First Drop of Crimson

He kicked them out of the way, looking around the small room. There wasn't a visible exit aside from the place he'd entered, but this had to be the way. Fabian had said so, and those vampires weren't here to guard frozen chunks of meat. Spade shoved hard at each of the walls, feeling a surge of triumph when the third one gave. He pushed harder and it fell open completely, revealing a narrow staircase.

Spade quickly recovered as many knives from his attackers as he could before shoving them in his sheaths and descending down the stairs. At the bottom, another door beckoned. He tensed. If a trap waited for him, it was behind that door. But in all probability, so was the person he sought.

He kicked open the door and dove into the room.

Chapter Twenty-seven

Denise chewed on what was left of her fingernails as she looked up at the sky. Was it lighter? Or was that a trick of her mind?

Spade had said he'd be here by dawn. She didn't have a watch, or she would have been obsessively checking the time. Bootleg claimed not to have one, either. Lyceum, who drove a second boat nearby, said the same. Denise didn't believe either of them. How could no one know the time? she silently fumed, chewing her nails and staring at the sky once more. It was definitely lightening. Her stomach clenched. Where were they?

"Why don't you go below and relax?" Bootleg offered. "There's a nice bed in the main stateroom..."

He stopped at the glare Denise threw him. Sure, she could relax at a time like this, wondering if her lover and her friends were alive or dead. Didn't he realize nothing short of a concussion could make her even close her eyes? You should have insisted on going with them, Denise lashed herself for the dozenth time. Yet here she was, safe while everyone she cared about was in danger. Again.

"Mon ami," Lyceum said sharply. "Incoming."

Both vampires stared at the purplish sky. Denise did as well, but she couldn't see anything aside from the softly winking stars. She gripped the railing at the side of the boat. Was it Spade and the others? Or someone more sinister?

A whoosh above her head was the only warning she had before something big thudded behind her. Denise whirled around with a little scream - and then was swept up a hard embrace.

"Miss me, darling?" an English voice asked.

She didn't have a chance to gasp out a reply before Spade's mouth claimed hers in a bruising kiss. He picked her up, making their heads almost even in height. His mouth opened, stealing her moan of relief as she ran her hands over him. Safe. Solid. Whole. She couldn't ask for more.

"I have a present for you," he murmured once he broke off the kiss and set her down.

Denise looked behind Spade, more relief crashing through her at the sight of Cat and Bones, bloody but upright, Alten, Ian, and another auburn-haired man...

She froze, that face bringing back the rush of mental images. Raum inside a pentagram, a red-haired man on the other side. "Give me power like yours," the red-haired man said, "and you can have anything you want."

And now here he was, in the flesh.

"Nathanial," she whispered.

His head jerked in her direction, hazel eyes widening. "You know my name."

"Thank bloody Christ this is the right bloke. Wicked difficult getting the sod," Ian muttered, shoving him away.

"I'll take him below," Cat said, catching Nathanial before he fell.

"Wait, who are you people? Why did you take me? How do you know my name?" Nathanial demanded hoarsely.

Denise was struck speechless. When she first saw him, she'd been overwhelmed by relief. Despite the incredible odds, Nathanial was here, so her ordeal with the brands was almost over! But face to face with her infamous relative, she was suddenly uncertain. Should she treat him like a prisoner? Give him a piece of her mind for everything Raum had done to her and her family? Rub it in that she was returning him to the demon who'd branded both of them? If only he didn't seem so fearful - and hopeful. If Nathanial had acted like greedy, heartless figure from her imaginings, this would be so much easier.

"Take him below, now," Spade told Cat.

Then he turned Denise away from the sight of Cat leading her relative below. "I smell the remorse starting to waft from you, but you've done nothing wrong," Spade said low. "That man made his bed. It's merely time for him to lie in it, and if the situation were reversed, he'd offer up your lovely arse to Raum without a moment's pause."

