Taking a seat at the table, I sat stiffly while Jameson claimed the spot beside me and Tobias sat across from us. Alice handed me a cup of tea, which I gladly accepted in hopes of calming my raging emotions.
The cup shook in my hands from the aftereffects of what had transpired. We were all sitting at a table in awkward silence. Jameson’s arm wrapped around my back, holding me against his side as I sipped the hot tea, and my shawl suddenly settled onto my shoulders once more.
Glancing up, my eyes met Alice’s concerned face. “You dropped it in the commotion.”
“Thank you.”
She settled back into her seat next to Henry while I cast my gaze back to Tobias, more than ready for answers now that everyone was situated.
“Tobias? Or should I call you Solomon?” I managed to keep the emotion from my voice, as if I was talking to a complete stranger instead of a long lost relative.
“I understand. I think Solomon would make things easier for everyone else. It’s all I’ve gone by for the last fifteen years.”
“Fine, then. Solomon, did you know what I was when you left me?”
He shook his head. “I knew who your blood father was, but you never showed any signs of abilities. Your mother and I assumed you were human as you grew up normally. It’s the only reason I never came back for you. The life I was about to lead was not one for an innocent child. I remained secluded from people for almost a year until I got a handle on what I had become after your mother died. I have yet to kill a human and have trained others like Jameson to live the same way over the years.”
“So, you thought leaving me with Uncle David and Aunt May was better?”
“Did Aunt May not care for you?” he asked in surprise. “When I checked in on you, the two of you seemed happy together. I did not realize David would be so resentful. I truly am sorry you felt unwelcome in their home. If I had known, I would have come for you. I never wanted this life for you, but it seems it was inevitable.”
Watching his face and body movements while listening to his words caused me mixed feelings. He seemed sincere in his words, and his tense cold stare was no longer present. In its place were the warm hazel eyes I used to stare into when he tucked me into bed. His face was free of wrinkles, as if he hadn’t aged a day since I last saw him. His dark hair was shorter but still the same deep chestnut I remembered.
Shaking off the memories, I continued with my questions. I couldn’t let the past cloud what needed to be done in the present.
“What did you think would happen to me when you realized Pierce was working with the vampires? Didn’t you think it would be a good idea to come for me then? Didn’t you want to protect your daughter?” My voice rose on the last question. I couldn’t help it. I would never understand why he didn’t come for me, no matter the explanation, but my curiosity made it so I couldn’t help but ask.
“Pierce never disclosed his full plans to me, and by the time I realized what was happening, I thought you were dead.” He paused, his eyes darkening at whatever he was remembering. “I did come for you, Lavinia. Your home was my last stop on the island. When I arrived, it was engulfed in flames, and I didn’t think there was any way for you to have survived. Now, I understand.”
Damn, I hadn’t expected that answer. It didn’t justify him being gone all those years after he got his thirst under control, but hearing him say he tried to come for me softened my rage a bit. Though, I was nowhere near done with my questions, and he didn’t need to know how much it meant to me that he had tried.
“What do you understand? What do you know about me?”
I glanced at Jameson before Solomon answered. His face glowed with pride as he watched me control the conversation. I was beginning to feel like his equal, instead of a damsel needing to be rescued. Squeezing his hand, I also searched out Alice and Henry. They kept their eyes on Solomon, which I appreciated. No matter who he was to me or what he said, we didn’t know if we could fully trust him.
As my eyes landed back on Solomon, his face pinched in frustration. “I didn’t know until now. The Sea Witch spoke in riddles every time she found me. Even now, I can’t be certain, but if I am right, you could potentially become the most lethal vampire in all of existence.”
“What do you mean by ‘lethal’?” Jameson asked, tension filling his body once more.
“The Sea Witch told me of a child who would one day grow to be our salvation or our greatest enemy. The child’s venom would be the purest man had ever known. Though, how it would be used wasn’t certain. The witch never told me the child’s name, nor if it was a boy or girl. I had never suspected it could be you, but with what I am piecing together now, I believe you’re that child.”
My lips moved, but no words came out as I tried to process his words. I couldn’t understand how I could be their enemy. Was it possible for me to one day choose Prime over Jameson? I didn’t think it was, but I also had no idea what the future held, and Solomon’s explanation caused doubt to seep into me.
“Where is the Sea Witch now?” I asked, ignoring his other words. I wasn’t ready to dissect what they truly meant for me.
“I don’t know. I have only met her three times in the last fifteen years. The first time being when I was thrown off the ship by Prime, believing I would die. I had just been turned, and she had mercy on me. She told me I had the option to be pure, and not like the monster who had killed my wife and left me for dead. She said if I chose the right path, she would find me again. A year later, she presented herself to me in a different form and gifted me with the hunter’s daggers. That was also when she told me of the prophecy.”
“When was the third time?” Henry asked.
“A year ago. She mentioned the tides were changing, and we needed more pure vampires to fight the darkness that was headed for our islands. I was able to sway some to be like myself, but Jameson is the only true success I have had. It’s why I began focusing on the hunters again, and I haven’t been easy to locate. I needed an army of my own, and pure vampires weren’t easy to come by.”
