“I’m sorry to restrain you like this, but I didn’t see any other option. Your abilities are developing nicely, and I won’t risk losing you.”
His voice was low and full of feeling, which made no sense to me. I knew for a fact that I had never seen him before, so I didn’t understand why he seemed certain he knew me.
One of his hands suddenly settled on my knee, causing me to flinch. “Don’t be afraid. I mean you no harm. I brought you here to protect you. The people you are with don’t understand you. Well, maybe the boy might come close, but the others will sooner turn on you than help you.”
“Those people you speak of have kept me alive for the last month, while your people have tried to kill me several times,” I scoffed, finally breaking my silence.
“That’s because the group you’re with doesn’t truly know what you are, although, neither does mine, truth be told. They might have assumptions, but I can assure you they are all wrong. I’m the only person who can keep you safe. The sooner you understand that, the sooner I will let you out of these chains.”
His face remained stoic, and it finally sunk in that he was serious. He truly thought I was his daughter. I didn’t know who he was confusing me with, but I made a quick decision to take advantage of it. If he wanted me to be his daughter, then I would pretend to believe him. If that’s what it took to get off the ship alive, and with Jameson, then that’s what I’d do.
“What am I?” I asked, with less attitude than before. If he also had answers about what I was becoming, it was worth asking to see what he had to say before I escaped.
“You’re my daughter.”
I wanted to scream. Maybe playing along wouldn’t be as easy as I thought. I opened my mouth to ask the question again, with more emphasis on the what, but he continued speaking before I could.
“Do you know what I am?”
“A vampire,” I responded, withholding the urge to roll my eyes.
“And your mother, Susanna. She was human.”
His eyes squinted, waiting for me to get it, but I didn’t. I didn’t understand crazy.
A frustrated huff left his mouth at my lack of engagement in our conversation. “You’re half-human, half-vampire. The only one of your kind. The rarest gem in all the oceans. My daughter. My Lavinia.”
My eyes widened as I processed his words. A small part of me let his words sink in slowly. Even though I knew my father, and Prime was most definitely not him, part of what he said made sense. It explained my abnormalities, but none of those had happened until a vampire sank his teeth into me. There were so many possibilities that, while this one made sense, it didn’t quite fit the circumstances.
“How is that possible?” I asked, once I regained my composure. “My father’s name was Tobias, and he died at sea with my mother.”
Prime’s face creased with a sneer, and he leaned back against the chair, crossing his arms. “That man was not your father.” Gone was the soft voice he had been using before. “Your mother never told me about you or I would have raised you myself. I went back for her, but she told me she was betrothed to another and would tell the townspeople about me if I ever approached her again. Back then, I was on my own. I didn’t have the resources I do now, so I left.”
He paused, his eyes dulling as he remembered the moment. The sadness that graced his face almost made me feel bad for him.
“Vampire emotions are heightened, especially in the early stages after being changed. I had only been one myself for a month before I met your mother.”
I wanted to snort about the heightened emotions. That explained so much.
“Leaving your mother was the hardest thing I’ve ever done, but I had to be worthy of her before I came back. I wouldn’t turn her until I knew I could provide for her. It was the proper thing to do, and I intended to do right by her. I built my army and found the nicest ships in all the seas. It took me six years, but I came back as soon as I had all the treasures and gold she could ever want.”
If any of this was true, Prime never truly knew my mother. She wouldn’t have cared about those things. I couldn’t even fathom her falling for a vampire, but I kept my opinions to myself and let him keep talking.
“When I returned, I learned she was out to sea with her new husband, but nobody mentioned you. I took to the seas instead of waiting for her return. I had waited long enough, and my patience was gone. When I found her ship, everyone assumed we were pirates trying to rob them, but that hadn’t been my intention at first.”
