Obfuscate (4 page)

A
fter a long period of silence
, I broke the peaceful sounds of the surf and nesting birds and defended my request. “Look, guys—I don’t want to end up being the
Warning: Do Not Enter
sign to other people who come upon my head impaled on a spike.”

They checked one another again to give credence to my concerns.

“Ever since Amicula betrayed us, I don’t trust anything that has to do with her or her minions.” I studied the weapon in my hands, wishing there was an owner’s manual I could download into my brain like in the movie
Matrix
. “Guys, I need to be able to operate this weapon with confidence, or I shouldn’t be going. Period.”

Khaldon grinned from ear to ear. “Fair enough. You won’t see me arguing. Chicks with guns. Totally hot in my book. Let me prep the 9mm for you and we’ll do some practice rounds until Torch and Harris arrive.”

Briggs pulled out his own 45 auto pistol and showed me the inner workings of the firearm. “Chey Chey, you have a point about dzhe queen’s niece, I don’t trust her either. But it sounds like you’ve been watching too many ’orror movies again.”

“I think my imagination just has the best of me. I shouldn’t have watched that cannibal zombie TV show last night.” Why did my sisters and I have to be obsessed with horror movies?

I hugged my arms to my chest hoping to find safety within their grasp. “Impaled meat hooks through women’s breasts. Natives hacking through skulls to eat their captive’s brains—I just can’t handle the imagery.”

Intuitively on cue, Briggs’ stomach thundered beside me and he licked his lips.

I scrunched up my face, eying him warily. “This isn’t funny, and there’re sandwiches in the cooler if you’re hungry.” My hands kneaded my temples once again, trying to evade the headache. “Why couldn’t I have settled for watching
Must Love Dogs
or some other romantic comedy instead?”

“
Ma chére,
do not fear. Khaldon’s right.” Briggs patted my arm and placated me with a
Don’t Worry, Be Happy
smile. “Most likely, dzhe Rakshasa will be drunk with fermented drinks praising their goddess tonight. Dzey’ll never know we were dzere.” Briggs cocked the firing pin into place, and then fired at a coconut a few feet above Ludovic’s head. It landed with a thud and missed him by mere inches. “No one is going to pierce your tatas—tonight.” He blew the smoke out of the barrel and danced his eyebrows at me.

I shook my head knowing nothing I could do or say would ever make a difference. Dragons were always a seductive show-offy race.

Khaldon wagged a finger of warning in Briggs’ direction.

Ludovic turned green and looked as though he needed to change his shorts.

Briggs offered me a sideways wink and nudged me with his shoulder.

I slugged him in the arm. “You say that now, but ‘most likely’ doesn’t cut it for me. I need facts. Remember, we’re gaming programmers. The logic has to make sense for me to conclude the program will run.” I pointed at the island, which lay beyond the horizon line. “Don’t you guys worry about being on tonight’s menu?”

“It’s a threat I live with daily, Cheyenne.” Ludovic’s defeated Romanian voice fell flat as though he’d already given up. “What does it matter anymore?”

Briggs heartily laughed out loud and presented a double thumbs-up gesture.

My hands pouted on my hips. “Well, don’t you?” I gulped down a hard lump forming in my throat and looked around for a water bottle. Trying to maintain a reasonable sense of calm, I held my chin up awaiting their answer. Secretly, to keep my lips from trembling, I bit the inside of my cheek to restrain my nerves. “Don’t you worry about being eaten alive?”

Both Khaldon and Briggs pursed their mouths, looked at each other, and shrugged in a non-committal gesture.

I should have known better than to ask what they thought. “Look, you two might be centuries-old epic war heroes surviving hundreds of battles, but this—this is all new to me. Hell, I don’t even like haunted houses in public theme parks, remember?”

Khaldon checked the gun in my hand for bullets and then handed it back to me. I tried to pull on the firearm slide but couldn’t see how to release it. “Guys, I just think we need more people with us. None of us have ever seen a Rakshasa, and we have no idea what we’re up against. Shouldn’t we have more backup in case anything goes wrong?”

“Chey, Chey, when you are working recon, you need a small team. Get in, get out. Otherwise we cannot ’ide an army of people. Too many will jeopardize the mission.” Briggs showed me how to release the safety on the gun.

