Chapter 27

Leandro

Although I walked away from Anais, it took all my restraint to do so. I knew I was developing feelings for her and I wanted to help her with Ludis, but I needed to complete my own mission.

She had given me another chance to find out what was happening here and make sure that Ludis and his minions didn't succeed. Of course, I still didn't know exactly what they were after.

My friend hadn't responded to me either and I was beginning to suspect that he wouldn't. By hoping I could trust him, I had possibly made the situation worse. He might even have been part of the plan. He lived in this area and he was more of an expert. Ludis might have already bought his loyalty.

Still, I had to continue and hope to get answers as well. I could smell the vampire that Anais had described and had been following the scent since we had left the lounge. The vampire had followed a very particular path and I knew they were trying to make their way off the ship. They'd made their way toward the suites, but veered off to one of the less expensive rooms.

I stood in front of it for only a few seconds before I broke the handle off. It took some strength to do so and I knew that it would show up on the camera in the corridor. This was going to be a bit of a mess for my uncle to clean up no matter what.

As we had delved deeper into this entire situation we had caused more chaos, but I knew this was better than my uncle dying and yet another mafia don being replaced by a turned. My Brethren needed this.

Pushing into the room, I got out of sight and tried to figure out if the vampire was still here. The room had been ransacked, what looked like clothes gathered in haste and taken away. There was chaos here too, but none of it was unsurprising. It was mostly cigarette packets and empty bags with powder residue in them.

I walked around the room, trying to take in the scent and how I hadn't noticed it coming out of the room again. It didn't take me long to figure out why. He had coated himself in some sort of covering scent.

After making sure I could detect it, I followed the new trail. It didn't take me back out of the room, however, but to the balcony. There I paused again, unable to follow the trail.

I was sure that the vampire had hopped to another balcony and continued on. Maybe even hopped to several other balconies. After being very worried that Anais would lose Ludis and his trail, I had lost my own one.

It was smart and about the only way to completely erase a pathway a vampire could follow on a ship like this. The water spray and whipping air outside kept the scent from lingering and making it easy to figure out where the vampire had gone.

Backing up, I tried to decide what to do next. I could go after Ludis, but I got the impression that if any of the vampires got off this ship and managed to pick up whatever relic they were after, we would have some serious problems.

Before anyone could come and see what had made the noise to break the door, I left the room again and went the other way down the hallway. For the next few minutes I hurried around the ship, sniffing the air and trying to figure out if the vampire popped out somewhere else.

He had to be here somewhere.

It took almost fifteen minutes for me to find the trail again, but I didn't find it by figuring out what room the vampire had come back out of. Instead I found it in the stairways of the ship near the middle. I ran after it as soon as I picked it up, knowing that time was running out.

The vampire had made its way down to the deck where the smaller boats could be let down and I knew that a single strong vampire might be able to do enough on their own to get one in the water.

I ran out onto one of the decks and found the vampire doing just that part way down the deck. Because of the angle, he spotted me at about the same time as I saw him.

Immediately he hurried away. I picked up the pace to follow, but the vampire reacted faster than I'd have expected to be possible and they made their way back into the heart of the ship. It was not the ideal situation, but I had kept him from leaving so far.

Although it was very late at night, the vampire made their way down to the next deck where a lot of the casino was and the few people left awake and still active at this time of night. I was aware that no matter how much I needed to stop him, I also had to keep the peace.

This situation had gone from bad to worse. I frowned and continued to try to keep the pace and walk through the casino after him. Now and then he glanced back at me, but he also focused on his task.

He needed to lose me, but I had his new scent and it would take a lot to make me lose it now. This vampire would be mine, it was just down to how long it would take to corner him enough.

I kept my focus on the goal, keeping calm and trying to look as if I was taking a late night stroll through the ship, but the vampire ahead of me looked panicked enough that he was drawing looks for the both of us. At first, most people were too tired to care much, but as we reached an area where people were less absorbed in their own games and walking around and talking, they paid more attention.

When a handful of them noticed that I appeared to be following an agitated person, some frowned and others began to change their course as if they planned to intercept me. If one of them succeeded at the wrong moment, I could find myself right back at square one. Unable to find my quarry and having to search the whole ship to pick up the scent again.

By the time I had done something like that, there would be a good chance they'd have taken a boat and rowed away. If they managed to get into the water on another vessel, I wouldn't be able to find them again.

I couldn't lose him. No matter what, I had to keep going.

I deliberately took a slightly different path here and there and slowed a small amount to stop the late night gamblers from noticing my passing as much as the vampire I was in pursuit of.

It seemed to help and before long I was out in another hallway. He had pulled ahead of me again, but it was clear that he was beginning to move erratically and change his mind at junctions. I was scaring him and in his panicked state he was more likely to make a mistake.

Again, I picked up the pace, but did everything I could to keep quiet. We passed room after room as we found some more living areas of the ship, no longer by the lounges and casinos and he grew even more agitated. Once again I was gaining on him and he kept glancing back at me.

He darted down a side turning as he reached one, heading back toward the middle of the ship, but it only went past yet more rooms and I used the section where I was blind to him to sprint and catch up even more.

