Of the Blood

by Cameo Renae

  The monster raised Sebastian into the air. His agonizing cries echoed straight through my soul.

  He’d saved my life. I couldn’t let him die.

  Rage filled me. Heat roiled under my skin until steam billowed from my flesh and curled around me. Then, my palms burst into flames—bright yellow, orange, and red.

  The remaining crew gazed on me with horror in their eyes and backed away.

  I stalked toward the sea serpent, the power growing inside, leaving no room for fear. I thrust my arms toward it, like I did in the cell, one after another. But the monster’s scales were indestructible, and I was barely inflicting injury.

  I called another flame, this time aiming for its eye.

  With all my might I shoved that power forward and it struck its mark. Screeching in agony, lashing its head, the sea monster finally unlocked its jaws. Sebastian fell to the deck, his body limp, unconscious.

  “Take him off the deck!” I wailed at the closest crew members. They rushed over to Sebastian, grabbed his arms, and dragged him to safety.

  The serpent was focused solely on me—the one who’d blinded its left eye. It struck, but I dove to the side, its head crashing through the deck’s floorboards. I quickly produced another fireball between my palms, and as it grew, hurled it toward its head.

  The serpent let out a shriek so loud it knocked me to my knees.

  It was hurt, but not dying. Its scales were too thick for my flames to penetrate.

  Water was my only other option. But that power was so new, I didn’t know how to control it.

  Strike after strike, the sea serpent targeted me, and each time, even with my new vampire speed, I barely managed to escape.

  The sky was black, the water an inky abyss that would become our grave if I didn’t stop it.

  Another strike barely missed me. As the serpent’s head smashed through the deck, I raced to the edge of the ship and drove my palms out. A wall of sea water blasted forward, striking the creature’s body, thrusting it backward. It let out a screech before plunging back into the water.

  I knew it wasn’t done.

  Water rippled near the edge of the ship, and I caught a glint of yellow. The creature broke surface, jaw unhinged, razor-sharp teeth aimed at me.

  The creature struck, breaking the top part of the bow. He was tearing Sebastian’s boat apart. His life. His home.

  Again, I thrust my palms over the water and begged, pleaded, demanded it serve me. I sent my fury, along with every ounce of strength I could muster, and channeled it into the water. The water swirled faster and faster. Then, like a cyclone, it shot skyward, forming a water cocoon around the entire serpent’s frame.

  The creature struck against the funnel, but it held.

  Temporarily.

  I could feel that great energy coursing through every part of me. The power was strong. Much stronger than I was. And it was weakening my body. The tattoos on my palms throbbed, my arms shook under the tremendous stress. I couldn’t let this monster free. If I did, we’d all die.

  This monster must have been the reason so many ships and crews had disappeared without a trace.

  The serpent thrashed and struck at the water cocoon, and each time he did my power waned. I didn’t know how much longer I could hold it.

  “Calla.” Markus was at my side, but this time he wasn’t ordering me back. Instead, he slapped a fist to his heart, “What can I do to help?”

  I looked at him, not sure if he could do anything. All I wanted was to end this nightmare. I needed the sea serpent, wrecking Sebastian’s ship, to die.

  The serpent’s head struck repeatedly, making me weaker and weaker. As my power faltered, the creature’s head burst through the funnel of water. It wouldn’t be long until it would entirely break through.

  I watched water rush down the serpent’s head, down its neck. Water. Water I was able to manipulate.

  I dropped my arms, letting the funnel dissipate. The serpent plunged back into the sea, but I knew it wouldn’t be long before it returned with a vengeance.

  Any more damage to the ship and the sea would swallow us whole. Either that, or our flesh and bones would be digested in the belly of the monster.

  Weakened to the edge of exhaustion, I gathered whatever strength I had left inside me.

  Terrified screams of the crewmen pierced the blackened sky as the creature broke surface. It was a hundred yards away, barreling toward the ship. It was going to sink us.

  I faced the serpent and punched both arms out over the water. It shot up like a dam in front of me. I forced that water and all my energy outward.

