Krewe of Hunters Compilation: 3 Stories by Heather Graham (Crimson Twilight\ When Irish Eyes Are Haunting\ All Hallows Eve) (1001 Dark Nights Series)
Author: Heather Graham
Date: 2017-03-31 00:00:00+00:00
Description: Crimson Twilight It's a happy time for Sloan Trent and Jane Everett. What could be happier than the event of their wedding? Their Krewe friends will all be there and the event will take place in a medieval castle transported brick by brick to the New England coast. Everyone is festive and thrilled . . . until the priest turns up dead just hours before the nuptials. Jane and Sloan must find the truth behind the man and the murder-the secrets of the living and the dead-before they find themselves bound for eternity-not in wedded bliss but in the darkness of an historical wrong and their own brut
Publisher: Evil Eye Concepts, Incorporated

Crimson Horizon

Blood of the Sea, Book One

Heather Renee

Lela Grayce

Crimson Horizon © Copyright 2018 by Heather Renee and Lela Grayce

All rights reserved under the International and Pan-American Copyright Conventions. No parts of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or otherwise, without the written permission of the author.

This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents either are the product of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously. Any resemblance to actual persons, alive or dead, is purely coincidental.

For more information on reproducing sections of this book or sales of this book, email heatherreneeauthor@yahoo.com or lela.grayce.author@gmail.com.

ISBN: 978-1729182673

Editing: Jamie from Holmes Edits and Stephany Wallace

Cover: Covers by Juan

Contents

Chapter 1

Chapter 2

Chapter 3

Chapter 4

Chapter 5

Chapter 6

Chapter 7

Chapter 8

Chapter 9

Chapter 10

Chapter 11

Chapter 12

Chapter 13

Chapter 14

Chapter 15

Chapter 16

Chapter 17

Chapter 18

Connect with the Authors

Acknowledgments

About the Authors

Also by Heather Renee

Also by Lela Grayce

Dedication

Heather:

Lela, don’t forget you’re my wench.

XOXO,

Your Tyrant

Lela:

To Chris Hemsworth

I’m flattered and I think you’re a great guy, but I’m happily married. I think we should just remain friends.

Thank you for understanding.

PS: I’m sorry, Heather. I never meant for you to find out this way.

Chapter One

My tired gaze roamed the walls as I sat at our kitchen table, pondering how my life had become so controlled and predictable. Every day was the same. Wake up, feed the animals, and help Aunt May prepare the day’s food before doing the washing and mending. Then, we’d wait for Uncle David to arrive home and serve him after his hard day’s work out in the fields.

There had to be more to life. I craved more, but every time I thought I was making progress in becoming my own person, my uncle was sure to show me that it was only a dream I needed to throw away. Women weren’t supposed to be independent, and he was quick to remind me of that anytime he felt the need.

I was not a servant, but I sure as hell felt like one. Even more so the day my uncle announced he had made a business deal with Pierce Ambrose.

Pierce was one of the wealthiest men on our small island. He owned a plantation a few miles from our farm, and a decent amount of the businesses in Port Victory—all for which he had never done a hard day of work in his life. It had all been handed to him on a silver platter when his parents died under suspicious circumstances a couple of years ago.

Now, I was being offered to him by my aunt and uncle, so they could save their failing farm.

I tried not to resent them. After all, they had taken me in when I was orphaned at the young age of five, but I was an adult now. Nineteen years old, meaning I didn’t have to follow through with the arranged marriage. Running away and trying to figure out another path for myself was an option, but as I moved my stare from the wall to Aunt May, I couldn’t help feeling guilty when I thought of leaving. She had stepped in as a mother for me when she didn’t have to, leaving me to feel forever in her debt.

Her once-vibrant blonde hair was now iced in silver, and her sage green eyes that held so much wisdom were surrounded by soft wrinkles. She tried to advocate for me—to make Uncle David see reason—but when he laid it all out there, saying it was my happiness or the farm and their livelihood, there hadn’t been much room for argument.

“Lavinia, dear,” Aunt May cooed. “You’ve hardly touched your food. Are you well?”

My dark hair swayed as I nodded. “Just feeling tired today.”

Uncle David grunted. “You don’t know what it means to be tired, child. You’re lucky Pierce wants you, or you’d be in the fields with me each morning, instead of helping in the house.”

He never minced words, so I knew exactly where I stood with Uncle David. I was the child he never wanted. He had wanted sons to leave his land to one day, not a daughter with whom he didn’t even share the same blood. Aunt May was my mother’s sister, which was how I ended up with them after my parents’ passing.

He couldn’t wait to get rid of me. I was an obligation. To be honest, he was lucky my aunt’s heart was pure gold or I’d have left long ago.

Pushing my food around the plate, I ignored his comment. I knew to pick my battles with him. Today was not one of those days. Aunt May began clearing plates. I moved to help her, but she placed a gentle hand on my shoulder.

“Why don’t you go wash up for bed?” she suggested.

My gaze shifted to Uncle David to make sure he wasn’t going to argue her suggestion, but he was already making his way to his favorite chair in the sitting room, with a stiff drink in his hand. It was probably best if I was out of sight, anyway. A storm was brewing inside him; I could sense it coming, and I would try to avoid it at all costs.

I walked out of the kitchen and down the small hallway. Their bedroom was on the right side, and on the left was my room, which was once a large food pantry. It barely held a single bed and a small shelf for my personal items, with no window to let in natural light. It was my own personal dungeon.

My back slid against the wall as I made my way to the shelf to grab my sleep gown and brush before heading to the washroom. It was close to the same size as my bedroom, and the only room in the house Uncle David hadn’t skimped on when he built their home twenty years ago. Even though he worked in the dirt all day, he always made sure he appeared as if he came from luxury.

Whenever he left the farm for town, he would wear only his finest clothes and wash as if he hadn’t stepped foot in a field for years. When he was cleaned up, his sun-stained skin made his blue eyes almost sparkle, giving a false sense of friendliness I knew wasn’t there.

I could see how my sweet Aunt May had fallen for him. He was a smooth talker, and very persuasive, which was how I ended up betrothed to Pierce.

Setting my items on the counter in the washroom, I shuddered at the memory of that day.

Uncle David had brought home a handmade, one-of-a-kind dress just for me. I had been so enthralled with the soft, cream-colored material that I missed the gleeful glint in his eyes.

We went to town for the first time as a family, so I thought maybe the old man had begun to soften his heart toward me, but when he waltzed me into Pierce’s general store, my heart shattered.

“David, where have you been keeping this gem hidden?” Pierce had asked as they shook hands.

Pierce was a handsome man, I couldn’t deny that, all broad shoulders and dreamy blue eyes, with dark cropped hair. But his smile… there was something sinister about it. It wasn’t warm or welcoming in any way.

His cold hand wrapped around mine, before bringing it to his mouth for a kiss. “I’m Pierce, and whom might you be?”

I politely pulled my hand back. “Lavinia Maycott.”

He took a perusing gaze at my body, then turned back to Uncle David. “Shall we discuss business?”

That had been all I needed to know then. I had been sold like a harlot. The only kindness I had been given was that Pierce promised to court me and wait the suitable time before claiming me.

Of course, that had been for his benefit, not mine. He didn’t want to appear improper by acquiring a new wife without following the standard etiquette for our community. A man needed to court a woman for one year’s time before he was allowed to claim her. It was one of the few rights we had as women.

Pulling myself out of the memory, I shook my head and resumed getting ready for bed, trying to forget that I only had two months left before the year ended. Two months of limited freedom. I figured it was better than nothing, but the fear still filled me.

My hand trembled as I brushed my thick ebony hair. There wasn’t much I was afraid of, but being tied to Pierce, knowing there was no way to run from him, frightened me more than I liked to admit. My deep hazel eyes stared back at me from the glass. A small voice in my head said to stop being a ninny. Aunt May would be fine if I ran. I shouldn’t burden myself with other people’s problems, or others with mine.

But that voice hadn’t won.

I shut it down as quickly as it came. I would not abandon my only living family. Even if Uncle David deserved it, Aunt May did not.

I came out of the bathroom to hear snoring drifting in from the living room. Silently, I made my way back to the kitchen to check on Aunt May.

She was just finishing up the dishes when I walked in, but I knew she wouldn’t sleep even when she was done. The sweet woman didn’t know what rest meant. She constantly kept herself busy, finding anything and everything that needed to be done, usually only sleeping a few hours each night. Part of me believed it was her way of surviving being married to Uncle David.

A bright smile graced her face when she saw me. “Off to bed now, dear?”

I nodded. “As you should be, too.”

“I’ll be along shortly.” She reached for me, pulling me into a hug. “Sleep well. We have to travel to town tomorrow.”

My breath caught in my throat. Was it already Thursday? How had I not realized? Part of the courtship with Pierce required me to visit town every Friday, so he could parade me around. It was sickening. I was a trophy for him and nothing more.

I was partly thankful for that, because he had been so concerned with his public appearance that I had yet to be forced to spend any time alone with him. That wouldn’t happen until we were officially married, but time was not going slowly enough for me.

He certainly didn’t mind placing his hands where they didn’t belong when we were in company, though. I trembled at the thought of what he would do when we were alone. One day I would have to face that, but tomorrow was not that day.

Plastering a smile on my face, I pulled away from Aunt May. “Of course. I’ll see you in the morning.”

I headed for my room, but she tugged on my hand, causing me to turn back.

“You know I wouldn’t allow this if I had any other choice, right? I love you, and I hate to see you unhappy.” Worry lines creased her forehead as she frowned at me.

“I do, Aunt May. Try not to stress. Everything will be just fine.”

Nodding, she let go. I must not have been doing as good of a job at hiding my angst from her as I thought. I resolved to be stronger for the both of us.

Laying in my bed, I pulled the wool blanket over my shoulders. My body shook, but I couldn’t decipher if it was from the cold or my dread for the next day.

* * *

Sometime later that night, or it might have been early morning, I woke to the sound of screaming. My door was shut, but I could hear the cries of Aunt May. I rubbed my tired eyes, adrenaline starting to seep in as I tried to comprehend what was happening.

“Take whatever you want!” Aunt May yelled. “Take the farm. We don’t care. Just let us leave.”

I moved off the bed, standing at the door to listen better.

“The farm ain’t what we want,” a man’s voice purred. It was enticing and threatening at the same time. “Ye know what we came here for. Now be a good woman an’ stay still, before I knock ye out like yer ol’ mate over there.”

I sucked in a breath. We were under attack, but I had no idea why or who these men were. I didn’t recognize their odd accents, so I knew they weren’t from any of the islands near us. We had very little of value, so I didn’t understand what they wanted, but I sure as hell wanted to find out.

Cracking the door open, I peered down the hallway. For once, I was grateful for our small home. The kitchen and a portion of the living room were visible from where I stood. Uncle David was sprawled on the floor, blood dripping from a cut on his forehead.

Aunt May was sitting in a chair, as the unknown man towered over her small frame. He wore dirty trousers, a linen shirt that opened at the collar, and a black bandana around his head that covered ratted hair.

His hands gripped her shoulders. “Thar be any workers on ye farm?”

She shook her head rapidly.

“Don’t lie t’ me, wench. It will make yer death that much worse.”

Aunt May held her ground, but she made a grave mistake. Her eyes darted toward my door.

I held my breath. It was dark. There was no way they could see me, but still, my heart beat faster as I waited to see if our attacker had seen her glance as I had.

He followed her gaze but didn’t move. “What ye hidin’, human?” he snarled, digging his nails into her arm, drawing blood as he yanked her up. “Damn it. Look what ye made me do!”

Lowering his head, he sniffed her arm. “I’m tryin’ to be patient. Tryin’ to be civil about this, but yer makin’ it increasingly difficult fer me.” His tongue darted out as he ran his mouth down her arm, lapping up the blood from the wounds. “Blood be just like wine, it gets better wit’ age,” he hummed greedily.

“Come on, Dom,” another male voice shouted from the living room, where I couldn’t see. “Why we still here? Let’s drain ‘em or bring ‘em back as slaves. I didn’t see th’ lass or anyone else down by th’ barn, and we needs the ships t’ be at sea by dawn.”

Dom tsked. “There be another here. Did ye check the bedrooms?”

Before the other intruder could respond, Aunt May’s eyes widened in fear and she began fighting back. I silently begged her to stop. I had a small sliver of hope that if we cooperated with the pillagers, they’d let us live.

“Farrg this.” Without breaking a sweat, Dom snapped Aunt May’s neck and sank his teeth into her skin.

It took several breaths for my mind to comprehend what I was seeing. I’d heard fables of blood drinkers when I was young, but I had never believed in them. I couldn’t even remember what they were called, but I knew they were ruthless and dangerous. My miniscule hope at making it out of the house alive had diminished completely.

“If ye get her for yer meal, then I get the bloke,” the other one whined.

The sickening sounds as they fed on my family reached me, turning my stomach, and I closed my door, cursing my room with no windows to make an escape.

I was trapped.

Yet, I still had two options. I could hide beneath my bed in hopes they didn’t find me, or I could attempt to sneak from the room while they were distracted and make a run for the door. It only took two seconds for me to decide I wasn’t a coward. If I was going to die, I would at least die trying to survive. I refused to cower, awaiting my death.

Reaching for the door, I laid my hand on it, hesitating only a moment before opening. I braced myself, waiting for the attack, but it didn’t come right away. I heard an inhale before a man, or whatever he was, stepped into the room. The one called Dom stood before me. His head tilted to the side, a trickle of blood running from the corner of his mouth down to his chin.

“How did I…” he muttered, seeming confused. “Doesn’t matter now. You be comin’ with us, or ye get to be dessert. Yer choice.”

His grin showcased the fangs I had heard about, but instead of being afraid, I acted on instinct.

I wanted to live.

Reaching back for my shelf and appreciating my small quarters for the first time ever, I grabbed whatever my hand found first. It was only my old hairbrush, but it would have to do.

Dom watched me like I was nothing more than a wild animal that made him curious. I charged him, all the while losing confidence, knowing it was going to be impossible to get around him, but not willing to roll over and die just yet. I jammed the brush into his stomach, hoping to at least get a grunt out of him, but instead the brush broke in half, cutting my hand in the process.

“Ye be a scrappy one. Maybe I shall keep ye as me pet instead o’ takin’ ye back,” he said, his voice making me shiver.

“Not a chance in hell.”

I dropped the broken piece of the brush as his hand snaked out to grab mine, bringing it to his face. Just as he had done with Aunt May, he placed his mouth over my wound. I tugged on my arm, trying to wrench it from him, but his grip was unyielding.

What I hadn’t expected was the sucking sensation, and how, instead of feeling afraid, I felt alive for the first time since I was a child. Since before my parents died.

He tossed my hand away with a strange look. “What did they feed ye? Ne'er mind, I ain’t really care. I be full anyway.” His head turned toward the door. “Craig! I found her, but ye can have the lass. She ain't worth the trouble of bringin’ back.”

Dom pushed me on the bed and shook his head. “Ye were almost the perfect pet. Such a waste.”

He walked out of the room as his cohort came in, licking his lips. He was equally as grungy as Dom, even missing a tooth as his grinned at me. My body trembled at the thought of his filthy hands touching me.

I closed my eyes, finally giving up, finally willing to die and praying it would be over quickly.

Chapter Two

Heat seeped into my skin, my body hummed, and the agony I had experienced during the attack was gone. The afterlife was better than I expected. That was, until the coughing began, and I realized it wasn’t a welcome warmth I was feeling, it was fire.

I was somehow still alive, but I wouldn’t be for long if I stayed in our burning house. Lifting my eyelids, I looked around. The room was filled with smoke, and I heard the crackling sound of flames as they devoured the wooden walls of my home.

With stinging eyes and burning lungs, I lugged myself off the bed and grasped the wall, trying to steady my legs. I thrust the door open and stumbled out into the hallway. Flames licked up the walls, creating a picture of what I imagined hell would look like.

Glancing down toward the living room, I saw two prone figures laying on the floor face down. Aunt May and Uncle David were unmoving and lifeless. Overbearing emotions clogged my throat as tears coursed down my cheeks. I took a hesitant step toward them, then stopped at the realization that there was nothing I could do. They were gone. Drained of life by the intruders.

No, not intruders.

Vampires.

The word came unbidden to the forefront of my mind, as I made my way toward the kitchen and the only door that opened to the outside. Reaching up to push the hair away from my face, I remembered the cut on my hand from the broken brush. It was hard to tell through the smolder, but it didn’t appear to be as bad as I had thought at the time.

Nothing was making any sense to me, and the smoke was only making my brain slow more. I had to get out of the house.

Gathering the bottom of my dressing gown, I dashed for the door, as renewed strength and resolve to live coursed through me. Flames lapped at me as I moved further into the house, burning my exposed skin and clothes. I ignored the pain, adrenaline flooding through me and pushing me toward safety.

Flinging the door open, I ran out of the house toward the stables, but my steps faltered when I saw that the structure was also on fire. Fighting a frustrated scream, I glanced around and looked for a safe place to go.

Nothing moved in the darkness, except for the shadows from the dancing fire that was slowly burning my world to ash. My body instinctively turned itself to the road that led to town. Would the townspeople see the smoke? Would they come to help? Or was our small farm too far away to be noticed?

Despair threatened to choke me, but I pushed it aside, taking several deep breaths of the semi-smoke free air to clear my thoughts. As the house and barn burned, I knew there was only one other place I might find refuge while I attempted to figure out what happened and how I had survived it.

The miles between our small farm and Pierce’s plantation were few, but they stretched unendingly before me. My feet were bare and coated with dirt as I walked unsteadily in the darkness of the night.

My thoughts kept trying to make sense of why we were attacked. My first thought had been because I was Pierce’s fiancé. They seemed to be interested in me, but I didn’t understand why they would leave me to die in a burning house. If they had come for me and told Uncle David, he would have given me up willingly. When it came to me or anything else, Uncle David would have handed me over without question. There had to be something I was missing, but my smoke-fogged brain couldn’t see another answer.

I also couldn’t think of a reason why Pierce would be mixed up with the blood drinkers.

I pushed the thoughts away as Pierce’s plantation came into view, lit by the full moon. Manicured trees lined the roadway, speaking of opulence. The house that sat at the end was abrupt and breathtaking. However, I’d seen the estate enough times in the past several months, that I was no longer impressed by it.

Other ladies of the limited society in Port Victory gushed over Pierce and his riches, but not me. The shallowness that they exhibited made me ashamed to be associated with them. I hadn’t had a choice then, and I supposed that I didn’t have one now, either.

Climbing the steps to the front door was the hardest. I was going to my fiancé, a man I despised, to ask for his help. He was the only living person I knew who could help me.

Everyone else was dead.

Taking a deep breath, I paused at the door and fought back tears. I needed to get inside before I broke down. I needed to understand what had happened. The previous smoke inhalation still burned my lungs, making me question once again how I was still alive.

The vampires had left me to burn in my house.

It was still hard to wrap my mind around.

For reasons unknown, I had survived not only the attack, but the fire. It was a miracle, but I wasn’t sure it was a blessing.

My fingers lifted to touch my neck, remembering Craig’s stale breath on me right before he sank his teeth into my delicate skin. Suddenly, confusion swept through me. I couldn’t feel any marks where I vividly remembered being bitten.

Before I could dwell on the oddity of how there were no puncture wounds on me, the door opened and a serving girl dressed in a uniform stepped out onto the veranda. Her eyes glanced over me without any indication that she had seen me. A sudden jolt of fear skittered down my spine, and I wondered briefly if I was a ghost.

Finally, her face twisted in horror as she took in my inappropriate state. I imagined I was quite the sight, with nothing more on than a burned and bloody nightgown, with soot covering my skin.

“My name is Lavinia Maycott.” I spoke first, since she seemed to be struck by silence. “I’m here to see Pierce,” I informed, my voice raspy and sore from the smoke.

Her eyes widened as I gave her my name. “Of course, Lady Lavinia, please come in.”

I followed her into the foyer, extra aware of my filthy feet, and she gestured for me to walk with her down a short hallway, which led to a bathing chamber. She bustled into the room, then proceeded to pour steaming water from a pot into a wash basin, placing a washcloth and a bar of soap on the table beside the bowl, then turned to me expectantly.

“Please clean up. I will find a dress for you to change into. Once you are unsoiled and presentable, I will take you to Lord Pierce. I’m sure he won’t mind being disturbed to see you,” she explained before exiting the room and closing the door behind her.

I stepped toward the basin, intending to do what I had been told, but the reflective glass on the wall caught my eye and I gasped. I had known it was bad when I glanced down at myself on the walk over, but nothing could have prepared me for the dried blood and grime streaking across my upper body.

Hurriedly, I wet the washcloth with the warm water and soap, then began to scrub the filth from my face and neck. The more I cleaned, the more alarmed I became.

There were no wounds. It wasn’t possible to lose that much blood without a scratch, but looking now, my skin was unmarred. No scar, wound, or imperfection of any kind. Not even any burn marks from the flames I ran through to flee the house.

I placed the washcloth back on the basin, removed my gown, and stared at myself in the glass. If I ignored the grime, I appeared the same as when I had dressed for bed earlier that night. With shaking hands, I dumped the dirty water, then poured in more from the pot. I rewet the cloth and scrubbed until my skin was pink and angry.

I decided to ignore my lack of wounds until morning. I had no idea what time it was, but I needed rest before I could fully process what had happened to me—or hadn’t happened as apparently was the case.

Just as I finished drying off, a knock sounded at the door, and a call from the serving girl announced that she had brought me fresh clothing. After opening the door for her, I stepped back so she could enter. She waltzed in, her small arms barely holding the large bundle of fabric, and deposited all the clothing onto a stool that was positioned to the side of the wash basin.

Withdrawing several things, she turned to me, holding up new under clothes. Mine were stained and burned in places, so I had no problem tugging them off and tossing them by the door. She helped me dress, lacing up the ties in back, then continued with the dreaded corset and more fastening.

Finally, she picked up the dress and I got a good look at it. It was splendid. The color was a deep crimson that reminded me of the sky in the morning before a storm. The red was so rich and smooth that I couldn’t keep my hands off of it.

With aloof efficient movements, the serving girl had the dress on me and laced before I could wrap my mind around the beauty of it. My hands continued to brush over the soft material.

“Come with me,” the girl said, opening the door and walking through to the hallway.

Pausing, I focused on her. “I’m sorry, I didn’t catch your name.” I was beginning to tire of referring to her as “the girl” or “servant”.

A small smile appeared on her face as she turned back to me. “Eve. My name is Eve.”

As she continued out the door, I obediently followed her down the hallway, through the parlor, and into a small sitting room. I had been coming to this house so often in the months since my engagement to Pierce that I knew my way around fairly well.

I perched on the small settee, my back rigid and straight from the tight corset.

“Lord Pierce will be with you momentarily,” Eve said briskly before exiting the room and closing the door behind her.

I frowned at her strange behavior. I had never seen her before, and I wondered if I could have easily overlooked her on one of my previous visits. Shame weighed heavily on me at the realization that it was a likely possibility.

I was born to a lower-class merchant and his wife. I would have been lucky to land a position as a serving girl, but because of the negotiating my uncle had done, my standing had been elevated.

Voices sounded from the next room that I knew to be Pierce’s private study. When my breathing became more difficult, I stood and started to pace the room. As I passed the door connecting the two rooms, I noticed it was ajar. Drawing closer, I listened to the rumble of voices, trying to distinguish what they were saying.

“Was she alone?” Pierce asked.

“Yes, my lord,” Eve answered.

“And?” he snarled.

“She was covered in blood, but I don’t think she’s been turned,” she added hastily.

“Are you certain?” Pierce’s voice became deep and dangerous.

“She smells like us, but her heart still beats strong. She had no marks on her, so something went wrong. She’s very disoriented at the moment.”

Uneasy silence caused me to hold my breath as I waited for what they would say next. I was beginning to realize I shouldn’t have come to Pierce for help. Something was very wrong with the situation I found myself in.

“I had hoped when I sent Dom and Craig out there that she would be turned, but I can handle that later. Where is Lavinia now?”

“I showed her into the sitting room, my lord.” Eve’s voice quavered, showing fearful emotion for the first time.

“Very well. I’ll deal with her shortly, after I condemn Dom and Craig for not doing their job. If they think they can disobey me, they will soon realize that I’m just as formidable as Prime. Go check and make sure the pirates aren’t completely destroying my town,” Pierce snapped dismissively.

My heart beat rapidly as if it would gallop from my chest. Pierce had sent the vampires to our house. He was the reason my only living family was dead. I didn’t know how to process any of what I had overheard.

The memory of my aunt’s neck breaking and the sounds of the men feeding on her and my uncle had revulsion churning in my stomach. Pierce wanted me to be like the vampires. I shuddered at the thought.

Wildly, I looked around the sitting room for a weapon or an escape. With no weapons in sight, I used quick footsteps to cross the room. My hand was reaching for the handle before I even registered that I had moved at all. Fearful that Eve had locked my only way out, I braced myself for disappointment, but the handle gave way easily.

After pulling open the door enough that I could squeeze through into the parlor, my eyes roamed the room to find it empty. Thankful that my feet were still bare, I hurried to the front entrance. My senses were heightened as I listened to the sounds of the house. Nothing stirred.

Quickly, I stepped outside and closed the door as silently as possible behind me. Glancing around, I tried to decide which direction I should go. I couldn’t go back to the farm. There wouldn’t be anything there anymore. Tears gathered in my eyes, but I pushed them aside to decide what I should do next.

On the side of the veranda was a crate full of shoes. I couldn’t go on the run barefoot, so I used precious moments to dig out the smallest pair I could find. They were still a size too big, but I tightened the straps as best I could and didn’t complain.

Turning toward the direction of town, I grasped my dress, dashed down the steps, and ran for the tree line. The corset dug into my ribs painfully, but I ignored the discomfort. My only thought was to get as far away from Pierce as I could, before he could ‘deal with me’.

Once I broke through to the other side of the trees, fields stretched before me, full of ripe plants. I ran between the rows, tripping and stumbling my way toward the distant lights of town.

When I entered the next field, a shout pierced the silent night. Terrified, I scrambled faster, searching for a place to hide. Trees lined the opposite side of the field and I hastened toward them, telling myself that I’d be safe if I could only reach the foliage. Running footsteps sounded behind me, spurring me forward, but not quickly enough to escape.

Rough hands grabbed me, stopping my momentum, and spun me around.

Dom smiled down at me. His crooked teeth peeked through the sadistic grin that spread across his face, promising pain this time.

A scream built in my throat, and as I let it loose, Dom pushed me into the ground. My hands scrambled for anything I could use to defend myself. My fingers wrapped around a stick, and I jabbed it into his neck while he landed on top of me. The measly branch broke in half, barely making a scratch and leaving a short piece in my hand.

“Ye little wench!” He leaned back, distracting himself by checking his neck. I used that sliver of time to clamber to my feet, making a run for it once again.

I broke through the tree line and turned to see if Dom was chasing after me. Not seeing anything, I continue forward only to run head-first into a hard chest. Arms like iron bands wrapped around me, locking me in place. With a whimper, I struggled against the unmoving man with all my strength.

Nothing happened.

“Lady Lavinia?” The man I was pressed against said my name like a question.

Looking up, I saw a face that wasn’t Dom’s gazing down at me with warm eyes, eyes I knew and had come to care for during my recent visits to Pierce’s estate.

Jameson was a worker I had first seen around the plantation when Pierce had given me a tour. I continued to run into him when I would take walks during Pierce’s frequent meetings. My heart had grown fonder of him with each meeting, but I had always known the feelings were pointless. I had already been promised to Pierce.

“Ah, thanks fer catchin’ the lass, Jameson.” Dom’s voice sounded from behind me.

Cringing against Jameson, I watched as Dom stepped closer to us, a hand snaking out to grab my wrist. I cried out as his nails dug into the soft flesh of my arm, drawing blood. The stick I still held dropped uselessly from my hand, and my last shred of hope disappeared as Dom pulled me toward him.

Chapter Three

Jameson tightened his arms around my waist before Dom could pull me from his grasp. I glanced up at his face, into his cerulean eyes, to find him staring at me with an astonished look. For a brief moment, I forgot there was a vampire attacking me, but I was brought back to reality all too soon.

Yelping in pain, I brought my attention back to Dom as his hand continued to squeeze my wrist, threatening to break the bone.

Jameson drew me back to him. “Let her go.” His voice was hard and unyielding.

“The wench be spoken for. Go find yer own,” Dom hissed. Jameson’s body trembled against me as he snarled at Dom.

I had always been uncertain if Jameson returned my feelings, but the way he held me told me they might be returned; I wished I could have taken a moment to enjoy that thought.

“What ye doin' out here anyway?” Dom continued, when Jameson didn’t speak. “Ye supposed to be watchin' the boats, slave.”

Now, it was my turn to tremble. Jameson works with Dom? I was beginning to think I had read the situation wrong and wouldn’t see the sunrise in a few hours.

“I’m not your slave, nor am I Pierce’s any longer.”

Dom smirked and released my arm. “He be interested to know that. How do ye reckon to survive here without him?”

“I don’t plan on staying much longer.” Jameson loosened his grip on me, pushing me behind him with one hand while retrieving a dagger with the other.

My eyes bulged at the weapon. I had never seen anything like it in my life. It was double-edged, with words too small for me to read engraved into the blade. The hilt was wrapped in leather, with a metal ball added to the end.

“Ye reckon ye can best me?” Dom laughed. “Give it yer all and ye will still fail.”

