The deck of the Blood Captain was complete chaos. There were people fighting everywhere, most injured in some form or another. The going was tough for Lorcan as he slipped through the fighting. The moment he had stepped foot on the deck, he'd been attacked but he had managed to get away with only a cut on his forearm. The blood had soaked into his sleeve so most of the white cloth was stained red.

Moving off the deck and down the corridor, the noise level dropped significantly. Though, he could still hear movement. He quickened his pace, listening closely for anything that point to where Grace was being kept. As he turned the corner, he forced himself to stop only a second before he ran into someone with a lean build and auburn hair. "Connor!"

Connor's green eyes widened in shock. Lorcan! What was he doing here?! "What are you doing here?"

"Looking for Grace."

"What?!"

At the sound of quickly approaching footsteps, Lorcan grabbed Connor by the arm and dragged him into the nearest open room, shutting the door behind him. Neither spoke until the footsteps faded away.

"Lorcan, what's going on?" Connor demanded. "Where's Grace?"

"Somewhere on the ship." Lorcan turned his sharp blue eyes to Connor. He could see the young male's muscles tense. "She was kidnapped by Sidorio's crew."

"Why?" What would Sidorio want with Grace? Did he decide Cheng Li's threat didn't matter anymore since he now had Grace? Then what was stopping him from coming after Connor?

"I don't know," Lorcan told him. "But we have to find Grace and get her back on the Nocturne before anyone realizes we're here."

Connor nodded. After peering out of the room, both males hurried down the empty halls, searching for any sign of Grace. "Any idea where they'd keep her?"

"None."

"Wait. Did you hear that?"

"Here what?"

Connor slid around the corner, hearing the faint sound of … of… pacing? He walked up to a door and pressed his ear against it. Someone was pacing inside the room. He grasped the doorknob and slowly opened the door, looking in. Then, he swung the door open. "Grace!"

Grace jumped when she suddenly heard her brother's voice. Turning, she was caught up in Lorcan's arms. After taking a moment to figure out what was going on, she wrapped her arms around his neck. She buried her face in the crook of his neck, holding him tightly. Lorcan pressed his face into her hair, trying to convince himself that this wasn't a dream and that he really did have Grace in his arms. "Oh Grace, I'm so sorry," he murmured.

She just shook her head, eyes closed tightly. She clung to him like her life depended on it, only opening her eyes when the illusion of having their own little world was destroyed by the ring of a sword being unsheathed. Releasing each other, both Lorcan and Grace turned to see Connor tightly gripping his rapier, facing Johnny who stood in the doorway, his expression unreadable. Grace felt her stomach flip over and fought the urge to hide behind Lorcan. Oh, if only she'd taken more sword fighting lessons during her short stay aboard the Diablo. But, then again, sword fighting lessons didn't do much good if one didn't have a sword.

"If three's a crowd then what's four?" Johnny's rage came out in his tone, and his eyes which blazed.

"We've come to get Grace," Lorcan told him, eyes narrowing in a glare. When Johnny tightened his grip on his sword, he added, "Please Johnny, you must realize she shouldn't be here. It's not safe for her."

Johnny blinked and looked away, his anger wavering. He frowned. Lorcan was right, though it killed him to admit it, even silently. The fresh bite mark on Grace's chest and her torn shirt just reinforced what he was saying. He didn't want to give Grace up but he couldn't bear the thought of her getting hurt, or even killed, because he forced her to stay.

After several long seconds of thought, he stepped back and aside. "Hurry," he said.

Hesitating, the three stepped past him and into the corridor. He watched them, her, intently. As they started down the corridor, he followed after them, but kept at a distance. Their hurried footsteps drummed against the wooden floors as they twisted and turned down the maze of corridors. As they turned one particular corner, they all skidded to a halt; Lorcan slammed into Connor and Grace found herself sandwiched between Lorcan and Johnny. Lorcan stared over Connor's head and Grace and Johnny looked to opposite sides to look past Lorcan.

