“I saw the glow from the embers.”
It felt like steel bars were wrapped around my waist, but I didn’t dare tell Jameson to loosen his hold. We had both been traumatized. Getting over our recent ordeal was going to take time.
“What are you doing here?” I asked, my voice quivering a bit while Henry tossed a couple pieces of wood on the fire. Not that we needed the heat. With the additional bodies in the small cavern, it was quickly heating up and feeling much smaller than before.
“We followed you,” Alice replied, then continued at my confused look. “Well, more accurately, the pirate ship that you were taken to. Even though the vampires and pirates didn’t mess with anyone from our crew, they were not quiet in their departure. They seemed pretty proud of their prize, and had no problem voicing it. We noticed you both were missing within minutes. The moon gave us enough light to see the ship nearby, and we followed.”
“Everything happened so quickly. If they had been quiet in their endeavor, we wouldn’t have known you were gone until the morning. What surprised us the most was that the pirates didn’t disable the ship or kill anyone,” Henry added from beside the fire.
“They were after one thing. Once they got it, they left the rest, thankfully,” Jameson quietly muttered.
“Here, I thought you might need this,” Alice offered, averting her eyes from both of us while holding out a canteen. For a moment, I thought she feared us, but I noticed Henry was also averting his eyes. Then, I remembered I was in my underthings, and Jameson was only half-dressed.
Jameson accepted the canteen, popped the top, and took several big swallows of what could have only been animal blood.
“So, you followed the ship? Why didn’t they see you?” I asked, ignoring the uncomfortable looks. We had just escaped a mad vampire pirate. We didn’t look our best and I didn’t care.
“We stayed a ways back, only keeping up with the help of a spyglass,” Henry stated as he leaned toward the fire.
“Where’s our ship?” Jameson asked.
“We moored on the other side of the island. There are too many rocks on this side, and we didn’t feel safe anchoring near them. We searched a smaller island we thought was closer to your location on the ship before we came to this one, or we would have been here sooner. We had no idea what had happened. One of the crew was assigned to keep watch through the spyglass at all times and said they saw a woman go overboard. We could only assume it was Lavinia and hoped both of you had gotten away. The pirate ship made haste from the location soon after you were in the water.”
“That doesn’t sound like Prime,” I whispered, more to myself than anyone else. My gaze drifted off as I thought it through, but my attention jerked back when Alice took a gasping breath.
“It was Prime?” she asked. Henry moved over to her, wrapping an arm around her comfortingly.
“We thought it was a rogue pirate ship who might have worked with Pierce and didn’t know he was dead. We didn’t even think to suspect that it could be Prime,” Henry added quietly, guilt ringing in his voice.
“There was no way for you to have known. We didn’t until we were already far away.” I swallowed, gripping Jameson’s arm tightly.
“We’re here now. Let’s go back to the ship. We’ll talk about everything else later,” Alice reassured soothingly.
I nodded while Jameson scooted out from behind me. He grasped his shirt and shrugged it on before grabbing my dress and corset and bringing it to me. I pulled the dress on while Henry doused the fire. I couldn’t bring myself to don the corset. I was tired and the last thing I wanted was something constricting my ribs.
Jameson exited our sheltered hovel first, followed by Henry, Alice, and then me, but he stood near the opening, waiting for me. He grabbed my hand and held it during our trek through the island, then onto the boat that would take us out to our ship.
Realization hit me while we were climbing on board the ship. With the moon so full and bright, I could make it out in greater detail than I could before I died. Even the stars seemed to glow brighter in their blanket of darkness. I decided to tell the others later about my newest development. We had much to discuss about our capture, imprisonment, and not to mention the fact the creator of all vampires just happened to be my father.
Chapter Seven
Once on board and properly dressed, we were welcomed by the crew. Something constrictive in my chest eased considerably. Everyone was safe, and the ship looked better than it had before we were taken. I was thankful that Alice and Henry hadn’t given up on us. They were genuine friends, and I had to blink away tears as I sipped the hot soup that had been prepared for us.
As soon as everyone had cleared out of the galley—except the four of us—Alice and Henry began asking Jameson and me more questions. I couldn’t blame them for being curious, but what happened was difficult for me to put into words. Jameson didn’t even know the full extent of what had transpired on the ship. There hadn’t been time for talking, and I wasn’t feeling up to it now. I needed more time to process, so I let Jameson tell his side of the story.
“I went crazy at first, but they kept me chained with iron I couldn’t break through. The more I tried, the weaker I became, so I finally stopped trying. I didn’t know when I was going to be able to feed again, and I refused the human blood they brought me. If it wasn’t for Lavinia’s quick thinking, and bringing me the chickens, we wouldn’t have made it off that ship. Even with Evander’s help.” Jameson’s hand squeezed mine as I gazed out the port hole.
He continued to fill in as many details as he could about the pirates and vampires he saw while in the brig, and my visits to him. I stayed quiet, only answering direct questions. The longer I sat there with them, dreading the moment they expected me to speak, the more anxious I became. My legs bounced up and down, my body unable to sit still.
When Jameson was done, I let out an exaggerated yawn. “Can we finish this later? It’s been a long week, and I’m ready to sleep in my own bed.”
