Pale Horizon

by Heather Renee

  “It won’t come to that, but noted, nonetheless.” Jameson smiled before turning back to Solomon. “Where are they now?”

  “On their ship. There wasn’t a house big enough to keep them all comfortably, so I thought it best to move them. Having them split up didn’t seem like a good idea.”

  “Agreed. I’ll go speak with them. Why don’t you take Lavinia to train with you while I’m busy? Then, we can work with the groups after. We don’t have time to waste.”

  I wanted to kick him. Solomon and I hadn’t been alone since I learned he was also Tobias—the man I had thought was my father. I wasn’t sure I was ready for whatever conversation might ensue if we were alone.

  “I can do that. Come find us on the west beach when you’re done,” Solomon instructed, and Jameson disappeared after he gave me a quick kiss, whispering an apology in my ear.

  My feet shifted as I waited for Solomon to say something, but he seemed just as uncertain as I was.

  “What would you like to work on, or do you have any more questions for me?” he asked after a minute of awkward silence.

  “No more questions for now.” Questions led to conversation, and I wanted to do as little talking as possible. “I’d prefer more hands-on training.”

  The grin on his face made me a little nervous. “All right. Follow me.”

  He disappeared in a blur, and it took me a second too long to realize the quick departure was part of his training. I needed to follow his scent. I lost him for a bit, but finally picked up his trail on the east side of the island, opposite from where he had told Jameson to find us. He probably did that just to throw me off, but I found him on a barren beach, relaxing against a boulder.

  “Fail. If I was the enemy, I would have been long gone. You only found me because I stopped. Your reaction time is too slow.” His arm cocked back, and a rock came flying at my face.

  Sidestepping it with no time to spare, I growled at him. “What was that for?”

  “You asked for hands-on. This is what we’re starting with.”

  Great, he was going to throw stuff at me all afternoon. Not exactly what I had in mind, but he had a point, and it meant little conversation could be had. He threw more rocks, then sticks and whatever else he could find. I began to tire from the quick movements, as there was no break in between, but I refused to be the first to quit.

  After the fifth item hit me, Solomon decided to switch it up with hand-to-hand combat. I held my own for the most part, but also ate sand a few too many times. The sun was beginning to set, and I was worried about Jameson. He should have been back by now. I voiced as much to Solomon, worried that us being on the east side had confused Jameson.

  Solomon nodded in agreement. “Let’s head back and see how things are going. He would have easily scented us if he had come looking.”

  We raced along the beach and cut through the trees on the other side of the island. I could see each branch with clarity and marveled at my agility as I jumped with ease over a group of fallen trees. When we made it back, the group of vampires were on the deck of their ship, laughing and having a good time, but Jameson was nowhere to be seen.

  “Where is Jameson?” Solomon asked when we got closer.

  Joshua’s face pinched. “What do you mean? He left here over an hour ago and said he was coming to find you.”

  My body tensed as I ran through all of the possible reasons he hadn’t come to us. When my eyes met Solomon’s, I knew he was thinking the worst as well.

  Chapter Fourteen

  My feet moved before my brain processed what I was doing. I arrived at our ship, hoping Jameson had just been caught up with business with our crew. Maybe the night shift had woken and he was speaking with them, or something happened with Maggie and Timothy that caused his delay. Anything other than the dark thoughts that were circling through my mind.

  With every step I took, my heart constricted more. I couldn’t sense Jameson anywhere on our ship, and I was beginning to lose hope. I ran into Henry and tried to sidestep him, but he managed to grasp my arm, his grip stronger than I expected.

  “What’s going on?” he asked.

  “Jameson is missing. He was supposed to meet me and Solomon, but he never showed. We thought he got waylaid, but nobody else has seen him, and I can’t sense him on the ship.” I spoke the words quickly and without pausing for a breath. It was a wonder that Henry understood me at all.

  “Don’t worry. Whatever happened, I’m sure Jameson is fine. Try to focus on that. Let me tell Alice what’s going on, and I’ll help you look for him.”

