“He passed away a couple of years ago. Another hunter finished the last entry, expressing how Cassien was following his dagger toward what was supposed to be a small group of vampires, but in fact was much larger, and it ended up being his downfall. He was ambushed,” Jameson admitted, his smile faltering. “I would have loved to meet him.”
“Well, it’s fortunate that his journals had been kept safe, so other hunters could learn from him. He didn’t die in vain.” Placing my hand on his larger one, I gave it a squeeze and picked up one of the books. I found myself wondering where we would even start, and how far Jameson had already gotten on his own. “Have you taken any notes on the different aspects?”
Jameson shook his head, a slight blush coloring his cheeks. “I’m much better at reading than I am at writing. I have most of the process I could find marked on the pages, but I’m missing something. I’m hoping your fresh eyes will find what I haven’t.”
“All right, where do you want me to start?” He pushed two journals toward me, and I could see pieces of scrap parchment marking the pages he mentioned.
I grabbed one of them, opening the book to the first passage that Jameson had flagged, backtracking a couple pages so I could understand as I began to read.
The writing was very dry, and at times repetitive, but I found myself engrossed by Cassien’s thoughts. Jameson was right. He had been a brilliant man who had many ideas on how to turn the tide in the war against vampires to our favor. He was able to accomplish a couple, before the very things he had dedicated his life to ridding the world of killed him.
Cassien mentioned vampire venom several times in the passages that Jameson had marked. He had believed that the venom was the key component to making, and potentially ending, vampires. I was surprisingly sad for the stranger; he would never know if his assumptions had been correct.
“Jameson…” I called, looking up from reading a passage where Cassien described how he felt when he had bonded to his blade. “What does it feel like training to be a hunter and bonding to a hunter’s blade?”
“Solomon says that every hunter’s bond is a unique experience. I can share mine with you, but it will likely be different for you.”
Curiosity increased inside me, and I nodded, encouraging him to continue.
“When Solomon arrived to train us, he was tough and very focused on the task at hand. He tested everyone that Pierce had picked, but only a few passed—including me. For weeks, we trained in weaponry, hand-to-hand combat, and worked our bodies into the perfect weapons Pierce wanted. He would wake us up in the middle of the night and drill us on everything we had learned. He made us fight each other, even while exhausted and disoriented from lack of sleep. It might sound cruel to some, but he was preparing us for the type of creatures we were to fight. We had to be combat-ready at any time, be able to shake off sleep in a moment’s notice, rely on ourselves over weapons. Because without a hunter’s dagger, all other weapons against a vampire would fail.”
Even though Solomon hadn’t been there for me, I was glad to know he had been out there aiding others. It helped ease some of the angst I felt toward him when Jameson spoke of his good doings.
“After I trained with the few who were chosen, I would sneak off and show others what I had learned. I wanted everyone to be able to fight and defend themselves, not just the strongest ones Pierce had deemed suitable. Alice was one of my first students, then Nathan and Henry joined us. I didn’t think Solomon would approve of me teaching others, so I didn’t tell him, but he’s a hard man to keep a secret from. I thought he would be upset, beat me bloody, or kick me out of his team, but he didn’t. Instead, he encouraged me to continue, saying that I showed a true hunter’s spirit. I didn’t know what it meant at the time. I thought he had been grooming us to protect Pierce.
“Eventually, the truth of Pierce’s plans became clear and Solomon had to leave, but before he left, he offered a dagger to our group. I was the only one the blade called to, and I was drawn to it almost immediately. I couldn’t take my eyes off the powerful piece, and the inscription fascinated me. He dismissed everyone else and explained what I was feeling. The dagger had chosen me to wield it. He handed it to me, and when my fingers wrapped around the hilt, the connection occurred painlessly. I was completely open in my intentions and it was like the dagger knew them, could see them, and it approved.”
A chill raced across my skin as Jameson continued to tell his story. I had known about his upbringing as the son of a plantation worker, who followed in his father’s footsteps, and of his sister who died of influenza. But this was something life-changing. I could feel the passion and duty he felt as a hunter through his words.
“Later that day, after Solomon had warned me about what would come next—and before he disappeared—I was bitten by Pierce, in the hopes that I would turn into the ultimate weapon. I kept the dagger a secret, but I feared it wouldn’t accept me any longer—I had become what it was created to destroy. When the transition began, the connection to the dagger didn’t leave me. Instead, it remained a constant companion; it helped me through the first several hours when the hunger was at its strongest. I ran into you later that night, and with you in my arms, I felt like I could breathe again.”
I gripped his hand and squeezed, even more grateful for him, but I was also sad to know that he had endured so much to get to the point he was at.
“That’s incredible,” I offered, my voice squeaking a bit as I tried to reel in my emotions.
“It feels like a lifetime ago.” He gave me a small smile that put a dimple on display. “I know that you have your issues with Solomon, and I respect them, but he gave me what I needed to survive after being bitten. He helped me become the hunter I am today, as have you. He isn’t bad, Lavinia. He’s made mistakes, because down to his very core, he’s still human.”
