Pale Horizon

by Heather Renee

  Noticing my gasping and the tears gathering in my eyes, Evander paused and looked like he was going to swing me up into his arms, but I shook my head pointedly at him. I could barely stand with my head throbbing, but I was not about to let him carry me. He was a polite pirate, but he was without a doubt a vampire, and I couldn’t let my guard down around him.

  Besides a sympathetic nod, he made no further move to help me beyond what he was already doing, which I was grateful for.

  Evander opened the door and entered the room first, keeping his body in front of mine to make sure there would be no more surprises. Thankfully, the room was just how we had left it only minutes before.

  Prudently, I took a seat on the bed, pulling my legs to my chest and wrapping my arms around them. I couldn’t help but think of how close I had just come to being taken, and I silently thanked Alice for all of our training sessions. I missed her. I missed them all. I needed to get Jameson out of the brig somehow, and us off this ship, so we could get back to our friends where we belonged.

  Evander paced the room. “Are you hurt?”

  Not wanting to admit it and appear weak, I shook my head. “I’ll be fine.”

  “I need to tell Prime.”

  The door slammed open. “Tell me what?”

  I closed my eyes and took a deep breath. It must be a full moon, because all the men on the ship were irritable. When I reopened them, I found Prime’s full attention on me, but I was no longer afraid of him. He needed me for something. I just had no idea what.

  He eyed my shaken frame. “What happened?”

  “Rowland attacked her,” Evander answered for me.

  “Is he still breathing?” Prime inquired calmly.

  “Not at the moment. I broke his neck, but he’ll wake soon.”

  Prime’s sinister chuckle resounded in the space. “Lavinia, would you like to see my treasure room? I need something from there, and I’d love if you would join me.”

  My first instinct was to say no. I wanted Evander to take me to Jameson. My body pulsed with a need only he could soothe, not to mention the pounding in my head, although it was feeling steadily better as more time passed. Still, I had to consider what I might glean from seeing his treasure room. There might be things in there we could use if I could get my hands on any of it before we escaped.

  I pushed my legs down and smoothed out my dress. “I would love to.”

  He extended a hand to me that I reluctantly took, and cold fingers wrapped around mine as he led me from the room. Evander followed silently behind us, looking at me from the corner of his eye until Prime sent him to retrieve Rowland and take him to the deck.

  As we walked, my hair kept falling in my eyes, strands having slipped out of the braid during the commotion. Pulling my hand from Prime’s, I began to fix my hair. His face pinched, letting me know the loss of my hand perturbed him, but I didn’t give it a second thought. I took my time fixing the braid, only finishing when we arrived at a locked door on the second level.

  There were four levels to the ship, the deck being the first. Prime’s private areas took up most of the second, along with the galley. The third housed mostly supplies and weapons, while the crew took residence in the fourth and lowest level. That was also where the brig was, where I wished I could be at that moment, instead of standing at a door to a room I had yet to see.

  “This is my vault. I’m the only one with a key.” Prime grinned, interrupting my musings. “If you see anything you’d like, just say the word and it’s yours.”

  “That’s very kind of you,” I answered, giving him my sweetest smile.

  His hand cupped my cheek. “Anything for my daughter. One day, I will give you the world.”

  My lids fell closed to hide the fact that my eyes almost rolled into the back of my head at his statement.

  However, the more questions I asked during our dinners, the more I began to believe the story he had told me when I first arrived. Not everything added up, and I knew I was missing information, but I no longer doubted that Prime was my birth father. Tobias would always be the only father who mattered, though; that would never change in my heart.

  Nevertheless, the more I was around Prime, the more I realized I wasn’t the daughter he had always wanted.

  I was a weapon.

  I was one-of-a-kind.

  I just needed to figure out what he wanted to do with me before it was too late.

  Even so, I couldn’t deny I was beginning to understand what had always made me so different, why I yearned for more all of my life, when most women would have been more than happy to settle down like Pierce had offered.

