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And I&039;d already heard so could have survived that ied" But if they did survive Wendigos were rapacious killers And then La Dorada - who knehat she was capable of? A warrior as strong as Darew quiet for a moment, then asked, "What do we do if the Contessa left us? Or, um, sank?"
"Paddle this boat for double the amount of days it took for the Contessa to host ship Filled to the brim with hacked-up bodies "Let&039;s just hope they dinna"
She stretched her hand out to him "Help me up"
"Lousha, it&039;s too soon"
"I won&039;t ht, she looked stiff and hurting, but not too bad "See"
"Aye, then So tell ers and crew?"
"Travis was injured He head-butted the wheelhouse and was knocked out cold Schecter was urinating on hi the pumps"
"What about Izabel and Charlie?"
"You mean Chizabel?" At his frown, Lucia explained what she&039;d seen How Izabel&039;s body had morphed - much like a shifter&039;s would - froe into Charlie?" Garreth asked
"Right before ether "You dinna change your swimsuit in front of Izabel, did you?"
"Only a couple of times"
"Bluidy hell Charlie&039;s seen my woman naked," he said in a surly tone "I alht he was a"You need to find out what his - and her - story is Sate my Lykae&039;s curiosity forto tell everyone e get back?"
"Partly the truth We tell theht So we got in the skiff heading for the Barão But he&039;d already killed all the passengers there Then we say the et it working again"
"Sounds good toneck
"Easy, lass You have to give that time Coincidentally, we have some to burn"
For hours, they traveled upriver, praying that the Contessa would still be there Toward late afternoon, he said, "It should be just around the bend" Then he proceeded to hold his breath
"They waited for us!" Lucia gave a relieved sigh when they saw the ship, still anchored "And they&039;re afloat! I don&039;t knohose decision it was to wait, but they&039;re my new best friend I need a dry bed and a shower"
"Aye, and coffee and food for "
The Contessa appeared to have taken on soirl had enerator was still working, the water pu
Of course, the ship looked like shite Most of the railings were gone, and the ere shattered The sole air-conditioning unit dangled precariously frofraetation dried, and twenty-foot arcs of mud sprayed over the ship&039;s sides,down as the creatures attacked
"I bet the ship can make it back to port in half the ti with the current, and with all the rains, the water&039;ssilently, And once I have you tucked soo take care of this Cruach business Alone
"Oh, gods, look at that," Lucia said, pointing out a dead giant cai Her arrows still jutted from its eyes Flies swarmed the bloated carcass fro over it, tearing at it so viciously, the caiman&039;s limbs and tail jerked as if it were still alive
"Rain forest garbage disposal," Garreth said "It&039;ll be picked clean in seconds" Giving the piranhas a wide berth, he steered them to as left of the Contessa&039;s platform Once he&039;d tied the skiff to the ship, he carried Lucia aboard, setting her on her feet so gingerly
"Stop treating me like crystal, MacRieve I&039;m all healed up"
He wrapped an arm around her waist "As aether"
"It&039;s a date, but first thing&039;s first Let&039;s find everyone"
Garreth called out, "Travis?"
No answer
"I think Travis will probably be out of coer even an im the air No vampires, no Damiãno, no Loreans so as he uneasy? When he heard sounds co from the salon, they headed up
Izabel and Schecter stood within the roooing on?"
Only when Garreth and Lucia had entered did they see three robed uns drawn
Chapter 45
"Cromites," Lucia sneered That hy the Contessa hadn&039;t left thees
All three had eyes glazed with fanaticisuns, their customary weapons were holstered at their hips - swords with Cruach&039;s horned symbol on the hilts, and more blood smeared on the blades
"You&039;re the ones who killed the Barão&039;s passengers," Lucia said Not Damiãno
The eldest Cromite, clearly the leader of the trio, answered, "All were sacrificed in his name"
The shifter had merely picked up the machete that Izabel had dropped Of course, then he&039;d been quick to shove it against Lucia&039;s neck
"And you brought guns?" MacRieve scoffed "Did you come here to tickle me?"
"Give us the dieumort," the leader said "Or we&039;ll kill these two"
MacRieve shrugged "So be it"
Schecter gave a cry, see Izabel&039;s ar hiive them whatever they came for"
"You canna comprehend the shite day I&039;ve had" MacRieve&039;s expression was thunderous "I will no&039; be giving anything to anybody!"
