Chapter Thirty-Three

Tenzin circled the ship, the thread tying her to her mate as strong as ever. She felt him dip down to the water when they saw the glowing pink color in the water, and she kept her eyes on him, blowing back the vampire who launched from the balcony with a massive wall of wind until Ben was back at her side.

"Don't keep them in the ship," Ben said. "We need them drawn away so Carwyn and Brigid's people can board. If we pick them off the air vampires, that will leave the rest unguarded. Mostly water vampires, I'd guess. Jennie's people will be outnumbered, but this is their territory."

"I can't imagine many earth vampires are part of Paulson's plan." Tenzin looked toward the cruise ship. "Do you think Zasha is on the Nautilus?"

"Doubtful." He glanced at her. "Zasha was sired to fire, but their blood comes from earth."

"I know." Tenzin was already peering into the forest that surrounded the bay. "They're probably not on the boat, but they may be nearby."

She turned when she felt the presence of four wind vampires approaching them on the left. "Four at three o'clock."

He frowned. "Wait, my three or your?—?"

"Three o'clock!" She threw out her right arm and pointed. "Ben, they have harpoons!"

"Got it!" He drew the short Mainz gladius he preferred and dove toward the four silent wind vampires who were trying to be sneaky.

Tenzin felt a puff of wind near her face and batted the harpoon away before she thought twice, flicked her fingers, and brought the metal-pointed spear back to her hand.

She hadn't thrown a spear in too long. This could be fun.

Ben felt the approaching projectile like a whisper at his back. He darted to the side, letting the harpoon pierce the belly of the vampire he was dueling, but while he was distracted, he lost control of the current of wind holding back the other three vampires.

"Hey!" he shouted at Tenzin. "That almost grazed me." He ducked to the side and threw up an arm, knocking the second vampire off-balance while Tenzin dove for the one carrying the harpoon.

"I knew you'd feel it." Tenzin flew over the harpoon shooter's head, twisting her body in a circle before the man realized where she was going, only to slice his neck from behind, sending his severed head spinning in an arc over Ben and his opponent, spraying them both with blood.

Tenzin swooped down and yanked the barbed harpoon from the belly of the wind vampire who was barely keeping a grip on her blade. "You're not an idiot."

"Gee, thanks." Ben held the last vampire in a whirlwind as he raised his arm and finished off the harpooned woman with a slash across her neck.

The vampire's amnis scattered in the wind, and her body and head fell to the dark water with a splash.

That left one vampire twisting in the wind, and Ben could see that he was trying to escape, knowing that fighting both of them was futile.

No.

This wasn't a battle that anyone could escape. Paulson's guests had raided and murdered too many innocents to let any escape.

No matter who they belonged to or what their connections might have been, every vampire who'd been a guest on the Nautilus was going to die.