Sweep of the Heart (Innkeeper Chronicles #5)(64)

Orro opened one eye, glanced at the incoming cruiser, yawned, waved at Droplet with a limp hand, and fell back asleep.

Sean got up and pulled off his robe. He wore a dark combat suit underneath. The subcutaneous armor that masqueraded as his tattoos expanded, sliding in a black wave over his neck. He held a knife with a green-edged blade. His eyes were clear and bright.

The water drained down. Alien fish and long serpentine creatures rolled and slid over the void field dome, tumbling back into the orange depths.

Sean pulled a thick inn branch out of the floor. It wound around him.

“I need a hole,” Sean said.

Being in love with a werewolf: enjoying unwavering support interrupted by moments of intense terror. This was a terror moment. He trusted me, and I had to trust him.

The cruiser hovered right in front of us. They couldn’t believe it. They had come in for a closer look.

I split the void field, parting it like pages of a book.

The branch grasping Sean snapped, flinging him into the air. Gorvar jumped up on his table and let loose an eerie, hair-raising howl. Sean landed on top of the cruiser and stabbed it.

Yep, that’s exactly what I thought he would do.

The knife carved through hull steel like it was butter. Sean’s body broke, expanding into a large shape in a blink. Dark fur sheathed his head. He grasped the edge of the ballistic plate with his clawed hand and tore it off. It fell into the water, and he dropped into the hole he made.

I reinstated the void field and sat back in my chair.

Gorvar kept howling.

The cruiser hovered in place. They had to have seen him cut his way in. They thought they could either kill him or neutralize him.

“Awoooo!!!”

“Come here,” I called.

The big wolf leaped off the table and ran over to me.

“He will be fine,” I told him, petting his furry shoulder. “This is what he does.”

The lupine beast sat next to me and stared at the cruiser. I did, too. Judging by the size, it had a crew of anywhere between 50-100, and all of them would be armed and used to close-quarters combat. Sean had his claws and a knife. I exhaled slowly, trying to vent my anxiety with it.

Gertrude Hunt moved the screen it had sprouted for Cyanide in front of me. I looked at it. A call from Cookie’s quarters. I accepted the communication, and the little lees appeared on the screen.

“Good news,” he said. “Everything your contact told you checked out. I have independent verification from multiple sources. He is a pirate prince.”

The cruiser shuddered. The void field ate the sound, but it looked like something might have exploded.

“That’s great,” I said.

“Does he have access to any outside communications?” Cookie asked.

“No. He is completely isolated.”

Cookie nodded. “That’s good. That’s very good. They can’t warn him.”

The cruiser listed to the right and began to spin in slow motion, moving away from the inn.

“Why would they know to warn him?” I asked.

“There were complications.”

The cruiser was upside down now, its barrels turning randomly.

“You promised to be careful.”

Cookie looked taken aback. “I’m always careful. But they were very alert. I think they know that we suspect, or they suspect that we know.”

“You don’t say.”

The cruiser broke in half. Explosions flashed in the gap. The stern half slid and plunged into the ocean, sending another massive wave toward us. Watching it all without the sound felt surreal.

“I wanted to warn you in case they attempt to attack. Forewarned is forearmed.”

“Thank you, but your timing sucks.”

I turned the screen so he could see the remaining chunk of the cruiser slowly slide toward the waves.

“Oooooooh,” Cookie said.

Tony came striding out of the dining hall and said in a great imitation of an English accent. “I felt a great disturbance… Oh hell.”

The remaining half of the cruiser landed in the waters and broke apart.

“Did you fire at it?” Tony asked.

I shook my head.

Tony looked around. “Where is Sean?”

“Take a wild guess.”

He stabbed his finger at the fracturing hull of the sinking cruiser. “Is Sean in there?”

I nodded.

“How…?”

“He used the inn to throw himself at it.”

“Does he know you have anti-aircraft weapons?”

“He does. He installed half of them. He is making a statement.”

Tony landed in Sean’s chair. I dismissed Cookie’s screen and watched the underwater explosions flash.

“Does he do this kind of thing a lot?” Tony asked.

“Define ‘a lot.’”

“I’m sorry,” Tony said. “This must be very stressful.”

“Not as stressful at it is for the pirates inside. He is slaughtering them in there.”

“That’s not what I meant,” Tony said.

“I know. Thank you for caring. It is stressful, but I picked him, and I have no regrets.”

We sat quietly for a few moments. The cruiser was almost completely submerged now. Only a corner of the hull protruded above the waves. The sea around the wreck churned, as the local wildlife realized there were delicious meaty bits inside.