Just as we arrived at the end of the path, claws sank into my wrist while my arm was wrenched back at an awkward angle. The two from the side of the building attacked Jameson while I dealt with a third one we hadn’t seen hiding so close.
“Are you ready to come home?” The vampire’s breath moved across my neck.
“Not a chance in hell.” Slamming my head into his, I knocked my attacker off balance and kicked his feet out, watching in satisfaction as he fell to the dirt. “Where is Prime hiding?” My boot pressed against his neck as my claws extended, ready for a fight.
His response was gargled, so I loosened my hold ever so slightly, thinking he might be helpful, but I should have known better.
The vampire was on his feet within half a second, and his fist slammed into my face. “You’ll only find Prime when we take you to him in chains.” His snarl was aggressive as spittle landed on my face, but it didn’t stop me.
“Fine, have it your way.” My vampire abilities surged forward as strength and speed consumed me. With one swift movement, I raked my claws across his face and plunged my dagger into the vampire’s chest.
His eyes widened, making me assume Prime hadn’t warned any of his new recruits that I could kill them. When the body began to turn to ash, I pulled the blade back out and turned, ready to continue the fight, but the rest of our crew was simply standing there, waiting for me.
“Nobody wanted to step in and help out?” I asked with a slight smile, considering they stood there as if they didn’t have a care in the world.
“We just didn’t want to interrupt when you were almost done. This group might have been prepared with where to hide and how to attack, but they were merely a distraction. None of them had been properly trained, and they were easily taken down. We figured we’d let you have your fun with that one. Though, I didn’t expect you to let him get a hit in.” Jameson’s mouth downturned.
“Well, that hadn’t been planned.” I rubbed my cheek, and then checked my wrist where the vampire had sunk his claws into my skin. The blood had already crusted over the wound and was only mildly tender to the touch. Thank you, vampire healing abilities.
“We need to keep going if you’re all right, Lavinia,” Evander urged, while his eyes continued to scan the area. “I don’t think Prime will waste too many more of his men, but we can’t be certain. Though, he likely would have thought his ships would have been able to stop us from even getting to land so fast. Nobody could have predicted the kraken showing up.”
Glancing back toward the sea, there were less cannons going off, but more smoke plumes in the sky. We were too far inland and not high enough to tell whose ships were on fire, though.
Shaking off the dark thoughts that it could be some of ours, we pushed forward. When we arrived at the first section of buildings, we paused, hoping to pick up any sounds, but there was nothing to tell us what we would be walking into once we entered the structures.
Staying within eyesight of each other, we moved, but we were soon broken into groups once again. Jameson refused to leave my side, so Evander led another team into the house while Neil and William joined the two of us.
I hated that Neil was here with us; he was too young for war, but Prime had made sure he’d never have a normal life the day he turned all the people on the ship Solomon had sent from the island, including Maggie. Neil had kept a good attitude and remained pure with genuine intention.
William was still a hunter and a damn good one. He was currently standing crouched at my side, two venom-laced blades in his hands. His eyes met mine as he scanned the hallway we were entering, and I gave him a nod to continue. If he wanted to take the lead, I wouldn’t hold him back.
Floors creaked up ahead, but there was no commotion as I saw the last member of Evander’s group turn the corner. We sped up, trusting the area in front of us was clear, but when we came around the corner, neither Evander nor any of the others with him could be seen.
“Where did they go?” I hissed in frustration.
“Listen.” Jameson held up his hand.
It took a moment, but I finally heard the grunts and beginnings of a brawl. We moved with cautious haste, as to not leave William behind, but when the fighting got louder, Neil suggested Jameson and I race ahead while the two of them followed right behind us. I didn’t like it, but we had no idea what kind of trouble Evander was in and couldn’t afford to waste a moment.
Jameson took my hand in his and we practically flew down the hallway toward a large open room. Six vampires were attacking, and these ones had a lot more training than the previous group we encountered.
