Pirate's Curse: Division 1: The Berkano Vampire Collection

by Leigh Anderson

  “While I was in the village, I came across a huge library,” she said. “There were thousands of books. But this one…this one seemed to call out to me. I just had to take it.”

  Rainier turned the book toward him and flipped some of the pages. He couldn’t make sense of it.

  “You can read this?” he asked.

  Catheryn nodded, her brow knitted above her hooded eyes.

  “This doesn’t make any sense to me,” he said. “It’s just scribbles and lines.”

  “What does that mean?” she asked.

  Rainier shrugged. “It must be enchanted in some way. Did you use any kind of spell to open it or translate it?”

  “No,” Catheryn said. “I just opened it and read it like any book. I mean, I know it isn’t just any book, but I didn’t have to do anything special to start reading it.”

  “So the question is,” Rainier said, “is the book only meant for you to read, or could any witch read it?”

  “Or maybe it is enchanted to prevent vampires from reading it,” Catheryn offered, a small smile on her lips.

  Rainier chuckled. “Cleaver girl. That’s an option, too.”

  They smiled at each other, and Rainier felt something pass between them. An affability, a comradery that wasn’t there before. There was a comfort, an easy way of talking as though they were two friends sharing in this great discovery. Rainier felt as if he should say something, do something, but he wasn’t sure what. Should he touch her? Kiss her? That seemed like too much too quickly, but he felt as if the moment should be celebrated in some way.

  Catheryn cleared her throat and looked away, and the moment passed. Rainier took another look at the charm around her neck. The symbol on it, he was sure he had seen it before.

  “That symbol on the bag around your neck, it wasn’t there before, was it?” he asked.

  “No,” she said. “I drew it.”

  “Did the book tell you to draw it?”

  “Not exactly,” she said. “The instructions said to ‘carve a rune of your soul on the bag.’ I couldn’t find an example of a rune of your soul in the book, so I figured it must be something personal. So I just carved whatever seemed to come naturally.”

  “Do you know what it is?” he asked.

  “No,” she said, looking at it. “Just some swirls. Why?”

  “Because I’ve seen that symbol before,” he said.

  “What?” Catheryn asked, eyes wide. “Where?”

  “I can’t remember exactly where I saw it,” he said. “If it was in a book or…somewhere else. But I know I’ve seen it. We vampires, we are not witches, but some very powerful, very old vampires have some access to the magical realm. And some of them remember the time before the Rift, a time when vampires and witches sometimes worked together and formed alliances. So we vampires have some knowledge of spirit lore.”

  “And…?” Catheryn prodded.

  “And I am sure that rune is the symbol of a powerful pure blood hoodoo witch family.”

  Catheryn took a step back, her eyes darting wildly. “But…but what does that mean?” she asked. “I had never seen it before that I remember, not even in the hoodoo house. I thought it was something unique, something original. Why would this rune come to my mind?”

  “Why did the book speak to you?” Rainier asked.

  “I don’t know!” Catheryn cried, wringing her hands.

  “Do you remember your parents at all?” Rainier asked. “Your family?”

  Catheryn shook her head. “They died when I was little. My sister and I—we were on our own. But what does this mean? Why would I…know this? And why is this happening now? I’ve been a slave in the Hoodoo House for years and things only started happening recently. What is happening with me?”

  Rainier paced the cabin and ran his fingers through his hair in frustration. He didn’t know. He couldn’t think. It seemed as though the answer was near to him, just beyond his grasp. As though he should know the answer, but he couldn’t see it in the dark.

  He needed to feed. He hadn’t had a good feed since he brought Catheryn on board. Every time he fed from her, he felt weaker after, not stronger. And those strange visions he would get. What was happening to him?

  Feeding from Catheryn had been pleasurable, but not satisfying. He was still left hungry, which was making him grumpy and leaving his brain in a fog.

