As we drew nearer, I studied the boat while Deacon raised our flag with colors, marking us as merchants. I couldn’t make out any flags in the distance, which made me wary. Pirates didn’t often fly colors to confuse sailors who didn’t know any better, until it was too late.
A distressed ship was a tactic Prime had used on many occasions to lure good Samaritans, in order to overwhelm them and take their vessels by force, before bathing the deck in blood as vampires feasted.
Blood lust rose to the surface as the memories returned, but I managed to forcibly push them from my mind, knowing I was better and stronger than that.
The ship we followed was smaller than I had anticipated, and I marveled at the fact that it had been able to sail with all the cargo it had.
Is that why they are dumping barrels, to lighten the load?
Whomever the cargo was for, wouldn’t be happy that it had been dumped in the ocean so carelessly.
“Here’s your coat, sir,” Matthew said from my elbow.
Turning, I grabbed it and shrugged into the coat. Normally, I wouldn’t wear a it, but I found it was best to hide my scars when meeting new people, so they didn’t ask so many questions.
Once we pulled alongside the ship, I climbed up on the stern. Raised voices sounded over the wind and slapping water, the anger in their tones obvious. I swung around to the side, using the rigging for handholds, until I was facing the way where the voices originated.
“Ho, there,” I yelled out, but my call was ignored.
Frowning, I tried again, and still no response. Glancing over my shoulder to the upper deck, I noticed where Deacon stood, pistol in hand and waiting for my signal. With a firm nod from me, he fired the weapon into the air, which did the trick in catching the attention of the arguing men.
“Are you in need of aid?” I asked, speaking loudly enough to be heard over the slapping of waves against the vessel’s side.
“Nay, just a ship matter that is no concern of yours,” a man answered, stepping out from the throng of crewmen around him.
“We followed your cargo thinking something was amiss,” I replied, hoping to get answers for the Sea Witch, but he ignored me, gestured angrily to his men who moved swiftly to follow the orders given.
Being ignored was not something I was fond of, and I had to fight my natural urges, which included leaping the distance between ships, and revealing my superior talents in order to make them run in fear. Thankfully, I was stronger than my former self, so once again I pushed down that part of me, continuing to watch the other crew.
A couple of men grabbed a plank and proceeded to position it on the railing. I puzzled over why they were doing this, when the captain pulled a pistol and pointed it at someone while speaking harshly. The crowd was thick, making it hard to know who he was speaking to.
A small man stepped forward. His hands were bound behind him, a canvas sack covered his head, while two sailors dragged him by the arms to the plank, then hoisted him onto it. Suddenly, I realized that the boy might be a stow away and had been caught.
Possibly even the reason the ship lost its cargo, and now the captain was going to punish him. A stow away was often a nuisance, but to kill him seemed more than excessive. I wasn’t certain I had read the situation correctly, but I couldn’t stand by and watch a boy be tossed overboard to drown.
Before I could decide on a course of action, the brush of my multi-tentacled friend’s mind against my own stilled me. He had orders from the Sea Witch, and they were urgent. He was currently collecting the barrels that we had followed to this ship, something about them didn’t feel right.
When in doubt trust your abilities.
I took a deep breath through my nose, filtering out the smell of the sea, even the stench of the crewmen, until I picked up a particular scent that gave me pause. Female.
While I had been searching for clues, the woman I had taken to be a boy, walked out along the plank, and was nearly at its end. One of the sailors kicked the plank causing it to jerk and she wobbled, losing her balance, then plunged into the sea—headfirst.
Without pause, I jumped, before her body had even hit the water, and plunged into the sea—my arms stroking powerfully through the current. Once at the location where she had sunk, I dove lower, searching until my hands found her arms, and I held on tightly, hauling her closer to me before kicking toward the surface.
My head broke through the water first, but not needing to pause for a breath, I was already swimming for my ship. Like a good first mate, Deacon must have ordered the crew to set sail so we could escape, and they were swiftly pulling away.
When I caught up to them, I tossed the slim body over my shoulder before calling for my claws, and began to climb up the side of my ship. Men hollered down at me, tossing ropes that I ignored considering I could climb faster than they could pull.
Once at the railing, hands grasped the body on my shoulder and pulled her onto the boat. My crew reached to assist me, but I was already swinging my legs onto the deck and retracted my claws just in time to see Deacon pulled the bag off, revealing what I already knew.
Tight rope held a crumpled cloth into her mouth, and dark hair was plastered against her forehead and cheeks. Her skin was deathly pale, her full lips tinted blue.
I rushed closer, falling to my knees beside her, and untied the rope around her head. While I did, I inspected the rest of her, realizing her chest wasn’t moving.
She wasn’t breathing.
Acting quickly, I hefted her against my chest, hoping to force in air. When she didn’t suck in air after several of my own heartbeats, I knew what I had to do.
Alice and Henry had given birth to a little girl, Catherine. They had named her after a woman I’d once loved, but she died with the rest of the vampires when Prime was killed. Another reason it had taken me so long to cope with still being alive.