The cold logic made her feel better, pushing away her twinge of guilt. Spade was right. Nathanial willingly made his deal with Raum. He hadn't been forced as she had. He might look harmless now, but he was just like any other criminal; not sorry about committing the crime, just sorry about doing the time. Spade had just risked his life to get Nathanial. So had Cat and everyone else. She wouldn't let herself repay them by moping about it.

"Let's get moving," Bones stated. "Ian, you, Alten, Bootleg, and Fabian go in Lyceum's boat. Head east. We'll head west. If Web seeks to chase us, he'll have two trails to follow versus one. We'll meet back up in Vienna."

Ian jumped over into the other boat, giving them a jaunty wave. "My compliments on an entertaining evening, everyone!"

"Mates." Spade's voice was thicker. "Thank you."

"Yes, thanks, to all of you," Denise said with heart-felt sincerity.

The rest of them said their goodbyes and then Lyceum sped his boat off in the opposite direction that Bones aimed theirs. Denise watched until the other boat was no more than a speck on the ever-lightening horizon, then she turned to Spade.

"I'm so relieved you're all right. I was so worried."

Denise stepped back from Spade to sweep her gaze over him, inwardly cringing at the rips in his clothes along with the crimson spatters. He hadn't just risked his life; he'd also killed for her today.

"Is Web...?"

"Still living, sadly," Spade replied with a shrug. "No matter. He won't risk open war when he can't declare a reason for it."

"You look knackered, Denise," Bones called out from the upper deck where the helm was located. "Should take her below to get some rest, Charles."

A slow smile spread across Spade's face. "What a brilliant idea," he murmured, dipping to slide his mouth over her neck.

The tremor that went through her was more than a physical reaction. Denise wanted Spade to make love to her, but that wasn't all she wanted. She also wanted to wake up with him, talk to him, laugh with him, and fall asleep with him. The intensity of her feelings shook her. Spade had become so important to her so soon. What if he didn't feel the same way about her?

And then there was that other matter...

"You might want to shower first," Denise said, shivering at the flick of his tongue under her ear. "I'd offer to join you, but it's so small, you might not even fit."

A low laugh ticked her. "You can always watch...again."

She was confused, then understanding bloomed about that night in Vegas. "You knew?"

Another laugh, infinitely more wicked. "I wanted you to watch, so I stomped around the room to wake you before I got into the shower. Didn't you wonder why the light was on? It wasn't for me, I can see in the dark. And then I kept the water cold so the glass wouldn't fog."

"With your body, that should count as entrapment," Denise muttered, feeling her face heat.

"No, darling." His voice was husky. "It's seduction, and I have no qualms about that. I intend to seduce you every chance I get."

He drew away, letting his hands slide from her grip. "I'll be taking that shower now." His brow rose with meaning. "And I'll leave the door open."

Desire rose in Denise, covering her shyness over Bones and Cat being well within listening range.

"Give me a few minutes," she said, mentally plan ning a quick freshening up. Breath mints, powder, and lipstick in my purse, camisole in my bag.

Green swirled with the cognac in his gaze. "I'll see you there."

Spade went below the deck, drawing off his shirt and the Kevlar vest before disappearing into the minuscule bathroom. Denise glanced up at the helm. Bones didn't once look away from the grayish sky ahead, even though he had to hear every word between them. I don't care, Denise decided, crossing the deck to the storage unit under the chair where she'd left her purse. It would be nothing Bones hadn't heard before.

She'd pulled back the cushioned seat and was fishing around the life jackets for her purse when a violent blast of movement came from below deck. One moment, Denise was holding her purse; the next, she was on her back, looking up at a tawny-haired vampire she recognized even without his mask.

Before she could blink, a knife hilt appeared in Web's chest as if by magic. Denise felt a moment of relief when Web dropped to his knees, but then an iron grip closed over her and she was jerked to her feet.

"Drop your knives," Web commanded, his arm around her throat cutting off her breath while something sharp jabbed her in the stomach.

