Blood of the Sea Omnibus

by Heather Renee

  As Jameson started to stir, I snuck out of bed, hoping he would get some more sleep, but no such luck. His hand grabbed mine as soon as my back was to him. “Where are you going?” His voice was deep and groggy.

  “I need to find Solomon and work on getting whatever venom I have out of me.” Turning back, I sat on the edge of the bed. “Last night showed us Prime is only getting stronger. We need to leave the island and grow our army as soon as possible. There is no more time for training here.”

  He nodded. “I agree. Do you mind if I come with you?”

  “Of course not. I would always rather have you around than not.”

  “Always?” He winked.

  “Well, sometimes I need my space, but don’t be difficult. You know what I mean.”

  “Yes, I do, but it’s more fun to make you flustered.”

  Smacking his chest, I pushed away from the bed and got dressed for the day. I donned my most comfortable blue dress and shoes. I had a feeling I would either be sitting or standing for the better part of the day. I didn’t picture drawing venom to be a very exciting task.

  We found Solomon in the kitchen with Nettie, Humphrey, and Ruth. Nettie was once again covered in flour, but it was the smile plastered to her face that told me how much fun she was having.

  “Good morning,” Ruth greeted as we walked in. “We’re making plans for the food we will take on the ships and making sure we portion sizes correctly before loading. We could use some help if you two aren’t busy.”

  Glancing at Solomon, I waited for him to respond. Maybe I wouldn’t be learning how to access my venom.

  “Actually, I was only helping while I waited for Lavinia to wake. With what happened last night, I wasn’t sure when that would be. I’ll send Alice and Henry to come take my place if that’s fine with you.”

  Nettie squealed. “Can I go get them? I’d like to say hi to Maggie.” Her eyes went wide as she silently begged, and my heart warmed. I loved knowing Maggie was getting closer with the other kids now that she didn’t have to deal with being a vampire. Even if we didn’t win, I was happy to know I had at least given her a real shot at life.

  “That would be very helpful,” Ruth finally answered.

  Nettie jumped off the counter, giving Jameson and me swift hugs, then raced from the room, leaving a trail of flour in her wake.

  Dusting myself off, I followed Solomon and Jameson. I had no idea where we were going but hoped it would be outside. We still had a few hours before the sun would become overly hot, and I wanted to soak in all the rays I could before we boarded a ship for who knew how long.

  When Solomon opened the front door, I let out a sigh of relief, but my excitement was quickly dashed when he headed for an outbuilding instead of the grassy knoll or the beach.

  Jameson kept pace with me, but none of us spoke. I didn’t want to talk about the prior night, and I was glad Solomon wasn’t asking questions. Some days it surprised me how much he seemed to know what I needed. I wondered if that was our family bond, or if I was just easy to read.

  “Here they are.” Solomon opened the outbuilding door and disappeared inside.

  My feet didn’t move. The building was small and dark inside. I was not going to spend hours in there forcing poison from my body. Crossing my arms, I glanced up at Jameson.

  “I’m staying out here. There’s probably a decade’s worth of spiders in that thing.”

  Jameson laughed. “You’re ready to go face an army of vampires and pirates, but spiders you won’t do?”

  Narrowing my eyes, I shook my head. “It’s not funny.”

  Solomon came back out with a thick glass jar in each hand. “What did I miss? Why does Lavinia look ready to kill someone?”

  “She thought you wanted us to go in there, and she refused because of a potential spider attack.” Jameson barely got the words out before more laughter slipped from his lips.

  Oh, he was about to find out how funny I could really be. I moved to strike him, but Solomon gently grabbed my arm.

  “Children.” His gaze moved between the two of us. “Do I need to separate you two?”

  I couldn’t keep it in any longer. Hysterics consumed me and before I knew it, all three of us were holding our stomachs and laughing over something that really shouldn’t have garnered that kind of reaction. Though, emotions were high, and everyone was on edge, so I wasn’t surprised we lost it. At least it was in laughter. It could have been much worse.

