Pale Horizon

by Heather Renee

  The sun rose, chasing away the darkness of night, but my gloomy mood remained. Evander escorted me to breakfast, yet I could barely look him in the eye without revealing I knew the truth. He was just as quiet as I was. Nevertheless, he kept a close eye on me while I moved my food around the plate.

  “Am I still able to see Jameson today?” I asked, unable to stand the silence any longer.

  He nodded, then leaned forward to rest his forearms against the table where he sat across from me. “Of course. Prime would never turn on his word. He said you could last night, and he meant it.”

  I let a smile spread across my face, hoping to convey elation instead of disgust. Though, when Evander’s eyebrows pulled together in a frown, I wasn’t sure I had pulled it off.

  Quickly returning my attention to the plate, I continued to push my food around the ceramic surface. The kitchen was surprisingly vacant for the time of day. Usually, there were crew members roaming about with a glass of wine, blood, or maybe even both. I could never be sure. Some of the pirates would eat the food that the cook prepared, but few needed it like I did.

  The cook bustled through the swinging door into the galley, and I glanced into the cooking area, remembering how Alice, Nettie, and I had helped out while we were aboard the first ship. A chicken squawked from behind the doors, and I jumped slightly at the sound. I was surprised that they had live animals on board, but I shouldn’t have been, considering I’d had eggs every morning since I’d arrived.

  My fingers slid the plate away, unable to eat another bite or stand pushing it around any longer. I hoped my lack of appetite was more from my eagerness to see Jameson, and not another of the vampire qualities that grew stronger with each passing day.

  Restless energy nearly overwhelmed me. I was tired of being on the ship, being followed around by a spy. Secretly, I was grateful that I hadn’t opened up to Evander after all, because I now knew he would have told Prime everything. I wouldn’t put it past him to use anything he could to gain my compliance. My stomach churned at the thought of anything happening to Jameson.

  “Can we go see him now?” I asked Evander, trying to breathe when it felt like the walls were closing in around me. My emotions were getting out of control. If I didn’t see Jameson soon, I feared what would happen.

  “Yes, we can head down now.” He stood and led the way out of the galley.

  We descended into the bowels of the ship, and I could feel my heart lightening with each step closer to Jameson. I hadn’t seen him in over a day, and I was anxious to check on him. Worry for him had been twisting my insides ever since Prime informed me that he hadn’t been drinking any blood. Jameson was stubborn enough to keep his word to me, even if it killed him or turned him into one of the starved vampires we’d encountered on the previous islands. I needed to figure out how to get him blood before it came to that.

  Pulling his ring of keys out, Evander selected the right one and placed it in the keyhole. I had previously wondered if he held the key that would unlock Jameson’s cell door. That proved it. The ideas began circling in my mind as to how I could get the key from him in the future. It would be the only way to free Jameson when it was time to flee. Though, the thoughts ceased as soon as I heard the door unlock.

  Evander swung the door open, and my eyes hastily searched for Jameson. They found him leaning against the bars, still shackled and wrapped up in chains. He pivoted toward the door, and I gasped when I saw his face. It seemed to have sunken into his skull while his skin had a deathly grey quality to it.

  Rage, white-hot and all-consuming, burst inside me. He was truly starving. He drew closer to the bars, need written clearly on his face, but for my touch or for my blood, I was unsure. Something in me snapped at seeing him this way. It reminded me of the famished vampires at Port Defiant, and my body quivered with revulsion at the thought of Jameson becoming one of them.

  Before I could think twice about the consequences of my actions, I turned and raced up the stairs much faster than I had ever gone before. A pirate suddenly appeared in front of me, and I shoved him out of my way, not caring when he crashed into a wall. I heard footsteps pursuing me, but I ignored them.

  A pile of napkins took to the air in my passage as I raced into the galley, and I was through the swinging door and into the kitchen before the napkins hit the floor. The cook wasn’t in the room, but I wouldn’t have cared if he had been. Nothing would stop me from completing my task.