“I’m trying. It’s just harder now. I don’t want to get hurt again if he decides to disappear. I know his heart had been in the right place when he left, but whatever his intentions were, it can’t erase the pain.”
“Give it time. As vampires, that’s one thing we seem to have an abundance of,” he admitted, reaching across the table to caress my cheek.
I didn’t mention that though it seemed like we had plenty of time—with us being immortal vampires—it felt to me like our clock was ticking down until Prime made a move. After spending time with him, I knew that his next decision would be bloody and full of death.
We returned to reading the journals, but my mind continued to run, thinking of everything that Jameson had said. It made me see Solomon in a new light, and I knew deep down that I would eventually forgive him. I just wasn’t sure when that would happen.
Deeply lost in my own thoughts, I had to read a passage three times before the words finally sank in, and I realized that I might have found something.
“Jameson, have you ever heard of the ‘blood of the sea’?”
He shook his head. “Why? What did you find?”
I wasn’t sure how to answer him, but the darkness within me reared up as I repeated the passage over in my head.
“If we need magic to find the Sea Witch, then we need to figure out what the blood of the sea is before it’s too late.”
Chapter 3
My fingers traced the words as I thought about what Cassien had meant when he wrote them. He spoke of an idea to combine the magic of the blood with a bonded dagger, but nothing was written about whose blood it was or where to find it.
Once again, we were looking for something we didn’t know how to find, and I was frustrated, but at least this time I was certain we were moving in the right direction. My instincts had guided me well thus far, and I wasn’t going to deny them now. At least, I’d try not to.
“I know you were excited about forging a new dagger, but I don’t think that’s the direction we need to take anymore. It led us to this information, so it definitely helped, but I think this is what we need to focus on next.” I pointed to the entry
and slid the book across the table to him.
He read the words, and a crease formed between his eyes as he searched the rest of the page. I silently waited and hoped he would come to the same conclusion as I had, or at least trust my instinct.
Closing the book, his eyes met mine. “Should we ask Solomon if he knows anything about it? I read all of that before, but none of it held any importance to me, so I dismissed it. I knew having your eyes on the books would be a good thing.”
Nodding, I smiled at him. “It might not have held importance before, but the darkness within me is telling me it does now.”
His face turned serious and full of concern as his brow knitted together again. “Do you trust it?”
I opened my mouth to answer “yes” but then closed it. The darkness was a part of me, and I tried to accept it, but I did fear its power. I didn’t know for certain if it was pushing me toward the blood of the sea for good or bad reasons, but if I couldn’t trust what was inside me, could I even trust myself? All of a sudden, I began to doubt everything, and I didn’t like it at all.
“I don’t know,” I answered honestly, holding back the tears of frustration that wanted to fall.
Jameson walked around the table and wrapped his arms around me. “Don’t worry. We will figure it out together.”
His hand reached for mine, pulling me from my seat, while his other grabbed the book before leading us out of the room. My mind whirled with new questions I didn’t like, and whatever certainty I previously had about my instincts diminished while I fought for control of the darkness.
We found Henry and Alice in the dining area, carrying food that was likely lunch for the children. “How is Maggie?” I asked.
“She’s doing as well as can be expected,” Alice answered. “I took Timothy to her when she woke, and she calmed considerably.”
“Can we trust her with Timothy anymore?” I hated asking, but it was a reality we needed to confront. We couldn’t afford to just hope for the best.
Henry nodded. “I believe we can, but it’s not fair to keep him locked in a room with her all day, every day. Finding the balance for them both is going to be the hardest part, until we can figure out how to calm her emotions.”
The kitchen door swung open, and Evander walked in with a smirk gracing his scarred face. “Lavinia knows how to make Maggie better.”
My gaze met his, eyes narrowing. “What are you talking about?”
“Really?” He raised his hand and pointed to his head. “You can control her.”
I shook my head furiously. “I can’t try compulsion on a child! What if I hurt her? Just because it worked once and nobody got hurt, doesn’t mean it will happen again.”
Evander took three paces toward me before realizing his mistake. Jameson’s chest rumbled in warning. Thankfully, he knew better than to test Jameson, so he stopped.
“Your fear is going to be the death of all your loved ones.” Evander spun on his heel, disappearing back into the kitchen.
Not knowing how to respond to his statement, I just stood there. He had a point. I needed to get a handle on my own abilities, or I would be too much of a liability to help take down Prime. Even though my powers had grown, I had only grazed the surface of what I could do and avoided any abilities that made me face my vampire side. Sucking in a breath and closing my eyes, I tried to rein in what was swirling within me.
Voices danced around me, but I blocked them out as it took every ounce of concentration to focus. The darkness was getting stronger with each passing day, and Evander pressuring me was making it worse. It felt like its own entity, trying to take control of me.
My body shook when strong hands gripped my shoulders. “Lavinia!”
Forcing my eyes open, I met Jameson’s concerned ones. “I’m sorry.” He pulled me closer, stroking my hair.
“I’m fine. You have nothing to be sorry for. What happened?” Turning my head, I found Alice and Henry standing next to us, both equally as worried as Jameson.
