Pieces of Three Page 3

  “Oh no.” The one named Porter shook his head.

  “What?” She peeked up at the ceiling. If she stood on her tiptoes, she could touch it. When her two captives entered, they needed to bend down to get inside.

  “Water and enclosed spaces?”

  “I’ll be fine.” In an attempt to slow her heartbeat and keep from running, she inhaled.

  Neither answered her. The one she dubbed as the nicer one, Julian, hadn’t spoken a word since she joined them on the deck. He simply sat back with his head resting on the wall behind him.

  It wasn’t only her dislike of water, vast open expanses of water, deep water, that made her come down below with them, but she had work to accomplish, namely fixing them. She opened the crumpled pages in her hand. “I’m going to help you.”

  No sooner was the sentence out of her mouth, than the boat swayed. She backed up against the wall. Boats floated, that’s what they did, if all went well. They must be leaving the dock.

  “Do we get even more presents?” Porter held his hand up. “We’ll pass, thank you.”

  “Maybe you can give me a chance.” Once they got moving above deck they seemed a bit better. Several hours had passed since the administration of their injection, but the fact they were holding up as well as they were still surprised her. She tiptoed toward them, but the floor beneath her rolled. “It’s okay.”

  The boat lunged forward and tilted back and forth. “Help!” She jumped toward the only anchors in the room, landing across the laps of the Lykans. For several moments she froze, trying to choose her next action. Though she longed to grab on to one of them, she inhaled, put her hand on one of their legs and went to push herself up.

  “No, no, no, not so fast.” Porter pressed his hand on the small of her back.

  The heat from his hand radiated through her and she bit her lip. Perhaps she needed to think twice before scheming to get down here with them. All her life any tale that mentioned the Lykans began with how they were irresistable to humans. Maybe the decades apart from the rest of those in the Federation made them even more savage. They told her they needed medicine, maybe they were sick and their illnesses killed humans. It wouldn’t be the first time. “I don’t want to hurt you. I want to help.”

  “Strange, you called to us for help.” He inched his fingers up her back. “What could you possibly have that we need?”

  “You need to give me a chance.” The boat continued to toss and turn. Her heart sped up and she gave in, grabbing the leg closest to her hand.

  Julian groaned.

  “I’m sorry.” She loosened her grip. The turbulence of this trip matched the twisting in her stomach.

  “It’s fine.” His voice didn’t dance and play with her as it did in the Secretary’s office.

  “All right. You get one chance. Stay perfectly still.” Porter’s hand trailed up her spine to her neck.

  “Oh God.” She shut her eyes and lowered her face to what she assumed was Julian’s leg. The aroma of the sea and something woodsy or earthy swirled in her nose, allowing her to take a breath. She did her best not to move an inch. They had been pushed to their limits. Maybe if she showed them she could be trusted, they would let her help. She risked everything to get down here with them. Her father would have insisted the Lykans be treated fairly, given their chance to speak.

  The boat bounced, and she attempted to stifle a whimper.

  “She’s obedient.” Porter wove his fingers into her hair. “Let’s start by letting the animals loose.”

  She shuddered at the shivers he created as he unfastened her barrette and let her hair loose, taking care to remove all the bobby pins. “What are you doing?”

  “Shh.” He patted the top of her head.

  A click echoed throughout the room and one of the shackles fell to the ground, followed by a second click and the second shackle.

  “You used me.” She gasped as she was pulled up and placed between them.

  Porter grabbed her arm. “Seems to me you used us to get away from the cuddly teddy bear upstairs.”

  “You don’t understand.” Deep down she wanted to believe their story, wanted to make a difference, wanted to prove Secretary Girard wrong.

  “We won’t be the subjects of any more research.” He waved her away. “The quarters may be cramped but there’s still a bit of room. Don’t think you’ll be leaving anytime soon, but if you’re good, I won’t reuse the shackles.”

  With a shake of her head, she walked to the cot only a few feet away. On top of everything, she was solely responsible for freeing them, risking everything she worked for her whole life. One day she would learn to think ahead rather than make snap decisions.

  Out of the corner of her eye, she noticed Julian’s wrist caked with dried blood from where they bound him. Porter’s wrist wasn’t as bad, but he still was cut open. She huffed.

  “Something the matter?” Porter stared her down.

  She refused to dignify his question with a response. If they didn’t want the bandages in her suitcase, they could bleed out.

  The boat continued to sway. She sucked in her cheeks.

  “The big bad grizzly said we would get another dose in three hours, which means this should be wearing off soon.” Porter laughed.

  Though not part of the conversation, she shrugged.

  “Is that plan not to your liking?” He raised his eyebrows.

  “What you don’t know is a lot.” The boat seemed to dip and she held onto the edge of the cot.

  “Enlighten me.”

  “Go on with your plans.” She tightened her hold on the makeshift bed. “Let me guess. After you kill me, you’ll wait for the guard to come down, by then you’ll be able to change form and you will take over the ship.”

  “It’s brilliant, if I do say so myself.” He sat back.

  “Keep thinking that.” At that moment the front of the boat rose up. Her cot moved down several inches, and she held her breath.

