The Slayer (9 page)

Read The Slayer Online

Authors: Theresa Meyers

Tags: #Fiction, #General, #Historical, #Fantasy, #Romance, #Paranormal

BOOK: The Slayer
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There was no such thing. Winn frowned.
“On the other hand,” Remington continued, “he seems agitated around Miss Arliss, and I'm not sure if it's because he's so damn attracted to her or because he doesn't trust her.”
“Can't you ever give a straight answer, boy?”
Remington's lips curved with amusement. “Attorney, remember?”
Winn tugged on the left side of his mustache. “Well, I don't trust her. Not yet.”
Remington snorted. “You've
never
trusted a Darkin.”
“With good reason.” The rope-like scars the demon had left on his left thigh ached every day and twice as much when the damn weather changed. It'd been a small price to pay to save Colt's life, but was a lesson he'd never forget.
“At least give her a chance.”
“I will. But that doesn't mean I won't have a backup plan in place.”
Remington's eyes narrowed slightly, and Winn could almost hear the gears grinding and spinning inside Remy's head as he thought. Finally he spoke. “China, you can change into just about any animal shape you want, can't you?”
She instantly shifted, her blond mountain lion fur retreating, her body blurring completely like a watercolor washed over with a wet brush, until she was a woman with long blond hair down to nearly her waist. The fringe on her pale brown leather jacket swung slightly as she stood up, bracing her legs apart. Tight brown buckskin pants hugged her long, lean legs and fit over her cowboy boots.
“Human too, if I'm in the mood,” she grumbled in reply as she crossed her arms over her ample chest.
Winn could see why both Remy and Colt had been attracted to the shifter. Her unusually attractive looks were topped off by a pair of intelligent gray eyes. “Do you think you could hitch a ride up the ladder and check things out to make sure the vampires aren't just setting a trap for my brothers?” he asked.
China shrugged. “I could,” she said, then made a show of inspecting her nails on her long, slim fingers. “But I don't see what's in it for me.”
“How about two hundred dollars?” Remington offered.
“And half of whatever we find off Diego's map?” she countered.
“Half of everything but the Book.”
China reached out her hand. “Shake on it, Jackson.”
Remington grabbed her hand. Winn noticed the sparks that charged between them, but kept his mouth shut. He had enough on his plate to worry about. Remington was smart enough to sort that out for himself.
China glanced at Winn and gave him a very cat-like self-satisfied smile. “Seems I'll be going along for a ride on your vampire's dirigible as well.”
“She's not
my
vampire.”
Remy chuckled.
“That funny to you, boy?” Winn shot back.
“Yeah. Never seen you so agitated about a woman before.”
“You haven't met her,” Winn grumbled.
“Uppity?”
“Yep.”
“Know-it-all?”
“Yep.”
“Sounds like a typical vampire to me.”
Winn ignored Remington's last statement and focused on China. “Look, I want you to wait until Colt and that demon are at least halfway up the ladder before you try to get on board the airship.”
China nodded. “That's easy enough.”
“Can you change into something inconspicuous?”
China sighed in exasperation. “Would a mouse do?”
Winn gave her a smile. “Perfect. Colt won't suspect a thing. Much better if he doesn't see you.”
“Can't handle being looked after by his big brothers?” she jibed.
“Yep,” Winn and Remy said in unison.
Winn glanced at Remy. “Let me know what she finds out as soon as you can. I don't want to drop him off in Phoenix with that demon if there's any problem.”
Remy nodded.
Colt and Lilly came out the double glass doors and stepped out from under the shaded walkway into the bright Arizona sunshine. Winchester didn't miss the long, lingering gaze Remington gave Lilly or the deep, throaty growl that rumbled around China's pursed lips, even though she'd transformed back into her human female form.
Good thing they were leaving. Ten minutes more and those boys would be at each other's throats pissed off because each thought the other was eyeing his woman. Good thing Winn didn't have any such issues with the contessa. She was cold and businesslike as could be. Better yet—other than business, he had no claim to her.
Winn snapped the dark goggles back into place, adjusting them on his face. He dug deep in the pockets of his duster and fished out two pairs of similar goggles, handing one to Colt and the other to Lilly. Damn. The contessa had been right. He was going to need to proceed with greater caution around her. “You'll want those once we get up in the air. The sun seems even brighter up there, and there's some dust.”
