“I don’t plan on staying much longer.” Jameson loosened his grip on me, pushing me behind him with one hand while retrieving a dagger with the other.
My eyes bulged at the weapon. I had never seen anything like it in my life. It was double-edged, with words too small for me to read engraved into the blade. The hilt was wrapped in leather, with a metal ball added to the end.
“Ye reckon ye can best me?” Dom laughed. “Give it yer all and ye will still fail.”
I scrambled out of arm’s reach, hiding behind the nearest tree. Part of me was yelling to resume running, but I was curious about the fight’s outcome and I was hesitant to leave Jameson. I needed to know if Dom would still be chasing me once this was over.
Jameson didn’t hesitate. He charged for Dom, leaning his shoulder down, aiming right for Dom’s stomach. The impact threw him off balance, but not for long. Dom righted himself and slammed his fist into Jameson’s jaw.
Jameson’s head snapped back, but he didn’t fall. Instead, he adjusted his hold on the dagger as he moved backward. He was a lot stronger than I originally gave him credit for.
“Even if ye get close enough to cut me, ye can’t kill me,” Dom jeered. “Nothin’ can stop me, so yer wasting ye time. Give up now and I will make yer death less painful.”
Jameson didn’t reply. He narrowed his eyes into slits, seeming to only focus on the task at hand, and ignored the taunting.
I worried Dom was right, that he couldn’t be beat, and I inched further away to get a head start. But something had me lingering. Maybe it was the determination that exuded from Jameson, making my steps falter. Something gave me hope that, by some miracle, he would be able to defeat Dom. In a desperate bid, I searched my dark surroundings for anything that I could use as a weapon. I wasn’t sure if I did find one that it would do any good, but I had to try.
They circled each other several more times, each of them taking hits from the other. Jameson had yet to use the dagger, and I was losing faith. A cut above his eye bled down the side of his face, and I could see he was losing stamina.
I had backed far enough away that I could just make out their forms from my position, but neither of them could see me from behind the brush. I hunkered down to watch.
Jameson fell to the ground, rolling onto his side, and I kneeled up from my hiding spot, trying to get a better view.
“Ye waste of a slave,” Dom’s voice boomed through the night. “All yer done today be ruin me clothes and gotten yourself scuttled. Ye failed to even save the poppet.”
Still, no response had come from Jameson.
Dom brought his foot down, slamming it into Jameson’s ribs. I heard the crack of bone even from where I was perched. I turned away; the fight was over. Dom had won. I needed to leave, to get a head start before Dom found me. My heart hurt, because Jameson had risked himself for me, and it was all for naught.
Before I had taken three steps, I heard Dom let loose a string of curse words. Curiosity got the better of me, and I turned to see what had caused the commotion. What I saw was not what I had expected. Jameson kneeled over Dom’s prone body, pushing the dagger into his chest, and dark smoke rose from the vampire’s form as he convulsed before turning to ash.
I stayed where I was, too stunned to do anything else. From the stories I had heard, there was nothing that could kill a vampire. Maim and harm them, yes? But kill? No. Yet, there was no way Dom was still alive, as I had watched his body go slack, then turn to ash and smoke.
Tentatively, my feet moved forward. I had no idea if Jameson was someone I should trust any longer. I wasn’t sure the fact that he had just killed a vampire was a good thing for me or not, but the likelihood of finding a better companion to get me the hell away from this place was nil. I was going to have to trust my heart instead of my head for the time being.
“Lady Lavinia?” Jameson called, finding me in the darkness. “Are you all right?”
I didn’t know what to say, so I simply shook my head.
He closed the gap between us and ran his hands down my arms, followed by his gaze while inspecting me, and leaving goosebumps along my skin. “We need to go. I doubt they only sent Dom out to find you. Pierce demanded he have you.”
“How do you know so much?” I asked. From what I knew, Jameson only worked in the fields, but I was quickly finding out that there was a lot I didn’t know.
“When Pierce struck his deal with a vampire, seeking immortality, blood slaves, and land, he recruited a team of men to protect him from those same vampires, just in case they couldn’t be trusted. Pierce found a warrior who hunted them and had him train us. Pierce has been working toward this for months.”
I wavered on my feet. I couldn’t breathe. The corset around my waist seemed to be getting tighter by the second.
Pierce killed my family.
He tried to make me like him.
Vampires were real.
I was no longer the same person I was when the sun set yesterday.
As each thought raced through my mind, my vision lessened until everything went black.
When I regained consciousness, someone was carrying me, and it was still dark around us. I dazedly lifted my head, and, for a moment, I thought Dom’s tight grip held me. When I pushed desperately at the chest I was pressed against, much to my surprise, my captor stopped.
“It’s just me. You’re safe,” Jameson said.
I scrambled feebly against him, needing to stand on my own feet. Taking the hint, he gently set me down, his touch lingering to steady me. Once he released me, I swayed, then sat unceremoniously on my butt. The red fabric of my dress pooled around me, making me feel slight.
“Where are you taking me?” I asked, trying to sound strong but feeling weak after fainting.
