“Control yourself!” Jameson snapped.
Closing his eyes for a moment, Evander did just that. “It should be fine with all of the outside scents when we be on the deck. It was more of an observation.” He walked toward us and pulled out his keys. “I’m going to unlock your shackles, but you need to keep them on until it’s time. One wrong movement will ruin everything. It needs to look like you broke out of them. Toss them overboard when you free yourself, so there isn’t any evidence.”
Jameson nodded his understanding. I wasn’t the least bit worried about him making a mistake. It was Evander we would both have to keep an eye on.
“Let’s go.” Evander grabbed Jameson’s arm and dragged him away.
Tears built in my eyes as I followed behind them. It wasn’t hard to do. I had so many things to weep over that the cries came freely. We were in bad need of a reprieve. Our week on the other ship with our friends was not long enough.
When we arrived on the second level of the ship, more pirates were present. Evander snapped orders at one of them. “Get Prime. Tell him Jameson needs to be punished and to bring his sword.”
Even though I knew that Jameson wasn’t supposed to truly get hurt, my heart constricted at Evander’s words, causing more tears to flow down my bloodied face.
Jameson’s steps began to falter as the show began. We arrived on deck, noticing a crowd gather as word got around to the other pirates. None of them wanted to miss the chance to see someone executed. Pirates were a twisted bunch.
I stayed away from Jameson and Evander, keeping near the spot I previously stood with Prime when Rowland had been punished.
My shoulders shook as the cool morning air blew around us. I was wearing a dress, not anything good for swimming, but at least this one had less layers than the one I had been wearing when we last had to swim. The cream-colored corset top fit snuggly against my body, while the skirt flowed to my ankles. It was my favorite out of all the dresses Prime had provided me. I was almost sad knowing it would soon be ruined, but it was worth it to get off the ship and away from him.
Prime whistled a sinister tune I’d heard him use before as he strolled onto the deck. His sword rested on his left shoulder, and a grin was firmly set on his face.
He stopped and inspected my cheek. “Don’t worry, daughter. You will have your revenge. No man should ever hurt you and each that do will pay the price with their life.”
Whimpering, I nodded and reminded myself that this was all a ruse, but I said nothing. I was afraid my voice would betray me if I did.
“Jameson,” Prime tsked. “I thought you cared for my daughter. I trusted you with her, and now you have marred her delicate face. I’m tempted to take my own revenge on you, but I believe in closure. Lavinia will have hers, and you will cease to be a problem.”
Prime turned in a circle to face his crew.
“Two days in a row I have stood in front of you with a man who dared to strike my daughter. If this doesn’t show you that I will not tolerate disobedience, you are useless to me. You might as well jump ship now.” Nobody moved a muscle as Prime handed me his sword. “Now, my sweet daughter, go show Jameson what happens when someone harms you.”
Finding strength within, I took it willingly. “Thank you for allowing me to do this. You always know what I need, and I’m so glad you found me.” I managed to hold his gaze while I spewed the lies from my lips.
“Like I’ve said, there isn’t anything I wouldn’t do for you. I knew this boy was no good for you. I should have killed him when I found you and we wouldn’t have this problem, but it seems to be just the thing you needed to realize I’m here for you.” His hand settled on my shoulder. “Being at my side is the only way to survive this life. Now, go cut the last of your human life away, and let’s move on, my daughter.”
Evander stepped away from Jameson, who had fallen to his knees near the edge, feigning weakness. I hated to see him as he was. He was playing his part better than I imagined he would. It almost made me believe he was too weak to go through with it. I took a step back, second-guessing everything until Jameson lifted his head just high enough that I could see his determined stare, and my strength returned. We would do this.
Stepping just far enough away from Prime and closer to Jameson, I made certain the sword would not touch him when I struck. I just needed to threaten him for Evander to act. I was afraid if I actually cut Prime that things would end badly for me.
