Real Vampires: Glory and the Pirates by Bartlett, Gerry (red white royal blue TXT) 📕

challenge. She walked up to where the captain still talked to Florence and almost pushed my new friend aside.

“Captain Burnett, I’m sure you are almost starving. I am so sorry to have kept everyone waiting. The housekeeper’s baby is so very dear.” She glanced at Flo. “My dear Madame daVinci, will you be joining us?” Her smile never wavered. She already knew Flo never ate at the table. If she wondered where and when the Campbell men and their women ate, she kept her questions to herself.

Captain Burnett looked a little surprised as Flo hastily handed him off to Lady Anne.

“So kind of you to ask, but I must go now. Gloriana has promised me a walk down to where the ships are loading. We must see if our men are too busy to play a little, right, amica?” Flo walked over to me. “Captain, it was a pleasure talking to you, eh?” She fluttered her fingers at him then hurried me out the door. Once outside she started giggling.

“What is it?” I kept walking, taking the small door next to the drawbridge that led outside. Valdez caught up with us before we had taken more than two steps.

“I, how you say, warmed him up for her. Did you see how he stared at il mio seno?”

“If you are talking about your bosom, of course I did. Every man in the hall stared. Your pearl dangling there was the finishing touch. They couldn’t look away.” I giggled with her, both of us laughing until we had tears in our eyes and had to hold onto each other. “Well done, my friend.” I gasped.

“Do you think she will go through with it? Invite him into her bed?” Flo shivered and glanced back at a frowning Valdez. He’d been watching us, not a bit amused by our silliness. “Oh, I miss Italia. The warm nights, the warm men. I should have brought my cloak. Valdez, could you run get it for me?”

“No, I could not.” Valdez stayed where he was. “You know you don’t feel the cold, Madame daVinci. You just like your velvet cloak and think it might be wise to cover yourself before Laird Campbell sees you showing your assets to every man in the great hall.” He ignored Florence’s gestures and spate of Italian. “Gloriana, are you comfortable? Do you need a cloak? I can send a lad for it.”

“I am fine. It is a beautiful spring night, despite your frowning face.” I opened my arms to the sky. “Yes, I think Lady Anne is going to seduce the captain. If she’s lucky, he will fall in love and demand marriage. Even better, he will plant a little bun in her oven.” I laughed again and started walking.

“Wouldn’t that be wonderful?” Florence frowned at Valdez. “You are a horrible bodyguard. You listen to our every word and disapprove like una vecchia nonna. Do you ever have fun? Quit glowering at us. Glory should replace you.”

“I offered to leave. She decided to keep me. Right, Glory?” Valdez bowed at her then kept pace with us.

They both had started calling me Glory. I decided I liked it, but I was still not happy with Valdez. I couldn’t deny he seemed good at what he did. This night he was watching the trail we walked on and keeping his hand on his sword. I had my knives and Florence seemed ready to shift at the first sign of trouble.

He could frown all he wanted. Flo made me laugh when she’d called him an old grandmother. Fine. Maybe that was what I needed to keep me safe. I just hoped as we neared the beach that no trouble waited for us there.

8

Bloody Bay. I couldn’t get that name out of my mind as we arrived at the site where men were loading cargo into small boats. They were rowing out to the three ships sitting at anchor in the moonlight. Clouds scudded across the sky and the wind picked up as we approached the water.

Jeremiah and Laird Campbell were directing men who struggled to shove a large gun on wheels through the sand. It must have been horribly heavy. It took a dozen men to get the gun up and inside. The only way they managed was that they took it apart—wheels went in first, then the long barrel. Once in, the boat was so low in the water, I wondered it didn’t sink. Our men were so focused on the problem of lifting the thing into the craft, that they hadn’t noticed our arrival.

“Is that what I think it is?” I stayed back from the wavelets as the men pushed the boat further out then clambered aboard to begin rowing.

“Our new cannon. It will surely blast the pirate ships to bits. Our spies say they have a castle on a promontory looking over the harbor. If we get close enough to it, we can even do serious damage there.” Jeremiah had finally joined me. “I ordered it before we left Edinburgh but it only arrived today while we slept.”

“It’s as big as those on the ramparts at Edinburgh Castle!” I knew he had smaller ones on the ships already. He’d talked about them endlessly. Jeremiah did love his weapons.

“I am taking no chances. Those damned pirates have done enough damage here. We must wipe them out once and for all.” He frowned at the boat making slow progress, wallowing in what looked like rough seas to me. “I must go out and see to the loading. I didn’t expect you, Gloriana. You usually stay away from here.”

“I didn’t want to distract you.” I gave him a quick kiss. “I know you are leaving tomorrow night and just wanted to see how you are preparing. The ships are riding very low in the water, Jeremiah. Are the soldiers already on board?”

“Aye. They are sorting out their battle placement so that we have everything ready. We will do our best