by Cece Rose
Table of Contents
Chapter One – Azula
Chapter Two – Azula
Chapter Three – Azula
Chapter Four – James
Chapter Five – Azula
Chapter Six - Azula
Chapter Seven - Azula
Chapter Eight -James
Chapter Nine – Azula
Chapter Ten – Sebastian
Chapter Eleven
Chapter Twelve
Chapter Thirteen
Chapter Fourteen
Chapter Fifteen
Chapter Sixteen
Chapter Seventeen
Chapter Eighteen
Chapter Nineteen
Chapter Twenty
Chapter Twenty-One
Chapter Twenty-Two
Chapter Twenty-Three
Chapter Twenty-Four
Chapter Twenty-Five
Prologue
Chapter One
Blood Sea
By Cece Rose
Blood Sea
Copyright © 2017 Cece Rose
This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents either are the products of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, businesses, companies, events, or locales is entirely coincidental.
All Rights Reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced or used in any manner without the express written permission of the publisher except for the use of brief quotations in a book review.
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Cover design by Covers by Christian.
Table of Contents
Prologue
Chapter One – Azula
Chapter Two – Azula
Chapter Three – Azula
Chapter Four – James
Chapter Five – Azula
Chapter Six - Azula
Chapter Seven - Azula
Chapter Eight -James
Chapter Nine – Azula
Chapter Ten – Sebastian
Chapter Eleven
Chapter Twelve
Chapter Thirteen
Chapter Fourteen
Chapter Fifteen
Chapter Sixteen
Chapter Seventeen
Chapter Eighteen
Chapter Nineteen
Chapter Twenty
Chapter Twenty-One
Chapter Twenty-Two
Chapter Twenty-Three
Chapter Twenty-Four
Chapter Twenty-Five
About the Author
Other Titles by the Author
Prologue
Chapter One
For Gem, because I know how much you love pirates.
Don't go in the water; Never go out at night.
For in the seas and darkness, are creatures that will bite.
You should never listen to the words of a song sung at sea,
Unless you want to sink and forever sway with me.
Don’t ever fall for the siren’s lure, for once a human’s dead, there is no cure.
only those blessed with darkness can ever hope to survive,
but when her blood holds the answer, what will they decide?
Chapter One – Azula
Smiling across the dinner table at James, I ignore both of our fathers’ droning on about the merchant ships’ troubles at seas; not that I ever really pay much attention. James is dressed more formally than usual—the mix of white, black, and bright, royal blue standing out against his sun-kissed skin and pale eyes. His usually messy, dark blond hair has been tamed, the natural highlights showing off even more than usual. I feel his foot nudge mine under the table, and push back against his. I have to bite my lip to keep in laughter at the amused look on James’ face.
“Azula, are you listening to what Mr Burcham has said?” my father asks me, snapping my attention away from James.
“Sorry? What was that, Mr Burcham, I didn’t quite catch it?” I ask, smiling innocently. My father sighs, not buying it for an instant. I tune back out as James’ father starts talking again. I take a sip of the ridiculous wine they brought over, just to be polite. It tastes like bath salts, and I try not to gag as I swallow it.
“Azula,” my father prods again.
“Yes, Daddy?” I ask, turning back to face him again.
“Do you have anything to say about what Mr Burcham has kindly repeated for you?” he asks. I shrug.
“Not really,” I reply, taking another sip of the foul wine to escape more small talk. As much as I enjoy James’ company, his father is a total bore. He speaks about the same topics every time they come for dinner. Thankfully, I learnt to tune out the drivel years ago; James had too.
“Do you not find it the least bit concerning that…blah blah blah,” I tune him back out. What is there to possibly find more cornering than usual about the state of affairs. The seas run red with blood, and we hide in our homes at night. We’re terrified victims just waiting to slip up. I’m sick of it, I just want to live and do as I please. Better to enjoy a short life, than to loathe every minute of a long one. There is nothing interesting about our small island. I want to explore and see the world, but my father barely lets me out of the house. My chances of ever escaping Carysi are minimal at best.
Our closest neighbouring island, Smoke, is uninhabited, due to the volcanic activity that has wrecked all previous attempts at life there. The second closest is Eska, it’s the home to trade and bustling streets, or so James tells me. One day I will get to see it, I’ve promised myself. I won’t let James or my father stop me. Just because there are near constant raids on the sea bordering towns and ports, they think it’s no place for a woman to go. When I argue that women live in those towns, the response is always that they’re a different kind of woman. I barely resist huffing aloud at the thought.
“I’m feeling quite full; would you mind letting me be excused?” I ask, already standing. My father sighs again, scratching at the grey stubble on his face.
“Fine, sweetheart, but stay inside the manor; it’ll be dark soon.”