  After tearing the cage door open, I wrapped my hands around the necks of two chickens. They were the only live animals I had seen on this ship, and I would go without eggs for breakfast if it meant that Jameson was fed. I sped out the door, the chickens swinging in my grasp.

  The doorway to the brig had been left open, and I didn’t spare much thought that Evander was no longer manning the entrance. When upset the previous night, I had fled to my room, and I would wager that was where Evander thought I had gone, which meant I didn’t have much time.

  Jameson was leaning against the bars when I ran back in. His eyes carefully watched me as I took my final steps back into the room.

  I ripped feathers away from the neck of the first chicken and stretched it taut before holding it out to him. He bit into the skin of the animal without hesitation, and something in me eased. He quickly drained the bird, and I tossed it aside before doing the same to the second one. Color was slowly returning to his face, and his eyes cleared of the earlier hunger while I breathed a sigh of relief.

  “Your eyes are red again,” Jameson stated as I threw the chicken aside.

  “They’re going to use you against me,” I hissed at him, ignoring his observation. “They know you are my weakness.”

  “I am not your weakness, Lavinia.” He pushed his head through the bars as far as he could.

  “How can you say that?” Tears gathered in my eyes as I wrapped my arms around his neck. Did he not know I would do anything for him? If Prime wanted me to slaughter his whole crew, I would do it if it meant keeping Jameson safe.

  “Lavinia, you sped out of here, leaving your guard behind bewildered, so you could get me food. I’m not your weakness. I make you stronger. Your abilities are dormant unless your emotions get out of control, like they just did. You are a raging storm wrapped in a beautiful package, and they should fear you. I would guess they already do, based upon the look left on your guard’s face.”

  Moving closer, I kissed him, wishing the iron was not between us. I needed him, and these slight touches and stolen kisses through the bars of his cell weren’t going to cut it for much longer. There was a fire building inside me. I was beginning to believe if I released it, it would rage until this whole ship and everyone on it were nothing but ash.

  I broke the kiss, knowing that time was of the essence. Evander would be back at any moment, so this was the only time Jameson and I would be able to speak freely.

  “Prime is planning something, but I don’t know what. I’m important to this plan, and he will do whatever it takes to make sure he has my compliance.”

  “Can you get us up on deck?”

  “I know the way, and we now know Evander holds the key. It seems more possible with that information.”

  “Do you remember back on Port Valor how Ruth gave us all the clothes and gear?” I nodded, wondering why that mattered now. “She gave me hunter clothes with hidden pockets.”

  “What are you saying?”

  “My dagger is in a hidden pocket in my trousers. They know that I’m a vampire, but they don’t know I’m also a hunter. You’ve used the dagger before, even though you aren’t bonded to it. I’d wager that Prime doesn’t know about that.”

  He was right. Prime wouldn’t know that I could use Jameson’s dagger unless that had been something Pierce noticed during the brief fight on the beach. Knowing how prideful Pierce was, though, he wouldn’t want to mention that we had gotten the upper hand against him, and he likely told Prime nothing of our escape. We just had to hope the connection was still th
ere. Whatever linked Jameson and I allowed me to wield the weapon to the same effect as if it was him.

  Before I could follow that train of thought, running footsteps were heard from the hallway. Quickly, I kicked the dead chickens into the cell next to Jameson’s, glad when they landed in a pile of straw and praying that it would be enough to keep them hidden. My arms wrapped around Jameson’s neck when I returned to my previous position, just as Evander came racing into the room.

  I turned to look at him and hoped that my eyes were no longer red. Evander and Prime had no idea that I had any abilities. Granted, I had just displayed one of them, but hopefully they thought it was my only one. However, I couldn’t access these abilities unless the conditions were right. I needed to practice letting my emotions out, so I could tap into them at will, because we would need them for our escape.