  He knew, logically, that he should probably feed from someone else. They had a large store of humans now. He could simply feed from any of them and be restored. Yet, to do that felt…wrong somehow. He knew Catheryn wouldn’t like it, and that bothered him far more than it should. He shouldn’t feel beholden to some human. Some witch. He worthless bloodbag. But he couldn’t shake the growing affection he was feeling for her. And she had finally submitted to serving as his devotee. He couldn’t very well go feed on someone else now.

  “Catheryn,” he said gently. “I must feed. I have not eaten since yesterday. I cannot function if I do not feed.”

  He looked at her and knew there was hunger in his eyes. He only hoped that his hunger looked more akin to desire than like a hungry dog staring at a piece of meat. He didn’t want to scare her.

  He could almost hear her heart rate increase. He saw her breath hitch and her eyes widen. She blushed and color rushed to her cheeks. She wanted him to feed on her.

  He felt what little blood he had rush to his groin. His desire to feed was shared by his desire to hold her in his arms, feel his lips on her neck, run his fingers over her body.

  The vampire’s embrace was pleasurable for both parties. It was not uncommon for a feeding to turn into a…more intimate encounter. He wondered if Catheryn would be willing to take their relationship to that level.

  He held out his hand, and she took it. He pulled her to him. He could tell that she was nervous, but she pulled her hair back and tilted her neck to him. He lowered his mouth to her neck, but he didn’t bite her yet. He ran his nose over her skin and breathed in deeply. She sighed.

  “Is this all you want, Catheryn?” he asked. “Just for me to bite you and be done with it?”

  “What more is there?” she asked breathlessly.

  He lightly kissed her neck and placed his hands on her waist, pressing his body against hers. “There is so much more,” he whispered.

  She whimpered. “But…you’re a vampire,” she said. “I…we don’t know what I am, but I am at least a lesser witch. We…we can’t…it’s forbidden…”

  “Who would know all the way out here?” he asked, placing delicate kisses along her neck and then reaching up and squeezing her breast.

  She gasped and placed her arm around him, holding him close, willing him on. Her actions were warring with her words. Her desire fighting with her reason. “It’s dangerous,” she said. “A vampire and a witch were together only once before…and they shattered the world.”

  He placed his lips on hers and kissed her deeply. She kissed him back, leaning into him, opening her mouth and welcoming him inside.

  “I’m a pirate,” he said. “I live for danger. Let this crummy world shatter again for all I care.”

  At that, he picked her up and tossed her onto the bed. He undid his belt, letting his holster and scabbard clatter to the floor. He tossed aside his hat and his heavy coat. He leaped on top of her and kissed her lips, her cheeks, her neck.

  She pulled up her skirt and ran her fingers along his back, holding him close.

  His fangs descended. He had to feed before they could make love. He wouldn’t have enough energy or blood of his own to actually take her if he didn’t.

  He bit into her neck, and she cried out—first in pain, then in pleasure. He drank from her, taking her warmth into him. She was delicious, and he started to feel energized. Maybe the feedings before were just flukes, strange reactions to her new blood and because he had not fed in so long before he brought her on board.

  As he fed, he ran his hands down her legs and placed himself between her thighs. He was going to
take her as soon as he had eaten his fill. She was already panting and moaning. She was ready for him.

  Then he saw the sparks.

  He looked up and saw a woman. At first he thought it was Catheryn, but then he realized it wasn’t. This woman was younger with short hair. She was leading an attack on the Hoodoo House. There was fire everywhere. The house was burning to the ground…

  His eyes shot open, and he stopped the feeding.

  “Rainier?”

  He heard Catheryn’s voice, but it sounded…muddled. As if she was far away.

  Rainier shook his head and sat up. Then the world went black.

  Chapter 11

  As Rainier fell backward, Catheryn summoned what little strength she had to grab him and help him fall forward on the bed instead of to the floor. She felt exhausted as well and curled up beside him. While she was a bit disappointed he had fallen asleep, she was grateful as well. What was this man doing to her? Did she really want to make love to a vampire? Was she crazy? He was an undead monster. She needed to be more careful. She couldn’t let him get too close. Especially since they didn’t know what she was.