Lilly and Colt dutifully pulled the goggles on, and Colt pulled his hat down good and firm on his head. Winchester started up the rope ladder and left Colt and Lilly to follow.
He knew the moment they started climbing because the rope grew steadier with the extra weight at the bottom and didn't twist about so much. Winn reached the opening in the railing surrounding the polished teak deck of the dirigible's gondola platform and found himself nose to toe with the contessa's highly polished black boots.
“Did you need the extra goggles?”
Winn ground his teeth. “Yep. He'll be up shortly with his demon.”
“His demon? I thought Hunters weren't allowed to possess Darkin.”
“He don't own her. He just ...” Just what? He didn't know exactly what Lilly was to Colt. His partner in crime? His helper? Clearly there was more going on between them than it had first appeared, but Winn had been so fixated on his own challenges with the vampires, he had figured Colt was big enough to figure that part out himself. “He's working with her to find the first part of the Book.”
The contessa's lips lifted in a subtle, knowing smile that fisted through his chest. “Another of the Chosen working with a Darkin. It seems the world is changing,
da
?”
“It'll change a hell of a lot more if we don't find the pieces of the Book and keep Rathe from getting his hands on them.”
All the humor dropped from her face. “Rathe will do anything to open the Gates of Nyx. We must not fail, or both humans and vampires will be wiped from existence.”
“Or tortured and enslaved. That's more his style.”
“You've met Rathe?”
Winchester thought about the vertical, slit-like pupils in the demon's yellow eyes and how those same eyes had lit with pleasure the second Winn had fired the shot that had blown clear through the demon lord like smoke, while his mother had taken the bullet to the chest. He yanked his tinted goggles down around his neck. “Yeah, I know the bastard.”
“Then you realize how important this mission is.”
“Lady, if I didn't, I sure as hell wouldn't be on a dirigible full of vampires.”
Chapter 7
A small, feminine hand gripped the teak platform at Winchester's feet. He leaned over to offer Lilly his hand. “Hold on and I'll help you up.”
With his assistance she clambered up onto the deck beside him. Her cheeks were flushed, making her red hair and her unnaturally brilliant green eyes seem even brighter. Even with her being Darkin, he could see why Colt was enamored with her.
“Hello? Anybody still up there?”
Speaking of the devil. Winchester leaned over the rail and grinned down at Colt. “What's taking you so long, little brother? You're holding up the circus.”
His brother was still grumbling as he boosted himself onto the deck of the gondola, landing with his nose almost on top of Winn's boots. Winn looked down at him with a genuinely amused smile. “Took you long enough,” he chided.
Colt pulled the goggles down to his chest. “If you wanted me up here faster, you could have helped.”
Winn couldn't help goading him just a bit more. “And risk making you look bad in front of these lovely ladies? Not a chance.”
Colt glanced at Lilly and the contessa.
“Another Mr. Jackson, I presume?” Lady Drossenburg asked. Her Eastern European accent made “Jackson” sound more like “Yakson,” but that sultry, accented purr was growing on Winn. He liked the way it rolled deep in her throat, which made him contemplate what other kinds of sounds she might make when aroused.
Stop it,
he firmly told himself.
Colt sprang to his feet, dusted his hands on his denim pants, then gallantly took her kidskin-gloved hand and brushed it European style with an air kiss. “Contessa.”
“Mr. Jackson,” she murmured, her amber eyes twinkling with amusement at Colt's enthusiastic flair as he lifted his head and gave her his most charming, devilish grin.
“Youngest, and the most handsome of all the Jacksons, at your service, Your Ladyship ...”
Winn's gut curdled as he recognized the patented Colt Jackson charm flip on like a switch. Didn't the boy realize he was dealing with a blood-drinking vampire? His gaze flicked to Lilly. Her mouth was a firm, flat line, and from the way she glared at Colt he guessed she wasn't amused by his flirtatious nature.
Winn unceremoniously took the vampire's gloved hand out of Colt's on the pretext of giving a belated introduction. “Lady Alexandra Porter, Contessa Drossenburg”—his tone was tinged with a ripple of irritation—“my
little
brother, Colt Jackson.” Judging by the stiffening of Colt's shoulders, he didn't miss Winn's emphasis on “little,” as if it somehow referred to his stature and not just the age difference between them.
“So this is the contessa.”