The blond-haired Vampirate stood in the middle of the corridor, gripping a sword in both hands. He had a large cut on his forehead, blood trickled down the side of his face, just barely missing the eyes that were, in fact, blue. "Well, well. What do we have here?" His voice was even more terrifying than when he had caught Grace on the deck.

Lorcan stepped aside to stand beside Connor. Grace's heart raced as Johnny stepped beside, and slightly ahead, of her. She knew this Vampirate was outnumbered but something in her said this was going to be dangerous for the men protecting her.

Lorcan tightened his grip on the sword in his grip and, with Connor matching his steps, rushed forward, sword poised to strike. Both males lashed out, the blond raised both swords to block both blows. While they pulled back to strike again, the Vampirate crossed his arms then, as he uncrossed them, reached forward, his blades cutting through Lorcan's shirt over his collar bone and Connor across his left bicep.

The Vampirate lashed out again and again, forcing both Lorcan and Connor back further and further. Connor jumped back, just out of reach of a blow aimed at his throat. He turned and looked back at Johnny and Grace. "Get her out of here!"

Johnny didn't need to be told twice. He grabbed Grace's arm and took off, away from the three fighters. Grace ran after him but looked back at the two men that meant the world to her before they disappeared from view. She looked back ahead and ran beside Johnny. She had no choice but to trust him to get her out of there in one piece.

They saw no one as they made their way quickly through the maze. Within minutes, the faint sound of battle registered in her ears. They turned the corner and froze. Before them was the doorway onto the deck. Wounded bodies littered the deck, both human and Vampirate. She was pretty sure some of them were dead.

Johnny suddenly spun around and raised his sword in time to block a strike that would have severed his head from his neck. The blond Vampirate stood there, one blade locked with Johnny. He had blood soaking into his clothes from various gashes in his torso and legs. He pulled back his other hand and brought the second blade down on Johnny's arm. The man cried out and freed his sword from the blond's.

"Grace!" They were all momentarily distracted by Lorcan and Connor appearing around the corner, both having fresh wounds lacing their arms, their sleeves in shreds. While the blond was distracted, Johnny raised his sword and brought it down on one of his shoulders. The Vampirate cried out in pain and leapt out of Johnny's reach but the vaquero went after him.

While the blond was busy with Johnny, Lorcan and Connor slipped past them. "Get out of here!" Johnny yelled, grasping one of the blond's wrists and twisting it. "Go!"

Lorcan grasped Grace's hand and rushed out to the side of the deck, Connor on her other side. The fighting was terrifyingly close but no one paid attention to them. The people on the deck of the Nocturne were yelling at Lorcan and Grace to hurry up. "No!" The cry caught their attention and their turned to see the blond right behind them, swords raised and ready to come down for a killing strike. But he never got the chance.

One blow sent him flying, but the blow didn't come from Lorcan nor Grace nor Connor, not even Johnny. Sidorio watched as the blond Vampirate struggled to get up but failed miserably. He turned his attention to the shocked expressions of the three. "What are you waiting for? Go!"

Lorcan shook his head and wrapped an arm around Grace's waist, her instinctively locked her arms around his neck. The crew of the Nocturne threw a rope to them which was attached to the rigging above so they could swing over. Lorcan grabbed the rope. "Hold on," he murmured to Grace before they swung across. They landed among the crew who reached forward to steady them. The moment they weren't in danger of falling over, they were tackle-hugged by crying Darcy.

Johnny watched with Sidorio on the deck of the Blood Captain. She was safe on the Nocturne. They would look after her better than he ever could. The place where his heart been ached beyond words. But at least she was happy. He watched as he caught a glimpse of her. She was smiling. Turning her head, their eyes locked. She was smiling at him, but it was a sad smile. Then she was gone within the crowd as the Nocturne made its escape into the night. They could never be together, but he knew they would see each other again. But, until then, he turned and leapt back into battle, defending his ship and his crew.

Sorry guys, that's it. I know I promised at least two more chapters but I managed to get it into one. And that's it. The end. Hope you liked it. Read and review.