"that would be lovely."

she reached forward, touching me on the forehead. i heard her voice inside my head. sleep.

i slept.

i woke to the smell of food: beef broth, french onion soup, and other, more exotic things that i couldn't name but that smelled of tropical fruits and banana. opening my eyes, i discovered it was night. i rolled over . . . and it didn't hurt. for just a moment i reveled in the fact that i didn't hurt. the absence of pain was absolutely glorious.

the boat wasn't moving. well, it was rocking gently, but not like it was out on the ocean. we'd apparently made harbor. which explained why somebody'd felt secure enough to leave several open food containers on the nightstand next to my bed.

vampires have terrific night vision. i didn't even need to turn on the light. i sat up in bed and begin tearing into the food. i was ravenous and most of it tasted wonderful. i skipped the fruit drink, though. i loathe bananas. i was just finishing the last drop of soup when i noticed a slip of folded note paper that had been tucked under one of the bowls.

i unfolded it, to find a note.

we need to talk, but queen l. said not to wake you.

we're staying in her guesthouse. see you there.

creede

i was glad they'd let me sleep. now that i'd healed up and eaten, i was much safer to be around. but i wanted to clean up before i went out in public. the shower in the head on the boat was tiny but in working order. i dug up some toiletries and made myself presentable. thankfully, some kind soul had brought my things down from the deck. it would've been nice to have some fresh clothes, but unless i wanted to swipe something from bubba, i'd have to make do. since the lavalava didn't have any blood- or food stains, that was what i put on, covering it once more with my jacket to protect my still red and somewhat tender skin.

i sighed as i laid the empty holster on top of the bed. no point in putting it on. the gun was gone. that sucked. one of my knives was gone. that was even worse. but i was alive. bubba, creede, and dahlmar were all injured, but they had made it, too. i was sorry about ivan. but considering what we were up against, it was practically miraculous we'd only had one casualty.

i glanced at the clock built into the wall. one a.m. most likely everybody else was in bed by now, but maybe not. besides, having rested and fed, i was wide awake. so i picked my way through the disaster area where the mess used to be and made my way to the stairs and up top.

it was a beautiful night. not too hot, with just enough of a breeze to flap the sails on the boats that had them and rustle the leaves of the palm trees on the shore. water lapped gently against the hull of the boat, and the clear white moonlight made it easy to see but also made the shadows seem that much darker.

as i stepped from the cabin doorway, i saw one of those shadows move ever so slightly. someone was trying very hard to remain unseen.

i pulled my knife and charged, using vampire strength and speed. before my opponent knew what was coming, i was on her and she was down, pinned to the deck with the edge of my knife at her throat.

i felt magic building and i pressed down on the knife so that the tip dimpled her skin without drawing blood. "don't even think about it." i hissed and bared my teeth to make the . . . point perfectly clear.

then my vampire sight kicked in and i suddenly realized she was just a kid. she couldn't be more than fifteen or sixteen. when i'd hissed at her, she'd let go of her power and lay still, her eyes wide as dinner plates. her entire body quivered with fear. i could hear her heart pounding like a trip-hammer, her breath rasping. she was obviously terrified. but i didn't move the knife.

i heard running footsteps and a voice called out from the dock, "princess, is something wrong?"

"i have company."

there was swearing and pounding feet. three armed guards swarmed on board, shining flashlights like spotlights onto us. the kid beneath me started to cry. she was pretty, with exotic features-dark brown skin and hair that would've been kinky-curly if it hadn't been kept cropped close to her skull. she was wearing a black sports bra and matching jeans. a gold belly button ring twinkled in the harsh light.

she looked up and around at the people behind the spotlights and whimpered, "my mom is going to kill me."

"only if i don't do it first." i smiled, deliberately letting her get another good look at the fangs.

she swallowed hard and tears filled her eyes. "please don't kill me, princess," she whispered.

"give me one good reason not to."

the nearest guard was a tall woman. her hair was cropped short in a buzz cut that should have been very masculine. but it looked good with her chiseled features and the seriously buff body encased in camo pants and an olive tank top. the loaded weapons belts were the perfect accessories. a small, embroidered name tag was affixed to the shirt. marks on the tag probably signified rank. her name was baker.