Without thought, we jumped into action. Jameson went left, and I turned right with my dagger in hand as my primary weapon—I also had a venom blade. There would be no hoping these vampires would talk.
One caught me advancing and charged. I lifted my dagger, but he side-stepped me, landing a jab to my ribs before twisting out of the way. I dropped the venom blade and readjusted my hold on my hunter’s dagger. The lewd bloodsucker was going to pay for my bruised rib.
My head snapped up as my body spun to ready for another attack. When I met the vampire’s eyes, I recognized my assailant. He had been in the galley the day I was attacked and almost dragged away while on Prime’s ship. He had done nothing when his friend tried to hurt me. Forget my bruised rib. He would pay for his lack of respect.
Darkness consumed me and I blurred forward, slamming my dagger into the side of his neck. Gargling noises came from his throat, but they didn’t faze me. He deserved to die.
Snatching my weapon, I turned back to grab the one I had dropped, but it wasn’t on the floor where I knew it had been a moment ago. My eyes quickly searched for it, hoping one of our people had grabbed it, but I wasn’t that lucky. The glint of metal caught my eyes, moving across the room toward Neil and William, who had just entered the fight. My heart sank.
“Stop!” I sent out my compulsion, but it was too late. While the vampire froze on the spot, the blade had already hit its mark.
Neil’s eyes widened in shock, fear, and then acceptance, all within a split second. Time seemed to slow down as I raced to his side.
“I’m so sorry.” I held his hand as his body began to turn to ash. My eyes stayed locked on his until they were no more. By that time, the fight had ended, and more of Prime’s vampires were dead, but so was one of ours, and that wasn’t fine with me.
“Lavinia,” Jameson called hesitantly.
When I turned to him, I knew what he would see. Pure wrath and crimson eyes.
“Let’s go.” My voice was hard. I didn’t want to talk about it. I wanted to find Prime and rip out his heart.
Neil didn’t deserve to die. He never asked for this life. He had been fleeing to safety, and Prime stole that from him. He would pay for that and so much more. I was done using caution. All of my humanity and practical thought was overshadowed by the loss of one of our own.
I could feel Jameson behind me, offering his silent support. He didn’t try to convince me to slow down. He understood, and I was more than grateful I wouldn’t have to hold it against him for trying to stop me.
The remainder of the building was empty, and we quickly moved on to the next one. Three structures later and ten more of Prime’s vampires dead, we arrived at the last one in the section we were covering.
Pausing outside the door, we listened for Solomon and his group, but we couldn’t decipher his voice or scent through all of the destruction. We were closer to the beach now, and that gave us the ability to check on Catherine and the other ships. Each of them was accounted for, which made me breathe a little easier, but we still had no idea how many of the hunters and vampires had survived the attacks.
The only saving grace was that they appeared to be headed inland, so the fight at sea must be mostly over. Prime was becoming vastly outnumbered, and I wondered if he knew his end was near.
As I turned back toward the last building we were going to check, my eyes focused on
my target. Prime stood in the entryway, eyes glaring at me.
“I’m disappointed it took you so long to arrive. Maybe you’re not as strong as I thought you to be.”
He was trying to taunt me, but I wouldn’t let him affect me.
“Maybe you shouldn’t have been a coward, and faced us when we arrived instead,” I countered.
“I can see that you’re angry, Lavinia, but there’s no need. This is your journey, and it’s time for you to accept who you were born to be. We need to bring your mother home. Don’t disappoint her.”
“You are the only disappointment here.” I snarled and acted on instinct.
I could hear Jameson and Evander calling for me, but I was past the ability to listen to reason. The plan we had in place went out the door the moment he brought my mother into the conversation. He had no right to speak of her after he took her away from me, and I would make sure he knew it.
Grabbing one of my extra blades, I blurred over the sand and slashed his thigh with my venom-laced dagger as I moved low to avoid his grasp. Turning back around, I tossed Jameson’s dagger back toward where he last stood and pulled another venom one from my pocket.
