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“That bad?” Levka asked.
“We should make it into port,” the man said, with a heavy Greek accent.
Caitlin closed her eyes and nestled her head against Levka’s chest. He looked over at Amie, but the crewman shook his head.
Arman said privately to Levka, “I didn’t want to say anything in front of Caitlin or while we were still in the water, but Amie’s burns must have been too severe. She died peacefully sometime after I first took hold of her.”
As soon as they boarded the cruise ship, Amie was carried away on a stretcher, and Levka turned to see Vlad watching Caitlin and him, his look as deadly as the shark’s. Levka tightened his arm around her shoulders still wrapped in the blanket.
Caitlin slipped her arm around Levka’s waist. “I don’t really believe in vampires, but if I did, what’s about to happen now?”
Chapter 19
Ruric and Stasio hurried to join Caitlin, Levka, and Arman.
“How Arman and Caitlin ended up in the water is what I want to know,” Ruric said, his face covered in soot. “The cooks are preparing a makeshift meal on one of the upper decks. Most everyone has been fed. But we need to make sure Caitlin—”
“Caitlin’s already eaten, though she might need some water,” Levka said. “What happened to you?”
“Trying to put out the fire, but we didn’t have much luck.” Ruric studied Caitlin for a moment, then raised his red brows. “You can’t mean to say you’ve made her yours, Levka. What will the league say?”
“They’ll agree to it under the circumstances.” Levka’s voice was resolute, but even so he seemed unsure of his words, which made Caitlin’s skin feel twitchy.
Vlad moved closer, and for the first time, Caitlin noticed how Levka, his friends, and Vlad moved panther-like, not like typical male teens. And, and now she noticed the oddest thing. Each of them had a halo of pale gold around their eyes.
“We didn’t have a chance to finish business, love,” Vlad said, bowing his head. “But you’re still mine.”
“This is not the Dark Age, Vlad, and for your information, I chose Levka to be my champion.” Figuring that sounded like the right words to say, she gripped Levka’s waist tighter, afraid Vlad still had some kind of bizarre claim to her. She didn’t feel any different though, so she couldn’t believe vampires truly existed, or that she had somehow been transformed into one.
Though she cared a great deal for Levka, thinking she could become immortal had quieted her fear of the water and of the shark, and that’s why she finally drank a drop or two of his blood. The notion it would turn her into a blood-sucking monster was too absurd to believe. She hadn’t seen any evidence of anyone flying anywhere either. Though she couldn’t reconcile the fact Arman had appeared in her stateroom without a key. Maybe he got it from Alicia.
“Alicia, is she okay?” she quickly asked, furious with herself that she hadn’t been more concerned about her foster sister.
Stasio folded his arms. “She’s been sunbathing all this time, while you fended off the sharks.”
Her mouth dropped open. “Sharks, as in plural?”
“There were two.”
She shuddered all the way to the marrow of her bones.
Rubbing her arm, Levka leaned down and kissed her forehead.
Vlad’s mouth twisted wryly. “You’ll have to excuse me for my abruptness, but I’ll leave you to contemplate your fate. I wish to remind you that the Orlando league already approved my having you. And Levka’s Dallas league did not. In lieu of this, you are mine. But under the circumstances, I’ll permit you to stay in Levka’s company until we return home. Then, you’ll obey me. Ancient rules, you know. You are a fledgling, my dear. My very own fledgling.” He gave another bow and stalked off.
“I don’t know what I ever saw in that arrogant creep!” Then she looked up at Levka. “If he’s so powerful why doesn’t he just claim me now?”
“There are four of us, Caitlin. He figures when we return to Fort Lauderdale he can call in some more of his muscle and even up the odds, or even call on more to outnumber us.”
“He’s not really right, is he? About the ancient/fledgling stuff?”
“We do have a pecking order,” Levka said. “Can we return to our stateroom?” he asked Ruric.
“The fire is still burning in the stern, but our room is far enough away it should be okay,” Ruric said.
Levka explained to Caitlin as the five of them walked to the stateroom. “It’s like having elder statesmen. The ones who have lived the longest, have been in charge the longest, make most of the decisions.”
Caitlin gave a ladylike snort. “Like parents with a child.”
