Page 100 of Close Quarter
Silas caught Rhys's face in his hands before he could pull away. "I love you."
Those words. That look. Rhys's vision blurred again. "I'm not losing you."
"But if--"
"Silas." He said the name like a command. It seemed to work, because whatever protest had been on Silas's lips died. "Promise me. Promise me you won't leave me."
"I'll try not to."
"Not good enough." Rhys caught one of Silas's wrists and held it as tightly as he could.
"Promise me."
Time seemed to slow as a struggle played out over Silas's expression. At last he shrank in defeat. "I promise I will do everything within my power to stay with you."
It wasn't exactly what he wanted, but it would have to do. Rhys kissed him. Not a peck, either, but a kiss that would have dragged them both into bed. Had there been one.
Had they the time. If Silas weren't so hurt.
Rhys broke the kiss. "I love you too." He moved away, tossed the cups into the trash, and looked back at Silas, who stood exactly where Rhys had left him.
He recognized that dumbstruck expression, pretty sure he'd worn it himself at some point in the past three days. "We should start. While it's still light."
Silas nodded. "Let's go, then."
They headed to the nearest elevator.
****
Two hours later, they had searched through the cramped storage areas and even the hot engine area. No signs of any vampires.
"Fuck." Rhys scrubbed a hand over his face.
Silas's color hadn't improved. If anything, he seemed more drained. Maybe from the heat, maybe from the glamour he had to cast to hide them. He'd tried to push energy into Silas, but nothing seemed to improve. As far as he could tell, there was no flow to Silas. Which either meant he couldn't accept any element or he refused to.
Silas wiped a pale hand across his brow. "So we scout through the unused interior cabins."
"We should rest for a bit." Maybe if he concentrated more.
Silas peered upward, as if looking through the decks. "Perhaps. There's still some time before sunset. But if Anaxandros is about..." He pushed through a doorway into a service stairwell.
They started to climb. If that vampire found them first, they were in a heap of trouble. "How the hell are we going to know which cabins are free?"
Silas didn't answer. Probably because he was gulping down air as they ascended the stairs.
Rhys watched the play of fabric stretch across Silas's ass.Nice.Too bad he could also see the slight tremble in his legs. "Are you okay?"
Silas paused on the landing, his breathing shallow and fast. "I'd say yes, but you'd know it for a lie. But I'm as well as to be expected." He turned the corner and continued up. "I'll manage."
Crap, crap, crap.But what else was there to do? Rhys ran after him. "We could rest until sundown. Maybe if you slept?" He knew the likely answer but asked anyway. "Or the garden?"
At the next landing, Silas leaned against the door but didn't open it. "I need time, Rhys, to heal.
We have none." He pushed through the door on to the lowest of the common levels. "As to your earlier question, I'm going to check the ship's hotel computer system, find the records we need, then borrow a master key card."
Rhys followed through the door. "You're going to dowhat?" This was the same man who chided him for trying to bribe Vasil?
"I'll need you to sit out by the front desk and provide a distraction." At the elevator, Silas punched the Up button and leaned against the wall.