The woman gave Colt an indulgent smile. Damn it. She'd never smiled at
him
that way, Winn thought, with a fresh surge of annoyance. “It seems we are to transport you to Phoenix, along with your charming companion.” Her voice was like warm, rustling silk, smooth but husky and inviting at the same time. For
Colt.
Winn forced himself not to scowl at her. The woman was annoying as hell, and he had no idea if she really was charmed by Colt's performance, or if she was just acting that way because she sensed he was annoyed. No. Not annoyed. That would imply he gave a damn about her. He didn't.
He cared about his brother, who was standing between two Darkin as if he were at a church social. For a moment Winn didn't know who was the bigger fool. Him for standing there not doing anything about it, or his brother for encouraging both Darkin to pay attention to him in such a manner.
“Yes, we're much obliged, ma'am, um, Lady Drossenburg,” Colt corrected himself. His faked insecurity might be endearing to the ladies, but all it did was annoy the hell out of Winn.
Her full, dusky mauve lips curved into a sensual come-hither smile. “It is my pleasure to help the Chosen.”
 
 
Alexa noted the succubus's reaction out of the corner of her eye. The red-haired beauty didn't like the attention the younger Mr. Jackson was paying to her and was uncomfortable. It showed in the stubborn tilt of her chin and the mutinous fire in her green eyes. Her chest, above the brilliant copper and gold brocade of her underbust corset, rose and fell in fast rhythm with her rapid pulse. Alexa could hear the demon's heart beating hard beneath the low-cut dark green gown she wore, but it was drowned out and muddled by the two other deeper beats of the men's hearts. The woman yanked the goggles resting on her forehead off completely.
Alexa turned on her heel and walked regally toward the stained glass doors of the upper deck's observation lounge. In negotiations with unknown parties, she had learned it was always good to hold one's tongue and allow the other party to be the first to capitulate.
Yep. No doubt about it, she's a vampire, all right. Cocky, insufferable bloodsuckers.
The younger Jackson's thoughts came through loud and clear, unlike his brother's. But the one thing they both seemed to have in common was a dislike for her and her kind. He took her reserved manner for hubris. He was wrong. It was merely experience. Their bias would only be natural, as they had been raised as Slayers, but that didn't mean she had to put up with it on
her
ship.
Alexa's head snapped around, her eyes narrowing in warning as if he'd said the words out loud rather than merely thought them. She looked down her nose at him, amplifying the power around her until it crackled in the air so he would know she meant business. “Fair warning, sir, this ship is filled with vampires. And we can hear your thoughts as clearly as if you'd spoken them out loud.” It was better to educate him now than to let the situation get out of hand and risk his possibly engaging one of her crew.
His Adam's apple bobbed reflexively with a hard swallow. Good. He was smart enough to know his place. Perhaps there was a chance he would be smart enough to recover the first part of the Book as well.
Apparently, and foolishly, he was not in the least intimidated by her censure, and gave her an unrepentant sultry smile. “Yes, your ladyship.”
Naughty boy. Just from his mannerisms alone she could tell he was a man who liked to play with women the way he played at cards, bluffing and reserving his hand until the moment winner took all. At one time, when she'd been far younger, she'd enjoyed such diversions. But now, with centuries of experience behind her, his older brother's steadfastness and no-nonsense character appealed to her far more.
She gave Colt a curt nod and turned back, heading for the double doors bearing the Drossenburg coat of arms. Winchester opened the door to let the ladies enter the interior observation deck of the dirigible first.
“Mind your manners, boy. No sense in offending the vampires before we know if they can help us find one of the missing parts of the Book,” Winn whispered harshly to Colt.
The contessa smiled to herself. Vampire hearing was excellent, and there was nothing they could have whispered that she wouldn't have heard. But his words perplexed her. Did they truly think that her kind even knew where the Book was located? True, they had known for centuries, but that was before it had been stolen from the imperial library.
The succubus walked along beside Alexa looking at the ship as if everything fascinated her, but held her hands together in a tightly woven knot as if she were afraid she might break something if she touched it. If Alexa had a guess, she'd say the succubus had been of the peasant classes before being turned. She was beautiful, but her every mannerism spoke of one who had endured hardships and uncertainty while very young. The young woman stopped to stare at a beautiful painting in an elaborate gilt frame of the Drossenburg's main castle in the Carpathian mountains. Colt came up beside her, placing a hand at the small of her back just above the dark green bustle of her gown. Perhaps now was the most opportune moment to speak with Winchester while the others were momentarily occupied.