Bones and Spade were in front of them, silver knives gripped in their hands. After exchanging a glance, they lowered their weapons onto the deck.

Another vampire dropped out of the sky in front of Denise, smirking as he gathered up the weapons and then stood close to Web.

"Smart idea with the Kevlar," Web commented. "That's why I'm late. I have the docks under video surveillance, so I knew where to look for you, but I had to get my own vest first...and how thoughtful that you've taken off yours."

"Let her go," Spade said, rage blistering off each word.

A snort at her back. "Not likely."

"You know if you harm her, there'll be nothing to stop us from ripping you to pieces," Bones said in a calm tone. "Release her, and I promise you can fly off unharmed the same way you came."

Web gave an ugly laugh. "Not without what you stole from me. Give me Nathanial, then when I leave, I'll have Canine drop this bitch off a couple miles in the water. You can fish her out, if she means that much to you."

"You're not going anywhere with her," Spade said, voice vibrating with hatred.

"I have the hostage, so I make the rules," Web hissed.

Pain slammed into Denise's stomach in the next instant, so intense and overwhelming, she couldn't even breathe to scream. Then the only sound that came out of her was an agonized gasp.

Spade snarled and charged forward, but through the sudden haze in Denise's vision, she saw Bones yank him back.

"One more move and I'll spill her guts onto this deck," Web's voice said near her ear while another blast of pain in her belly had her almost passing out. "You give me Nathanial now and you can heal her in time for her to live. If you don't, she dies."

Canine snickered. Spade had quit fighting Bones and was staring at both of them with a fiery emerald gaze.

"If she dies, you will forever wish to join her in death, except I won't let you."

Denise knew she shouldn't, but she glanced down at the source of the white-hot agony. Web had a knife jammed in her stomach, blood pouring out of her onto the deck, each twitch of his hand sending new streams of that awful throbbing deeper inside her.

The blood pooling at her feet brought a surge of images into her mind. So many glowing eyes. Cool flesh all around her. Blood will follow. Death will follow. It always does.

But this time, instead of the paralyzing panic her memories normally instilled, Denise felt the strangest wave of anger blasting through her, growing along with the pain in intensity.

"Get that out of me."

Denise didn't recognize her own voice. It was low and feral, like nothing that had come from her throat before.

"Shut up," Web said, sounding surprised that she'd spoken at all. "I'm losing patience. Bring me Nathanial, or I spill more of her blood."

Cat slowly came up from the lower interior of the boat, Nathanial in front of her. When she was almost within spitting distance of Web, she stopped.

"Have your boy come get him and then you all can leave. But if you try to take Denise, or you do anything else to her, I'm going to fry you where you stand," Cat growled. Her hands turned blue, orange sparks starting to drip from them.

"You stop that or I'll kill her!" Web ordered, some thing sharp digging into her neck next. He has two knives, Denise realized. One at my throat and one in my stomach.

Instinctively she touched the lower wound, feeling the coldness in Web's grip on the handle and the warmth of her blood spilling through her fingers. Another wave of dizziness overcame her, followed by a nauseating fresh rush of pain.

Then she saw Spade's face, anguish competing with the rage in his expression, and it was his pain that snapped something within her.

"Let go of me."

Except it didn't come out as words. It was a garbled snarl that made Bones's eyes widen in amazement. That feeling of wildness grew in Denise until it was stronger than even her pain.

"Oh my God," Nathanial whispered.

Denise let go of her stomach to seize the arms that held the knives to her, savagely tearing at them with her hands. At the same instant, Spade lunged, hurtling into both of them.

Chapter Twenty-eight

Spade knocked Web to the deck, his sole focus on preventing those knives from slashing across Denise's throat or disemboweling her. Terror gave him greater speed as he wrenched the knives away from Web and then flung them into the ocean.

Web staggered back, the hunk torn out of his arms by Denise's claws healing before his gaze. Her hands had changed moments before she attacked him, stretching into those monsterlike talons that punched through her gloves while her eyes slanted at an unnatural angle.