My chest tightened as tears pricked at my eyes. I knew the rest of this story and didn’t want to hear it. I knew how my parents died. I knew pirates had taken them from me, along with so many others. Only a handful had made it back, and Uncle David didn’t shield me from the gory details that left me with nightmares for years.
Prime kept going with his story, whether I wanted him to or not.
“She refused me. Your mother broke my heart, though, that didn’t stop me. My intention had been to force her hand, but she fought me. Her death was an accident that led to more deaths, including the imposter you believe to be your father.”
“If she never told you about me, and you killed her, why would you think I’m your daughter?” His story wasn’t adding up, and he needed to have a better reason other than the fact I was Susanna’s daughter if there was any chance of me believing even a fraction of his story.
His demeanor changed back to the kind man who had walked in previously. He softened and leaned forward again. “You smell just like her.”
“Excuse me?” He seemed to be purposely avoiding my questions by changing the subject.
“Well, you don’t anymore, but before I let Pierce get his hands on you, there was a brief moment when I was certain you were Susanna. After I lost your mother, I had to decide what I wanted out of my long life. If I couldn’t have her, then I would have power. I wanted freedom to be my true self.”
“What do you mean I don’t smell like her anymore?” I asked, curious why my scent had changed and disappointed that I somehow didn’t have that connection to her anymore.
“Now, you smell more like me.”
I nodded, pretending I understood the foolish words spilling from his mouth, yet none of it was making any sense.
“I made a plan to take over this string of islands. I wanted a home that wasn’t on a ship. I might have recruited pirates to do my bidding, but I have no desire to live like one for the rest of my life. I made my armies greater and acquired more ships. Once I felt like my men were ready, we took two islands before striking a deal with Pierce. I had intended to work with his father, but he wasn’t as amicable as Pierce, so we took care of that problem.”
I always thought Pierce’s parents had died suspiciously. Now, I had my confirmation.
“On one of my last visits, before we put things in motion to take Port Victory, Pierce had just come from his weekly afternoon with you. I smelled you on him and almost murdered him on the spot. For the briefest of moments, I thought he had my Susanna. When I questioned who he had been with, Pierce told me about you and, as I asked more questions, everything began to make sense. I knew who you were.”
My skin crawled with those words.
“Pierce didn’t have the best intentions for you at first, but I set him straight. He only needed your uncle’s land for mining, which was why he courted you in the first place, but I made it very clear to him that no harm was to come to you, in any form. He was allowed to turn you, but we all know how that worked, and he became obsessed with you. I had hoped once you were turned, you would be more open to believing what I had to say, but I didn’t realize your disdain for Pierce until it was too late.”
I was on information overload. Too much was beginning to make sense as he explained further. I didn’t want to believe him, but as I continued to listen to his madness, I was finding it harder and harder to deny the words he spoke.
He reached for me. “I’m sorry you have gone through so much for us to get
to this point. I promise you won’t have to live in fear anymore.”
A dark laugh escaped me. “Letting me wake up in chains isn’t the best way to convince me there’s even a sliver of truth in that statement. Taking me in the middle of the night from my bed doesn’t help, either.”
He leaned back. “Like I said before, that was just a precaution, which I’d be happy to remedy. Do you believe what I have told you?”
I decided not to play games with him. I could say yes and make all of this easier, but I wanted to know more.
“I don’t know.”
He smiled. “I appreciate your honesty.”
Standing, he walked around until he was behind me, and the sound of chains clanging together reached me before their weight lifted off me. He cut the ropes from my arms next, and I was finally able to stretch my extremities.
Lastly, he freed my legs and took a step back. “I mean you no harm. I know we don’t trust each other, but I hope soon that will change. Don’t fight this and everything will be fine.” He reached a hand for me as I stood, but I took two quick steps back.
“Where is Jameson?” I rushed, ignoring his attempt to connect with me. I was done with his stories for now and needed to know where Jameson was, and make sure I didn’t have a reason to try to kill Prime before I had a real chance of succeeding.
