Page 44 of Kiss of the Vampire

Later that night, Levka rolled over on his own mattress and saw Ruric was no longer in bed with Stasio. “Stasio, where’s Ruric?”

Arman sat up. “What’s going on?”

Stasio glanced at the empty space in his bed. “Gone.”

Running his hands through his disheveled hair, Levka groaned. “We need to find him.”

Arman growled. “You’d think after so many years he’d outgrow walking in his sleep.”

“I’ll go,” Stasio said, already slipping into his jeans.

Looking at Levka’s stern face, Arman let out his breath in exasperation. “We’ll all go.”

Once they left the stateroom, Levka shouted in his harshest telepathic voice, “Ruric, where are you?”

"Gently," Arman warned, going aft while the others went in the opposite direction. “It’s dangerous to wake a sleepwalker suddenly.”

“I swear I’m going to start tying him to the bed,” Levka said.

“I see him.” Stasio flew to where Ruric stood staring at the railing. “Come back to bed, Ruric. Time to sleep.”

“He knows he shouldn’t stay up too late. It always makes him sleepwalk,” Arman grumbled.

They all returned to bed, but after an hour had passed, humid air from the sea blew in through the balcony door. Levka stared at the open door, then glanced back at Ruric and Stasio’s bed. Ruric was gone again.

“I swear he’s a descendent of Eric the Red and he’s considering his next navigational course.” Stasio walked out onto the balcony and nudged Ruric to return to bed.

This time Levka stood next to the bed holding a pair of socks knotted together. Stasio raised his brows as he guided Ruric into bed.

“I’m sleeping the rest of the night. No more of this nonsense.” Levka tied one of Ruric’s wrists to the headboard.

Stasio shook his head. “You’d better tell him in the morning that you did it to him for his health.”

Returning to bed, Levka punched his pillow into shape. “I did. If he wakes me one more time tonight, I’m liable to push him off into the briny deep.”

***

The next morning the ship docked at the Dutch Caribbean island of Curacao where colorful pastel buildings sat squashed against each other along the waterfront.

Levka hurried to meet Caitlin at her stateroom. She was wearing a baseball cap and carrying a purse. “Are you going ashore?” He wished he’d thought to question her earlier.

“Yes, I’m sorry. I should have mentioned it to you. Thomas paid for excursions for each island. I’m going on a tour of the island, caves, and a rum factory.”

“And Alicia?” he asked, as they appeared to be in a footrace to the dining hall.

“She’s coming, but she’s an awful grouch. Muttering something all morning about Dylan leaving her without saying goodnight.”

Levka smiled.

“Are you going ashore?”

“Maybe the next island. We hadn’t made any arrangements to get off here.”

“Make sure it’s the same excursion I’m on.”

“If I leave the ship, it will be.”

When they reached the dining room, they found Lynne already sitting at the table with Levka’s friends. Alicia raced to catch up to them and took her seat.