  Prime released my face and opened the door. I followed him inside and was instantly blinded by all of the trinkets and gold. There were hundreds, if not thousands, of elegant and priceless pieces filling the space. The first table that caught my eye was filled with crowns, diamonds, gems, gold and silver goblets. Some were plain, while others had been encrusted with more jewels.

  More tables and trunks were filled with swords and other weapons, but when my eyes finally landed on a corner cabinet filled with hunter’s daggers, my heart stopped. Right in front of me was the weapon I needed to stop Prime.

  To end all vampires.

  Yet, there was nothing I could do. I might be stronger than I was a month ago, but I wasn’t stupid enough to believe I could take Prime on by myself. I needed to have patience and, hopefully, it would be rewarded.

  My gaze shifted to a row of necklaces, not wanting Prime to see what held my attention. “These are stunning.”

  His hand skimmed over the pieces before he picked one up from the tray. “Here. This one complements your eyes.”

  I pulled my braid away from my neck as he clasped the tasteful piece around my neck. The chain was silver with five round stone settings. The gems imbedded in it were topaz, surrounded by bright diamonds. My fingers traced the jewels once the necklace settled on my chest.

  “Thank you,” I offered sincerely.

  “Like I said before. There isn’t anything I wouldn’t give you.”

  “What about Jameson? You have denied me him since we arrived.” I kept the attitude out of my voice as best I could.

  “And I feel badly about that, but he’s refusing to feed. It’s more him I don’t trust than you. Evander tells me you’ve been very compliant thus far, and I appreciate that. Keep it up and you’ll have more freedoms soon. I promise.”

  My breathing faltered at the realization Jameson likely wasn’t feeding because they were trying to give him human blood. Why hadn’t he mentioned that during my last visit? I needed to find a way to feed him soon, before he lost his self-control. I had no chance to save him if he became like the other vampires we encountered on the islands who hadn’t fed. I wouldn’t let that happen.

  “What’s wrong?” Prime asked. “Do you know why he won’t eat?”

  The words were on the tip of my tongue to ask for animal blood, but I didn’t think Prime would find Jameson’s choice in sustenance as endearing as I did. I would have to think of another way to get it to him. There had to be another option.

  “No, it just worries me,” I finally answered. “Can I see him after we’re done here?”

  “Let’s see how you do with Rowland, and then we can sort that out.”

  The way his eyes lit up as he said those words gave me cause to worry. I had a feeling I wasn’t going to like what came next.

  I eyed the daggers once more as he grabbed a sword from the top shelf. “This is my punishing sword. It won’t kill Rowland, but he’ll suffer dearly. You’ll see what I mean soon.”

  The glint in his eyes made me decide not to ask any more questions. I didn’t want to know what he meant, and I wanted nothing more than to make myself invisible. “My head is still hurting from the fall. Would you mind if I went back to my room instead?”

  “I wish I could say yes, but I need you with me. The crew needs to know you’re not to be messed with, and you are going to s
how them why.”

  My mouth opened to ask how I was supposed to show them, but he pulled me from the room before the words left me. With the tight grip he had on my wrist, I had no choice but to follow him up the stairs to the deck, so I decided to leave it alone. I’d find out what he meant within minutes.

  When we arrived, the crowd gathered on deck fell silent. It appeared as if the whole crew was present for whatever was about to happen. My eyes found Evander near the edge of the ship. He held a frightened Rowland, who had thick manacles wrapped around his hands, feet, and neck.

  Prime wrapped his arm around my shoulders. “Did I not make myself clear before?” his voice thundered. “Lavinia is my daughter, and she will not be harmed. Ever. Or you shall greatly suffer the consequences.”

  My body tensed as Prime’s sinister words registered with the crew. He had been doing his best to be polite around me, but this was a side of him that I had only heard about until now. A side I didn’t care to know.

  “Rowland hurt her against my orders, and now she will hurt him in the vampire way. He will spend the rest of his miserable life at the bottom of the ocean. If anyone doesn’t agree with Lavinia being on this ship, speak up now and you’re welcome to join him.”

