“Lavinia is right. We can’t be too cautious with anyone who came off that ship. We don’t know what Prime threatened them with, or if they have plans other than running from the monster who turned them.” Jameson’s hold tightened on my hand.
Alice and Henry decided to stay in the room with the kids for the night, while Jameson and I headed back to the deck. The sky had cleared, letting the moon shine brightly over the ocean. Leaning against the rail, I took a moment to myself while Jameson spoke with the crew.
After he was done, Jameson made his way to me. We stood there in silence, enjoying the calm of the night. Even though things weren’t going as planned, we still had each other, and that was all that mattered.
My feelings for Jameson had blossomed from heart flutters to overwhelming need in the last couple of months. I knew I would do anything for him and him for me. As my mind and heart sorted through the emotions, I knew exactly what I wanted to do next. We weren’t promised tomorrow, and I wanted to make sure Jameson knew exactly how I felt. I had already admitted it to myself, and it was time to say it out loud.
I turned around and pressed my hands to Jameson’s chest as he gazed down at me. His azure eyes pierced mine, making me feel like he could already see what I wanted to say. His fingers stroked my cheek as he leaned down to press his lips to mine.
I kissed him back briefly before pulling back. If I didn’t say it now, then I might not get the chance.
“I love you, Jameson. I have for a while now, and you probably already know, but I needed to say it, so there was no doubt.”
His smile melted my heart even further. “I love you, too. We don’t need words to know how we feel. Your actions speak louder than anything else. I would have said it sooner, but I didn’t want to overwhelm you. I knew it in my heart, and that’s all that mattered.”
Wrapping my arms around his neck, I let Jameson pick me up and carry me back to our room. He was partially right. We may not need words to know how we feel, but after hearing him say he loved me, I was happier than ever. I would cherish that moment for the rest of my life.
The following morning, Jameson and I checked in on Alice and Henry. The kids had already been fed and were doing well. Maggie had to be calmed down in the middle of the night when she woke up in a strange place, but apparently Henry handled it like a seasoned parent. Thankfully, she was still in early transition, and we didn’t have to deal with the full affects. I wasn’t sure how we would handle it when that time came, though.
After that, we went in search of Solomon. I was curious to know what else he had discovered from the new vampires, and if any of it would be helpful or believable. When Jameson had been with them the day before, none of them were very forthcoming except the older boy who didn’t seem to know a whole lot. He was mostly concerned with the children.
Solomon was already headed our way when we found him, walking through town with a stormy face.
“What happened?” Jameson asked.
“Prime threatened each of them with fates worse than death if they told me anything other than he was the one to turn them. None of them wanted to talk, since there are so few of us and a lot more pirates and vampires with Prime, but I finally convinced them that I would continue to train the group and teach them how to protect themselves.”
“What did they say after that?” I asked, impatient for Solomon to get to the point. He was visibly upset, and I needed to know why.
“Prime is going to chase after the other ships, and then he is headed here. We have three, maybe four, days to flee in the opposite direction, or prepare for a fight.”
I was hesitant to believe the information, but it sounded a lot like something Prime would do. We couldn’t ignore the threat, but running away didn’t sit right with me. The stronger my vampire side became, the more I felt the need to act. I no longer wanted to find safety and hide away. I wanted to stop the evil from spreading.
My eyes met Jameson’s and he nodded. He knew what I wanted without me needing to say the words, and I was grateful to have his support.
“We need to stay and fight. They might have the numbers, but Prime will be thrown off when he sees me alive. It could be just the distraction we need to beat him.” My chest tightened as I waited for Solomon to respond.
“Are you sure?” he asked, speaking more to Jameson than me, which made me want to punch him for the slight. I didn’t need men to make decisions for me. I was perfectly capable of knowing what was best for myself.
“If that’s what Lavinia wants, then yes, we’re sure. She has good intuition, and I trust her to make the right call. If you’d rather run, then we understand and won’t try to stop you.”
Jameson wrapped his arm around my waist, and I smiled at Solomon, once again waiting for his response as he glanced between the two of us. He thought Jameson would want to protect me, but it backfired. Jameson believed in me, and that meant more to me than anything in the world.
“If that’s what you both want, then we will stay. I’ll give the group of vampires the choice to leave in the same boat they arrived in, or train with us and fight. We won’t force anyone to face Prime and his men, so I expect you to give your crew the same courtesy.”
“Of course,” I responded. “We will begin training this afternoon, once we have spoken with our group.”
After finalizing the time and place, Jameson and I parted ways from Solomon. I raced Jameson back to the ship, but he won by less than a second.
“One day, I’ll beat you,” I heaved as we walked back onto the deck.
“I have no doubt about that.” He winked at me and it stole my breath.
We found Alice and Henry first, informing them of what we had learned, once we got them outside of the room and away from the kids.
“What about Maggie and Timothy? We don’t want to leave you, but we can’t risk them being caught in the crossfire again. It’s not fair to them,” Henry asked. The kids already had him wrapped around their fingers. It was sweet, and I completely understood his concerns.