  The wall of water charged forward, slamming into the creature, slowing its course. But it shook its head and continued its path of devastation.

  As it closed in, I focused on the water rushing down the serpent’s body. I directed my energy to its neck, which I assumed was its most vulnerable part, and drove my palms forward.

  With a loud shout, I threw out every ounce of energy I had left, pushing further. A piercing and indescribable scream was accompanied by a sickening snap. The creature’s head twisted unnaturally. Its body went limp, its upper body crashed onto the deck.

  It was dead.

  I’d killed the monster. Broke its neck.

  The crew rushed forward with blades and sticks in their hands, chopping and hacking until they’d decapitated it. When the head was severed, I watched them cheer, their faces beaming and bloodied, with weapons grasped in their raised arms.

  The cool, briny breeze felt refreshing against my heated flesh. Gripping the side of the rail, my body was failing. Every part of me was spent—weak and trembling. But watching them, so happy to be alive, was worth it. My power had proved itself, not only to the crew members, but to me.

  Markus headed toward me from across the deck, eyes narrowed, a smirk on his face. But that smirk instantly turned into an expression of dread.

  “Calla!” he howled, hurtling toward me, his arm reaching out.

  But his gaze was beyond me.

  The serpent’s body flailed out of impulse, thrashing across the deck. Before I could blink, it slammed against me.

  I was weightless, thrust over the side of the ship. Falling. Falling. Falling.

  My back slammed into the icy water, punching the air out of my lungs. My vision dimmed as I watched the ship sail away from me.

  I could hear Markus hollering my name. Torches lit the edge of the ship, the crew searching for me. But I’d drifted too far, too fast. The night and the shadowy water concealed me, immersing me in an icy embrace.

  The serpent was dead and the ship intact because I’d used my power to save them. But it came with a price. My life. And I would go to my watery grave, thankful that Sebastian and Markus and Sabine and the crew of The Damned were still alive.

  My eyes were heavy. Exhaustion gripped me in tight clutches, drawing me down into the dark, watery abyss.

  Chapter Twenty-Nine

  I woke to see a pitch-black sky. No, it wasn’t the sky. It was a cave where the air was stagnant and smelled of brine and rotted seaweed.

  I was lying on a bed of sand. And there was sand on the entire floor around me.

  Was this purgatory?

  “Ah, the Sea Star awakens,” a rich voice spoke off to my side.

  I rolled my head to the side and watched a young man, perhaps early twenties, step out of the shadows. He was over six feet, but his eyes . . . they were lambent, a mesmerizing icy blue. He was handsome, with a sharp nose and jaw, with full lips that were curled slightly upward. Light silvery-blue hair fell to his shoulders. He was shirtless, muscular abs, pecks, and biceps glistened on sun-kissed skin in the light of a nearby fire.

  “Who are you?” I questioned, my voice a bit hoarse.

  He stepped closer, muscular arms crossing over his tanned chest. “I’m Kai. And you are lucky I happened to be passing by. I sensed your energy and by chance, saw your body splash into the sea.”

  I scanned the area and realiz
ed we weren’t in a cave. The walls surrounding us were transparent. They were made of water. It was a dome, maybe twenty feet in height and width. And if I looked hard enough, I could see things—sea creatures—swimming around us.

  Good gods. I sat up, my breath quickening. I suddenly felt claustrophobic, like I was in a watery coffin waiting for the air to run out or crash down and drown us. And drowning was one of my greatest fears.

  “Where are we?” I asked, my eyes scouring the entire dome.

  “Somewhere under the Sangerian Sea,” he responded, a gleam in those luminous eyes.

  “How long have I been here?”

  His head inclined slightly, his eyes calculating. “I’d say about two days.”

  Two days? Sabine. Markus. Incendia.

  “I have to return to the ship.” I rose to my feet, but when I tried to take a step, my knees buckled. In a split second, the man captured and drew me tight against his broad, athletic frame. His scent was unique. Not sweet or spicy, but it reminded me of fresh rain.

