“We should go back and search around the ships. He might have spotted something wrong with the hulls and is taking a closer look,” Henry offered.
“He was supposed to meet up with us over an hour ago,” I replied, feeling the claws of panic sinking deeper into my heart.
“I’ll go search the ships. Lavinia, walk back with Henry,” Solomon ordered, and I bristled. “You need to calm down,” he added before I could retort. “In your heightened state, you are going to cause a commotion with the new vampires or frighten the children. Take a couple of minutes to breathe and get a hold of yourself.”
Without waiting for me to respond, he took off the way he had come, leaving me stunned and slightly sheepish. Until that point, I had handled whatever obstacle that had come my way with resilience, but in our current situation, I felt like I was unraveling at the seams. Jameson had always been so calm in a crisis, or at least level-headed, unlike me at the moment. Though I hated to admit it, Solomon was right. I needed to take a moment and calm down. I wasn’t helping anyone with my emotions so heightened.
I took a deep breath through my nose and held it, then turned to glance across the sea. Pale clouds dotted the horizon, and I wondered if we were in for a storm, or if maybe I was the storm. I certainly felt like one, all raging emotions and reacting without forethought, something that I had always been cautioned not to do in the little bit of training I had received. I needed to think before I acted and did something I would regret later.
I wasn’t sure how long I stood staring at the clouds, watching as they shifted and rippled in the air high above the ocean, but it helped. I was able to wrestle my emotions into a small area of my mind and let the rest of me still. If Jameson was in trouble, losing control of myself wouldn’t help him. I needed to push them aside for a time when I could properly deal with them—preferably, wrapped in his arms while behind closed doors. Only then would I let the tears fall.
“Lavinia?” Henry asked, and I turned to look at him. Judging by his relieved sigh, my eyes had settled once again.
“I just needed…” I tried to reply, but my words were lost before I could finish.
“You know that Solomon and I will do all we can to find Jameson. He’s important to Solomon, because he’s so much like him. Jameson understands what it’s like to go through what he has. He’s never had someone be able to understand everything that he’s endured for nearly two decades. Jameson has been a true friend to me in the past and has continued to be one since his change. I’ll never forget that, and you need to remember that you aren’t alone in this. You’ve got Alice and me, and also Solomon. Though I know he’s not your favorite person, he’s still here fighting for all of us.”
My eyes widened, and I was stunned. I don’t think Henry had ever spoken that much in my presence, ever. After shaking off my surprise, I took a moment to think about what he had said. My reunion with Solomon had been tense; I was still hurt that he had abandoned me—never once letting me know that he was still alive. But on the other hand, I understood why he had kept his distance. Vampires were dangerous, and though he was a pure one, that didn’t mean it was entirely safe to be around him.
I had worried for those around Jameson for a time, and I knew how hard it had been for him. He may not have lasted if he hadn’t found me. Solomon never had anyone to calm the monster inside of him. “You’re right, Henry. I’ve been a bit selfish and narrow-minded. We’ve all formed attachments to each other, and I need to remember and respect that.”
“You are entitled to your feelings, Lavinia, as are others,” he replied with a grin.
A small smile spread across my face at his words. Experience had a way of forcing people to form connections, even begrudging ones, and if each person was strong enough to endure together, a bond was formed. That was what we were now. Bonded.
“Thank you,” I finally replied.
“My pleasure. Now, let’s head back to the ships and figure out what happened together.”
I nodded and slipped my arm through his, and we walked side-by-side as the sun descended in the sky.
Stepping out onto the beach in front of the town was difficult. I could smell the remnants of Jameson’s scent everywhere, but nothing recent. Where is he? I asked myself again, and like all the times before, no answers were forthcoming.
Solomon was standing on the beach, waiting for us, and his demeanor was grim. The panic began moving in again, but I quickly squashed it and maintained my control. Whatever news, or lack of news, he had, I would face it head-on, then form a plan to fix whatever it was.
We made our way quickly to him, and all I wanted to do was turn back time to when he had been the father who could fix anything with a tight hug. Unfortunately, I wasn’t that little girl anymore, and he wasn’t that man. I knew he cared about me, maybe even still loved me, but we were both different from how we had once been. It would take more time than we had available to start anew.
“Anything?” I asked, coming to a stop right in front of him.
“A scent was mixed with Jameson’s, one that I cannot place.” He looked over my face. His shoulders visibly relaxed when he saw that I was once again in control.
“I’m too new to this. I won’t be able to help decipher anything.” I swallowed, trying to stop the sting of tears in my eyes.
Henry tensed at my side when Solomon whirled around to face something that had gotten his attention. Solomon drew his dagger, the edges glowing in the fading light. Apprehension ran down my spine as I peeked around his back.
A man stood in the sand, unmoving, and I immediately recognized him. The scars that marred his face and arms were easily discernible, even from the distance that separated us.
“What do you want?” Solomon growled, crouching into a fighting stance with his dagger at the ready, held in front of him.
“I have a message to deliver,” Evander announced, his eyes narrowing as he tried to make out who was peering at him from behind Solomon.
