piloted the boat with James watching over her, correcting her errors, giving instructions. But mostly he and Utanapishtim focused on their sense of Brigit. They sat side by side, only acknowledging her when she needed to correct course, and then often only by lifting an arm, pointing a finger. Lucy was almost jealous of the connection James and Brigit seemed to share. She’d been feeling her own burgeoning bond with James, but this was different. This was a bond of blood and more. It went to the cellular level. They were family, those two. And their bond was far stronger than the link she shared with James because of the Belladonna Antigen.
She couldn’t read his thoughts. He could read hers, though, she reminded herself. Sure, he’d promised he wouldn’t pry, and she believed him. Still, she carefully avoided thinking too much about her feelings for him or, God forbid, the L word. Even though he was far too busy right now to notice either of those things floating around inside her mind.
As they neared shore, she looked for a suitable place to leave the yacht, and spotted a rocky outcropping that seemed isolated and a bit wild. A lighthouse stood there, but there was no town close at hand.
“I’m going to take us in there,” she said, pointing.
James finally blinked out of his stupor long enough to meet her eyes, and then to look where she was pointing.
“No, don’t. There’s a lighthouse, so there’ll be rocks too. We’re better off anchoring farther off shore. We can take the dinghy in.”
She nodded and reduced speed, finally cutting the engine altogether when he signaled that she’d gone far enough.
Then, James turned to Utanapishtim. “This is a different world than you have ever known, Utanapishtim. More importantly, it’s a world at war—anyone who appears different is under suspicion and liable to be attacked. And you’re dressed…in a way that makes you stand out. It would be better for you to stay here, to wait for us to return with Brigit.”
Utanapishtim met his eyes, looking stunned. “What king will…hide…safe, while his soldiers fight?”
“Actually, all of them, nowadays,” Lucy muttered. “But it wasn’t the case in your time, was it?”
“In my time, you, woman, would to be stayed behind. Safe.”
“I’ve spent most of my life staying safe,” she said. And then she shot a look James’s way. “No more.”
James stared at her, searching her face as if sensing a change.
And he ought to. She felt as if her entire worldview were in the midst of a great upheaval, the results of which were only beginning to settle in, changing who she was, what she was, right to the marrow.
“Make no mistake, Lucy, I will keep you safe.” He almost reached for her, but his hand paused in midair, and he glanced at Utanapishtim. “Would you at least consider changing your clothes? Dressing as I do?” The look on Utanapishtim’s face answered for him, and James gave up. “Let’s stick together, then. All three of us.”
Utanapishtim grunted his assent.
They beached the dinghy near the lighthouse, dragging it up onto the rocky shore, leaving it behind several large boulders that, James thought, would shield it from view from almost all directions. And then they trekked inland, keeping to the wooded areas. He felt his sister’s fiery energy as he hiked farther, and soon he sensed that she wasn’t far away, having made her way to the coast as best she could. She was hurting, and she was furious, and she was not alone. Those were the things he managed to pick up from her as he moved closer.
But he was worried.
With a hand on his shoulder, Lucy asked, “What’s wrong?”
“Brigit. She’s beaming her location to me openly, with every bit of mental power she possesses, in spite of the moratorium our people have placed on open telepathy.”
Utanapishtim was looking at him, questions in his eyes.
“Others…find her?” he asked.
“Yes, others might. There are humans who possess the power of telepathy. Only a few, but they do exist.” He stared off into the distance. “I just hope to God none of them are picking up on Brigit’s vibe and coming after her. Or if they are, I hope we get there first.”
“Why…hu-muns…hate so the vahmpeers?”
“Because they fear us,” James said.
“Make…no…reason.” Utanapishtim seemed doubtful.
James didn’t blame him for his skepticism. It took two sides to fight a war, and Utanapishtim must assume that he was getting only half the story. The undead weren’t entirely blameless. There had been plenty of