  “What should make me think different? You practically handed us the keys.”

  “You stole them.” She forced the words out.

  The boat came down with a crash. “Oh.” She brought her knees to her chest and held on.

  “Porter.” At last Julian spoke. “Leave her alone.”

  “She’s probably in cahoots with the rest of them.”

  The boat rocked, she swore she heard wood cracking. She squeezed her eyes shut. Death at the hands of the shifters would be better than drowning.

  “Then why didn’t she run for the door?”

  “Even in our state, she’s knows we will catch her.”

  “She said she wanted to help us.” A growl laced Julian’s voice.

  She bit her lip. The boat tilted at an extreme angle, knocking her off the cot. She landed hard on her shoulder, sharp pain shooting through her back. “Ah!”

  Before she had the chance to make another move, something grabbed her and dragged her across the floor.

  “Come here.” Julian lifted her by her shirt, pulling her up and putting her in between the two of them.

  “Leave me alone.” She rubbed her shoulder.

  Julian moved her hand and did the job for her. “You said you wanted to help, what do you mean?”

  She turned to him. Though he still appeared a wan and weak, everything about Julian spoke of being naughty. From the way his shoulder length black hair was a bit messy, to how only one side of his mouth was turned up, but his whole face lit up with a smile, to how his green eyes seemed to take everything in, including her, it was as if he recently was caught doing something bad, but no one would ever have the heart or the guts to punish him.

  “Are you really pirates?” she asked.

  “Well, Porter did steal your hair things.” The other side of Julian’s mouth lifted.

  “I have bandages for your wrist.” She tensed, preparing for him lash out.

  “You brought bandages?” He continued to massage her shoulder.

  She nodded.


  “By any chance you didn’t bring any water did you?” Porter tapped her.

  Against her better judgment and spun around to him causing her hair to hit her in her face.

  While Julian might be mischief and mayhem, Porter was precise and polished, with shorter brown hair combed back, razor sculpted facial features and golden eyes that either made one either want to cower, or embrace him tell him everything was going to be all right. “Are you going to tell me what’s really wrong with your island?”

  “Are you going to tell us what else is in your bag?” He tilted his head.

  “Are you going to kill me?” No sooner were the words out of her mouth than the boat slammed down again, and she covered her eyes.

  Two sets of hands took hold of her, one on either side.

  “No matter what, she is trying to help,” Julian said. “We are not going to kill her. In fact, since she called to us for help, we are going to do just that.”

  She peeked through her fingers at Porter.

  “We can’t kill her if we’re going to protect her from the big, bad storm.” He exhaled as if he had come to terms with having an unwanted pet.

  “I brought a few other things as well.” She upped the ante. Did she make allies with the enemy? No doubt her actions qualified as relations with Lykans, even if it wasn’t mating.

  “I hope not another shot.” Porter’s eyes darkened to a deep brown.

  “I don’t believe in chemical inhibition.” She chewed her lower lip.

  “Did you hear that Porter? I told you humans weren’t all monsters.” Julian chuckled.

  Funny, that’s what humans thought about Lykans. “Actually, I brought the antidote.” She glanced between them. “Maybe I’m the pirate, since I actually stole the antidote.” At her confession she stood. The ship heaved to one side, sending her back onto the cot and right onto Porter.

  He caught her. “Well, that was a bit unexpected.”

  “That was bad.” Her whole body shook. “Something is wrong.” She waited for one of them to tell her everything would be fine.

  Julian slid closer to her and held out his hand. “It’s part of the deal.”

  “What deal?” Without thinking she placed her hand in his.

  “The one you made with the two devils.” Julian gave her hand a squeeze.

  “You brought us the antidote.” Porter tightened his hold on her. “In turn, you may hold our hands, lay on us, and we will keep you safe. If this cheap excuse for a ship falls apart, we’ll just dog paddle to shore, there are more than sixty islands in the archipelago.”

  She stared straight ahead. “You may paddle, but I can’t swim.”

  The boat tilted back and crashed down. Her suitcase fell over and tumbled in front of them.

  She took them up on their offer and hid her face in Porter’s chest. “What happened to smooth sailing?”

  “Port.” Julian rubbed her back.

  “She can’t swim.” Porter’s words vibrated through her. “Do we have a deal?”

  Smooth sailing was nowhere in sight. The boat continued its turbulent trek. She nodded. “Yes.”

  * * * *

  Julian vowed never to tell their little crusader, but he had sailed his entire life and never experienced such a trip. He was sure he found one point where he and Porter would agree.

  Once Alyssa got her trembling under control she opened her magic bag. She pulled out some more papers and administered them each an injection. In addition, they also received a bottle of water and even some snacks. Porter grumbled as he munched on the crackers, but Julian ate them with a smile even if they tasted like bland wood.

  Where the poison produced almost instant results, the antidote took some time, but his mind cleared, his strength increased and slowly the sensation returned, the one that told him he could change. Porter took his time studying Alyssa’s papers and reminded him repeatedly to relax while they were able.

  Julian wished Alyssa would heed Porter’s words, but when not tending to them, she simply sat holding their respective hands and squeezing tighter if the ship’s tossing worsened.