“You smell of Prime,” Solomon snarled, and I could see him almost vibrating with suppressed rage.
“I be from his ship,” Evander offered, and I laughed softly.
“He’s not just from his ship, he’s Prime’s second-in-command. Prime has either marked you, or is hoping you’ll kill him,” I explained, using what knowledge I had gained during my capture to predict his reasoning.
“You know nothing of us,” Evander spat, and I almost laughed again.
Walking out from behind Solomon, I stood by his side, watching as Evander’s eyes grew so wide that they threatened to pop out of their sockets.
“You look surprised,” I taunted, letting a grin spread across my lips.
He blurred and was suddenly standing a few feet from us. Out of the corner of my eye, I noticed Henry flinch at Evander’s movement, but Solomon and I had remained still.
“How are ye alive?” he demanded, looking me up and down, startled. “I killed you.”
“Did you? That hadn’t been part of the plan.”
He wasn’t supposed to have killed me, only hurt me enough to show he was defending Prime. Little did he know, whether he had meant to or not, him killing me had actually worked out in our favor.
“Killing you was an accident. I was trying to make it realistic, and ye be more fragile than I thought.” He paused. “What sort of magic brings someone back from the dead?” he added in a whisper, his green eyes raking over my body again.
“I’m not sure, but you’ll be the first person I tell when I figure it out.” Sarcasm dripped from my words, though I shrugged my shoulders, remaining casual. He didn’t need to know of what I was capable.
“What’s your message?” Solomon demanded, drawing Evander’s attention away from me.
“Prime has your protégé,” the scarred vampire replied simply. His eyes returned to me.
“Jameson?” Henry asked angrily.
Evander just nodded, but I could see his nostrils flare as he sucked in a breath of air.
Prime had Jameson, again.
“That seems to happen to me often,” I gritted out. “Why did you take Jameson?”
“Prime ordered it, so he could force Solomon’s hand, but now that you are alive, it changes things.”
A multitude of emotions flooded me, and it was all I could do to keep my head above the rushing torrent. I could feel myself trembling under the onslaught of my anger. Like all the times before, I feared that when my emotions went haywire, I would black out. But this time, the darkness I had sensed earlier seeped in, strengthening me.
A sudden urge to tear the world apart overcame me. I wanted to start with Evander, and then move on to Prime. I craved to taste their blood and hear their screams as I ripped them to shreds. I’d paint the sky red with their blood, then burn their bodies to ash.
Something snapped inside me. Something buried so deep that I had no knowledge of its presence until it was too late. Darkness slithered through me, and I found that I enjoyed the feeling.
The sinister thoughts swirling through my mind were not my own, and I couldn’t stop them from taking over me. They were beginning to scare me, but what frightened me most was that I didn’t fight back against the new presence. I embraced the darkness instead of pushing it away like I knew I should; I didn’t want to any longer.
A plan formed quickly in my mind. Prime couldn’t know that I was alive. He had to believe that his only true enemy was Solomon, that I was no longer a threat or of any use to him, because I was dead.
Somehow, I needed to convince Evander to go back and report his findings, but he couldn’t tell Prime about me. Killing him would be the easiest way to ensure that the truth remained a secret, but Prime might descend upon the island with all his fury if he lost his second-in-command. We couldn’t let that happen. We needed time to properly prepare, and we hadn’t done that yet.
Letting the darkness within continue to guide me, I took a step forward and placed my hands on Evander’s shoulders, meeting his gaze. “You will tell Prime nothing about seeing me,” I ordered, putting every ounce of strength I could muster behind the words, wanting him to know I wouldn’t accept any other option. “Do you understand?”
Evander fell to his knees, clutching his head. “I will tell Prime nothing,” he replied, looking up at me with a mixture of awe and fascination on his face.
“Lavinia,” Solomon whispered in my ear, and I turned to find him staring at me in disbelief. “You just used compulsion on him.”
I didn’t know what it meant that I had used compulsion, but whatever essence had awakened within me was happy about that fact. Worry filtered through my chest at what was happening to me. I was losing control and, with what the Sea Witch prophesized, I couldn’t afford for that to happen. Especially without Jameson around to keep me grounded.
“Remarkable,” Evander whispered before staggering to his feet.
“Why did Prime take Jameson?” Solomon asked, while I pulled myself together. “Why didn’t he just attack and kill us when he had the chance?”
“Prime didn’t attack, because he is trying to be a better person. He mentioned something about making someone happy. Yet, he also has plans to cut Jameson apart with his cursed sword, unless Solomon agrees to take his place. The teacher sacrificing himself for the student. I think he believes with Solomon out of the picture, he can sway the hunters to his side and use them to grow his army and territories.”
My brow pinched in confusion. If I was dead, then who did Prime want to be better for? I didn’t understand his motives, but then again, it was probably a good thing I didn’t understand that level of madness.
“And he doesn’t know Lavinia is alive?” Henry asked, obviously needing some clarity.
