“Oh.”
They were both silent for a moment.
“So, that was the plan?” she finally asked. “Isolate me and then seduce me over and over until—”
“You enjoyed the seducing part; don’t lie.”
She couldn’t help but smile. “You played me.”
“I did.”
He was still as a statue, his arms around her tense.
“Well played, sir.”
She felt him relax and pull her even closer.
“I figured about a fifty-fifty chance that you’d kill me when you figured it out.”
“It’s a good thing I love you so much, then.”
“A good thing indeed.” He laughed and kissed the top of her head. “A very good thing. But you’re right. We should make land as quickly as possible.”
“We’ll have to approach the house with caution. Leonor knows it’s ours.”
“True.”
“So how long to get there?” She stood and began pacing the cabin. She was a bit worried until she saw his expression. “Terry?”
“Eh… I might have been dragging out the journey a bit.”
She narrowed her eyes. “How long?”
He glanced at the clock in the cabin. “This little thing isn’t hard to move if I just use my amnis… I could have us there an hour or so before dawn.”
“What, have we just been going in circles or something?”
His smile turned into a laugh, which turned into a roar. She punched his shoulder.
“You’re an ass, Terry.”
“But I’m your ass.”
“An ass! You know I don’t like being on the water, but you still—”
He pulled her down and stopped her mouth with a hard kiss. “Well played, remember?”
“And you’ll never be able to pull this again.”
“I should hope not.”
He patted her bum and rose from the soft pallet on the floor. Gemma looked around the room with a bit of sadness. To be completely safe, they’d have to get rid of the boat. Since it had been found once, it could be found again. It wasn’t large enough to defend properly and was useless for stealth…
“We’ll have another built,” Terry said, catching her expression. “If you like, I’ll build you a hundred.”
She shrugged. “It’s hardly necessary. But I do admit a certain fondness for this little room.”
“I do, too.”
Brushing off her melancholy, she focused on the tasks ahead. “Things in Spain could be quite interesting.”
“Since I told Leonor we were coming to negotiate that trade agreement with the Moroccans, I imagine you’re right.”
She gasped. “Terry! You included some business on our honeymoon?”
“Thought you’d appreciate the multi-tasking.”
“You do love me.”
“I know my girl.” He checked the video feed for the boat one more time before he held out a hand. “Can’t have you bored now, can we? Ready for general mayhem, luv?”
“Lead the way.”
The voyage to the mainland went quickly, with Gemma hiding inside the main cabin to avoid the stinging winds of the Atlantic as they made their way to the Rias de Galicia. The Northwest corner of Spain was marked by numerous jagged “rias,” deep sheltered bays dug into the granite of the Galician coast. It was an area ruled by the water. Tourists mingled with mussel farmers. Small sun-baked villages butted up to the water and tiny islands dotted many of the rias, making each a world unto itself in many ways. Terry and Gemma had a large house just outside of Muros in the Ria de Muros, one of the larger, warmer rias.
It was an area with little to no regular vampire population, but a surprising number of immortals used the place for meetings. It was convenient to reach from Northern Africa, France, and Spain, so many immortals with shipping interests made their way to negotiate deals or spend “quality time” with their allies.
Ria de Muros was a neutral place—as much as any place was neutral—and had the advantage of beautiful scenery and lively Spanish nightlife. Further, it was well within Leonor’s territory. And Leonor was known for fierce fairness.
The only drawback to their home in Muros was that it was known. They had an unassuming safe house outside one of the smaller villages, but their larger home would be watched. Gemma looked with longing toward the lights of the comfortable house that reflected in the water. If anyone had broken in or was laying in wait, she would be very put out.
“There’s not enough time tonight,” she heard Terry mutter as they drew closer in the small raft he’d inflated to take them to shore. “Not secure, luv, we’ll have to stay in the safe house until tomorrow.”
“Damn. They better not have touched the household staff.”
“They were sent to fail, remember?” He turned the boat around and headed back to the Conquest. “Whoever was sent after us was meant to fail. Which means whoever sent them is expecting us. They also probably know that we know. They’ll make their play in the open first. This is Muros. If they’re meeting us here, they’ve come for negotiation.”
Despite the late hour, it was tourist season, so the sounds of live music drifted across the small harbor that fronted the town. Even at four in the morning, humans could be heard in the taverns and on the streets. It was only part of what made the town—and the country of Spain in general—so appealing to vampires.