The thud of metal hitting the wood deck was our sign, and I knew it was time. Jameson broke free from his shackles and withdrew the hidden blade from his trousers. Two vampires advanced on him, but Jameson stabbed the first one within a blink of an eye, then tossed the other over the side.
Then it was my turn to act. I twisted toward Prime. His eyes were on Jameson and he paid no attention to me. I swung the sword up, but Evander knocked it from my grasp.
“How dare ye attempt to strike Prime.” His voice thundered. “Ye will be punished for that!”
I scrambled away, my back bumping against the mast, true fear pulsing along my skin.
Prime glowered at me as he caught on to the situation. “You had me fooled, Daughter. I thought we were bonding, but alas, you choose this man over your own blood.”
Evander rumbled before he grabbed my shoulders, turning me toward him. I couldn’t decipher the look in his eyes. Everyone was playing their parts better than I predicted, causing me distress. With a fluid motion, he backhanded me so hard that I felt something in my neck snap.
Well, that wasn’t part of the plan.
I heard Prime’s angry shout, and Evander released me. I was closer to the railing than I thought and felt my body tumble over, which was also not part of the plan. Darkness overtook me as seawater swallowed me. Normally when I died, I retained some awareness of what was happening around me, but I had also never been hit that hard before, and I assumed the combination also knocked me out of consciousness. There was nothing I could do except hope Jameson was right behind me and I wasn’t about to be fish food on the bottom of the ocean.
Awareness returned achingly slow, and I wasn’t sure it was a good thing. Everything from my head to my toes was frozen, and water lapped at my face. Deciding not to push myself, I let my body awaken on its own. My subconscious was finally alert enough that I knew I was moving or, at least, someone was dragging me.
“Almost there. We’re almost there,” Jameson’s voice murmured close.
As feeling returned, I realized I was somehow strapped to Jameson’s back. I had no idea how far we had traveled, but I knew without a doubt I was not helping us get where we needed to go by taking my time to wake up naturally.
I concentrated on my toes and, when they wiggled, I worked my way up until I found my voice. “Jameson, stop.”
“Lavinia?” He sounded so tired. “Hold on. Let me cut you out of the rope.”
My hands tugged at the scratchy braid, and I slid under the water briefly before I got my bearings. “H-h-ow did it go? Are we being f-f-ollowed?” My lips wouldn’t stop shaking from the iciness of the water.
Jameson pointed toward an island in front of us. “We’re almost there. Let’s get back on dry land before you freeze to death. Your human body isn’t tolerating the water as well as my vampire one.”
I didn’t argue. Plus, the movement was sure to help warm me. Jameson tugged me along until I was able to get my limbs moving properly. Once I did, we made it to the beach in no time.
Stumbling along the shore, I sank to my knees on the sand as my chest heaved from the effort of walking through the crashing waves. Jameson sank down next to me, then gently pulled on me to lay beside him.
We had made it.
We had escaped Prime, which was no small feat. We were on the sandy beach of an island that I didn’t recognize, but it was away from Prime, and that was all that mattered.
As we laid there recovering, my mind wandered to our friends. Did they realize who had snatched us from our beds? My hope was t
hat they had turned the ship around and gone back to Port Valor and Ruth. It was safer for them there than out in the open seas.
Leaning over, Jameson pressed his lips to mine in a passionate kiss that spoke of relief and elation. We were alive, and we were together. We just needed to figure out where exactly we had arrived, and hope there was a way off the island that didn’t include running into more vampires or pirates. Based on our recent luck, the likelihood seemed slim.
Chapter Six
Coming back from the dead for the third, or maybe it was the fourth, time wasn’t an easy feat. I really needed to avoid putting myself into situations where death was possible. It hadn’t been in the plan for Evander to actually kill me or even to knock me unconscious. Either he didn’t know his own strength, or he couldn’t be trusted. I was leaning toward the latter, but it didn’t matter anymore.
We assumed they all thought I was dead, and that was how Jameson had been able to get away without being attacked. Jameson was nobody to Prime. There hadn’t been a reason to pursue him if I was no longer alive. At least, we didn’t think so.