  She warred with the thoughts in her mind and eventually drifted off to sleep.

  The next morning, she once again woke up alone. Her breakfast was waiting for her, as usual. After she ate, she looked out the window and thought she saw land in the distance. Excited, she left the cabin and ran up to the helm.

  “Where are we going?” she asked Rainier. “Is that land in the distance?”

  Rainier cocked an eyebrow. “You have good eyes,” he said. “We might have to station you up in the crow’s nest.”

  He nodded to the helmsman, dismissing him so he and Catheryn were alone at the ship’s wheel. Rainier steered the ship with ease.

  He took in a deep breath and then slowly let it out. “Can you smell the sea?”

  Catheryn took in the salty air. “Salt. Water. Fish,” she said.

  “Freedom,” he said. “Adventure. Danger. Treasure. Fame. I smell all that and more. This is what it means to me, being a pirate on the dark seas. There is no other life for me. Do you understand?”

  Catheryn shook her head. “Not really. It’s not that I’m not sympathetic,” she clarified. “I think it’s wonderful you love what you do. But I’ve never experienced that. I’ve always been a slave. Well, before that I was a beggar. I’ve never had a job or work that I loved or even chose to do.”

  Rainier nodded. “Well, one day you will find your calling. For me, the sea sings to me. There is nothing else I could do. Nothing I would want to do. If I was forced to live on the land, I swear I would dry up and die.”

  “What are you even talking about?” Catheryn asked. “Who’s forcing you to give up a life you love?”

  “You are,” he said pointedly.

  Catheryn took a step back. “Me? What are you talking about?”

  He sighed and looked out over the helm for a moment before continuing, as though he was unsure how to continue.

  “You are not what you claim to be, Catheryn,” he said. She opened her mouth to protest, but he held up his hand. “I do not think you are lying to me, not knowingly at least. I believe you when you say your powers only started recently and are weak. I believe you when you say you don’t know anything about your past. But I think you are far more powerful than you know. That you are becoming…something else.”

  Catheryn felt her heart beat fast. Her head started to spin. A part of her knew he was right. She could feel it, this power growing inside her. She wanted to ignore it, tamp it down. Even though her abilities thrilled her in the moment, they terrified her upon reflection. What if she didn’t like what she was turning into? What if she couldn’t control it?

  “But…but how do you know this?” Catheryn asked.

  “Because when I feed from you, you are draining my vampirism from me,” he said. He looked her straight in the eyes when he said it, and she felt her blood run cold.

  “I don’t…I don’t understand,” she said.

  “I noticed it the first time I fed on you, but I didn’t want to believe it,” he explained. “I don’t feel full from drinking your blood. I feel weaker afterward. But I don’t just feel tired. I feel less…vampire. I desire blood less. I cannot move as quickly. I don’t feel as strong.”

  “You still seem strong to me,” Catheryn said.

  Rainier chuckled. “Well, even as a mortal man, I would be an impressive specimen. Probably much stronger and larger than the average man.” The smile crept away from his face. “But I will not be enough to survive as a pirate. A human pirate cannot compete with the vampire ships. Humans are weaker than vampires. There is no question. There hasn’t been a human pirate ship in decades. The vampires simply killed them all or ran them aground. If I was no longer a vampire, I couldn’t live on the sea, either.”

  “Then…you have to stop feeding from me,” Catheryn said. “You’ll have to feed from one of the other humans you captured.”

  “Perhaps,” Rainier said. “But that won’t answer the question of what you are.”

  “Does it matter?” Catheryn asked.

  “Oh, yes, it certainly does,” Rainier said. “Only someone very, very powerful could have this effect on a vampire. You know your power is growing. Whatever you are turning into, I’d like to have you by my side. Have you as an ally, not an enemy.”