  The crew stared wide-eyed, unmoving and silent. I was still stuck on the part about me hurting Rowland. I took a step away from Prime, but his fingers tightened almost painfully on my shoulder, keeping me at his side.

  “Lavinia, I give you the honor of using my most prized possession. This sword comes cursed by a Sea Witch. It won’t kill a vampire, but it will cause them excruciating pain.”

  I shook my head, eyeing the sword. “I’d rather not.”

  He gripped my chin, lowering his face to mine. “You will do this. If you don’t, you will learn why people fear me. Now, make your father happy and do as you’re told.”

  The glimmer of the loving father figure he portrayed around me before was no longer present. Whatever I had thought I knew about Prime was shattered. I thought I was safe around him, but I realized then that he was only attempting to make me comfortable, before pulling the rug out from under me. I wouldn’t be safe again until I was off the boat and far away from him.

  Prime shoved the sword handle at my chest. “Take it and cut his head off.”

  With trembling hands, my fingers closed around the hilt. I was about to sentence this vampire to a lifetime of suffering. He would not die by the blade within my hand; only a hunter’s dagger could kill him. Instead, he would suffer at the bottom of the sea for who knew how long.

  Blood pounded in my head as my heart raced. I had done what he was asking before, when Pierce and his crew attacked, but it was in the moment. I hadn’t had time to think about it. I had killed to survive. Prime was asking me to do it when my life was no longer in danger.

  I wasn’t fine with that.

  With an encouraging push from Prime, my feet moved forward without conscious thought. Yes, Rowland had tried to hurt me, but he wasn’t a threat to me any longer. Hurting him didn’t feel right, so I did my best to withdraw myself mentally from the situation, and to not think.

  Reluctantly, I began to rationalize it with the fact that, technically, my life was still in danger. Prime wouldn’t make things easy for me if I didn’t do as he asked. If I showed him any disrespect by being insubordinate, who knew what he would make me do next.

  Once I cut off all emotional thought, I wasted no time. I had no desire to be on the deck any longer, and the sooner I did as I was told, the sooner I could run back to my room.

  My eyes connected with Evander’s. He nodded and stepped away from Rowland. I refused to meet the man’s gaze. I wouldn’t be able to follow through if I did. Once I was sure Evander wasn’t within striking distance, I swung the blade and completed my task with disgusting ease.

  Voices murmured as Prime began spouting on about how I was his daughter in every way. I didn’t hang around long enough to hear any more. Guard be damned, I was getting out of there. I shoved the sword back at Prime and ran for the stairs, taking them two at a time until I arrived on my floor.

  For a moment, I considered going straight to Jameson, but Prime showed me he wasn’t above threatening me, and I didn’t want Jameson to pay the price if I went anywhere other than my room. Surprisingly, nobody followed.

  I threw myself on the bed and closed my eyes, willing my body to sleep so I wouldn’t have to think about what I had just done, but sleep was not what I got.

  Evander entered the room a few minutes later and settled himself on my bed. “I’m sorry you had to do that.”

  I opened my eyes, glancing up at him. “Why are you so nice to me?” I pushed into a sitting position, anxious to hear his answer.

  “I may live with pirates, but I am not one. I’ve lived and learned that anger has its place, but it’s not always needed. If I had treated you poorly, I doubt you would have been so cooperative these last few days.”

  I shrugged. He wasn’t wrong, but I wasn’t going to tell him that. Instead, I focused on the “lived and learned” part. I wanted to know more about him. Maybe he would be the key to getting off the ship. “How old are you?”

  “I was turned just after my twenty-first birthday. That was almost seventeen years ago.”

  “How did you become a vampire?”

  “My mother was a cook to a wealthy man on the mainland. We lived in a small cottage on his property. As I grew older, I began to work for him; he took good care of my mother, so it seemed like the only choice for me. The estate was attacked by a vampire when I was eighteen. I found my mother’s lifeless body in the kitchen, but before I could get away, the vampire took me.”