I scrambled out of arm’s reach, hiding behind the nearest tree. Part of me was yelling to resume running, but I was curious about the fight’s outcome and I was hesitant to leave Jameson. I needed to know if Dom would still be chasing me once this was over.

Jameson didn’t hesitate. He charged for Dom, leaning his shoulder down, aiming right for Dom’s stomach. The impact threw him off balance, but not for long. Dom righted himself and slammed his fist into Jameson’s jaw.

Jameson’s head snapped back, but he didn’t fall. Instead, he adjusted his hold on the dagger as he moved backward. He was a lot stronger than I originally gave him credit for.

“Even if ye get close enough to cut me, ye can’t kill me,” Dom jeered. “Nothin’ can stop me, so yer wasting ye time. Give up now and I will make yer death less painful.”

Jameson didn’t reply. He narrowed his eyes into slits, seeming to only focus on the task at hand, and ignored the taunting.

I worried Dom was right, that he couldn’t be beat, and I inched further away to get a head start. But something had me lingering. Maybe it was the determination that exuded from Jameson, making my steps falter. Something gave me hope that, by some miracle, he would be able to defeat Dom. In a desperate bid, I searched my dark surroundings for anything that I could use as a weapon. I wasn’t sure if I did find one that it would do any good, but I had to try.

They circled each other several more times, each of them taking hits from the other. Jameson had yet to use the dagger, and I was losing faith. A cut above his eye bled down the side of his face, and I could see he was losing stamina.

I had backed far enough away that I could just make out their forms from my position, but neither of them could see me from behind the brush. I hunkered down to watch.

Jameson fell to the ground, rolling onto his side, and I kneeled up from my hiding spot, trying to get a better view.

“Ye waste of a slave,” Dom’s voice boomed through the night. “All yer done today be ruin me clothes and gotten yourself scuttled. Ye failed to even save the poppet.”

Still, no response had come from Jameson.

Dom brought his foot down, slamming it into Jameson’s ribs. I heard the crack of bone even from where I was perched. I turned away; the fight was over. Dom had won. I needed to leave, to get a head start before Dom found me. My heart hurt, because Jameson had risked himself for me, and it was all for naught.

Before I had taken three steps, I heard Dom let loose a string of curse words. Curiosity got the better of me, and I turned to see what had caused the commotion. What I saw was not what I had expected. Jameson kneeled over Dom’s prone body, pushing the dagger into his chest, and dark smoke rose from the vampire’s form as he convulsed before turning to ash.

I stayed where I was, too stunned to do anything else. From the stories I had heard, there was nothing that could kill a vampire. Maim and harm them, yes? But kill? No. Yet, there was no way Dom was still alive, as I had watched his body go slack, then turn to ash and smoke.

Tentatively, my feet moved forward. I had no idea if Jameson was someone I should trust any longer. I wasn’t sure the fact that he had just killed a vampire was a good thing for me or not, but the likelihood of finding a better companion to get me the hell away from this place was nil. I was going to have to trust my heart instead of my head for the time being.

“Lady Lavinia?” Jameson called, finding me in the darkness. “Are you all right?”

I didn’t know what to say, so I simply shook my head.

He closed the gap between us and ran his hands down my arms, followed by his gaze while inspecting me, and leaving goosebumps along my skin. “We need to go. I doubt they only sent Dom out to find you. Pierce demanded he have you.”

“How do you know so much?” I asked. From what I knew, Jameson only worked in the fields, but I was quickly finding out that there was a lot I didn’t know.

“When Pierce struck his deal with a vampire, seeking immortality, blood slaves, and land, he recruited a team of men to protect him from those same vampires, just in case they couldn’t be trusted. Pierce found a warrior who hunted them and had him train us. Pierce has been working toward this for months.”

I wavered on my feet. I couldn’t breathe. The corset around my waist seemed to be getting tighter by the second.

Pierce killed my family.

He tried to make me like him.

Vampires were real.

I was no longer the same person I was when the sun set yesterday.

As each thought raced through my mind, my vision lessened until everything went black.

* * *

When I regained consciousness, someone was carrying me, and it was still dark around us. I dazedly lifted my head, and, for a moment, I thought Dom’s tight grip held me. When I pushed desperately at the chest I was pressed against, much to my surprise, my captor stopped.

“It’s just me. You’re safe,” Jameson said.

I scrambled feebly against him, needing to stand on my own feet. Taking the hint, he gently set me down, his touch lingering to steady me. Once he released me, I swayed, then sat unceremoniously on my butt. The red fabric of my dress pooled around me, making me feel slight.

“Where are you taking me?” I asked, trying to sound strong but feeling weak after fainting.

“To safety,” he replied, crouching near my side. “We need to hurry, or we’ll be left behind.” Irritation was evident in his voice, causing my own to rise.

“Excuse me, but could you be more specific? Do you know what I’ve been through tonight? I’d like answers before I blindly follow you to my potential death. I’m learning everything isn’t as it seems. You could be planning to take me back to Pierce, for all I know. I don’t know where your loyalties stand, and I have questions. Why would we be left behind? Where are we going?”

I might have been exaggerating. Jameson had saved my life and been my friend before, but still, my subconscious had decided while I was passed out that I was no longer going to be defenseless. I had been told what to do my whole life, and I was done. Whatever had happened up to that moment gave me a new confidence.

It was time to start standing up for what I wanted.

“I tried giving you answers, but you passed out,” he replied. “We’re almost to the boat docks. You can decide then if you’d like to continue on with us.”

“Us? Who else is here?” My head whipped back and forth, looking for others.

He groaned, running his hand through his golden hair. Intense azure eyes met mine. “We don’t have time for this.”

“Well, make time.”

I knew if I let Jameson win this battle and I continued to travel with him, I’d quickly return to the obedient girl I’d grown to be on the farm with my aunt and uncle. I was long overdue to make some changes in my life. He was just going to have to deal with it.

Following the rules had gotten me nowhere, and I was ready to show the world the real me I’d always wanted to be but never could for the sake of Aunt May.

“When did you become so difficult?” His small grin told me the question was rhetorical, so I ignored him. He extended a hand toward me, and, after a moment of contemplation, I put my much smaller one in his. With ease, Jameson pulled me to my feet, bringing me flush against him for a moment. He took a step back, and I instantly missed the contact I wasn’t familiar with but had caused something to stir inside me. There had never been a reason for us to physically touch before, and the emotions took me by surprise.

“We don’t have time for me to repeat myself, so listen carefully. Port Victory has been taken over by vampires and pirates. The residents here are either dead, turned, or will be blood slaves. I can get you off this island, but you need to cooperate.”

His face was inches away from mine, his breath hot on my face and hands on my shoulders. For a moment, I forgot I was supposed to be angry with him for bossing me around, and I wanted nothing more than his lips on mine.

He cleared his throat, breaking the connection. “Do I make myself clear?”

I yanked myself out of his grasp, poking my finger at his chest. “First, don’t ever touch me like that again. Second, I will wait for more information, but I expect it as soon as we arrive wherever we’re going.”

“As you please, my lady.”

Oh, this man was going to be the death of me.

I followed him for almost an hour in awkward silence as the sun began to rise. Cannons could be heard all over the island, now that I wasn’t running for my life and preoccupied. Smoke rose high into the sky over where town was, and my heart saddened at the destruction that was being caused.

So many lives lost.

Wrath began to fill my insides.

I had gotten to know many of the town’s people on my weekly visits to see Pierce. I pictured each of their faces and wondered if I’d ever see them again, and if I did… would they even still be human?

Shaking off the dark thoughts, I tried to remain optimistic. If I could get off the island and to safety, that would have to be enough for the time being.

Jameson lowered to the ground suddenly and I followed his movements, sticking close to his back. His straw-colored hair was braided six inches down his back, and it was all I could focus on while I waited for his next move.

“We’re getting closer to town. I hope you don’t mind getting dirty, my lady, because we need to stay out of sight, and it won’t be easy from here on out.”

I ground my teeth at his overuse of “my lady”. The tone in which he said it the last few times told me he knew exactly how much it grated on my nerves.

“Lead the way, General.”

He let out a growl, and I tilted my head in surprise.

Did he seriously growl at me? Maybe I should have called him “caveman” instead.

As time passed, my body began to ache while exhaustion pressed down on me. It felt like hours of trudging through mud, hiding behind trees, and crawling under fences before we were able to slip into the shadows of an unmarked building. It was located in a section of town close to the docks. I had never visited this area, and the eeriness had me on edge.

A crate fell over, causing me to yelp and grasp on to Jameson. My hands clenched his shirt as I hid behind him.

So much for not being a “lady.”

“Shhh,” he urged as he whipped his head back. “It’s just a rat.”

He eyed my hands still holding on to him and raised a brow. Before he could say anything, I released my grip and backed up a few paces.

His gaze roamed the space, checking our surroundings to make sure nobody was coming to inspect the commotion. Thankfully, my yelp had not brought any unwelcome guests.

We continued through the alley between buildings until we came to a door marked with a red “X” above the handle. Jameson knocked in a pattern, three times in rapid succession, then he stepped back in front of the window holding up four fingers.

“What are you doing?” I whisper-yelled. He was out of his mind.

“Just wait,” was all he replied.

Minutes later, a stout young man opened the door. He glanced from Jameson to me several times before moving out of the way to let us into the place.

His appearance was gruff—possibly another slave from the plantation that I hadn’t seen before today. His brunet hair was greasy and haphazard, as if he hadn’t bathed in months. That wasn’t uncommon, unless someone was at least middle-class, or striving to be more than what they really were, like my uncle had.

We entered the dank building. A couple of oil lanterns were placed around the area, casting a shadow among the two other adults. Another man, older than the first, and a young woman who appeared not much older than me.

“Who’s this, Jameson?” the man who had opened the door asked.

“This is Lady Lavinia.”

Hisses and gasps came from the others. Apparently, I wasn’t a welcome guest in this group.

“What were you thinking bringing her back here?” the woman snapped. “You’ve just sentenced us all to death.

Jameson held up his hand. “She had no idea what Pierce was doing, nor does she want any part of it. He had her family killed earlier this evening. She has nobody else.”

Silence descended upon the room as each of them processed what Jameson had said, likely trying to decide if he had been duped by me and my story. My chest constricted as his words registered with me. I wouldn’t fault them for their suspicions, though. After what I had overheard tonight and been through with Dom and Craig, I was going to find it very hard to trust others as well.

“You need a hug!” a little girl’s voice squealed from behind the woman, and a small child, maybe six or seven, came bouncing from the corner.

A man chastised her, demanding she come back, but she was having none of it. Her blonde curls bobbed while she ran toward me with open arms and a bright smile.

I bent down, gladly receiving her embrace. For a slight thing, she held on longer and tighter than I would have expected. I had to fight back the tears that wanted to fall from the emotional overload I was feeling. Too much had happened, and I hadn’t had any time to process it.

The girl pulled back. “I’m Antoinette, but you can call me Nettie. Your name is Lania?”

I smiled. “No, it’s Lavinia, but that was close.”

“That’s going to be a hard name for me to remember.” Her face saddened, and I wanted nothing more than to bring the smile back to it.

Jameson bent down next to us. “What if she had a nickname like you? How about you call her Nia?”

For a moment, I thought he was going to say my lady, and I was going to have to slap him in front of a child.

Nettie clapped her hands excitedly. “Nettie and Nia! We’re going to be the best of friends!”

I hadn’t been around children much, but this sweet girl had completely captured me in a matter of moments. I knew then that I would protect her at all costs, as if she was my own.

I glanced behind me, wondering if the woman was her mother, but she paid little attention to us, so I assumed not; however, the man who had called after her had yet to remove his hardened stare from me.

“Nettie, come sit back down,” he urged, softer this time.

“This is Henry.” Jameson gestured to the one who opened the door, finally introducing the others. “He has a cousin who lives on another island. He says they’ve eradicated the vampires there and are preparing to fight back with a group of hunters, to reclaim the lands that had already been overtaken. Over there is Nathan; he’s Nettie’s uncle. And next to him is Alice. She worked on the plantation with me in the fields.”

I gulped, barely hearing anything he said after the mention of vampires doing this to other islands. I had never heard of such atrocities. Were we ever going to be safe?

My observing gaze moved to the others Jameson had introduced to me. Alice had auburn hair that was cut unevenly at her shoulders. Her clothes were cleaner than the men’s, but not by much. She wore a single-layer skirt with a matching forest-green top. I guessed she was only a few years older than me.

Nathan, who was now holding on to Nettie, was at least ten years older than the others. His blonde hair was either not so blonde, or just really dirty. It was hard to tell from where I stood. His stormy grey eyes were obvious, though, as he continued to observe me.

“As soon as the sun fully rises in the sky, we can make our way to the docks,” Henry said. “We have a boat waiting, but it was too risky while it was dark. Too many vamps out. We’ve noticed a decent amount of them don’t come out when there is full sun, but there are still a few who can tolerate it.”

I nodded as if I had any idea what he was talking about. I really had none, and that needed to change soon if I planned on surviving whatever was happening.

Dawn was already upon us, so it wouldn’t be much longer before we would be venturing back outside, and I wasn’t so sure I wanted to go. It seemed safe enough in the storage building where we were currently hiding. I could live here forever. Bar the windows and door, bring in food and water, and I’d be just fine.

Out there, I had no idea what awaited me, and the more time that passed, the more my earlier confidence for wanting to be brave waned. I still had to figure out what was going on with me, but I had no idea where to start. Instead, I lowered to the ground and leaned my head against the wall, closing my eyes to rest for the short period.

When I heard shuffling, my gaze lifted to see Jameson stand, cracking open the door. When the sunlight cast across the floor, my heart skipped a few beats. I took a deep breath and steadied myself for what came next.

Nettie took a few steps toward me, capturing my hand in hers. “It’s okay. I’m scared, too. But Uncle Nathan will keep us safe. He saved me, and he’ll save you, too.”

And, just like that, all my worries were gone.

I wasn’t sure Nettie was right, but her bravery was all I needed to keep my head held high.

Jameson and Henry gave us strict orders not to speak until we were on the boat. We needed to be as inconspicuous as possible until we were on the water. Even then, it was a risk, because these vampires called themselves pirates, which explained the odd accent and dialect I had heard. They kept to the seas, going from island to island, taking what they wanted and creating more of them.

We stayed in the alleys and darker areas of the port as much as we could. Just when we were about to come out into the open, a loud explosion sounded just ahead of us. Jameson and Henry ran ahead, while Nathan and Alice stood protectively around Nettie, eyeing me with distrust.

With bated breath, we waited to see what the commotion was. I worried they wouldn’t make it back. What if it was a trap? Should we have all gone? I wasn’t sure splitting up at any point until we arrived on a safer island was a good idea.

When Jameson returned, heaving as he settled himself, his eyes were wild and enraged.

“The boat is gone. The vampires lit everything on fire before they headed back to their ships. We have no way out of here.”

Chapter Four

My heart stopped. We had no way off the island. From the sounds of it, Pierce was not going to stop looking for me. As much as I had wanted to stay in the storage building we’d just been in, I knew it wasn’t a possibility. Pierce would find us, and then he would kill the people helping me before making me like him—if he hadn’t already succeeded.

We needed to find another way away from this place.

“Let’s go back and regroup,” Jameson suggested.

Everyone agreed, and we made our way hastily back the way we had come. The mood was somber as we all worried about what we would do next. I didn’t know enough about vampires to make any guesses on the right course of action, so I’d wait to hear the others’ thoughts before making any decisions. If Pierce was after me and it came down to me or these people, I wouldn’t put them in danger to save myself. I would go to Pierce willingly if that’s what it came down to, then deal with the consequences.

I stumbled over a stray stone in the path, but before I could right myself, strong arms caught me around my waist. Tiredness weighed on me, and for a moment, I leaned into the hard chest pressed against me. Reluctantly, I pulled away, following the others without looking back, but I could feel eyes watching me closely the whole way. Pierce’s gaze had made me shudder with revulsion, but Jameson’s made me shiver with an opposing emotion. I hadn’t yet decided how I felt about that.

Henry was the first to enter the building we had previously vacated, and with a rustling sound, something grabbed him, pulling him further into the darkness of the room. With a yell, Nathan and Jameson surged forward, leaving Alice, Nettie, and me behind.

Scuffling could be heard, and I warily stepped through the doorway, followed by Alice and Nettie. It didn’t take long for my eyes to adjust to the gloomy room, but once they did, I saw Jameson holding a woman’s arms tightly behind her back.

Her dress was so dirty, I couldn’t make out what the color had been. Mud and something dark stained her front. After closer inspection, I realized it was blood. My eyes searched her, looking for wounds that would explain it all, but I found none. Her eyes were wild as they changed from an average sage to savage red. She jerked her head around, snapping at Jameson, but he managed to keep the woman at arm’s length.

“Marie?” Henry asked, staring at her in recognition.

“Henry,” the woman, Marie, replied. Her lips pulled back in a smile that revealed sharp, pointed teeth.

“Oh, Marie. What did they do to you?” Henry choked out in anguish.

Whoever Marie had been to Henry, she was no longer that person. Anyone could tell by her appearance that she was now a vampire.

“What should we do?” Nathan’s gruff, no-nonsense voice asked, drawing all of our attention.

“You can’t do anything,” Marie purred before lunging toward him, a vicious hunger in her eyes. She was brought up short by Jameson’s tight hold on her. She continued to snarl and buck, but Jameson held her securely.

“We have to kill her,” Nathan announced, drawing closer, studying her.

“What!? No, we…” Henry’s face drooped as he wanted to argue but seemed unable to find a valid reason.

“You know there’s no saving her now. That’s not Marie anymore, Henry,” Nathan said, remaining stoic.

“There has to be another way,” Henry pleaded. “She’s my sister.”

“The woman you knew as your sister is gone. There is nothing left but this demon who would sooner rip your throat out and drain you dry than embrace you as her brother,” Nathan assured, gesturing at Marie who was listening to the conversation with a sadistic smile on her face.

“You don’t know her,” Henry snapped angrily before turning to Marie. “You can fight this, Mar. Don’t let the evil best you. Please.”

Marie’s dark laughter filled the room as she licked her lips greedily. Revulsion had my stomach threatening to divulge its contents, to the point where I had to look away.

If Pierce had succeeded in turning me, I would be just like her—a crazed monster unable to recognize friend from food. It gave me a small hope that whatever new healing ability I was experiencing, had nothing to do with the vampires.

Nettie slipped her hand into mine, hiding her small frame in the folds of my skirts. There was no way I was going to become a vampire. I would sooner die. Resolve, red hot and sudden, coursed through me, and I vowed silently to never become a devil creature. I would find a way to escape, and I would learn how to kill vampires, and I would take the whole lot of them out of existence. There had to be a way for us to survive whatever was happening.

The others continued to argue after I turned away with Nettie. Their voices had increased in volume, and I worried they would attract attention. I twisted toward them, opening my mouth to speak my concern when Marie suddenly gasped in a breath.

The tip of a dagger, with small letters written on the edge, protruded from her chest at the exact spot where her heart would be. I watched as the light in her eyes dimmed, and Jameson withdrew the blade—that I belatedly noticed had a faint glow around it.

Marie’s body collapsed to the ground and, with a heart-wrenching wail, Henry dropped down beside her. He gathered her lifeless body in his arms, holding her close as she disintegrated into nothing more than a pile of ash.

No one moved or said anything for several minutes while we watched Henry mourn the loss of his sister. Tears gathered in my eyes when I recalled the prone body of my aunt, lying on our living room floor as the fire raged around her. My gaze was drawn to Jameson who had taken a step back, tucking his dagger out of sight.

As if feeling my gaze on him, his eyes clashed with mine, and I saw a jumble of emotions flit across them so fast that I couldn’t make sense of them. Tears spilled from my eyes while we stared at each other. His jaw tightened minutely as he watched, and I thought for a moment that he would come to me, but instead, he turned away. My chest tightened, wondering if I should have gone to him, but the small fingers wrapped around my hand made me remain where I was.

Henry began scooping up his sister’s ashes into a spare bucket he’d grabbed from the corner of the room. Once he was done, we followed him outside into the late morning light. Silently, Henry spread her ashes in a field behind the building,

We stood around the location in quiet contemplation, remembering the loved ones we had lost in one night, grieving alongside each other. When the moment was over, Jameson led the way back to the building.

“We need to find a different ship,” Nathan announced, once we were safely back in the room.

I was grateful he went straight to thinking about how to get us out of there. Unfortunately, we didn’t have time to mourn, and staying busy was the only way we would survive the grief until we had proper time to say goodbye to our loved ones.

“The vampires burned all the ships but their own. How are we supposed to find another one?” Henry asked in despair.

“Isn’t there some type of record or manifest notice of incoming ships?” I asked, speaking for the first time as a member of their group.

“Wouldn’t that be in the record house down by the docks?” Henry suggested, running a hand over his face. “I’m not sure, though. I’ve only been down there a handful of times.”

“My cousin worked at the docks,” Alice offered. Her voice was hard, and her face had the appearance of someone who had felt too much sorrow in a short period of time. “He is, or possibly was, in charge of posting the weekly port schedule for departing and incoming ships. We should be able to find a list there. It’s not far from here.”

“Let’s check there and stick together,” Jameson added, straightening and glancing at all of us. “After the commotion from earlier, this place is probably no longer safe. They’ll come check it out as soon as it’s darker or send one of the older vampires during the day. Either option isn’t good.”

I shuddered, wanting to ask more questions about why some could be out in the open while others couldn’t, but we needed to leave where we were, and my answers could wait. When nobody spoke up, we left the warehouse.

The trip to the record house was quiet and uneventful, but that didn’t stop everyone from being on edge. I couldn’t put my finger on what was making my skin crawl, until I realized that everything on the island appeared to be silent. Usually when I visited town, I could hear voices yelling from the market and sailors calling to each other while a captain hollered at their charges, but there was none of that. It was a ghost town.

Jameson led the group and I was grateful. He was the only one with a weapon that could kill a vampire, and he was our best chance of surviving if we stumbled upon one.

We arrived at the record house; it was built from lattice and daub with tar lining the main points of the building to help keep the moisture from the ocean away. The structure was set back off the main path to the port, almost as if nobody wanted it to be bothered. The records inside must have been more important than I realized or included more than just manifest documents.

“Where should we look?” Jameson asked, peering at the stacks of leather-bound books.

“Look for anything that says ‘manifest’ on it,” I said, leaning through the doorway to peek around the office.

Everyone glanced at me, seeming uncomfortable with my suggestion.

“Can any of you read?” I asked softly, not wanting to offend any of them.

“None of us can read,” Alice answered from behind me.

I nodded my head thoughtfully. It wasn’t uncommon for those in the lower class not to be taught how to read. Those in the merchant class usually picked up just enough to be able to haggle, trade, and keep minimal records. I was part of that class through my parents, as well as my aunt and uncle. Aunt May had known how to read and, against my uncle’s wishes, she had taught me.

“I can read,” I stated, stepping further into the room and glancing around at the stacks of records.

“We’ll stand watch,” Henry replied gruffly, making his way out of the room, followed by everyone except Jameson.

The skin on the nape of my neck tightened, and I sensed Jameson was watching my every move. Surprisingly, I found that I liked it. It felt nice to be admired and not seen as an object like Pierce had done to me so often.

“The most recent manifest is up there,” I announced, pointing to a thick leather-bound volume with the current dates. It was marked on the spine with June 1586.

Jameson stepped up to the stack, pulling the volume down before handing it to me. I tried to ignore how my heart fluttered when he was near, and how it sank when he moved away. He seemed to play hot and cold with me. One moment, he kept close, and the next, he stared at me as if I was a vampire.

Ignoring my confused feelings, I opened the book. “It says that there is a livestock ship coming in two days from Port Defiant,” I informed, searching the list for anything else that could be of use to us. “That is our best chance of getting out of here. There isn’t anything else arriving for another week after that.”

“We’ll need to meet the ship out in the bay and warn the captain before they get too close. We can’t let them get within cannon range, or Pierce could open fire on them if he figures out what we’re doing,” Jameson concluded, looking over my shoulder at the list.

“According to this, it should pull into the fifth port and, if I remember correctly, there’s a pier not far from there. If we can find some small boats to get us all out into the bay…”

“We can hole up there and wait for the ship, then intercept it before it can make it to port,” Jameson added, finishing my train of thought.

“Yes, we can stay under the pier tonight. The tide will come in, but it shouldn’t get that high, and the ocean smell should help to mask our scent from the vampires,” I offered, watching as he nodded his head.

“All right, that’s the plan. Let’s get to the pier, then figure out the boat situation,” he finished, giving me a side smile that revealed a dimple.

I grinned in response, but he was already out the door, telling the others what our plan was. Turning, I went to replace the book but hesitated. The manifest seemed like it could be something Pierce would want. It hadn’t been important to him thus far, but later if he realized what the information could do for him, he might come searching for it. He wasn’t going to get his hands on this information. I’d make sure of it.

No one said anything when I walked out of the record house with the thick volume under my arm; nor did they mention it while we made our way toward the deserted pier. Nathan and Henry found a small selection of rowboats. Not all of them were in the best condition, but hopefully at least a couple of them would be sea-worthy.

While Nathan, Jameson, and Henry pulled boats to the uninhabited pier, Alice, Nettie, and I raided the small shops for fresh food and water. I took that time to get to know Alice a little. If we were going to be traveling together, I didn’t want things to be awkward.

“Alice, how long did you work for Pierce?” I asked when we entered an abandoned shop.

Her emerald eyes slightly widened in response. “A few years. My mother died when I was sixteen, and my father sold me to Pierce at eighteen.”

My hand reached for her. “I’m really sorry.” I wanted to say more, but I knew it wouldn’t make the pain any easier. I understood her, though. I had almost been sold to Pierce, and I hoped to never see his face again.

We changed the subject and brought Nettie into our conversation. She was a bright young girl for being only six.

When we began to struggle carrying the items we wanted to take back with us, Nettie had the great idea of loading up some fruit in the top layer of my skirt, so we could carry more. My skirt was weighed down with supplies and I was pretty sure I saw Nettie slip in a doll, but I didn’t mention it. She deserved a bit of happiness, and if a toy put a smile on her face in the darkest of times, then she could have all of them.

We had a sandy area under the pier stocked with food and other supplies by the time the men pulled two charred rowboats onto the beach. They threw canvasses over both of the boats and slathered them with seaweed and other debris to camouflage them. Hopefully, it would also help cover our scent from the vampires.

“We found food,” Nettie announced proudly as all three men plopped down in the sand.

“That’s wonderful,” Nathan said, accepting the apple and canteen of water she handed him.

“Nettie was brilliant. She had the idea to load up my skirt with everything, and carry it all here in one trip,” I stated, praising her cleverness.

“My mum said that I’m as smart as a scholar.” Nettie’s smile faltered a bit at the statement.

“Your mum was right.” I leaned forward, cupping her cheek.

Without warning, she threw herself at me and wrapped her small arms around my waist. I held her close, knowing firsthand how much a hug meant after losing someone. I had lost my parents around her age, and, though I didn’t remember them much, I did recall the love and affection that I received from my aunt. She had been like a second mother to me, so if I could be that to Nettie and bring some small comfort to her, then I would. She withdrew from me and headed over to Nathan to show him her new doll.

I grabbed a loaf of bread and a canteen of water to bring to Jameson. “Here, you need to eat something,” I offered, pushing the items toward him.

“I’m not hungry.” His voice was clipped as he avoided eye contact.

“But you must be. You haven’t eaten or drank anything since you found me,” I replied, sounding like my aunt when she’d admonish my uncle.

“I said, I’m not hungry,” he growled before stalking off.

I watched him walk away before adjusting the items in my hands and turning back toward Nettie and the others, trying to ignore the sting.

While some of us rested, Jameson stayed gone for several hours, not coming back even when darkness fell. I had worried for the first hour or so, but if he wanted to risk his own life by venturing out on his own, then so be it. I wouldn’t be the one to stop him.

As time continued to pass, screams and cannon fire could be heard all over the town. Others hadn’t been as lucky in finding a better place to hide from the vampires. We stayed hunkered down beneath the pier and tried to get some rest, but it was impossible with the sounds of death and mayhem.

Carefully, I extricated myself from Nettie, placing her head gently onto the blanket beneath us. Henry was still awake and watching over everything. He nodded to me, acknowledging my need to stretch my legs. I stepped out from beneath the pier and glanced at the town as the fires from the previous night reignited and blazed brightly against the night sky, making it change to an eerie crimson.

In a different circumstance, it might have been beautiful, but not tonight. Not there. Not in Port Victory where the town and surrounding islands had been overrun with vampire pirates. I shuddered at the thought that the surrounding despair was Pierce’s fault. If he hadn’t been so selfish… I let the thought go. Ifs weren’t going to make any of it better.

I walked a little further up the beach, my eyes locked on the light coming from town. Tears pricked my eyes again, but I pushed the urge to cry aside. I had done all of my crying and had no desire to resume weeping.

Suddenly, rough hands grabbed my shoulders, pulling me against a hard chest. Panic seized my body until I caught sight of Jameson’s face and relaxed.

“What are you doing out here?” he hissed, pulling me closer to the pier wall.

“I couldn’t sleep.” I waved my hand toward town.

His grip on my arms loosened as he let out a deep breath. “I thought you were leaving.”

“Where would I go? Back to Pierce? I’ve been looking for a way to escape him for months. Coincidently, my escape was made possible by all of this. There’s no going back for me if I can help it.”

