I should check on my partner.
As I stepped away from the railing, Teddy and Barbie resumed their sluggish stroll back inside the ship.
I kept myself about ten feet away, not wanting to repeat another close encounter. I had to drag my feet to prevent myself from catching up to their dawdling from the deck to the hallway of the first-class cabins.
Down to business. About time. If Teddy wanted blood, he could have a taste of mine before I finished him off and removed one more predator from the world. You’re welcome, humanity.
Teddy knocked on a door with his meaty fist. Even from afar, I could hear a male bellow, “Occupied!” Another couple hadn’t made it to a cabin and were straight up fucking against the wall of the corridor. Clothes covered body parts, but they didn’t bother concealing what they were up to. A man wearing a deerskin vest over his bare chest, baggy khakis revealing his ass crack, and antlers protruding from his head pounded into a thin purple-haired woman wearing iridescent wings. Her slender legs wrapped around Deer Man’s waist like a vise. Little bells jingled from her ankle bracelets as she rode the dude like a wild beast she intended to tame. Her wings fluttered and lit up in an impressive display of motion. Must have cost her a pretty penny for such an elaborate pair.
Teddy paused to watch the costumed couple go at it.
“Blade,” Barbie whined. She tugged his arm, but he was a mountain. “What if all the rooms are full? My feet hurt. I want to lie down.”
Teddy wrenched his attention away from the erotic display of animalistic ecstasy and escorted Barbie down the hall. I had a more difficult time following. It wasn’t every day I saw a deer man fucking a faerie. Shit. This Halloween party was crazy wild. Awesome and also concerning. What if Noel had gotten caught up in the moment?
My stomach tightened into a fist.
As soon as Teddy Bear bit into Barbie, I was checking on my partner. That shirtless douche didn’t deserve to hook up with a chick as kick-ass as Harper. I really should throw him overboard, right after Teddy. Poor Ted. He didn’t seem too bad, other than his choice of nickname. I mean, Blade. Come on. It was almost as bad as Fane. As far as Teddy’s taste in women, meh, couldn’t blame a guy for falling for a hot piece of ass.
That hot ass was currently disappearing inside a cabin. Teddy had found them private quarters. I noted the location then turned sideways and grabbed the handle of a door as though I meant to go inside. I looked sideways and watched Teddy follow Barbie inside the cabin before closing the door. Releasing the handle, I made my way to their door, leaning against the wall beside it.
While I waited, allowing Teddy time to incriminate himself, I hummed “California Girls.” With all due respect to The Beach Boys, I had to disagree with the California dream girls. I did, however, like their lines about Northern girls with their kissing and keeping their boyfriends warm at night. Aw, yeah. Northern honies were the very best. Alaska grown, baby.
I finished the song, then tried the door. Locked. No surprise. I lifted my fist and knocked, expecting Teddy’s booming voice to answer. But it was Barbie who yelled, “Go away!”
Sorry, sweetheart, your dumb ass needs saving even if you don’t know it yet.
“Room service,” I called.
“We didn’t order room service,” Barbie snapped on the other side of the door.
No duh. This was a one-night affair, not a luxury cruise through the Bahamas. Oh, Teddy, you poor sucker.
“Room service,” I repeated.
A door down the hall opened, and a man’s head poked out. “Did you say room service? Can you bring us a bottle of champagne and two glasses?”
I snorted. “Dude, do I look like a waiter?”
The guy stared at me. I looked down at my standard black tux pants and white dress shirt. Yeah, maybe I did look like staff—not that the waiters or bouncers had any uniforms. Far from it. The dress code at this event was whatever took your fancy as the deer man and faerie’s panting down the corridor so pleasantly reminded me.
“Get your own champagne,” I told the guy.
He huffed then ducked back inside his room with a slam of the door.
I pounded on Teddy’s door. “I have the liquid refreshment you wanted.”
No answer.
I slammed my shoulder into the door. My arm ached after contact. I’d just have to find a fire extinguisher or an ax and bust through. As I stepped back, the door was wrenched open by a pair of sparkling pink polished nails. I could feel Barbie’s glare even though my eyes were fixed on her boobs. Sweet perfection. Hey, just an admirer. I wasn’t a creeper or a groper. Nothing but respect—especially for tits like Barb’s.
“Hey, asshole. Get lost before I tell my boyfriend to toss you overboard.”
The metallic tang of fresh blood filled my nostrils. Barbie’s neck was bleeding again and starting to bruise where her burly vampire had bitten her.
“Language, sweetheart. Is that any way to speak to a superhero?” I smirked and pushed past her, entering the lavish cabin to face off with Teddy. “Why don’t you chew on someone your own size?”
Right. So Teddy towered over me by about half a foot. His broad shoulders were bunched up and muscles flexed into hard baseball-sized ridges. Thick eyebrows furrowed and teeth bared in outrage, Teddy was in grizzly mode.
“Kick this pansy’s ass, Blade,” Barbie commanded.
Excuse me? Pansy? Shit, I should come back later—let Teddy rip out Barbie’s throat then return and end him for good. But I had a sworn duty to protect all humans, even bitchy blondes. Ashley’s face flashed through my head. Not the time to ruminate, man.
“Well, it’s a party. Let’s dance.” I spread my arms wide and jerked up my chin.
Teddy thundered toward me, lowering his thick skull like a battering ram. I sidestepped his attempted tackle with the grace of a bullfighter. Teddy’s boots slammed over the floor.
Fee-fi-fo-fum.
I had to bring this giant down.
Swinging around, I charged, purposely letting our bodies collide and tumble. Teddy tried to throw his bulky weight on top of me, but I was too quick, scrambling to the side as we hit the floor side by side. I rolled over onto all fours while he struggled on his back.
“That’s right, Blade. Get him!” Barbie must have lost her wits long ago. “Can’t you see this room is occupied,” she snapped a second later at someone in the corridor.
Barbie put her hands on her hips. I peered past her legs to an African American cutie with long black braids staring in. She had way cooler style sense than Blondie. Our lovely spectator wore a long, fitted black dress and killer serpent cuffs around her wrists.
“Sorry,” she said, throwing her hands up. “The door was ajar, so I just—”
“Give me about five minutes and I’ll have this room cleared out for you, ma’am.” I flashed her a grin.
The woman backed out, disappearing into the corridor.
“How dare you!” Barbie screeched.
Ignoring her, I scrambled over Teddy and bit into my wrist, tearing through skin with the blunt end of my teeth with a hiss. There was a reason vampires got some or all of their molars sharpened. No retractable fangs like in movies.
Warm blood dripped down my arm.
“Here ya go, buddy. Drink up.” I held my wrist over Teddy’s face.