“To safety,” he replied, crouching near my side. “We need to hurry, or we’ll be left behind.” Irritation was evident in his voice, causing my own to rise.
“Excuse me, but could you be more specific? Do you know what I’ve been through tonight? I’d like answers before I blindly follow you to my potential death. I’m learning everything isn’t as it seems. You could be planning to take me back to Pierce, for all I know. I don’t know where your loyalties stand, and I have questions. Why would we be left behind? Where are we going?”
I might have been exaggerating. Jameson had saved my life and been my friend before, but still, my subconscious had decided while I was passed out that I was no longer going to be defenseless. I had been told what to do my whole life, and I was done. Whatever had happened up to that moment gave me a new confidence.
It was time to start standing up for what I wanted.
“I tried giving you answers, but you passed out,” he replied. “We’re almost to the boat docks. You can decide then if you’d like to continue on with us.”
“Us? Who else is here?” My head whipped back and forth, looking for others.
He groaned, running his hand through his golden hair. Intense azure eyes met mine. “We don’t have time for this.”
“Well, make time.”
I knew if I let Jameson win this battle and I continued to travel with him, I’d quickly return to the obedient girl I’d grown to be on the farm with my aunt and uncle. I was long overdue to make some changes in my life. He was just going to have to deal with it.
Following the rules had gotten me nowhere, and I was ready to show the world the real me I’d always wanted to be but never could for the sake of Aunt May.
“When did you become so difficult?” His small grin told me the question was rhetorical, so I ignored him. He extended a hand toward me, and, after a moment of contemplation, I put my much smaller one in his. With ease, Jameson pulled me to my feet, bringing me flush against him for a moment. He took a step back, and I instantly missed the contact I wasn’t familiar with but had caused something to stir inside me. There had never been a reason for us to physically touch before, and the emotions took me by surprise.
“We don’t have ti
me for me to repeat myself, so listen carefully. Port Victory has been taken over by vampires and pirates. The residents here are either dead, turned, or will be blood slaves. I can get you off this island, but you need to cooperate.”
His face was inches away from mine, his breath hot on my face and hands on my shoulders. For a moment, I forgot I was supposed to be angry with him for bossing me around, and I wanted nothing more than his lips on mine.
He cleared his throat, breaking the connection. “Do I make myself clear?”
I yanked myself out of his grasp, poking my finger at his chest. “First, don’t ever touch me like that again. Second, I will wait for more information, but I expect it as soon as we arrive wherever we’re going.”
“As you please, my lady.”
Oh, this man was going to be the death of me.
I followed him for almost an hour in awkward silence as the sun began to rise. Cannons could be heard all over the island, now that I wasn’t running for my life and preoccupied. Smoke rose high into the sky over where town was, and my heart saddened at the destruction that was being caused.
So many lives lost.
Wrath began to fill my insides.
I had gotten to know many of the town’s people on my weekly visits to see Pierce. I pictured each of their faces and wondered if I’d ever see them again, and if I did… would they even still be human?
Shaking off the dark thoughts, I tried to remain optimistic. If I could get off the island and to safety, that would have to be enough for the time being.
Jameson lowered to the ground suddenly and I followed his movements, sticking close to his back. His straw-colored hair was braided six inches down his back, and it was all I could focus on while I waited for his next move.
“We’re getting closer to town. I hope you don’t mind getting dirty, my lady, because we need to stay out of sight, and it won’t be easy from here on out.”
I ground my teeth at his overuse of “my lady”. The tone in which he said it the last few times told me he knew exactly how much it grated on my nerves.
“Lead the way, General.”
He let out a growl, and I tilted my head in surprise.
Did he seriously growl at me? Maybe I should have called him “caveman” instead.
As time passed, my body began to ache while exhaustion pressed down on me. It felt like hours of trudging through mud, hiding behind trees, and crawling under fences before we were able to slip into the shadows of an unmarked building. It was located in a section of town close to the docks. I had never visited this area, and the eeriness had me on edge.
A crate fell over, causing me to yelp and grasp on to Jameson. My hands clenched his shirt as I hid behind him.
So much for not being a “lady.”
“Shhh,” he urged as he whipped his head back. “It’s just a rat.”
He eyed my hands still holding on to him and raised a brow. Before he could say anything, I released my grip and backed up a few paces.
His gaze roamed the space, checking our surroundings to make sure nobody was coming to inspect the commotion. Thankfully, my yelp had not brought any unwelcome guests.
We continued through the alley between buildings until we came to a door marked with a red “X” above the handle. Jameson knocked in a pattern, three times in rapid succession, then he stepped back in front of the window holding up four fingers.
“What are you doing?” I whisper-yelled. He was out of his mind.
“Just wait,” was all he replied.
Minutes later, a stout young man opened the door. He glanced from Jameson to me several times before moving out of the way to let us into the place.
His appearance was gruff—possibly another slave from the plantation that I hadn’t seen before today. His brunet hair was greasy and haphazard, as if he hadn’t bathed in months. That wasn’t uncommon, unless someone was at least middle-class, or striving to be more than what they really were, like my uncle had.