Moving in again while Prime was still hissing over the first cut, I aimed for his side and chest. When I was within striking distance, his head snapped up at me, and a wicked smile graced his face.
“You’re lucky I need you.”
“No, I’m lucky I’m stronger than you,” I retorted.
Other vampires descended on our group, and everyone began battling at least one of them. Resuming my focus on Prime, I threw my blades out, but only one of them made contact. Prime’s hand caught my forearm, breaking it from the sound and pain that radiated from it.
A roar ripped from my chest as his other hand clasped my throat. “Did you really think you could beat me? You might be able to turn my people against me, but nobody can ever stop me from getting what I want.”
Struggling to breathe, I glanced toward the others and wondered if I had made a mistake letting Prime’s taunting get to me. If I hadn’t, then there was a chance Jameson and Evander would have been right by my side. Instead, Jameson was battling two vampires, unable to come for me as Prime choked the air out of me, and Evander was nowhere in sight.
“Why? Why couldn’t you have been happy with the life you weren’t meant to have?” I asked through the pain.
“My only happiness was with Susanna, and I won’t stop until I have her back. Isn’t that what you want? Or are you a selfish daughter who only cares about herself?”
With every word he spoke, his anger increased and his hold tightened around my neck. Spots began to prick at my eyes, and I knew if I passed out before biting him, we would never get another chance to stop him.
Something hard slammed into my back, and I crumbled to the ground. My vision blurred as I struggled to breathe again. When I did, I saw Evander fighting Prime and, just like before, I was mere seconds too late.
Prime had overpowered Evander, taking one of his venom-laced blades. Prime’s eyes glanced down at mine as the dagger slid into Evander’s chest.
He sneered at me. “How many more people are you willing to lose before you give up?”
Chapter 18
There was no time to answer Prime’s question. Solomon joined the fight at the same time Catherine’s ship finally arrived at the port, but the most surprising of all was the reappearance of the kraken.
Its tentacles slid onto the beach, and I thought the Sea Witch had changed her mind about interfering, but instead of taking Prime, it took Evander—who I was expecting would turn to ash at any moment. Except that didn’t happen. Evander disappeared in the blink of an eye, along with the kraken. Before grief could consume me, I let my swirling darkness block out the pain, knowing the Sea Witch would give him a proper sendoff while we defeated his killer.
My attention focused back on Prime, who wore a look of shock at seeing the kraken. Jameson was at my side, and I read his intentions. It was time to finish Prime. I couldn’t risk the lives of any more of my loved ones.
Catherine jumped down from the front of her ship—her gaze had been locked on Evander’s body before it disappeared into the waves of the surf. When her eyes found their way to me, they were crimson, and the ruthless emotion I saw in them was enough to make a shiver rush down my spine.
She blurred and was suddenly across from me. With Jameson beside me, Solomon stood on my other side, and Henry stepped into the open space across from Jameson. We had Prime surrounded.
It had been mere seconds since the kraken had taken Evander’s body, but it felt like an eternity. Seeing the beast and Catherine up close seemed to have stunned Prime. I didn’t know much about their background, only the little Evander had told me, but there was definitely history. Though, none of that mattered now. All that mattered was ending our waking nightmare before any more deaths could happen.
“Let’s end this, once and for all,” Solomon hissed.
“You could bring a hundred hunters and vampires to fight me, and you would still lose, Lavinia. Stop this nonsense and I will let your friends live, as long as you do as I ask.” Prime lowered his stance, preparing for our attack.
He was only trying to postpone the inevitable, and it wasn’t going to work.
We all rushed at Prime at the same time. He turned toward the weakest of us and swiftly backhanded Henry, sending him sailing into the sand. My heart clenched in my chest, hoping he was all right but unable to check on him. From the corner of my eye, I saw a glint and noted that Henry had dropped his dagger when he was thrown across the beach.