  “You’re still weak. You should sit down.” His body was pressed tightly against mine, his warmth seeped through my clothes . . . which were completely dry. “Your ship is still sailing, but with the lack of winds, I’d say they still have a few days before they spot land.” I sighed, wondering if they thought I was dead. “You don’t need to be afraid of me, Incendian.”

  I looked into his icy-blue eyes with the unnatural glow. Eyes that appeared sincere.

  “How do you know I’m Incendian?”

  His head gestured toward my hand. “I saw the symbols on your palms. I also felt your power pulse through the water. I’m an Aquarian,” he stated, reaching out and taking my wrist, twisting my palm upright. “You are an elemental, like me, with the ability to manipulate water. Aquarians also possess that power, which is how I formed this water cave.” He raised his arm and casually swept his hand above him. Water rippled across the ceiling, mimicking his movement. It was magic. Powerful magic that appeared so easily manipulated by him.

  I was in awe of him and his power.

  “I once heard a story about an Aquarian,” I breathed.

  “And?” Kai’s gaze narrowed on mine.

  “My grandfather told me the story. He was a fisherman who lived in Aquaris,” I explained. “He spoke of encountering a man who lived in the sea. No. Not in the sea . . . under the sea,” I amended. “No one believed him. They all assumed he’d gone crazy in his old age, but he swore it was true, up until the day he died.

  “He said, while on one of his fishing rounds, he’d discovered a man, unconscious and barely alive, lying on a stretch of rocks in a deserted cove. He carried the man onto the shore, where he made a fire and tended to his wounds. Because the man was unconscious, my grandfather built a small shelter, and for three days, remained with him until he finally woke up.

  “My grandfather fed him fish and crustaceans he’d caught and nursed the man back to health. During that time, the man told him wondrous stories of his home and of his people who resided beneath the sea, in a place called Aquaria.

  “When the man was strong enough, he thanked my grandfather and vowed that one day he would return his kindness. My grandfather said he watched the man walk into the water, and with one glance back, waved before he sunk under the waves, never to be seen again.”

  Kai’s expression altered. He looked addled, or maybe even shocked.

  “What was your grandfather’s name?” He spoke evenly, his eyes locked on me.

  “Marinus,” I replied. “Marinus Thorne.”

  Kai released my wrist and took a step backward, eyes expanding, his hand fisting on his chest. “Marinus Thorne was the man who saved my father.”

  “Really?” I was shocked. For one, my grandfather’s story about the undersea man was real. And two, I just met the man’s son. “What a small world.” I smiled and held out my hand to him. “My name is Calla. Thank you for saving my life. And since it seems my grandfather saved your father . . . I suppose we can call it even.”

  “No,” he said, his voice as gentle as a soft breeze, taking my hand. “My family is forever in your debt.”

  “Not me,” I corrected. “It was my grandfather who saved him, and now he’s gone. So, there is no longer a debt to pay.”

  He gave a melancholy smile. “You don’t understand. My father is irreplaceable. If he died, the weight he bore would be on my shoulders. What your grandfather did cannot simply be paid off.”

  “Just tell your father that you saved Marinus Thorne’s granddaughter. To him, you’ll be a hero.”

  A twisted grin raised on his lips. “Not a hero. Just someone who was in the right place at the right time.” His expression shifted. “I’m saddened I’ll never get the chance to meet the man who rescued my father. Your grandfather is a hero in my kingdom.”

  Kai fisted his right hand and slapped it against his chest, directly over his heart. His eyes met mine, this time with a veracity I could not dismiss. “If you ever require my assistance, Calla, just call, and I will come to you. No matter where. No matter when.”

  I was taken back by his gesture, and knowing the danger I was in with Roehl, having allies would be advantageous.

  “If I ever needed to call you, how would I do it?”

  Kai stepped forward and held my left hand, placing my palm flat against his. Threading his fingers through mine, he closed his eyes. Warmth radiated through my hand, tingling through my fingers, up my arm, and throughout my entire body. When his eyes opened again, he smiled.

  “What did you do?” I look at my palm, the tattoo glowing bright blue.