“Of course, I was just thinking of going to read in the library,” I reply, knowing full well he will never go in there to check. He never steps inside that room, saying it reminds him too much of my mother. I walk around the table and place a kiss on his cheek, before striding out the room, certain that James will quickly follow.
I wait at the end of the corridor, and sure enough, a few minutes later James exits the room. When he meets me at the edge, I slide my hands into his and draw him close. Leaning up, I place a quick kiss to his lips before pulling away and stepping back.
“Come on, I’ve got something fun planned,” I greet him.
“Fun? I should be terrified then, right?” he replies teasingly.
“When is being scared ever not fun?” I respond. Leading the way through the large building I call home, I head to the secret exit. Tucked away behind a large painting of the sea, the tunnel opens up to a small cove. It had once been used for smuggling, before the human pirates were all but wiped out anyway. Just inside the tunnel is a pair of my riding boots. I ditch my pretty white sandals, leaving them resting on a sheet of fabric I leave here just for that purpose. Hastily, I slide the boots on before continuing down into the darkness.
“It’s a bit late to be sneaking out, Zu,” James chides, though he follows me down the path anyway.
“I just want to go for a quick dip in the water, Jay,” I reply, trailing my f
ingers along the tunnel wall to make sure I don’t walk into anything in the dark. Not that I really need to, I know the route from memory by now, considering I sneak down here most days to take a dip in the sea. I try not to feel guilty about my secret, but I know that not even James would approve of me sneaking down here by myself. He thinks we only ever come down together, but it would be near impossible to wait to go only on the days that he’s here; I doubt I could stay away from the water that long.
“We won’t have long if we’re going to be inside by dark, Zu,” he warns.
“What if we aren’t inside by dark?” I ask, hiding my nerves behind a confident voice.
“Don’t be ridiculous, that’s way too dangerous,” he answers.
“Why is it? They haven’t bothered this island for so long. It’s been years since they raided here, and yet we all still hide away in our homes. How is this any different to us going into the sea during the day? We’re not supposed to do that either,” I reply challengingly, not slowing my pace as we walk through the dark.
“You know it’s different. We never go out too deep, and if something happened we could always get to shore. With the sun up, there’s nothing they could do once we reached the land,” he says.
“It will be fine; don’t be such a bore, James. I thought you were more interesting than your two brothers,” I reply, trying to hit the right nerves to get my way. James was easily far more captivating than his two older brothers. William and Archie were two of the most boring people I’d ever had the displeasure of meeting. They ranked up there with Mr Burcham himself. It was a wonder James had turned out as interesting as he had. I’d like to credit that to all the time he spent with me growing up, but he’d always been like a spark in my life.
“You know that I am far more entertaining than those two fools,” he mutters. I stop, and turn to face him as we reach the opening to the cove.
“Then prove it, James Burcham. What have we got to lose? Just this one time, let’s take a dip in the moonlight?” I offer, stepping close. “It could be romantic,” I add slyly.
“Fine, what’s the worst that could happen?” he says, giving into my demands as always. I smile and slide into his arms.
“This is going to be so much fun,” I whisper in his ear, as I tug off his blue jacket, letting it fall onto the sandy ground.
“That’s what you always say before getting me into trouble,” he replies wryly.
“And yet you keep following me,” I tease.
“I’ll follow you anywhere, Zu,” he replies sincerely. And I know he would, James has been in love with me for years after all.
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Chapter Two – Azula
Looking up at the bright moon in the sky, I float on my back in the calm waters of the cove. I let my mind drift, along with my body, as I relax. I tend to lose myself in daydreams a lot when I swim. My mind wanders off out into the ocean. I feel James’ hand slip into mine, grounding me back into reality as we float in the moonlight.
“It’s so beautiful out here,” he whispers.
“See, I told you it would be fun,” I whisper back. Breathing in the sea air, I feel at peace as we relax here. Trailing my other hand through the water, I feel it rush between my fingers. I just lie back, enjoying the soothing motion of the gentle waves as they rock us. Turning my head, I admire the way the glow of the moon makes James look. He always looks more attractive when he’s relaxed, when it’s just the two of us. Whenever his father or brothers are around his face is always so serious. It’s like they chase the humour and life right out of him with their mere presence. Actually, that’s not a bad theory considering how dull they all are.
The sound of bells chiming all over the island abruptly breaks the night’s peace. It starts from the bell tower near the fort that looks out across the docks and the open sea. The fort is our main position of defence on our small island, not that it’s ever much used. Only a skeleton watch stays up there to keep an eye out for approaching ships, but the bells ringing out can mean only one thing. James’ hand tightens on mine, almost painfully, and my heart rate jumps, as my breath quickens.
There are pirates here, and they’re heading toward our shores.
“They're actually here,” James whispers disbelievingly, echoing my thoughts aloud.