  Catheryn paused. Was Rainier afraid of her? Afraid of what she was becoming? Afraid she might take her revenge on him when she came into her own? It sure sounded like it. Did he need to be afraid of her? If she did come into awe-inspiring power, would she turn on him? Would she have a choice?

  A part of her was afraid of what she was becoming as well. What if she couldn’t control it? Well, it didn’t seem to matter. She was growing stronger, and she would have to do her best to grow along with it. Learn to control it. To for once be the master of her own fate.

  “So, do you have a plan for finding out more about what I am?” she asked.

  Rainier smiled and pointed to the island that was now clearly in view.

  “Land ho!” he called loudly.

  All of the pirates were anxious to get on land. They had only been on land for raids recently and had not been on land for pleasure or to even stretch their legs in quite a long time, it seemed. The men prepared the lifeboats to go ashore, along with any supplies they might need—ropes, shovels, sacks, and the like. They were supposed to have been heading for Revenge Bay, but Rainier had persuaded the men to travel to this remote place instead.

  “What are your orders, cap’n?” Mathis asked once the men were ready and assembled on deck.

  “Find treasure!” Rainier yelled, eliciting a round of cheers from the men. “According to this map we found in the village,” he said, holding up a tattered bit of parchment, “there is treasure hidden here on the island. I am ordering you to find it.”

  The men cheered again.

  “Mr. Mathis will lead the expedition,” Rainier explained. “I will stay here to protect the ship. But you better not come back without the booty!”

  “Let’s go, men!” Mathis ordered. The men divided up into teams and got in their respective boats. “Are you sure about this, cap’n?” Mathis asked as he approached to take the map from Rainier. “You don’t want to take part?”

  “The men deserve a reward,” Rainier said. “They have been working hard and have endured much. The bounty can be divided equally between them. They’ve earned it.”

  Catheryn sensed that Mathis didn’t quite believe Rainier. That he thought Rainier was hiding something from him. Unfortunately, he was right, but he wasn’t about to question his captain, not after the incident in Rainier’s quarters.

  After the men were all a safe distance away, rowing to the shore, Catheryn asked, “So where did you get that map?”

  “I made it while you were sleeping,” he said.

  “Will they be mad if they don’t find anything?” she asked.

 
Rainier shrugged. “Hopefully just at those lying villagers.”

  Catheryn didn’t much like that. What if they decided to take out their anger on the poor villagers they had trapped below deck? She sighed. There wasn’t anything she could do about that right now.

  “So what is the plan?” she asked. “What are we really doing here?”

  Rainier led her to the last remaining lifeboat and helped her in. “We are going to find answers.”

  Rainier and Catheryn pulled their boat ashore farther down the coast than the other pirates and behind a small group of rocks.

  “Why are you hiding from your own men?” Catheryn asked. “They are your crew. They would help you find whatever you are looking for if you ordered them to, right?”

  Rainier drew his cutlass as they headed into the jungle. “I am their captain, and they are my men. I give orders, yes, but they are not slaves. They work for me. It is my job to lead them, not drag them around by their ears. Sure, sometimes I must be firm with them, but there must be order for the ship to run smoothly.

  “This is a personal quest,” he continued. “One to find out what you are. That wouldn’t benefit the men at all. They would resent me using them for personal gain.”

  “So what are we looking for?” she asked.

  “A ship,” he said. “A slave ship.”

  Catheryn stopped. “A slave ship? But…why?”

  Rainier reached out for her hand. “That’s why I didn’t tell you before. I thought you might not want to come, what with your history.”

  “You got that for damn sure,” Catheryn said, taking his hand roughly but letting him lead her along.

  “Legend has it that this ship is special. It was once used to transport African slaves who happened to be a pure family of hoodoo witches,” Rainier explained.

  “If they were so powerful, how come they were slaves?” Catheryn grumbled.

  “Maybe we will find out when we get there,” Rainier said.

  They walked along through the lush jungle with Rainier using his cutlass to forge their path.