  “All right, now that we got that out of the way, let’s head to the beach,” Solomon mused. “Lavinia, I need you to be focused, and I’m assuming that’s the place for us to go in order for you to achieve that?” A smile lifted my lips as I nodded at him. “Then, I have the perfect place.”

  We continued past the shed where Solomon found the jars and followed a path down to a clearing that had a small creek running at the edge of it, which led into the ocean. The meadow consisted of long grass and wildflowers of all colors, making me wish I was there for a day off and not to milk my fangs for venom.

  Jameson found a few fallen trees to sit on while Solomon explained how I needed to get the venom out of me.

  “Last night, your fangs were forced out, but now you need to learn how to call on them without being scared or angry. This should be easier for you, since you’ve practiced already when you bonded with the darkness and used your compulsion. You just need to have the right thoughts.”

  I followed Solomon’s step-by-step instructions and, on the third attempt, both of my fangs came out with a pop, an excruciating pop.

  “Ouch,” I mumbled. “That is not pleasant. Why would anyone use these?”

  Vampires had immense power and brute strength. If we didn’t need my venom for the upcoming battle, I didn’t see any reason to deal with that kind of pain, not when my other abilities were far easier to access and use.

  Solomon shrugged. “It gets easier the more you do it.”

  He made me continue retracting and drawing in my fangs over and over, until it seemed more like muscle memory than a forced action. Once I had that down, it was time for the hard part.

  Jameson stayed by my side, offering his support with either his calming touch or encouraging words. If he hadn’t been there, Solomon might have been gifted a few bruises by me, but Jameson managed to keep me from losing my temper more than once.

  “There you go,” Solomon praised. “Just like that.”

  My gums hurt and bled each time I retracted my fangs, but after two hours, I was finally able to control the ability to call on my venom. I glanced at the glass jars and groaned when I saw that there was barely enough venom to cover the bottom of one.

  “I’m not sure I can do this much longer,” I admitted, rubbing the sides of my face and trying to ease the ache.

  “That’s all right. You have the hard part mastered. Let’s head back and bring these with us.” Solomon pointed to the jars. “We can eat lunch, and then try again later at the house. If you can fill even just one of them, that will give us a huge advantage.”

  Solomon wouldn’t have grabbed two jars if one was enough, but I appreciated him taking it easy on me and trying to make me feel like I was making enough progress. I could see it in his face, though. He had high hopes for more venom.

  We arrived back at the house to find Alice and Henry taking a seat at the table with their lunch. Alice beamed at me. “How did it go?”

  My shoulders lifted briefly as I shrugged. “It went all right. I’ll keep working at it, though.”

  Jameson stepped closer. “Lavinia did great. She’s being too hard on herself. We’ll grab our own food and join you for lunch.” His hand pushed my lower back, guiding me toward the kitchen.

  “I’m going to go see how things are with Ruth,” Solomon offered before we were too far way. “I’ll check in on you two tonight.”

  Turning back, I went to wave goodbye, but he was already gone. Frowning, I glanced up at Jameson. “Is something going on with him that I don’t know abo
ut?”

  He shook his head. “Not that I know of, but if I hear anything, I promise you’ll be the first to know.” His lips pressed against the side of my head as he guided me into the kitchen.

  Once we had our food, we headed back to visit with Alice and Henry. Their heads were close together as they whispered to each other. I had no idea what they were saying, but I had no intention of using my advanced hearing to intrude on their moment.

  When I had first met them, I would have never guessed they would be compatible, but seeing them together, I couldn’t imagine either with anyone else.

  Jameson cleared his throat and moved forward. He didn’t have the same respect for romance as I did, and if my hands weren’t full, he would have felt my palm on his back.

  “Sorry for interrupting,” I offered when we sat down across from them.

  Alice laughed. “We’re happy to have your company. You weren’t interrupting anything. Tell us how it went earlier.”