  “Let me fix this.” Alyssa tore off another piece of medical tape and secured his bandage.

  “Thank you.” He didn’t mind her taking it upon herself to personally dress both their wounds, and he found he enjoyed her consistent checking. Yes, he kept picking at the tape when her back was turned to have her fix it again.

  “Is it tight enough?” She pushed down the edge of the tape once more.

  Before he answered, the boat tilted up and came down with a crash, causing the contents on the floor to slide and slam against the wall.

  “Please.” Alyssa put her hand up to her mouth.

  Someone yelled from the deck and they all looked up at the ceiling.

  “Watch this.” He did his best to keep their end of the bargain and worked to distract her. Hell, he needed to distract himself. The three of them together in the tiny space with no ventilation set off every alarm in his body. His animal side longed to jump up and break free, but with the storm and Alyssa he remained trapped.

  She stared straight ahead.

  “Hey, I want to show you something.” He hoped could pull off his next trick. Like earlier, he held his hand out willing the change. His blood rushed, muscles swelled and the build up began. The release of pressure resulted in the transformation, and his arm morphed into his wolf form. He exhaled. Even the minor shift gave him a bit of euphoria.

  “Oh you can shift again.” She sat up and reached for his paw, stopping short.

  “You can touch me.” He craved the touch as much as he craved the change. Alyssa presented him with the perfect combination of scared, smart and stunning. He wasn’t sure if he wanted to stare at her, listen to her talk or pull her in for a hug or something else.

  She licked her lips and ran her fingertips across his fur. A slow smile, the first one he’d seen, crept across her face.

  “What is it?” He shuddered, her light caress giving him the chills and a whole different kind of pressure built.

  “Amazing.” She stroked him again.

  “Do you like it?” He cleared his throat, trying to keep his mind from wandering.

  “What does it feel like?” She kept her hand on his arm and looked up at him.

  He opened his mouth, almost telling her that when she trailed her nails through his fur, tickling each one of his nerve endings, it felt like the foreplay humans enjoyed. Her eyes were blue, dark blue. Blue eyes didn’t happen with Lykans. Yes, dark blue eyes to match dark pink lips and her light skin. It was apparent she didn’t go in the sun too much. As much as her beauty intrigued him, the fact she tried to hide it pulled him in and he couldn’t get enough of the conversation. “It feels like a need.”

  She nodded and turned to Porter. “How are you doing?”

  Porter stared at her. Once Julian was coherent enough to care who was staring at who, he noticed Porter wouldn’t take his focus off her. While Porter did not go out of his way to entertain her, he went into medical mode ensuring she drank water and ate something. In fact, he swore Porter checked her pulse, but it may have been an excuse to feel her neck and her wrist.

  “Porter?” Her voice was that of a little bird looking for a seed.

  “Do you need something?” Porter narrowed his eyes at her.

  “No, I wanted to know if you did.”

  “What could I possibly need? You’ve provided everything.”

  “Well, you have been shot up with a ton of chemicals and Julian told me you threw up.” She crossed her arms.

  Julian bit the side of his mouth to stifle a laugh. For the little female who shook at the thought of water or small spaces, she stood up to a shifter who could crush her with one blow.

  “Julian got sick three times.” Porter set his jaw.

  Julian frowned.

  “Can you shift now?” She leaned toward him.

  Without warning, Porter shifted. Not his hand, not an arm or even his leg, b
ut his head. His nose elongated, teeth turned to fangs, ears pointed, his hair lengthened and covered his skin with a lush covering of brown fur. He was nothing but a wolf’s head on a human body.

  “Ahhh.” Alyssa recoiled. “Oh God.”

  Julian pulled her in and hid her eyes with his hand. The bastard always had more control than he did. Her trembling accelerated, and he swore she might be crying. “You jerk! Change back!” They finally found a human who was not only interested in them, but one who was a liaison with the higher ups.

  With a chuckle, Porter returned to his human state. “She asked a question, and I answered it.”

  He shook his head and lowered his hand.

  Porter groaned. “Alyssa.”

  She raised her head slowly, as if to ensure Porter was back to normal when the ship veered to one side. “We’re going to capsize.” The scent of her fear took over the miniscule space.

  Porter grabbed her. “Julian.”

  “Something is definitely wrong.” Energy surged through him and he jumped up, bracing himself on the wall to stay upright.

  “All hands on deck!” A man screamed from above.

  “They are going to sink this thing. We have to go up there.” Porter pointed toward the door and stared into his eyes.

  It took only a quick glance for Julian to pick up his thoughts. They had been handed their only chance to take over the vessel and free themselves. He tilted his head. “We need to help them.”

  “No.” Alyssa clung to Porter.

  A huge crash from the deck vibrated their walls and the ship continued to rock.

  They needed to act. He kneeled in front of Alyssa. “You need to stay down here, it’s the safest place right now.”

  She shook her head. “Please don’t leave.”

  “I promise we’ll come back for you.” He stared into her tear-filled eyes. “I promise.”

  Her complexion paled. Those pretty pink lips turning the color of the rest of her skin.