Vampirates 6: Immortal War Read Online Free

regret,” Sidorio said, “you’re fired!”
    He lifted the bewildered lieutenant up by his armpits and stepped toward the very edge of the ship. Sidorio released his hands, and Lt. Jewell made a hasty descent into the briny waters below.
    At the wheel, Caleb McDade grinned from ear to ear.
    “I see we share a sense of humor,” Sidorio said. “Righto, time I was going. Keep your eyes on the ocean and your hands on the wheel,
capisci
?”
    “Yes, Captain!”
    Sidorio felt satisfied that this one was up to the job.
    He glanced back to Stukeley, on board
The Redeemer
, then to Johnny, at the helm of
The Diablo
. “On the count of three!” he said. “
One… Two… Three
.”
    He propelled himself up into the air, flying high above the deck and next the dark, churning ocean itself. It was as if he were drawing the target ship effortlessly toward him, like a kite. Glancing swiftly to either side, he spied Stukeley and Johnny soaring through the night air in the same direction.
    Sidorio let out a satisfied roar.
Game on!

     
    On the deck of the pirate ship, Captain Jack Fallico was held fast in the clutches of Mimma and Holly, two of the feistiest Vampirates on Lola Lockwood-Sidorio’s crew. Captain Fallico was the only pirate left standing. The others lay scattered across the deck like so much flotsam and jetsam, their prostrate bodies silvery-gray in the meager light of the ship’s lanterns. Lola’s crew—dark-cloaked shadows—was busy at work, harvesting the blood of the newly dead.
    The pirate captain had put up a fight for a time, lashing and spitting at his captors. Now, at last, he seemed reconciled to his fate. His eyes gave a final flash of fire at the deliverer of his doom. Lady Lola Lockwood-Sidorio.
    “If you’re going to kill me, just kill me,” said the pirate captain bravely.
    Lola arched an eyebrow, giving nothing away. Feeling pleasantly giddy, she sniffed the air. The aroma of different blood types commingling on the deck was utterly intoxicating. She was already contemplating the intriguing blends she could create from tonight’s harvest.
    “Look here,” Captain Fallico snarled, “I’ve had enough of this! You’ve massacred my crew and taken my ship. You’re obviously going to kill me, too, so stop playing games and just get on with it, you vile, bloated vampire!”
    “
Bloated?
” Lady Lola stepped closer to her prey, the heels of her thigh-high sharkskin boots drumming on the bloodstained deck. “
Bloated?
How dare you! I’m not bloated, you mortal fool. I’m eight and a half months pregnant!” She lifted her cloak and proudly displayed her belly, snug under her maternity suit. Rubbing it proudly, she stepped forward and seized Captain Fallico’s rapier from where it had fallen onto the deck in front of him.
    “Live by the sword…” Lola began.
    “Captain!” exclaimed Mimma.
    Seeing the look in her deputy’s eyes, Lola paused. Killing a captain was a moment to savor—like uncorking a bottle long stored in the cellar and breathing in its heady perfume. Mimma must have good reason to interrupt her at a moment like this.
    Behind her, Lola now heard the whistling of air, followed by a thud.
    Turning, she saw her husband land on the deck, a fewmeters from her. Her face froze in dismay as Stukeley and Johnny dropped down on either side of him.
    Rapier still poised, Lola frowned at Sidorio. “What are
you
doing here?” she asked, no trace of warmth in her cut-glass voice.
    Sidorio’s jaw hung open. “What are
you
doing here? It’s almost your due date. You’re supposed to be taking it easy.” His eyes glanced protectively at his wife’s bulge.
    Lola rolled her eyes. “Must we have this conversation
again
? There are two types of pregnant women,” she declared. “Those who lie around for months reading magazines and demanding foot rubs, and the other category, to which I belong, who continue to attend to business.”
    With that, she turned away, lifted her sword, and