They exchanged a look but didn’t question me. “Of course. We’ll catch up in the morning,” Alice replied.
“Thank you.” I hugged each of them goodnight before I led Jameson to our room. It had only been five days since we slept there, but it felt like an eternity. My hand shook as flashbacks of the night we were taken assaulted me. We had already been in our room earlier, when we changed, but something about coming back to go to sleep made me an emotional wreck.
Jameson’s hand closed over mine. “It’s going to take time to recover, and it’s acceptable to need time to process everything that’s happened to us. I’ll make sure you have all the time you need, but please don’t shut me out.”
Closing my eyes, I nodded as tears slipped down my cheeks. What I was most afraid to process and talk about would never go away. What haunted me were Prime’s ramblings about how if my friends knew who I really was, they wouldn’t want me anymore. I feared if they knew I wasn’t just some super human, that I was actually half-vampire, they would try to kill me.
I was a liability, an unknown. Nobody knew what I would become once all of my abilities awoke. That was what scared me the most. Will I even still be me when all of this is over?
Getting ready for bed was done in tense silence. I tried to smile and act like everything was fine, but now that we were relatively safe, I knew everything was far from all right.
Jameson rolled over to face me. “Talk to me. Whatever is suddenly consuming you, we will deal with it together. You don’t have to go through this alone.”
It took a few moments, but I settled myself enough to admit to him my fear.
“Prime told me that our friends would sooner kill me for what I was than continue to help us. Alice and Henry are going to expect answers, but I’m afraid to give them.” Taking a steadying breath, I rambled off all of my internal thoughts, holding nothing back from him. When I was done, I closed my eyes and waited for his reply. I didn’t want to see his face, in case I was the one to ma
ke him finally realize what I was.
“Lavinia, you are still the same person I have always known.” His calloused hands cradled my cheeks. “Open your eyes.”
I complied, but I couldn’t see him as tears fell freely down my cheeks.
“None of us are going to leave you. Nobody wants to kill you. Prime being your father doesn’t change who you are. Your blood does not define who you are. You are the only one with the power to do that. Nobody can take that away from you if you don’t let them.”
Hiccups wracked my body while I let his words sink into my rational mind. I was a good person. I had never hurt anyone who wasn’t trying to hurt me. There had never been any malicious intent on my part. Not once, in all the times I’d been faced with killing another, had I done it willingly.
Jameson’s strong arms wrapped around me as I let everything out. I had no idea how long I cried, but when I pulled away, I was most surprised to find tears in Jameson’s blue eyes.
“Is something wrong?” My body tensed while I waited with bated breath for his answer.
His smile lit up the dark room as I tried not to lose myself in his gaze and dimples. “Not right in this moment.”
His reply contradicted the look on his face. “I don’t understand. Why are you crying?” I asked, confused.
“You opened up to me and gave me your heart. Regardless of what is happening around us, we have found something special, and nothing can take that away from us. What you see aren’t just tears of sorrow because you’re hurting, they’re tears of joy that you trust me with your pain.”
Leaning forward, I pressed my soft lips against his rough ones, letting my actions speak louder than words. As his arms pressed me closer to his body, I realized with absolute clarity that he was right. Prime being my father did not define me. I would choose my own path, and I would choose to be good over evil every day of my life.
I would never be whatever Prime wanted me to be.
When Jameson got up to get us breakfast the following morning, I stayed in bed. Even though I was feeling better about my place in this world, I wanted to take my time getting ready and enjoy the freedom of not constantly being watched.
I made sure to imply to Jameson he shouldn’t hurry. Some time alone was just what my heart needed. After the emotional outpour the night before, a moment to reflect was appreciated. I changed into a simple light-yellow dress with capped sleeves and a single layer for the skirt. It was the most casual outfit I owned, as well as the most comfortable.
Just as I lay down on the bed, a soft knock sounded on the door. Swinging my legs off the side, I groaned while getting up and wondered who it was. I contemplated not answering, but it might have been a crew member searching for Jameson, and I didn’t want to be rude.
When I opened the door, I was surprised to find Alice standing before me. She didn’t wait for me to invite her in; she barged through the entrance and settled on my bed.
I raised an eyebrow at her. “Yes, Alice. Please, come in and make yourself comfortable.”
“I heard Jameson speaking with Henry in the kitchen. He said you were alone, and I knew it would be the only opportunity I had, so I took it.”
“Opportunity for what?” I couldn’t help the grin that spread across my face. She was trying to be so serious, but it wasn’t working for her.
She let out an exasperated sigh. “You wouldn’t talk to us last night. Something happened on that ship. I thought you might need a friend to talk to. The sooner you do, the sooner you’ll begin to feel better about whatever it is that is haunting you.”
Alice was always so preceptive. I sat down on the bed next to her and crossed my legs.
“You’re right. Something did happen, but I’m not ready to talk about it yet. Jameson knows, and it will have to be enough for now. I’m sorry.”
She reached a hand for mine. “You don’t have to be sorry. You just need to know that there is nothing you could tell us that would change how we feel about you. We already know you’re different. Whatever that means, we will deal with it together, as a family. We’re all each of us has left.”