Once I started sprinting, I continued, finding him trying door handles of all the rooms he passed. For a couple of seconds he was so intent on the task that he didn't notice me closing the gap until I was only a few yards behind him.

His eyes went wide as soon as he noticed his error and he tried to run off again. My momentum carried me closer as I pushed up to the full speed a vampire like me was capable of. Even though he could run far faster than the average human as well, it wasn't enough to outpace me.

I grabbed his arm and dragged him along with me before I slowly brought us back to human speed and slower. He tried to struggle but I pulled a blade and made it very obvious by his side.

"We can walk along nicely together and go have a little chat in my suite, or I can gut you here, take your phone and figure out what I need to know later."

"What good is the choice if I'm going to die either way?" the vampire replied.

I almost chuckled at the probable outcomes. He had a point, but I couldn't let him think that or he'd never help.

"You'll be safe enough in my suite if you prove cooperative. I have no interest in killing a vampire who got caught up in events way above their head as long as they recognize that they bit off more than they could swallow."

He gulped, almost aptly, and again I had to fight not to laugh at the situation. Despite the fear, he relaxed a little and made it clear he planned to cooperate for now.

"Ludis isn't going to happy with me if I don't do as he asked. I don't know if you can save me from his wrath, even in your suite."

"Not a problem. Ludis has been a very naughty vampire and has both the Brethren after him and the vampire academy. Hunters and true-bloods working together to end him. I don't think you've got a lot to worry about. He won't see another sunset."

The vampire turned to look at me as if he couldn't believe what I was saying. "How do you know that?"

"Let's just say I have friends in high places and was asked to keep an eye on him. I'd rather not spoil a good thing I have by being too open about people who like to remain in the shadows. He's gone too far now."

The vampire nodded, but didn't say anything else. He was very clearly cooperating now and it made me feel a little better about this whole situation. Maybe if I could get him to carry on like this I could get to Anais before she had reached Ludis and make sure she had backup and someone to help soften him up.

Of course, there was a chance she was already dead. Or he was. I'd given her my ring. I had to hope it would be enough, but even injured Ludis was surprisingly strong and fast and I couldn't help but worry more for her, especially as I was now confident that my mission was complete.

I hurried the vampire along to my suite and we went inside. Although I could have scared him further and made him aware that I'd already tortured one of Ludis's minions, I opted to make him feel safe with me instead.

"Okay, sit down, have a drink and tell me all you know of what Ludis wants you to do and where he wants you to go."

The vampire pulled out his phone and pulled up a message before showing it to me. "He wants me to do this. It's about all I know. Figured he'd have got Butch to do it, but apparently he's missing. Given what you just said, that makes sense now."

"Yeah, they've already taken Butch out of the equation. He paid with his life." I didn't see any point in hiding it now, even if I wasn't coming clean that I was the reason why.

I took a photo of his screen and sent it along to my uncle with my regards. The information wasn't fully complete, but it added to the puzzle we were putting together and gave us a time, location and person to meet up with.

If my uncle wanted, he could go himself. Or send me, which I figured would be more likely given how much I had already handled for him.

"Am I going to be in danger for helping Ludis?" the vampire asked as soon as I looked back up at him.

"No. I can make sure that it is known you cooperated. In future I'd be careful which turned you hang out with."

He nodded, sitting there still, gripping a glass of whiskey and trying not to look out of place. "Are you someone okay to hang out with?"

I chuckled, and shrugged. "I can't say either way. I get asked to keep an eye on a lot of people and go to a lot of places, sometimes it means people hold grudges. Sometimes it means I get myself into a predicament. But I've never got myself into a situation I can't get out of."

"Good to know."

"You could do worse, but I'll admit, I take a long time to call anyone a friend and trust them, so don't expect a lot."

"I can live with that, all things considered."

There was a simple silence that followed his statement and for a moment I almost wished I did have more people I was friends with or worked with. It had been amazing to have Anais around and here was a vampire who was clearly relaxed and just wanted to fit in somewhere.

He was relaxed and calm enough as well as understanding of the situation enough that he might be the sort of person I could trust. Most importantly, he clearly had no idea that I was true-blood and one of the Brethren.

Good work. Stay on the ship and gather any other information you can. Also, deal with Ludis. I don't want to ever hear of him being a problem again.

I frowned at the insinuation that I wouldn't have thought of that, but considered my answer very carefully. I didn't want to piss my uncle off right now.

Already being taken care of. I'll let you know when he's no longer a worry of any kind.

It was the best I could do in the circumstances. Now that I had appeased my uncle and my only instruction was to make sure Ludis never threatened the Brethren again, I had one final concern. Anais wasn't back yet and that meant she either hadn't found him or they were still fighting.

I needed to go find her.

"All right. I can't let you stay here and I need to carry on with one final task."

"Ludis?" he asked, getting up and finishing his drink in one go.

"Go to your room and stay there until tomorrow night. You'll be fine by then." I didn't wait for him to object or answer me before I hurried to the suite door. I opened it, but waited for him to go through it.

Thankfully he didn't object and I was soon on my way to go find Anais and Ludis. I just hoped I got there in time to keep her alive.