“I understand your logic, I really do. I just feel like we need something more. I’m not convinced we’ve dotted enough I’s and crossed all the T’s. I’m halfway expecting to see some kind of run-time error pop up and we have to recode for syntax errors.” I easily pulled back the spring loaded slide and cocked the weapon to shoot.

“This is not the same as programming, Chey.” Khaldon twirled his firearm around his index finger. “There are going to be unexpected variables we can’t predict no matter how many times we try to anticipate what might go wrong. Just relax. We’ve got this. Breathe in and embrace the vampyric side of yourself. You’ll find comfort in your abilities instead of constantly doubting. That comes from your human side.” Khaldon tip-toed around his words. “If you’d already gained control over your human emotions, these kinds of situations wouldn’t scare you any longer.”

I ran a hand through my hair to try and tame the flyaways and looked away from him. I was beginning to get tired of hearing this same broken record again and again. I wasn’t in the mood to fight with him on this topic.

“Blimey, Chey. Your vampyric blood should be begging for a little action.” Khaldon emphasized the word “begging” probably thinking it was a praise-worthy thing.

Would he give me a high five if I did? Is there a coming of age ceremony for a neonate vampire?

I didn’t answer him but instead squared my shoulders for a stubborn showdown. I wanted to give him the what for, but said nothing especially since we both were holding a loaded firearm.

Khaldon checked Briggs and Ludovic for male bonding backup. When none returned, he put his palms up waving the white flag. “Right then, let me build a target and then I’ll mind-message Torchy. Maybe I can determine an ETA from them.”

The wind picked up, and the waves crashed against the hull of the skiff with a loud
slap slap slap
sound. I placed the pistol aside to dig into my rucksack. After tucking my hair behind my ears, I rummaged for a hair scrunchy. Found, the coveted curl-taming device quickly subdued the mass of unruly auburn curls framing my face.

I snatched up the weapon, a bottle of ice-cold water, and a couple of sandwiches from inside the skiff. Stepping over a fallen palm tree, I offered the drink and food to Ludovic. With a wary eye he nodded but indicated his hands were tied to the trees and couldn’t hold the bottle.

“Have you felt Dakota’s presence since we’ve arrived? Anything at all?”

I cracked the seal on the bottle and poured the water into his mouth and waited for him to swallow.

“
Multumesc
, or rather, thank you.” He gulped a few more swallows I offered. “Her mind is weak. It’s been difficult to keep a connection. She’s been unresponsive to most messages today, but she’s close.” He stared back at me with deepened worry lines creasing around his eyes. From our past conversations, he knew his own life depended on the success of her rescue. “Are you planning on shooting at the coconuts above my head for target practice?”

“No. Definitely not. I don’t think my aim is that good, but don’t test me.”

He looked at the gun and then to me. I fixated on him and then stepped away.

“Please keep trying to contact her. She needs to know we’re coming so she can be ready.” I untied one hand from the tree and left him the dinner.

Ludovic looked at me as if I’d lost my mind. Maybe I had. Over in the distance, Briggs growled as he finished shaping the bottom fang on his sand castle dragon. I’m sure he wasn’t a fan of my decision. But honestly, where could Ludovic have escaped on this deserted beach?

From back at the skiff, I regarded his reactions. I didn’t want him to know that I had to trust him. That I needed him. He detested Amicula just as much as we did after she’d deceived him. Leaving him for dead by the dhampir army. Would he betray us again?

Truthfully, I didn’t care if Ludovic blew up into a million bits after tonight, just as long as I had Dakota back. Nothing else mattered anymore.

I checked my dive watch again, and we practiced shooting until I had a bullet grouping the size of a fifty-cent piece in the side of a coconut shell. We celebrated the sharp-shooting with a toast of the raw milk.

“Damn good shootin’, Tex.” Khaldon swiveled his pistols around his index fingers again and shoved them deep into his hip holsters.

“Dzat’ll kill anything dzat comes near us,
oui
?” Briggs smiled, his face bright and excited.

I was beginning to get the feel of the firearm and was ready to confidently reload the magazine again when Khaldon shouted.

“They’re on the way,” He pointed toward the Eastern sky. “They’ll be here presently. Torchy says Harris found out new information and they had to fly to Malaysia for different supplies, and that’s why they’re delayed.”

Briggs patted my arm once again. “Everything will go as planned, Chey Chey. I’m proud of you. I know you’re scared, but dzis is ’ow you play dze game.”

