Page 78 of Vampire's Breath

For a second, I didn’t move. I didn’t breathe. Like a lynx ready to pounce, I turned to face him slowly. “What did you say?” I laced compulsion through the words.

He looked at me with a lopsided smile. “I only asked if you’re still chasing her. I mean, I would too, if I were you. Those tits looked like they were asking for attention. She had that look about her—like she’d be a proper little treat if you bent her over something solid and took your time. Not the kind you bring home to your mum, but the kind you keep tucked away for a long afternoon. Makes you wonder, doesn’t it—what she’d sound like with your cock inside her and your handprint across her skin, whether or not she wanted it?”

I lunged, my hand closing around his throat. My fangs tore through my gums, and before I could stop myself, I sank them into his neck.

Hot, rich blood gushed into my mouth from the artery I pierced. I swallowed the thick, metallic liquid with little enjoyment. The pulse beneath my tongue quickened as his feet kicked out toward me, no more effective than a fly dartingagainst my leg. I gulped at the life-giving liquid flowing into me as his body convulsed, his heart thundering beneath my palm.

“P-please…” he gasped, but I barely heard him over the roar of the storm.

I didn’t care. He deserved this. He deserved to die at my hand for how he had spoken about Briar. My Briar. Mine.

When the blood stopped pouring into my mouth, I sucked on the wound, not allowing a drop to go to waste. Then I wrenched my fangs free and stared down at his lifeless body. His head lolled to the side, his mouth frozen in that grotesque grin.

Without hesitation, I dug my nails into the torn flesh of his throat, pulling away a sizable chunk. When he was found, no one would question a sea creature feeding on his body. Ignoring the bobbing of the boat in the storm, I threw the man and his flesh overboard as the rain pelted my skin.

I dragged a hand over my face. When I pulled it away, a pink-red stream ran from my fingers. “Fuck.” The word exploded from my lips, lost beneath the storm’s rage. My stomach twisted, though whether it was from the kill or what it meant, I didn’t know. Ashdowne’s ghost flashed through my mind, my ruin complete. I had killed for her, killed to keep her mine.

I staggered back into the wheelhouse, gripping the controls. My hands trembled against the wheel, but I steadied them, the man’s blood filling the hunger that had gripped me on the island. This wasn’t over. Not yet. I needed to reach Kirkwall. I fought against the waves. I would have to abandon the boat before I got there—make it look like the man had stolen it and had an accident.

But at least I would be back on Mainland. From there, I could find Zadie. Had she stayed through the storm? Even if she had, the storm would make it impossible to fly. As vampires, we wouldn’t die, but we couldn’t force a plane to stay togetherin a storm this strong—the crosswinds would rip it apart in a moment. The ferry was the only way out of Orkney.

The wind shrieked in agreement. I would leave this place behind. One way or another, I was getting closer to her.

Lorcan

The waves hadn’t died down, but at least the ferry was doing its best to avoid them. That turned a six-hour crossing into a seven or even eight-hour crossing. But I was getting back to Aberdeen, back to finding her. People stumbled as the ship pitched under the relentless assault of the waves, the scent of salt heavy from the sea spray flung against the windows and doors.

Zadie sat beside me after grumbling, not understanding why we couldn’t wait until morning when the storm should end and fly back. I reminded her we would be stuck for another day if the storm didn’t clear up.

My fingers drummed against my bouncing knee. It wouldn’t be long now until we docked. I looked at my phone—nearly 10a.m. This incessant storm had kept me trapped for far longer than expected. Every second of delay put me farther from her. If Patricia didn’t know where she was now, I knew she was getting on a plane to Sydney tomorrow. I could verify she was on the plane and send her safely back to Byron Bay, where I could watch over her from the sidelines. My heart twisted as I thought the words and shook my head. I had killed for her. How I felt didn’t matter.

I touched Zadie’s arm to wake her. “Come on, we’re about to dock, and I want to be the first one out of here.”

She rolled her shoulders back and stretched her neck before she narrowed her eyes at me. “Alright, Mr. Pushy. Doing your Cormac impression?”

“Don’t worry. We all got the gene,” I mumbled under my breath.

She snorted. “Yeah, well,” she said, standing and gathering the bags she had taken off the plane. “You know you’re not going anywhere without me, right?”

“There was a reason I refused to leave you on Kirkwall, yeah?” I shook my head. “Besides, I don’t think my brother would allow it anyway. Let’s go.”

She smirked at me before making her way to the aisle. I was sure that under it all, Zadie understood why I had to find Briar as quickly as possible. A jolt rattled through my bones as the boat lurched, a dull thud echoing through the hull as it made contact with the dock.

“Shit.” I muttered the word under my breath, and I dug my fingers through my hair. The car alarms started again, grinding on my nerves. Would these people ever learn to turn the damn things off? We stood in line at the stairs in the middle of the ferry, waiting to disembark. If I wanted to—if it wouldn’t be so conspicuous—I would go to the viewing deck and just jump over the side. Zadie and I could both hit the dock easily and continueon our way. But the last thing we needed was to draw attention to ourselves.

Finally, we emerged onto dry land after what seemed like forever shuffling along with a pack of smelly humans. As we reached the end of the pier, Conall was waiting with a car behind him and the trunk open. He motioned with his head.

“Come on, let’s go. Zadie, you’re in the front.”

She threw her bags into the trunk, closing it quickly, and trotted to the front.

I slid into the back seat with Conall. Joshua sat behind the wheel. Conall’s door wasn’t even closed before the car started moving.

“What’s the hurry?” I asked.

Conall drew his lips into a tight line, his fingers tightening against his thigh. “I missed her yesterday. I’m sorry. I thought I glimpsed her, but I’ve never met her, so… I couldn’t stop her when she got off the ferry.”

My fingers tightened into a fist beside me. I looked out the window. “Tell me something good,” I mumbled.

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