Vampirates 5: Empire of Night (27 page)

Lorcan reached out his hand and gripped Cate's. "Ms. Morgan, your reputation precedes you," he said. "In fact, you're the reason I'm here. I need your help."

Cate looked as if her eyes would pop out of her head. "
You're
the Vampirate Lorcan Furey?" she stammered. "And you came to see
me
?"

He nodded, fixing her with his piercing sky-blue eyes. "One and the same," he said. "Though to bring you up to speed, we are now calling ourselves the Nocturnals, so as to distance ourselves from Sidorio and his kin."

Cheng Li nodded approvingly. Just like the last time they'd met, she found it impossible to take her eyes off the young Vampirate. If anything, he seemed to have grown
more
captivating since that visit. It was an effort to compose herself, but somehow she managed. "Take a seat, Lieutenant Furey. What did you mean before, when you said that you needed our help?"

"It would perhaps be more accurate to say that I've come on behalf of the Nocturnals--the benign Vampirates, if you will--to propose an alliance."

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"An alliance?" Cheng Li considered the delicious possibility of an alliance with Lorcan Furey.

"Let me guess," Cate said. "You want to kick Sidorio's sorry butt out of the oceans, but you can't do it alone."

"Bingo," said Lorcan, smiling and nodding at Cate. "I rather thought you might be feeling the exact same way."

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29 SLUMBER PARTY

Once more, Grace was out riding on the beach through the darkest hours of the night. With every night, she was becoming a more assured horsewoman. Tonight, at last, Johnny allowed Nieve to increase her pace from a canter to a gallop. Grace flushed with pride and excitement; she knew that it was a mark of his confidence in her. It felt second nature to her now to entwine her fingers through the soft strands of Nieve's snowy white mane and lean back into Johnny's chest. As Nieve thundered across the border of land and water, Grace tightened her hold but felt a deep thrill pulse through her. Salt spray splashed up onto her face. She turned to Johnny and saw that he was drenched, too. He was laughing, his mouth open to reveal teeth as smooth and white as Nieve's mane. These midnight rides had become so special to the two of them.

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It was a secret they shared--a deep and powerful secret. As Nieve increased her pace once more, Grace was thrown back into Johnny's arms. He caught her and steadied her. Then he leaned forward and kissed her fiercely on the mouth. She did nothing to resist....

Grace awoke with a start, her heart still hammering as if she truly had just been out riding. It was a shock to find herself alone and still within the confines of her cabin aboard
The Vagabond
. She had grown accustomed to taking a siesta after Tiffin, finding that a little nap left her feeling refreshed and full of energy for the rest of the night. But tonight, she felt far from refreshed. Her dream had seemed very real. She could smell the sea air and taste the salt on Johnny's lips. Lips that she ought not to have been kissing, even in a dream.

She took some calming breaths and came to a decision. She had to talk to Lorcan. She couldn't remember the last time they had talked properly--not since she had arrived on
The Vagabond
. She had allowed herself to get distracted--initially by Lola and later by Johnny. She realized that, with everything going on here, she had convinced herself that checking in with Lorcan wasn't important. She felt guilty admitting this even to herself. Right now, there was nothing she wanted more than to hear Lorcan's voice, see his face, feel his arms encircle her.

She closed her eyes and spoke his name. Wherever he was, he would hear her calling to him. As she had been trained, she visualized his cabin door before her. With

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every second, she made it more and more concrete in her head. Once more she spoke his name. Still, there was no response. She tried a third time. Silence. She drew her focus even more deeply into the vision until she could see her own hand on the door, twisting the handle and pushing it open.

"Grace!"

It wasn't Lorcan's voice but that of a young woman. Grace frowned.

"Grace! Wakey, wakey!"

She realized that the voice was not coming from within her vision but outside her cabin. Frowning, she opened her eyes and looked over to the doorway. It was ajar and Mimma's head was poking around, an amused smile playing on her lips. "Sorry, hon, I didn't mean to interrupt your slumbers."

"It's okay," Grace said. "Actually, I wasn't sleeping."

"No?" Mimma said, breezing into the room as if she owned it. "What exactly
were
you doing then, sitting there with your eyes tight shut? Meditating?"