Jameson opened his mouth to say something, but his eyes narrowed as his attention was diverted to something behind us. While he was distracted, I let my eyes trace his jawline and paused as I noticed something. Something that didn’t belong there. Before I could think, my hand reached toward his face and I wiped red liquid from the corner of his mouth onto my finger. I stared at it, trying to make sense of what I was seeing but couldn’t.

“Someone’s coming.” Jameson pressed his body against the length of mine, pushing me against a wooden post, making me forget what he had said.

My mouth dried when he pressed harder against me, chest to chest, thigh to thigh. I trembled as heat coursed through me, chasing away my earlier emotions. His hand swept my dark hair away from my neck, pressing his face into the space between my shoulder and neck. I’d never been touched like that and I wasn’t sure what to do, but what I did know was that I didn’t want him to stop.

My hands grabbed fistfuls of his shirt, needing something to hold on to while I leaned my head to the side. His lips brushed against my skin, and I let out a harsh breath when his teeth scraped my flesh, threatening to break through.

Jameson’s hands roamed over my body, one moving to the back of my neck, while the other gripped my hip, keeping me firmly in place. I gasped softly as his mouth moved just behind my ear, heating my skin.

I heard a rumble behind us, then remembered his previous statement that someone was coming. My body tensed as my eyes landed on a man standing too close to us for comfort. His clothes were tattered and dirty, like Dom and Craig’s had been, and his eyes were glowing red.

He wasn’t a man any longer. He was a vampire.

Chapter Five

Before I could do anything beyond think about panicking, Jameson turned his head calmly to the side, so he could see the newcomer without revealing me. A low growl ripped from his chest, followed by an equally menacing hiss.

The vampire paused mid-step, observing us curiously. “Care to share yer meal?”

“I don’t share,” Jameson snarled. “I’d suggest heading west. I snagged this one from a group fleeing town.”

The vampire cackled. “Good lookin’ out, mate. Come find me when yer done. We can hunt together. I hear thar be a hunter on the island.”

Jameson laughed, dark and threatening. “I’m taking my time with this one, but I’ll be sure to find you soon.”

“Aye, enjoy yer booty,” the vampire offered, before turning away.

My body remained frozen. I didn’t know what had just happened or what to believe.

Is Jameson a vampire?

Once the vampire was out of sight, he backed away from me, closing his eyes and regaining his composure. “I’m sorry about that. I didn’t want to kill him and cause a scene. I would have never touched you like that without your permission.”

My jaw flapped up and down as I tried to process the last few minutes. His last statement about not touching me like that without my permission told me he had been feeling the same attraction I had. I tried not to let the glee from it outshine the fact that I was almost certain he was a vampire. Yet, it didn’t make sense, because he hadn’t tried to hurt any of us.

“What are you?” I stammered, finally getting my mouth to work.

He reached out to me, but I took a step back. “Listen, Lavinia. I need you to understand.”

“To understand what?” I cut him off sharply. “Are you one of them? Have you been playing these people this whole time? What about Nettie? She’s just a child!”

I was becoming hysterical. I knew it, but I couldn’t help it. He had been my only beacon of hope in getting somewhere safe, and the light he provided was diminishing before my eyes.

His hand clamped around my mouth gently. “Calm down and be quiet before you draw attention.” His eyes flashed in anger. “Let me explain, and if you want to leave, I’ll understand, but you can’t tell the others. Let me get them to safety, at least.”

I nodded, and he released his hold. I took a few more steps away from him, finding a dry spot in the sand to sit down. I wasn’t sure standing for whatever he was about to tell me was a good idea.

“Pierce changed all of the men he had recruited to protect him. Everyone in his inner circle are now vampires. He wanted only the strongest to protect him, but he didn’t tell the vampires he had created more at first. That was why Dom thought I couldn’t beat him; he thought I was a weak newborn. He was left here by his master to oversee the takeover of the island, and we were created before he arrived. Another man trained us and taught us how to protect Pierce, but more importantly, ourselves.”

“So, what makes you so different? Why should we trust you to lead us to safety when you’re one of them?”

“As of right now, I’m still in transition. It’s painful, but our trainer became a friend and taught me how to fight the urges. You have to understand, I didn’t want this. It was forced on me, but the man I speak of is called a hunter. He knew how to maintain control and made a point to keep me sane. I haven’t hurt a human or drank their blood. I can control the monster inside and get you to safety.”

His reasoning was mad, but at the same time, it made sense. I leaned my head into my hands as I pulled my knees up. I needed a moment alone to think. I hadn’t slept well or long enough, and I needed to make sure I was thinking reasonably—not with my heart. There was something about Jameson that called to me, vampirism be damned, but I needed to let my head make the decision if I was going to stay and trust him not to hurt me.

Jameson was almost a vampire. He hadn’t drunk human blood, had denied the natural instinct. That had to count for something, right? I couldn’t blame him for being different. I was slowly realizing I was, too. The only difference was that I had no idea what was happening to me.

He hadn’t had a choice and he’d yet to show he was anything other than protective of all of us. I might have been making a mistake trusting a vampire, or whatever he was, but until I knew more, until we were off the island, I would give him a chance to prove he wasn’t like Pierce, Dom, or Craig. That he was strong enough to withstand whatever change he was going through at the moment.

“Explain to me how you’re doing it,” I requested, tilting my head up. “I saw the blood on you earlier, yet you say you haven’t hurt a human.”

His eyes casted down away from me. “Goats. I’ve been feeding off goats at a house near here. The vampires have left the animals alone for the time being. I thirsted so bad afterward, and animal blood was the only thing that could curb the craving until I saw you again.”

My forehead pinched in confusion. “What do you mean by that?”

“I don’t know.” He settled against the pier post across from me, still keeping a distance I appreciated. “When you ran into me last night, the beast inside of me settled. My protective instinct took over, and the thirst was a mere drifting thought in my mind. Before that, even animal blood didn’t seem to calm me enough. I was out there, keeping my distance from the group until sunrise. I still don’t completely trust myself not to hurt you, because I do crave you, but it isn’t your blood that calls to me. It’s something deeper that I don’t understand.”

I nodded, finally understanding why he’d been so hot and cold with me. Why he didn’t come to me when I thought he would. I wanted to know more, though. What had happened to me that would cause me to heal quickly and calm a vampire? I knew I had been bitten, but I didn’t crave blood, I still tired, and I wasn’t overly strong, as I had observed from the other vampires.

“What am I?” I thought, not realizing I had said the words out loud, until Jameson responded.

“What do you mean?”

Shite, I didn’t want to tell him anything more. He might have been open and honest with me, but I didn’t know what I was, and I wouldn’t be a pawn in whatever war was happening around us. I needed to divert the conversation back to him.

“I just mean, how am I making you feel better? Why me?”

His shoulders lifted and fell slowly as he shrugged. “I don’t know. There is something different about your blood. You smell different than the others. It’s intoxicating, yet I don’t have the urge to drink your blood.”

I laid my head back down on my knees, not responding. If we continued our conversation, it was going to head in a direction I wasn’t ready to explore yet. It was enough to know he wanted me, and he couldn’t fathom hurting me. It didn’t mean I’d let my guard down. There was still a monster within him that could overtake him at a moment’s notice. He might be strong enough to fight it now, but neither of us had any idea how long that would last.

“Please, don’t tell the others,” Jameson begged, breaking the silence. “They won’t trust me, and I’m the only one who can use the dagger. You need me with you.”

“Why can’t anyone else use the dagger?” I had assumed the blade was special when I noticed the fine engravings on it, and even more so when I had seen the faint glow to it when Jameson used it on Marie.

“These daggers have been blessed by a sea witch. The hunters have them, and when given to another, they are bonded to that hunter by blood. The bond only breaks if the hunter is dead. Then, another can take possession of it.”

His comment triggered a memory of the past stories I had heard about vampires. “Aren’t you technically dead? Doesn’t your heart stop beating once you’re turned?”

“I’m still in transition. I don’t know what will happen if I keep drinking animal blood. I never asked my trainer about that, and he disappeared before our group was turned. If I can no longer use the dagger, then I can gift it to someone in our group and show them how to create the bond, but until then, I can’t break the connection.”

Sea witches, blood bonds, magical daggers, and vampires. My body quaked as it tried to process that this was my life now. All the things I believed to be fable as a child were becoming very real nightmares before my eyes.

“We need to get back to the others. They’ll be worried, and we don’t need them venturing out and getting into trouble. We still have a full day to stay hidden before we can head out to sea. Those boats won’t keep us safe out there for any longer than it will take us to row to the main ship. We might not even get lucky enough to have them last that long.” He stood, reaching his hand out to me.

I stared at it, unsure if I wanted to pretend everything was fine, pretend I didn’t know he was a blood drinker. He could have killed me. He could have given me up to Dom and kept his cover. I had every reason to trust him, but it was the monster I knew was stirring inside him that I didn’t trust. Placing my hand within his, I decided that it was worth the risk to keep his secret for now. I would keep a closer eye on him, but until he proved I couldn’t, I would trust him to lead our group to safety.

Jameson pulled me close, stared down into my eyes, and grazed my cheek with his hand. “Thank you.” His voice was soft and vulnerable, making me shiver.

“Don’t make me regret it,” I whispered.

Leaning forward, he placed his lips on my temple and inhaled my scent, then let out a sigh of contentment. “I promise I won’t cause harm to you or the others. I will protect you all for as long as I can.”

Even though I shouldn’t, I believed him. In that moment, I made the decision to put my life into a vampire’s hands. He wasn’t the only one with secrets, and I needed to remember that before I judged him.

We made our way back to the hiding spot beneath the pier. The others hadn’t had any trouble while we were gone, and it was almost worrisome how quiet the island had turned, even though it was still night. I finally asked why Jameson had said it was safer during the day, and he explained that most vampires stayed away from the sun, because it drained their strength. It didn’t hurt them in any way; they just didn’t like to be weak.

The need to ask him how it affected him arose, but I knew I couldn’t with the others around, so instead, we continued to take shifts, watching over our area while people slept. When I woke from my turn to rest, it was high noon, and Nettie was snuggled on my lap. She had used one of the layers of my skirt as a blanket, stirred and whimpered as she slept, but settled when I cooed at her softly.

I hadn’t asked what happened to her parents. I didn’t want her to have to relive the moment, but it seemed she likely was in her sleep anyway. I stroked her blonde curls, wondering if I’d ever have a child of my own. Our world was turning into a war zone, and I didn’t want to bring an innocent baby into a place that wasn’t safe, but the urge was there regardless. Nettie was bringing out maternal emotions in me that I didn’t even know I had.

Alice and Henry slept soundly next to us while Nathan and Jameson walked the perimeter of our area. I could hear them talking about our plans for tonight. We couldn’t stay on the beach all night again. We needed to keep moving to avoid being found, but neither of them thought it was a good idea to go back to the warehouses. There had been too much commotion there before we left.

Just as I was about to recommend we try to go back to my farm, I heard Jameson rumble. I’d heard that same rumble the night before and knew someone was coming.

I wrapped my arms tighter around Nettie. Jameson could protect the group, and that included Nettie, but I felt a responsibility to her. A sort of kinship since we had both lost our parents. I knew her hurt and wanted to shield her from more of it.

“Jameson, I’ve been looking for you,” Pierce’s voice sounded from behind where I sat.

My heart rate increased to a point that I thought I might pass out from the rush. Fear coursed through my body at the sound of his voice. I knew what he wanted, and I had been foolish to think we could hide from him. Pierce Ambrose always got what he wanted.

“I sent Dom on a little errand for me, but he never came home. Is he with you, by chance?” Pierce’s voice sounded calm, but I could picture his face and the condescending look he did so well.

“I haven’t seen him. I went out looking for more recruits. I was just working on this guy here.” Jameson played it casual, but the tension in his voice was evident.

“For some reason, I don’t believe you,” Pierce boomed angrily, no longer playing nice. “I think you ran away with my prize, and I want her back.”

“What are you talking about?”

Pierce snarled. “Don’t play dumb with me, slave. I gave you power and I can take it away. Don’t you forget that. I’m stronger than you, and I don’t have patience to wait any longer for what’s mine. Give me Lavinia.”

Gently, I moved Nettie from my lap—she fussed but stayed asleep. Then, I crawled over to Alice and Henry to wake them and grabbed the sword she’d taken from one of the shops we’d been in earlier. I knew it wouldn’t kill Pierce, but maybe it would be enough to give us a chance to run.

Just as I placed my hand on Henry’s shoulder, Nettie let out a blood-curdling scream. I turned to find Craig standing there, with the child kicking and screaming in his arms.

“I got us a wee lass,” he called to Pierce. “And yer wench is o’er here.”

Everything in me stopped. I couldn’t breathe or move as anger surged inside me. My rage was all-encompassing at the thought of the pirate’s hands on that precious girl.

I watched as he ran his nose against her neck. “The lass will make a fine blood slave.”

Finally snapping, I grasped the sword tighter, and charged Craig. Nettie would never be a blood slave. Not if I was still alive and breathing. I wouldn’t let it happen. I didn’t want to cut Nettie by accident, so I aimed low, slicing the blade across Craig’s ankles.

I’d never used a sword before, and my stance was awkward which prevented my hit from having much power behind it. I barely ripped his trousers before he backed away. Nettie was still in his arms with tears running down her sweet face.

Pierce appeared behind Craig as Jameson and Nathan came around the back behind me. Pierce had leverage against us, and I knew this wasn’t going to end well. Before any more lives could be put in danger, I dropped the sword and stepped forward.

“Let the child go and leave these people be. If you do that, then I will come with you willingly.”

“Lavinia, no.” Jameson rushed forward to grasp my arm. His eyes were wide with fear for me.

Pulling my arm away, I turned to him. “It’s the only way to keep her safe, and you know it. We can’t fight him without risking Nettie.”

He cursed and shook his head, but it was too late. I moved away from him and walked toward Pierce as he took Nettie from Craig, letting her go. Instead of running toward the others, her small arms wrapped around my waist.

“Don’t go, Nia. We need you.”

Bending down to her eye level, I placed my hands on her cheeks. “It’s going to be all right. Stay with Jameson and the others.” I moved closer to give her one last hug, but Pierce grabbed my arm and yanked me back.

“That’s enough. We need to go.”

He dragged me behind him as I struggled to keep up with his pace. I took a final glance back at our group, needing to see their faces one last time.

“Lavinia!” Jameson roared as Nathan and Henry held him back, barely able to keep him in place.

“I’m sorry,” I whispered, but I doubted they heard me. All that mattered was that they were safe.

Once I knew the boat had come and gone, I’d try to escape and catch the next one. I only had to survive a week with Pierce. I just hoped when I finally made it out, I’d still be human, if that was what I was.

Chapter Six

I refused to let the tears fall as Pierce dragged me forcefully along the path back to his plantation home.

I wouldn’t let him break me.

I would remain strong enough to make it out of my current predicament somehow and find my new friends again. I vowed to myself that had not been the last time I would see them.

Eve met us at the front door, and Pierce shoved me toward her. “Clean her up, but this time, don’t let her out of your sight. If she gets away again, it will be your head I rip off.”

Eve nodded as her face blanched, and her grip tightened around my arm as she dragged me to the washroom once more. After shoving me through the doorway, she hastily closed the door behind her and turned to me. “You picked a bad time to piss him off, missy.”

I didn’t respond even though I was curious why it had been a bad time.

Eve stalked over to the tub that I noticed was filled with steaming water. I gazed at it longingly. It felt like an eternity since I’d had a proper wash, but the memory of our small group of survivors and how dirty they all were made me balk at my yearning thoughts.

Eve gestured me forward, but I remained where I was, glaring at her and getting angry all over again at the whole situation.

“Lord Pierce wants you cleaned up. You can either do it yourself or I’ll do it for you,” she snapped, her brown eyes flashing red for a moment.

I had forgotten that she was a vampire, too. I didn’t want her close enough to touch me, let alone bathe me, so I undressed. I paid Eve little attention as I stepped into the warm water, trying not to revel in it. I refused to enjoy any part of being here with Pierce while my friends were likely still fighting for their lives.

There was a knock at the door that had my body tensing. My startled gaze shifted to Eve as she picked up my soiled clothes and brought them to the door. I couldn’t see who was on the other side, but they exchanged items and Eve turned back to me, revealing yet another red dress and more undergarments.

Is that the only color they have?

Eve settled everything onto the stool before leaning against the small wash table to glower at me. I glared back, reached for the lavender scented soap, and began lathering my hair and skin. Our eyes remained locked in a silent battle that I refused to lose.

Once clean, I stood up from the water. Gooseflesh covered my body as the cooler room air hit my wet skin, making me shiver involuntarily. I grabbed a towel from the shelf and quickly dried off. I was feeling extra vulnerable being in a room with a vampire I knew detested me, so I wanted to get into some clothes as soon as possible.

With stiff movements, Eve helped me into the crisp undergarments, then into the blood red dress that caused bile to rise in my throat. As Eve laced up the corset tighter than necessary, my thoughts turned to Jameson and the others. I wondered what they were doing now. Had they moved to a different location like we discussed, or had Craig returned to finish them off regardless of my cooperation? The mere thought of anything happening to them had fury raging through my veins, heating my skin until I was flushed.

“I wouldn’t get too comfortable,” Eve hissed. She pulled the last of the laces tight and pinched my skin, but I refused to give her the satisfaction of seeing me flinch. “You’ll be one of us soon. That’ll wipe away your high and mighty attitude.”

I ignored her as she continued to insult me and my intelligence. My anger rose, but I just had to think of Jameson’s warm embrace, and his azure-colored eyes watching me to keep my ire in check.

“You’re nothing but a harlot,” Eve spat in disgust, shoving me away from her.

She sent me crashing into the table, causing me to knock over a vase and fall on top of the shattered pieces. A scream escaped my throat as shards dug into my wrist and forearm. Before I could right myself to inspect the damage, her fingers wrapped painfully around my arm and lifted me off the floor.

Eve’s eyes were red again when she licked the blood from my arm, ignoring the jagged pieces of the vase still lodged in my skin. Without warning, her fangs pierced my skin, and I cried out at the initial shock of being bitten, but then my cry turned into a scream as fire raced up my arm.

I jerked away, but Eve just dug her fangs in deeper. I thrashed and bucked, trying to dislodge her, but her hold was strong and unyielding. My continued movements caused her fangs to rip my skin open, and blood ran down my arm into a crimson puddle on the floor.

The door crashed open behind me, and faster than I could blink, Pierce bashed Eve away from me. My skin gave way as she was forcefully ripped from my arm. He held her up with one hand, then back-handed her with the other so hard that it sounded like a gunshot.

“You dare taste what is mine,” he roared in her face. “You have defied me for the last time.”

Pierce barked something toward the door, and several men suddenly appeared, entering the room one at a time. Their eyes flashed red as they smelled my blood but averted their gazes at Pierce’s snarl. They grabbed Eve and dragged her from the room.

I stared in horror as my mangled and bloody arm laid across my lap, looking more like ground meat than an appendage. At first, I didn’t notice Pierce’s approach; all of my attention was on my arm that bled but didn’t stain the dress beneath it.

With tender movements, he lifted my arm and began to remove the shards one by one. The flow of blood began to slow as my newly-accelerated healing took over at that moment. I prayed Pierce didn’t notice or question it if he did. Thankfully, his attention was focused on the blood that had dripped down my arm. I watched helplessly as he lapped it up before wrapping my arm in bandages.

Before I could question his sudden gentle treatment and demeanor, the effects of blood loss made their presence known. My eyes fluttered closed as all the strength left my body and I escaped into my vampire-free subconscious.

* * *

Awareness came slowly as my body began to wake and the memory of Eve sinking her teeth into my arm resurfaced. I rolled over, feeling the softness of a bed beneath me. Jameson’s face appeared in my mind’s eye, and I wished he was here with me and this wasn’t Pierce’s home. I took a deep breath, and, for a moment, I could almost smell the scent that was Jameson: rain, trees, and something else I couldn’t identify.

My eyes fluttered open, and I stared at an unfamiliar wall decorated with gold and cream patterns. Tentatively, I pushed myself up until I was sitting. I glanced down at myself and groaned at the red dress I had on, while more memories bombarded my mind in a jumble, causing me to flinch. I raised my arm but hesitated before reaching for the bandage-covered area.

Swallowing hoarsely, I wrapped my other hand around my dressed wrist, and after taking a deep breath, I squeezed. Pressure was present but no pain. I had healed again.

Frustrated tears gathered in my eyes while I wracked my brain, trying to come up with a solution for why my skin was miraculously healed of all injuries.

What does it mean? Why am I like this?

Questions circled in my mind for a long time as I sat on the bed, holding my arm and periodically squeezing it as I prayed for the pain to return. It never did.

Tears ran down my cheeks, and I rocked on the bed, watching night fall from the bedroom window. I hugged my arms to my chest, my breathing becoming labored and shallow. Panic blossomed within me when a fog settled over my mind.

The door across from me suddenly flew open, and Pierce prowled through, his cold blue eyes roving over me hungrily. Scrambling off the bed, I backed away, still hugging my uninjured arm to my chest. My mind cleared of the fog and my heartbeat sped up to a gallop when he drew nearer.

“You can’t run from me anymore, Lavinia,” he purred, his hand reaching toward my face.

My back hit the wall as he pressed his body against mine. His sinister eyes stared down into my own, and I whimpered when he reached for my face again. Cold fingers grasped my chin, and with increasing pressure, he moved my head to the side and swept my hair away from my neck. His face pressed into the curve there, and he took a deep breath, letting his fangs scrape against my skin.

Every part of my being balked at his closeness, revulsion swept through me, and I feared I would vomit. My body and mind screamed at me to run away from the creature pressing himself against me, but Pierce had me caged.

I tried to move and fight, but nothing worked. The more I fought, the harder he pressed into me, until I was gasping for air.

“Finally, you’re mine. No more mistakes. Sending Dom and Craig to turn you is my only regret in all of this. We’ve lost days together, and I won’t lose anymore,” he confessed before sinking his fangs deep into my neck.

Before I could gag at his words, fire raged through me and I screamed, fighting to tear myself away from him, but I couldn’t. Pierce drank my blood and I could feel the life being sucked from my veins. I was burning from the inside out, as if the fire from my home was suddenly lighting me up. Flames scorched my insides, and I feared I would burst from the heat. I remembered being bitten before by Craig, but it hadn’t hurt like this.

After several torturous minutes, the fire started to dissipate while Pierce continued to drain me of my blood and push his venom into me. The flames flickered and then died. My body slumped limply as my eyes closed.

This was the moment when I would cease to exist and a monster would take over my body. An errant tear leaked from my eye as Pierce finally pulled away, lifting me before I could fall to the floor. He carried me to the bed, laid me down, and then almost lovingly, wiped the tear from my cheek before running his fingers through my hair.

“Sir,” a voice said, and I recognized it as Craig’s.

“What?” Pierce growled, his fingers still tangled in my hair.

“We just received word that Prime will be arriving sooner than expected,” Craig answered carefully.

“You interrupted me just to tell me that?” Pierce snarled, pressing his body into my side.

“Well, I –”

“I’ll deal with you later. Now, get out of here,” Pierce interjected before Craig could answer.

Boots scuffed the floor before footsteps could be heard echoing down the hall.

“Soon, we’ll be together for all of eternity,” Pierce cooed into my ear.

I lost track of time while he continued to lay beside me, playing with my hair and talking of the future we would have together. Every so often, he would place gentle kisses to my lips that caused a wave of revulsion to roll through me, but there was nothing I could do to stop him in my current state.

“You know, I’ve watched you for some time now. People often take notice of you, but you’ve always been unaware of the attention you garner. I did everything to get you to notice me on the rare occasions that you came to town. Nothing worked until I became the most powerful man on this small island. You had to notice me after I made a deal with your uncle. All men are greedy; I grew up around them. I know how they think, and I knew I would finally get what I craved.”

He paused, leaned in to press his nose to my hair, and inhaled.

“When I struck my deal with Prime—the vampire who made all of this possible—and I told him all I wanted was you in exchange for my island, he was skeptical, but he agreed in the end. The island for one girl. But you aren’t just any girl, are you, Lavinia? You are so much more, and everyone can see that. Once you’ve turned, we’ll be together, and I’ll be the envy of every man, pirate, and vampire.”

Silently, I listened, unable to move or even breathe as I waited for the change to begin. Waited for the bloodlust, and for the monster to come.

But the change never came.

* * *

It had been hours since Pierce left, frustrated at my lack of responsiveness. I remained unmoving, my eyes closed but aware of everything that was happening around me. I felt the same as I had before the bite, but I hadn’t wanted Pierce to figure that out yet.

Finally, heat started to return to my body, and my first breath of air jump-started my heart. It beat furiously before slowing to a normal rate as my eyes fluttered open. The room was the same; the curtains had been drawn, and I suspected it was to keep the light of day out while I was supposed to be transitioning from human to vampire.

I sat up and swung my legs off the bed, ignoring my stiff body while I made my way toward the window. Pulling back the curtain, I let the morning sunlight warm my skin as I stared out at the rolling landscape. Sunlight didn’t make me uncomfortable or weaker, which meant that my change into a vampire was unsuccessful, just like before.

The sound of footsteps approaching down the hall reached me. Before I could come up with a plan, the door swung open and Pierce stalked in, his eyes searching. He spotted me quickly, an evil grin spreading across his face.

“Finally done, Lavinia,” he cooed and moved toward me, but I took a step back, bumping into the window. “I didn’t think you would ever finish changing. It took longer than usual.”

I blinked at him, confused. The change hadn’t worked. I wasn’t a vampire. I still drew breath like a human, and my heart was beating in my chest, but Pierce thought he had succeeded in changing me. I couldn’t let him find out that it hadn’t worked, or he’d try again.

“You can’t rush perfection,” I replied coolly, masking my fear and removing the bandage from my arm while looking it over.

“No, you can’t,” Pierce agreed, gazing at me with hungry eyes that wanted more than just my blood. “You smell even more intoxicating than you did before.”

He took a couple of steps toward me, and I flinched, glancing away from him, noticing a second person in the room. A young boy stood frozen. His head was lowered, and I could see bite marks on his wrists and neck. He was a blood slave.

“Ah,” Pierce said, noticing where my attention had turned. “This is Anthony. I brought him here for your first feeding.”

“Thank you,” I managed to stammer out, trying not to let my revulsion show.

“Come closer, Lavinia, darling.” He beckoned me forward, but I remained where I was.

“Pierce, my sweet,” I choked out, swallowing the bile that rose back down. “Would you excuse us? I’d like to feed for the first time alone.”

“Why?” he snarled, drawing closer to me, and I knew I couldn’t let him touch me. I couldn’t let him feel the warmth emanating from my skin as my heart pumped life through my veins once more.

“Because I don’t want you to see me lose control. I need to figure this out alone. Then, I will be strong enough to stand by your side,” I explained, looking up into his eyes.

“You’re trying to make me happy,” Pierce remarked, a gleeful smile spreading across his face. “Very well. I will leave you. But I’ll be back, Lavinia.”

My skin crawled when he turned and walked out of the room, closing the door behind him. I held my breath as I listened to his footsteps fade away before turning to Anthony. He was so young; probably not even a teenager, and he reminded me so much of Nettie that tears gathered unbidden in my eyes. I drew closer, wanting to wrap him in my arms, but I froze when he flinched away.

“I’m not going to hurt you,” I whispered to him.

“You can’t help but hurt me,” he replied, and my heart broke anew when I saw the bite marks that marred his skin.

“Yes, I can. I won’t feed from you, or anyone, for that matter,” I informed him, my mind working fast as I searched the room, looking for any way of escape.

“I don’t understand,” he replied, finally lifting his head to look at me.

“I’m not a vampire, Anthony. The change didn’t work on me.” I pulled the duvet off the bed and stripped off the sheets. “I’m not going to feed from you. Now, help me tie these sheets together, so we can get out of here.”

I hadn’t wanted to send Pierce after me again until Jameson and the others were safely on the ship, but they would understand once they saw Anthony. He was only a child, and I planned to protect him, just like I promised to protect Nettie.

I wouldn’t let Pierce hurt either of them.

Chapter Seven

Anthony worked on the bed sheets, while I pulled some of the drapery down. We were three floors up and needed to make a rope of sorts out of the bedding and drapes, long enough to safely get us to the ground. I planned on sending Anthony over first, so I could guide him before I propelled myself down the rope.

Being able to somehow heal myself without being a vampire was puzzling me. I wasn’t going to question it when I needed it most, though. If I broke a bone or two getting to the ground on my own, then so be it. As long as both of us got away from Pierce, that was all that mattered.

“How old are you, Anthony?” He didn’t appear to be older than ten, but he was acting much older than that as he swiftly tied the sheets together.

“I’m eleven.” He kept his gaze down.

“How did you end up here?” I asked, but noticed his body tensed and his breathing became labored. “You don’t have to answer. Let’s just get you out of here, okay?”

He nodded and remained silent. The poor boy was going to have a lot of healing ahead of him. We’d have to find him a home as soon as possible on one of the safer islands, and maybe even leave Nettie with him. Children shouldn’t have to see atrocities like pirates and vampires, or worse, vampire pirates.

Once we were done, I secured one end of the bedding to the bedpost and triple-knotted it, hoping it would be enough to hold. I wrapped the other end around Anthony’s legs and waist, so that he’d be in a sitting position while he went out the window.

He had both legs out the window and looked back to tell me something, but the door slammed open. Anthony yelped and scrambled back into the room. He fell to his knees, mumbling apologies to his master over and over again.

Pierce paid him no attention; his rage was directed only at me, which was fine. The boy didn’t deserve any more hurt.

