Pure Blooded (4 page)

Because you don’t want them to see you?
Other than these two times I’d shifted with my mate, no one had seen his true form in centuries. Keeping his nature cloaked had aided him well as a mercenary.

No, because I want to talk to them
. He chuckled, which sounded like a series of small sneezes tickling my senses.

I hope Naomi was successful in snagging you some new clothing or it’s going to be a very one-sided conversation
.

I’m sure she was. She’s nothing if not reliable. I hope she spotted some water channels with parked airboats from the sky as well. We need to move quickly
.

He had stopped at the base of a very small, scraggly tree. If you could even call it a tree. It had
a
branch. He lay down to begin to shift back, and I joined him. Hopefully we were close enough to our destination so we didn’t have to change back and run.

By the time I finished, Rourke was already up scanning the area.

I stood and walked over, running my hands over his very naked back. He turned and growled low as he pulled me into his arms. “We don’t have much time,” he said, nuzzling my ear, “but what I wouldn’t give to be able to whisk you away someplace private. It frustrates me I don’t have the power to take you out of here.”

“I know,” I murmured, leaning into his lips. “We only have a few minutes at most to ourselves, but since we can’t go back to Rum Cay, I’ll take what I can get right here.”

The kiss was blistering and urgent.

Our mouths fused together passionately with an intensity that weakened my knees. We both knew whatever lay ahead was going
to be tough, and there never seemed to be enough time to bond with him the way I craved.

“You taste incredibly good,” he said into my mouth as his tongue stroked my bottom lip. “But I hear something in the distance, so we have to make this shorter than I’d like. All the adrenaline from the change is making me crazy with need, and you standing naked so near is a dangerous combination. I need to back away from you now so I can calm myself down. I don’t want to flash my bounding enthusiasm for my beautiful mate to the world.”

“
Ha
,” I said, glancing downward and licking my lips. “Would being naked and horny embarrass you?”

He leveled a hooded gaze on me. “Hell no, but I know it would embarrass
you
. You had me disrobe behind the plane so I wouldn’t shock Naomi.” He raised a single eyebrow in a very sexy way, laced with intent. “If you had less of a human nature, I’d already have you on the ground right now.”

I shivered. “Well, as much as I would love that, we’d be caught in the act.” On cue, a truck honked in the distance. Rourke maneuvered himself behind the small tree as best he could and I ducked down behind a single scrubby bush.

Before the truck arrived, which I saw was a souped-up pickup with huge tires that almost looked as though they could float, Naomi landed in front of me. Her cheeks were a little pink, indicating a blush, which made me think she’d been near enough to overhear our sexy banter.

“It is of no consequence,
Ma Reine
,” Naomi stated, addressing my discomfort as she deftly tossed me my backpack. Then she turned and threw Rourke a bag of clothes. “Your mate is correct. Supernaturals don’t have the same issues as humans when it comes to our bodies and… other personal things. But, you are my superior, and I would show you respect by not interrupting until I was
sure you were not going to… interact. But in the future you don’t need to be so shy.”

“I think my shyness will be sticking around, Naomi,” I muttered as I pulled my clothes out of the pack. “I’m new to all this, but I’m still a firm believer that some things are better left private. I don’t see that changing any time soon.”

The truck raced up as I yanked on my spandex.

“Come on, Hannon,” Ray yelled out the window, laying on the horn. “Get your ass covered. We’re wasting time here.”

I pulled on my shirt and stood, making my way over to the vehicle—one that was only slightly less jacked-up than the Hummer we’d been forced to drive to Canada. The truck was bright orange with flames painted over the wheels. “Where in the world did you get this?” I asked.

“From the airboat guy.” Ray chuckled from the open window. Then he thumbed his hand at Marcy, who was situated in the passenger seat. “She threatened him within an inch of his life. You should’ve seen it. And this was
after
she bought his goddamn airboat right out from under him.”

Rourke came out from behind the tree fully clothed in brand-new jeans and a black T-shirt. Naomi did well. “How’d you know we’d need an airboat?” Rourke asked, nodding his head in appreciation for the commandeered vehicle.

Marcy stuck her head out of the passenger window. “The first thing I did when I de-boarded my awful flight on Vamp Air was purchase a new cell phone. James told me we’d need one and where the closest ones were. There’s a bunch of places to rent them about thirty miles north of here, all clustered along the highway. We picked the most run-down operation we could see from the road, and knowing we couldn’t bring along any company where we’re going, I offered the owner more than he made in a year, and voilà, the boat was ours. Then I had to sign a bunch of safety waivers”—she dismissed their importance with a flick of her wrist—“but who cares. Get in.”

Rourke and I made our way to the bed of the truck. There was no room for us inside. “You can’t leave out the part about forcing
him to lend us this truck to pick up our friends or you’d make sure his balls would ache for a week.” Ray chuckled appreciatively. “That stuff never gets old.”