  Evander was breathing hard, his chest heaving as his red eyes bled back to green. I drew closer to Jameson, pressing my forehead against his jaw, needing the contact, because I was sure that Evander was going to drag me out of there for running off on him. As I breathed in Jameson’s scent, I hoped it would suffice until I saw him again. It felt like my heart was being ripped out of my chest.

  “Lavinia,” Evander snapped from behind me, and my body trembled.

  What little bit of Jameson I could feel tensed, and despair nearly choked me. A sob built in my throat and I fought to swallow it as my arms tightened, clinging to him through the bars. I didn’t want to leave him down in the cell all alone.

  “Lavinia, move out of the way,” Evander persisted, but I remained rooted to the spot, unwilling to move until he continued. “We aren’t going anywhere.”

  My head whipped around to stare at him. My guard dangled keys from his fingers, nodding for me to release Jameson so he could open the door. I was hesitant to do so after what I had overheard earlier, but I also wanted nothing more than to hold Jameson without metal between us. Deciding to comply, I hoped it wasn’t a ruse to get to Jameson and punish me for running.

  My gaze shifted upwards to Jameson’s face, wanting to get an idea of what he thought while Evander unlocked the prison. Jameson’s jaw clenched as he considered the open pathway, but then my guard turned back to me and jerked his head toward the door.

  Watching Evander warily as he stood beside it, I approached. His green eyes keenly watched me, but I couldn’t make out what he was thinking. I stepped into the cell, never taking my eyes off Evander, in case he tried something. The second I was in, he swung the door shut. Jameson remained close to the bars, also watching my guard closely.

  Once the door clicked, I was suddenly turned toward Jameson, and his lips were on mine, kissing me with urgency. I kissed him back, running my hands up his chest while he devoured my lips, until I was nothing but a quivering pile of need.

  “So, have ye figured out an escape plan yet?” Evander asked casually when Jameson and I finally came up for air.

  “What are you talking about?” Jameson snarled.

  Evander ignored him while he looked at me expectantly. “Prime is blinded by you, and you need to go.”

  “Blinded?” I asked confused.

  “He has plans for you, the full extent even I don’t know, but he be willing to throw everything away on a whim now that yer involved. The sooner you both get out of here, the better.”

  “Why are you telling us this?” Jameson asked, his hands squeezing my waist.

  “Let’s just say I have a vested interest, and having ye here be no good for anyone.”

  If we had been having this conversation the night before, I might have believed him, but after overhearing him with Prime that morning, I wasn’t so sure what to do anymore. If he could aid us in our escape, that would be easier than trying to come up with something on our own, but he could also be hindering us, and we would be none the wiser. Although, we had Jameson’s dagger, and I wouldn’t hesitate to run Evander through with it if he betrayed us.

  We just had to hope the risk was worth the reward.

  “What’s your plan?” I asked, hoping I wasn’t making a mistake that would cost one or both of our lives.

  Chapter Five

  Evander’s plan was simple, almost too simple, and I had little faith it would work. He let us know we were sailing between several islands, and there was a small one that Prime was planning to weigh anchor at for a few days. During that time, Prime planned to work with me to try to unlock any vampire abilities that I might have before we arrived at another main island.

  We needed to stay as far away from the island they were headed toward as possible and make our escape a reality before we passed the first sets of land, which meant we had mere hours to put things into motion. Jameson didn’t like the plan any more than I did, but we didn’t have any other choice.

  We needed Evander in order to escape prior to Prime pushing my limits, and though we were putting our trust in a vampire who may or may not be plotting against us and Prime, we still had some surprises up our sleeves: Jameson’s hunter status and my other abilities. If it came down to it, we would do whatever it took to get away.

  “Can I have some more time with Jameson before we put everything into motion?” I asked. I needed to make sure we had a back-up plan in case Evander was double-crossing us instead of Prime.