  “I guess it was fine. Painful, but Solomon seems to think it will get easier.” I brushed my tongue against my gums, feeling the two bumps where my fangs had protruded. The swelling rubbed against my lips, causing intermittent stinging, though I hoped my healing would soon take care of it.

  “If there’s anything we can help with, all you have to do is ask,” Henry reminded.

  We started eating our lunch without much conversation until Henry filled us in on how the ships were coming along. We had five total, but only enough rations to fill them for one week. Ruth decided it was best to split it up as evenly as possible and hoped to restock when we arrived at the other islands.

  “So, Ruth wants to leave tomorrow morning. Do you think you’ll be ready?” Henry asked kindly.

  “I’ll make sure of it.” Even if I have to stay up all night milking as much venom from my battered gums as possible.

  The rest of the afternoon was spent helping around the house and gathering more supplies before packing up everything I thought Jameson and I might need. Once we were packed, I sat down on the bed with my ankles crossed and one of the jars resting between my legs. I eyed it with apprehension as I concentrated on calling out my fangs.

  My body tensed as I waited for the ache that I had experienced earlier, but I was surprised when it never came. Instead, the sharp teeth slid into place without complication.

  “Are you all right?” Jameson asked, seeming almost as nervous as I was.

  “I think so. Let’s see if the rest goes as easily.”

  Placing my mouth over the jar, I gave every effort I could in calling on my venom. A burn coursed through my veins as it moved through my bloodstream, but instead of being afraid of it, I embraced the sensations. Earlier, I had spent a lot of time thinking about how I could make the process easier, and I thought back to when I accepted the darkness and fully took on my vampire side. I decided I needed to face my venom the same way, and it seemed to be working.

  The flow wasn’t as strong or fast as I would have liked, but it was more than earlier, so I wasn’t going to complain. After an hour, the jar was a quarter full, and I needed a break. Jameson had brought our dinner up to the room, and Solomon joined him.

  “Jameson said you’re making good progress.”

  Holding up the jar, I let him see for himself. The venom was murky, but when the light hit, there was a sheen that made it almost glow.

  Before I could say anything, an alarm went off and I covered my ears from the blaring noise. The sound was familiar, but it took me a second to remember the last time I had heard it.

  “We have company.” Solomon stood and rushed out the door before I could blink.

  Chapter 12

  The only other time I had heard that alarm go off was when Pierce had come for me after we first arrived. My mind raced with endless possibilities as to who could have come and what they wanted. It could have been Prime coming to fulfill his previous threat from the vision he dragged me into, or it could be a new enemy we had yet to meet.

  Either scenario didn’t seem like a good one for us.

  There was a mass exodus from the house. Hunters who were in the middle of doing other tasks, or sparring, dropped everything to investigate the alarm.

  Jameson ran beside me, and I noticed Solomon scanning the area—looking for someone. Ruth appeared at his side then, and together they began to rally the hunters into organized ranks. Evander suddenly emerged at my side, running alongside us toward the beach, so we could get a better look at what or who had arrived.

  Sand shifted under my feet with each step onto the beach, and we stopped to assess the situation. Several ships had entered the bay, and I counted six at a quick glance. A couple had the white sails of regular merchant or supply ships, while the rest had the black sails of pirates.

  My chest clenched when I watched the ships draw closer to the docks, and my gums simultaneously started to ache with the urge to let my fangs descend. I pushed the feeling away, unsure if it was warranted just yet. I could also feel my newly-discovered claws just under the skin of my fingertips and knew that if we were in for a fight, I was ready for them.

  The biggest ship in the group pulled ahead of the others, its black sails bringing with it memories of past encounters with the pirates and vampires. I swallowed hard, watching as it drew closer and not even flinching when Solomon stepped alongside Jameson and Ruth stopped beside me.

  “No heartbeats,” Solomon murmured just as I had come to the same conclusion.