“I was wondering when you’d ask about him. I was beginning to think I shouldn’t have brought him with us. He’s in the brig and not happy, but he’s alive. For now.”
The way Prime’s voice lowered as he said “For now” made my skin crawl. He might have just spilled a lot of information, but he was not my ally. Nor was I ready to accept him as my father. I would save that to process later, when it wasn’t so fresh and my emotions had some time to settle down.
“Can I see him?” I asked as nicely as I could, while grinding my teeth. If any harm had come to Jameson, Prime would soon learn I wasn’t helpless.
“You may, but Evander will escort you. He is my second-in-command, and he will be your guard until I can trust that you’ll see things my way.” His face lowered to mine. “I won’t lose you again,” he vowed, dropping the tenor of his voice.
Gulping, I nodded.
Point taken.
Chapter 2
Prime called for Evander, and he joined us moments later. When he walked in, I was taken aback by his appearance. He looked younger than me, but he had several deep scars on his face and arms. I tried to divert my attention from the marks, but they were hard to ignore.
“Evander, this is Lavinia,” Prime offered. “You are not to leave her side unless she is with me. Not for any reason. If something happens to her, you will suffer. Do I make myself clear?”
“Aye, I will keep a close eye on her.”
Evander’s accent wasn’t as heavy as most of the pirates I had previously encountered, and I wondered briefly where he was from. His skin was naturally tan, and his chestnut hair was cut short but looked as if he had recently shaved it and it was just growing again. His forest-green eyes stared at me intently as we waited for Prime’s next instructions.
“Not too close,” Prime muttered. “Take her to the brig, but keep it short. She has to earn her visits to the boy, and she hasn’t done that yet.”
Evander nodded and stepped to the side, leaving plenty of space for Prime to exit the room. He paused at the doorway, his red eyes glancing over me. My cheeks flushed, realizing belatedly that I was still dressed in nothing but my nightgown.
“There are some dresses and other lady things in the chest there,” Prime informed me, pointing to a small chest at the foot of the bed that I hadn’t noticed before. His eyes grazed over me one last time as an emotion appeared on his face, one I had never seen on anyone but my parents. Pride.
The door shut with an audible thud, and I stared at it in confusion. Maybe I had misinterpreted the expression on his face. No one had ever been proud of me, except my mother and my father Tobias. Long-buried memories resurfaced, and I was surprised that I could still recall my mother’s face with such clarity after all these years. Her floral scent had always permeated the house, reminding me of a time when I had been safe and loved.
Had I really smelled like her?
Tears gathered in my eyes as more recollections came to me, bringing with them doubts and questions. Those memories were precious to me; I didn’t want them tainted by the words that Prime had spoken, and yet, now they were. Anger overcame me as my fingers brushed the tears from my face, frustrated that one man could make me doubt everything.
“Miss, are you all right?”
I flinched, having forgotten that Evander was still in the room.
“Sorry, I didn’t mean to startle you.”
“It’s fine. I was just lost in thought,” I confessed, pulling myself together as best I could and trying not to show my surprise at his polite inquiry. He was either an anomaly, or he was playing a game in which I wanted no part.
“I can take ye to the brig, but I suggest that you put on some clothes. The others won’t be messin’ with you because of Prime’s orders, but best not to give ‘em an eye-full,” he suggested, averting his eyes.
Nodding, I made my way over to the small chest at the foot of the bed. My hands lifted the lid and sorted through the clothes inside. There were several dresses in an array of colors and styles. When I spotted a red one, I stuffed it to the very bottom of the chest, not caring to see the color ever again. I chose a practical blue-colored dress. It had an elegant skirt and modest neckline that I noticed as I laid it out on the bed.
Without another thought, I grabbed the hem of my nightgown and pulled it up to my knee before a throat cleared behind me, and a small squeak escaped me.