Prime turned toward Solomon, who had his dagger raised and ready.
“You deserve to die last for all the trouble you have caused me, but now works, too.” Prime sneered as he tried to sidestep, but he wasn’t quick enough, and Solomon’s blade sank into his shoulder.
As Prime roared in pain from my venom, Catherine came at him from behind, thrusting her laced blade through his back. Though he was immune to hunter blades, I could quickly see the effect my venom was having on him. It was minuscule, but he was slowing down. We needed to finish him before he had the chance to regain his strength.
Prime arched his back. “I will not be defeated!”
“You should have been happy with your lot in life, and that might have been true,” I spat in response. “Instead, you chose your own petty needs over being a decent man, and for that you will pay.”
Jameson lunged forward as Catherine and Solomon yanked their weapons from Prime’s body. I felt my gums ache with the pressure of built up venom, and the descent of my fangs. They were ready, and so was I as I followed after Jameson.
Jameson’s fist slammed into Prime’s jaw, making a cracking sound as I lunged forward and attempted to bite him. When he shook me off, Catherine grabbed one of Prime’s arms, locking it in place as Solomon did the same with his other arm, so I could try again.
Faster than my eye could follow, Jameson was suddenly behind Prime trying to help hold him still before I attempted to bite again. Jameson wrapped his arm around Prime’s throat while his other hand grasped his hair, keeping his fangs from snapping forward. When they were in position, I moved back in for the bite, this time breaking skin, but before my venom could be released, I was pushed away by Catherine.
When I regained my stance, I saw why she had done so.
Using the position Prime was locked in, his head snapped back hard and fast, knocking Jameson’s hold loose. He used the element of surprise to yank his arm from Catherine, pulling his own blade from a side pocket. Whirling around, he plunged the weapon into Jameson’s chest, whose eyes widened in shock.
“Death is all you will ever bring to those around you, Lavinia,” Prime sneered.
Without pausing to understand the gravity of what had just happened, my body responded, not needing conscious thought to finish what needed to be done. If I truly acknowledged Jameson being stabbed, I wasn’t sure I would have been able
to do what was necessary.
Catherine regained her hold on the monster while Solomon sliced his own blade across Prime’s throat, making sure he could no longer speak.
Prime started to laugh, but it turned into a gurgling sound from the most recent wound he had been dealt. My hand felt empty without a dagger, but I didn’t need one. The only weapons I needed were my venom and fangs. As I approached the father of all vampires, I prepared myself to kill him.
Movement caught my attention, and I saw Henry making his way toward me, his once discarded dagger in hand. He had blood dripping from his temple and his skin was pale, but he looked all right considering the blow he had been given. He handed me the dagger, seeming to know that I would feel more comfortable with it in my hand even if I didn’t need it.
I nodded my thanks and before I could think anymore, I let my darkness consume me. With swift movements, I stood before Prime, following the urges of the power within me. I sent a silent prayer to the Sea Witch that this would work just as my fangs sank into his chest—right over where his heart should have been, if he truly had one.
His pathetic attempts to continue fighting back ceased as my sharp teeth pierced his skin and venom flowed into him. Coppery blood filled my mouth, but I didn’t swallow. Instead, I let it drip from my mouth. I didn’t want any part of him inside me.
Venom continued to flow from my fangs as I let my natural instinct guide me. Prime’s body began to jerk against me, but I held on fiercely. When the jolting stopped and the darkness pulled back, I knew it was safe to withdraw my fangs.
Prime fell to his knees, his chest heaving, while everyone took a step back. I wiped the blood from my mouth, and my fangs retreated as I watched the monster, who was supposed to be my father, be overcome by the gift he had been given long ago.
His skin shriveled until he resembled the starving vampires we had encountered all those weeks ago. Red eyes met my own, and I observed with complete detachment as they slowly faded until they became brown—the same shade as mine.
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