When Catherine was first learning to walk, she knocked over a jar of Lavinia’s venom, which we kept in supply just in case the Sea Witch had gifted others with vampire magic besides Prime. Catherine had gotten a drop of venom on her hand and like all children, she stuck it in her mouth.
Terrified, Lavinia had frantically called Tobias home, with me accompanying him. We expected the worst, but arrived to find Catherine doing just fine, better than fine.
We learned that venom when given orally, and in small doses, had a healing effect on humans. They gained vampire like abilities for a day or so, before it left their system. Funny how something that could kill vampires could heal humans.
Knowing this, I bent over the woman as my fangs slid out of my gums. The sting of pain was temporary, and I momentarily marveled at the pleasure I felt while releasing them.
Shaking my head to clear the thoughts, I felt a drop of venom swell on the tip of my fang, and I positioned my mouth over hers, angling her head so her slack mouth fell open. The bead of my milky venom fell effortlessly into her mouth.
Quickly, I retracted my fangs, hoping that no one saw them, then waited. Six heartbeats later, her back arched and she sucked in air, before vomiting sea water all over the deck.
Deacon handed me a blanket and I wrapped her up in it as her eyes blinked open. Hazel irises rolled around as she took in the ship, the gathered crew, and finally me.
“Wh… what happened?” she asked, voice hoarse.
“You walked the plank, but Captain Evander saved you,” Matthew, the young boy, answered once again, surprising me with his presence while he watched her intently—as if he’d never seen a woman before.
“It’s all just a blur.” She sat up, but still leaned against me, while one hand swept the wet hair away from her face.
“They put a canvas bag over your head and gagged you,” Matthew supplied unnecessarily, causing the female to shudder at his words. Deacon gave him a look that shut him up, making him step back.
With careful movements, I stood, cradling the woman against my chest, and carried her to the galley steps, being careful to go slowly
as not to frighten her. Setting her down on one of the steps, I wrapped the blanket more tightly around her. She watched me, her hazel eyes questioning. What the question was, I didn’t know, or have time to figure it out now.
The Kraken pushed his way into my thoughts, his alarm catching my attention. He was making his way to my ship, carrying several things in his tentacles. His urgency had to do with what he was carrying, and his concern piqued my interest.
“Deacon, round up some clothes for the lady. Get her dry and dressed, then prepare the crew.”
“Prepare them for what?”
I looked back the way we came, knowing my friend would be upon us within minutes. Deacon and the rest of the crew were about to see a creature that was only whispered about in legends, but was actually very real.
“For anything, Deacon. Always for anything.”
While my orders were carried out, I made my way to the back of the ship, trying not to be distracted by thoughts of the woman I’d left with Deacon, then stripped off my wet coat and shirt. Once I was dressed again, I gazed at the horizon, noticing that a storm was brewing.
Black clouds swirled while obscuring the blue sky above us. It grew darker with every passing minute and I wondered at its sudden appearance, feeling like there was a hand in the current situation and I suspected who it was.
We better be even after this, I thought to the Sea Witch.
The Kraken was near, and the closer he got I realized his concern and alarm hadn’t diminished. I could only guess what he had found, but I knew that whatever it was, it wouldn’t be good.
“What now?” Deacon asked, stepping to my side and gazing at the horizon while the storm intensified.
“Is she taken care of?” I asked instead of answering his question. His eyes cut sideways to me then nodded. “Do you trust me?”
Deacon jerked then turned to find me already watching him. His breathing was elevated but his heartbeat was steady, telling me he trusted me, but was nervous about whatever I had to say. Humbled to have gained his trust after I’d kept so much from him, I softened my expression, in hopes of letting him see how grateful I was.
The kraken sent a quick warning thought, and I had just enough time to grab Deacon by the shoulders to steady him as the ship began to rock. Huge tentacles burst from the sea, sending water spraying in all directions. I could hear the crew behind me gasping, yelling, and running frantically while I and my first mate stood before the massive creature.
Barrels were deposited on the deck, and once I was certain Deacon wouldn’t yell for arms or battle stations, I let him go.
“Something peculiar about this cargo, you say?” I asked the sea beast and strode forward, knowing he wouldn’t harm anyone unless the Sea Witch ordered it, and she had no reason to on my ship.
The barrels were branded, appearing to be full of mead, but that wouldn’t have gotten the attention of the Kraken. My enhanced senses came to life when I neared them, aiding to determine what was so important about these wooden drums.
They smelled of the sea with lingering scents of the crew, and not much else. Finally, I tilted my head in order to listen instead, and like before, I filtered out other sounds until the ability was honed in on exactly where I wanted.
Since when do barrels have heartbeats? I thought.
Suddenly, just as concerned as the kraken, I rushed to the barrels and with a single move, I ripped one apart. A small girl tumbled out but I caught her before she cracked her head on the deck. Her eyes were closed, she was soaked through and shivering. Cracking orders to my crew, I handed the girl off to one of my men, then turned to the other barrels.
I ripped through the rest in seconds, revealing human girls hidden in each one, ranging in age from young children to adolescents. Red filled my vision as rage roared inside me. These girls were obviously part of some sort of slavery run, or even something more sinister that I couldn’t bring myself to consider.