  “I can’t wait. I have to keep looking. I’m going to head west and search the beaches if you want to head east when you’re done. I’ll go around the island and meet you at some point.”

  He nodded, and I wasted no more time. I took off and only stopped to tell Solomon my plans. He was going to search the buildings and the forest, then meet me back at the ships when he was done.

  I could feel the claws of hysteria digging their way into my chest, but the only thought I could muster to console myself was that he was on the island somewhere. He had to be. Where else could he have gone? He wouldn’t leave without me.

  The island zoomed by me in a blurring flash of colors. I kept trying to scent the air, hoping that if I caught his scent, I could follow it to wherever he was. Though, no matter how many inhales I took, I could not sense him anywhere, and it caused my chest to constrict even tighter.

  “Lavinia,” a voice called out, and I slowed to a stop, looking around for the source. Henry stepped out from under the canopy of trees and moved quickly toward me on the beach. “Did you find anything?”

  I shook my head at his question, noting that he was having a difficult time meeting my eyes, and I suspected that they must have turned solid red again.

  “I didn’t find any sign of him on this side, either,” Henry admitted slowly, while keeping a non-threatening posture. He must have sensed how volatile I felt, like I could explode and attack at any moment.

  Solomon suddenly appeared on Henry’s other side, seeming far too calm for the situation, and I bit back the immediate retort that surfaced to my mind.

  “There’s no sign of him in the town or the forest beyond,” he informed us, looking from Henry to me.

  “We haven’t seen any sign of him on the beaches, either,” Henry answered for me, running his hand through his russet-colored hair.

  “Can you sense him anywhere?” Solomon asked, turning to me.

  My gaze met his, and I had the sudden urge to pull my lips back and hiss at him. If I could sense Jameson, I would be by his side within moments. “I can’t feel him anywhere,” I replied instead.

  “There isn’t anywhere for him to go unless he started to swim, but I can’t see him leaving by choice without letting any of us know,” Solomon reasoned, while Henry nodded his head in agreement.

  “What other possibility is there?” I snapped. Nervous energy was taking over my body, making me want to run and kill something. Something dark swirled within me, and I wanted nothing more than to unleash it.

  “Do you suspect foul play?” Henry asked.

  I bounced on the balls of my feet. With every passing day, my vampire side became stronger. I doubted I would be able to control my emotions if Jameson was truly missing.

  “Jameson’s scent trail leads away from the ship with the new vampires. I thought maybe he had gone to see the night crew about the updates, but when I asked, they said he never made it there. Something had to have happened between the two ships,” Solomon concluded.

  “Are you suggesting that someone came onto the island, without our knowledge, and took him?” I snapped, hating the very thought that someone could get past us so easily.

  “There is no other option that I can see.” Solomon was too calm about the situation, which made me want to punch him in the face.

  “We should go back and search around the ships. He might have spotted something wrong with the hulls and is taki
ng a closer look,” Henry offered.

  “He was supposed to meet up with us over an hour ago,” I replied, feeling the claws of panic sinking deeper into my heart.

  “I’ll go search the ships. Lavinia, walk back with Henry,” Solomon ordered, and I bristled. “You need to calm down,” he added before I could retort. “In your heightened state, you are going to cause a commotion with the new vampires or frighten the children. Take a couple of minutes to breathe and get a hold of yourself.”

  Without waiting for me to respond, he took off the way he had come, leaving me stunned and slightly sheepish. Until that point, I had handled whatever obstacle that had come my way with resilience, but in our current situation, I felt like I was unraveling at the seams. Jameson had always been so calm in a crisis, or at least level-headed, unlike me at the moment. Though I hated to admit it, Solomon was right. I needed to take a moment and calm down. I wasn’t helping anyone with my emotions so heightened.