“You thought you could fool me?” Spit flew out of his mouth as he yelled. “I’m not sure why you haven’t turned yet, but I will figure it out when Prime gets here, and I will make you mine. Do I make myself clear?”

I nodded, holding tightly to the sheets still in my hand.

“Did you think you could take my blood slave?” His voice lowered as he took several steps in Anthony’s direction. “What is it with you and children? Do you need me to go find you one? Is that what would make you happy? Or shall I punish you for lying and disrespecting me?”

The latter was said with such disdain that I flinched at his words. I thought I had seen him angry in the past, but that had been child’s play compared to his wrath now.

Pierce yanked Anthony up from his spot on the ground. “This is what happens when you upset me. Learn from it. Do not repeat it unless you wish for more people to die.” Before I could protest, his hands twisted around Anthony’s neck, and an audible crack rang through the room.

A choked cry escaped my lips as despair poured into me and hot tears ran down my face. Pierce hadn’t even given me the option to make it right. He just took the boy’s life without a care in the world. I sank to the ground and crawled over to Anthony’s still form that was now crumbled on the floor.

Pierce stood above us, smirk in place. “Do you understand now? You can’t run from me. The more you do, the more people will get hurt. You are mine. The sooner you accept it, the sooner we can all move forward. I’ve decided that, until Prime arrives, you’ll be spending some time alone.”

Rough hands grabbed my hair. “Get up. You don’t deserve to weep over his body. You’re the reason he’s dead.”

Anguish coursed through my body while I struggled to stand and avoid the hair from being ripped out of my scalp. Pierce didn’t slow or give me time to adjust; he dragged me behind him as if I was an object of little worth instead of a person.

“You’re the reason he’s dead…” The phrase repeated in my head as I continued to struggle behind Pierce. He was right. I had tried to save Anthony, but instead, I got him killed. All I had wanted to do was help, but I’d made everything worse.

Any stride I’d made in feeling better about myself and whatever I was turning into was gone. Darkness crept in as depression crushed down on me. I might not have been a vampire, but I was something else other than human.

I wasn’t good anymore.

Leaving with Pierce yesterday had been the right choice. The others were safer without me. Jameson might have thought I made him a better person, but I probably would have hurt him, too, if we had managed to get away.

As I continued to berate myself, Pierce went on a tangent about how ungrateful I was and what an abomination I had become. He was too late with that speech. I already knew I wasn’t normal.

He opened a door that led down to his personal cellar. I’d been down there once, when he tried to impress me with his private collection of treasures. What I hadn’t seen before was another door behind a Victorian painting, which took us down another staircase.

My shins slammed into the wooden steps when I lost my footing. Whatever extra abilities I was receiving, seeing in the dark was not one of them. My tears had finally stopped while I attempted to get my bearings and figure out where Pierce was taking me. There were no windows or lamps, and I couldn’t see well, but I heard water dripping from somewhere. It was cold and damp, and very much underground.

Metal hinges creaked, followed by a loud banging sound, which I assumed to be a door hitting the wall. Pierce pulled me up, bringing his face level to mine. I could barely make out his profile, but nothing else in the dank room.

“Your punishment for lying and getting my favorite blood slave killed is two days in my dungeon. No food or water. There is no bed or bathroom. Maybe some time alone in the dark will straighten you out. If not, Prime will, and I’m looking forward to it.”

He tossed me onto the dirt floor before slamming the door shut. I crawled forward as I heard his footsteps retreating. My hands touched the iron bars that enclosed me. I followed them until I made a circle around my cage. Two walls were made of dirt, while the other two were the bars.

One of the corners had water leaking in somewhere. I tried to trace where the water was coming from, but I couldn’t see anything in the dark. Half of the dirt floor was mud and I was covered in it. I stood blindly, reaching up to see if I could feel the ceiling, but my fingers touched only air.

Crawling to a dry corner, I leaned my head against the wall and closed my eyes. I almost missed Pierce’s raging and yelling. Being alone with my thoughts was not a pleasant experience at that moment.

I had gotten an innocent boy killed. A mother’s son. Possibly someone’s brother. They would never see him again because of me.

I was an abomination. I couldn’t be turned into a monster like Pierce, yet I was one in my own way. Normal people didn’t heal. Normal people couldn’t withstand the venom of a vampire. I was not normal, but I had no idea who or what I was anymore.

Tears built up again, and I let them fall freely as I wept for the family I had lost. For the love I might have had but would never know. For Nettie and all that she had to endure and witness. Faces of people I’d never see again ran through my head as I forced myself to rest.

A little voice inside me coaxed me to sleep, reminding me that tomorrow would bring new light and new life. I could weep now, but I needed to start fighting again tomorrow. My aunt wouldn’t want me to give up, and neither would my parents. The knowledge that Jameson would want me to fight gave me strength, and I would try. For all of them, I would try, but most of all, for myself.

For once, that voice I so often ignored gave me hope.

It was all I had left.

* * *

When I woke, I had no sense of time. I had no idea how long I had been out, or even what day it was. But I hoped enough time had passed that Jameson and the others were off the island. At the same time, my heart broke, because it meant I would likely never see them again. I had no idea where to find the safe haven Jameson and the others spoke of. I didn’t even know how I was going to survive if I managed to escape Pierce again.

My arms and legs stretched out while I groaned at the tightness I felt. Standing up, I felt better than I ever had. I expected to be sore from sleeping awkwardly against the wall, but once I began to move my extremities, my body awoke, feeling more alive than ever.

I walked the length of the cell again, counting paces this time. It was maybe ten feet deep by twenty feet wide, plenty of space to move around, so I decided to walk and burn off some of my newly-acquired energy. That did nothing to quell the vigor that was building. I needed an outlet for it, but I didn’t know what else to do.

My hands shook as I focused on the sounds of the dripping water, trying to calm my racing heart. Something was happening to me, but I didn’t know what and was beginning to get frightened. The pacing took over again until I stopped at the barred door. I wrapped my fingers around the iron, squeezing as I took a deep breath.

My heart stopped when I realized the metal beneath my fingers was bending. I was mangling the door with my bare hands, without even breaking a sweat.

What the hell is happening to me?

As my brain caught up with all that was happening, I realized I had found my way out. I was going to get out from under Pierce’s grasp and maybe even make it back to Jameson. My hand slid over the metal, feeling around for the hinges until my fingers connected with them. I bent down, working on the bottom one first. There were three in total, but they were awkwardly placed, giving me little to no leverage. I didn’t give up, though. Darkness might have been drowning me, but I was seeing a light. The fog of depression that hit me yesterday was dissipating, and I had a new will to survive today.

Within minutes, I had broken off the first hinge, and I took a moment to send a silent thank you up to whoever was watching out for me. Before this moment, I considered whatever change I was going through a bad thing, but if it saved me from Pierce, I was going to figure out how to use it for good.

Just as I began to make progress on the middle hinge, a light lit up the stairway, and soft footsteps could be heard coming down. I scrambled to find the broken hinge I had ripped from the door and tucked my hands behind my back as I receded into the corner.

Eve came around the corner, a sneer in place on her blackened face. Pierce must have beat her just bad enough to leave her breathing if she still had marks on her body. She had likely been unrecognizable when he was done with her.

“Not such a high and mighty damsel now, are you?” Eve taunted. “Pierce threw you down here like a rat he couldn’t stand the sight of.”

I tilted my head. “Hmmm, he may have done that, but at least he didn’t disfigure my face.”

A menacing snarl left her throat, but she didn’t scare me. If she had come down hours earlier, I might have entertained her threats, but not today. She had missed her opportunity, and now I would show her how wrong her opinion of me really was.

Her hand slipped into the front pocket on her dress and pulled out a key. After unlocking the cell door, she set down the lamp. The small light cast an eerie glow around the caged room, but I was ready. Only one of us was going to walk out of the dungeon. I knew I couldn’t kill her on my own without a dagger like Jameson’s, but I could make her wish she was dead and that was almost the same thing.

Moving further into the corner, I trembled, letting her think she had frightened me.

“Look at you! You’re nothing but filth, and he wants you when he could have someone like me.” She laughed. “Well, for now. Once you’re no longer in the picture, I’ll be there for him and show him how good he could have it with a real woman.”

I wanted to laugh at the absurdities pouring from her mouth, but I managed to hold it until she got closer. When she was within striking distance, I pulled my arm back and punched her with everything I had.

I’d never hit anyone before, and I must have done it completely wrong, because it seemed to hurt my hand more than it did her face.

She charged back at me. “You’re going to pay for that.”

My reflexes must have been quicker than normal, because I sidestepped her and watched in satisfaction as her fist connected with the wall instead of my face. We danced around each other, but I didn’t have time to play around.

Using the hand with the iron hinge in it, I moved in and slashed it across her neck. Blood dripped from the wound as shock ran through Eve. I didn’t stop there, though. Taking advantage of her distraction, I sliced the other side of her neck and her stomach before she could move an inch.

I punched her once more, this time not hurting myself as much as the first time, and I took pleasure in the cracking sound her head made as she slammed into the wall.

Wasting no time, I closed the door behind me, taking the key as well as the oil lamp to help me navigate the stairs. Eve’s screams could be heard as I made it to the top, but I ignored her, slipping through the wooden door, halfway to freedom.

Sun shone through the windows in the room I entered, and I let out a sigh of relief. Sunshine meant less vampires and a higher chance that I would escape successfully.

I walked calmly toward the front door, not wanting to draw attention to myself if someone did see me, but thankfully, it wasn’t necessary. I didn’t see a single soul when I opened the front door.

Once outside, I didn’t stop. I used the pent-up energy I had acquired when I woke up today to run as fast as I could, for as long as I could.

Grass and branches slapped against my skin while I ran through the fields, but I didn’t care. I had the smallest of hopes that the others would still be waiting for the boat, that maybe I could still leave with them, and we would all be safe.

That hope left me the moment I arrived at the abandon pier to find both row boats gone and only one pile of food left.

My frantic gaze searched the open bay, looking for a ship, but saw nothing.

My heart sank. I was alone with no way off the island and nobody around I could trust. I had no idea what I was going to do next, or if I’d even survive the nearing night on my own.

Chapter Eight

Slumping down in the sand at the pier, I sighed as hopelessness seeped into me. Luck had been on my side only to be ripped away again. Sure, I had escaped Pierce, but I was alone and had no clue where to hide or run to, even if I found another ship to take me off the island before Pierce could find me again.

As I closed my eyes, I let my thoughts drift to Jameson, Nettie, Alice, Nathan, and Henry, finding their freedom on the boat. It made my heart swell, knowing they were safe, even if it meant I wasn’t. I wouldn’t be regretful of my choices thus far if it meant they would be better off.

I was thinking about them so deeply, I began to hear Jameson’s voice calling my name. It brought a smile to my face and gave me renewed strength to figure out another way. Opening my eyes, I stood up just in time to see a man running toward me.

My heart stopped as I scrambled to come up with a plan. I was not prepared to fight another vampire. I had left the hinge in the dungeon, and I had nothing else to protect myself with, so I decided to run.

“Lavinia, stop!”

My body froze as my mind took a moment to catch up. I hadn’t been imagining Jameson’s voice. He was still on the island. He had waited for me.

“Jameson,” I whispered, trying not to hope or even believe that he was there until I turned around to confirm it with my own eyes.

Before I could consciously decide anything, I was running as hard and as fast as I could toward him. It wasn’t fast enough, and it seemed his semi-vampire strength was far greater than mine.

We crashed into each other, my arms wrapping around his neck, while his clamped around my back, holding me to him. He buried his face in my neck and inhaled my scent, causing me to shiver. Slowly, he sank to his knees and pulled me with him as we held on to each other. I ran my fingers through his hair, still marveling at the fact that he hadn’t left.

I leaned back, wanting to see his face, but he kept it pressed against my neck. After a moment, I noticed that he was trembling.

“Jameson,” I breathed, grabbing his shoulders in an attempt to push him back from me. Finally, after several moments of pressure, he withdrew.

I gasped as our eyes met. His were a ruddy red color, not the bright red of Eve’s or Pierce’s, but still red. “What’s happened?”

“I don’t know,” he answered truthfully.

Fascinatedly, I watched as his eyes bled back to their normal cobalt color, causing something in my chest to ease. “Jameson, your eyes were red, but now they’re back to blue,” I whispered, astonished at what I had just witnessed.

“They turned red as I watched you being dragged away from me.” His fingers traced my face. “I thought the others would be afraid or leave, but everyone stayed, even when they realized what I was.”

“You would never harm them,” I replied vehemently, wanting to erase all doubt from him.

“When you left, I thought I would. I wanted to.” His eyes studied my face, searching for something.

“But you didn’t.” I smiled.

His gaze drifted down my face to stare at my lips. I drew closer to him, placing my hands flat on his chest while his head bent closer. He was going to kiss me. I hesitated, considered pulling away, but I realized I wanted his lips on mine, almost as much as he seemed to.

The memory of how he had pressed himself against me when he hid me from the vampire under the pier flitted across my mind. I wanted to feel that again. I needed to feel it again. His presence was slowly erasing the revulsion I had felt when Pierce had touched me. It chased away the dark depression that had settled over me in the dungeon. I was somehow able to calm the monster inside of him, but he had a way of making me feel alive.

My eyes fluttered shut as his head dipped closer. His hands gripped my waist, pulling me flush against him. Rough lips brushed against mine, causing me to draw in a breath at the fire it ignited within my chest before spreading to every part of my body.

“Lavinia,” he whispered against my cheek.

The chaste kiss ended too soon. Still, my body trembled at the way he said my name.

With reluctance, he leaned away, glancing down at my face while still keeping me close to him. His rough hand brushed my hair back, causing a bubble of happiness to expand within me. It wasn’t a true emotion I had experienced in many years, and even though I was nowhere near safe, I decided to let my heart be taken by Jameson.

“How did you escape?”

I started from when Pierce had dragged me back to his plantation home. When I had to revisit Pierce attempting to turn me, it was more difficult than I thought it would be.

Jameson inspected my neck, looking for marks, then placed his hand against my chest right above my heart. “I don’t understand. If he turned you, then how are you alive?”

“I don’t know,” I replied before continuing the story. I glossed over the part with Anthony, because that was too raw to talk about still.

“And you ran here after you locked Eve in the cellar?” he asked, and I nodded, feeling lighter now that I had told someone what was going on with me. “You’ve been turned twice, but both times were unsuccessful,” he mused, glancing at the horizon where the sun had almost finished its descent into the sea.

“I’m not sure what it means or how it works, but I’m still alive even though I should have died twice.” I leaned my head against his chest, reveling in his strength and unyielding determination.

“We need to get going,” he added after a minute of silence. “We caught the ship before it entered the bay. It’s anchored a little way off the western shore, hidden from sight. I convinced the captain to give me until the sun completely set to try to find you.”

“It’s almost dusk now.” Panic gripped at me, causing my hands to shake. “We need to get on the ship before it leaves us behind.”

“I have a boat waiting not far from here,” he explained, rising to his feet before enveloping my hand in his and pulling me up with him.

While we ran, we stayed close to the pier and then slipped into dense trees, staying out of sight as much as possible since dusk was nearing. I remained next to him, periodically squeezing his fingers to reassure myself that he was there and I wasn’t alone. He glanced at me more often than was normal for him, almost as if he was reassuring himself of the same thing.

The shadows began to lengthen as we broke through the tree line and out onto another sandy beach. I wasn’t familiar with the area, but I immediately noticed that the boat he had commandeered was pulled onto the sand. It didn’t look burnt or scorched like the others we had found, and I suspected that he had gotten it from the waiting ship.

I drew closer to Jameson’s side as hope bloomed in my heart. We had made it. Soon, we would leave this godforsaken island behind us and not have to worry or fight for our lives every other minute.

“Going somewhere?” a voice sneered from our left, and I gasped when Pierce suddenly appeared in front of us, blocking our path to the boat. “Leaving so soon, and without a goodbye for your fiancé?”

I could feel Jameson stiffen against me as he took a small step to the side, angling himself to be between the vampire and me.

Pierce’s smile grew wider as he observed us. A few more vampires stepped out of the trees, placing themselves around him, further blocking us from freedom.

My heart sank as frustrated tears gathered in my eyes. We were so close. Our ticket off this island was only a few feet away, and we were thwarted once again.

“Jealous?” Jameson asked, and I gaped at him.

“Jealous of what?” Pierce asked, clearly confused.

“That Lavinia keeps running from you, but she has no problem being in my company. She never wanted you, even before you became a monster.”

Pierce’s face twisted with rage. “Any woman would be lucky to have me.”

Jameson had struck a nerve.

“Any other woman, yes, but not Lavinia,” Jameson added, lifting our hands to kiss the back of mine.

My heart stuttered in my chest at his possessive action, and the fact that I enjoyed it took me by surprise. I was just an object to Pierce, but I hadn’t felt that way with Jameson in the short time we’d been together.

“I will have her, even if I have to break her first. Prime will make sure of it as part of our deal,” Pierce assured with a sadistic grin.

“Prime won’t lay a hand on her, and you’ll never get the chance again. I’ll make sure of that.” Jameson ran his hand down my back, leaning closer to my ear. “Run to the boat, Lavinia. I’ll be right behind you,” he whispered to me.

“Promise?” I asked, nervous to leave his side with so many vampires around. We had just reunited; leaving him felt wrong.

“I promise.” His blue eyes glanced down into mine. “I won’t let him take you. Not again. Not ever.”

The urge to press my lips to his and tell him how much his words meant to me was overwhelming, but I knew I couldn’t. Not right then. I nodded my understanding as I saw a flicker of movement from the corner of my eye.

“Go,” he urged, releasing my hand while simultaneously reaching for his dagger.

The vampires charging us faltered as Jameson withdrew the blade, the edges already glowing with a white light. I tore across the sand, grabbing the bottom of my skirts so I could run faster. Within moments I was at the boat, pushing it toward the water with pure adrenaline.

As I inched the boat closer to the water, I flicked my head back to make sure Pierce hadn’t followed me and to check on Jameson. I turned just in time to see three of the four vampires that had joined Pierce were already decomposing into ash. Frantically, I searched the beach but couldn’t find Pierce anywhere, which urged me to move. I needed to get as far from him as possible.

Less than a minute later, a hand gripped my arm so tightly that I screamed in agony. Pierce was on the other side of the boat when I jerked my head around. He had come around it and began pulling me toward him, but I fought him with everything I had, finding more strength than I had felt any other time before.

My arm was held taut between us, causing me to wince in continued pain. I tugged at his fingers with my other hand, but that only made it easier for him to drag me closer. I growled in frustration as an evil smile spread across his face.

Pulling my free hand back, I grasped the side of the boat, trying to leverage myself from Pierce’s hold. The wood cracked under my fingers and I knew I was seconds away from tearing the whole side off. I clung to it desperately, unwilling to give up and let myself be taken back by Pierce.

Furious azure eyes appeared within my line of sight as Jameson approached me. Without a word, he offered me his dagger, hilt first, the blade still glowing in the quickly fading light.

I let go of the side of the boat and wrapped my fingers around the handle, feeling a current run up and down it. Just as I turned to face Pierce, I saw another vampire bearing down on Jameson. Without the dagger, Jameson couldn’t kill the vampire behind him. I had seconds, maybe only moments, to act.

I dug deep, searching for the strength I had used when I fought Eve. Before I knew it, I was across the boat, shoving the dagger into Pierce’s chest. His eyes widened in shock as I ripped the blade out of him. His body began falling backward, but I was already moving my attention back to Jameson.

The vampire behind him was gripping his shoulder with one hand, and pulling Jameson’s head with the other hand, trying to tear off his head. The monster didn’t get the chance, because I plunged the dagger into his chest with a scream.

The look of shock on the vampire’s face was one that would haunt me for the rest of my life. He started to collapse but turned into ash before his body hit the sand.

Without a word, Jameson lifted me into the boat before tugging it the rest of the way into the waves. He leapt over the side of the boat and scrabbled hurriedly for the oars. With quick and powerful strokes, we were out into the bay within seconds.

My eyes remained fixed on the shore where only one pile of ash was left.

I stared at the dagger still clutched in my hand, realizing that I had missed Pierce’s heart in my haste to save Jameson. My hand started to shake as the comprehension that Pierce was alive gripped me. I had the chance to end him, but I missed. Tears gathered in my eyes when I realized that he was going to be coming for me. He would never stop. I had tried to kill him, and he now had a point to prove.

“Lavinia,” Jameson’s voice called from somewhere, but I ignored it. My attention was on the dagger clutched in my hand that had somehow worked for me even though I wasn’t bonded to it. I knew that wasn’t supposed to happen, but my thoughts were still stuck on Pierce and the other vampire I had killed.

Jameson reached for me while I choked on a sob stuck in my throat. I let him take the dagger from my hand. His fingers intertwined with mine when the tears leaked from my eyes.

Finally, my gaze rose to Jameson’s face. “I… missed,” I stammered, trying to see his expression through my tears. “I missed his heart.”

He whispered my name, but instead of replying to him, I collapsed against his chest. Deep, gut-wrenching sobs wracked my body and I buried my face in his neck. He continued to speak softly to me, but I didn’t hear any of it as I let out all of my emotions.

I thought I had been doing better, but I had been wrong. The only thing I had been successful at was blocking the overwhelming agony and focusing on getting off the island. Now that we were technically off the island, I couldn’t contain it.

I had no family left in the world. My body was changing, and I had no idea what I was turning into anymore. A half-changed vampire seemed to be the only thing to calm me, and what scared me about that was the fact that it didn’t scare me.

“I’m sorry,” I finally whispered when the sobs had subsided. “I’m so sorry.”

“Lavinia, it’s all right,” he offered softly into my hair.

“No, it’s not,” I hiccupped.

“But it is.” He pushed me away from him, bringing our faces level. “I’m alive right now because of what you did.”

“But I didn’t kill Pierce.”

“No, but you saved my life. I gave you the dagger knowing there was a good possibility I would die, but I didn’t care. As long as you lived, I was prepared to die.”

“What?” I grabbed the collar of his shirt. “You are not going to die.”

“Lavinia,” he began, but I cut him off immediately.

“You are not going to die,” I repeated angrily, hating the thought of anything happening to him. “I need you here with me.”

“I’ll be here,” he assured, his blue eyes searching my face, “for as long as you want me to be.”

“How was I able to use your dagger?” I asked, hoping he had an explanation.

His forehead creased. “I don’t know. I didn’t think it was possible, but something inside me urged me to hand it to you. I just acted on instinct, and thankfully, it worked. When we find the hunters, we can ask them about it.”

I smiled at him and, before I lost my nerve, I leaned in, pressing my lips to his. One of Jameson’s hands buried itself in my hair at the base of my skull, his fingers massaging my scalp. His other hand cupped my cheek, his thumb caressing my jaw as his lips moved against mine. His tongue ran along my lower lip, and I gasped when a pleasant sensation swooped through my lower belly.

I’d never been kissed properly before—the chaste kisses Pierce had forced on me didn’t count. Being with Jameson like this was so much more than I could have imagined.

His lips moved from mine to my jaw, then down the column of my throat to my collarbone. My hands buried themselves in his hair, holding him to me as he moved up to the sensitive skin behind my ear.

“Jameson,” I gasped as I felt his tongue flick out to taste my skin.

He pulled back, cupping my face with his hands, ready to speak, but his attention diverted to something behind me. “Lavinia, we have a problem.”

Chapter Nine

Everything in me tensed at his words. I closed my eyes for a moment, for just one more moment, trying to enjoy the feeling of being alive with Jameson. But reality wasn’t done with us. We couldn’t celebrate our survival just yet.

Turning, I looked over my shoulder toward the horizon, where the red sun was sinking down into the ocean that reflected its light, making the sky appear as if it was on fire and surrounded by blood as evening made itself known. A ship was not far from us, anchored and unmoving. Lanterns were being lit on the vessel, helping to guide us toward it. But further back was another ship, and it was heading straight for the stationary vessel.

Jameson grabbed the oars and was rowing before I had fully comprehended what the ship on the horizon meant. Or rather whose it was.

“Is that Prime?” My voice shook as I said the words. I had no idea who the man was, but from the sounds of it, he was the most powerful vampire around. I preferred not to be anywhere near him, especially with my inability to be turned. God only knew what he would do to me if he got his hands on me.

Jameson nodded. “I would assume so. See the black sail on the ship? Those are pirate ships. The story is that Prime began turning the pirates first, because they were more than willing to have immorality. The pirates already enjoyed pillaging the towns. This just gave them a leg up.”

I shuddered at the thought. I knew stories of pirates. They’d even been to our port before, but since I had rarely left the farm before I was offered up to Pierce, I had never seen one. Dom and Craig had been the first, and I’d die happy if they were the only pirates I had any interactions with—wishful thinking on my part.

Shouts rang out from both ships. I couldn’t hear what the pirates were yelling about, but I could hear a female voice urging us to hurry.

Jameson cursed, moving the oars even faster than before.

“What’s happening? I asked, panicked.

“See those chains coming out of the water?” He pointed to the livestock ship that was supposed to be waiting for us. “Those are the anchors coming up. With Prime’s ship approaching fast, the captain likely decided waiting was no longer an option.”

Twilight was upon us now. The sun was no longer visible, but its soft light was casting a glow on the nighttime sky. I bit my fingernails, feeling helpless. I could now see Alice’s arms flailing to get our attention, her voice still calling out to us. Nettie was gripping her waist but staying silent.

Several cannons fired toward the ship and us from the pirates. I yelped in half surprise and fear when big splashes of water erupted a couple hundred feet from us. The cannons were out of range, but if we remained there, we wouldn’t make it. Two of the four anchors were now retracted, and we still had too much distance separating us from the vessel.

Sweat beaded along Jameson’s forehead and he grunted as he rowed, his muscles bunching and flexing under his shirt as he pushed the little boat. He didn’t once lose focus on what he was doing.

“Damn it!” Jameson growled as the cannon fire got closer, as well as Prime’s boat. “We’re going to make it.”

As he said the words, I couldn’t decide if he said them because he believed them or if he just needed to tell himself that. From where I sat, the likelihood of us making it to the ship before it took off was getting slimmer with every stroke of his oars.

The livestock ship took a hit from Prime’s. Men scrambled onboard, trying to protect it, but considering it was filled with animals, I doubted they held much for protection. It wasn’t like pirates coveted farm animals. Well, not from what I knew, at least.

We were close enough to hear the men shouting. Alice was screaming at them to wait, but she was ignored. The anchors weren’t even all the way up, but the boat was turning in the opposite direction of Prime’s incoming vessel.

“We’re almost there, Lavinia. Just watch out for cannon fire. We might need to swim if they begin aiming only for us. I don’t think Prime knows what he’s shooting at, though. We’re just escaping villagers at this point.”

Taking a deep breath, I nodded and turned toward Prime’s boat. Now that it was closer, the black sails were easier to distinguish, as well as the skull and crossbones on the flag. Dozens of pirates watched from the ship, waiting for direction.

An imposing figure stood on the highest deck. He wore a captain’s hat and crisp white linen shirt, with brown trousers and boots. His stare moved from the ship to linger on our small boat. When his head moved in our direction, I was certain we were making eye contact and he could see into my soul.

I froze on the spot, unable to breath or even move. A memory tugged at me, but Jameson gripped my shoulders before I could grasp it.

“Lavinia,” he reprimanded. “Pay attention. Alice and Nathan threw a ladder over for us. Can you swim?”

I shook off whatever hold Prime momentarily had on me. “Yes, of course.”

“Then let’s go,” he snapped.

I couldn’t tell if he was angry with me, the situation, or maybe both. Either way, I tried not to worry about it at that moment. The livestock ship wasn’t far, but if we didn’t continue to move with a sense of urgency, we’d be left behind.

Jameson jumped into the water first before turning to wait for me. I jumped in without a second thought, that was until the layers of my dress weighed me down, making it nearly impossible to swim.

My head bobbed back up above the water far enough for me to call for help, but that was it before I was pulled back under.

Jameson’s hand gripped my arm, yanking me back to the surface. “I thought you said you could swim.”

“My skirts.” I spit salt water from my mouth with a gasp. “You have to cut them off. They’re too heavy in the water.”

“Damn, I didn’t think of that.” He let go of my arm and dived beneath the surface. I went back under but didn’t fight it as I felt tugging at my waist. My eyes remained closed, and I trusted Jameson to make quick work of removing the extra layers with his dagger.

Within moments, my buoyancy was back, and we surged through the waves toward the ship. The cannon fire had stopped, but I didn’t dare look for Prime’s ship. I didn’t want to know how close it was, for fear that I would freeze up. Instead, I focused on Nettie’s sweet face and getting to the ladder.

Waves from the ship’s wake pushed back at us, but my newfound strength helped me to fight against them. I kept up with Jameson, and we reached the ladder together. He moved me in front of him, insisting I go first. I didn’t argue until I was halfway out of the water and realized he hadn’t left any layers of my skirt when he cut the dress.

“Jameson,” I hissed, “I can’t go up there like this. They’ll think I’m your harlot.”

“Would you rather be dead?”

He had a point.

Even though I wanted to chastise him for leaving me in nothing but my undergarments and torn corset, I did want to live. With swift movements, I climbed up the rope ladder while Jameson nipped at my heels. Alice helped pull me over the edge when I reached the top, and Jameson used one hand to push my legs.

As soon as I was standing on the deck looking like a drowned rat, Nettie’s tiny arms wrapped around my waist and she cried against my stomach. Alice smiled at me, and even though I didn’t know her well, I was glad to see her again, safe and sound.

Nathan reappeared with a blanket and handed it to me. “I figured you might want this.”