“I didn’t say balls, I said
groin
.”

“Then she wound up for a fake punch and the guy nearly wet himself,” Ray howled out the window. “Funniest thing I’ve witnessed in a long time.”

I nodded as I sat down near the cab. The small partition in the back was open. “Did he hand this prize over immediately?” I leaned in to ask Marcy and smiled.

“Nah,” Ray answered first, turning around. “I had to pull out my badge and tell him we were investigating drug smuggling in these parts and may have mentioned the moonshine operation they had in the back as extra incentive. The guy was caught off guard, and if he hadn’t wet himself when Marcy feigned the punch, he did then. I couldn’t tell him my supernatural sense of smell picked up on his illegal activities, but I was clear enough about the implications and he finally let us take the truck. But, honestly, I haven’t had this much fun in a long time. Humans are so easy to manipulate.” Ray gunned the engine for effect. “Like taking candy from a baby.”

“How’d you get your badge?” I asked as Rourke and Naomi settled in beside me.

“I was buck-ass naked after that portal ripped every stitch of clothing off my body, so I went home to get new ones. My badge was sitting on the table where I left it, so I grabbed it. I thought it might come in handy, though not this soon, but turns out it did.” Ray hit the gas and spun out, racing over the marshlands at high speed, bouncing us around like kids on a hayride, hooting like a kid with a new toy.

The huge tires, which appeared to be more like inflated donuts than actual tires, sprayed up an array of grasses and swamp water
as we went. I scuttled to the middle of the truck bed to avoid being sprayed, but it was a losing battle.

“Too bad we don’t have demon showers here,” I muttered to my mate as he wrapped his arm around me. In the Underworld they had a formula that ate the dirt right off of you. “We’re going to smell like dank swamp until we can wash off, and I can guarantee there won’t be any decent showers where we’re going.”

We pounded along the bumpy terrain for a good twenty minutes.

My teeth rattled around until we finally evened out onto a small paved road. “Almost there,” Ray yelled. “We got lucky with our directions. This direction is close to civilization. Any farther west and it would’ve been more complicated. Naomi tracked you before we went off-road, so we knew where you’d be.”

Naomi nodded, her face amused by Ray’s antics. Then she glanced over at Rourke appreciatively. “Your beast is fierce,” she said to him. “I have not seen an equal to it in all my years. The rumors of your strength are renowned in the vampire world, and clearly they weren’t exaggerated.”

Rourke nodded once, accepting her praise, but didn’t comment.

“I will not tell a soul,” Naomi said. “My allegiance is to Jessica, and by proxy to you, and I won’t risk putting us in jeopardy, nor will I ever talk of anything that would compromise us.”

“There’s no need to keep it quiet anymore, Naomi,” Rourke said. “The game has changed for me forever and my old ways won’t work any longer. If I don’t adapt, I’ll be the one who ultimately places us in jeopardy. And who knows? Maybe if supernaturals know what I am, and what I’m capable of, they’ll think twice about pursuing us. Keeping Jessica safe is my number one priority, so it doesn’t matter if anyone knows what I am.”

Naomi sharpened her gaze, her eyes suddenly dancing. “If you’d like, I can spread rumors of your strength among the
vampires. I still have a few contacts. Vampires love to gossip. They live for drama and it might help us.”

Rourke chuckled. “I like your style, Naomi. Do whatever you see fit. I’m willing to do just about anything to keep the odds in our favor. Having the supernatural community renew their gossip about me might be a good thing.”

Naomi nodded as she peered out at the scenery flying by. Ray must have been going at least eighty. I knew she would do whatever it took to keep all of us safe, just like Rourke, and she took her part seriously. I had no doubt she could come up with a tale that would paint Rourke as a fierce beast who could rip your throat out while you were still talking.

“When we get to the airboat place,” I said, nudging Naomi out of her thoughts with the toe of my shoe, “I’m going to send you out ahead of us. I told my father you’d be arriving before us to get the coordinates. He said the place is warded from humans, but since you’ve already seen them, I’m sure you can find them again.”

“
Oui
, I will do that,” Naomi answered. “Are you going to wait for the wolf boys to join us before we depart? Or are we going to leave them to meet us later?”

“The ‘wolf boys’?” I chortled, tossing back my head. “Now, that’s something you don’t hear every day.”

“Well”—Naomi blushed, shrugging—“they are always together, those two. It will be easier to find a name that works for both of them. You refer to Ray and myself as ‘the vamps,’ and I agree, it’s easier to group us together, so ‘wolf boys’ is the equivalent for me.”

“I like it. And, Naomi, I think you’re developing a sense of humor, and funny looks good on you. Let me check in with Tyler now so we can plan ahead. Gimme a second.” I held up a finger.

Tyler, are you there?
I called.

Yep
, he said.
We’re about an hour from a city called Homestead. We made good time. Where are you?