“It was nothing,” I assured them. “Sometimes it’s harder to control my vampire side than I realize. Evander bringing up compulsion caused me to lose a little bit of control, but I’m fine now. I promise.”
Alice stepped forward. “We would never ask you to do something you weren’t comfortable with. If you don’t think it’s safe to help Maggie with compulsion, then we trust your decision. It hadn’t even been something that crossed our minds until Evander said it. But he’s right about one thing. You need to face whatever is inside you now, before we leave the island.”
Nodding, I lowered my head. I knew they were right, but it didn’t make it any easier. We had too many problems coming at us, and I didn’t know how to handle all of them together. Prime could be coming for us any day, and we didn’t have enough hunters on the island to stand a chance against him. Furthermore, we had no weapon to kill him with, even if we had the numbers to fight his army.
The need to find the Sea Witch and the Obsidian Caves continued to frustrate me, and now we had to figure out what the blood of the sea was. The swirling darkness could sense my imminent breakdown and was taking advantage of me being so overwhelmed.
Jameson proceeded to explain to them what we found in the journals and where we were headed. He asked if they wanted to join us, but they were unable.
“We’re going to go check on the children and bring them food. Let us know when you need us.” Henry grabbed Alice’s hand while she offered me a smile.
Once they were gone, Jameson pulled me from the dining area and led me outside. When the sun reached me, I sucked in a deep breath, letting the warm rays soothe the anxiety racing through me. We kept walking to the beach and took a seat in the sand, just out of reach from the shallow waves.
“Talk to me,” Jameson whispered as he grabbed my hand.
Running my free hand through my hair, I took another deep breath to steady myself before beginning. If I had any chance of moving forward, I needed to talk about my issues, and I had done a terrible job of it as of late. It was time to face who I really was.
“My vampire side is growing. You’ve seen me getting faster and physically stronger, but there are other changes I haven’t told you about yet.”
“Whatever it is, we can handle it together.”
Pulling my hand from his touch, I wrapped my arms around my knees and stared out into the open sea. “That other side of me has taken on its own thoughts, constantly urging me to do more with my powers, but I don’t know how to tell if it’s good or bad. When I used the compulsion on Evander, I was a completely different person for a short time, because you were missing. I didn’t care about anything other than getting you back and killing Prime. I was dangerous. I’m afraid if I use it again, I won’t be able to find my way back to who I am.”
“People are constantly changing, and that’s not always a bad thing. You don’t have to be afraid of change, Lavinia. It is to be expected. And it’s not always going to be easy, but we will get through it together. Unfortunately, you’re not like most vampires, and your journey is going to be harder than others, but I know you can handle it.”
I hesitated on the next part. There was one other thing I had to tell him, something I had yet to even acknowledge myself, but he should know in case I lost control. I needed to be certain that someone would keep others around me safe if I could no longer be trusted.
“Blood has called to me lately,” I murmured, ashamed.
Jameson lifted my head toward his with a grin on his face. “Don’t sound so mortified. There’s nothing wrong with the cravings. I actually expected it to happen sooner. We can get you animal blood.”
He didn’t understand what I meant. I had been around Jameson when he drank his animal blood and it repulsed me. The blood that called to me was that of my friends. Human blood.
Using my eyes, I pleaded with him to understand my thoughts without me having to express them with words, but he didn’t, and it forced me to admit something I didn’t want.
“I don’t know that I want to drink animal blood.”
“Oh,” was all he said.
I tucked my head into my knees, so I didn’t have to see the disappointment in his eyes. Tears streaked down my cheeks as I silently cried over my inability to be normal. I couldn’t even be a regular vampire.
I was different.
Broken.
“Lavinia, look at me,” Jameson demanded, but I refused.
His hands sneaked under my chin, forcing my face up, and he used his thumbs to wipe the tears from my cheeks. “There is nothing wrong with you. I told you earlier about bonding with my dagger, but I only skimmed over the time before I found you. There was a reason I was alone. I didn’t trust myself around the others. The animal blood is definitely an acquired taste, but one I know you can handle, especially if we mix it with something else your first time.”
I felt awful that his previous suffering made me feel better, but I couldn’t deny that it did. “Thank you for sharing that. It means a lot.”
“There isn’t anything I wouldn’t do for you, Lavinia. You just have to let me know what you need, so I can help you. Don’t let the darkness steal your light. I can see what it’s doing to you, and you have to fight it.”
I nodded. “I’m sorry I didn’t say something sooner. I thought it would just go away.”
“There’s a lot I didn’t tell you at first, either, so I understand.”
We sat there silently while I focused on all of my admissions, as well as the darkness within. It was calmer now that I wasn’t carrying all my burdens on my own, and I wished I had voiced my concerns sooner.
Nathan came to find us a short time later; his presence worried me, along with the racing of his heart—I could hear it even from the distance between us.
“What’s wrong?” Jameson asked.
“Alice and Henry were telling me about what you found in the books, and Lavinia’s theory to find the blood of the sea instead. We didn’t know he was listening.”
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