The next day when they arrived at St. Martin in the U.S. Virgin Islands, Caitlin couldn’t curb the nervous jitters skittering around in her stomach as she dressed in her stateroom.