  I took a deep breath through my nose and held it, then turned to glance across the sea. Pale clouds dotted the horizon, and I wondered if we were in for a storm, or if maybe I was the storm. I certainly felt like one, all raging emotions and reacting without forethought, something that I had always been cautioned not to do in the little bit of training I had received. I needed to think before I acted and did something I would regret later.

  I wasn’t sure how long I stood staring at the clouds, watching as they shifted and rippled in the air high above the ocean, but it helped. I was able to wrestle my emotions into a small area of my mind and let the rest of me still. If Jameson was in trouble, losing control of myself wouldn’t help him. I needed to push them aside for a time when I could properly deal with them—preferably, wrapped in his arms while behind closed doors. Only then would I let the tears fall.

  “Lavinia?” Henry asked, and I turned to look at him. Judging by his relieved sigh, my eyes had settled once again.

  “I just needed…” I tried to reply, but my words were lost before I could finish.

  “You know that Solomon and I will do all we can to find Jameson. He’s important to Solomon, because he’s so much like him. Jameson understands what it’s like to go through what he has. He’s never had someone be able to understand everything that he’s endured for nearly two decades. Jameson has been a true friend to me in the past and has continued to be one since his change. I’ll never forget that, and you need to remember that you aren’t alone in this. You’ve got Alice and me, and also Solomon. Though I know he’s not your favorite person, he’s still here fighting for all of us.”

  My eyes widened, and I was stunned. I don’t think Henry had ever spoken that much in my presence, ever. After shaking off my surprise, I took a moment to think about what he had said. My reunion with Solomon had been tense; I was still hurt that he had abandoned me—never once letting me know that he was still alive. But on the other hand, I understood why he had kept his distance. Vampires were dangerous, and though he was a pure one, that didn’t mean it was entirely safe to be around him.

  I had worried for those around Jameson for a time, and I knew how hard it had been for him. He may not have lasted if he hadn’t found me. Solomon never had anyone to calm the monster inside of him. “You’re right, Henry. I’ve been a bit selfish and narrow-minded. We’ve all formed attachments to each other, and I need to remember and respect that.”

  “You are entitled to your feelings, Lavinia, as are others,” he replied with a grin.

  A small smile spread across my face at his words. Experience had a way of forcing people to form connections, even begrudging ones, and if each person was strong enough to endure together, a bond was formed. That was what we were now. Bonded.

  “Thank you,” I finally replied.

  “My pleasure. Now, let’s head back to the ships and figure out what happened together.”

  I nodded and slipped my arm through his, and we walked side-by-side as the sun descended in the sky.

  Stepping out onto the beach in front of the town was difficult. I could smell the remnants of Jameson’s scent everywhere, but nothing recent. Where is he? I asked myself again, and like all the times before, no answers were forthcoming.

  Solomon was standing on the beach, waiting for us, and his demeanor was grim. The panic began moving in again, but I quickly squashed it and maintained my control. Whatever news, or lack of news, he had, I would face it head-on, then form a plan to fix whatever it was.

  We made our way quickly to him, and all I wanted to do was turn back time to when he had been the father who could fix anything with a tight hug. Unfortunately, I wasn’t that little girl anymore, and he wasn’t that man. I knew he cared about me, maybe even still loved me, but we were both different from how we had once been. It would take more time than we had available to start anew.

  “Anything?” I asked, coming to a stop right in front of him.

  “A scent was mixed with Jameson’s, one that I cannot place.” He looked over my face. His shoulders visibly relaxed when he saw that I was once again in control.

  “I’m too new to this. I won’t be able to help decipher anything.” I swallowed, trying to stop the sting of tears in my eyes.

  Henry tensed at my side when Solomon whirled around to face something that had gotten his attention. Solomon drew his dagger, the edges glowing in the fading light. Apprehension ran down my spine as I peeked around his back.

  A man stood in the sand, unmoving, and I immediately recognized him. The scars that marred his face and arms were easily discernible, even from the distance that separated us.

  “What do you want?” Solomon growled, crouching into a fighting stance with his dagger at the ready, held in front of him.

