Page 65 of Lured

Chapter 28

Anais

I walked outside tentatively, the cold night breeze from the sea making it difficult to smell anything even if I had been a vampire with heightened senses.

As soon as I had closed the door quietly behind me I put my off hand into my pocket to grasp the ring. I would be able to slip it on quickly if I saw movement or signs of Ludis. Out here there were more places that a vampire could hide or be than I cared to find. There were piles of deck chairs, parts of the ship that jutted out and shadows from the inadequate lighting.

For a few seconds I paused and considered my options. If Ludis was out here he was likely to be able to see me before I could see him unless he wasn't trying to hide at all. I was in more danger than I had probably ever been in.

The vampire wasn't anywhere my current vision could detect, however. There were several shadows too dark and large for me to be sure there wasn't a person in them. It made me wish I had brought a flashlight with me, but it was in my ready bag in the cabin.

I took another quiet step, focusing on keeping to the main bulk of the metal ship so I couldn't be hit from every side. The sound of the engines and the wash from the water rushing past the ship and out the back helped to cover any sound I made, giving me some comfort.

Of course, it would also cover any sounds that Ludis might make.

As I took another step I thought I saw movement near the deck chairs and shifted to peer into the gloom. Ludis stepped out from behind them, the wound on his shoulder still very obvious. To my surprise it wasn't the only one he had. It appeared as if he had been in another fight as well.

“You hunters really don't know when to quit, do you. I must admit, I didn't expect your companion to be on the ship as well. Not that she will ever be a bother again.”

I lifted an eyebrow, not responding as he strode toward me. Slipping on the ring, I stepped back and to one side to try to give myself a bit more room on either side and the door behind me instead of the water.

“Well, I guess I'm taking out two hunters in one night.”

“Good luck trying,” I replied, bringing up the blade and shifting just as he lunged. I had moved faster than I'd thought possible, the ring doing everything that Leo had promised it would.

Ludis grasped where my neck had been a fraction of a second earlier and I thrust my blade through his hand.

I wasn't prepared for how quickly he would yank back and he pulled my blade right out of my grasp.

“You little bitch,” he said as he growled and backed off. It was the most foolish move he could have made as I quickly pulled another blade from my boots and switched it to my good hand.

Normally I had three or four about my body, but this was the only other blade I had and I knew I would have to be a bit more careful.

While I was adjusting and looking for the next moment to attack, Ludis pulled the dagger out of his hand and brandished it as if it was his own weapon.

I frowned. Arming him hadn't been part of the plan.

He came at me again and this time I dodged and made sure he didn't hurt me at all. Again, the extra speed from the wing gave me an advantage I hadn't expected and I almost danced around him.

The move took more energy than I was expecting, however and lactic acid built up in my arms and legs. Taking a couple more steps, this time slower, I positioned myself so the stack of deck chairs wasn't far behind me and waited for him to come at me again.

Now that he was more in the light I could see that his clothes were torn in several more places and whoever he had fought with they had cut him open at least twice more. With the wounds that Leo and I had given him, he had to be really hurting and to have lost some blood.

There was a chance he had fed if he had somehow killed another hunter on this ship recently. That would be helping him heal, but it would depend how much he had drunk and how strong the vampire had been who had turned him.

I wasn't going to take any chances and I looked for the next opening to attack him, which also waiting for his attack. He didn't move, studying me. For the first time he didn't have the usual bravado about him.

If this fight was going to be resolved any time soon, I was going to have to begin it.

Stepping forward, I fainted a jab toward his midriff. Immediately he reacted and reached out to grab the arm. I was already turning as he came in and he missed again.

This time my blade flicked across his side as he went past me, but he turned close to me and I stabbed toward me. I used the momentum I already had to twist and the blade caught on my dress and ripped one side of it while giving me the lightest of scratches. A line of burning fire lit up across my skin briefly.

The ring on my finger warmed and I only had a fraction of a second to register that it might be healing me before I had to block another stab. This one I pushed aside, but his other arm was coming up already and he grabbed at my throat.

He managed to get a grip, but I immediately slammed up into the underneath of his hand and tilted my head back. His fingers slipped off me and I staggered back.

Trying to get some distance between us again, I continued to step back and back and slash out in front of me with the blade. I didn't know if I caught him, the vampire moving too fast for me to see again.

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