Though she had grown to like her and, to some degree, to trust her, Grace was reluctant to tell Mimma the truth. Instead, she raised her palms. "Actually, to tell you the truth," she said, "I
was
sleeping."

Mimma laughed. "I knew it!" she said. "You can't pull the wool over old Mim's eyes." She plunked herself daintily down on the bed and unzipped her bag, busily removing handfuls of items and laying them out on the bed.

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Grace watched her with curiosity. As she did so, the door opened again and Jacqui and Nathalie swept into the room. Both were carrying bags--Jacqui's was like a small briefcase; Nathalie's was broader and made of wicker.

"Hi, Grace!" trilled the new arrivals in unison as the cabin door swung shut behind them.

"Hello," said Grace, adding, rather unnecessarily, "do come in!"

Jacqui and Nathalie came to stand on either side of Mimma, nodding approvingly at the array of makeup she had lined up on the coverlet. Then, they set their own bags down on the bed. Jacqueline snapped open her briefcase. Inside its dark interior, various strips of sharp, shiny metal flashed. Grace leaned forward to get a better look, but before she could do so, Jacqueline stepped in front of her. What was going on? Grace was a little unnerved as Jacqueline began running her fingers through Grace's hair. "Like this?" she heard Jacqueline say, "or like that?"

"Like that!" Nathalie said.

"Definitely," agreed Mimma.

Now Grace saw Nathalie lift a box out of her own bag, followed by a glass cake stand. Winking at Grace, Nathalie set the cake stand on the low table by Grace's chair. "I just love a slumber party, don't you?" she said, arranging tiny pink macaroons on the cake stand.

"Slumber party?" Grace said. "I don't think I've ever been to one before."

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"You're joking?" Jacqueline said, turning toward her. It was then that Grace noticed the rather large pair of razor-sharp scissors Jacqueline was brandishing in her hand.

"What are those for?" Grace asked somewhat nervously.

"Why, to cut your hair, of course," Jacqueline said, brandishing them as if they were a lethal weapon. "We thought it was time to sharpen up your look."

Mimma nodded. "You're quite a natural beauty, Gracie, but even natural beauty needs a little work to bring it out."

Nathalie smiled and held out a tea plate and napkin to Grace. "Have a macaroon. They're to die for, and you know what they say: pink calories don't count!" Grace found herself reaching out to the stand and taking a macaroon from it. She didn't even bother setting it on the plate, instead dropping it straight into her mouth. It was absolutely delicious, as light as air.

"Another?" Nathalie grinned, pushing the cake stand in Grace's direction.

As Grace nibbled more politely on the second cake, she found that Jacqueline had already draped a towel around her shoulders and spritzed her hair with water. Now she was combing it out busily.

"Now then," Mimma addressed her, kneeling at her feet. "Time for an important decision!" She held up two small glass bottles of nail polish. "Which do
you
prefer?" Grace was surprised that her own preference was being

305

sought. She pointed to the vial in Mimma's left hand. "That one, I think. The darker one."

"Good choice," said Mimma, throwing the other bottle over her head.

Grace reached out and helped herself to another macaroon. "Would anyone else like one?" she asked, realizing that she had consumed almost half of them single-handedly.

Seeing her expression, Nathalie smiled. "Don't worry, Grace. There's plenty more where those came from. Enjoy! This is a night of treats for you!"

"It certainly is," said Mimma, holding Grace's big toe steady as she applied the first drop of paint. "Now, tell us about you and Johnny!" she said with a wink.

Grace felt suddenly hot. Her head raced with images of herself and Johnny on horseback. The dream she had not long woken from.

"You're blushing!" Nathalie said in her singsong voice.

"Of course she's blushing," Jacqueline said from above Grace's head. "She likes him. And who can blame her? Johnny's hot!"

"We're just friends," Grace protested.

Mimma said nothing, but her raised eyebrow spoke volumes.

"He certainly seems to enjoy taking you out riding," said Jacqueline.

"You know about that?" Grace said, deflated. "That was supposed to be our secret."

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"Now don't look so dejected," Mimma said, the red of Grace's toenails reflected in her eyes. "
He
didn't say anything."

