Slave to a Vampire - Book 1 Catherine

by Katrina Kahler

Chapter 2

  Catherine’s stomach felt as if it had plummeted through the bottom of the ship and she rocked forward then back, bashing her head on the planks behind her. At some point exhaustion had caught up with her and she’d fallen asleep until the violent rocking of the ship woke her. Now all she wanted was to fall back into that mindless sleep. At least there she didn’t feel every single wave that lifted the ship, tossing it around like a piece of cork in a stream.

  “I don’t think I can stand this for long,” Liam muttered on the other side of Michael.

  “Breathe through your nose,” she whispered. Taking in too much air made her feel as if she might lose whatever was left in her stomach. Michael twitched against her, face scrunched in discomfort, but he had yet to awaken.

  Somewhere in the darkness around them came the sound of retching. It did not take long for the foul smell to travel and Catherine fought against the bile rising in her throat. She closed her eyes and hummed a lullaby her mother used to sing to them, anything to distract her from getting sick with the rest. But it was hard to breathe in the cramped space and the smells of the sick and sweating, the horrible fear that clung to everyone made it nearly impossible to keep her concentration and she lost track of the music.

  “Damn,” she heard Liam curse and a moment later heard him heaving.

  Catherine bit her tongue and prayed in her mind. She did not want to be sick. Not here. She did not want to give these men the satisfaction of seeing her dirtied in her own vomit. She ran her fingers through Michael’s hair and prayed that soon they would be past this wretched night, the whole journey, and land safe on whatever shore they were bound for.

  But by the time the sun rose the next morning, Catherine was on her last bit of will power, struggling not to vomit. Just when she thought she would lose it all, the call to drop anchor came and her body sagged in relief.

  “We haven’t gone far, perhaps we can escape and make our way home,” Liam whispered weakly as he peered up through the planks. The night had been hard on him. He’d finally passed out from sheer exhaustion after heaving so much. “Where could they have taken us so close to home?”

  Catherine slowly got to her feet, making sure Michael’s head didn’t hit the planks, and tried to see as well. But there was nothing except a bit of sky and sun. Then the hold was thrown open and the Captain appeared at the edge. He shouted orders to his crew and several ropes were lowered down amongst the captives.

  “Everyone on deck, move quick and you’ll get a bit to eat,” the Captain said, his smile mocking as the hungriest of the captives rushed towards the rope to make their way up.

  Catherine knelt down beside Michael, gently tapping his cheeks. He needed to wake up so he could climb. “Liam,” she hissed. “He won’t wake. What do we do?”

  Her brother glanced around then with nothing else to do, pinched Michael’s nose closed. Catherine panicked and tried to pry him off but Liam yelled at her to wait. She watched as Michael’s face grew red and then redder still, before finally his eyes shot open and he gasped for breath, Liam releasing his nose.

  “What happened,” he asked hoarsely. “I feel like I’ve been trampled by a horse.”

  “We’ve been taken captive,” Catherine told him. “I don’t know what’s happening now.”

  “Captive by who?”

  “English dogs,” Liam hissed. “It’s only been a night.”

  “Then where are we now?”

  Catherine and Liam did not have any answers and helped Michael stand so they could make their way up the ropes. By the time they reached the deck, the other captives were eating a hunk of stale bread and the captain was speaking with another man, ruggedly dressed. Catherine tried to get her bearings and turned to see them anchored near another ship. It was massive, easily three times the size of the one they stood on with three large masts and two decks of cabins. Catherine had only ever seen one like this before, sailing past their village, but never had she been close enough to actually realize how large it was.

  “Eat up my captives,” the captain yelled. “We set sail soon enough!”

  Catherine glanced from him to the other man and the ship beside them. “I think we’re switching ships,” she whispered to her brother. “Why would they do that?”

  Liam stared at the tall ship and nearly choked on his bread. “Catherine I think we’re going across the waters,” he whispered in disbelief. “We’re leaving these shores forever.”

  “Across the waters?”

  “West, I’ve heard rumors about these ships sailing across the horizon to a land far away.”

  Catherine wasn’t hungry any more as she stared out over the railing of the ship, into the nothingness beyond. How could they survive a journey beyond the horizon? It wasn’t possible! She was going to die on a ship in the middle of nowhere. This wasn’t how her life was supposed to end. It couldn’t be!

  “Get moving, now,” a sailor said as he suddenly shoved her forward. She reached out for Liam, but the sailor jerked her hand away. “No, males and females separated.”

  “He’s my brother,” Catherine argued.

  “I don’t care, woman. Follow my orders now!”

  Liam tried to reach her again, but the sailor smacked him hard enough to send him flying across the deck. Catherine screamed, but another sailor slapped her face bringing tears to her eyes.

  “Mouths shut! Get in line, move and do what you’re told you little bitch!”

  Catherine opened her mouth then saw the whip coiled in his hands. The sailor gripped it tighter and laughed when he saw her looking. She quickly averted her gaze and followed the other women. They struggled up the wobbly gangplank that spread from one ship across to the other. Catherine looked straight ahead, not wanting to see the waves just feet below them, waiting to pull her under if she fell. When they made it across, she watched as the males were sent below through a hatchway at the far end of the ship while she and the rest of the women were ushered to another. One girl stumbled and fell, she was sobbing so hard that she couldn’t see where she walked. Catherine hurried to get her to her feet as a sailor yelled, letting his whip fall to the deck.

  “What are you stopping for? Move!”

  Catherine kept her gaze lowered and hunkered her body over the young girl to protect her in case the man let the lash fly. Once they were below deck, Catherine started to move away from the girl, but she reached out a hand.

  “Thank you,” the girl said. “I just…I don’t know what’s going on.”

  Catherine pulled her close and hugged her as best she could with her chained hands. She wanted to tell this girl that everything would work out, that they would be returned to their village as it was all a mistake, but Catherine knew better and didn’t want to give the girl false hope.

  “I’m Mary,” she said.

  “Catherine. Did you have any family on board?”

  Mary swallowed hard and Catherine could tell she was trying not to cry again. “No, no one.”

  As the hold was closed off and the women tried to find places to sit that weren’t soiled from previous occupants, Catherine kept hold of Mary. “I’ll be your family then. We’ll get through this together.”

  She felt bad saying such words, not knowing what might lay ahead of them, but as the anchor was raised and the ship began its movements again, Catherine knew the only way any of them were going to get through this was to stick together. They would find strength in each other somehow. Her thoughts turned to her brother Dan. Had he been captured as well or was he now dead? And her mother, where had she disappeared to? She hoped that Liam and Michael were on the same ship and prayed that her reckless brother would not do anything stupid and get himself killed.