Not sure yet. We’re not near any town at the moment. But before we discuss that, I need to let you know I made contact with Dad. He’s fine and the plan is to meet up soon. I hope you’re close. If you are, we’ll wait. Once we get to the airboat place, I’ll let you know our exact location
.

Glad you got in touch with Dad. I couldn’t get through no matter how hard I tried. What’s going on with them and the fracture pack? I hope they wiped those assholes off the face of the planet
.

Dad said they’ve kept the Made wolves in check, but it sounds like there’s trouble with the priestess. Apparently she’s not in it for the money
.

Tyler let out a low whistle in his mind.
If she’s not doing it for payment, she’s doing it for—

Power
.

Well, fuck
.

The airboat place consisted of a few run-down shacks and a couple of cheesed-off backwater guides. They were both dressed in plaid shirts, dirty jeans, big-billed hats, and nasty scowls.

“See, we brought your baby back in perfect condition, no harm, no foul,” Marcy chirped as she jumped out of the pickup. “Now, what I want is for you to show my friend here how to operate the boat we just purchased.” She gestured to Rourke, and both men took a step back as he jumped down from the flatbed.

Rourke grinned and flashed his teeth, pushing his advantage. “I’m a quick learner, boys.” Both guides didn’t move an inch for a few beats.

I was still in the back, but Naomi had taken to the sky to wait for the wolf boys with extra clothes in hand. I walked to the edge of the truck and glanced down the long dock where the airboats
were kept. The one we’d purchased was parked at the end, sitting on top of a big wooden platform that sloped downward on either side. The boat looked as though it’d served a long, battered life in the Glades. Two seats were set higher, right in front of the gigantic propeller fan. They were clearly the drivers’ seats. Then there were two rows of passenger seats in front of them. Even from a distance I could see that the benches were covered with peeling red and white striped vinyl. The airboat looked like it could hold about ten people.

The taller of the guides followed my gaze out to the boat. “There ain’t nothin’ in these parts habitable, so I don’t know what you’re looking to find. Ain’t no boats on the channels we don’t know about, neither.” He ambled forward, spitting on the ground. “But if you come to investigate the missin’ folk, that’s something altogether different. Some gone missin’ in this neck of the swamp for a good few years now. Lowlife people, who most don’t care nothin’ about. Trappers mostly. No family to miss ’em. Regular folk blame the meth, but we know there’s more to it than that. Guides who’ve been travelin’ ’round here the longest know there’s a place deep in ’em Glades where things just ain’t right.” He pinned his stare on me. “You coming to see about that?”

I appraised him before I answered. He wasn’t well educated, but he’d been around about a thousand blocks and would likely pick up on a lie. “Yes,” I said. “We’re coming to take a look into that.” I wasn’t surprised humans would pick up on the negative energy after being exposed to it for so long. If the priestesses had been here for a hundred years, like my father had guessed, it was bound to have some residual consequences.

The shorter guide came within a few feet of Ray before he stopped. “He’s right. Things just ain’t right ’round here. So I guess they hired a fancy police officer from up in the north to
come down here and do their dirty work, huh?” He pronounced
police
like “pole-eece.” “So you just gonna set it all to rights, then?”

Ray stared at the guy so hard, he finally shied away, shuffling his feet as he went. But I had to give him credit, he lasted a lot longer than a regular human would. He must have been slightly off or he never would’ve approached Ray in the first place. “Something like that,” Ray grumbled, crossing his arms. “But in order for me to ‘set things to right,’ I need you to tell me everything you know about these disappearances, got it? Leave nothing out. The more info we have, the better chance we have to catch these bastards. Let’s go have a nice chat while the other boys figure out the boat.” The short guide trailed after Ray, who was already peppering him with questions in a typical cop fashion.

The tall guide turned to Rourke. “I’ll show you how to run the boat. It ain’t too hard.” They walked out to the end of the dock.

Marcy strode up to me, grinning.

“What?” I asked.

“This is going to be one heck of an adventure, isn’t it?” Her eyes were gleaming. “The last one I had—being kidnapped by the sorcerers—was scary and hellish, but it did bring out one good thing.”

“And what’s that?”

“My thirst for adrenaline.”

“You’re an action junky now?” I eyed her, trying to keep a straight face.

“Not
exactly
, but I am trying to nurture the adventurer that has blossomed inside me like a tree taking roots. You know, encourage it to grow by watering it once in a while.” She spread her arms wide. “Like right now. I’m fertilizing it as we speak. Then, I figure if I keep having adventures, they’re bound to grow on me, like tiny shoots that will eventually turn into one big, kickass oak tree.”

I snorted. “I’m not quite sure that’s how it works.”

“Oh, that’s how, all right. Just you watch.”

“Marcy, you’re welcome to have all the adventures you want. I’m sure the Everglades will be exciting, but we have bigger things to worry about than a few alligators and a little black magic from this priestess. When the Hags choose to come after us, it will be adventure on steroids.”