“Thank you.” I pulled my arms from Nettie, taking the blanket and wrapping it around both of us before kneeling to her level. “It’s okay, Nettie. We’re here now.” I brushed her golden curls away from her face, letting a small smile flit across mine.

“Don’t ever leave me again,” she cried, wrapping her arms around my neck this time.

I pulled the blanket tighter around us and lifted her up as I stood. I turned to find Jameson was safely on the deck, shaking hands with Nathan. His eyes met mine for the briefest of moments, causing flutters in my stomach.

Alice moved into my line of sight. “The captain gave us two rooms. Let’s go get you changed.”

Nodding, I followed her toward a door. I took one last glance back at Jameson, but he was in deep conversation with Nathan and I wondered where Henry was, so I asked Alice.

“He’s in a time out,” Nettie answered instead, lifting her head from my shoulder. “The captain got real mad at him for yelling too loudly.”

I raised a brow, waiting for Alice to elaborate.

“We did everything we could to postpone the ship from leaving you guys behind. Don’t worry. Henry will be fine. The captain just locked him in a room until we were safely away from the island. He didn’t trust Henry not to sabotage something.”

A smile curved my lips, and I made a mental note to thank him when we saw him again. Nettie nestled back into my shoulder as we moved through the vessel.

Once we were through the door, we went down a hallway with several doors, but all were closed except one that led to another staircase. At the end of the hallway was an eating area with several men around a circular table. Each of them paused to watch us as we passed. I imagined I was quite the sight with bare legs, a child clinging to me, and a blanket wrapped around us.

After the galley, we headed down the stairs before arriving on the lowest level of the ship. It reeked of manure, making my stomach retch. Goats, sheep, and cows swayed inside the boat, causing quite the ruckus as they called out, clearly not happy with their present situation.

“We’re hoping they quiet down at night,” Alice added, holding open another door. “Since we were unplanned guests, we were given the only two crew quarters left. I’m sure you can understand why they hadn’t been previously claimed.”

Nettie groaned in my arms, complaining about the smell, and I almost joined her. Yet, I was afraid if I opened my mouth, I’d not only smell the dung, but taste it, too. Instead, I moved quicker and followed Alice through the door, which she promptly closed behind her.

Three doors were in the section we had just entered, and she moved toward the lone one on the right. Two beds, a rickety desk, and two oil lamps hanging from the wall made up the room. After I entered, I sat on the bed and pulled Nettie back, so I could see her tear-stained face.

“You’ve been through a lot in the last few days.” Her tiny head bobbed at my words. “I think it’s time we all got some sleep in a safe place. What do you think?”

Her head nodded. “Will you sleep with me?”

“I can do that, but I need to get cleaned up first. So, let’s make a deal. You lay down in bed first, and I will join you as soon as I can.”

“You promise?”

“With all my heart,” I whispered.

She crawled off my lap and onto the bed. I took the wet blanket off me, wrapping the dry side around her tiny frame. I wasn’t worried about undressing behind closed doors.

Once Nettie was settled, I turned to find Alice digging through some wooden crates I hadn’t seen before. I joined her and realized they were filled with clothes. Men’s clothes.

“The captain said we were welcome to anything in the crates, but there’s not much here for us,” Alice said. “Hope you don’t mind wearing trousers.”

I shrugged. “I was never one for fancy dresses. Especially the one I just had on. Pierce has a thing for red. I’ll wear whatever is in there, as long as it’s not red.”

She laughed. “Well, you’re in luck, because all I see are browns, blacks, and whites.”

We found the smallest bottoms and tops we could, then changed and settled on the second bed. I’d lay with Nettie when I was ready for sleep, but before I could rest, I needed to know what had happened when I was gone. Something told me Alice would be more forthcoming with information than Jameson. I had to take advantage of the situation while I could.

“So, how did it go after Pierce took me?” I asked, not seeing the point in trying to make small talk first.

“It was bad.” Her face pinched. “Jameson lost it, and it took all three of us to hold him back. It wasn’t until he registered Nettie’s cries that he began to calm. Once he did, it was nonstop movement and planning. We went back to the warehouse sector and found a new place to stay for the night. It was cramped, and Jameson said we weren’t allowed to talk until sunrise, but it kept us safe until he came back in the morning.”

“Came back?” I asked in confusion. “Why did he leave you guys?”

Alice cringed, glancing at Nettie to make sure she was asleep. “He had some aggression to let out. He said he was just going to make rounds around the buildings and make sure the area was safe as it could be, given the situation, but when he came back, he was covered in blood and ash. Henry tried to ask him what happened, but Jameson wouldn’t talk about it. I’ve known him a long time, and that was the first time I was afraid of him. We know what he is now, but we all agreed he wasn’t a danger to us.”

The only part of what she said that had me really worried was the blood. Had Jameson stayed true to his word and drank blood from animals, or had he finally caved in to whatever urges he was experiencing and harmed a human? I wasn’t sure how I’d broach the subject, but it was something I needed to ask him. I needed to know if he was going to be a threat to our group. I wouldn’t put the others at risk, no matter how much I was beginning to care about Jameson. I was glad to know his situation wasn’t a secret any longer, though. It made things easier on our group dynamic.

“How did you get on this ship?” I asked.

“We used the charred boats as planned. I felt horrible leaving you behind with Pierce, but Jameson kept pushing for us to hurry. I didn’t realize it was only because he was coming back for you. As soon as we met with the captain, Jameson requested a private meeting with him. Before the rest of us knew it, he was saying his goodbyes and headed back to Port Victory.”

I took a moment to digest the information, but before I could ask another question, Alice continued.

“He wasn’t fine after you were taken. I don’t even want to know where he went or what he killed when he left us last night, but you deserve to know. I don’t know how severe Jameson’s demons are, and I know you two are getting close. Just make sure you’re careful, okay?”

Choosing not to reply with words, I only nodded. Even though I knew I should be afraid, I wasn’t. Neither of us were all right, so I couldn’t hold his faults against him. I wouldn’t be a hypocrite.

A knock sounded at the door before Jameson, Nathan, and Henry entered. Their faces were solemn, and I knew immediately that the reprieve I thought we’d find on this boat was no longer an option.

“The ship won’t be taking us to Port Defiant like we had hoped,” Jameson informed without preamble.

“Where are we going?” Alice asked.

“Longford. It’s a small island, south of where we need to be.”

“Is it safe there?” I asked. The look on Jameson’s face gave me my answer before he even spoke.

“I don’t know.”

I wanted to scream and cry. Was it too much to ask to feel secure even for a night? Apparently, so.

Chapter Ten

Jameson continued to explain that when he first met with the captain, he was furious, threatening to throw us all off the ship. After some persuasive fast-talking and a few bribes, the men were able to settle on a compromise. We would at least be taken to land, but nobody knew if it would be safe or not.

I moved from the bed with Alice to Nettie, checking to make sure she was still asleep. I wanted her to have as much peace as she could for the little time we had left on the ship.

“So, what do we do now?” Alice asked.

There was no point in trying to argue with the captain. We had almost gotten his crew killed. I couldn’t fault him for wanting to be rid of us as soon as possible. We needed to be grateful for what we did have and make the best of it.

“Nathan, Jameson, and I will help the crew out in an effort to earn our keep,” Henry explained, running a hand through his hair.

“Nia, Nettie, and I can help in the galley. I’m sure the crew has mending that needs done. We’ll do what we can,” Alice offered, glancing at me.

I would do anything that needed to be done to earn our passage to another island, even if I had to shovel manure from the animals overboard. I wasn’t afraid to get dirty.

My gaze focused on Jameson, trying to catch his eye, yet he seemed to be looking at everything and everyone else in the room except for me. A pang of something pierced my chest, but I pushed it away, along with the memory of his lips moving against mine while his arms held me close. I shook my head, attempting to get my thoughts back to the present.

“We should get some sleep, so we are well-rested for whatever tomorrow holds,” Nathan added, eyeing Nettie as she slumbered on the bed, snoring softly.

“She’ll be just fine,” I assured him, trying to alleviate his worry.

“I just hope, with time, she can overcome all of this,” he replied softly.

“We’ll help her. She isn’t alone in this,” Alice offered, and I wanted to hug her.

It seemed I was becoming emotional with the manifestation of even more abilities. Or maybe I was just tired. Weariness weighed heavily on my limbs and mind. We were all safe, at least for now, and that had to be enough.

Nathan and Henry said their goodnights, exiting the room to head to their own, holding the door for Jameson, who hesitated.

“Lavinia, can I speak to you for a moment?” he asked, still not meeting my eyes.

I nodded and stood quickly before turning and fussing over Nettie’s blanket, smoothing her hair away from her face. She was so innocent in her sleep, and I hoped that we could keep that sweet innocence intact within her. The world was a scary place and not something a child should be worrying about, let alone experience. Another pang hit my chest as the limited memories from my own childhood surfaced, but I pushed them aside, not wanting to relive it.

Jameson held the door open for me to walk through it. Nathan and Henry’s door clicked shut at the same moment I stepped out into the hall. Without a word, Jameson reached for my hand and gently guided me down the short hall, then through a door at the end. It led into a small room with a staircase leading to the upper decks.

He leaned against the door before his blue eyes roved over me in a way that had my stomach fluttering. All thoughts of rest were swept to the side. He eyed my trouser-clad legs, and I watched as he swallowed hard before moving his eyes back up to my face.

I imagined I was quite the sight in sailor’s clothing that didn’t fit. The oversized shirt hung off my shoulder, dipping lower than what I was used to wearing. The bottoms were cinched tight with a rope acting as a belt, causing everything to bunch together.

Stepping closer to him, I surprised myself with my boldness. He watched me with hooded eyes while his hands splayed across my waist, just below my rib cage. His arms pulled me taut against him, and I relaxed against his chest. We stood there for several moments, holding each other as the emotions of the past hours played between us.

“We made it. We’re safe,” he whispered.

“For now,” I replied quietly.

“We’re going to be fine. I won’t let anyone hurt you.”

“I can’t help but think that more is coming,” I whispered so softly I could barely hear myself.

“We’ll face it together.”

He gently pressed his lips to mine, and I kissed him back, but the earlier worry for him came to the surface of my mind.

“What’s going on in that mind of yours?” he asked before kissing the corner of my lips and leaning back to see my face.

“Are you all right?” I asked, then hurriedly continued before I lost my nerve. “Alice told me what happened while I was… away. She said you were covered in blood and it made me worry, Jameson.”

His lips pulled down into a frown as I spoke. I bit my lip, apprehensive about what he would say. Would he admit that it was human blood? And if it was, where could we go from here?

“I had a run in with a vampire while I was feeding from a goat. He snuck up behind me and I tore the poor animals throat in my haste to draw my dagger. I haven’t tasted human blood, and though it calls to me, I can fight it. Being near you makes it infinitely more manageable.”

“How? I don’t understand.” My fingers played nervously with the buttons of his shirt.

“There’s something about you that calms the urges inside me. Your scent quiets the monster, making rational thought easier and not clouded by bloodlust. I fought it successfully when I was first turned, but I could feel my resolve slipping. Then, you ran into me and I could think clearly again.”

“I do that?” I asked, amazed that something good could have come from the nightmare I had been living.

“Yes. I don’t know how, but I thank God, fate, destiny, or whatever brought you to me,” he said, wrapping me in his arms, pulling me closer, and pressing his nose to my hair.

For the first time in my life, I felt like I had a purpose. I had been a burden to my aunt and uncle, an unwanted extra body in their home. My aunt and I had grown close over time, but I was always a nuisance to my uncle, and he used me to better his standing. I was important to Jameson. I calmed the monster inside him, making it easier for him to live in his new reality. It was pleasant to feel wanted, to be needed after living a life of feeling like I was unwanted baggage.

With one last embrace, we said goodnight, and I quietly made my way back to the cabin room, closing the door softly behind me. Lifting the blanket, I scooted in next to Nettie. She didn’t stir as I settled down and curled my body around hers. Exhaustion had my eyes closing as soon as my head rested on my arm, and within moments, I was asleep.

* * *

It took nearly a week to reach Port Longford, due to weather and the captain making certain that we weren’t being followed by Prime or any other pirates. Our little group stayed together, helping where we could. Nettie, Alice, and I kept to the galley during the day and stayed up late at night, mending the many torn clothes of the crew by candlelight. It was hard, tiring work, but it was nice to have our minds distracted and our bodies so weary that we slept soundly, despite the rocking of the ship.

I only saw glimpses of Jameson during the day, but I snuck out of our room at night to meet him in the small room with the staircase. We would hold each other, talk, and share a few chaste kisses before parting to get some sleep. He would arrive looking haggard and worn, but he would perk up after a few minutes with me. It was amazing to know that I was somehow the cause of that.

When we sailed into the bay of Port Longford, I couldn’t help the hope that bloomed in my chest as I saw the buildings and the normal sounds of a bustling town. I was standing on the main deck with Nettie and Alice when we anchored and the rowboat was lowered. The ship normally had two boats, but Jameson and I had abandoned the other in our bid to get to the ship faster, which didn’t help to endear the captain to our small group. I hoped that all our assistance over the past week made up for it.

Jameson and Henry were among the first group to head into the port, while Nathan, Nettie, Alice, and I stayed on board. We had little in regard to currency, but Alice and I couldn’t go into town in men’s clothes. It would draw too much attention, and we needed to be inconspicuous while we were here. So, Jameson and Henry were sent into town to purchase practical dresses for us before returning to the boat, and then we would all disembark together.

Nettie was bouncing on her heels when the rowboat finally made its way back to the ship. They had several packages wrapped in paper and tied with twine. I found myself equal parts excited for a new dress and disappointed. I had gotten used to wearing trousers and a linen shirt. While the attire might have been more comfortable, it wasn’t proper for a woman to wear such things.

Once on board, Jameson handed a package to Alice, Nettie, and me. The three of us scurried down to our cabin with excitement. We tore open the paper and withdrew the dresses. They were attractive, sensible dresses, and I was relieved to find that mine was not red. It was a deep green color with small white buttons decorating the front. Alice had a similar dress, but hers was a light yellow that made her cornflower-blue eyes seem even brighter. Nettie’s was a soft pink that complemented her straw-colored curls well.

We exited our cabin feeling like brand new women, to find the three males that made up our group clean-shaven and wearing new clothes. Jameson’s hair wasn’t pulled back like usual, and I marveled at how young he looked without facial hair obscuring his face. I assumed him to be around the same age as me, and was surprised, during one of our late-night conversations, to learn that he was twenty-one—three years older than me.

“You ladies look lovely,” Nathan said, offering a big smile to Nettie, while Henry eyed Alice in her soft yellow number.

Jameson glanced at the others and complimented them, but the heat in his eyes was only for me. Alice had helped me braid my long black hair and pin it up, so it was off my neck to keep me cool in the heat of the day. I very much felt like a woman, and I was ecstatic to be the cause of the hunger in a certain pair of azure eyes.

“We inquired about ships while we were in town,” Henry informed, which drew my attention from Jameson, but I could feel his eyes still on me. “There is one heading out in the next couple of days. I didn’t get their full itinerary, but they are planning to make a stop along the way at Port Defiant. Once we get to shore, we’ll go see if we can get passage on the vessel, so we can get to Defiant.”

“Oh, that’s perfect,” Alice exclaimed.

“There is a small inn, and we were able to get two rooms, so we’ll be sharing again like we have been,” Jameson added as we all made our way up the stairs.

The captain joined us on the deck, his steel eyes taking us in but not commenting on our clean attire. Jameson stepped away to meet with him. They spoke in hushed tones, and I saw Jameson withdraw a small pouch from his trouser pocket, dropping it into the captain's hand. I remembered Jameson mentioning something about bribery to ensure our safe passage here. He must have been keeping his end of the deal.

After business was taken care of, we joined a crew member on the row boat. Jameson took the seat behind me, while Nettie nestled in next to me. In her hands was the doll she had found back at Port Victory. She lifted the toy to show me something she was excited about, but a rogue wave slammed into the boat, causing it to slip from her hands and fall over the side.

Her cry urged me into action without thought. I lunged over the boat and snatched the doll before it hit the water. For me, it felt like slow motion, but once I was back in my seat and handing Nettie her doll, I realized that wasn’t the case.

“You have extraordinarily fast reflexes, girl,” the crew member remarked from his position, eyeing me suspiciously.

I had inadvertently used my recently-acquired speed to snatch the flying doll out of the air. My cheeks flamed red with horror at what I had unknowingly done. We were supposed to blend in, but my actions had done the opposite.

The rest of the boat ride was made in silence. I kept my head down, but I could feel the gazes of my companions on me. Jameson and I had decided to keep my new abilities a secret from the others—mostly for their protection, but also for my own. Now, I was regretting not telling them.

We pulled up to the pier and carefully disembarked from the rowboat. Jameson helped me step out, keeping my hand in his. The cover story they had told the townspeople they interacted with was that we were engaged, traveling with family.

The inn wasn’t far from the pier, and Henry led the way toward the building, with Jameson and me staying in the rear. He moved closer to me, wrapping a supportive arm around my waist and drawing me into his side.

“Are you all right?” he whispered, quietly.

“I’m just praying I didn’t ruin everything when I grabbed that doll,” I replied, fighting back frustrated tears.

“You didn’t ruin anything,” he assured me, yet I couldn’t help thinking he was only placating me.

A man bumped into me, causing me to let out a small gasp and press even closer to Jameson. I turned back to apologize to the man, but I was distracted when his eyes suddenly flashed a bright red and his nostrils flared, breathing in my scent.

The vampire’s rough grasp wrapped around my free arm, causing me to yelp in surprise. Jameson turned, keeping a tight hold on me while letting out a possessive growl at the stranger before us.

Chapter Eleven

I wrenched my arm from the man’s hold as Jameson put himself between the vampire and me. The tension between the two increased until I could feel Jameson vibrating against me.

Finally, Jameson broke the silence with a hiss. “Keep walking if you know what’s good for you.”

A slow smile spread across the vampire’s face, and he eyed Jameson before flicking his gaze to me and licking his lips. He stared at me for another moment with piercing red eyes before he blinked, and his irises returned to a hazel color.

“Aye, I won’t be samplin’ yer catch,” he stated, bringing his attention back to Jameson before continuing, “but I suggest ye keep th’ lass close. Other’s ‘round here might not be as in control as I be.”

His way of speaking reminded me of how Dom and Craig spoke. This man was obviously a vampire, but could he be a pirate, too? His speech was only marginally better.

“How many more should we be concerned about?” Jameson asked.

The vampire grinned, showing a missing tooth and a few other rotted ones. Definitely a pirate.

“That be for me to know and ye to find out.” With that odd response, the man turned sharply and disappeared around a corner.

I shuddered, hoping we wouldn’t have to be on the island for very long. It might look like business as usual, but we now knew differently. We could not let our guard down anytime soon.

We arrived at the inn, joining the others. Nathan was already in conversation with the clerk and getting our keys.

“Dangerous times of late. I don’t suggest going out after dark,” the clerk advised when we walked up to him. “We’ve had some missing guests in the last couple of weeks. No explanations. No bodies. Just people missing and items left behind.”

I glanced at Jameson. The hard lines and tick in his jaw told me he was thinking the same thing as me. The vampire outside hadn’t been kidding. There were others, and possibly lots of other vampires out there. We needed to watch our backs.

“Thank you for the warning,” Nathan replied. “We’ll be in for the rest of the day, and then go out tomorrow morning for supplies.”

The clerk’s head swiveled toward Alice, then me. “That probably be a good idea.”

Jameson tensed beside me, grabbed my arm, and pulled me toward the stairs that I assumed led to the rooms. My gaze shifted back, trying to hear what else the man said.

“Jameson, slow down. He wasn’t done speaking, and it’s probably information we should know,” I urged, yanking on his hold, but failing to overpower him.

He turned back to me, his blue eyes swirling with tinges of red. “I need to keep you safe. I need to keep you away from whatever is happening here. Please, don’t make it any harder on me.”

The agony he felt was evident in the forced way he spoke to me. I reached up a hand to his face, hoping my touch would calm him like my presence normally did.

“I promise not to make anything harder on you if I can help it, but in return, please don’t treat me like an invalid. I may not be as strong as you, but I’m changing, too. We need to think about training, so I can protect myself. I don’t want to be a liability.”

His face softened. “You’re right, and I’m sorry. Please, forgive me?”

I opened my mouth to respond, but the others caught up to us first. Nettie tugged on my dress and lifted her arms up, so I carried her. She yawned before settling her head in the crook of my neck.

“Let’s get to the room,” Henry suggested.

Jameson grabbed my hand, this time guiding me, not pulling like before. We walked up three flights of stairs before we arrived at our adjoining rooms. There was a door between the rooms that made it feel like it was one big room, which I liked a lot better after what we had just learned.

We three ladies took the room on the left, while the guys went to the right. I laid Nettie on the bed, tucking her in as I did so often on the boat. It wasn’t dark yet, but she’d been through so much change, I wasn’t surprised she needed a late afternoon rest.

Alice glanced from me to Nettie, a small smile on her face. I wondered if she had been jealous of the attachment Nettie seemed to have to me since Alice had known her longer, but that wasn’t the vibe I was getting.

“Do you know why she often clings to you?” Alice asked, and I shook my head. “You look a lot like her late mother. Same build and hair, just a different face. Nettie’s small face is a spitting image of her mother’s, but she got her father’s blonde curls.”

My heart constricted. I wasn’t sure how it made me feel to appear so much like the girl’s mother, but at the same time, I was glad to be a type of solace to her in the craziness that had become our lives.

“Thank you for telling me. I had thought it might have been because we’d both lost our parents, kindred spirits and all, but it makes more sense now with that information.”

She nodded, and then directed her attention to unpacking a few of her belongings. I followed, doing the same. We didn’t have much in the borrowed sacks, just some weapons and supplies we were given on the boat, but it was enough for now. Just as we finished, Henry walked in, observed the sleeping Nettie, and waved us into their room.

His gaze lingered on Alice, and I wondered if they had something going on that nobody had told me about. I’d now seen a few shared glances between the two of them and hoped they were able to find comfort with each other. We all had to take whatever happiness we could, while we were still able.

I took a seat on a small settee next to Jameson, my legs brushing against his, causing shivers to run through my body. Nathan sat in the chair next to us, while Alice and Henry sat on the edge of the bed.

“The man downstairs gave us a lot to think about,” Jameson stated. “So did the vampire outside. We need to stay together and indoors as much as possible, until the ship arrives in two days and takes us to Port Defiant. That’s where we believe Solomon will be. He’s the hunter I trained with, and he spoke of that island a lot during his time at Pierce’s estate. If he’s not there, then Port Valor is our next destination.”

“I want to be trained,” I announced in front of everyone, so Jameson couldn’t try and avoid the subject.

Alice leaned forward, grin in place. “I have been waiting for you to ask since the moment you showed up. Henry and Jameson trained me, and I’m happy to pass on their knowledge to you. Plus, it will be more fun with me than one of them.”

“Hey, now. I wasn’t that bad.” Henry nudged her as she leaned back to her spot on the bed.

“Right, the bruises only took two weeks to heal rather than the three weeks you thought. That made it all better.”

Jameson cleared his throat. “Let’s stay on track, please. Yes, Alice, you can teach Lavinia some of the fundamentals while the three of us go out. As much as it shames me, I do need to feed, and having you guys at my back while I go out would make me feel better. As soon as we find Solomon, I’ll ask him if he has extra daggers for the rest of you, too.”

I reached out, grabbed his hand, and gave it a squeeze. He didn’t need to be ashamed of who he was. He wasn’t hurting people, and the animals he was feeding from would have become dinner for someone eventually anyway. There was nothing wrong with it, in my opinion, and I hoped the others thought the same.

“We will always have your back, brother,” Nathan said, and Henry agreed.

Jameson released some of the tension in his body. Sharing what he was had to be hard. I wasn’t looking forward to doing it myself, but I knew I would have to soon. The only problem was that I didn’t know what I was becoming, so I had no notion what to tell them.

I assumed I was some weird vampire hybrid, but really, I had no idea. I should have died twice now, yet my heart still beat strong, and all my human cravings for food and sleep were normal. None of it made any sense.

“Let’s wake Nettie and go get dinner,” Nathan said. “We can sleep early and start fresh tomorrow. The island might not be safe, and although the inn seems sound, we should take shifts keeping watch, just in case.”

The men agreed without hesitation, and I wondered if the rotation would include Alice and me. Not likely, but I would still volunteer to help.

Nathan went to the other room to get Nettie, and we all went back downstairs together. The inn had a small kitchen that served soup and bread. It was good enough for us. I was in agreeance with the others; I was in no hurry to venture around the island at dusk.

After dinner, we settled back into our rooms. Just as I assumed, only the men were included in the watch rotation. They’d take three-hour shifts and cover the night. Jameson didn’t need much sleep with the vampire venom running through him, but a few hours would do him good as well.

I missed our late-night visits we had on the ship. It wasn’t something we were going to be able to do with someone keeping watch all night, plus adjoining rooms. Instead of trying to stay up and sneak off to see him, I snuggled in with Nettie, drifting off into a fitful sleep.

Nightmares of attacking vampires and dying over and over with no relief assaulted me throughout the night. When I awoke the next morning, just before dawn, I felt even more tired than before I went to sleep.

I rubbed my eyes and rolled silently out of bed, trying to not disturb Nettie or Alice, who slept next to us. I tiptoed into the other room to see who was awake, hoping it was Jameson, but I found Nathan instead.

“Good morning,” he whispered.

“Everything stay quiet last night?”

He nodded. “We only heard a couple of people out, but just sounded like they’d been at the pub for too long, nothing vampire-like.”

“That’s good. Hopefully it stays that way until we leave,” I replied.

Rustling sounded from behind us, causing me to jump, but it was only Jameson. He walked straight for me as he got out of bed, surprising me by pulling me into his arms. His sharp inhale told me how much he had struggled last night.

I ran my hands up and down his arms, trying to ease his tension, and it slowly seeped out of him.

“I missed you last night,” he confessed, and Nathan awkwardly gave us some privacy.

“It was a rough night for me, too.”

He pulled back, smiling down at me. “They all know we have something going on anyway. Maybe you can sleep in here with me tonight.”

Now it was my turn to tense. I wasn’t ready to take our relationship further, and I wasn’t sure if he was asking for more from me, or just my company. I had never been with a man intimately like that before and wasn’t going to rush into anything just because my world had turned upside down.

His hand grazed my face. “I promise to always be respectful of you. I am just asking for your presence and nothing more. I swear.”

A heavy breath left my lips. “If you don’t think the others would mind, and Nettie will be okay, then that is fine with me. Maybe my nightmares would stay away if I knew you were closer.”

He pressed his lips to my forehead. “I’ll fight any battle I can for you. You just have to let me.”

My knees weakened at his sweet words. With every moment we had together, he was making me fall for him harder. The only thing I feared was what either of us would become.

Within the next half-hour, everyone was awake, including Nettie. We went back downstairs as a group, checking in with the clerk to make sure the ship’s schedule hadn’t changed as far as he knew. As of this morning, he still anticipated the vessel to arrive the following afternoon.

We had biscuits and tea for breakfast, then took Nettie for a short walk outside. We stayed on the main road in front of the inn, checking out the shops that weren’t open yet.

Once back in the room, the guys left us with clear instructions. We weren’t to answer the door to anyone, including the inn staff, and if they weren’t back by dark, then the three of us were to only leave the room for food, and keep to the plan of boarding the ship tomorrow afternoon.

I couldn’t think of the possibility of them not returning to us, but we had to be realistic. Every time we separated, there was a high chance it was the last time we’d all be together. The fact that I didn’t like it didn’t make it less of a reality.

I hugged Jameson longer than usual. “Please, be safe and come back soon.”

He patted his side. “I have the dagger. We should be just fine and back by dinner. I’m more worried about leaving you ladies here than anything out there.”

Understanding, I nodded, not knowing how to ease his fears. I didn’t disagree with him. It didn’t feel right to be apart. We embraced once more, then the three men went out the door.

Alice locked the doors behind them, then turned to grin at me. “Are you ready to get beat up?”

Slightly afraid of the sadistic look on her face, I took a step back. She was more excited about training me than I thought she would be.

“Can I help, Alice?” Nettie asked.

Alice bent at the waist, giving the child her full attention. “Of course, you can. We need to move the furniture over. Can you help me push?”

Nettie nodded eagerly, her smile widening.

Once the room was cleared of as much as we could, Alice began to show me some basic exercises that would help get my strength up. I didn’t want to point out that strength wasn’t really what I needed help with, but I was close to doing so. It was something I should have asked Jameson about before he left. I wasn’t sure how much needed to be shared about me, now that they knew about him. After the basics, we switched to defensive moves.

“Don’t go looking for a fight,” she clarified, “but if someone attacks you, there are a few moves you can do to easily get out of a tough spot. The first and most effective, if your attacker is a male, is to hit him where it hurts the most.”

She wrapped her arms around mine, pinning me to her as I faced her. “If you’re ever in this position, lift your knee up into their groin as hard and fast as possible. Don’t hesitate, either. That will get you killed.”

She moved me around several more times, explaining more ways to get out of a trap. Each move we repeated more times than I could count. She called it muscle memory.

Then she tossed me a candlestick. “What am I supposed to do with this?” I asked.

“Pretend it’s a dagger and attack me.”

My eyes bulged. “What?”

“You heard me. Attack. Even though we hope you won’t have to initiate a fight, there’s a high probability that you’ll need to, so let’s practice.”