“Ah, miss? There’s a divide in the cupboard there that ye can use. I’m supposed to be keepin’ my eye on you, so you’ll understand why I can’t leave the room,” Evander informed me, looking at everything in the room but me.
Why did I keep forgetting he was there? It was not like he was easy to miss with the scars visible on his face and arms. A couple of them looked like bite marks, and I swallowed hard, trying again not to stare.
“Thank you,” I offered, opening the cupboard and locating the divide he had mentioned.
Once the barrier was situated in the corner by the bed, I ducked behind it, slipped off the nightgown, and donned the underclothes I had pulled from the chest. It was then I realized that I had forgotten to grab the dress that I had set on the bed.
“Evander?” I asked, flushing with embarrassment.
“Yes, miss?” he responded immediately, and I was struck again by how polite he was.
“Could you… could you hand me the dress I laid on the bed?”
Several footsteps echoed in the space before the dress was thrown over the top of the divide. Gathering it, I paused and listened to his footsteps as he stepped away. He was unlike any pirate I had come across in the past month, and I had no idea if he was a vampire or not, since his eyes hadn’t turned red. Still, he worked with Prime, which meant he couldn’t be trusted.
After pulling the gown on, I managed to secure it on my own—it might have been pushing the limits if I had to ask Evander to help. The dress fit like it was made for me, which made me pause. There was no way Prime could have known my measurements, was there? No, this must have been something he had thieved during his time pillaging and pirating all over the islands.
I folded the divide and leaned it against the wall beside the chest, so it was ready for me to use later. Though, I hoped there wouldn’t be a later depending on how quickly I could work out our escape.
“I’m ready,” I announced to Evander, who looked me over quickly before striding to the door and opening it for me. I passed through and waited for him in the hallway on the other side.
“Follow me,” he offered, and I fell into step behind him.
Looking at everything as we passed, I tried to remember the route we took, so I could find my way back if I was
able to give Evander the slip and somehow free Jameson.
Evander led me to a set of stairs that we quickly descended into the depths of the ship. My steps slowed as I gazed around. Prime’s ship was enormous and very clean considering it was loaded with pirates. The walls were made of sturdy timber, and hooks with lit oil lanterns hung from them every few feet. The stairs weren’t as steep as the other ships I had been on, making it easy for me to traverse.
We passed several men on our way, and a small part of me realized that they all eyed me hungrily, but I was too distracted by the ship and my own thoughts to care. Evander had slowed down to match my pace, and I noticed he observed the men we passed with his jaw clenched in ire. He was a strange pirate.
We walked down several hallways and two more staircases, before we came to a door that looked like all the others in the rest of the hallway. I had been so engrossed by the ship and the earlier revelations, that I hadn’t been paying as close of attention to our path as I would have liked. Not that it mattered all that much. If Jameson and I were able to escape, we would find a way out even if we had to blast a hole through the side of the vessel.
The thought of seeing Jameson again had my earlier desperate emotions roaring within me. I was suddenly so anxious to see him that I nearly pushed Evander out of the way when he finally unlocked the door.
The brig was dark and smelled of wet wood, but Evander grabbed an oil lantern from the wall beside the door before leading me into the obscure room. We approached a cell toward the back that had iron bars running from floor to ceiling, while smaller ones crossed between them, making a lattice pattern.
As we moved forward, my eyes glanced between the bars, trying to make out Jameson in the shadows, but I couldn’t see anything. As we got closer, blood red eyes glowed in the gloom. My heart clenched inside my chest, urging me to run the last few steps to the cell. I peered inside.
Jameson stood sentry in the center, unmoving. He was burdened with chains, like I had been, but his were noticeably bigger. His wrists were shackled together, and the chains were connected to his ankles, which prevented him from lifting his arms more than a couple inches. My gaze followed the bindings that trailed behind him, back to where they were coiled around the bars in a specific pattern. I didn’t bother trying to solve it, because all of my attention was centered on the man within the cage.
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