Knowing I could hold and shoot a gun properly now, an enormous sigh of relief escaped my lips. Tense anxiety uncoiled from around my shoulder muscles like a braid let loose from its bindings.

I can do this!

Khaldon joined me beside the skiff and turned me to face him with a piercing gaze. He held my hands and pressed his forehead to mine. “I promise, nothing will hurt any of us.” He ran a finger down my nose. The crook of his mouth revealed a naughty smile, and a quick flood of warmth escaped from under my shirt and up my neck.

When the cascade of calm flowed over me, I broke the stronghold he employed. “Why are you trying to control my emotions? I don’t like it when you do that—it makes me feel all weird inside.” I took a step backward out of his grasp and nudged a broken piece of sun-bleached coral with my toe and remembered to breathe.

“I’m not trying to control you, I am just trying to protect and help you handle what we might find on that island. My apologies. I should have asked.” Khaldon moved in and cupped my cheeks. His whisper tickled the fine hairs in my ear and I returned his smile. “
And
no one is going to hang you by your breasts, m’lady. I’ll guard those with my life if I have to.”

T
orchy landed
with the grace of an elder dragon and with Harris holding on for dear life atop his back. Crimson spikes ridged up Torchy’s sides, and his teeth glistened with a frothy mist. His fiery orange lava-quartz eyes frightened and mesmerized me at the same time. Those vertical slits for pupils stared through me, dissecting every thought in my head. The weird thing was I wanted him to see inside. I shook my head to clear my thoughts, pulling from the enthrall. Must be a draconian hypnotic trick.

What is it about everyone trying to mess with my mind today?

From our harrowing flight a few months ago, I knew Torchy’s dragon tail, now docile and calm, could instantly change to any shape and size he desired to thwart an oncoming attacker. It was a formidable weapon and one I steered clear of. I ran my hands over his neck and chest as though I were petting a mythical beast. I supposed, to most of the world, I was.

Torchy Gravenor, Khaldon’s best mate, was the opposite of Harris. Clean-shaved, well-kept, Torchy was a Welsh dragon but preferred the rocky crags of Northern Scotland. Befitting of his name, Gravenor was ancestrally known as the great hunter, and Torchy had most definitely lived up to that namesake. A prompt fellow, and he seemed to be one of those gents who was always in the right place at the right time.

The human persona he wore was a self-made billionaire catering to the every need of paranormal entities. The owner of the international retail giant,
The Super Market,
Torchy was a resource of connections and solutions. If one had a problem, Torchy’s interests would most likely have a way to procure the solution. He and Briggs seemed to have hit it off—both being in the providing of services sort of work. However, Briggs’ services were more in the realm of extorting … or rather … protecting retail establishments, whereas Torchy’s interests were the retail establishments themselves.

Harris jumped from Torchy’s back and landed face first into the shallow waves, spraying all of us with salt water. Scurrying out of the waves he shouted, “Sorry, I’m late.”

Khaldon helped Harris stand up and gain his footing in the wet, uneven sand.

Harris spoke faster than we could understand him. “We got here as fast as we could. Torchy flew like his ass was on fire. I could barely hold on. You should have seen him. We found out more info. They use arrows and spears. We need to be ready or we’re dead meat for sure.”

As when he in his werewolf lupine form, Harris shook his body from his nose to tail, covering us again with salt water.

“
Idiot!
” Briggs wiped his face.

It looked like Harris had splashed him on purpose. Knowing Harris and the pranks those two played on one another, anything was possible.

Harris grimaced, furrowing his brow, screwing up his face. “Sorry, I sometimes forget I’m in human form. I’m all amped up.” He wiped his brow with his sleeve and continued in his hurried explanations. “Anyways … since the reef sticks out, boats crash on the coral. So no one can get to the island without the Rakshasa knowing they’re coming. They’re armed.”

“What do you mean—armed?” Briggs crossed his arms over his puffed-out chest. “Next you’ll be telling us dzey ’url bananas and coconuts from catapults.”

“Whoa, whoa. Slow down, Harris.” I handed him a towel. “You’re not making any sense. We already knew about the boats, that’s why we’re swimming to the island. Stealth mode, remember? Why are you so worked up about this now?” I crossed my arms, mimicking Briggs’ posture, but mine radiated with confused impatience.