The leader said, "I&039;ll shoot you"
"At your bluidy leisure" MacRieve&039;s beast was already stirring "Let&039;s do this - "
"We don&039;t actually care about retrieving the dieumort We only want it destroyed" The leaderone, and thea belt laden with explosives He raised his shaking fist, his thumb just above a red button on a detonator
MacRieve ot ive it to the to try to kill us all anyway They&039;d love to sacrifice themselves"
MacRieve shook his head In a low tone, he told her, "This could actually kill you" His eyes flickered pale blue as he gazed at her face "I canna risk it - "
Suddenly, a deafening boo the wall ed against the wall just outside the salon doorith his shotgun sed "Run, Izabel!" he yelled "Go!" She and Schecter were already darting through the doorway
The re two Cromites turned to their dead comrade And aimed their pistols
"MacRieve!" Lucia screamed "They&039;ll shoot the bo in front of the fallenthe bullets, his pale blue eyes locked on the ones shooting
Knowing the carnage to come, Lucia shoved the door shut in Travis&039;s ashen face, sla the bar lock in place
Under a hail of fire but still shielding the bo out at their throats with his claws The two crumpled to the floor, one nearly decapitated, the other futilely cla to MacRieve&039;s side, she cried, "Ah, gods, look at your chest!" It was riddled with bullets
"Reminds me of our first date"
"You crazy Lykae" She pressed her lips to his forehead
"He wants you, Lucia," the last living Cro her entire body tense
She leapt up, reaching theit forward
"Wants Lucia av - "
She twisted, gazing at the ceiling as satisfaction rushed through her Every tiined the Broken Bloody One felt the pain
And that was just a hint, husband I&039;m about to teach you what misery is
With effort, MacRieve turned to her "We could&039;ve used hiot the best ofto MacRieve, but she was so close to keeping her secret buried forever And so her sha her Scot
"Lousha think one o&039; these bullets is inching to ht pass out for a bit You stay out o&039; trou - " He went unconscious
Banging sounded on the door, and Travis yelled, "I&039;m about to blow this fucker down!"
"You&039;ll hit us," Lucia called "Just give us a second We&039;re fine"
Yes, fine, yet with gored bodies to get rid of Can&039;t get discovered now! She was already in enough trouble How to get rid how to get rid?
Her gaze fell to one of the busted s Rain forest garbage disposal She hastened to the lead Cro Then she tossed it over the side
Floating, floating
Travis began assailing the barricaded door hat sounded like the butt of his shotgun He&039;d break through soon
Come on, fish!
She exhaled in relief when the piranhas boiled up in a feeding frenzy to consuo Shethe bo hiirl," MacRieve rasped, opening one eye
She whispered, "So what do I do with the boh it down"
She peered around for so Then she narrowed her eyes on the second busted , on the air-conditioning unit drooping from it
Lucia hauled it back into the salon, then punched the center out Digging out the guts of the machine, she cautiously buried the bomb inside Then she lobbed the whole contraption into the river, watching it sink with satisfaction
By the time Travis broke down the door shortly after, Lucia was kneeling beside a se just tied the embroidered coffee-station tablecloth around his chest to conceal the worst of his wounds
As the captain&039;s weary gaze took in the scene, Lucia glanced around, trying to see it from his eyes His late wife&039;s ee Air conditioner parts littered the floor Copious aulars when MacRieve had attacked Yet there were no robed men to be found
"I think I need a drink," Travis drawled, sinking down on his stool "Every daets weirder than the last"
Oh, if he only knew half the weirdness aboard his ship
"Where the hell did those o?"
"They escaped," she lied baldly "Darn the slowly, he said, "The one without his head - did he make tracks too?"
"They took him with them Madcap fanatics!"
"What did they want?"
"An artifact n It had a religiousto them End of the world, doomsday type of stuff"
"I saw MacRieve catch at least two bullets before you shoveda nap"
"Scottish men are hardy?"
The captain rubbed his hand over his face "See, what I think happened is this - "
"Travis," she interrupted in a steely tone "You&039;ve got a head wound, you&039;re a drinker, and if no one ever hears about what you think happened, then I&039;ll pay for all the repairs to the boat A lump sum"
After a hesitation, he narrowed his eyes, "Quadruple it, and you&039;ll see o real fast"
"Done"