Muscles I didn’t even know existed began to tire, but I wouldn’t miss this opportunity even if I couldn’t best Alice. It was knowledge I needed and would do well to remember.

I charged her, candlestick pointed out at my side. I hesitated at the last moment, afraid to hurt her, and ended up on my back with Alice pressing down on my throat.

“You hesitated. I said don’t do that. Try again.”

I hadn’t seen this demanding side of her, but I liked it. She had fire inside of her. Something I hoped to have more of myself.

We continued practicing over and over, Nettie cheering me on each time I fell. I kept my extra abilities in check and took each beating she gave. The more we practiced, the more confident I felt that, when I was able to use all of my strengths, I would stand a chance against any attacker.

True to their word, the men arrived back at the hotel. We had just finished putting the room back together and were planning to venture out for dinner when they did. I was glad we didn’t have to do it alone.

Jameson squeezed my arm and I flinched away. “Are you all right?” he asked, concern dripping from his words.

I nodded. “Just a little sore. Alice is a lot tougher than she looks.”

“That doesn’t surprise me in the least. Have a seat. We’ll share what we learned before we get dinner.”

We settled into the same seats as the night before, except this time Nettie sat on her uncle’s lap. Jameson replayed what they saw, and most importantly, what they didn’t see.

“The vampires are settling into homes here. I could sense some of them, but they kept to themselves, staying indoors. A few peeked out as we strolled by, but they left us alone. We went out to a farm where I was able to…” Jameson didn’t finish the sentence, glancing toward Nettie. “Anyway, I still want us to stay indoors, but I don’t anticipate us having any problems like the other vampire implied.”

Relief settled into me. It was the best news they could have shared. I leaned my head against Jameson’s shoulder, taking a moment to let it sink in.

They chatted more about what tomorrow would bring, but we really had no idea. I wasn’t trying to be a pessimist, but I wasn’t counting on anything for tomorrow. I just knew we were safe tonight, and that was enough for me.

Later that night after dinner, I slept in the same bed as Jameson. True to his word, I felt completely safe with him, and the nightmares stayed at bay. He was the most relaxed I’d seen him since we met. Things were beginning to seem almost normal.

That’s when I began to worry. Everything had been so bad for over a week that this only felt like the calm before a storm. We hadn’t hit rock bottom, and I was afraid that when we did, not all of us were going to make it out alive.

Chapter Twelve

I was a mess by the time afternoon rolled around and the ship came into port. I couldn’t let go of my dark thoughts from the night before that the worst was yet to come. The longer I had to stew on things, the more my mind twisted what could be a worst-case scenario.

Jameson and Alice repeatedly checked on me, but I told them both I was fine. I didn’t want to dampen the mood everyone else seemed to be enjoying.

Jameson and Nathan left for a short time before we boarded the ship. Nathan had thought of an idea to help his friend during the trip to the next island. They traded a few of our items for some canteens and went back to the field that Jameson fed at previously, filling the canteens with animal blood. He would have to ration it, but it would be better than nothing.

It was too much to hope for another livestock ship, but the one we boarded held cargo and was much nicer than the other. I would have preferred the previous one if it meant fresh animal blood for Jameson, but the canteens would have to do.

We were able to get connecting cabins on the ship that had a small sitting area between them. The beds were heartier, and I was impressed that such finery could be found on a ship so far from the mainland. Nettie especially enjoyed the look and feel of the beds and furniture. I tried to be happy around her, but my mood remained dark.

The trip to Port Defiant was uneventful and boring. When we were on the other ship, Alice, Nettie, and I helped in the galley and mended clothing, but there was nothing of the sort for us to do this time around. Instead, we spent hours practicing the defensive moves that Alice had shown me back at the inn at Port Longford. I was still hesitating with my offensive training, but I was making progress, or so the others reassured me.

The only time my mood lifted was when Jameson and I were together. We would hold each other under the covers at night and whisper quietly as we shared kisses, taking comfort from the other. Jameson noticed my dark mood, but I avoided talking about it and he respected that, knowing I would talk to him when I was ready. Just having him in the same room lifted the dark cloud, which seemed to hover over me since that last night in Port Longford. I had a bad feeling and couldn’t seem to shake it, no matter how many times I fought Alice.

On the sixth day after leaving Port Longford, the call came that Port Defiant was close, and we would be arriving before sunset. We all packed our belongings and extra clothing away, ready to disembark. Excitement for our arrival spread throughout the ship. Nettie bounced around eagerly, dragging her uncle to the upper deck so she could watch the port come into view.

“Lavinia, are you all right?” Jameson asked me for the tenth time since we had awoken.

“I’m fine,” I snapped, immediately regretting my annoyance. “I’m sorry.”

“Lavinia,” he called to me in that tone of voice that weakened my knees, then pulled me against his chest. “You aren’t fine. Please, tell me what is troubling you.”

Deciding to finally tell him what was going on with me, I sighed. “Ever since we left Port Longford, I’ve been feeling off. Like there is a cloud of doom hanging over us all. I want so badly to find others to help us, to finally be safe, but I can’t help to feel everything we have been through is only the beginning. There is more in store for us, and it’s not good.”

“I’ve felt something similar,” Jameson admitted, rubbing his hands on my back soothingly.

“You have?”

“It’s hard to trust the good when you’ve experienced the worst kind of bad. We escaped with our lives. Now we need to survive our minds. We are in this together, all of us.”

I held him tighter, appreciating his words more than I could accurately express. We were all survivors, and we would make whatever our futures held work, somehow, someway.

“Nia, I can see the town,” Nettie’s voice squealed from the railing above us.

“Can you?” I asked, leaning my head back to gaze up at her pretty face. “I’ll be right there, so you can show me.”

She nodded, her blonde curls bouncing about her face as she turned and scurried away. I sighed, soaking in the feeling of having Jameson pressed against me. He didn’t complain, and I marveled once again at the fact that he was calmer, more relaxed with me. It seemed he was beginning to have a similar effect on me.

With a quick kiss, I climbed the stairs to the upper deck and walked to join Nettie and Nathan at the railing. Port Defiant was a small settlement, and it reminded me of Port Victory before vampires had attacked, turning it into a ghost town.

A breeze fluttered by, tugging at the loose strands of hair that had fallen out of my braid. My heart constricted as a weight settled on me. I glanced toward the town again, trying to sort out the heavy emotions that were pressing down on me. I couldn’t see any people, and the closer we got to port, the less I could breathe properly.

“Nia, come look,” Nettie said, grabbing my hand and tugging me closer to the railing.

My stomach roiled as I took in more of the town. Little shops and buildings could be seen, with a small church that sat on a hill overlooking the port. Another pang hit me then, and I grabbed at my chest, trying to relieve the awful feeling, but nothing worked.

“Lavinia, are you well?” Nathan asked, worriedly grabbing my shoulders to steady me as I swayed.

“Something’s wrong,” I whispered, grasping his shirt in my hands. “I need Jameson.”

“I’ll go get him,” he said, guiding me over to a nearby crate to sit. “Nettie, stay with Nia for me, all right?”

“Are you feeling sick?” Nettie asked in her sweet voice.

“Yes,” I answered, trying not to frighten her but not wanting to lie to her either.

“I didn’t feel good the first day we were on the ship. The captain said I just needed to find my sea legs,” she offered, scrunching her nose up.

“I’ve heard of sea legs,” I added, concentrating on her words and pushing the discomfort away.

“If there are sea legs, can you have land legs as well?”

I laughed at her curiosity, despite myself. She reminded me so much of myself when I was little, asking so many questions that I would annoy my uncle and amuse my aunt.

“Lavinia,” Jameson’s voice called from the stairs, and I felt tears gather in my eyes at the sight of him.

I rose to my feet, clutching Nettie’s hand while he approached me, his eyes alight with concern. A different feeling invaded my chest as I watched him. It was an altogether new feeling. Besides my aunt, I had never seen that look of caring on another’s face. My chest loosened somewhat, and I was able to suck in a much-needed breath.

Jameson enveloped me in his arms, and I rested my hand on his chest, reveling in the new feeling as it pushed the other away, not entirely, but enough for me to think again.

“What happened? What’s wrong?” he asked, but I wasn’t sure if he was asking me or Nathan.

“She said she’s feeling sick,” Nettie supplied helpfully, squeezing my hand before letting it go. “I think her sea legs have given out.”

“Lavinia, talk to me, please?” he whispered softly against my hair.

“Do you feel it?” I asked him, while Nathan drew Nettie back to the railing.

“Feel what?”

“As soon as we entered the bay, an uncertainty weighed down on me,” I explained, trailing off as I tried to put everything into words.

“Uncertainty?” he asked, rubbing my back soothingly.

I pushed back from his chest enough to see his face. “Something is seriously wrong here.”

His blue eyes searched my face before he slowly turned toward the direction of Port Defiant. His arms tightened around me and we both gazed at the town—I knew that whatever I was feeling, he was now experiencing as well.

The captain strolled on to deck barking orders to his crew, who scurried about the ship. He raised his spyglass up, looking through it at the port. After a moment, he lowered it again, looking worried.

“What’s wrong, Captain Philip?” Nathan asked, propping Nettie on his hip.

“I’ve been to this port many times over the past couple years, and I have never seen it this quiet. It looks to have been deserted.”

“Deserted,” I repeated as the uneasiness continued to drown me.

“We need to investigate and offer aid if we can,” the captain added, turning to call out orders to his first mate, who then walked quickly away to fulfill them. “I’ll send a boat to find out about the situation.”

“I’d like to go as well,” Jameson volunteered.

“What?” I asked him, alarmed.

“Something’s wrong, and I can help,” he replied, giving me a look that said he would use his vampire abilities to help.

“I’m going, too,” I declared.

“No,” he began, but I cut him off promptly.

“Something is wrong, and I’m the only one who felt it,” I hissed quietly to him. “I can help. Plus, I don’t think it would be good to be away from you right now. Please don’t ask me to stay behind.”

He stiffened against me for several moments, and I feared he would tell me to stay on the ship, meaning I would have to do something drastic, like swim to shore.

“All right.” He kissed my forehead before tugging me into motion as we made our way toward the boat and the crew lowering it over the side.

The ride to the port was tense. The crew members were armed with pistols and swords. No one knew what we were walking into, but judging by the feeling that still invaded my chest, it wasn’t good. I was wedged uncomfortably between Henry and Jameson, while Alice, Nathan, and Nettie stayed behind on the ship.

I kept twisting my hands and going over the different self-defense tactics that I had learned during the past several days over and over in my head. It was better to be prepared, but I was suddenly not feeling ready at all.

Jameson helped me out of the boat and onto the dock, pulling me close so Henry could climb up next to us.

“What’s the plan?” he asked in his gruff, no-nonsense voice.

“We’ll stick with the others but stay alert,” Jameson urged, before lowering his voice. “I smell dead bodies. Lots of them,” he whispered.

A shudder raced down my spine at his words, and I wondered if the dead bodies had been what caused my previous breakdown. His eyes lingered on my face for several heartbeats before he turned away, following the crew members as they made a hasty plan to slowly make our way toward the nearest buildings to assess the situation.

The town was quiet. The only movement was the hot breeze that blew through, picking up dust and other small debris from the road. The sun was sinking toward the horizon, causing shadows to lengthen and the creepy feeling to increase.

We moved as a group, staying clustered together, and I somehow found myself shoved into the middle of it. I sighed with annoyance, but I was glad that Jameson was on my left side with Henry to my right. The men all held pistols and rested their hands on swords, while Jameson’s hand was wrapped around the hilt of his dagger.

The door to a shop slammed open, making us all jump. Everyone turned to face the direction that the noise came from, and after several seconds of hushed and ready silence, we continued our slow trek.

The skin at the nape of my neck prickled, and I rolled my shoulders uncomfortably. It was too quiet, and the sinking sun was causing a stone of dread to drop further into my stomach. Jameson, so aware of everything around him, watched me out of the corner of his eye. The tick in his jaw told me that he didn’t want me with them, not because he thought I wasn’t capable, but because I was important to him. The narrowing of my eyes told him that I was right where I needed to be.

Someone staggered out of a side door of a building that looked to be a pub. His skin was greyish, and he looked ill. His eyes had sunken into his skull, making dark circles around them. Before anyone could move, a breeze fluttered past us and the man took in a deep breath. His head snapped up, and his eyes suddenly glowed a deep red color. His lips peeled away from his teeth, exposing fangs.

Someone panicked and shot the man with a pistol. The force of it had him taking a step back, but he continued to advance on our group, saliva dripping from his mouth. The wind shifted, and I smelled his scent and nearly gagged. He reeked of rotten blood and death. His steps were haphazard, and he dragged one leg awkwardly behind him.

“What’s wrong with him?” I whispered to Jameson.

“He hasn’t fed. If the vampires don’t feed regularly, decomposition takes over and forces them to become these mindless creatures,” he explained, taking a step back as another person staggered out the door. A woman this time, with bloodstains covering the front of her dress.

“They can’t swim. We need to get back to the ship,” Henry added, keeping his pistol pointed at the advancing vampires.

“We should retreat,” Jameson called to the leader, who looked over and shook his head.

“Not until we figure out what’s going on. The captain was clear,” the man said turning away.

“You’re a fool,” Jameson spat, tugging his dagger out and gripping it tightly in his hand.

“They have orders. We don’t,” Henry rebutted from behind me, and I agreed. I had been trained to fight opponents that were strong healthy vampires, but these ones were hungry and desperate. A dangerous combination, even if they were slower.

“Let’s get back to the boat,” Jameson confirmed, taking a step back, never removing his eyes from the creatures in front of us. “If you’d like to live, I’d suggest you come with us.”

Several of the men faltered at his words, but after the barked orders from the man in charge, they shook off Jameson’s warning and continued forward.

“Back to the boat, Lavinia,” Jameson repeated, shaking his head at the man who was ordering his men to their deaths.

I took a step back, preparing to turn, but a hand landed heavily on my shoulder. I paused for a moment, thinking it was Henry, but when I turned fully, I saw a grotesque corpse-like vampire, leaning toward my neck with sunken red eyes.

Time slowed as the monster creeped closer and closer to my exposed skin. My newly-acquired reflexes were nowhere to be found when I needed them most, and I feared that this was one vampire bite I wasn’t going to survive.

Chapter Thirteen

Thankfully, Jameson had no hesitation. Faster than I could blink, he had stepped around me and stabbed the vampire with his dagger through the heart. Every other time Jameson had killed a vampire, it had crumbled into ash, but with these starved vampires, they didn’t disintegrate. They ignited in a fiery inferno that lasted mere seconds before their bodies crumbled into charred ash.

After the initial shock of almost being bitten by the monster, I quickly moved into action. Henry was yelling at the crew as we ran, still urging them to retreat, but they didn’t listen until two of their men became dinner for the decaying vampires. Once blood had been spilled, a feeding frenzy began.

Shouts came from the crew while they did their best to catch up to the three of us and head back to the rowboat. Jameson urged me forward as Henry led the way. I didn’t turn back, even when the cries from grown men being eaten alive sounded in my ears.

“Hurry!’ Jameson shouted to the crew as we settled into the rowboat.

A vampire was gaining on them. Blood coated the front of the turned sailor, and his skin went from the sickly grey color to almost translucent. It hadn’t taken long for the blood they’d drank from the other crew members to boost their strength.

One of the men looked back, making a fatal mistake. He lost his footing and tripped over the lip of a board, landing face first into the planks. He couldn’t get up quickly enough, and I was forced to turn my head away when the vampire landed on top of him and tore into his flesh.

My body shook as tears leaked from my eyes.

What was our world becoming?

More screams came from the ship behind us. I could hear Nettie, and I wanted nothing more than to calm her worries. I wiped the fresh tears from my face and focused on getting off that island.

My hands extended to the two remaining crew members, helping them into the boat. They were clearly shaken, so I moved to the middle and grabbed an oar. Henry nodded at me, appreciating my help, while Jameson shoved us away from the dock and jumped into the boat.

The vampires treaded into the water, reaching for us, but we were just far enough that they couldn’t grasp the edge. They appeared to have gotten their strength back, but not their minds. None of the vampires’ movements held the fluidity I had seen from the ones back home. It was a small victory for us.

Jameson reached for me. “Are you okay?”

“I’m fine.” I wiped my face against my shoulder and kept rowing. I didn’t want to focus on anything except making it back to the ship.

“Let me.” He took the oar from my hands. “You did well.”

I wanted to refuse. I wanted to scream in frustration, but instead, I nodded and moved aside. The boat’s speed picked up as Jameson and Henry fell into synchronization. The two men from the ship’s crew stared wide-eyed back at the port. My heart hurt for their losses. It was horrific to witness, and I was tired of seeing vampires win.

We made it back to the ship, and it seemed like the entire crew was at the edge with ropes, waiting to lift us back up. Nettie leaned over the side, her body hiccupping as she tried to calm down. It wasn’t right that she had to witness so much evil. As soon as we joined the hunters, I wanted to find a safe place for her to stay, even if we had to leave her behind. As long as she was safe, everything else would be less overbearing.

I climbed over the edge of the boat first, followed by Jameson and Henry, then the crew. We were met with hugs and tears. Husbands and fathers had just died. It wasn’t a good time for any of us.

Jameson tugged on my hand. “Follow me. We need to meet with the captain.”

Our group followed the man to his quarters. His shoulders were stiff, and he kept grunting. I didn’t blame the man for being angry; he’d just lost several of his men.

“Captain Philip,” Jameson began, “we tried to get your men to retreat. I’m very sorry for your loss.”

He nodded gruffly. “I know. I watched from here. They’re stubborn men. How did this happen? What were they? You seemed to know exactly what they were when you saw them.”

“They’re vampires, but those ones had been starved, so they were weak. If they had fed recently and regularly, you might have witnessed a very different outcome,” Jameson answered. “When was the last time you came to this port?”

Captain Philip pulled out his leather-bound manifest book, much like the one we had used back home. “We were here two weeks ago. Everything was normal. We dropped off some cargo from Port Valor and a group not much bigger than yours.”

“Do you remember any of their names?” Jameson asked.

I turned my head in confusion, not understanding why he would care about people who had been dropped off two weeks ago.

“Only one,” the captain replied. “His name was Solomon. He was the one who reserved their passage. Odd fellow. He asked to check the ship before letting any of his men on. Said he was looking for any sign of sickness. Seemed harmless to me. Does that name ring a bell to you?”

It didn’t take long for me to figure out why Jameson had asked. Solomon was the name of the hunter we were trying to track down. He must have suspected the island was going to be attacked and got people out of there. Or, at least, I hoped he did.

“Yes, we were hoping to meet him there,” Jameson said. “Where is this ship headed next?”

“Port Victory.”

I shook my head. “I don’t recommend going there.”

Henry and Alice nodded their heads in agreement, and I realized then I hadn’t heard Nettie. Looking back for her and Nathan, I found he stood right outside the door, with her on his hip. I smiled, grateful he had thought to keep her out, but stayed close enough in case we needed him.

“Why shouldn’t we go there?” Captain Philip asked. “I received word there was a large shipment that needs to be transported, and I have passengers who are eager to get home.”

“The vampires you saw back there are nothing compared to what you will find at Port Victory,” Henry explained. “We barely escaped with our lives. Unless you plan on bringing an army, I wouldn’t advise going in that direction.”

The captain’s eyes bulged as he took a step back. We probably sounded insane, but hopefully he would believe us after what he had just witnessed.

“I know it’s scary to think that the monsters we believe to be fictional are real, but we are telling you the truth,” I added. “We just want to keep as many people safe as possible. Even out here on the sea, it isn’t safe. Pirates are worse than ever, and some have even teamed up with the vampires.”

“What do we do then? Where do we go?” The captain’s voice was near hysteria.

Jameson pointed to the map on the captain’s desk. “We need to head to Port Valor. That’s where we will find safety.”

“How do you know?” Captain Philip asked skeptically.

“Because the man you left here two weeks ago is smart, and that’s where he’ll be.”

The captain took a moment to contemplate what we had told him. I could see the hesitancy on his face as his brow furrowed and sweat beaded along his receding hairline.

“Port Valor is only two days from here if I run a full crew around the clock and don’t slow down,” he finally answered. “I’ll redirect the ship there, but if you’re wrong, there will be a price. Do I make myself clear?”

Jameson nodded. “Yes, Captain.”

“Good. Now, go back to your rooms. I have a crew to prepare.”

We filed out of the room without needing to be told twice. Jameson’s fingers intertwined with mine while we silently headed for our quarters. Even Nettie remained quiet as our solemn mood weighed heavily on everyone.

We took seats in the area between our rooms and waited for Jameson to speak first. I knew almost nothing about this Solomon who was supposed to provide us with a solution to the vampires. And I wasn’t going to pretend I had a plan for what we should do next on our journey.

Jameson’s fingers steepled beneath his chin. “I wish I could say I felt as confident as I sounded in that room, but I’m not so sure Solomon will be there. I just have no idea where we could go otherwise. We would have to wait for a ship that’s going to the mainland, but it would be expensive, and likely take us weeks to sort out that kind of travel. This is our last hope.”

I grabbed his hand and squeezed. “It’s okay. We’re in this together, and we will figure it out. We won’t let those monsters beat us. We’ll find a way to get our home back.”

Alice stood. “Nia is right. Even if Solomon isn’t there, we can work it out. The captain may have been hard on you, but it’s only because he’s scared.”

Nettie yawned, leaning her head against Nathan. He glanced down, then looked at the rest of us. “I’m going to get her to bed. Let’s not worry about it tonight. Everyone should get some rest.”

Henry nodded. “As we saw today, life can end in a moment.” He grabbed Alice’s hand and brought it to his lips.

My eyes widened. I had suspected there was something between them, but I wasn’t sure they had acted on it. I was glad to see they weren’t going to hide it anymore. We all deserved whatever happiness we could find in these dark times.

We dispersed into our rooms, and I fell onto the bed, exhausted. When Jameson and I first started rooming together, it was awkward, but with each passing day, I became more and more comfortable around him. I knew it wasn’t proper. A woman of my age shouldn’t be alone with a male without being married, but since that wasn’t an option, nor something I was certain I wanted, I didn’t really care. I was tired of living my life by everyone else’s rules.

Jameson sank next to me on the bed. “Are you all right?”

I laughed. He was constantly asking me that. I wasn’t all right. I didn’t think I would ever be all right again, but I always answered the same.

“Of course, I am.”

His hand stroked its way up my arm before cradling my face. “I don’t know what I would have done if something happened to you today. I don’t like you being in danger, but I don’t want to hold you back, either. It’s a hard position to be in.”

“I know, and I appreciate you for saying that. I don’t want to cause you extra stress, but I’m involved in whatever is happening. I’m connected to it somehow. I don’t know why I can’t be changed, but some of my senses are now heightened, and the fact that I knew something was wrong when the port came into view today was not normal. I have to be a part of whatever is going on.”

He leaned forward, pressing his lips to mine. “I know. I’ll try to be understanding of it, but know that I’m sorry if I can’t control my need to protect you.”

He kissed me again, this time with more passion that I happily returned. His hand slid down my leg, hooking it up and over his so our bodies were flush. Everything in me ignited at the contact as he assaulted my senses.

My hands roamed under his shirt, feeling the ripple of his muscles. This was about the time we normally pulled apart and went to bed, but not tonight. Tonight, we needed just a little bit more from each other, and I was happy with the give and take.

He hardened against me as my breath became more frantic. I wasn’t sure I was ready for more, but my body was telling me that I needed it. I was overheated and wanted every shred of clothing gone.

“Lavinia,” he whispered against my ear before placing kisses along my neck. “We need to stop.”

I heard him, but I didn’t respond. I didn’t know how. Everything in me was on fire.

He pulled back, placing both hands on my face. I opened my eyes as his thumbs stroked my cheeks, heating my insides, but the look of shock that crossed his face instantly cooled me.

“What’s wrong?” My breath caught in my chest.

“Your eyes. They’re red.” He shook his head. “Now they’re normal.”

I closed my eyes, listening for my heartbeat. It was the only way I had to tell if I was still human, or mostly human. I sighed in relief as it still beat wildly in my chest.

“I feel normal. Are you sure of what you saw?” I disliked questioning him, but I hated to think of what I was becoming.

He scratched his head. “Yes. I’m positive, but there’s not even a tinge of it now.”

An embarrassing thought crossed my mind. “Do you think it happened because of what we were doing?”

He hummed. “Possibly. Let’s not push it tonight. We’ve had enough happen today, and I don’t want to risk something happening to you.”

I settled down some. It was a valid thought, and I agreed with him. We could figure it out later. All that mattered was that I was still human, even if I wasn’t sure how long that would last.

* * *

The two days went by quickly as we prepared for arrival to Port Valor. The captain shared the ship’s weapons with our group, and each of us carried a gun. I’d never fired one and only held one once, when I had removed my uncle’s from the dinner table, but I felt better having it on me.

Even if they couldn’t kill the vampires, the guns would certainly slow them down, and all we needed was an opportunity to get away. I would take anything that would help give me that.

Nettie tugged on my skirt as we stood on the deck with some of the crew. “Nia, can I stay with you? Uncle Nathan is cranky today.”

I smiled at her. We were all “cranky”. We had a lot riding on people still being at Port Valor.

“I would love that. You can keep Alice and me company while the guys do all the heavy lifting.” I kept my tone light, trying to ease her worry.

She grinned at me before nestling into my side. I wrapped my arm around her shoulders, pulling her closer. Nathan visibly relaxed when he saw he didn’t have to worry about her. I hadn’t realized he was so worried; I would have to remind him we were all in this together. We would all protect Nettie. He didn’t have to carry that burden on his own.

“How much longer until we arrive?” Alice asked.

The captain lifted his telescope. “Not much longer. I can just make out the shape of land.”

Word had spread to the other passengers about the vampires, and many volunteered to help fight. We had come together as one community even though we didn’t know each other, and it made my heart happy. The news could have caused an uprising of panic through the people, but instead, their first instinct was to ask how they could help.

Most of the women and children were still below deck, in the sleeping quarters. When we tried to leave Nettie below with the mother of a young girl she had befriended, Nettie began screaming. Nathan couldn’t take the sorrow pouring from her, and I hadn’t argued with him. It wasn’t much safer below than it was up top.

An hour later, land became visible to the naked eye, and the heaviness in my chest I had felt at Port Defiant was back, but not as strong. My shoulders tensed as I waited to see the bustle of a town still intact, but it never came. Grumbles came from the crew. Nobody was pleased with what we were seeing.

“Look for a white flag,” Jameson urged. “If we find that, then we will find safety.”

The captain used his telescope again, roaming across port much slower, before pointing off to the right. “There’s one on the very last dock, but I still don’t see any people. I’m not sending my men to be slaughtered again.”

“I understand,” Jameson replied. “We would never ask that of you. If you would allow us to use the rowboat, then we will head to land ourselves. If everything is clear, we will come back for you.”

A man from behind the captain cleared his throat. “I’d like to volunteer to go with them.”

Captain Philip glanced back. “Are you sure, Alex?” The young man nodded. “Very well. Alex will go with you and bring the boat back to us.”

We readied the boat. That time, all six of our group were going. It was a little crowded with all of our belongings and weapons, but we made it work. My hands shook as we got closer, but the darkness didn’t come like before, giving me hope that Jameson had been right.

When we pulled up to the dock, Jameson turned back toward Alice and me. “Will you stay here with Nettie while we search a few of the buildings? We won’t go far without you.”

I nodded. It was a reasonable request. “Be safe.”

They cleared two buildings as we sat there with Alex. I was half-surprised he hadn’t left us on our own, but he seemed eager to be involved, and I was grateful. When the guys entered the third building, I heard broken glass and shouts. I stood quickly, moving Nettie behind me.

We held our breath as we waited for the guys to come back, but their faces weren’t the next thing we saw. It was another group of vampires just like the ones at Port Defiant, making any last sliver of hope I had disappear completely.

Chapter Fourteen

Alex took off, heading for the building. If it wasn’t for Nettie, I would have joined him, but protecting her was more important. Alice stood next to me with Nettie tucked between us. If they didn’t come back soon, I was going to put Nettie in the boat and row out into the water just far enough—I said as much to Alice.

“That’s what they would want us to do,” she agreed.

Suddenly, a group of people came out from what seemed like nowhere. There were at least ten men and women, dressed in dark clothing and holding various weapons. I wasn’t sure they were friendly until I saw the glint of glowing silver. A hunter’s blade.

We had finally found them.

Just as Alex slipped into the building, the new group spotted Alice and me. They changed course, ignoring the sounds of combat, and headed straight for us. Alice grabbed the oars from the boat and tossed one to me before taking up a fighting stance. I mimicked her while telling Nettie to stay behind us.

The silvery glow from the hunter’s blade flashed brightly. A dark-haired woman wielded it as she narrowed her eyes at the three of us. They continued to advance on our position, and I wondered why when there were attacking vampires. We were human and no threat to them, but judging by the hard looks on their faces and the glint in their eyes, they didn’t like nor trust strangers.

The sounds coming from the building where Jameson and the others were in had grown quiet.

“Jameson, there are people heading toward us that don’t look friendly, and one has a hunter’s blade.” I took a chance and spoke in a whisper. His hearing and speed had continued to increase over the last couple of weeks, but we had yet to test just how far away he could hear, since we’d spent most of our time on a ship.

I was able to count three heartbeats before I saw men exit the building. Nathan, Alex, and Henry were running toward us. I didn’t look for Jameson, because he was suddenly standing between the approaching group and us. The dagger glowed brightly in his hand, while charred ash covered his body.

