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“That damn eco-warrior was on the ship I went to cleanse,” Jase complained.
“Willow King?” Emmaline questioned, knowing who he meant straight away.
Jase huffed silently; he supposed he had been vocal about her.
“Blasted human keeps turning up. She needs to keep her nose out before she gets hurt,” Jase growled out.
“Are you going to harm her?” Emmaline asked curiously.
“No! I don’t hunt innocents.”
“But you wish the human pestilence would disappear from the planet,” Emmaline retorted mildly.
“All of them apart from you,” Jase argued.
“Well, we all know I’m special,” Emmaline teased, and Jase felt a reluctant smile cross his face.
“You better be looking after my Godson,” Jase said and patted her protruding belly.
“I had the bloodiest steak in the restaurant. I think it still mooed. Vladimir looked a bit sick as I ate it,” Emmaline admitted.
Jase and Durant laughed. Emmaline had gone from hating even a hint of blood to craving the raw meats that Vladimir usually had, and it was playing havoc with the Vampire.
And speaking of his brother…
Vladimir barrelled in and snatched his mate in his arms. Emmaline immediately glowed in happiness, and Jase experienced a pang of jealousy. Not for the first time.
He knew Vladimir finding a mate meant, hopefully, somebody was out there for all of them.
Still, Jase found it hard to believe there was someone for him. If there was, God help them if they were freaking human!
Chapter Two.
Willow.
Willow prayed her boat would make it around the corner of the bay. If it did, she could head to the shallows and avoid the ships chasing her. The following boats hung low in the water, which meant they’d be open to the reefs just under the surface, whereas The Swallow’s Nest was riding high.
Willow pressed the cruise control—she knew she had a few minutes until she hit the bend—and hurried over to her lifeboats. The Swallow’s Nest held three; one was a tiny speedboat, and the others were inflatable.
Ducking low, Willow readied them all. She had a sinking feeling she’d need them soon. As she raced to her wheelhouse to take back control of the yacht, bullets sprayed the deck beside her, and she let out a scared shriek. She lunged for the wheel and spun it hard, and The Swallow’s Nest responded and turned away from the attacking yachts.
Willow yelped as a bullet landed just above her head and cursed.
But luck was on her side.
She rounded the bay and headed straight into the shallows.
Faint curses lit the air from the following vessels; they knew they’d lost her as they rode too low to follow. But even so, they could track her route easily and chase her down. Willow wiped her brow as she watched her sonar screen like a hawk. She slowed her speed and moved around the underwater reefs. Her stomach clenched with nerves and worry, and sweat dripped down her back.
These reefs were notorious for sinking ships, but they’d been the only hope Willow had left.
Everything had gone to hell five hours ago. She’d been eating dinner when her radar pinged and alerted her to approaching boats. Curiously, Willow had gone up deck and used her binoculars to check what was incoming. On seeing the three yachts nearing together, Willow had got a bad feeling, hauled anchor, and started her engines. And not a moment too soon.
Once they were within reach, the lead ship had opened fire.
Willow had hit the throttle, and The Swallow’s Nest had leapt forward, responding immediately. And the chase had begun.
Willow was bone tired, having already put in a long day, and it was the early hours of the next morning. She’d been awake nearly twenty-four hours without rest, and Willow liked her sleep. And now she was wired tightly as she navigated her way around this treacherous coast. Her shoulders were rounded with tiredness, and her hands shook slightly.
