A ghost of a smile appeared on his face, and I knew he would rather be stabbed than never speak with her.
“Go to her. If she’s here now, I think maybe she’s changed her mind about never speaking with you again.”
“Thank you, Lavinia. For everything.”
Patting his shoulder, I pushed him toward the door. “Just apologize and see where it goes.”
He nodded and continued on as I finished the walk to my room. When I entered, my eyes found the jar I had left on the table in our rush to see why the alarms had gone off. It sat there, almost mockingly, only a quarter full.
Snatching it up, I got comfortable on the bed and called for my fangs as well as the darkness within me that had been more than compliant lately, but I needed more from it. We were running out of time and needed my venom to lace the weapons.
Come on, darkness. Show me what you can do.
As the energy swirled inside me, I concentrated on nothing other than producing a steady flow of venom. Once again, it came out in a trickle, but I pressed harder. I pushed myself to break through whatever barriers I needed to in order to make the process go faster.
My gums throbbed, and my body began to ache from the tension of trying to force out the venom. Finally, I felt a stronger pull and relaxed my body some. Closing my eyes, I leaned against the headboard and kept the jar under my lips. Saliva built within my mouth since I couldn’t swallow, and just as I decided to take a break and check my progress, Jameson opened the door.
“Wow, Lavinia. You’re doing great.” His smile extended from ear to ear as he carried a tray of food and drinks.
Glancing down, I noticed he was right. The jar was more than half-full now, and I had only spent a fraction of the time as my previous attempt.
“Thanks. What do you have there?” I saw a bowl, but the tray was too high for me to see inside from the bed.
“Something that should help soothe your gums. It was Alice’s idea, so I can’t take all the credit.” He handed me the bowl and my body instantly got chills from the cold exterior.
Inside was nearly-frozen chocolate pudding, a rare treat that I hadn’t seen in months. Without pause, I scooped my first bite, retracting my fangs at the same time. When the cool texture touched my gums, I moaned in response. Alice deserved the biggest hug ever the next time I saw her. My vampire healing had made most of the ache go away, but the swelling was still present, and the dessert was like a balm on my sore mouth.
“This is the best surprise I think I’ve ever had.” I doubted he understood my words, because I didn’t even pause to breathe while I devoured the treat.
“I’m glad you’re enjoying it.” He started in on his own food as I finished the pudding and moved on to my dinner. The blood wine he brought was the last thing I had. Everything was delicious. I loved that I was able to still enjoy real food and had gotten over my aversion to drinking blood.
Ever since I fully accepted who I was that day on the beach, things hadn’t been as overwhelming for me, and I wished I had done it sooner. It likely would have taken me weeks longer to figure out if Evander hadn’t pushed me. Weeks we wouldn’t have had.
After we finished eating, I went right back to extracting venom. I was partially into the second jar when I must have fallen asleep from exhaustion, because when I woke, I was still fully clothed, and both jars were on the table next to the bed.
Jameson lay next to me sound asleep, while the first signs of morning light began to cast across the sky visible through our window. My fingers traced his jaw, continuing down his arm and then moving back up his chest, until I started all over again.
Before I moved to get out of bed, I placed a gentle kiss on his cheek, and his chest rumbled. “Every morning should begin this way.”
“I agree, though we might not have one like this for a long time.” My lip jutted out in a pout, though teasingly. Soon we would set sail, and I had no idea how long it would be until we were back… if we came back at all.
His hands wrapped around my waist, pulling me on top of him. “If it’s the last morning we might have to ourselves, then we better take advantage of it.”
The grin that spread across my face couldn’t be helped as I leaned down to capture his lips. Before I knew it, hands and clothes were everywhere, and my mind had been freed of its earlier stress.
There was nothing but Jameson and me in that moment, and I wouldn’t have had it any other way.
Later that morning, we met with Alice and Henry. They let us know that Solomon and Ruth had gone with Evander to meet Catherine, and I wanted to be sorry we had missed the opportunity to join them, but I wasn’t. The time spent with Jameson was well worth it.
“How are the children doing?” Jameson asked after they brought us up to speed.
“They’re well, especially Maggie. She’s a completely different little girl, in all the best ways,” Alice answered.
“Yes, we can’t thank you enough for what you’ve done for her,” Henry added.
“Righting any of the wrongs that Prime has done is all my pleasure.” If I could reverse everything that monster had done, I would in a heartbeat.
Once we were finished catching up, Jameson and I decided to go find Solomon and the others. I was curious to meet Catherine, especially after what Evander had told me the night before. I wondered if she still loved him, because he obviously still cared deeply for her. Never before had I seen him so flustered.
When we arrived at the dock, I spotted the four of them on the upper level of Catherine’s ship. She and Evander appeared to be fighting, and I decided to find out for sure by focusing my hearing.
“You have no right to come on my ship and tell me what to do,” Catherine spat.
“That’s not what I was trying to do. If you would listen to me when I talk, you would understand I’m only trying to advise the best course of action, based on what we already have planned.”
