Page 71 of The Baritone's Rival

“What?”

“Never mind. Pull us around to the front.” Trent tucked his body down against the hull of the dinghy. “We’ll deal with him first.”

As they got closer, it became obvious that “him” was a huge man with a short military haircut. He must have been a power lifter before he was turned. He was built like a barrel. He noticed their arrival, but not in time.

“What are you?—”

With barely a whoosh, the vampire’s throat sprouted the silver handle of a throwing knife. He hissed, clawing at it, but after a few seconds, he collapsed down onto the deck.

“What did you do?” Justin asked. “He shouldn’t have gone down like that!”

Trent flexed the fingers on his right hand and smiled. He loved hitting a target dead on. “Strange thing about vamps. They’re immune to most diseases, and you can’t kill them outside of fire or decapitation. But they’re particularly susceptible to a paralytic.”

Trent’s eyes went to a narrow white ladder welded to the side of the boat. “Let’s go.”

Justin guided them closer, keeping the motor on its lowest and quietest setting. Once they reached the ladder, Justin lined up the side of the dinghy to the side of the red tour vessel.

“You go first,” Justin said.

Without saying a word, Trent pulled himself up, quickly scurrying up the ladder. He threw his leg over and eased himself onto the boat. Trent made his way over to the paralyzed vamp, who was flat on his back. His eyes stared up at the full moon as if hypnotized. Trent slid out a machete from the holster concealed beneath his shirt. With one swift motion, he severed the vamp’s head from his body, grabbing it by the hair and tossing it into the bay.

Justin’s mouth hung open in shock.

“What?” Trent asked. “I wasn’t going to leave behind an enemy vampire to attack us later.”

Justin’s mouth twitched. “You were just more casual than I expected.”

The two of them padded toward the front of the boat, keeping to the shadowed side of the deck. A woman stood there, her arms crossed, a deeply unpleasant mix of boredom and arrogance on her face.

“This one’s mine,” Justin whispered.

“I thought you weren’t a fighter.”

“This isn’t fighting. It’s assassination. I’m better at that.” Justin turned to Trent, wearing a grim frown. “She’s the one that delivered the message about my aunt being captured. She was too fucking happy about it.”

“Well, do it quick. If others hear, this will get much more complicated.”

Justin nodded and slid out a knife of his own from one of his tall leather boots. He whistled. The vampire turned her head, giving him a clear view of her neck.

Faster than Trent could even see, the knife was out of Justin’s hand and flying, slicing through the moon-drenched night. Before she could make a sound, the woman’s head toppled from her body.

“Fuck, Justin. I thought you were an innocent kid.”

“No,” the twink vamp said, moving toward the now headless corpse. “I’m just not strong enough to fight head-to-head. I’ve learned other ways of surviving.”

He picked up her head by the hair and looked around. “Dammit. My knife went into the water.” He tossed the vampire’s head after it. “Come on.”

Behind the captain’s station was a large iron door, painted white. It was the only way off the deck that Trent could see. He turned the handle and tugged. It didn’t budge. He glanced at Justin.

“I may not be as strong as a typical vamp, but Iamstronger than a human.” Justin reached out and pulled. The door swung open with a loud shriek. Both of them froze at the sound, waiting for more vampires to come running. No one came.

“It wasn’t locked,” Justin said. “It was just heavy.”

After they were a few steps into the cabin, the murmur of conversation drifted up to them from beneath deck. Trent puthis finger to his lips, and Justin nodded. Slowly, so slowly, they made their way down the metal stairs, being careful not to make any noise. As they descended, the talking got louder.

“You’ll never be my mate.” Trent’s heart rate quickened as Oscar’s defiant voice reached his ears. He glanced at Justin, who nodded. They approached a corner in the hallway, but before they got there, Justin grabbed Trent’s arm, pulling Trent’s ear close to his mouth.

“There’s a vamp guarding the door,” Justin whispered. “I can hear them breathing.”

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