“Quick, we need to swim to shore,” I urge James, pulling my hand from his.
Rolling onto my front so I can swim quicker, I make quick strides towards the beach. James takes a little longer to reach land, but I come swimming most days and easily out pace him. I normally try and make it look like I’m not a strong swimmer to hide the fact that I swim as often as I do, but the look he’s giving me says it all. My cover is blown. The secret is out.
I shove my boots back on quickly as he catches up, ignoring the rest of our clothing scattered around the beach. James grabs his shirt and shoes, holding them in one hand. Capturing his free hand in mine, I know there's no time for worrying about his disapproving looks right now. We need to get inside, and get away from the danger zone. The moon is high in the sky, and the sun nowhere to be seen. The vampires will be coming onto land, and if we're not inside the safety of my home, we're surely doomed.
“Hurry up,” I snap at him as I tug on the hand, pulling him along with me. We quickly move through the tunnel, and this time, I don't bother to hide the fact that I know every step by memory, even in the darkness. We finally reach the tunnel's secret entrance, and we quickly sneak back into the house from behind the painting. James' father is standing at the end of the corridor, and he turns, hearing us walking towards him. His eyes are wide and alarmed, I can see the sweat beading on his creased forehead.
“Where the hell have you two been?” he demands angrily, the spit practically frothing from his mouth. I take a step back, just to be out of the saliva radius.
“We were—” I begin.
“No, that doesn't matter; may the gods have mercy,” he says, his voice losing some of the anger, and in its place, is utter despair.
“We're inside, we are okay, father,” James assuages. He steps towards his father as if he means to reassure him, but Mr Burcham steps away from James and focuses his gaze on me.
“But your father is not,” he says. I look between him and the large window to my right, realising his meaning instantly.
“Why the depths isn't he inside?” I cry out, already heading for the door. James steps into my path, blocking me from leaving.
“When the bells chimed, and we did not find you in the library, or any other room of the house, he went to search for the two of you,” Mr Burcham explains, not that he needed to, the pieces of the puzzle already slotted in my head. I have to fix this.
“James, get out of my way,” I demand. I notice a maid walking in and then swiftly slipping out again, unnoticed by the men. I can't blame her for wanting to avoid this obvious conflict.
“I can't let you go, Zu,” he says, a grim look taking over his face. He already considers my father dead, I can see it in his eyes, but I won’t give up hope so easily.
“He didn't leave long ago, did he?” I ask Mr Burcham quickly.
“He left about five minutes ago, the second he was sure you were not in the house,” he answers. On his face is a look of pity, and it only makes me furious to see it. I want to say something about the fact my father obviously left to look for me, and why didn't he help search for his son, but I refrain. James doesn't need to hear that.
“Last chance, get out of the way,” I demand of James. I step back as I say it, already predict
ing his answer.
“No, I cannot allow it. It's too dangerous out there,” he answers me, the determination to keep me safe clear in his voice.
“You don't understand; I'm sorry, but I have to go. We're all each other has,” I say softly, walking towards the long, oak cabinet that runs across a whole stretch of wall.
“Azula, I really must protest,” Mr Burcham says as I open the cabinet, and pull a loaded pistol and short sword from it.
“Zu...” James begins, looking at me standing there holding a weapon in each hand; he appears at a loss for words. I hold the sword in my right hand and the pistol in my left. I favour using a sword, so it makes sense to hold it in my dominant hand.
I point the pistol at Mr Burcham. He doesn't know my skill with a sword, so the pistol will instil far more fear in him. I need him to be afraid, for him to step out of my way and let me leave.
“Why exactly must you protest?” I demand, any patience I usually have for the dull man is absent. Every second they’re taking up is a waste of my time. I need to get out that door, now.
“You're not even dressed, it's improper,” he stammers the words out. I glance down. I'd ditched my layers to swim, and am only wearing my white corset, underwear, and a thin white underskirt. I'd swim naked by myself, but with James I always keep this layer on.
“Your concern is for my state of bloody dress?” I ask incredulously. I pause and place the pistol on the table, and they both sigh in relief, mistakenly thinking I have conceded. Instead, I cut my skirt roughly at the knees with the sword. Now I can run faster without worrying about tripping.
“Azula!” Mr Burcham exclaims, scolding me.
“You're right, I was dressed unsuitably. I will be able to run much faster now,” I state as I grab the pistol again. “Now get out of my way, or so help me, I will fire,” I add.
“You couldn't possibly know how to use a firearm,” he says. I roll my eyes and fire the pistol at the vase close to his head. He jumps back and stares at me. He looks at me as if he is seeing me for who I really am for the first time. I am not just the sweet, innocent daughter of his friend who reads all day in the library. My father trained me to be more than that, taught me how to fight for my survival. And now I will do anything to fight for his.