Vampire’s Dilemma. Penny Ash
should you care?” Lucy asked. The look in her eyes told Shel she understood he didn’t mean the problem with whoever had tried to kill them.
“I don’t know.” He had to be honest with her, “I guess it just feels right to care.”
They were silent for a long moment and the quiet was oddly comfortable. Shel held his hand out toward her at last. Lucy put her hand in his. He had the feeling she had put more than that in his hand. “Come on, let’s go ashore and see about supper.”
* * * *
Shel scanned the crowd in the bar until he saw the one he would take. Normally he would find someone attractive and initiate a relationship. Over the course of a few weeks, he would take a little each time they had sex, until the need subsided to a manageable ache, then he would move on. The incident on the yacht had shown Shel he no longer had that luxury. Tonight Shel would do something he hadn’t done since he learned to control his urges. Tonight Shel would kill.
They shared a glance, a smile of understanding, she wanted what he had to give and they left the bar. Shel walked with the woman toward an alleyway and the darkness.
He staggered a little, drunk on the life force coursing through him. When he’d learned to control the need, he’d made a vow never to kill. Shame that the vow lay broken along with his victim in the trash littering the alley warred with the cold relief that he wouldn’t hurt Lucy now. Bile rose in Shel’s throat along with a hatred of himself and what Madeline La Rouge had made him. He caught hold of the stop sign pole, leaned over and retched, ignoring the tourists that streamed around him.
* * * *
It was dark outside. Lucy stirred her diet soda with the straw. She watched the people stroll along the street while she waited for Shel. He had disappeared nearly an hour earlier. She was beginning to get worried. A movement caught Lucy’s eye, the crowd parted, avoiding a man doubled over like he was in pain. He seemed familiar. The lights of a passing car swept over him and Lucy froze for a painful heartbeat. Then she was out of her seat and running for the door.
She pushed through the knot of gawkers and caught Shel’s arm. He looked at her for several seconds with a blank expression before recognition brightened his dark eyes.
“Come on, lean on me,” Lucy said, pulling Shel close and sliding her arm around his waist. The sudden sound of a woman’s malicious laughter made her look up. Lucy scanned the few people still close by for the one who laughed. A woman dressed in red smiled at her. A shiver ran down Lucy’s spine like a panicked spider.
The woman waved as if she knew Shel. Lucy couldn’t shake the feeling something was wrong. Shel groaned and retched again. Lucy dismissed the notion, her innate compassion taking over. She turned all her attention to Shel, pushing her concerns about the strange woman out of her mind, Lucy concentrated on getting him back to the boat.
Chapter Five: Perfidia
Shel levered himself out of the captain’s chair, his head felt like it was coming off. He had forgotten this part of letting go when he fed. He needed some aspirin. Movement on the dock caught his eye. Shel stopped at the entrance to the salon and watched the two men approach the yacht. Shel heard Lucy coming. He crossed his arms and leaned in the door opening to the salon, blocking the men’s view down into the yacht. Shel waited for them to state their purpose there.
“Mr. Jefferson?” The tall blonde one asked.
“Who wants to know?” Shel was not in the mood for prying questions.
“I’m Davis, and this is Wilson. We’d like to ask you a few questions about Lucy Adams,” Blondie, Davis, said.
If these two weren’t Madeline’s spawn, he’d turn in his official Captain Obvious decoder ring. Shel gave a mental sigh, he missed the old serials. Unlike most of his kind, Shel had accepted modern advances wholeheartedly.
“Who?” Sheldon reached back and caught the doorknob. He pulled it closed behind him, shutting it practically in Lucy’s face. Sorry sugar, you don’t want to meet these two. He would apologize later.
“May we come aboard and discuss this?” The one called Wilson moved toward the gangplank.
Shel waited until the man was about to step onto the short ramp that would let him on board. “No.” The man froze, one foot in the air. Thought so. The man was a Vampire. He couldn’t come onto the boat without permission. Madeline wouldn’t be far off either, probably in a car in the parking lot.
“Madeline is not pleased with your meddling in her affairs.” Davis made no move to help his friend.
“And this means what to me?”
“The girl has something Madeline wants. Give her to us and Madeline will let you live.”
“Tell Madeline I don’t trade in people’s lives.”
“We’ll be back. You can’t hide.” Davis yanked Wilson away from the gangplank. The two men walked down the dock toward the marina buildings and parking lot. Shel swore softly. They were going to have to find somewhere else to tie up.
Shel opened the door just as the phone rang. Lucy reached for it. Shit! He stumbled and tripped down the few steps into the salon, falling to his knees. Clambering up Shel held his hand out for the phone.
Lucy held out the phone and listened to him answer it. Shel tried to catch her hand but she slipped out of reach.
“Hello?” He frowned. Lucy walked away.
“Hello, mon amour. You were not very polite to my friends.” Madeline’s voice was as silky sweet as ever, like a drop of poison laced sugar syrup.
“When did you ever have friends?” Shel fought the urge to gag.
* * * *
In the little cabin, Lucy listened to Shel talking to the woman on the phone. She couldn’t quite make out what Shel was saying but the tone was plain to her. The woman was obviously a lover.
Lucy imagined Shel saying soft words to this anonymous woman, things she wanted to hear him say to her. The picture of Shel with this strange woman was intolerable but she didn’t know what to do about it.
Lucy didn’t have much experience, she’d only been with her husband and he’d never been very adventurous. She imagined Shel would be far more sophisticated, he probably did the sort of things she’d only read about every night. How could Lucy compete with the kind of women he was used to? With someone like the woman in red she’d seen the night before?
Shel laughed, and to her ears it was the sound of a challenge being given. Suddenly Lucy knew what she had to do. Quietly Lucy took off her clothes. She climbed into bed and waited.
* * * *
Shel hung up and grimaced. He put the phone back in the charger and hurriedly looked around for Lucy. He didn’t want to tell Lucy about Madeline but she needed to know. She was even more special now that he knew Lucy was one of Isabel’s descendants. That little bit of knowledge had to be kept from Madeline at all costs.
“Lucy!” He called out, trying to locate her.
“In here.” Lucy’s muffled voice came from his cabin. Shel frowned. What is she doing in there? He wished he could make Lucy forget her past. Walking into the small room, Shel froze. Lucy was leaning against a pile of pillows with the sheet pooled around her waist.
“Lu…Lucy?” His mouth was dry.
Lucy had on the nightgown Shel had admired in the hotel room. The sunbeams coming through the tiny porthole window caressed Lucy’s pale hair, gilding it with gold sparks and turning the thin silk of her gown almost transparent.
This is a bad idea. Dangerous. I’ve got to get out of here. The need curled in his belly. “We need to leave.” Shel turned, ignoring Lucy’s puzzled hurt expression, and all but ran back up on deck. She had gotten much too comfortable with him.
Chapter Six: Fever
Shel