  “I’ve connected our elements,” he replied. “Don’t worry, it has nothing to do with our power. Consider it a means of reaching me. Should the need ever arise.”

  I examined my hand closer, the glowing blue diminishing. “How does it work?”

  Kai took hold of my left wrist, his eyes serious, latching onto mine.

  “To call me, just hold your palm up to your mouth and speak my name.”

  He let go, and took a step back, his eyes anticipating me to do as he instructed.

  I hesitated before raising my palm to my mouth.

  “Kai? Can you hear me?”

  “Of course I can hear you. You’re two feet away.” He let out a barking laugh before bowing dramatically. “But I’m here and willingly at your service.”

  My face heated with embarrassment and anger. I fisted my palm and crossed my arms over my chest. “You tricked me.”

  “No,” he said, his expression softening. “I just wanted to hear you say my name.”

  Good gods.

  Kai took a step closer. “In all earnestness, Calla. If you should ever need help, just make a fist, and call out to me in your mind. It’s as simple as that.”

  “Can you do the same?” I asked, my arms still crossed. “Can you call me too?”

  He gave a smirk, then closed his eyes. The surrounding water rippled as he fisted his hands. Then I heard his voice, loud and clear, reverberating off the watery walls even though his mouth wasn’t moving. “I am here, Calla. And promise to come if you should ever call.”

  One of his eyes slid open, a slightly darker shade of blue, but still illuminated. Then both eyes snapped wide.

  “No!” Kai roared. Suddenly, his arms were enclosed around me, twisting me around, shielding me from a blast of water behind us.

  Kai quickly let go of me and moved toward three men who literally vaulted into our water cave. They looked like soldiers, or guards, but not like the soldiers I’d seen. These men wore helmets that were pearlescent, their armor in gradient from dark blue to light and scalloped like fish scales. Across their breasts were crisscross straps with a pearlescent circle in the middle that bore a symbol—two tridents in an X shape with a seahorse in the middle. In their fists, they grasped long, silver spears.

  They must have been Aquarians.

  The guard in the center, tanned with silver hair and aqua eyes, took a knee
in front of Kai, placing a fisted hand over his chest.

  “Your father sent us when your escorts returned, stating you’d evaded them.” The man paused, his eyes finally glancing in my direction.

  “Come on, Torrent,” Kai chuckled, slapping a hand to his shoulder. “You know those escorts can’t keep up with me.”

  “We were given orders to accompany you to your destination, Highness.”

  Highness?

  I swore I heard a growl from Kai as he grabbed the guard’s arm and yanked him up to his feet. “Tell my father I’ll make the meeting. And I don’t need escorts.”

  “But, highness—”

  Another growl. “I told you to refer to me as Kai,” he said through gritted teeth, his back to me.

  Little did he realize, with my heightened vampire senses, I could hear every word they were saying, even while whispering.

  The man bowed his head. “Yes, hi—I mean . . . Kai.”

  Kai exhaled noisily and shifted to me, frustration crumpling his face. “I’m sorry, Calla. I would have got you something to eat, but if you’re ready to leave, I will take you to your ship.”

  I removed the smile from my face and nodded. “I’m ready.”

  I wondered why he was trying to hide the fact he was Aquarian royalty. The guards made it obvious he was.

  Kai walked up to me and took my hand, but I didn’t move.

  “How are we going to travel?” I asked. Being an Aquarian and living underwater, I was sure they had a way to breathe in it. But I couldn’t.

  Kai led me to the edge of the watery dome and tugged me against his rock-hard frame, making me gasp. “Do you trust me?” His luminous eyes tightened.

  I angled my head to the side. “I don’t know you well enough.”

  He took my wrists in his hands and raised my arms, interlocking them around his neck. His right hand moved to the small of my back, pressing me even tighter against him. Good gods. We were so close I could see the veins pulsing in his neck.

  Before the thirst slammed me and my incisors elongated, I turned my face away from his neck and held it against his shoulder. I was weak and hungry but wasn’t going to bite my only ride out of here.