“Mr. Jackson?”
The men turned toward her in unison. They certainly were a striking pair, both dark-haired and muscular, with piercing blue eyes and an indefinable air of wildness about them that was both dangerous and appealing. But it was the elder who fascinated her more. “Might I have a word with you, Winchester?” she amended.
Winn touched his fingers to the brim of his hat. “My lady.” He stepped toward her, then turned back to his brother, pointing a stern finger at him. “Stay out here and out of trouble until I get back.”
Colt snorted, clearly ignoring him. From the tense set of his shoulders and the scowl on his face, Alexa could tell Winn didn't care for his younger brother's casual attitude and dismissive behavior.
He fell into step beside her. “You wanted something?”
“Since we are accommodating dropping your brother and his companion—”
Winn cut her off. “She's not his companion. She's Darkin. Name is Lilly Arliss.”
Alexa's gaze flicked to the pair standing at the painting, then she looked back at Winchester. Darkness swirled behind his angry gaze. He didn't like the Darkin succubus being with his brother, that much would be obvious to any female. But was it because he saw the easy relationship building between them, or because he felt a duty to protect his sibling? Without reading his thoughts it was impossible to tell for sure. Alexa carefully modulated her tone. “Could you please determine exactly where would be best for the captain to land our ship safely for them to disembark?”
“I'll need some maps.”
She inclined her head. “Of course. Our chart room is on the bottom deck. I shall show you.”
His presence behind her as they traveled down the stairs from the observation deck to the base of the gondola spiked the air with a combination of brooding male and the wild outdoors. He grumbled beneath his breath, “reckless ... cocky ... going to get himself killed.”
The constant
whop, whop, whop
of the steering props and the hiss and hum of the steam turbines crowded out his mutterings.
My lady? The younger Mr. Jackson and two ladies seem to be having an argument in the observation lounge. Should I intervene?
Enric told her in thought.
Alexa frowned. She felt as if she were forever taking care of and managing the details of others, both at court and on this ship. She sighed.
Separate them only if necessary; otherwise do not interfere. She was sent to check on the companion of the younger Mr. Jackson by his elder brothers.
Yes, my lady.
The air grew stifling near the engines. Normally it wasn't an issue, but the very air here in the American desert was oven-like to begin with during the daylight hours, making the situation worse. She turned, steering them down another long hallway that ended in a dark wooden door with a brass porthole in it.
As she opened the door she was greeted by the musty, mellower scents of leather and paper, ink and wax. The noises of the engine room grew noticeably fainter as the heavy door closed behind them.
Alexa spread her gloved hands out wide. “Our chart room.”
“Do you have many charts of North America?”
“A few.” She stepped sideways around the massive table that took up the bulk of the room, careful that her bustle did not topple anything from its surface. The far wall was covered in open cubbyhole bins where the charts lay curled up and nesting like grubs in a honeycomb.
She plucked four charts and set them out side by side on the table. “These should be the ones we have for North America.”
Mr. Jackson took the first one and spread it out, holding each edge to keep it from rolling back on itself. His large hands were rough, tanned, and strong. Not at all the hands of a dignitary or noble in His Majesty's court. A small shiver rolled down her spine, as she thought of how they might feel against her skin.
“This one covers from the East Coast to the Mississippi River.” Carefully he rolled it back up and handed it to her. Alexa held the paper, still warm from his touch, in her hand before she turned and placed it back in its cubbyhole.
The Hunter opened another chart. “This is better.”
She leaned in over his large, outstretched arm to get a better look. He turned to talk to her, putting his face inches from her own. At this proximity she could see the flecks of paler blue that danced in the depths of his ocean-like eyes, and her limbs felt lighter, as if she were buoyant and swimming in those eyes.
Alexa abruptly pulled back. “You'll need an Atherscope to chart our course properly.” More than Hunters, she feared the sea. Looking into his eyes had been the closest she'd ever come to drowning willingly.
Mr. Jackson straightened and ran his finger along the inside edge of his shirt collar. “Is it hot in here, or is it just my imagination?”
She felt it too. “The temperature is warmest here near the engine rooms.” But she'd been in and out of this chart room enough times to know that it wasn't the engines that spiked the temperature but the spark of something this Hunter set off in her. It got worse when he removed his hat, then his jacket, tie, and collar. He rolled up the sleeves of his white shirt, exposing muscular forearms dusted in dark hair.

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