  Evander paused, the memories obviously causing him discomfort.

  “You don’t have to tell me.”

  He shook his head, clearing the pain from his eyes. “His name was Demetri. He took one look at me and decided I would be of greater use to him alive and human.” He pointed to the scars on his face. “He disfigured me, so people would be afraid of me and it would be harder for me to leave. I spent a little over three years with him and began to accept my life. I even started to consider Demetri my family, in a twisted way.”

  I couldn’t understand how he could see his captor as family, but I nodded anyway, encouraging him to continue.

  “One night, we were blindsided by a group of vampires. During the fight, Demetri was killed, and I was turned by Prime. With Demetri gone and me a newly-turned vampire, I had nowhere to turn. Prime gladly took me in—as was only natural since he was the one to kill my master and change me. He wasn’t always bad. He had only attacked Demetri because he had been double-crossed in a deal. Demetri paid the price for his betrayal. Losing Susanna did something dark to Prime, and he’s only gotten worse since he learned you existed.”

  I reached a hand out to him. “I’m sorry you had to go through all of that.”

  “A lot of vampires lose their humanity, but I’ve held on to mine. I’m not sure I would have been able to do that without those experiences.”

  Elation filled me at that statement. Evander still cared, and I needed him to care about Jameson and me. A plan was formulating, but it was going to take time. Time we didn’t have if Jameson didn’t get to properly feed soon. I needed to figure out if my plan was worth risking Jameson’s sanity, and I needed to do it quickly.

  Chapter Four

  I spent the rest of the evening in my room. Evander had food brought to me, and I avoided Prime. I wasn’t ready to see him after what he forced me to do. I had let my guard down around him, thinking it was possible for me to gain the upper hand, but he had quickly reminded me of the monster he truly was.

  Evander promised I would get to see Jameson after breakfast the following day. Prime had told him my compliance had earned me a visit without bars between us. Jameson would still be shackled, but it was better than nothing, and I wasn’t going to complain.

  Even though I was eager for the morning to come quickly,
I ended up tossing and turning for most of the night, unable to get comfortable. The heaviness of the cursed sword was like a ghost in my hand.

  Finally, I dozed off but jerked awake when I heard voices coming through the door. It had been left open a crack. My advanced hearing recognized Prime and Evander conversing, which immediately piqued my curiosity.

  “I think you pushed her too far,” Evander offered quietly.

  “She’s my daughter. She needs to be pushed, and I know she can handle it. We don’t have time to wait,” Prime replied with a growl.

  “I’m not saying she doesn’t need to be pushed, I’m just saying you might have done so too quickly. She’s only been on board for a few days. You can’t expect her to pick things up right away. This life, what she is, it’s still new to her. Give her time.”

  I noticed Evander’s pirate accent was nonexistent and wondered just who he was trying to fool when he used it. Just another reason I needed to remain alert around him.

  “I’ve waited years. Susanna kept her existence from me, and even after I drained her husband right in front of her, she never said a word.”

  “She was protecting her child,” Evander contested.

  “Everyone has a weakness. We know who Lavinia’s is now. She’ll see Jameson this morning and realize that I’m not unreasonable. She will bend to my will, one way or another.”

  “We can use Jameson against her if we need to, but it’s too soon to resort to those measures. She’s warming up to me. I can probably sway her with little effort. I’ll be sure to keep you informed as things progress.”

  Prime grunted. “Do whatever it takes to move things along. The plan cannot be set into motion without her.”

  The sound of Prime’s footsteps retreating down the hallway reached my ears as he left. Evander’s deep sigh followed, right before he opened the door to my room and quietly made his way to the chair by my desk where he usually sat when I slept.

  I lay facing the wall, doing my best to keep my breaths slow and even while my mind churned with the implications. What I heard confirmed that, though Prime had been nice so far, it was all a ruse to gain my trust. For what, though? That was still unknown, and I needed to figure it out soon. I couldn’t let my guard down, especially now that I knew the truth about my mother and why Jameson was locked in the brig.