“Well, the last time I listened to your advice, it didn’t work out so well for me. Forgive me if I’m not the first to volunteer in trusting your word.”
I glanced at Jameson. “We should go save him.”
“It sounds like he might deserve it.” He shrugged, then winked.
Grasping Jameson’s hand, I sped toward the ship with him beside me. When we arrived at the gangplank, we slowed down as the screaming reached us.
“Next time, don’t be such an idiot and I won’t stab you.” Catherine was inches from Evander’s face, and I felt like we were interrupting a passionate moment instead of saving Evander.
Ruth and Solomon spotted us and came over, seeming grateful for an excuse to step away.
“How long have they been at it?” Jameson asked.
“Since the moment he opened his mouth. We tried to get in a word to help, but they didn’t acknowledge us. We only stayed to make sure she didn’t actually kill him.” Solomon glanced back, seeming to double-check no blood had been shed in the minute he wasn’t paying attention.
“So, what is the plan now? Are we still leaving today?” I asked.
“As long as Evander can calm her down, then yes. I don’t want to leave the island unless the new ships are joining us. It’s already a risk leaving people behind, but I won’t make it greater with vampires on our beach,” Ruth replied.
Solomon placed his hand over hers. “We have some of our best fighters staying to protect the others, and the safe rooms have all been prepared if anything should happen. We’ve done everything we can, given the situation.”
My eyes met Jameson’s then went back to Ruth and Solomon. Something was going on between the two of them, but there was no time to inquire about it. I’d have to settle for speculation for the time being.
“Lavinia!” Evander roared. “She’s refusing to speak to anyone but you.”
I looked up and, sure enough, Catherine was gone, and Evander was left pacing the deck by himself. “Where did she go?”
Evander pointed to the crow’s nest, and I saw Catherine�
�s thick chestnut hair blowing in the wind.
“I’ll be right back,” I said to Jameson.
“Be careful.”
“Always.” I smiled.
Speeding up the rope ladder, I stood in front of Catherine within seconds, and her appraisal of me made shivers run down my back. Her dark eyes were judging, and I was beginning to think I should have brought Jameson with me.
“You’re his daughter.”
“I am, but only by blood. Is that going to be a problem?” I wouldn’t let her push me around, and she needed to get to the point.
“I don’t know. Is it? Will you actually be able to kill him? We’ve taken a huge risk coming here, and before I ask my people to fight alongside you, I need to know you have no doubts about what needs to be done.”
“Do you realize what will happen when I kill him?” It might not have been the best time to bring it up, but we didn’t need them rebelling against us later on if they didn’t truly understand.
“I do, as do the others with me. Not all of them are vampires, but the ones who are have accepted their fate. We’re not all vicious monsters like your father.”
“He might have been responsible for getting my mother pregnant, but he’s not my father. He did not raise me, and he holds no influence over me. I am my own person, and sharing the same blood with Prime doesn’t mean a damn thing to me.”
Her attitude was grating on my nerves, and I wasn’t sure how much longer I could stay in her presence.
Then, like someone who had gone mad, she grinned and laughed. “Evander was right. You have enough fight in you. I just needed to see it for myself.”
“So, you’ll go to war with us?” I asked, done playing her games.
“If you promise to end Prime once and for all, my crew will follow you wherever you lead us.”
Chapter Fourteen
A few hours later, all of the crews had boarded the ships, and we set sail. The hardest part of leaving was saying goodbye to the children. Though, Nettie, Maggie, and Timothy remained strong and had all the faith in us, it was hard to say farewell when not being absolutely certain that we would see them again. Alice cried as she hugged them all, and my heart broke for her. The only saving grace was that Nathan was once again staying behind. We trusted him to guard them with his life. He might not be joining us on the front lines, but he had become the protector of our future, and that role was just as important.
The next island of significance was only a couple days away, and we were hoping to run into some farmers or hunters, but the likelihood of that wasn’t high. If they were nearby, they would have gotten our first call to arms. Still, there was a chance they had missed the summons, or they weren’t in any condition to answer. Whatever the case, we were going to seek them out and ask them to join us. If they were in need of assistance, we would also do what we could to help.
The crew was tense, and rightly so. It was unheard of for hunters and vampires to work together. Never been done before in their combined histories. It seemed as if I had started a sort of rebellion when I stood up to Prime and attempted to end him. No one had ever gotten as close as I had to deal the most powerful vampire a killing blow. Though it hadn’t worked, it was how close I had gotten that drew them.
Solomon and Ruth led our small fleet of ships, and I was happy to give them that, because I didn’t know the first thing about finding hunters or approaching them. If we ran into vampires, we had a few to help with that as well.
Evander had really stepped up and was acting as the go-between for the vampires and us. Catherine was still refusing to speak to him, which would have been entertaining, but the wistful look on his face that I had seen plenty of over the past couple days made me feel bad for him. I had also gotten the feeling over the several interactions with her, that when it came to Evander and their past, there was no coming back from the hurt caused by his betrayal.
Anyone could see that she still cared about him, but there could be no love for him in her heart without trust. Evander seemed to realize that, too, and kept his distance, even though I knew it hurt him.
