“After you steal back his daughter and work to thwart him in battle?” Penny huffed. “Fat chance.”
“Yes, there will be that issue lying between us. Can’t be helped, I’m afraid.”
“No, it cannot,” Penny mumbled, leaning to get a look around Darius. The river buckled in places and rolled in others. Rocks marred the way, forming eddies. No plants grew. Nothing floated along the surface, not even the ruins of the other boats or the bodies of the passengers and Boatmen, as though something had sucked them under.
Penny looked down into the murky depths, not able to see very far, wondering if something lurked in these waters. “Don’t tip us over,” she whispered.
“How did you know about the design of the Boatmen?” Emery asked, and Penny knew he was trying to figure out this world, similar to Darius. He’d want to understand the rules, the better to survive. It was a skill Penny needed to learn in case she was separated from them. She’d been helpless under her mother’s care. And although Reagan had a habit of pushing her into dangerous situations to make her shine, she never attempted to take control when traveling with Emery or Reagan, always happy to go along with the stronger personalities. Well, time for that to change. She’d be damned if she’d lose another person she cared about like she’d lost Reagan.
“I’ve tested them. I have never killed one before, but I did have to thwart an attack. No punishment was doled out for my misbehavior. I am not sure if actually killing one will change matters.”
“Three, and their passengers,” Penny corrected him, seeing the guys strive harder, trees on the bank whipping by. They were going faster now, the river picking up speed. Darius’s movements increased pace and fervency to match, but Emery wasn’t able to keep up. Darius looked back at him with obvious irritation.
“I’m not a vampire. I don’t have the same abilities,” Emery responded.
“So it would seem.” Darius turned and looked farther down the bank. “We’re going to miss it. Pull for all you’re worth, Mr. Westbrook. The next sect over isn’t ideal, but we can make it work. The one after…”
Penny hated when Darius was formal like this. It meant bad things. Dangerous things. A vampire holding on to his fleeting control, tooth and nail.
“What happens if we land there?” Penny asked in a small voice, trying to think of a spell that might help. She just didn’t want to rock the boat too much. She didn’t want to misjudge the amount of magic that was needed and send them flying into the water. Something told her a dangerous sect, whatever it was, was better than what possibly waited in these waters.
“Then we must use all our speed and stealth, and hope that you do indeed work best when your enemy is closing in.”
Six
“I see you are up and going today.”
I paused with my hands in the air, having just taken down a fake wall. My intention was to change it into some sort of mind-fuck, but I was having trouble narrowing in on a good one. These people had a patent on mind-fuckery—I had to come up with something vicious.
“Say, listen.” I dropped my hands and turned to find Father Dearest, wearing the same clothes as the last time I’d seen him. Then again, I’d gotten another set of clean clothes that morning, as had Cahal, and they were exactly the same as the day before. Still no underwear. This time I’d described what I needed, though. Commando with leather had the ability to chafe. I wanted to nip that problem in the bud. “What’s a gal gotta do to get a little whiskey around here?”
Lucifer pushed away from the wall, uncrossing his arms. I didn’t mention that I hadn’t heard him approach. Or that I had no idea how long he’d been standing there. Cahal and I would have to have a little talk about what things to mention, and what things to omit. No, I didn’t need to know when I looked tired, but yes, it would be nice to get a heads-up when my kidnapper-rescuer was watching me unravel the handiwork of his minions…
“Whiskey…” He looked skyward in that way people did when they were thinking. “Remind me. I’m not placing that one.”
“Yeah, my mom wasn’t really into the hard liquor. She was a wine and beer kinda gal.”
“Your mother, yes. I wanted to speak to you about her. I have something to show you.” Butterflies filled my stomach and longing grabbed hold of me, like it always did when I thought about her. I still missed her. I would always miss her. I wanted to talk to her, just once more. I wanted to tell her about Darius and Penny. To let her know that I’d connected with Callie and Dizzy. I wanted her.