by Amy Braun
“He’s your brother,” I reminded softly.
Sawyer grimaced and looked away. “That doesn’t matter. I’ll face him again, and he’ll push me. I’m not going to have a choice.”
That I did believe, but I also knew that Sawyer wouldn’t be able to do it. Nash was right– Sawyer was a man with a good heart, doing the best he could in a world that would ruin him for simply being the son of a criminal. I couldn’t fault him for it.
“Maybe,” I agreed, “but don’t worry about it.”
Sawyer glanced at me skeptically. “You think it’s easy?”
“Of course not. But Davin isn’t here right now, Sawyer. We’re not in danger. This won’t last,” I said, looking past the railing to the deck where my friends and sister were. “We should enjoy what we have.”
The marauder fell silent beside me, his eyes piercing through mine.
“Why did you stay, Claire?” Sawyer asked.
My body was still. My heart was not.
“You could have left at any time. Our deal is over. We don’t owe each other anything. I need an engineer and am not going to complain that you’re working for me, but I can’t pay you. All my allies and friends are on this ship. Anyone else will be happy to take my head off my body. So why are you staying?”
I tried to smile playfully. It felt wrong on my face, especially given how intensely he was looking at me. “Is it so strange if I said I wanted to be on the ship? That I want to be around Gemma and Nash? That I want to be with you?”
Sawyer flinched. Emotions blurred through his eyes, too fast for me to see. His shoulders finally slumped.
“Yes, Claire. It is.”
His rejection was like a punch in the stomach. It twisted my heart, but I clenched my fists and fought the tears building in my eyes. Sawyer’s face softened, and he took a step closer to me.
“You know who I am now,” he said quietly. “You know who my father was and what my brother has become. It won’t be long until someone else finds out. The moment they do, they’re going to come for the people I care about. Davin saw how I reacted when he had you. If he doesn’t come after you himself, he’ll spread the word. Other marauders will set traps that I might not be able to protect you from. You’ll fall into them, and I’ll fall in after you. I won’t even care that I could die.”
He stopped in front of me, heart in his eyes. I could see through him, the fear he was trying to hold back. The longing.
Sawyer lifted his hand. His fingers brushed the side of my skin as he curled a strand of hair behind my ear. The touch was ghostly, so close and still so far away. It was all I could do not to grab Sawyer’s hand and know that what he was feeling was real.
By then, it was too late. His hand dropped. Then his eyes, and with them, his heart.
“You make me weak, Claire. And I can’t be. Not now. Never again.”
Pressure built in my chest, like my heart was shrinking, straining the valves as it retreated into itself. I wanted to tell him he was wrong. That he wasn’t weak, that he didn’t need to fight whatever was between us. I even thought to tell him that I wasn’t mad about who his father and brother were. The secret was a terrible one, but it didn’t change my feelings. Robertson and Davin Kendric were monsters.
Sawyer wasn’t.
But he turned away from me and gazed out onto the deck. I didn’t say anything. I just stood with him in silence.
My eyes fell on Abby, who was pointing at the sky with Riley. He smiled and nodded at something she said, grinning when she scribbled in her notebook. I smiled to myself, relieved she had one thing to enjoy in her life.
“You’d be good with him, you know.”
I looked at Sawyer, who nodded at the traumatized survivors. “Riley. He’s falling hard and fast for you. He’d worship you if you asked.”
Maybe the captain was right, but I also noticed that he was grumpy and hostile around Riley when I was close to him. Despite what he pretended, Sawyer wasn’t about to give me up easily. It could have been sweet if my life wasn’t already so complicated.
“But I guess you want to find a way to close the Breach first.”
I broke out of my trance and found Sawyer looking at the skeleton key. I didn’t even remember taking it out, but now I couldn’t stop thinking about it.
“Close the Breach? Are you insane?”
Sawyer smirked. “I remember saying something like that to you when you wanted to take down the Behemoth. You have a way of challenging the impossible.”
“But… The Breach. I… Where would I even start?”
He shrugged. “No idea. But it wouldn’t be you alone. If you really do intend to stay, then you’re one of us, Firecracker. If you want to go, I won’t stop you. You’ll always have a home here.”
Home. A word I hadn’t known in so long. I barely thought about my childhood home anymore. I could scarcely remember all the places I’d lived before we entered the colony. Garnet’s colony, which was never a home.
The Dauntless was still new to me, newer to Abby. I would never label myself a marauder. But it was growing familiar to me. Comfortable.
It could be a home, some day.
But it was a home that would be destroyed as long as the Breach remained open.
“Do you think it’s possible?” I asked softly. The hope growing in my chest weakened my voice. “Do you think there’s really a way to close the Breach?”
“I don’t know, but if it was opened then it makes sense that it could be closed. For argument’s sake, let’s say that it is. What would your plan be?”