Damn. I wiped a stray tear from my cheek. Everyone around me was getting emotional. I was trying to stay strong and deal with things on my own, but they were making it increasingly difficult for me. The words wanted to come out like a torrent. I wanted to tell Alice what had happened to me, and how her training had helped save my life, but the fear was overwhelming.
“It’s okay,” she whispered. “You don’t have to do it today. Nobody is going to ask what happened anymore. We just want you to know that, whenever you’re ready, whatever it is, we will be here for you.”
She gave my hand one more squeeze while she stood from the bed. I opened and closed my mouth several times, but words failed me. I wanted to say thank you and apologize for being unable to speak, but nothing sounded sufficient for the kindness I had been shown.
I had a choice to make in that moment. I could choose to be a victim, or I could be strong enough to lean on those who loved me and would lift me up instead of tear me down. I didn’t want to hide and be afraid anymore.
Jameson’s words of encouragement from the night before rang through my head, reminding me I was the only one who had the power to turn me into what I feared.
“He’s my father,” I finally whispered as her hand grasped the door handle.
Alice froze, her back to me, and I wondered if she had heard my words and understood them. Finally, she turned toward me with a wicked smile on her face.
“Did you just say Prime is your father? He’s the only ‘he’ you could possibly be referring to, and it’s so obvious, I should have seen it before.”
Elation poured from her and I had no idea why. Now, instead of being afraid, I was once again confused.
“Why are you so excited about this? I’m a monster. We have no idea what I will become.”
Alice shook her head, disappointment spreading across her face. “Do you think Jameson is a monster?”
My eyes widened. “Of course not. He’s the kindest man I know. Why would you ask that?”
“Turned or born, it doesn’t matter. You’re both vampires. Why would we accept him and not you? Who cares who fathered you? We certainly don’t. You’ve proven yourself to us by keeping Jameson sane and safe. No matter what you are, we know who you are.”
Standing from the bed with tears running down my face, I took two steps toward her. She hugged me as I fell into her arms, and I let the last of my worries escape me. Everything was going to be all right. Prime would not tear my new family apart. I would not let him hurt us. We would get through this together and, somehow, we would come out of it stronger.
Two weeks had passed since Jameson and I arrived back on the ship with our crew. We were running out of supplies and everyone was exhausted, though we managed to keep up our spirits. Port Baldaire was further away than anyone had realized, but, based upon Jameson’s calculations, we were scheduled to arrive later that night.
I had been teaching him how to read the maps, and he was catching on fast. Once Alice and Henry caught on to what we were doing, they wanted in on the sessions as well. I ended up reading with a group of at least five crew members each day for about an hour. The eagerness in everyone to know more about our world was incredible, and it gave me continued hope that everything would be fine one day, as long as people like our crew existed.
Henry had done a fine job commanding the ship while we had been gone. He’d created more efficiencies and a different schedule, which meant everyone was able to work less and spend more time either resting or learning.
Eventually, I opened up completely with Alice about what had happened on Prime’s ship. She kindly relayed that information to Henry for me, since I didn’t feel like crying in front of him. When she was done, Henry promptly found me and hugged me long enough that Jameson finally had to pull him away. I had been feeling better about who I was as the time passed. The only thing I feared was that things ha
d been too quiet.
We hadn’t seen any other ships in our travels to Baldaire. While we were grateful not to run into pirates or vampires, it worried us that there were no sailors doing their normal routes, either. I had no idea how large Prime’s army was. He could have taken over all of the islands in our small chain by now, and we might be headed for a trap, but we had no other options.
We had to find Solomon.
Everyone kept saying he would have the answers we needed to stop Prime. That he had been around since the beginning of all of this, but he was too elusive. If he knew we needed to find him, why was he making it so hard? I was starting to doubt that finding him was our best solution. If he wasn’t at Port Baldaire, then I was going to suggest we go back to Ruth’s compound and prepare for our own fight. We couldn’t keep waiting on other people or we’d end up dead.
It was late afternoon and I was in the kitchen with Alice, preparing dinner for the crew. “Soup is simmering,” I informed her as I finished putting in the last of the ingredients.
“Perfect. The bread is rising. Let’s go get some fresh air.” Alice pulled my arm toward the stairs, and we ventured to the top of the deck.
It was August and the weather was increasingly warm, but the breeze from the ocean took the edge off it. A whistle sounded, and I looked up to find Henry in the crow’s nest.
Alice’s face lit up at the sight of him, and I smiled at her happiness. They were doing great together, and it made my heart full to know each of us could find joy, no matter what was happening around us. We missed Nathan and Nettie immensely, and I secretly hoped Solomon wouldn’t be at Baldaire, just so we could go back for them. I missed the light that radiated from Nettie.
We spent the rest of the afternoon outside, enjoying the small things. After dinner, Jameson announced he spotted land and we’d be arriving within the hour. There were still a few hours of daylight left, which meant we could check things out tonight instead of waiting until the morning. None of us wanted to disembark at a new island in the dark after what we had encountered on previous ones.
Pale Horizon Page 6