“You are right, and as soon as we speak with the crew, we shall decide who will leave and when. We wanted to let the two of you know first, before the news traveled.”
Alice nodded. “We appreciate that. We’ll catch up tonight and decide then. Count us in for the training while we’re here. Henry and I can take turns being out there with you guys and staying here with the children. They might even want to come out and watch if that’s fine. I can tell Timothy is getting antsy being cooped up.”
I glanced at Jameson, wondering if it was a good idea, and let him make the decision.
“Once we’re all set up, I don’t see why they can’t join us. Maggie has done well with the two of you. If she was going to have any problems containing herself, I think it would have already surfaced. Just make sure to bring blood with you when you leave the room, in case she needs it.”
Alice beamed at Jameson’s words. When we finished with them, we called a crew meeting. Some members of the night shift were still sleeping, so we only met with half of them, but the responses were what we expected. These were Ruth’s people; they were hunters at heart even if they didn’t all have daggers.
“We’re in this together,” Robert assured. “They might have more numbers, but those pirates have no proper training. They can’t best us, no matter how many they bring.”
“I agree, we can handle this,” William added.
My gaze traveled to the others in the room, and nods went all around the table. “Very well. We’ll get things ready, and when the night crew wakes, we can fill them in. You guys can join us first.”
Jameson stood from the table, and I followed. There had been a small part of me that feared some of them might not want to stay, but now our problem would be letting some of them know they would have to leave. We couldn’t send Alice and Henry away with the kids without a team. A few of them would have to go as well.
There was a clearing beyond the forest that Solomon told us to use.
We collected swords and daggers, along with the few guns we had on the ship. Jameson set up the fighting area and marked the space off with oversized rocks. While he did that, I found targets and set them up on a fallen log.
Once the training space was situated, we headed back into town. Everything went quickly with my increased speed and strength, and I realized Jameson had been holding back for months. I had thought that maybe because he hadn’t drunk human blood, he wasn’t as fast as the other vampires we had encountered. Yet, now that I was his equal, he showed me what he was capable of. He tossed the boulders around the field as if they were nothing more than sacks of potatoes.
When we arrived back at the ship to check on the crew, Solomon met us out front. His face was grim, and I wanted to scream. We didn’t need more bad news.
“Is something wrong?” Jameson asked.
“The vampires aren’t doing as good as I hoped. None of them want to leave yet, but I don’t know that they’ll be much help against Prime. They can’t control their thirst without growing angry. Animal blood isn’t soothing the monsters inside, and they don’t seem to have a desire to be pure. Most of them lost loved ones on that ship, and they don’t have anything to fight for like you two do.”
I wanted to say, “I told you so”, but I refrained. Solomon didn’t need that, nor did he deserve it. He was doing his best, and I couldn’t fault him for Prime’s undertaking.
“What if I speak with them? It’s been a while since you’ve been in their shoes, and I might be able to relate to them more. Maybe help them find something worth fighting for,” Jameson offered.
My eyes bulged. “Absolutely not. I don’t like that idea.”
Jameson’s face softened. “They can’t hurt me, Lavinia. I promise it will be fine. If we can’t get them to calm down and help us, then we might as well leave now. Would you rather do that?”
I shook my head in frustration. I didn’t like those options: leave or put Jameson at risk. “If one of them puts a scratch on you, I can’t be held responsible for what my vampire side decides to do in retaliation.”
“It won’t come to that, but noted, nonetheless.” Jameson smiled before turning back to Solomon. “Where are they now?”
“On their ship. There wasn’t a house big enough to keep them all comfortably, so I thought it best to move them. Having them split up didn’t seem like a good idea.”
“Agreed. I’ll go speak with them. Why don’t you take Lavinia to train with you while I’m busy? Then, we can work with the groups after. We don’t have time to waste.”
I wanted to kick him. Solomon and I hadn’t been alone since I learned he was also Tobias—the man I had thought was my father. I wasn’t sure I was ready for whatever conversation might ensue if we were alone.
“I can do that. Come find us on the west beach when you’re done,” Solomon instructed, and Jameson disappeared after he gave me a quick kiss, whispering an apology in my ear.
My feet shifted as I waited for Solomon to say something, but he seemed just as uncertain as I was.
“What would you like to work on, or do you have any more questions for me?” he asked after a minute of awkward silence.
“No more questions for now.” Questions led to conversation, and I wanted to do as little talking as possible. “I’d prefer more hands-on training.”
The grin on his face made me a little nervous. “All right. Follow me.”
He disappeared in a blur, and it took me a second too long to realize the quick departure was part of his training. I needed to follow his scent. I lost him for a bit, but finally picked up his trail on the east side of the island, opposite from where he had told Jameson to find us. He probably did that just to throw me off, but I found him on a barren beach, relaxing against a boulder.
“Fail. If I was the enemy, I would have been long gone. You only found me because I stopped. Your reaction time is too slow.” His arm cocked back, and a rock came flying at my face.