We entered the dank building. A couple of oil lanterns were placed around the area, casting a shadow among the two other adults. Another man, older than the first, and a young woman who appeared not much older than me.
“Who’s this, Jameson?” the man who had opened the door asked.
“This is Lady Lavinia.”
Hisses and gasps came from the others. Apparently, I wasn’t a welcome guest in this group.
“What were you thinking bringing her back here?” the woman snapped. “You’ve just sentenced us all to death.
Jameson held up his hand. “She had no idea what Pierce was doing, nor does she want any part of it. He had her family killed earlier this evening. She has nobody else.”
Silence descended upon the room as each of them processed what Jameson had said, likely trying to decide if he had been duped by me and my story. My chest constricted as his words registered with me. I wouldn’t fault them for their suspicions, though. After what I had overheard tonight and been through with Dom and Craig, I was going to find it very hard to trust others as well.
“You need a hug!” a little girl’s voice squealed from behind the woman, and a small child, maybe six or seven, came bouncing from the corner.
A man chastised her, demanding she come back, but she was having none of it. Her blonde curls bobbed while she ran toward me with open arms and a bright smile.
I bent down, gladly receiving her embrace. For a slight thing, she held on longer and tighter than I would have expected. I had to fight back the tears that wanted to fall from the emotional overload I was feeling. Too much had happened, and I hadn’t had any time to process it.
The girl pulled back. “I’m Antoinette, but you can call me Nettie. Your name is Lania?”
I smiled. “No, it’s Lavinia, but that was close.”
“That’s going to be a hard name for me to remember.” Her face saddened, and I wanted nothing more than to bring the smile back to it.
Jameson bent down next to us. “What if she had a nickname like you? How about you call her Nia?”
For a moment, I thought he was going to say my lady, and I was going to have to slap him in front of a child.
Nettie clapped her hands excitedly. “Nettie and Nia! We’re going to be the best of friends!”
I hadn’t been around children much, but this sweet girl had completely captured me in a matter of moments. I knew then that I would protect her at all costs, as if she was my own.
I glanced behind me, wondering if the woman was her mother, but she paid little attention to us, so I assumed not; however, the man who had called after her had yet to remove his hardened stare from me.
“Nettie, come sit back down,” he urged, softer this time.
“This is Henry.” Jameson gestured to the one who opened the door, finally introducing the others. “He has a cousin who lives on another island. He says they’ve eradicated the vampires there and are preparing to fight back with a group of hunters, to reclaim the lands that had already been overtaken. Over there is Nathan; he’s Nettie’s uncle. And next to him is Alice. She worked on the plantation with me in the fields.”
I gulped, barely hearing anything he said after the mention of vampires doing this to other islands. I had never heard of such atrocities. Were we ever going to be safe?
My observing gaze moved to the others Jameson had introduced to me. Alice had auburn hair that was cut unevenly at her shoulders. Her clothes were cleaner than the men’s, but not by much. She wore a single-layer skirt with a matching forest-green top. I guessed she was only a few years older than me.
Nathan, who was now holding on to Nettie, was at least ten years older than the others. His blonde hair was either not so blonde, or just really dirty. It was hard to tell from where I stood. His stormy grey eyes were obvious, though, as he continued to observe me.
“As soon as the sun fully rises in the sky, we can make our way to the docks,” Henry said. “We have a boat waiting, but it was too risky while it was dark. Too many vamps out.
We’ve noticed a decent amount of them don’t come out when there is full sun, but there are still a few who can tolerate it.”
I nodded as if I had any idea what he was talking about. I really had none, and that needed to change soon if I planned on surviving whatever was happening.
Dawn was already upon us, so it wouldn’t be much longer before we would be venturing back outside, and I wasn’t so sure I wanted to go. It seemed safe enough in the storage building where we were currently hiding. I could live here forever. Bar the windows and door, bring in food and water, and I’d be just fine.
Out there, I had no idea what awaited me, and the more time that passed, the more my earlier confidence for wanting to be brave waned. I still had to figure out what was going on with me, but I had no idea where to start. Instead, I lowered to the ground and leaned my head against the wall, closing my eyes to rest for the short period.
When I heard shuffling, my gaze lifted to see Jameson stand, cracking open the door. When the sunlight cast across the floor, my heart skipped a few beats. I took a deep breath and steadied myself for what came next.
Nettie took a few steps toward me, capturing my hand in hers. “It’s okay. I’m scared, too. But Uncle Nathan will keep us safe. He saved me, and he’ll save you, too.”
And, just like that, all my worries were gone.
I wasn’t sure Nettie was right, but her bravery was all I needed to keep my head held high.
Jameson and Henry gave us strict orders not to speak until we were on the boat. We needed to be as inconspicuous as possible until we were on the water. Even then, it was a risk, because these vampires called themselves pirates, which explained the odd accent and dialect I had heard. They kept to the seas, going from island to island, taking what they wanted and creating more of them.
We stayed in the alleys and darker areas of the port as much as we could. Just when we were about to come out into the open, a loud explosion sounded just ahead of us. Jameson and Henry ran ahead, while Nathan and Alice stood protectively around Nettie, eyeing me with distrust.
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