  Evander nodded. “Don’t take too long or I might change me mind. What I be doing for ye could send me to the bottom of the ocean for all eternity. Remember that.”

  Neither of us said anything as we watched him walk out of the brig. Evander even closed the door behind him, truly giving me and Jameson some privacy.

  I turned back to Jameson. “What do you think?” He had good intuition. I was going to trust whatever he thought was best.

  “I don’t think we have any other options, but I don’t like it, either. You’ve been around him more than me. What do you think?”

  My shoulders sagged. “As of yesterday, I would have said it was a great idea, but I overheard him this morning with Prime. It’s hard to say where his loyalties lie. With Prime, us, or himself. I have a feeling it’s the latter, and that could be dangerous for all involved.”

  His hand squeezed my hip. “We’ve faced a lot in these last couple months. Whatever Evander or Prime wants to throw at us, we can handle it. I say we try Evander’s plan and, if it doesn’t work, you may just need to leave here without me.”

  I gripped his dirt-ridden shirt. “No. I won’t ever do that. You need to be sure this will work, or have a back-up plan, because there is no leaving you behind.”

  His lips pressed briefly against mine before he took a moment to consider my words. “I have an idea. If Evander’s plan goes awry, I think we can use it against him. If what he says is true, Prime needs you more than Evander. Burst into tears and tell Prime that Evander threatened you. Said if you didn’t leave the ship, then he would kill me, and your only stipulation was that I come with. You complied to keep me safe. It’s believable and would take care of Evander at the same time.”

  “Okay. Let’s do this, then.” I wrapped my arms around him tighter than before, in case things went south. The back-up plan was solid, and I was certain it would save us if things didn’t work as planned, but Prime was unpredictable at times, meaning doubts still niggled in the back of my head.

  Finally pulling away from Jameson, I moved to the door. When I opened it, Evander was nowhere to be seen. My heart skipped a beat as I wondered if he decided to leave us instead. I took two steps toward the stairs to see him coming down. With a sigh of relief, I walked back into the cell area, and waited for him next to Jameson.

  “How are you feeling? Two chickens are not enough food after so many days without sustenance.” My mind kept running through all the ways neither of the plans would work, and having Jameson too weak to execute them was a surefire way to ensure they both failed.

  His hands ran up and down my sides, calming me. “It will be enough to get us off this ship. If what Evander said is true, the islands
aren’t too far from here. I’ll make it.”

  Evander chose that moment to walk in again. “Of course, it’s true, and I take it that means yer ready to go?”

  “We are. What do we need to do to set things in motion?” I asked.

  “Jameson needs to hit you.”

  A deep snarl tore from Jameson, and he lurched for Evander. “I would never strike her!”

  “Calm down, mate.” Evander held his hands up with a smirk on his lips. “I didn’t think you would, but Prime needs to believe you did.” He leaned over, picked something up from the ground, and tossed it to me. “Use that against yer cheek.”

  I opened my hand. It was a jagged piece of metal. “You want me to cut myself and pass it off as Jameson backhanding me?”

  “Essentially.”

  Evander was not garnering much support from me, but Jameson wasn’t objecting at that recommendation, so I raised the shard to my cheek.

  Jameson leaned down. “Make it deep…” he whispered.

  Or it will heal too fast, I finished the sentence in my head. I knew what he meant, and he was right.

  I squeezed his hand with my free one, then pressed the rough iron to my face. Taking a deep breath, I pushed the sharp edge further into my soft skin. My teeth gritted together as I fought the innate urge to pull it away.

  Instead, I pressed harder once more and quickly jerked my hand in the opposite direction, tearing my skin open. Blood coated my cheek and, within moments, dripped down my chin and neck. I took my hand from Jameson’s, holding it against my face, so I didn’t get blood everywhere.

  Evander hissed. “Maybe that wasn’t a good idea. Yer blood…there’s something different about it. Maybe it’s your human side…” His breath grew heavy as he failed to finish his thought.