Me. Not you.”
The sound of horns blasted the cabin again. The woman didn’t move. She hadn’t jumped at the sound. Ethelstone took a step nearer. Waved a hand before her face. Her focus didn’t shift. If this was a thrall, it was a severe one.
The phone went off yet again.
“Would you answer that already?” Ethelstone asked.
“I was going to. I was just watching you.”
“Me?”
“You’re acting really strange. You know that? Hello?”
Ethelstone swallowed. A tingling sensation accompanied it. His eyes widened, and he turned his head away to disguise it. And then he stiffened. He and Athlerod had been inseparable from birth. They’d been shipwrecked together. Almost died, and been changed into vampires, one-after-the-other. His brother had been at his side for over a thousand years now. He’d never hidden anything from him.
Until now.
“ Ja . This is Athlerod. Where am I? Aboard the jet. Heading to Reykjavik. Yes. He is here, too.”
“Hey Ethel. I mean, Stone. He wants to talk to you.”
Ethelstone took the phone without looking. It felt smooth and hard in his palm. He felt it! Alarm bells started ringing through his skull. Then they spread into his ears. That was going to be difficult to hear through. And worse. There was a distinct tingling feeling happening throughout his arms now.
It was Akron on the line. He had the deepest bass voice in the league. It conquered the bell sound easily. “Ethelstone?’
“ Ja .”
“Why are you both aboard that jet?”
“The kid gave us instruction. I heard it. He speaks for you. Or...has that changed?”
“Oh. He definitely speaks for me. But he obviously needs to speak faster. Or use smaller words with some associates.”
“We’re not supposed to be going to Iceland?”
“I’ll be succinct. You had the assignment to Iceland. Your brother has a different one entirely.”
“You are separating us?”
“What? No!”
Athlerod frantically waved and shook his head from Ethelstone’s side. He lifted a hand to shush him.
“Your passenger’s name is Stephanie Bowker,” Akron continued. “She is a reporter. She is investigating vampires. I would like you to handle it.”
“Eliminate?” Ethelstone asked.
“No. You are to answer whatever questions she has without compromising the league. Keep her...occupied. Can you handle that?”
“ Ja. ”
“Good. And one more thing. A large one. She is to come to no harm.”
The last words throbbed with threat. Ethelstone cleared his throat before answering. That was another new sensation. He consciously lowered his tone, nearly matching Akron’s.
“Never. You have my word, Sir.”
“You’ll guarantee her safety?”
“Yes, Sir.”
“Even from your brother?”
Ethelstone set his jaw and clenched. Hard. Ache shot through his neck. It nearly reached his heart. And then that muscle quivered. And he felt that, too.
“Yes,” he answered.
“Excellent. I’ll contact you both when you land. Have a nice flight. I do not know if she’ll stay enthralled the entire flight. But I can hope.”
CHAPTER THREE
Stephanie had never had such a difficult time waking before. She’d experienced some weird sleep instances. She’d been a sleepwalker as a child. She’d awakened in all kinds of places. Once, she’d ended up in an adjoining neighborhood. An exclusive one. With a golf course. Sand traps. Ponds. Golf balls that had just been sent rocketing off their tees. And that was before factoring in the real hazards – gossipy inhabitants and legal entanglements. She’d somehow scooted beneath an electrified security fence and been found wandering the fairway, completely unaware of her surroundings. After that, her parents had gotten desperate. She’d been strapped into her bed many times. Across the hips and shoulders. She’d hated it. It felt—
Just like now.
It was like she’d been jettisoned back to an unhappy childhood memory. Except back then upon waking, her senses returned a lot quicker
The sound of horns blasted the cabin again. The woman didn’t move. She hadn’t jumped at the sound. Ethelstone took a step nearer. Waved a hand before her face. Her focus didn’t shift. If this was a thrall, it was a severe one.
The phone went off yet again.
“Would you answer that already?” Ethelstone asked.
“I was going to. I was just watching you.”
“Me?”
“You’re acting really strange. You know that? Hello?”
Ethelstone swallowed. A tingling sensation accompanied it. His eyes widened, and he turned his head away to disguise it. And then he stiffened. He and Athlerod had been inseparable from birth. They’d been shipwrecked together. Almost died, and been changed into vampires, one-after-the-other. His brother had been at his side for over a thousand years now. He’d never hidden anything from him.
Until now.
“ Ja . This is Athlerod. Where am I? Aboard the jet. Heading to Reykjavik. Yes. He is here, too.”
“Hey Ethel. I mean, Stone. He wants to talk to you.”
Ethelstone took the phone without looking. It felt smooth and hard in his palm. He felt it! Alarm bells started ringing through his skull. Then they spread into his ears. That was going to be difficult to hear through. And worse. There was a distinct tingling feeling happening throughout his arms now.
It was Akron on the line. He had the deepest bass voice in the league. It conquered the bell sound easily. “Ethelstone?’
“ Ja .”
“Why are you both aboard that jet?”
“The kid gave us instruction. I heard it. He speaks for you. Or...has that changed?”
“Oh. He definitely speaks for me. But he obviously needs to speak faster. Or use smaller words with some associates.”
“We’re not supposed to be going to Iceland?”
“I’ll be succinct. You had the assignment to Iceland. Your brother has a different one entirely.”
“You are separating us?”
“What? No!”
Athlerod frantically waved and shook his head from Ethelstone’s side. He lifted a hand to shush him.
“Your passenger’s name is Stephanie Bowker,” Akron continued. “She is a reporter. She is investigating vampires. I would like you to handle it.”
“Eliminate?” Ethelstone asked.
“No. You are to answer whatever questions she has without compromising the league. Keep her...occupied. Can you handle that?”
“ Ja. ”
“Good. And one more thing. A large one. She is to come to no harm.”
The last words throbbed with threat. Ethelstone cleared his throat before answering. That was another new sensation. He consciously lowered his tone, nearly matching Akron’s.
“Never. You have my word, Sir.”
“You’ll guarantee her safety?”
“Yes, Sir.”
“Even from your brother?”
Ethelstone set his jaw and clenched. Hard. Ache shot through his neck. It nearly reached his heart. And then that muscle quivered. And he felt that, too.
“Yes,” he answered.
“Excellent. I’ll contact you both when you land. Have a nice flight. I do not know if she’ll stay enthralled the entire flight. But I can hope.”
CHAPTER THREE
Stephanie had never had such a difficult time waking before. She’d experienced some weird sleep instances. She’d been a sleepwalker as a child. She’d awakened in all kinds of places. Once, she’d ended up in an adjoining neighborhood. An exclusive one. With a golf course. Sand traps. Ponds. Golf balls that had just been sent rocketing off their tees. And that was before factoring in the real hazards – gossipy inhabitants and legal entanglements. She’d somehow scooted beneath an electrified security fence and been found wandering the fairway, completely unaware of her surroundings. After that, her parents had gotten desperate. She’d been strapped into her bed many times. Across the hips and shoulders. She’d hated it. It felt—
Just like now.
It was like she’d been jettisoned back to an unhappy childhood memory. Except back then upon waking, her senses returned a lot quicker
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