“He smelled something that gave him pause when we first approached the island, but it was too different from her previous scent to connect them. He has no idea that she could possibly be alive. We didn’t know she could die and come back without being fully turned,” Evander explained, his eyes never leaving my face as he answered. Finally, he turned away but paused to look over his shoulder at Solomon. “You have two days before we plan to return. If yer not here ready to trade places with Jameson, then he will pay the price.”
We remained silent as we watched Evander move across the sandy beach. He blurred for a moment, and then he was gone.
“How did you do that?” Solomon turned to face me after Evander had disappeared.
“I’m not sure,” I replied, trying to process what had happened. “I felt so much all at once that something snapped inside me, and then I was calm, but I’m not sure it was a good thing.”
“Evander is going to tell Prime the first chance he gets,” Henry added, then swore, running his hands through his hair.
“No, he won’t,” Solomon replied with absolute conviction.
“You can’t know that,” Henry argued.
“Lavinia has gained a new ability. Her eyes dilated, and I felt the heaviness in the air as she used the magic on Evander. He won’t have any choice but to obey her command.”
That information gave me pause. I wasn’t sure that was an ability any person should have. The darkness within me had given me the power to use it and, as my emotions calmed, my internal warning awoke. Compulsion needed to be used only as a last resort, or I feared the darkness could change not only my abilities, but who I was as a person.
Chapter 15
When we headed back to the ship, it took everything I had to not lose control of myself. Jameson was gone, my erratic emotions had awoken something dark within me, and the tremors rocking my body wouldn’t cease. I headed straight for my room and decided some time alone to sort through what had happened was what I needed. It was not what I received, though.
Alice was waiting for me at my door, empathy filling her eyes as she stared at me. She opened her arms, and I fell into them, letting her hug ease some of the tension from my body.
“It’s going to be fine. We’re going to get him back,” she whispered in my ear.
We stood there for several minutes before I straightened and pulled away. “Thank you. I needed that.”
“Your eyes still have the swirling red color.” Her smile showed me she wasn’t afraid like Henry had seemed earlier, but then again, I had also been more emotional before, so I didn’t fault him.
I nodded, not surprised anymore and thankful my eyes hadn’t caused her concern. “I would expect them to stay that way until I have Jameson back. Something happened earlier, and I don’t think it was a good thing.”
“Henry came straight to me and told me to check on you but didn’t say anything about what happened. If you want to talk about it, I’m happy to listen.”
Taking a deep breath, I nodded and led her into the room. This wasn’t a conversation we needed to have in the hallway. We sat on the bed, facing each other, and I took comfort in the fact that she didn’t ever seem to judge me, just accepted me as I was.
“Every time my emotions have heightened, or I have died, I acquire a new ability, becoming stronger. Last night, I lost control, and when I woke up, I believe I fully transitioned into some version of a vampire. When we saw Evander, darkness rose inside me—something powerful and overwhelming. Yet, it made me fearless, and I was able to do something I didn’t know was possible.”
Her hand reached out to mine. “Jameson spoke of the same darkness after he finally told us what he was while you were gone. He believed it had something to do with the venom within him. If he could overcome it, then I know you can, too. What else happened?”
“Solomon thinks I was able to compel Evander not to tell Prime I am alive.”
Her eyes widened. “How?”
“I don’t know. I let the darkness guide me, and it just happened. I don’t ever want to do it again, though. I didn’t like the way it made me feel after I regained control.”
“Nobody
will force you to do it again. Though, I wouldn’t advise telling anyone else about it, just to be safe.”
I had no intentions of repeating what had happened to me, so that wasn’t an issue. I probably should have mentioned that to Solomon. Hopefully, he would know to keep the information to himself.
“How are the children doing?” I asked, happy to change the subject.
Alice smiled brightly. “They’re doing well considering the circumstances. They’ve really grown on me. Does Prime showing up early mean we don’t have to leave?”
“I don’t know. I’d rather not bring them with us when we go to get Jameson back, but I don’t want to leave you all behind in case something goes wrong. Neither choice is very appealing at the moment.”
“We can talk about it later as a group. Let’s not worry about it now. Why don’t you rest, and we can meet again tonight to make a plan? I’m assuming we will be leaving soon to get Jameson?”
I nodded. We hadn’t talked about it, but I wanted to leave right away. Though, acting without thinking wouldn’t get Jameson back safe and sound. It would only get more of us killed in the process, and I wasn’t willing to sacrifice our crew by acting irrationally.
After Alice left my room, I laid down and tried to keep the darkness at bay. I also realized that I might not have any other choice than to embrace it in order to get Jameson back to me. The only question left was whether or not I was willing to sacrifice my humanity to bring Jameson back safely.
After speaking with Solomon the night before, he agreed we needed to act first, not wait for Prime to come to us. We decided to take both ships and our entire crew. The risk was greater by leaving them behind with no defensive means. Instead, we split everyone up strategically. Half of the newer pure vampires were on one vessel with Alice and Henry, as well as the children and three of our regular crew members.
Solomon and I took charge of the other ship on which the new vampires had arrived. The younger one, whose name I learned was Neil, joined us with Joshua and two other vampires, along with the rest of my original crew. We didn’t have the numbers I would have liked to face Prime, but we had the element of surprise. That would have to be enough.
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