The group halted at Jameson’s sudden appearance. I took a step closer to his back, then another, noticing that he was vibrating and fighting for control. With my free hand, I reached out and touched him. He stiffened for a moment before finally calming. He glanced over his shoulder, and I watched as his eyes faded from red to their normal azure color.

We both turned to the new group and watched them cross the distance between us while Henry, Nathan, and Alex joined us.

“I smell them,” Jameson intoned. His voice was rough, and I knew he was hungry. He had run out of animal blood from the canteens more than a day ago. My presence and touch were helping, but there would come a time when it wouldn’t be enough if he didn’t feed soon.

“Who are you?” the woman with the glowing weapon called to us.

“Refugees looking for safety,” Jameson replied.

“How is it that you are a vampire, yet you can wield a hunter’s blade?”

“I haven’t fed from a human,” he answered confidently.

The group whispered and murmured amongst themselves, which made me nervous. My vampire abilities didn’t include advanced hearing, so I couldn’t make out any of their words.

“What are they saying?” I asked Jameson quietly.

“They met another hunter who was also part vampire like me,” Jameson informed, shifting his weight.

“There are others like you?” I gasped, my mind running wild with the implications.

“It would appear so.” He took a steadying deep breath through his nose.

I stepped closer, wishing I could wrap my arms around him to help him fight the hunger he was feeling. We needed to find him an animal soon, or I feared he would turn into the mindless vampires who were more like walking corpses, or worse, go looking for a human.

“We are from Port Victory, which has been overrun by vampires. We came here looking for the hunter who trained me and gave me this dagger. His name is Solomon,” Jameson explained loudly.

“There was a man who came here by that name, but he’s moved on,” the woman hunter informed.

“Where did he go?” Henry asked while wrapping an arm around Alice and pulling her closer.

“He didn’t say.”

Jameson swore under his breath, and I was disappointed as well. We had traveled all this way looking for a specific hunter, knowing that we would find safety with him. Now, I had no idea what we were up against.

Another small herd of vampires came into sight, heading for the group of hunters. Before we could yell out a warning, the group rounded on the approaching corpse-like vampires. With quick, efficient movements, they had the vampires subdued enough for the woman to go around and stab them one by one through the heart. Clouds of charred ash rose into the air, while a small group of children appeared from behind a building, walked to the different piles, and scooped the ash into sacks.

Once all the vampires were dispatched, the woman hunter strolled to our group, leaving hers to clean up the mess.

“My name is Ruth. Welcome to what is left of Port Valor,” she greeted, putting her blade into a sheath that was tied to a belt around her waist.

Jameson stepped forward and introduced all of us while putting his own dagger away. He gestured to the ship that was anchored in the bay, explaining how we had gotten here.

“I didn’t think Port Defiant would crumble so quickly. There were hunters stationed there,” Ruth responded, shaking her head in disbelief.

“We were surprised as well. Solomon had once mentioned it to be well-protected,” Jameson replied, wiping ash off his arms.

“The hunters move their locations frequently to keep the organized vampires from locating them all, but still they should have been there to keep things under control,” she explained, her dark eyes flicking to me too often for it to be a coincidence.

“That makes sense. If a hunter is ever turned, they could betray the whereabouts of the other group, but by keeping everything constantly on the move, the risk of discovery is diminished,” I reasoned, thinking fast and trying to ignore Ruth’s emotionless stare.

“Are there any more vampires with you?” Ruth asked Jameson, ignoring me.

“No, just me,” he answered, seeming confused by the question.

“I don’t think we should lie to each other.” Her stare narrowed on me.

“We aren’t lying. There aren’t any other vampires in our group.” Jameson’s anger was rising, along with my own.

“If you don’t believe us, here,” I replied, thrusting my wrist at her. “Check for a heartbeat.”

Ruth’s hand had gone to the handle of her blade, and I could feel Jameson’s body tense next to mine. I knew that he wouldn’t hesitate to end her if she continued to threaten me. She took a step closer, and Jameson’s arm wrapped around my waist, his fingers latching onto the fabric of my dress, ready to rip me away if she made any move to harm me.

Slim fingers, which were surprisingly cold, wrapped around my wrist firmly. She froze, concentrating on feeling my pulse. We stood there for almost a full minute that felt like an eternity, but she finally nodded and then released my arm.

“My apologies, but I had to be sure,” she offered, while I rubbed my wrist trying to warm the area back up.

“Be sure of what?” Jameson seethed angrily, and I drew closer to him, trying to reassure him that I was unharmed.

“The blade I carry knows when vampires are near. That’s why we are called hunters, because the weapons that we are bonded to allow us to find vampires. I could feel that vampires were in that building and the group of them outside, but then I also sensed one over here. Children are precious and must be protected, so I made the decision to come here when I saw the little girl.”

Jameson’s arm around me had stiffened to the point where it felt like a band of iron held me. I was stunned at her revelation. Had her blade sensed the vampire in me? I wasn’t a vampire. I was human with vampire-like attributes. Wasn’t I? My chest tightened at the thought that I could be more vampire than we had originally thought.

* * *

After our talk with Ruth, she invited us back to where their group was staying. Jameson had a quick word with Alex before sending him back to the ship, asking him not to tell his captain what Jameson was in case we needed their help again. We didn’t need them jumping to conclusions and causing us more problems. We had enough of them.

Ruth mentioned that Port Baldaire was still safe, last she heard, and that’s where Captain Philip should head toward for rest. Since Port Baldaire was the furthest island in the chain, it made sense that it would be a safe place. They also had more room and board there, to accommodate the large group on the boat. The safe house they were using in Port Valor wouldn’t have fit everyone.

We didn’t stick around to watch the ship weigh anchor; instead, we were led to a plantation home not far from town. An oversize yard followed by the beach surrounded the huge manor, making it easy to spot vampires coming from far way. Everything, including their defenses, was methodical and well thought-out, almost military-like, and I wondered about Ruth’s background.

There was a barn a short walk from the manor, and Ruth gave Jameson permission to go feed there. He was hesitant to leave me, but I knew he was hungry, and he didn’t want me coming with him to feed. After a little prodding, I convinced him to go.

Feeling exposed, I went in search of Nettie. I found her with Nathan and the other children spreading the charred ashes from the vampires that were killed earlier around the perimeter of the house.

“I was told by one of the older children that the starved vampires avoid the ash of other dead ones,” Nathan explained when I asked him about the purpose. “When they go hunting, they collect the ash and use it to deter other vampires from approaching. It works well for the starved vampires, but they aren’t sure what affect it would have on a well-fed one.”

I worried it would have some sort of adverse effect on Jameson, but he didn’t seem to mind when we arrived here. I made a mental note to ask him if the ash bothered him at all when I saw him return.

An early evening meal was served, which I was grateful for, since we hadn’t eaten lunch before departing the ship. I sat with our group as we ate fresh-baked bread and meat that hadn’t been available on board the ship.

Jameson found me after I had finished eating. He took my hand, pulling me away, and I followed willingly. The manor was more of a mansion, but it seemed to have been built with vampires in mind. The main part of the house was well-furnished, but the truly impressive part was the underground level. An iron and steel-reinforced door with impressive bars for barricading led into the space. Rooms had been sectioned off and furnished from the manor above.

We entered a bedroom, and Jameson closed the door firmly behind him, then rounded on me, and I found myself wrapped in his arms. His lips were on mine before I could blink. I melted against his chest and kissed him back, our kisses quickly becoming more urgent.

He had cleaned up and changed into fresh clothes. His scent tickled my nose as he pressed himself against me while his hand tangled in the hair at the back of my head. He deepened the kiss, and I quickly lost myself in the heat that spread throughout my body and the feeling of him everywhere.

His lips moved to my neck, and I clung to his shoulders in an effort to remain upright. I tipped my head back, while his hand supported me, and he moved from my neck to my collarbones. A gasp escaped me as his teeth nipped my skin before his lips kissed the sting away.

His mouth returned to mine, and we shared a few more deep kisses before we broke apart, and I found myself plastered against his chest, quivering. He held me tightly against him, almost to the point of pain, but I didn’t care. I lived for the moments that we were alone together.

“Do you think we’re safe here?” I whispered, slipping my hand into his shirt that I didn’t remember unbuttoning and pressing my palm against the skin of his chest.

“I think so,” he replied, running his fingers through my hair.

“You don’t sound certain.”

He sighed while I stroked the skin of his chest. “I think this is the safest place for us,” he finally answered. “I’m impressed with what Ruth has done here with these people. After I fed, I wandered around and saw some of their defenses. She has thought of nearly every possible outcome.”

“But?” I prompted him when he paused.

“I talked to some of the people outside, and they told me that Ruth isn’t originally from here. When I asked where she was from, they didn’t know the answer. I’m having a hard time trusting her, even though she’s a hunter, because of that and how she treated you earlier today.”

“I’m worried about what happened earlier, too,” I confessed quietly.

“I won’t let anything happen to you,” he vowed fiercely. “You believe me, don’t you?” he added with a tone of uncertainty.

“Yes, of course,” I reassured him, never once doubting that he would protect me. “I just worry that, one day, there will be someone who is stronger and more experienced than you that we will have to face. I know that you will do everything you can to protect me, and I’ll do everything I can to protect you.”

“You make me stronger, Lavinia. Your presence, your scent, the heart that beats steadily in your chest… makes me stronger.”

How long will it take for me to be strong enough to stand by his side and fight?

I didn’t know the answer, but I resolved to train harder, so that I could fight for him just as he vowed to fight for me. I may have made him stronger, but I feared that I was also a weakness that could very well cost him his life.

My being balked at that thought. I was not weak. I had somehow survived being turned into a vampire twice. His life was important to me, and I’d do whatever I had to do to keep him living.

“Lavinia, I…” he began but trailed off as he tilted his head, listening to something I couldn’t hear.

“What’s wrong?” I asked, pushing away from his chest, so I could see his face better.

“There is a bell ringing. I think that’s the signal a ship has entered the bay,” he replied, loosening his arms from around me, but I watched him as he continued to listen. “Someone just said that they think the sails are black.”

Chapter Fifteen

Jameson buttoned his shirt, and I straightened my dress before quickly braiding my long hair into a plait down my back. Black sails could only mean one thing: pirates. In my limited dealings with them, they had all seemed to be vampires. Was it too much to hope that the ship was filled with regular pirates and not blood-thirsty ones?

I caught Jameson’s eyes as he reached for the door handle, and the haunted look in their blue depths informed me that he was thinking the same thing. It suddenly became much harder to draw a breath, and I wished that we could go back to just a few moments ago, when all I cared about were his arms remaining around me.

He hooked an arm around my waist, pulled me against him, and kissed me. The kiss was full of longing, but it also contained a promise. I returned the kiss, desperately trying to convey everything that I was feeling.

All too soon, we pulled apart. Our fingers intertwined, then he was pulling me through the door while I took his kissed promise and tucked it close to my heart. When we returned to the main area of the plantation, everything seemed to be chaotic, but at closer inspection, it was nowhere near that.

Hunters moved confidently through the house, giving and receiving orders, as they prepared for the intruders. Alice, Nathan, and Henry waved at us, calling us toward them. We made our way through the people and stood against the wall with our group.

“Were any of you assigned to do anything?” Jameson asked.

Henry shook his head. “Ruth told us to stay out of the way.”

“That’s not going to work for me.” Jameson’s chest rumbled.

I placed a hand on his arm, hoping to calm him. “Where is Nettie?”

“She’s in the underground section, with the other children and townspeople who aren’t trained to fight. She made some new friends already, which made leaving her a little easier than when we tried to on the ship,” Nathan answered.

I nodded, letting out a sigh of relief that we didn’t have to fear for her safety at that moment.

Ruth stormed into the room then. Her short brunette hair was pinned back, and she’d changed her wardrobe. She still had on dark clothes, but the new ones had armor sewn into the arms, chest, and legs. All of her vital organs were covered, including her neck, which had chainmail wrapped around it.

Jameson blurred toward her. “Where do you want us?”

“Downstairs with the others,” she snapped. “I don’t have time to deal with you at the moment, so stay out of my way while I protect what’s left of this place.” She stomped off before Jameson could say another word.

When he made his way back to our group, he was visibly shaking. I tried to reach for him, but he took a step back. “Just give me a moment.” His voice softened, and I didn’t take his need for space personally.

“She’s obviously busy,” Alice offered. “Let’s head to wherever she just was and arm ourselves. I doubt she’d refuse our help if we simply showed up ready for battle. I’m sure we can figure out where things are. If it’s anything more than pirates out there, they’re going to need our help.”

Nathan nodded. “Alice is right. Let’s go.”

Jameson didn’t say anything, but he let me tug him along, so I tried not to worry too much. We ventured down the hallway, moving against the crowd as more and more hunters came out armed similarly to Ruth. We received a few stern looks, but nobody stopped us. Assumedly, they were smart enough to realize that we weren’t a threat, and they didn’t need to stop and question us.

The last of the hunters maneuvered out of a room on the right, toward the end of the hallway. We waited until they passed us before entering the room. The storage area appeared as if a small windstorm had rolled through it. Pieces of armor were laying everywhere, along with various weapons. There wasn’t much left for us to use, but it was better than nothing.

We moved in to begin sorting through the remnants, and Jameson reached for my arm. “You know you don’t have to help us, right?”

“I do, but I want to,” I replied. “Between what Alice taught me and my inability to die or be turned into a vampire, I’m sure I’ll be fine.”

He flinched. “Yet. You haven’t died or been turned yet. Until we know more, we need to assume you can still be changed or killed. You can’t let your guard down.”

“I won’t. How about I promise you that if there are a bunch of vampires out there instead of pirates, then I’ll stay as far back as I can. I still want to help, but I won’t do anything drastic. Plus, my extra abilities seem to increase considerably when I’m under pressure. I’ll be fine.”

“I won’t hold you back, as I’ve said before, but I won’t deny that it makes me feel better to hear you’ll stay away from the front lines if it comes to that.”

Alice shoved armor at me, ending our conversation. “These should fit you. There’s extra chainmail in the corner over there, too.”

“Thanks for grabbing stuff for me,” I replied, feeling bad that we hadn’t helped them.

“We’re a team.” She smiled at me as she walked to finish getting changed.

I pushed Jameson toward Nathan and Henry. “Go. We all need to be ready.”

He pressed his lips to mine, then turned. I joined Alice and helped her get the arm pieces on as she did the same for me. We both took the chainmail and covered up as best we could before we went looking for weapons.

I found a rapier sword that was the perfect size and weight for me, and Alice opted for two daggers. The men each armed themselves with swords and other smaller items that could fit in the pockets of their trousers.

Once we were all ready, Jameson went around to each of us and checked our armor before we left the room. When he was done, we followed him out and headed toward the main entrance to the house. It had appeared to be where everyone was headed earlier.

Shouts and murmurs could be heard from down the hall before we even saw the group. People were upset about something, but I didn’t understand what until we turned the corner. That’s when I heard my name and my body froze.

“If Lavinia is what he wants, then we need to hand her over,” one man said.

“Why risk the many for the one?” another shouted.

A snarl ripped from Jameson, and all eyes fell on us as they quieted. “He won’t get Lavinia. She is not an item to be handed over on demand. Whoever is out there won’t leave you alone even if he gets Lavinia. If it’s who I think it is, the sooner we attack, the better chances we have of survival.”

Ruth stepped forward. “He said his name is Pierce, and he wants his wife, Lavinia.” The accusatory tone in her voice was clear as she moved her stare to me.

I squared my shoulders, stepping toward her. “I am not his wife. He killed my family, then tried to turn me. I got away and have been with Jameson ever since.”

She was inches from me, distrust written all over her face. “What’s so special about you? Why would he travel all this way to find you? Why do I sense you’re a vampire, yet your heart still beats? There are too many questions, and you don’t seem to have enough answers.”

Her left hand snatched mine as her right hand drew the hunter’s dagger. Before I could blink, she sliced open my palm, then pressed the flat side of the blade against my wound. The cut burned, but not bad enough to make me scream. What had me the most surprised was the reddish hue that glowed from the dagger.

Jameson yanked me away from her. “What the hell? I already told you she wasn’t a vampire. If you touch her again, I won’t hesitate to kill you.”

She raised her hands in surrender, her eyes alight with wonder. “Calm down. I got the answer I was looking for. We will help you protect her from Pierce, and whoever he has brought with him.”

Objections rang out from the group around her, but she snapped her fingers, effectively silencing them.

“Lavinia is not a vampire,” she spoke again. “As a hunter, you took an oath to protect humans against the threat of those monsters. If you no longer wish to do that, then you’re welcome to go below with the children.” When nobody moved, she continued. “We have prepared for this moment for weeks, since we’ve been here. You all know what to do now.”

I pulled myself from Jameson’s hold and grabbed Ruth’s arm. “What was that?”

“Now isn’t the time. If we survive this, then I’ll share what I know and teach him to use his blade properly.” She nodded toward Jameson. “Solomon should have done a better job of preparing him.” Ruth walked away, and I turned back to the others.

Jameson’s face creased in concern. “What was she talking about?”

“Something happened when she cut me.” I glanced down at my hand that was already healed. “The blade glowed red.”

“Well, whatever it means, it was good enough to get her fully on our side,” Nathan offered. “Let’s not look a gift horse in the mouth. We have a vampire to kill first.”

Jameson opened his mouth to say something but closed it just as quickly. I went to his side, wrapping my arms around him. “Everything is going to be fine.”

He nodded stiffly, then turned toward where Ruth had gone. “We should follow her.” His voice was clipped, and I hated to see him so upset when I was unable to do anything about it.

We moved after Ruth and followed her down to the cellar area. At first, I was confused, thinking that we were going to hide out and hope the vampires left, but then she took a door I hadn’t noticed until it was opened.

“Where does this lead to?” Nathan asked.

“This farm used to smuggle items through the port. It’s why we chose it over any other. There are tunnels down here that we’ve created exits out of in various places around the island. We won’t be walking out the front door. We’re going to come up behind the vampires, and hopefully mask our scent with the ash from the dead ones.”

I shuddered at her words. I didn’t want to be covered in the remnants of dead vampires, but it made sense. I would do whatever it took to beat Pierce. I refused to be his prisoner again.

Nobody else asked questions, and we headed down the narrow tunnel in rows of two. There were no oil lamps, so I held on to Jameson next to me and reached for Alice’s shoulder ahead of me. Another hunter and Nathan were behind us, and he grasped on to my shoulder.

On the way, we passed by several of the exits. Ruth explained that four to six hunters at the end of the line would stop and stay at each one. She carried a horn in her pack that she would sound through the tunnel when it was time to exit.

The further we went along, the more impressed I was with their setup. When we came upon the next exit, Ruth halted everyone. Jameson stiffened next to me but stayed silent. Just as I was about to ask him what was happening, I heard him.

“Whoever grabs Lavinia, and can bring her to me without a scratch on her, will get first feeding on the people here,” Pierce instructed from above us. “If you harm a hair on her head, I will break every bone in your body. Do I make myself clear?”

Shuffling feet could be heard, but no responses.

“Very well,” he continued. “If they don’t send her out within five minutes, we’re going in. I’m done waiting for my bride. We have a wedding planned with Prime.”

Jameson hissed behind me as we continued walking. There was so much I wanted to say in response to what Pierce had declared, but keeping quiet was more important at that moment. The ash they had spread at all the exits was doing a good job of hiding our scents, but it wouldn’t help us if we were too loud.

When we arrived at the final exit, Ruth passed out sacks that contained the ash we needed to put on our bodies. I cringed and stuck my hand in the bag, then gagged as the smell of burnt flesh assaulted me. There wouldn’t be enough baths in a lifetime to make me feel clean after this, but hopefully, I’d still be alive at the end of the day.

“Draw your weapons and prepare,” Ruth whispered once we were situated. Her message was passed on to all who stood behind us. I had no idea how many people were there, but it was definitely more than the four-to-six that was left at all the other stations.

Ruth blew the horn, then pushed open the hatch. Henry and Alice went out after her, then we followed. We came out inside a storage room with one window. Ruth was already posted at it, waiting for us to come up.

When everyone was out of the tunnel, she faced them. “Things are going to move quickly from here. Stay in groups of no less than two, but preferably three. If you don’t have a hunter’s blade, then cut their heads off and separate it from their body as far as you can. The few of us with hunter’s blades can kill the body. Do not wait before moving on. If you’re injured, make your way back to a tunnel entry as quickly as possible. Blood will only cause the vampires to become more volatile. The nearest group is only twenty yards out. Watch your backs and decapitate as many as you can.”

She took two steps to the door, then glanced back at me. I thought she was going to say something, but she didn’t. Instead, she opened the door and there was no turning back. I followed Jameson as he went out after Nathan, Henry, and Alice.

Chaos broke out all around in mere seconds.

Vampires and pirates charged toward our group. Some appeared without us even seeing them move, but others ran, and I realized they either weren’t all turned or not all vampires received super speed. I focused on the slower ones, counting on Jameson to have my back against the faster ones.

My body hummed as my adrenaline increased. The feeling was familiar now. Whatever extra abilities I had were waking up, and I was as ready as I could be to fight back. Alice and Henry were to my left, fighting one vampire, while Nathan was to our right with a pirate.

Jameson grunted as a more mature vampire slammed into him. “Give us th’ lass.”

“Over my dead body, parasite.” Jameson thrust his dagger out but missed the heart. They battled back and forth, moving further away, toward the sandy beach. I didn’t like being separated, but I also promised to stay away from the main action, which appeared to be on the beach.

I turned my attention back to the front just in time to see a pirate racing toward me. His head was shaved and his clothes tattered. He smelled heavily of fish, making me want to vomit.

“Yer me ticket to freedom, wench.” He grinned, showing very few teeth. “Com’ here and ye won’t be hurt.”

“I’d rather be dead than go with you.” I raised my sword but hesitated. He was just a man wanting more from his life. He wasn’t choosing the right way to get it, but I was having a hard time justifying that it was fine for me to hurt him. No, not just hurt him. Kill him. He was still human.

He took another step toward me, but I still couldn’t strike him. Instead, I ran away as fast as I could. I didn’t have it in me to kill him.

Jameson was still battling with the first vampire but seemed to have the upper hand, so I didn’t step in to help. Another one was moving in behind him at a slower pace, but still faster than a human. I felt more confident in my ability to take him down than a human.

I sped ahead, blocking the vampire’s path to Jameson before he stepped foot in the sand. “If you want him, you’ll have to go through me first.”

The vampire chuckled. “Bringing that one’s head to Pierce would have given me more gold than I’ve ever owned, but taking you back will give me all the jewels I could ever want. I’ll happily deal with you first.”

I noticed he didn’t have the pirate drawl and wondered where he was from, but I didn’t have time to dwell on it. He moved in without a second thought. I drew my rapier defensively and concentrated on the swirling of energy within me—I was counting on whatever extra strengths I had to get me through.

He drew his own sword but didn’t move to attack. I remembered Pierce’s earlier threat about them not being able to hurt me and hoped I could use that to my advantage. I swung my blade down, and he blocked me but didn’t counter.

I hurried around him, hoping to catch him by surprise with my speed, but it didn’t faze him. We continued to go back and forth until I began to tire.

“I can do this all day, lass,” he taunted. “You’re only making this harder on yourself.”

He was right. I needed to pick up my speed and strength, or I was never going to make any progress. I would just make myself useless. I lacked sufficient skill and had to rely on my minimal training with Alice.

Letting my motivation fuel me, I charged forward, calling on my speed.

I would not go back to Pierce.

I would never be his wife.

A scream of frustration erupted from my throat, feeling the change in me as soon as it happened. The vampire’s eyes widened as I closed in on him, but he never had a chance to move before I sliced my blade through his neck.

Chapter Sixteen

His head slid off his shoulders when his body collapsed to the sand. Blood pooled around the detached head and upper body while I watched in horror at what I had done, unable to look away.

I had killed someone.

Granted, it was a vampire and he still needed to be stabbed with a hunter’s blade, but I was the reason he wouldn’t see tomorrow. He might have tried to take me, but it still didn’t make the guilt ease inside me after taking a life, regardless if it had meant keeping myself safe. The first vampire I had killed had been trying to take Jameson’s life. I hadn’t had a choice, but this one wouldn’t have hurt me. He was only doing what he was told to do by Pierce. Even though it was the wrong thing, I couldn’t stop the emotions that flooded through me.

My stomach roiled, and I was afraid that I would lose what little food I had managed to eat at dinner. Bile coated my throat, burning as I tried to swallow it down. How had this become my life? Killing vampires and pirates alike? All because a mad man had laid claim to me, even though I was never, and would never, be his. My jaw clenched at that final thought. This started and ended with Pierce.

He was the reason my family was dead; he gave the order.

He tried to turn me, then tried to kill the only other people that I had come to care about since this all began.

Memories flitted across my mind as I recalled Nettie twirling in her new dress. How Jameson’s eyes looked into mine, and it felt like he could see inside me. The look that Henry would get when he was watching Alice, without her knowledge, crossed my mind. How Nathan interacted with Nettie, with love and tender care. To them, I was not a beautiful woman they could use to make other men jealous. To them, I was so much more than a pretty face.

My hand tightened around the hilt of the sword as my gaze lifted and I looked around, trying to find the man who had started all of this. The man I was going to kill before he could hurt my family or me again. I was going to end him and the waking nightmare he had created. Then, maybe I could dream again.

The beach in front of me was a combat zone. Hunters and vampires were engaged in a dance that only ended when one was dead. Silvery daggers glowed along the beach, and I was happy to see that the vampires and pirates were fewer in number now than those who had fought in the fields in front of the manor had reached the beach.

Ruth caught my attention, and I watched as she weaved between the hunters and vampires, slashing and thrusting her blade with expert movements that made it look so simple. Clouds of ash surrounded her as she took out vampire after vampire. Anyone who got within range of her dagger was quickly cut down or turned to dust. The way she moved and held her weapon was poetic and almost effortless.

Alice stepped into my line of sight, her daggers cutting and slashing at a vampire while Henry beheaded another. Ruth stepped in, stabbing the body with her hunter’s blade, finishing off the monster.

I darted forward to Alice, my speed bringing me quickly behind the vampire. My sudden movement distracted him, giving Alice the opening she needed to stab him in the chest with both daggers. Once she withdrew them, she dropped to her knees just in time to avoid Henry’s sword as it swung around and removed the vampire’s head.

It rolled into the sand, and Henry stepped forward to kick it away. I followed the head’s trajectory, then spotted Jameson making his way down the beach. His hunter’s blade flashed silver in the darkening day as he fought. As if feeling my gaze, he turned to search his surroundings. When he spotted me, his shoulders relaxed slightly at seeing me unharmed and with the others. He nodded once before turning to back hand a vampire, throwing him ten feet away from him, then stabbed another that was following behind the first.

A shout from my left drew my attention, and I saw Nathan gripping his forearm with his hand as blood seeped through his fingers. The vampire he was engaged with stood over him, sword raised above his head, ready to deal the killing blow. I saw his nostrils flare as he caught the scent of blood, and he hesitated.

Before I knew it, I was practically flying over the ground, moving faster than I ever had. When I reached the vampire preparing to kill my friend, I grabbed his shoulder to hold him still while I thrust my rapier into his chest. An unexpected glee swelled inside as I withdrew my sword.

The vampire sank to his knees and I knew he was a newly-made one. If it was a seasoned one, he would have turned to face me, but this one was stunned that I had stabbed him. So much so, that he fell to his knees in a very human way. I sliced at his neck next and watched as his head fell along with his body. One of Ruth’s people with a hunter’s dagger raced by, completing the kill.

“Thank you,” Nathan rasped, wincing as the cut on his forearm continued to bleed.

“Let me help you.” I pulled him to his feet and let him lean against me while we slowly made our way back to the building that housed the entrance to the tunnel.

“I can still fight,” he protested.

“You are bleeding, Nathan. You’ll attract more vampires at once than we can handle as a group. Get patched up and then we can talk.”

He nodded, either seeing things my way or the pain was getting to him. Whatever it was, it didn’t matter. He didn’t argue any further. I made sure Nathan got into the tunnel and someone was there to attend to him before I turned around, ready to return to the battle.

A hand grabbed the braid of my hair, and the training that Alice had pounded into my head so many times over, rushed back to me. Instead of tipping my head back, trying to release the pain like my body wanted to do, I tucked my head to my chest to protect my neck from wandering teeth. Then, with my arm, I knocked the hand grabbing my shoulder away.

I twisted, seeking the leverage I needed to thrust my sword up into my attacker. I didn’t have to worry about my strength, because my vampire-like abilities did not fail me. The sword buried itself into the man who attempted to capture me with so much ease that my eyes widened in surprise while his widened in shock. His hand loosened in my hair, and I pulled away, withdrawing the sword. While gripping it in both hands, I swiped the blade at his neck and watched the flesh split like butter.

Disgust at what I had done swelled inside me again, and the same savage glee from before followed. I pushed both aside and tried to reorient myself, so I could join the fight again. I didn’t have time to dwell on how taking a life made me feel. Too many others were on the line. I’d just have to count on there being a “later”, to sort through my conflicting emotions.

“Lavinia!” a voice called, and I quickly scanned the beach, looking for Jameson.

I spotted him about fifty yards from me, and just the sight of him had a smile spreading across my face. We were all fine, and it appeared we were winning against the vampires and pirates. It faltered, however, when I noticed his stricken expression. Before I could glance around for what had caused the look on his face, an arm wrapped around my waist, pulling me back against a hard chest.

“There you are, darling,” Pierce drawled in my ear as he knocked my sword away.