Sidestepping it with no time to spare, I growled at him. “What was that for?”
“You asked for hands-on. This is what we’re starting with.”
Great, he was going to throw stuff at me all afternoon. Not exactly what I had in mind, but he had a point, and it meant little conversation could be had. He threw more rocks, then sticks and whatever else he could find. I began to tire from the quick movements, as there was no break in between, but I refused to be the first to quit.
After the fifth item hit me, Solomon decided to switch it up with hand-to-hand combat. I held my own for the most part, but also ate sand a few too many times. The sun was beginning to set, and I was worried about Jameson. He should have been back by now. I voiced as much to Solomon, worried that us being on the east side had confused Jameson.
Solomon nodded in agreement. “Let’s head back and see how things are going. He would have easily scented us if he had come looking.”
We raced along the beach and cut through the trees on the other side of the island. I could see each branch with clarity and marveled at my agility as I jumped with ease over a group of fallen trees. When we made it back, the group of vampires were on the deck of their ship, laughing and having a good time, but Jameson was nowhere to be seen.
“Where is Jameson?” Solomon asked when we got closer.
Joshua’s face pinched. “What do you mean? He left here over an hour ago and said he was coming to find you.”
My body tensed as I ran through all of the possible reasons he hadn’t come to us. When my eyes met Solomon’s, I knew he was thinking the worst as well.
Chapter 14
My feet moved before my brain processed what I was doing. I arrived at our ship, hoping Jameson had just been caught up with business with our crew. Maybe the night shift had woken and he was speaking with them, or something happened with Maggie and Timothy that caused his delay. Anything other than the dark thoughts that were circling through my mind.
With every step I took, my heart constricted more. I couldn’t sense Jameson anywhere on our ship, and I was beginning to lose hope. I ran into Henry and tried to sidestep him, but he managed to grasp my arm, his grip stronger than I expected.
“What’s going on?” he asked.
“Jameson is missing. He was supposed to meet me and Solomon, but he never showed. We thought he got waylaid, but nobody else has seen him, and I can’t sense him on the ship.” I spoke the words quickly and without pausing for a breath. It was a wonder that Henry understood me at all.
“Don’t worry. Whatever happened, I’m sure Jameson is fine. Try to focus on that. Let me tell Alice what’s going on, and I’ll help you look for him.”
“I can’t wait. I have to keep looking. I’m going to head west and search the beaches if you want to head east when you’re done. I’ll go around the island and meet you at some point.”
He nodded, and I wasted no more time. I took off and only stopped to tell Solomon my plans. He was going to search the buildings and the forest, then meet me back at the ships when he was done.
I could feel the claws of hysteria digging their way into my chest, but the only thought I could muster to console myself was that he was on the island somewhere. He had to be. Where else could he have gone? He wouldn’t leave without me.
The island zoomed by me in a blurring flash of colors. I kept trying to scent the air, hoping that if I caught his scent, I could follow it to wherever he was. Though, no matter how many inhales I took, I could not sense him anywhere, and it caused my chest to constrict even tighter.
“Lavinia,” a voice called out, and I slowed to a stop, looking around for the source. Henry stepped out from under the canopy of trees and moved quickly toward me on the beach. “Did you find anything?”
I shook my head at his question, noting that he was having a difficult time meeting my eyes, and I suspected that they must have turned solid red again.
“I didn’t find any sign of him on this side, either,” Henry admitted slowly, while keeping a non-threa
tening posture. He must have sensed how volatile I felt, like I could explode and attack at any moment.
Solomon suddenly appeared on Henry’s other side, seeming far too calm for the situation, and I bit back the immediate retort that surfaced to my mind.
“There’s no sign of him in the town or the forest beyond,” he informed us, looking from Henry to me.
“We haven’t seen any sign of him on the beaches, either,” Henry answered for me, running his hand through his russet-colored hair.
“Can you sense him anywhere?” Solomon asked, turning to me.
My gaze met his, and I had the sudden urge to pull my lips back and hiss at him. If I could sense Jameson, I would be by his side within moments. “I can’t feel him anywhere,” I replied instead.
“There isn’t anywhere for him to go unless he started to swim, but I can’t see him leaving by choice without letting any of us know,” Solomon reasoned, while Henry nodded his head in agreement.
“What other possibility is there?” I snapped. Nervous energy was taking over my body, making me want to run and kill something. Something dark swirled within me, and I wanted nothing more than to unleash it.
“Do you suspect foul play?” Henry asked.
I bounced on the balls of my feet. With every passing day, my vampire side became stronger. I doubted I would be able to control my emotions if Jameson was truly missing.
“Jameson’s scent trail leads away from the ship with the new vampires. I thought maybe he had gone to see the night crew about the updates, but when I asked, they said he never made it there. Something had to have happened between the two ships,” Solomon concluded.
“Are you suggesting that someone came onto the island, without our knowledge, and took him?” I snapped, hating the very thought that someone could get past us so easily.
“There is no other option that I can see.” Solomon was too calm about the situation, which made me want to punch him in the face.
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