bruised leaves, and trampled underbrush clearly marked the way. I really hoped he'd done it on purpose. Otherwise he was just about the klutziest person I'd ever met.
A giant spider web hung suspended between two large palm trees, its occupant glaring at me. I really am not fond of spiders, so I skirted it as quickly as I could. A low-hanging vine slapped me in the face, its lush green leaves glossy in the dappled sunlight. I batted it away. All around was a profusion of wild color from pink, yellow, and peach hibiscus to the purples and reds of wild orchids. A bird called somewhere in the distance, and I could have sworn I heard the chatter of monkeys.
Kabita and I must have gone about two miles before we caught up with Haakon. The sun was high overhead, and breathing the jungle air was like inhaling soup, heavy and thick and way too hot. My body was screaming for a bottle of cold water.
He was crouched behind a clump of bushes. He waved us over, placing his forefinger on his lips. So now he wanted quiet? We scurried over and crouched beside him.
"What the hell?" I hissed. "I told you to wait for me."
"And I found the direction of our quarry. I knew you'd be able to follow."
"Uh, yeah. You left a freaking highway out there. A blind man could have followed."
He gave me an exasperated look. "Not me. The vampires. They were more worried about getting caught in the sun than being subtle."
"No shit."
"Why are we here?" Kabita interrupted our spat.
"Take a look." Haakon nodded in the general direction of the bushes.
After exchanging a glance, Kabita and I craned our necks to see around the shrubbery. We were at the edge of the jungle. Below us sprawled a small town built along the hillside, staggered so nearly every house had a magnificent view of the blue waters of the bay below. Beyond the bay, the ocean sparkled in the midday sun. Someone nearby was barbecuing. The scent of charcoal smoke and roasting meat made my mouth water and my stomach grumble. I hadn't eaten in a while.
"Okay," I said, sinking down next to Haakon. "The vamps headed here. But they couldn't have left the shelter of the trees. Not without dusting."
"Unless someone was waiting for them."
Shit. That wouldn't be good. An entire nest of vamps taking up residence in a town this size spelled nothing but trouble. I took another peek down the hill.
"All right, let's assume someone did meet them. Brought blankets or something. They still couldn't have gone far. For one thing they wouldn't have lasted long in full sun, even wrapped in blankets. For another, they would have been seen. A town this size, the gossip would be all over the place in minutes. I don't think whoever is hiding the nest would want that."
"Agreed," Haakon said. "That's why I'm thinking that house." He pointed to a pastel pink structure close to where we were hiding. It was only a short walk downhill. Someone moving fast could cover it in seconds.
"Makes sense," Kabita agreed. "It's the only one with a door on this side."
She was right. The wooden door had been painted pink to match the rest of the house, but anyone could clearly see there was a door. "A neighbor could still have seen something. There are plenty of windows facing this way."
"Yeah, but most people will be at work this time of day," Kabita pointed out. "And tourists will be down at the beach. If they moved fast, nobody would notice."
It made sense. But there was one way to know for sure. "You two stay here. I'll go check."
"Morgan…" Haakon started to say, but I ignored him.
I slipped from our hiding place and strode toward the pink house. I walked tall and easy, striding along as if I had every right to be there. I'd learned that, generally speaking, if you acted like you had a right to be in a place, everyone else assumed you did. Of course, that didn't work with vampires, but I was more concerned with neighbors than denizens of the night.
I walked straight up to the pink door and pretended to knock. Anyone
A giant spider web hung suspended between two large palm trees, its occupant glaring at me. I really am not fond of spiders, so I skirted it as quickly as I could. A low-hanging vine slapped me in the face, its lush green leaves glossy in the dappled sunlight. I batted it away. All around was a profusion of wild color from pink, yellow, and peach hibiscus to the purples and reds of wild orchids. A bird called somewhere in the distance, and I could have sworn I heard the chatter of monkeys.
Kabita and I must have gone about two miles before we caught up with Haakon. The sun was high overhead, and breathing the jungle air was like inhaling soup, heavy and thick and way too hot. My body was screaming for a bottle of cold water.
He was crouched behind a clump of bushes. He waved us over, placing his forefinger on his lips. So now he wanted quiet? We scurried over and crouched beside him.
"What the hell?" I hissed. "I told you to wait for me."
"And I found the direction of our quarry. I knew you'd be able to follow."
"Uh, yeah. You left a freaking highway out there. A blind man could have followed."
He gave me an exasperated look. "Not me. The vampires. They were more worried about getting caught in the sun than being subtle."
"No shit."
"Why are we here?" Kabita interrupted our spat.
"Take a look." Haakon nodded in the general direction of the bushes.
After exchanging a glance, Kabita and I craned our necks to see around the shrubbery. We were at the edge of the jungle. Below us sprawled a small town built along the hillside, staggered so nearly every house had a magnificent view of the blue waters of the bay below. Beyond the bay, the ocean sparkled in the midday sun. Someone nearby was barbecuing. The scent of charcoal smoke and roasting meat made my mouth water and my stomach grumble. I hadn't eaten in a while.
"Okay," I said, sinking down next to Haakon. "The vamps headed here. But they couldn't have left the shelter of the trees. Not without dusting."
"Unless someone was waiting for them."
Shit. That wouldn't be good. An entire nest of vamps taking up residence in a town this size spelled nothing but trouble. I took another peek down the hill.
"All right, let's assume someone did meet them. Brought blankets or something. They still couldn't have gone far. For one thing they wouldn't have lasted long in full sun, even wrapped in blankets. For another, they would have been seen. A town this size, the gossip would be all over the place in minutes. I don't think whoever is hiding the nest would want that."
"Agreed," Haakon said. "That's why I'm thinking that house." He pointed to a pastel pink structure close to where we were hiding. It was only a short walk downhill. Someone moving fast could cover it in seconds.
"Makes sense," Kabita agreed. "It's the only one with a door on this side."
She was right. The wooden door had been painted pink to match the rest of the house, but anyone could clearly see there was a door. "A neighbor could still have seen something. There are plenty of windows facing this way."
"Yeah, but most people will be at work this time of day," Kabita pointed out. "And tourists will be down at the beach. If they moved fast, nobody would notice."
It made sense. But there was one way to know for sure. "You two stay here. I'll go check."
"Morgan…" Haakon started to say, but I ignored him.
I slipped from our hiding place and strode toward the pink house. I walked tall and easy, striding along as if I had every right to be there. I'd learned that, generally speaking, if you acted like you had a right to be in a place, everyone else assumed you did. Of course, that didn't work with vampires, but I was more concerned with neighbors than denizens of the night.
I walked straight up to the pink door and pretended to knock. Anyone
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