My fingers found the key under the collar of my shirt. I pulled it out and turned it between my thumb and index finger. “Find clues. My parents’ notes, the ship they were on, things like that. Learn everything I can about the Breach. How exactly it was opened. What it would take to reverse the process. If it can be reversed. If not, finding a way to block it. Doing whatever it takes to make sure the Hellions can’t get through ever again.”
The more I spoke, the stronger my voice became. The harder my heart beat. The more potent my determination became.
And I began to forget the pain. The fear in Abby’s eyes. The uncertainty of where I truly belonged. The pain of Sawyer’s denial. This was something new I could focus on. A goal that needed to be accomplished. This was an impossible mission.
As Sawyer said, I had a way of challenging the impossible.
Sawyer whistled in a low voice. “Sounds difficult. You’re going to need help.”
I looked at him again. Saw a familiar gleam in his dusky eyes. The gleam that wouldn’t let me give up on him, or what we could have. “Are you offering?”
Sawyer shrugged his eyebrows and smirked. “Why not? It’s not like I have anything better to do with my time yet. And if we’re being technical, I owe you for saving my life a few times. This would probably make us even.”
His grin warmed my heart, filling me with desire again. I smiled to the best of my ability, quickly looking away so Sawyer wouldn’t know that he was still hurting me. Riley seemed like a good man and didn’t want to use me, but I knew then that I would always be pulled back to Sawyer. I wasn’t used to being torn, and I didn’t think the situation was going to end well.
As I lifted my gaze to the dark sky ahead, my heart’s desires were pushed aside. The Breach was out there, an open door welcoming Hellions back into our world. Word of the Behemoth’s destruction had likely gotten to the mysterious Vesper now, and I couldn’t imagine he was pleased. He would come for our blood, and wouldn’t stop until he’d drained us of every last drop.
And the secret to stopping him lay against my chest. I didn’t know what it would lead me to, but I was determined to find a way to follow my mother’s footsteps and close the Breach.
Every survivor believed in the impossible to stay alive. Hopes and dreams were too often crushed by the harsh reality of our world and lives.
Yet as I stood in the clouds under the moon, feeling the cool wind caress my face
and hair, whispering of freedom and adventure, I knew I wouldn’t give up. I was determined to risk the impossible.
A small smile came across my face when I found that the darkness never seemed so bright.
THE END
Acknowledgments
Combining vampires and pirates into a cohesive story is something I’ve wanted to do since childhood. I honestly never thought I would figure out how to make it work (if you want to be technical, you could say I’ve been working on this story for twelve years), and there’s no way I could have done it without the incredible help I’ve received.
First and foremost, from my family and friends who have given me nothing but love, support, and encouragement. By simply asking how my writing is going or what I’m working on now, you’re helping me more than you realize.
Next up, thank you to my wonderful editor Eden Royce and my Beta reader Ed Hoornaert. Between the two of you, I’ve been able to solidify what I think is a truly exciting, unique story. I couldn’t have done it without you.
Thank you for Deranged Doctor Design for the absolutely stellar cover and promo materials. You guys are amazing. Seriously, pat yourself on the back or have some kind of celebration. You are amazing.
Big thanks to supporters and reviewers who have helped me with advice and simply offered to promote Crimson Sky, most notably the wonderful team at One Book Two. Reviewers don’t get enough praise– I’m willing to bet that part of the reason my books are doing so well is because you’re enjoying them and recommending them, so thank you.
Thanks to the awesome authors of the Weekend Writing Community and GIAM Writing Pro for all your support. It’s encouraging to hear great feedback and advice and know you’re not alone as an independent author.
Last, but certainly not least, I thank you, reader. Whether you’ve read most of my work or just decided to give this book a chance to see what it was about, thank you. Picking up a book and reading it might seem like a small thing to you, but it is huge for me. I cannot thank you enough. Seriously, I would run out of space on the page. So thank you. Thank you, thank you!
About The Author
Amy is a Canadian urban fantasy and horror author. Her work revolves around monsters, magic, mythology, and mayhem. She started writing in her early teens, and never stopped. She loves building unique worlds filled with fun characters and intense action. She has been featured on various author blogs and publishing websites, is an active member of the Writing GIAM community, participates in NaNoWriMo, and is the recipient of April Moon Books Editor Award for “author voice, world-building and general bad-assery.” When she isn’t writing, she’s reading, watching movies, taking photos, gaming, and struggling with chocoholism and ice cream addiction.
Website: literarybraun.blogspot.ca
Twitter: @amybraunauthor
Facebook: www.facebook.com/amybraunauthor
Table of Contents
Chapter 1
Chapter 2
Chapter 3
Chapter 4
Chapter 5
Chapter 6
Chapter 7
Chapter 8
Chapter 9
Chapter 10
Chapter 11
Chapter 12
Chapter 13
Chapter 14
Chapter 15
Chapter 16