After finishing with all of them, I remembered that a regular human captain wouldn’t be able to do what I had, but the darker part of me didn’t care if I’d just revealed more than I should have.
I scanned the deck before locating the woman I had saved earlier. She was older than the girls I freed, but not by too many years. As if reading my mind, Deacon appeared behind her, and guided her to me.
“Tell me how this happened,” I demanded, barely keeping the angry growl from my voice. “Please,” I decided to add last minute.
Her eyes were wide as she glanced around at the girls being helped by my crew, before returning her gaze to mine, and I noticed tears brimming in them, her fear evident.
“It was by chance that I stumbled upon them. I snuck onto the ship, hoping that it would lead me to my older brother along the way. He used to write regularly about his adventures, but his letters stopped about three years ago.”
“You were just going to stow away on a ship, and hope it would happen to come upon your brother? Do you know how big the ocean is?” Deacon asked incredulously.
“I realize it wasn’t the smartest decision, but I had to start somewhere.” Wrapping the blanket tighter around her shoulders, she squared them defensively. She may not have been great at making good choices, but she was brave and that impressed me.
“What happened once you were on the ship?” I asked, getting back on topic.
“While I was sneaking around, I found the room they were all locked in.” She nodded to the girls being tended to by my men. “It took me a week to track down the key, and figure out a way to get them off the ship.”
“Why put them in barrels and toss them in the ocean?” I asked, confused.
“I figured they would at least have a chance, and if they did die, at least they’d die free and not at the hands of the monsters on that boat.” Her eyes flashed with anger, that she barely managed to keep suppressed. “God knows what they would have done to them.”
I wasn’t the best at reading humans, or anyone really, but if I were to bet, I would say that she had suffered at someone else’s hand herself. I had to wonder what happened in her past that had her ire rising.
“Good thing that... thing came along,” she stuttered, waving a hand at the kraken. “Thank you for sending him,” she added, as her eyes found mine.
“I didn’t send him,” I replied, then turned and walked to the railing.
The beast awaited just below the surface of the water, I could feel it. His attention had been elsewhere while I was conversing with the woman, but it had returned a moment ago. Having experienced this before, I knew who he had been chatting with and she had probably given him orders, and through him, me.
“What does she want?” I asked out loud, knowing he would hear me either verbally or mentally.
She wants you to end the crew on that ship, he replied, then disappeared back into the ocean depths.
I placed my hands on the railing and hung my head. The witch had asked many things of me over the past couple of years, but this situation was a bit much. I’d already revealed my true nature to my crew, who most likely didn’t trust me anymore, not to mention the fear I could smell saturating the ship. Killing an entire ship of people would only confirm the monster I truly was, but fought so hard to hide.
“Captain?” Deacon called from behind me, but I kept my head down while my fingers dug into the railing, leaving impressions in the wood.
“Yes.”
“Are we going after that ship, or where should we head next?”
I turned to him, eyebrows raised and waited for him to elaborate.
“You walk around like you have a big secret, not to mention the animals you insist on bringing on the ship. I knew you were different when I first met you and the crew did too, but we figured you’d tell us when the time was right. Guess that day is today. Just know that what you are doesn’t matter to us, as long as you do good things, like you’ve done today.”
Stunned, I just stared at him, trying to wrap my head around everything he’d just re
vealed. I thought I had done a good job hiding my nature, I had been trained to act human, spent months learning from Tobias so I could captain my own ship, and yet, all along they knew something was amiss.
“We’re going after that ship, Deacon.” I answered his first question, deciding not to dwell on his revelation. “Prepare the crew.”
“Aye, aye, Captain.”
“I need to go below deck.”
“Go do what you need to,” he assured, and I knew he would handle the men.
I trusted that we’d catch up to those wretched men in no time. They deserved what was coming to them.
The woman was waiting for me in the hall after I finished feeding, and changed out of my wet clothes.
My first thought was that I should ask her name, so I could stop calling her ‘the woman’ but my mind was also stuck on the impending carnage I had to partake in, so exchanging pleasantries wasn’t something I was prepared to do.
“You’re different,” she stated almost like an accusation, which raised my hackles.
“What gave it away? When I saved your life, healed you, or tore barrels apart with my bare hands?” I asked her dryly.
“It was the look in your eyes. My brother had a similar look before he left to join some crew he thought had all the answers to life. Even those to immortality.” She crossed her arms, and I had a hard time not showing the surprise on my face.
“Did he say anything about this crew?”
“Not much, but he did say the captain’s name was Prime.”
Dread hit me like a ton of bricks. Just when I thought the past was long buried, a reminder was tossed into my path. If she was to be believed, her brother was part of Prime’s crew, the crew I betrayed to follow his daughter and bring down all the vampires. I had inadvertently helped kill her brother.
“If your brother was part of his crew, I’m sorry, but he’s dead. You won’t find anything of him but ash. My advice is to stop looking, and go home first chance you get. You’ll only find trouble out here.”
Blood of the Sea Omnibus Page 48