Or, they knew I couldn’t be killed and were plotting for bigger things than we might be prepared for. I wasn’t sure how I felt about that scenario. Deciding I no longer wanted to think about it, I extended my hand toward Jameson’s and interlaced my fingers with his.
“Are you going to make it, old man?” I teased, trying to lighten the mood.
He grunted. “Try carrying over one hundred pounds of dead weight across miles of ocean. You’re lucky we passed by a school of fish close to the surface, and I managed to snag a small seal that was circling them to get my strength up. Or you might be at the bottom of the ocean right now.”
His head turned toward me as he winked. If we didn’t take small moments to joke about our predicament, we would never survive. We couldn’t always dwell on what was going wrong.
“So, what happened? I wasn’t able to stay in a semi-conscious state like before.”
“Evander hit you and snapped your neck. Judging by the look on his face, I think he was more than surprised, but he recovered himself quickly and came after me. Though, I had already jumped after you. I was able to snag a rope on the way overboard to use to tie you to me.”
“And then, you swam to shore.” I looked around at the unfamiliar landscape while unease crept in, but it paled in comparison to the relief I felt from being away from Prime, and alive.
“We must find shelter. Night is approaching, and we need to get you out of those wet clothes and dry.”
“Unfortunately, I didn’t bring a spare dry dress,” I teased halfheartedly, then sat up and wrung out as much water from my skirts as I could.
“I’ll find a way to warm you up.” Jameson grinned, showcasing the dimples I loved to see, then got to his feet and offered his hand to me. “Let’s head toward the rocks over that way and see if we can find somewhere to keep us hidden for the night.”
Locking my hand in his, I followed him through the sand to what appeared to be a rising cliff face that the ocean beat against. The stone was whitewashed from the sun and contrasted with the darker color of the surrounding sandy beach. A couple of crabs scuttled across our path, but otherwise went about their business.
The closer we came to the cliff, the more imposing it appeared. I was beyond exhausted, so it seemed to take an eternity before the rock rose above my head. Pulling on Jameson’s hand, I lowered myself onto the beach. He might have done all the work getting us to the island, but my body wasn’t back to full strength yet after dying.
Jameson glanced down to me. “I’ll be right back. There’s no reason for both of us to go into the rocks when I’ll be able to see you from up there—as long as you stay right here.”
“I have no intentions of leaving the warm sand beneath me if I don’t have to. Enjoy the rock-climbing.”
His laugh at my comment soothed some of the stress within me. I was trying to focus on the positives of us being relatively safe, but the fact we were stranded on this island was not easily pushed aside.
“I’ll be right back.” He squeezed my shoulder before continuing.
I leaned back onto the sand, letting the heat seep into me, warming my still-chilled body. Once the shivers subsided, I pushed up to my elbows to take in the sights. Waves crashed against the shore just thirty or so feet away from me. Tipping my head back, I enjoyed the sun’s rays as it began its descent into the horizon.
The light reflected off the whitewashed rock and the turquoise ocean, turning everything it touched a teal color. The ocean stretched for miles in front of me. I focused my eyes, realizing my vision had increased since yesterday, and took notice of another smaller island to our left. Doing one last scan of the sea, I breathed a sigh of relief to find no ships in the water.
“See anything interesting?” Jameson’s deep voice startled me from my gazing. Shadows cast over his face, making me realize how quickly the dark was coming.
“A small island, but no incoming ships,” I answered. “Did you find shelter?” Shivers ran down my arms when the loss of the sun’s heat gave way to the chill of the night. My wet hair and clothes weren’t helping matters, either.
Jameson nodded as he grasped my hand and led me to a rocky overhang that was hidden behind thick foliage at the bottom of the rocks. Sinking down to my knees, I crawled through the narrow opening. Once I was inside a couple of feet, I was relieved to see that it opened up enough for me to sit up, though we wouldn’t be able to stand.