  While no heartbeats could be heard coming from the lead ship, as Solomon had mentioned, I wasn’t sure about the others still behind it. Sniffing the air, I inhaled the scent of unwashed bodies and blood, which also indicated vampires. A slight sweetness accompanied the smell; it underlined the other scents, almost like an afterthought. My enhanced eyesight showed bodies scurrying around the deck of the ships, though they were still too far away for me to make out any other details.

  “They can’t all dock at once,” Ruth observed while withdrawing her dagger that glowed in the rapidly-fading light. “They’ll attack in waves. If we can hold the beach, we have a shot of surviving, with far less vampires left to walk this world. We have two contingents of hunters guarding the house, and all of the civilians have returned to their rooms with the place locked down. We’re as ready as we can be.”

  I breathed a silent sigh of relief, knowing that all of the humans I cared about were currently safe and guarded by well-seasoned hunters. It helped me push the worry for them aside, so I could focus on what we were about to face.

  Evander sniffed the air beside me—he had been doing it since we arrived on the beach. I hadn’t seen him since the night before when he was in my room to make sure I was all right after my nightmare that wasn’t one at all. It touched me that he cared enough to check on me and to help figure out a solution to what had occurred. He had changed, and I was glad. I finally felt that he was worthy of my trust, and I was thankful that he was by my side now.

  He inhaled again, then shook his head, like he couldn’t place the scent.

  “What do you smell?” I asked him in a whisper.

  “The same thing you all do, but there is something about that sweet smell that seems familiar, yet I can’t seem to place it,” he answered with a frown, glancing down at me before returning his gaze to the approaching ships.

  My attention shifted to the lead ship, just in time to watch as a white flag was raised on the mast. Its pure color contrasted with the dark sails behind it. Jameson sucked in a breath beside me as the flag began to flutter in the wind. Clearly, I was missing something, because the appearance of the white flag had caused the mood of the beach to change. With a quick glance, I realized that all the other ships were now flying a white flag on their masts as well.

  “What does it mean?” I asked no one in particular.

  “Means they are surrendering,” Jameson explained, his eyes never leaving the approaching ships.

  “It means they come in peace,” Evander clarified.


  “This is unusual,” Ruth mused.

  Solomon shifted his stance on the sand. “Could still be a trick. I wouldn’t put it past Prime to come up with this very scenario, hoping we’ll drop our guard,” he argued, and the ease in the air was suddenly ripped away, replaced with something sinister.

  “You’re right. We shouldn’t let our guard down,” Evander replied, and though I believed that he agreed, he seemed disappointed at the same time.

  It puzzled me that he would feel that way, but I didn’t have time to dissect the feelings of my strange vampire friend, because the lead ship had pulled up to the dock.

  The other ships behind it suddenly dropped their sails and remained in the bay while still flying their white flags, but none made any moves to come closer.

  The gangplank from the lead ship was lowered onto the dock with an audible thud. Every single person on the beach seemed to be holding their breath as we waited for whomever was on the ship to disembark.

  A body appeared at the top, dressed in attire that I had seen most pirates wearing. A loose-fitting top was tucked into straight trousers that disappeared into calf-high boots. Several necklaces glittered against the chest, reflecting the last rays of the sun, and a sword in a scabbard hung from the belt at the pirate’s waist.

  When the pirate reached the planks of the dock, Evander suddenly took a deep breath, and his nostrils flared. “Catherine,” he exhaled so quietly that I was only able to make it out because I was standing next to him.

  I doubted anyone else heard it.

  The pirate on the dock stopped, and I realized it was in fact a woman as she finally lifted her head. Her hair was tucked into her hat, so I couldn’t make out its color, but her facial features were decidedly female.

  The pirate looked around at the gathered force on the beach, and I could feel her assessing eyes appraising all of us. Her perusal stopped when it reached Ruth, Solomon, Jameson, Evander, and me. I could feel her curious gaze sweep over my form before moving on and stopping beside me. A look of surprise crossed her face.