Rico’s eyes narrowed and his nostrils flared. “Will somebody stop him from bleeding all over my ship? He’s making a mess. And he’s making me hungry.”
“I’ll go get something.” Daisy jumped to her feet and hurried from the room. Nobody said a word. Rico strolled to his chair and threw himself down. Callum’s legs trembled, but he waited until the vampire was seated before he sank into the nearest chair, perching on the front to accommodate his wings.
Daisy returned a minute later, her expression sympathetic as she handed him a damp towel. He pressed it to his face and realized his hand shook as well.
Callum couldn’t remember the last time someone had hit him. He reckoned it must have been back on Earth over a thousand years ago. Shit, his nose hurt.
But one thing was for sure—he wasn’t bored any longer. The corners of his mouth twitched in the beginnings of a smile. Tannis glanced at him sharply, and he blanked his expression.
“Right,” she said. “If everyone has finished playing, perhaps we could we get on with the meeting now?”
Rico grinned. “Aye, aye, Captain.”
She ignored him and turned her attention to Callum. “So you’re paying us a lot of money—what do you want in return?”
The blunt question surprised him; he’d prefer to keep his plans to as few people as possible. “Can we discuss this in private?”
“No.” She waved a hand around the room. “They’re going to be there and they have a right to know. Besides, I don’t keep secrets from my crew. So talk.”
Wincing, he sat back and prodded his nose. It was definitely broken, and he’d gotten blood all over his shirt. And he had no more clothes. Why hadn’t he thought to bring luggage? The problem was he’d had people to do everything for him, until he’d just about lost the ability to think for himself. He was almost embarrassed.
What to tell them, when he hadn’t expected to have to explain anything? He’d planned to have his bodyguards deal with any awkward questions and keep the crew in line.
“I need to lay low for a while.”
“Why?”
Annoyance flicked at his nerve endings. He was also unused to having to justify himself. Why couldn’t she accept what he said and just do what she was told? When he remained silent, she raised one arched brow, and he pushed down his irritation and organized his thoughts. “The Council was against us revealing the changes.” He gestured at his wings. “They wanted to keep them hidden, pretend they weren’t happening.”
“A little hard to hide,” Rico murmured.
Callum ignored the interruption. “I decided my people had a right to the truth. They should know what was going on with their leaders—”
“My people?” Rico scoffed. “Has anyone ever told you you’re a pompous git? And are you really expecting us to believe you’re doing this out of pure altruism. I mean—do we look like idiots?”
Someone tittered.
Callum gritted his teeth and took a deep breath. “Okay, I want to know the truth. I want to find out what we’re becoming, and I’m fed up with hiding.”
“That sounds more like it.”
“So I needed somewhere to lay low until they cool down and are willing to listen.”
“Is anyone buying this crap?” Rico said. “You know this is a load of bollocks. I say we take a vote and shove him out the airlock. Get rid of the problem.”
They really didn’t like him. But he wasn’t too worried. He’d only handed over half of the fee so far—the rest they would get when the job was over. If they were still alive.
Tannis must have realized that her money was at risk, and she shrugged almost apologetically. “Rico has a little problem with the fact that you messed with Skylar’s head. And you did spend a lot of effort recently, trying to kill us.”
“You assassinated one of us first,” Callum countered.
“Yeah, but he paid for the job himself—it was actually suicide,” Rico pointed out. “Besides, Aiden Ross was an asshole. We were doing you a favor.”
“Jesus, it’s like kindergarten in here.” Tannis pressed her fingers into her short hair.
It was damp, slicked back from her face. She must have showered since he’d come on board. Had she needed cooling down after he’d kissed her? Though remembering her reaction, he doubted that had been the reason—more likely wanted to scrub herself clean. The idea intrigued him.
“So, you want to lie low,” she said. “What else?”
“I’ve arranged to meet with my head of research. In two days’ time on Trakis Two. Then we’ll make a plan. I might or might not need you after that. But if I do, I’ll pay you more. The fee I’ve offered so far is for keeping me out of the way for two days and then getting me to Trakis Two. Easy money.”
“Sounds too easy.”
“Well, there is something else you need to know.”
She gave an exaggerated sigh. “And that is?”
“I just got a report that the Council has sent the Corps after me.”