"okalani, what are you doing here?" she snapped.

the kid didn't answer. tears were trailing from the corners of her eyes.

"how did you get past the guards?" i added.

"oh, i know how she got past us," baker snarled. "and her mother is going to hear about it." baker gestured to an underling. "go to the kid's house and tell laka what happened. bring her back here with you. and send martin to notify the palace. we don't need this to go over the airwaves."

the second guard took off at a trot. i still hadn't let the kid up. the knife was still at her throat. i didn't figure she was out to kill me. she probably wasn't a threat. but i'm not inclined to take chances, and she needed to be taught a lesson.

baker gestured and the rest of the guards left the boat, probably going to resume their positions. "why are you here, okalani?" she asked.

the kid blinked and snuffled. tears were running freely now, but she didn't dare move to wipe them away. "i wanted to talk to the princess. i want to know about the mainland."

the guard shook her head. "you had to know how dangerous it was. word of what happened to this boat is all over the island. the queen provided the princess with guards for a reason."

the girl tensed beneath me and even through her tears i got a sense of stubborn anger. she was determined. she had balls, too. more balls than brains, actually. pinned to the ground, knife at her neck, and she was still going to argue. "i want to meet my father." there was pain in that simple statement, so much pain that i cringed. because i have my own daddy issues. i still have nightmares about him turning his back on me.

"not going to happen," baker said. her voice was a little more kindly. well, not kind, exactly, but less hostile. "you know that."

the kid turned her head, not wanting to meet baker's eyes, and i had to pull the knife back a little or she would've cut herself.

"why not?" i asked as i climbed off of the kid and put the knife back in its sheath.

"mom sent him away with my baby brother. i'd be with them, but my mother thinks the mainland is too dangerous." the kid snuffled again as she scooted herself into a sitting position and started digging in her pockets. she pulled out a tissue that looked a little worse for wear and began blowing her nose noisily.

baker squatted down so that she was eye-to-eye with the kid. i took a few steps back, giving them room. it was obvious the guard knew the family. maybe she could talk some sense into this okalani. probably not. it was painfully obvious that the kid was stubborn and headstrong. but it was worth a try and baker was making the effort. "she's not wrong, you know. if the princess was a full vampire, you'd have been dead before we could get to the boat."

"there aren't any vampires on the island."

"true," baker admitted. "no werewolves, either. but there are on the mainland."

"i wouldn't be out after dark on the mainland," the kid countered, her jaw jutting out aggressively. "i'm not stupid."

"and yet you're here." i flashed the fangs again.

my sarcasm was not well received. well, not by the kid. baker gave a snort of amusement.

"i don't belong here." wow, the despair those four words could hold. i felt her pain in my own chest.

baker shook her head. "i get that. i do. once you're an adult you can do what you want. but you're not old enough. not yet. it may seem like forever, but it's only a couple more years."

"my mother doesn't want me to leave at all," okalani said resentfully.

baker gave a snort that might have been laughter. "of course not. she's your mother. once you're of age, she can't stop you. until then . . ."

"i'm trapped."

god, she sounded bitter. baker had been trying to be nice, but her patience was limited. i watched as her expression hardened, her gray eyes darkening to the color of storm clouds. "yes. you are."

i turned away from the two of them, my attention attracted by movement on the island. there was a lit path into the woods-probably the same one i'd walked earlier today-and someone was coming our way. i concentrated, deliberately getting my eyes to do the vampire hyperfocus. it took a few seconds, but i finally got it to happen. a guard was approaching, accompanied by a woman who bore a strong resemblance to okalani. she had that scared-frustrated-angry look on her face that you see so often on the mothers of teenagers.

the guard on the path gave a call sign. one of the two on the dock answered. once they'd been given the all clear, the mother and her escort stepped onto the dock.

i'd moved away to stand at the railing and was only half-listening to baker explain that i'd thought i was being attacked. she told the siren that i'd had a knife at her daughter's throat when the guards came on board and that because okalani had broken the law by boarding the boat she was liable to be facing legal charges.

"she's very lucky to be alive," baker finished.