  “I have a message to deliver,” Evander announced, his eyes narrowing as he tried to make out who was peering at him from behind Solomon.

  “You smell of Prime,” Solomon snarled, and I could see him almost vibrating with suppressed rage.

  “I be from his ship,” Evander offered, and I laughed softly.

  “He’s not just from his ship, he’s Prime’s second-in-command. Prime has either marked you, or is hoping you’ll kill him,” I explained, using what knowledge I had gained during my capture to predict his reasoning.

  “You know nothing of us,” Evander spat, and I almost laughed again.

  Walking out from behind Solomon, I stood by his side, watching as Evander’s eyes grew so wide that they threatened to pop out of their sockets.

  “You look surprised,” I taunted, letting a grin spread across my lips.

  He blurred and was suddenly standing a few feet from us. Out of the corner of my eye, I noticed Henry flinch at Evander’s movement, but Solomon and I had remained still.

  “How are ye alive?” he demanded, looking me up and down, startled. “I killed you.”

  “Did you? That hadn’t been part of the plan.”

  He wasn’t supposed to have killed me, only hurt me enough to show he was defending Prime. Little did he know, whether he had meant to or not, him killing me had actually worked out in our favor.

  “Killing you was an accident. I was trying to make it realistic, and ye be more fragile than I thought.” He paused. “What sort of magic brings someone back from the dead?” he added in a whisper, his green eyes raking over my body again.

  “I’m not sure, but you’ll be the first person I tell when I figure it out.” Sarcasm dripped from my words, though I shrugged my shoulders, remaining casual. He didn’t need to know of what I was capable.

  “What’s your message?” Solomon demanded, drawing Evander’s attention away from me.

  “Prime has your protégé,” the scarred vampire replied simply. His eyes returned to me.

  “Jameson?” Henry asked angrily.

  Evander just nodded, but I could see his nostrils flare as he sucked in a breath of air.

  “You smell different,” he stated, and it took me a moment to realize that he had said something.

  Pr
ime had Jameson, again.

  “That seems to happen to me often,” I gritted out. “Why did you take Jameson?”

  “Prime ordered it, so he could force Solomon’s hand, but now that you are alive, it changes things.”

  A multitude of emotions flooded me, and it was all I could do to keep my head above the rushing torrent. I could feel myself trembling under the onslaught of my anger. Like all the times before, I feared that when my emotions went haywire, I would black out. But this time, the darkness I had sensed earlier seeped in, strengthening me.

  A sudden urge to tear the world apart overcame me. I wanted to start with Evander, and then move on to Prime. I craved to taste their blood and hear their screams as I ripped them to shreds. I’d paint the sky red with their blood, then burn their bodies to ash.

  Something snapped inside me. Something buried so deep that I had no knowledge of its presence until it was too late. Darkness slithered through me, and I found that I enjoyed the feeling.

  The sinister thoughts swirling through my mind were not my own, and I couldn’t stop them from taking over me. They were beginning to scare me, but what frightened me most was that I didn’t fight back against the new presence. I embraced the darkness instead of pushing it away like I knew I should; I didn’t want to any longer.

  A plan formed quickly in my mind. Prime couldn’t know that I was alive. He had to believe that his only true enemy was Solomon, that I was no longer a threat or of any use to him, because I was dead.

  Somehow, I needed to convince Evander to go back and report his findings, but he couldn’t tell Prime about me. Killing him would be the easiest way to ensure that the truth remained a secret, but Prime might descend upon the island with all his fury if he lost his second-in-command. We couldn’t let that happen. We needed time to properly prepare, and we hadn’t done that yet.

  Letting the darkness within continue to guide me, I took a step forward and placed my hands on Evander’s shoulders, meeting his gaze. “You will tell Prime nothing about seeing me,” I ordered, putting every ounce of strength I could muster behind the words, wanting him to know I wouldn’t accept any other option. “Do you understand?”