“So, what does it mean that I am a ‘pure vampire’?” Jameson asked.
We had already speculated about Jameson’s differences when he didn’t die after he killed Pierce, his maker, but the other vampires around us did. It couldn’t hurt to hear what Solomon thought on the matter. The more he spoke, though, the more I wanted to find this Sea Witch. I wondered what exactly she was capable of and how she could help us defeat Prime, or if she even would. I refused to consider me going to his side and helping him with whatever sinister plan he had come up with.
“It means you can keep your immortality without negative repercussions. Other vampires are tied to their maker. A maker can draw power from their offspring. The more they have, the stronger they are. It is why Prime has been such a formidable opponent. He has an army far greater than any of us truly know.”
“What do you know about Prime?” I asked.
Solomon reached for the teapot and filled his cup. I didn’t press him. He had been forthcoming, and I hadn’t expected that with the arrogant way he treated us when we first found him. Though, the more he spoke about what he had been through, the more I began to understand. He had no way to know what Jameson had been up to over the last couple of months. Each of us was right to be suspicious of the other.
After taking a long drink and setting the tea back down, Solomon leaned back in his chair. “Prime wasn’t always evil. In fact, he was the first pure vampire. It’s how he was able to conceive with Susanna, and another reason why we thought you were a normal human baby. Prime didn’t showcase the normal vampire traits back then that he does now. Your mother cared for him deeply, but he let greed lead his heart instead of love. She begged him to stay, but he wanted to prove his worth, and left her.
“By the time he returned, he was a different person. Not quite the monster he is today, but Susanna saw the path he was heading down. At that point, I had already stepped in to care for you and your mother. I had
always loved her, and when she came to me with the secret of her pregnancy, I immediately wed her, so she would not have to be ashamed. I claimed you as my own and never looked back.”
Tilting my head back, I found an interesting spot on the ceiling to focus my attention. I was on information overload and didn’t know what to do about it. I still had so many questions, but I wasn’t sure I would be able to handle any more answers.
“I think we need some time to process everything that has been discussed tonight,” Jameson advised.
Glancing over at him, I smiled, thankful that he knew me so well.
“Where are you staying on the island? We searched everywhere, but all we found were recently abandoned homes and stores,” Henry stated.
“I was beyond the town, in the forest. I got word from a ship that came in that they saw several pirate ships heading this direction. Thankfully, I had been here for several weeks already, preparing the town, so they trusted me. I sent them away to the mainland and waited here. I thought your ship was one of the pirates’ since you have black sails. I’m assuming it doesn’t actually belong to any of you?”
Jameson shook his head. “No, it was one of the pirate ships that Pierce had recruited. We took it from them after we defeated their group, with assistance from Ruth and her men.”
“Very well. I’ll go back to the island tonight and keep watch. You’re welcome to stay on the ship or use one of the houses, whichever is your preference.”
“We’ll stay on the ship,” I answered before any of the others could. I wanted privacy, and intruding on someone’s house didn’t sit right with me. “Can we see you in the morning to continue our conversation?”
“I would like that.” Solomon stood and walked around the table before stopping within touching distance of me. “I never meant to hurt you, and I hope I can prove that to you.”
I didn’t respond. Instead, I watched him walk out of the galley, followed by Alice and Henry. When we were alone, Jameson took my hand in his, pulling me from the room. With hesitation, I let him guide me back to our room. As soon as we were inside, he wrapped his arms around me, and once again, all my emotions fled from my body.
Collapsing into him, every feeling I had been holding back since I saw my father again came pouring out of my being. I wept for the childhood that was taken from me when I lost my parents. Sobs filled with grief burst from me as I remembered my mother and how her joy used to fill our home. Jameson’s tight hold on me was the only thing grounding me while I cried for what I had lost.
Sometime later, I managed to pull myself together and stitched the wounds closed that had been reopened that night. The pain was still raw, yet I accepted it as another part of me. There was no changing the past, only how I applied it to my present and future. I would take what had happened to me and let it make me stronger. I was not going to let it tear me down or turn me into the person who would side with Prime. Whatever I did, it would be to avoid that outcome.
“What can I do?” Jameson whispered when I was calm again.
“Exactly what you are doing. I just need tonight. Tomorrow, we will deal with everything else. I have more questions, but I just couldn’t take any more without exploding, and I didn’t want that to happen in front of everyone else.”
A laughed escaped his lips. “I had a feeling. I can’t believe Solomon is your father.”
“Stepfather, rather,” I scoffed. “Don’t forget who my blood father is, and what that could mean for us. I’ll be surprised if Alice and Henry are still on the ship when we wake in the morning, especially after what we learned tonight. The things the Sea Witch foretold…”
Both of his hands grasped my face as he lifted it toward his. “We already talked about this. Prime does not define you, and none of us care if his blood runs through your veins. You are not him, and the Sea Witch saw two paths. I will do everything I can to make sure you stay pure, like you’ve done for me.”