"We saw you," Nathalie explained. "You looked like you were having heaps of fun. And, from what I could see, you're quite an accomplished horsewoman."

Grace blushed, partly from the memory and partly from the compliment. "I really shouldn't be talking about Johnny," she said. "And I shouldn't have gone riding with him. I already have a boyfriend. His name is--"

"Now Grace, we're all friends here." Mimma's voice drowned hers out. "So no one's going to judge you. That's right, girls, isn't it?"

Nathalie and Jacqueline murmured their assent.

"Johnny is quite a catch, I reckon," said Mimma. "We've all been batting our lashes at him since we made his acquaintance, but it seems he only has eyes for you!"

"You know he used to ride rodeo?" Jacqueline said. "He's as wild as a stallion, Grace, but maybe you can tame him."

"He's the most dreamy looking of Sidorio's crew," added Nathalie. "There's no question about that. His skin is like caramel--and those eyes!"

Nathalie passed Grace another cake. "So?" she said.

As Grace lifted it to her lips, she found that all the frantic activity around her had suddenly stopped. Mimma had frozen, brush in hand. Nathalie was dead still, her hand on the cake stand. Even Jacqueline had put down her scis

307

sors and gone to join the others. Now, all three girls gazed at Grace expectantly, their eyes bright and hungry for answers.

Grace looked from one black heart to another. "I'd be lying if I said I wasn't interested in him," she found herself confessing.

"One final touch," said Mimma, nodding happily, then reaching inside her bag. "Perfume!"

She dabbed the glass stopper behind Grace's earlobes and on her wrists. "Isn't it delicious? I reckon it smells like a summer's afternoon--not that I've seen one of those in a long time!"

The perfume did indeed smell delicious--a fragrant blend of nectarines and honey. Mimma reinserted the stopper in the bottle and stepped back to survey her work. "Pretty as a picture," she declared, holding out a hand to Grace. "Come and take a look at yourself in the mirror, missy."

Grace had been sitting for such a long time that she felt rather giddy as she crossed the room to the dressing table mirror.

At first, her appearance was a shock, but then Grace smiled. The girls had done a wonderful job. Jacqueline had left most of the length of her hair but had cut into it and given it a much sleeker and more sophisticated shape. It made her look like a young woman--like the other three, in fact. She brushed her hand through it, noticing with pleasure her painted fingernails. Then, she looked

308

straight forward to assess her face. Her eyes looked bigger, her lips a little fuller, her cheekbones sharper.

"Thank you," she said, overcome with emotion. "Thank you all. I feel wonderful."

"Wait 'til Johnny catches sight of you," said Jacqueline.

"He'll swoon," agreed Nathalie.

Grace blushed but found herself laughing with the rest of them. "Actually, I have an idea." She leaned forward to whisper in Mimma's ear.

"Not fair!" said Jacqueline. "No secrets!"

Mimma laughed. "Be quiet, you! Grace, that's a wonderful idea. Of course, I can do that." She reached for her brushes and set to work.

"What did she ask for?" Jacqueline persisted.

It didn't take Mimma long to complete the job. "Perfect!" she proclaimed.

The other girls turned at her words and gasped.

"What is it?" Grace asked.

"You're... you're one of us now!" Jacqueline stammered.

"Let me see!" Grace said excitedly.

Just as she had requested, there, around her right eye, was the black heart tattoo. Not a real tattoo, of course. Not yet. But it looked just the same. There was no doubt it suited her. It made her eye look even more like a glittering emerald.

Grace sighed, turning from the mirror to her friends. "Thank you all so much. What shall we do next? Are there any more of those delicious macaroons?"

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"Actually, honey, we've got to run," Mimma said, dropping the last of her supplies into her bag and zipping it shut.

"Look at the time!" Jacqueline said, grabbing her own case. "Lola will be waiting for us."

"She certainly will," said Nathalie, slipping the empty cake stand back into her bag, leaving one solitary macaroon on the coffee table.

"I'll come with you," Grace said.

"Oh, no," Mimma said. "No, sweetie, you may have a black heart, but I don't think you're ready for where we're going." Kissing the air on either side of Grace's cheeks, she slipped out through the door as swiftly as she had arrived.