Thankfully, Catherine wasn’t on our ship much. She ran her own ship and had only been to ours a few times to relay messages about which routes they thought would be best for us to take, based on their recent travels.
I had been meaning to talk to Evander about it and offer my shoulder as a friend, but when we weren’t searching other islands, my days were spent preparing for the coming battle. I worked with Solomon and Jameson in the mornings. Then, depending on the day, I would either spend my afternoons milking my fangs for more venom or learning vampire lore from the books we’d brought from the hunter’s library.
A decent amount of the vampire stuff I already knew or had come to my own conclusions about, but it was still good to learn and confirm all I could. I had no idea if I would need it in my immediate future.
Jameson was around, either making himself useful with the ship and its crew or helping me train. My favorite part of each day with him was when we were finally alone in our room. He held me every night while I slept with his dagger securely in hand. Neither of us had fully recovered from Prime pulling me to him while I slept, but so far, the dagger had done its job and it hadn’t happened again. In fact, I really hadn’t had dreams at all since that night.
After we had been at sea for a few days, with no luck of finding anyone on the other islands, I took a rare day off from learning and releasing my venom. Instead, I took advantage of the early afternoon sun and sat on the deck, basking in the warmth, letting my body absorb the sun’s rays and feeling it touch something deep within me. My favorite thing about finally accepting all parts of myself was that I was different. I gained strength from the sun and wasn’t weakened like most vampires.
While I sat enjoying the day, someone unexpected came and sat beside me, causing me to blink several times to make sure I wasn’t imagining him.
“Evander?” I said his name as a question, looking him up and down. He rarely came out during the day if he could help it, so I assumed whatever he needed was important.
“Lavinia,” he replied, leaning against the side of the ship and angling his body so he was facing me.
“What’s going on? Are you feeling all right?”
“At the moment, I’m feeling rather warm as the sun drains my strength away.”
“And you’re letting this happen, because…?”
“I thought I’d see what you enjoy so much about the inferno in the sky.”
“I smell a lie. Try again.”
He sighed heavily while a ghost of a smile tugged at the corner of his lips. “The truth is I was bored.”
“I thought you had things to attend to, and that’s why I had a rare afternoon off.” My forehead furrowed as I tried to figure out his behavior.
“Just having a rough time of it,” he offered evasively.
“Well, I’m listening. Tell me what’s going on.”
He turned the opposite direction, gazing out into the ocean, and I was sure he would get up and walk away without answering me, but he finally turned back to face me.
“I never thought I’d see her again, and now that I have, I can’t stop thinking about what I did. We’re fighting against Prime to eradicate vampires, and I know what will happen once we succeed.” His green eyes met mine, filled with more emotion than I had ever seen in them. “I know we need to stop him, but I keep picturing myself crumbling into ash. I’d be lying if I said I wasn’t scared, but at the same time, I’m accepting this is where I’m supposed to meet my end.”
Evander’s unexpected openness and the depth of emotion he expressed took me aback. He had always been polite—except when he was pushing me—but I had never seen him this vulnerable… this human.
Taking a minute to get my thoughts together, I thought of a proper response. He could have gone to someone else, but he came to me. I mulled that over for a few seconds, wondering why he would want to talk to me about this. I wasn’t a vam
pire in the same way he was. Though, I supposed I had a chance of dying as everyone else did. Except… would I die?
I had died before, quite a few times, but with everyone else, there was no chance they would come back to life. Nevertheless, I wasn’t sure if I would return if I was killed as I was now. That was a sobering thought. I had gone about living as if I couldn’t perish, which was both truth and lie, because there was no guarantee that I could survive dying again since I had fully transformed into my true self.
“I’ve died a few times,” I began, not sure where I was going with it, but speaking from the heart. “The first time I died, it was after I had been bitten and was left to burn in my aunt and uncle’s house. I remember knowing that I was going to die, but with what my life had been back then, I was accepting of the fact that it would end. After I found Jameson and the others and they became my family, I suddenly had something to live for, to fight for. If I die facing Prime, I will do it knowing that I did everything in my power to protect the people I care about, trying to rid the world of a man who would kill us all without remorse.”
“I’ve never had anything worth fighting for,” Evander confessed. “I’ve always just accepted my lot in life and tried to make do with what I had. Sometimes, I orchestrated things so they worked in my favor, and other times, I just did my best to stay out of the way. Since meeting you and seeing Catherine again, I’ve realized that’s no way to live, even for a vampire.”
Silence fell around us, except for the sounds of the crew and water lapping against the side of the ship. Both of us were lost in our own thoughts. Mine were about the people I loved enough to die for, and Evander was probably regretting the things he had done in his past.
We sat there and watched the sun sink lower in the sky, toward the distant horizon. At some point, Jameson joined us, sitting behind me and wrapping his arms around me while I leaned into him. Soon after, Alice and Henry sat with us, too, followed by Solomon. The silence danced between us while we watched the sun set, and I let out a contented sigh. At least for an hour or so, we were all gathered together.
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