He ripped the chainmail away from my neck, then plunged his fangs into my neck while the hand that had knocked my sword gripped my jaw, making it impossible for me to pull away.

Liquid flames raced through my body until I was sure I had been lit on fire. I screamed with pain, my blood flowing freely while he drank with greedy gulps. The swirling power inside me surged when I tried to get away, but Pierce’s strength was superior to my own.

Tears streamed down my cheeks while he continued to drain me. With blurry eyes, I watched as Jameson raced toward us, as if he was running through quicksand. I wondered at his sudden lack of speed, but I lost the thought when my lungs filled with another scream at the agony that consumed me. Before I could let the shout loose, Pierce’s hand that held my jaw jerked my head to the side. I heard a crack as the fire inside me died.

My eyes were open, but when I tried to blink, nothing happened. My body sagged. I couldn’t move. Terrified, I held my breath, listening internally for the sound that told me I was still human, but all was silent.

My heart was no longer beating.

Despair engulfed me, but there was nothing I could do.

“You bastard,” Jameson yelled, and I tried to move anything, but again, nothing.

Something moved away from my throat, but I felt no pain as my body was turned around and then pressed against a chest like a doll.

“She will turn now,” Pierce cooed with a sinister tone as he stroked my hair. “Prime told me how to turn her fully, and this time she will be mine.”

Disgust and loathing filled me, but there was nothing I could do. He had drained me, then broke my neck. I could feel my bones shifting around as he continued his ramblings, touching me with his cold vampire fingers and making me wish that I had control again, so I could vomit properly.

I felt a hand caress my jaw and pull my head around to its normal position. I winced internally when my bones and sinew shifted. There still was no pain, which concerned me. Last time, the pain had been excruciating, but feeling absolutely nothing scared me more than having my neck broken.

Am I going to turn into a vampire this time? This was nothing like what had happened when he had tried to turn me before. I was still aware, my heart was no longer beating, and the fiery sting of his bite was absent.

“Drop the girl,” a strong female voice, which I recognized as Ruth’s, commanded.

Pierce just laughed before he nuzzled my face, his tongue darting out to taste my skin. Revulsion made my stomach churn uncomfortably, and instead of me brushing the feeling off, it gave me hope that I would come back from this.

“I’ve got my prize. Let me and my men return to our ship, and we’ll leave this little island alone,” Pierce replied.

Jameson made a hissing sound deep in his chest, and I could feel something stir inside me at the sound. “You aren’t going anywhere with her.”

“You can’t stop me.” Pierce’s chest vibrated beneath me as he chuckled darkly. “If you try, I’ll send the rest of my men to storm the beach and feed until there isn’t a drop of blood in any of you.”

“Take her,” Ruth said.

Frustrated that I still couldn’t move my body, I could barely see her from the corner of my eye. Her face was hard, while her lips were pulled into a grim line, making her look older and more weathered.

“No, please. You can’t let him,” Alice sobbed from somewhere, but I couldn’t tell from where.

“I have people to protect,” Ruth growled harshly. “I cannot endanger them for one girl.”

“She’s not just any girl,” Jameson replied, and I could hear the anguish in his words

Unbidden tears pricked at my eyes. I hated that he was hurting and there was nothing I could do about it. The feeling from earlier increased then, swirling inside me like it did whenever I had accessed my vampire-like abilities before.

“She’s dead and will turn soon. When she wakes up, she will not be that girl anymore. She’ll be a monster,” Ruth stated matter-of-factly.

“No. She’ll survive this,” Jameson argued fiercely, making my heart swell as Pierce chuckled against me.

“She’s mine. Now, step aside or I’ll slaughter the lot of you,” Pierce threatened almost cheerfully.

I tried to move again, and this time something stirred as if reacting to my emotions. Struggling, I fought the paralysis I was under, concentrating on moving my fingers and my toes. Nothing happened, but I persisted, stirring up that feeling inside me until it became a storm. The voices around me continued while I struggled to move, to fight.

Pierce hefted me higher. We were moving much slower than I would expect, but then I realized that he was strutting in victory in front of everyone. My ears sharpened; I could hear Alice’s hiccupping sobs, and a scuffle, followed by grunts when someone was restrained.

Warmth spread quickly throughout my body, turning into a smoldering fire. Sand shifted under Pierce’s feet, and I could hear the granules moving and grating against each other. I was changing, but not in the way that Pierce had hoped.

“No!” Jameson roared, which only helped stoke the storm inside me. “Let me go.”

With a mighty surge, whatever was happening inside me suddenly burst, then spread rapidly throughout my body. As my vampire captor turned around to gloat some more, my body jerked harshly, and I gasped in a breath when my heart thumped against my rib cage.

Surprised, Pierce dropped me, and I stumbled away from him, tripping in the sand while clawing at my chest and throat, trying to ease the sudden pain that accompanied being alive again. My heart beat rapidly while I continued to gasp in breaths, as though my body was making up for when I was dead.

My head turned in time to see Jameson break free from Ruth’s grasp. He charged Pierce, hatred evident in his glaring eyes. His hunter’s blade was secure in his hand as he blurred toward his target. He collided with Pierce without losing momentum, and Jameson’s fist smashed across the vampire’s face.

“I said, you can’t have her!” Jameson growled.

Pierce rebounded from the blow faster than I would have liked, while I continued to struggle to regain control of my body. He was on top of Jameson within a second, and I stopped breathing again for a whole other reason.

Jameson’s face wasn’t visible from my position, but I heard the crunch of bones when Pierce plowed his fists into him over and over again.

I wanted to scream at Jameson to move, but he did nothing. I didn’t understand what was happening. Nobody was helping him, and I was more frustrated than I’d ever been before.

“Now!” Ruth called out to him.

Jameson’s hand moved with precision as he sank his hunter’s blade into the vampire’s chest.

Pierce’s eyes widened as he fell over, completely stunned at the turn of events. “How…” he began, but he didn’t get to finish before the glowing dagger did its job and he disintegrated into ash.

Chapter Seventeen

Jameson rolled to his knees and hurriedly crawled to me. I reached for him, desperate to have him pressed against me, reminding me that I was alive. He crushed me against his chest as a sob escaped my lungs and I breathed in his scent. He withdrew slightly, glancing down at my face. I expected his lips to press against mine, but instead, his eyes turned stormy.

“Jameson?” I asked, searching his face and trying to figure out what was wrong.

“Your eyes are red again, Lavinia.”

Alarmed, I closed my eyes for a moment before blinking them open again. The look on his face hadn’t changed, so I tried once more. Taking a deep breath, I attempted to calm the racing of my heart. When I opened them next, the tension left his face, and I knew that my eyes were back to their normal hazel again.

I grabbed his hand and pressed it to my chest, wanting him to feel my heart beating, so I could erase all doubt from his eyes.

I was alive.

Somehow, I had survived turning again. Chaos suddenly erupted around us, and people began yelling. I couldn’t tell if it was the hunters, the vampires and pirates, or both. Jameson knelt beside me protectively, but my strength had returned. I pushed up, rising up to my feet.

The hunters were capturing pirates, but no vampires were anywhere to be found.

“Where did they all go?” I asked nobody in particular.

Ruth stepped closer to Jameson and me. “When Pierce died, they all turned to ash.”

“How? Why?” I didn’t understand.

“He was their maker, their lifeline. Without Pierce, they had nothing to keep them living.”

Jameson grabbed my hand. “So, that means we find the original vampire, kill him, and end all of this?”

Ruth nodded. “Essentially, but I doubt it will be as easy as it sounds. You have a lot to learn, and not a lot of time to do it in. Let’s head back inside while my people clean up here.”

“Wait!” I yelled. “Why isn’t Jameson dead? Pierce turned him back at Port Victory. Is he going to die?” My chest burned with fear. I couldn’t do this without Jameson. I needed him by my side. My body trembled as I waited for her answer.

“I don’t know why Jameson didn’t die. I can only assume it is because he hasn’t fully turned. Until he drinks human blood, he won’t fully become the monsters we fight. If he can remain strong enough, then he might never truly be a vampire. Hopefully, he’ll be a hybrid we can call friend instead of foe.”

I glanced up at Jameson to find relief on his face. He pulled me in closer as we waited for Ruth to lead the way back to the house. I had little fear that he would ever drink human blood and found solace in knowing he would be around for many years to come, if what Ruth thought was true.

She was being more amicable than before. I remembered what she had said earlier when we headed for the tunnels. She would tell me what she learned when she cut me—why her blade had glowed red with my blood.

My heart began racing once again as another problem presented itself, yet I took pleasure in the natural reaction. As we followed Ruth back inside, I replayed what Pierce had done to me in my head. I knew he had drained me before, I should have been dead more than once, but this time was different. He had actually halted everything inside me. I had been dead.

It shouldn’t have been possible for me to still feel human after all of that. I hoped whatever Ruth was going to tell us would shed some light on why it kept happening to me. Previously, I had pretended I was still human, but I could no longer hide behind my beating heart. I was not normal, and I wanted answers.

Alice moved next to me, brushing her arm against mine while we continued across the field to the house. “I really thought you weren’t going to make it. I’m glad you did, even if we don’t really understand how.”

I smiled at her. “Me, too. Hopefully, we can be safe here for a while now.”

“I doubt it.” Her face fell. “Did you hear Ruth? She said we didn’t have much time. I don’t think she’s going to let us stay.”

“It’s going to be all right.” I squeezed her hand. “I don’t think she meant it that way, but if she did, we will figure it out. We have so far.”

Alice laughed. “Look at you. You just died and came back to life, yet you’re full of positivity.”

I shrugged, not knowing what to say. If we didn’t believe things would be fine, then they likely wouldn’t be, but I refused to think of any other outcome.

We made it back to the house, and Ruth led us to a section we hadn’t seen earlier. There was a hallway behind a door that most would assume was a closet or another room. We passed three more closed doors before Ruth finally opened one, gesturing for us to go in first.

Jameson and I entered the room together, to find a large wooden table in the center and maps hanging from the walls. There were no windows, and the only light came from oil lamps placed on each side of the maps.

Instead of sitting, I took a walk around the room, glancing at each of the atlases. I didn’t recognize most of the places until I came to the last map. It was of our string of islands. My fingers traced the landmasses as devastation consumed me. Our peaceful homes were no longer.

I might not have had the best life before everything became hell on earth, but I had dreams. I wished for more. I craved more. Now, I couldn’t even count on seeing the sun rise the following day.

Turning to the table, I found a seat next to Jameson. Ruth stood at the end, waiting for everyone to get settled. Once we were, she took her own seat.

“I lied to you before.” She paused, and my body tensed. “I know Solomon. In fact, everyone here knows him.”

“Why would you lie to us?” Jameson asked.

“Would you tell complete strangers the truth of your operations before they proved themselves?” Her question was rhetorical, but Jameson shook his head anyway. “Solomon told us you might come, and if you did, we were to test you,” Ruth continued. “There was no way to know if Pierce had gotten through to you. Solomon had done all he could to prepare you, but time ran out for him. He had to flee before Pierce set his plans into motion. He had already stayed too long, but he was convinced you were important.”

Jameson cleared his throat, seeming uncomfortable with her words when he moved in his seat. “Why wouldn’t he stay and help us get out of there?”

“That’s a question for him. It’s not my story to tell,” Ruth answered truthfully.

I leaned forward. “What about me? Why can’t I be turned? What’s wrong with me?” I threw out the questions without thought. I needed answers, and I was surprised they hadn’t already been asked. Watching someone come back from the dead shouldn’t have been a common occurrence for them.

“I wish I had the answers to those questions, but I don’t. None of you seemed surprised when Lavinia died. Has this happened before?” Ruth asked.

“Yes,” Jameson inserted before I could.

Ruth’s eyes met mine. “I knew you were different, but I didn’t realize how much. Are you sure you don’t know what you are? I can’t help you unless you tell me everything.”

I recalled the changes I had gone through and quickly gave Ruth a rundown before I remembered her dagger. “What happened when your dagger cut me?” I asked when I finished.

“A hunter’s blade has many capabilities.” Ruth pulled hers out and set it on the table. “You only have to know how to use it. The dagger is meant for so much more than killing vampires. If you connect with it properly, it will protect you for many years. With the right training, you can tell truth from lie, human from vampire, and much more.”

“Did Solomon not know how to train Jameson properly?” Nathan asked, a bit of distrust in his tone. It was a good question, but I was more concerned with the answer to mine at the moment.

Ruth shook her head. “It took almost a year before I came close to mastering mine. Solomon had mere weeks. Teaching Jameson how to kill vampires and withstand the urge to feed from humans seemed more important.”

I couldn’t argue with her there. It was hard to imagine how Alice, Henry, Nathan, Nettie, and I would have survived without him. Jameson had continued to hold our group together. Whoever Solomon was, I was grateful to him.

“What did the dagger tell you about me?” I repeated, trying not to push but needing to know.

“I knew you weren’t human when you first arrived. I just didn’t know what you were. If I’m being honest, I still don’t. However, whatever your path is, it’s important.”

My heart sank. That wasn’t what I wanted to hear. I wanted answers, not riddles. I knew it wasn’t Ruth’s fault, but I was frustrated regardless.

“What did the red glow mean from your blade?” Jameson asked.

“It was life. Lavinia is full of life. Even now, after having died right before my eyes, I can feel her life force pulsing through my dagger when I direct my attention to her, but I can also still sense the vampire power in her. There are two very conflicting forces growing within you.”

“If you don’t have the answers to Lavinia’s questions, where are we going to find them?” Alice asked.

“You still need to find Solomon,” Ruth answered. “He has been searching for something, but he wouldn’t tell me what. He only asked me to wait here for you and send you to Baldaire after your group proved you were still on our side.”

“We sent the ship away,” Henry added. “How are we supposed to get there?”

Ruth grinned. “I needed you here a little longer, to test you before we sent you to another one of our holdings, but there’s a pirate ship out there that I don’t believe will be used anytime soon.”

While that seemed like an easy solution for getting around, I wasn’t my first choice. Pirates were filthy bastards. I didn’t even want to imagine what we would find on the ship when we boarded it.

“I’ll send you with a crew,” Ruth continued, “but first, Jameson needs to train more with his blade. I wish we had more to give you all one, but it’s not possible right now.”

Nathan nodded. “We understand, but there is something else you can do for us. My niece is only six. She shouldn’t be on the run. That is not the life I want for her.”

I knew where Nathan was going with his thoughts. He wanted to leave Nettie behind, but I wasn’t sure if that meant he would stay, too, or entrust her to the people here. As much as we needed him in this fight, Nettie needed him more, and I hoped he intended on staying with her. I would miss the light she shined on our group but would feel better knowing she was safe on land instead of out at sea with us.

“You and Nettie are welcome here for as long as you feel necessary. Our children are our future. We will protect them with everything we have and could always use an extra hand around here.”

“Thank you. I will make sure to earn our keep,” Nathan replied. “I’d like to go check on her now. Are we done?”

“Unless you have more questions, I can prepare a crew for your ship, then begin training Jameson,” Ruth offered. “I need three days, so take that time to rest and replenish. There’s a lot you can learn from the hunters here. Take advantage of it while you can.”

Even though I felt like we had so much to do, hearing that we needed to be on the island for three more days eased my heart. I let out a breath I hadn’t even realized I was holding as we all stood from the table to figure out what came next for us.

Chapter Eighteen

On the morning after the third day, we boarded the pirate ship we now called our own. Jameson was named Captain, though he hadn’t even stepped foot on the vessel yet. Ruth had kept him training around the clock. The only time I saw him during the last few days was when he would slip into bed in the wee hours of the night, only staying for a few hours’ rest before they were at it again.

Saying goodbye to Nettie was the hardest part of all. When we found her after the fight, she was making new friends with the other kids on the island, which made things easier when we told her.

“It’s all right,” she had replied. “You’ll stop the bad guys and save the world. I will wait for you here. Just don’t make me wait long. I’m going to miss all of you.” She held back tears as her voice trembled. She had been so strong, stronger than most of us.

After that, we gathered our crew and took on the task of readying the ship. It was more vile than I had imagined, and I had vomited several times over the edge of the boat as we sorted through the pirate filth.

When we weren’t cleaning, we were training as well. I worked with our crew, which now consisted of Jameson, Henry, Alice, ten of Ruth’s people—who we found out were actually Solomon’s people—and me. Ruth was second-in-command, keeping everything running while Solomon ventured to all of the islands, doing what he could to help as many people as possible.

Standing opposite the mast, I gazed at the island that we were leaving behind now. I was wearing a new dress that had been salvaged from one of the local shops. It was different than the ones I was used to wearing, slimmer in the bodice and skirts, making it lightweight, and I found that I liked it. It was easier to maneuver in, as I had come to find out while training with Alice.

Arms wrapped around my waist, pulling me back against a familiar chest. Jameson’s nose ran along the arch of my neck as he breathed me in.

“It feels strange leaving them behind. We’ve been through so much together,” I murmured quietly, while a shiver raced down my spine at his touch.

“It’s better for the both of them. We made the right choice supporting Nathan’s decision to stay behind with Nettie.”

“Nettie needs him now more than ever. I would know.” I clutched his arms to me, needing his strength.

“We’ll see them again, I have no doubt.”

I turned to face him, needing to see his eyes and the promise I knew I would find in them. His azure eyes twinkled at me, and I smiled as heat rose through my body in a steady trickle. He had been training so vigorously that we hadn’t had any alone time in several days, and I missed it. I missed having him all to myself. Call me selfish, but I felt this increasing need to be near him, to smell him, to touch him. It was nearly overwhelming at times but would dissipate the instant he was near.

His lips brushed mine in a tender kiss, and my eyes fluttered shut. I leaned in to the kiss, an overpowering need coming over me that I was helpless to fight. His need matched my own as he deepened the kiss, pushing me against the railing and pressing himself against me. I moaned low in my throat when his hands gripped my waist. Desire surged through me, and I gasped involuntarily while wrapping my arms around his neck to hold him to me.

The sound of footsteps coming up the stairs reached me, but I ignored them. Ever since I had come back from the brink of death, my hearing had sharpened. I wasn’t at Jameson’s level, but I could hear far more than I had before that. It seemed that with each attempt to turn me, I gained more abilities. This time, it had been my hearing, along with my emotions. I was as inexperienced as they came, but I craved Jameson’s touch as much as I needed my next breath of air.

A throat cleared behind us, and Jameson pulled back, only to be stopped by my arms keeping him pressed against me. He smiled against my lips, withdrawing before I could secure my hold on him.

“Lavinia.” He playfully nipped my lower lip, causing another wave of heat to flow through me that I was finding harder and harder to manage.

Rising to my tiptoes, I gave him one more chaste kiss. “Go do your job, before I lose even more of my control.”

He groaned at my words, taking a small step back. “Tonight,” he mouthed, his eyes smoldering as he peered at me intently.

“Tonight,” I agreed, watching him turn toward the crew member and get back to running a ship.

I passed time by helping Alice in the galley mostly. When I wasn’t doing that, I would go up on deck and get some fresh air. Though we had cleaned the ship as best we could, the wood seemed to have soaked up the pirate stench. It would take several weeks before the ship would lose its pungency. I was grateful that my hearing had advanced and not my smell. I didn’t know how Jameson could stand it.

He was kept increasingly busy. I would catch a glimpse of him periodically during the day, but he was always waylaid by crew members asking questions or needing something. Our only solace was the nights, and even then, things didn’t always go as planned.

If the weather held and we didn’t run into any pirate trouble, our trip to Port Baldaire was scheduled to take us just over three weeks to complete. Jameson had several men rotate shifts in the crow’s nest to keep an eye out for any threats. The ship was well-equipped with weapons to defend ourselves, but we had a small crew, which would make combat difficult in any case. We did our best to stay away from the well-traveled channels, to avoid trouble.

It had been a week since we set sail from Port Valor, and Jameson had done a tremendous job at being captain. He kept things running smoothly, with his natural leadership and problem-solving skills. I was proud of him, and also a little jealous. The crew spent more time with him than I did.

One night, I stayed awake, waiting for him to come to bed. A canteen of animal blood sat on the small table that served as the captain’s desk, beside a candle and scattered maps. I studied the maps but couldn’t make sense of most of them. I had only known the group of islands, but not anywhere else. The world seemed far bigger than what I had previously known.

The door opened, and I turned, watching as Jameson stepped into the room. He spotted me by the desk, wearing nothing but my nightgown, and a spark of fire lit in his tired eyes.

“I thought you’d be asleep by now,” he admitted, circling the table.

“Are you avoiding me?”

That made him pause, but he continued after a moment. “I haven’t been avoiding you.”

My lip trembled as he wrapped his arms around me and pulled me to him. I didn’t realize how emotional I was until now.

“I miss you.”

“I’m right here.” He stroked my long hair while I wrapped my arms around his waist.

“You are now.” I sounded like a selfish child, but I couldn’t help it.

“I’m sorry I’ve been busy.”

“I know. It’s just…” I paused, not sure how to word what I was feeling.

“Just what?” he asked, leaning back so he could see my face.

“Ever since the last time I died,” I began but was interrupted by a growl that reverberated from his chest. It stopped after a moment, so I could continue. “It’s like my emotions are all over the place. One minute, I’m normal. Then next, it takes everything in me to keep from snapping, but all that goes away when you enter the room.”

“It’s the same for me,” he confirmed, drawing me closer. “I didn’t realize you were feeling this way.”

“I didn’t want to bother you.” I rested my head on his chest, feeling content for the first time in days.

“You are never a bother,” he sighed, resting his cheek on the top of my head. “I’m sorry.”

“You come to bed late, then are gone when I wake up. I know you’re busy, and the crew needs you, but don’t forget that I need you, too.”

“I finally have the crew running smoothly. I promise, I won’t be as busy the rest of the trip,” he added softly.

“Do you still need me?” I asked the question that had been gnawing at me since my death and resurrection. He used to need me to calm the monster inside him, and I worried that wasn’t the case anymore, seeing as how we had been spending so much time apart.

“I’ll always need you.” His grip on me tightened. “Why would you think that?”

Tears came to my eyes unbidden, and I tried to blink them away, but they were insistent. “I don’t know.”

“I need you, Lavinia. Nothing has changed. You keep me calm. Just the sight of you makes the bloodlust evaporate. I need you now more than ever.” He wiped the tears from my face before leaning in and pressing his lips to mine.

I kissed him back, reigniting a fire inside me that quickly became a raging inferno. My hands slipped under his shirt, exploring the taut muscles of his chest. Jameson’s breathing became erratic at my touch while his hands roamed over me, and I pressed closer to him, needing more.

His hands found my waist and squeezed lightly before he picked me up and set me on the table. He stepped closer, my knees on either side of him, as he continued to kiss me urgently. I managed to unbutton his shirt, and he slipped his arms from the material. My hands ran up his arms to his shoulders, marveling at the feel of his skin against mine.

In a slow trail, I moved my lips from his mouth to his jaw, and I could feel his hands bunch the material of my nightgown at my knees. He caressed my calves before moving them up to my thighs. I moaned as his hands gripped me, then pulled me closer, so I was flush against him. My head fell back when his lips kissed the column of my throat, his teeth scraping the tender skin.

When he reached my collarbone, he stopped, his hands gripping my thighs. His body trembled against me, and I knew he was fighting for control. We had kissed and touched before, but he always stopped when we got to this point. I was grateful that he had the forethought to stop, because I didn’t. If it was up to my new heightened emotions, I’d let him continue, but the sensible part of me was grateful. My heart swelled inside my chest as we calmed down.

“Don’t ever doubt my need for you,” he whispered, pressing his forehead to mine.

I shook my head, unable to speak around the emotions clogging my throat. I had never felt so desired in my life. Things had changed so drastically in the month since Jameson saved me from Dom; it felt like it had been an eternity. We had a rough start, but he had become something so precious to me that I was unwilling to ever let go.

“What happens now?” I asked, stroking the skin of his chest.

“We go to Baldaire and try to track down Solomon.” He tucked my hair behind my ears.

“And after that?” I pressed.

“I don’t know.” His fingers danced across my back, causing me to shiver. “We’ll have to see what happens.”

With a heavy sigh, my heart dropped slightly in my chest. I wasn’t sure what I was hoping he’d say, but I was disappointed in the uncertainty of our future.

“Lavinia,” his low voice drew my gaze to his face. “If vampires hadn’t ruined our lives, I would have shown up to your farm and asked to see you. We’d sit in the parlor with your aunt and uncle and get to know each other. I’d meet you in town and walk with you along the beach until the fading night forced us to return. Eventually, I’d ask your uncle for your hand, provided that I could care for you and our future.”

He cupped my face in his hands, staring into my eyes.

“Things would be different if that was our path, but it’s not anymore. I don’t know what the future holds for any of us, but the one thing that I’m sure of is that I’ll never let you go.”

Tears of happiness pricked my eyes, and I didn’t try to push them away. I had needed to hear his sweet words. They calmed something in me that I hadn’t realized until that moment needed to be soothed. The way he gazed at me, as if I was the most precious thing in the world to him, made my heart soar.

“I can handle whatever comes our way, as long as it’s with you.” I watched as a small smile spread across his face. I grabbed his hand and placed it on my chest, pressing it against my beating heart.

We shared several more tender moments before the late hour finally got to me. I yawned and rested my head on Jameson’s bare chest, tired from the day. Picking me up, he strolled toward the bed and laid me down gently before climbing in beside me. His arms wrapped around me and pulled me against him. He usually wore a shirt to bed, but I found I liked the feel of his skin and would insist he never wear one again.

The warmth of his body and his steady breaths lulled me to sleep.

My eyes fluttered open and the darkness of night pressed against them. The candle on the table had burned itself out by then. My more advanced hearing picked up the creaking sounds of the ship, and the lapping of seawater against the hull. My back was pressed against Jameson’s front, his arm wrapped around my waist, holding me against him.

I took a deep breath, smelling the familiar scent of Jameson and the sea. I snuggled back under the blanket, loving how his arm tightened around me with my slight movement. Sleep pressed against me, and I was moments away from falling back into the abyss of sleep when a breeze fluttered through the cabin, tugging at my hair and bringing with it the smell of old leather and death. I shivered at the cool breeze on my face.

The floorboards groaned, and I opened my eyes a crack, but it was too dark for me to see. Jameson’s arm was still around me, so I knew that he hadn’t gotten up yet. All was still and silent for several heartbeats, so I ignored the feeling that was nagging at me and settled down once more.

Suddenly, the blanket covering us was thrown off, and with a grunt, Jameson was yanked away. I screamed as the sounds of a scuffle ensued, followed by growling and hissing. I clutched the blanket to my chest, trying to make sense of what was happening, but unable to in the darkness.

A light flared, and I watched as the dancing flame of a candle illuminated the room, revealing a man sitting at the desk, his predator eyes watching me, and Jameson was nowhere to be seen. A small smile lifted at the corner of his mouth, the action revealing several teeth that were pointed, but the long fangs drew my horrified attention the most.

Before I could move or even blink, the vampire’s sinfully smooth voice reached me.

“Hello, daughter.”

The story continues with Pale Horizon, book two in the Blood of the Sea series. Order your copy here.

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Acknowledgments

Heather:

A massive thank you to our cover artist Jay with Covers by Juan. He brought Lavinia to life and we couldn’t be happier with his work! Another huge thank you to our editors Jamie Holmes and Stephany Wallace. We appreciate you both!

Thank you to my readers, especially those of you in my Guardians group who indulge all of my craziness and keep me motivated to write more stories. None of this would be possible without you!

Last, but not least, the biggest thank you to Lela for dealing with my tyrant ways and going on this crazy ride with me. Love you, Wench!

Lela:

First I'd like to thank my family for putting up with my late nights and my constant pirate and vampire talk. I can't begin to tell you how grateful I am for your continued support and love. It means the world to me.

Next is my sisterhood of witchiness sisters, thank you for listening to me, for making me laugh, and being the best friends an author could ask for. You both mean so much to me that I can't imagine life without you both in it.

Lastly, thank you Heather for co-writing a series with me. I know I can be annoying and immature at times but all the great friendships are worth the bumps and the hair pulling and the random screenshots posted to our fan groups #NoShame #NoRegrets.

To everyone in my arc team and moonlighters group you all are the bees knees and the best fans ever! Thank you!

About the Authors

Heather Renee is a USA Today bestselling author who lives in Oregon. She writes urban fantasy and paranormal romance novels with a mixture of adventure, humor, and sass. Her love of reading eventually led to her passion for writing and giving the gift of escapism.

When Heather’s not writing, she is spending time with her loving husband and beautiful daughter, going on their own adventures. For more ways to connect with her, visit www.HeatherReneeAuthor.com.

Lela Grayce lives in rural Wyoming in a small college town. She works for a non-profit organization and loves what she does for the company. She is married to her best friend and hero. By day she is a working mom and wife but by night she is lost in dreams, moonlight, and delusions that she is, in fact, Batman.

Also by Heather Renee

Raven Point Pack Series

Shades of Fury

Shades of Magic

Shades of Deceit

Shades of Secrecy (Prequel Novella)

Vengeance (A Raven Point Pack Standalone)

Releasing Spring 2019

The Falls Trilogy

To The Falls

From The Falls

Embracing The Falls

Before The Falls (Prequel Novella)

Standalone

Marked Paradox

Blood of the Sea Series

Crimson Horizon

Pale Horizon

Obsidian Horizon

Also by Lela Grayce

Lunar Medallion Series

Areion

Syclla

Child of Water

Child of Earth (Releasing Spring 2019)

Therion (Releasing Summer 2019)

Blood of the Sea Series

Crimson Horizon

Pale Horizon

Obsidian Horizon