“It’s just hard to remain positive after hearing everything Solomon said. We have to find her next. I need to know more.”
Lying on our bed, I ran my hands over my face and replayed everything that had happened. It was more, and somehow less, than anything I had expected. I had anticipated finding Solomon, leader of the hunters, with a crew full of people ready to battle Prime.
Instead, we had found Tobias, the only father I had ever known until recently, and he was alone. We had no back-up. We had no plan, and I despised the helpless feeling that consumed me at those thoughts.
Snuffing out the oil lamp, Jameson crawled into bed with me. Neither of us changed out of our clothes and into sleepwear. My imagination ran rampant with the idea that nothing was as it seemed. Staying prepared at all times was going to be our new reality.
As I did my best to ignore my racing thoughts, I knew one thing for certain. I was a wild card, and I needed to decide how long I wanted to keep those I loved at risk by being near them. If Prime realized I wasn’t dead, none of them would be safe if they stayed with me.
Chapter Ten
The following morning, I was up before the sun and headed for the galley. Cooking for our crew sounded like a good way to release the tension. Moreover, doing something nice for the people who had been helping us while we’d been out at sea for the last few weeks was the least I could offer.
Jameson joined me and we had a small feast of eggs, bread, and fresh fruit put together within an hour. After the crew finished eating, Alice and Henry volunteered to clean up while we went in search of Solomon. I had more questions prepared for him, and I was ready for more answers. I awoke today with a renewed sense of determination to defeat Prime and bring some normalcy back to our islands.
The sun was high above the horizon when Jameson and I disembarked, heading to wherever Solomon had holed up for the night. Our fingers were intertwined once again, and I relished in the feeling of him beside me. A sappy grin spread across my face while my heart filled with an emotion I hadn’t been brave enough to voice out loud yet. The time was coming, judging by the sensations that swooped in my chest.
Had my mother felt the same thing once? The question entered my thoughts unbidden. All of the talk about the past had random thoughts traveling through me, causing me to be more distracted than I should have been. If Solomon’s words from the night before were to be believed, my mother had once loved a pure vampire.
From the way Prime had spoken of her, he had loved her, too. Yet, their love wasn’t strong enough to keep him from turning to the bloodlust and letting greed consume him. It made me question the future for Jameson and me. Would we end up any differently?
I shook my head forcefully to rid my mind of the ridiculous thought. Of course, Jameson and I were different. We were connected in a way that Prime and my mother had never been. He wasn’t my weakness, just like I wasn’t his. We made each other stronger. The tides of fate had brought us together; the current of destiny and our own stubbornness would ensure that we remained by each other’s side.
We walked up the steps of a modest dwelling. Jameson knocked on the door as soon as we reached the porch, and I didn’t question how he knew Solomon was staying in that house. Heightened sense of smell hadn’t developed for me yet, and I was grateful for that. There were some smells I couldn’t stand with a normal nose, and I wasn’t ready for those to be intensified.
Solomon answered the knock quickly, and I was stunned once again. He hadn’t aged from my limited memories of him. It was unnerving and increased my conflicting emotions.
He glanced at us briefly before something caught his eye, and he looked me over more closely. I was wearing the cream-colored dress that I had worn off of Prime’s ship. It was light and easy to move in, and thankfully hadn’t been ruined during our escape.
He stared for a full minute, and I started to get uncomfortable. Jameson cleared his throat pointedly when my hand tightened in his. Solomon blinked several times before stepping aside, so we could enter the dwelling.
We sat down a
t a table in a small dining area. Glancing around, I noticed that the furniture was sparse, but the home was kept clean and cared for, just like everything else I had noticed about this island. Solomon sat down opposite from us; he had that peculiar expression still on his face.
“What?” I asked, annoyed at his obvious staring. He was making me uncomfortable.
“Where did you get that dress?” he responded, taking me aback.
“It was in a trunk, in the room I was given on Prime’s ship.”
“You were on Prime’s ship?”
“Yes, for about a week, but back to the dress,” I prompted, wondering why it was such a big deal.
“That dress belonged to your mother. You look even more like her in it,” he whispered, and my heart stilled.
Silence fell between us. I didn’t know what to say. How had Prime gotten a trunkful of my mother’s dresses? He must have taken it after he killed her and sent Solomon out to sea to die. The more I thought about it, the less surprised I was to find out he had raided their ship before leaving everyone for dead.
“Why were you on Prime’s ship?” Solomon finally asked, directing his question to Jameson instead of me, for which I was grateful. I still didn’t like talking about the time we had spent captured. Frankly, I would have loved to scrub it from my memory.
“After we met up with Ruth, and she sent us to find you, our vessel was invaded in the night. They didn’t kill anyone, but they took Lavinia and me. We were imprisoned by him for five days before we found a way to escape.”
“I haven’t heard of anyone escaping Prime’s ship once they are on it.”
“It wasn’t easy, and things didn’t go as planned—like Lavinia dying again—but we had some inside help.”
“Again! What do you mean again?” This time he spoke directly to me. His eyes grew wide with a fear I hadn’t expected from him.
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