A small fire surrounded by rocks crackled close to the foliage that made up one side of our shelter. The space was missing the comforts of a home, but it was safe, and that was most important. The temperature changed as I crawled further inside, and it was even cooler than outside. After shivering once again, I made my way toward the fire, drawn to its warmth. Jameson had dry wood stacked toward the back of the overhang that would last us through the night.
“How did you get all this done so fast?” I asked in astonishment.
“Vampire speed comes in handy when I need to be quick.” Jameson pulled his damp shirt over his head and tossed it on the bushes beside the fire to dry. My cheeks heated, and I tried not to stare at his defined chest. I’d seen him without a shirt on before, but being in confined area made everything feel more intimate.
“You need to take off your dress,” he suggested when he was done.
My head whipped around. “What?” I spluttered, feeling my cheeks heat further.
“Lavinia, your dress is wet. You need to remove it and let it dry beside the fire.” His lips twitched, and I suspected he was enjoying my blush. “You can remain in your underthings. They are thin and should dry quickly.”
His words made sense and it wasn’t like he hadn’t seen me in them before. I shrugged, trying to play it off like I wasn’t uncomfortable. I was with Jameson. He had been nothing but honorable in my presence. Whatever nerves I was experiencing were unnecessary. I loosened the ties of my corset and peeled it away from the material beneath. I laid the clothing over a branch like Jameson had and began pulling the bottom half off, then did the same thing with my skirt.
Ignoring the heated eyes that watched my every move, I crawled back to my place by the fire. Wrapping my arms around my knees, I rocked back and forth. The fire popped and crackled as it began to heat up my skin. I sighed while enjoying the warmth and wishing for a soft blanket to wrap myself in with a hot drink in hand.
Rustling sounded from behind me, but I disregarded the movement as I continued staring into the flames and letting it lull me into a trance of contentment. Trouser-clad legs appeared on either side of me, while familiar arms wrapped around my waist. I leaned back against a solid chest that was surprisingly warm.
Jameson gripped my legs and moved them over his thigh, so I was sitting sideways between his legs. He swept my hair to the opposite shoulder and ran his fingers through my dark strands, letting the fire draw away the moisture.
“Your cheek heal
ed completely from the cut. I can only see the faintest pink line,” he mused.
I wanted to respond, but my eyes drooped as the heat from the flames and Jameson sank into my chilled bones while his fingers continued to run through my hair.
My eyes closed several times, but I jerked from my doze as louder-than-normal noises sounded through the night. I was terrified that either he or I would be pulled away again. I wasn’t sure I could survive that a second time. Jameson wrapped his other arm around me and held me tightly against him as though he feared the same thing.
“Shhh, Lavinia,” he whispered in my hair when I jerked again. “I’m here, and I have you.”
Those whispered words were all I needed to hear, and I let myself sink deeper into the darkness of sleep.
My eyes blinked open, and I saw the glow of embers from the fire that had burned down. The sounds of the night murmured softly in my ears, and I noted drowsily that I could make out more in the darkness than I could before. Jameson had scooted to the wall of rock and was reclined against it with me cuddled against his chest.
Settling closer against him, I drifted off to sleep once more, safe in the knowledge that Jameson was there with me.
Before sleep fully claimed me again, a hand grabbed my shoulder and shook it. My eyelids flew open, and I screamed while jerking away from the hand. Jameson’s chest vibrated with a snarl, but before he could react, my brain recognized what my eyes were seeing.
“Alice?” I asked.
“It’s me. I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to startle you.” Her eyes were wide, watching Jameson behind me warily.
Jameson’s chest heaved behind me, and I rubbed his arms in an attempt to calm him down once more. We were both on edge after the escape and from the aftermath of being torn away from each other in the middle of the night.
“Alice?” a voice called, and Henry crawled into our shelter, his eyes taking in everything. “You found them.” The relief was evident in his voice.
Pale Horizon Page 5
