“It is an old house,” she replied.
Oddly, the small incident seemed to have distracted the vampire from his hunt. He looked…human again.
“Indeed,” the vampire said to the queen. At that, he grabbed Catheryn, tossed her over his shoulder, and quickly walked out of the house.
Catheryn kicked and screamed, but it did no good. In mere moments, she was on the pirate’s ship.
She saw other pirates bringing their human captives on board as well. Most of the men and women were trying to fight back, but there was no hope. The pirates simply overpowered and outnumbered them. Some of the humans seemed to have passed out or fallen into some sort of catatonic state. The vampires might have already drunk from them, and they had no energy, or they were in shock. As they were herded below deck like animals, the vampires stared after them hungrily, but they had work to do.
“Raise anchor and hoist the sails,” the captain shouted. “I want to be far away from this place as soon as possible, just in case the queen changes her mind.”
“Aye-aye, captain,” the pirates responded.
The captain hauled Catheryn toward a door under the quarterdeck. He opened it and unceremoniously tossed her inside.
“I’ll be back soon,” he said. “Don’t even think about trying to escape.”
She scrambled to her feet and ran toward the door as he slammed it. It locked automatically. She turned the knob and rattled the door, but it wouldn’t budge.
The very back of the room was lined with windows. She went to them and tried to open each one. None of them would open even an inch, as though they were glued shut.
She sat down on the bed and debated what to do. This was a fate worse than death. She would suffer, oh how she would suffer, as the nightly meal of a vampire. Her death would be slow and agonizing.
She held her hands to her throat as she imagined him plunging his fangs into her soft skin, then looked around the room and noticed a pile of straw in the corner and shackles. Was that where he kept his slave? Such cruelty! Even humans when they feasted on the flesh of animals did not prolong their suffering. They would kill the sheep or even a chicken as quickly and painlessly as possible. But she would linger for who knows how long before she finally succumbed to the sweet touch of death.
She stood and looked out the windows again as the ship started to rock. They were headed out to sea. If she didn’t escape now, she probably never would.
She held her arms up. “Help me,” she said evenly.
Nothing happened.
“Open,” she said firmly with more conviction.
But still nothing happened. She dropped her hands and sighed. She didn’t know why she was bothering. Her powers probably weren’t her own anyway. She must have been imagining it when things happened before. Or they were just coincidences. Witchcraft was innate. A person was born either a witch or a human, and it was simple enough to tell the two apart.
It was not surprising that she, a lowly slave, wished she were more. Wished she had some power. Some control over her life.
The only time she had ever made a decision about her own fate was the last time she saw her sister, Eva. She had sold herself into slavery to protect her, and she had been subject to the whims of the Hoodoo Queen ever since.
Now she was a slave to a vampire.
This couldn’t be the end. Such a pathetic end to such a short life. She felt the ship moving faster, bobbing up and down on the water as it pulled farther from shore and deeper out to sea. She raised her hands one last time and called out, “Open, windows! I command you!”
The door to the room opened with a bang, and she turned and saw the pirate captain standing there.
“What are you doing?” he asked.
Her face went hot with embarrassment. She must have looked quite the fool.
The pirate stepped into the room and removed his hat. “We are finally back at sea,” he said. “We should be far from NOLA and that hoodoo bitch soon enough.” He removed his heavy jacket and stretched his arms. “The men will be calm for now. They will have food and drink…”
Why was he telling her this? she wondered to herself as he continued mumbling. Did he think she was his friend? His lover? Someone who would care what he was thinking, what his stresses of the day were?
She stood stock-still, hoping that he would forget the real reason she was there.
He removed his boots and sat on the bed, rubbing the back of his neck. He motioned for her to come to him.
She shook her head.
“You will make me force you?” he asked tiredly.
“I’ll not willingly go to my death,” she said.
“What is your name?” he asked.
“Catheryn Beauregard,” she said, surprising herself. Why should she give him her name?
“I am Captain Rainier,” he said. “And you are now a guest on The Cursed Storm.”
Catheryn snorted automatically at the word “guest.”
Rainier smiled. “Perhaps that was the wrong word,” he said. “But nonetheless, I am captain, and you are my slave. And after I drink from you, you will be my devotee. Do you understand?”
Catheryn nodded. Vampire slaves were often called “devotees” because some people gave themselves willingly to vampires, usually in exchange for protection. But Catheryn balked at this title. She would never willingly devote herself to a vampire. The man who had kidnapped her. The man who would eat her.
“Then come here,” he commanded for the second time. “I am…famished.” At that, his eyes once again darkened and his skin went pale.
Catheryn shrunk back and shook her head.
The captain sighed. “Why do my commands not work on you?”
Catheryn didn’t reply. She didn’t have an answer for him.
Finally, he stood and advanced toward her quickly, so quickly she was in his arms with her head pulled back before she could blink.
Then she felt the sharp burst of pain in her neck as he bit. She cried out and tried to throttle him with her fists, but soon she stopped moving.
A feeling of warmth and contentment washed over her. She thought for a moment she might be in a very safe place. But part of her knew where she was and what was happening. The vampire was sucking her blood, and though it might feel pleasurable due to the drug-like venom injected by his fangs for just this purpose, she knew that she could die if he did not stop himself.
“Help me…” she whispered.
But no help came. She closed her eyes, and her body went limp.
Chapter 4
The warmth of her blood filled Rainier’s mouth. He nearly groaned in pleasure, she was so delicious. But then, he started to see sparks, like fireworks in his eyes. He took a step back and fell to his knees. He looked up, and standing before him was Catheryn. But she did not look like the weak slave he had just been feeding on. She was standing tall and proud, a woman with power.
He shook his head and blinked his eyes, but she still stood there, the wind blowing her long hair. She raised her arm and pointed at…something. He couldn’t tell what. Her mouth opened, and something like a battle cry passed through her lips. Then the shouts of countless other voices all rang out: “Catheryn! Catheryn!”
“Catheryn!” he gasped as he opened his eyes. He was standing just where he was before, in front of the window, holding Catheryn’s limp body in his arms.
“What have I done?” he asked, his hands trembling.
He had no idea how long he had been drinking. He didn’t want to kill her—at least not yet. She had to sustain him for who knew how long until they found a new supply of humans. But that vision, those sparks. He didn’t realize what he was doing, what was happening.
She moaned, and Rainier breathed a sigh. She was still alive. He stepped back, still holding her, feeling just as weak—no, even more weak—than before. Why had she not rejuvenated him? What was wrong with her?
He picked her drooping body up in his arms and moved her to the pile of straw on the f
loor, then laid her down and tossed a blanket over her. Afterward, he lied on his own bed and promptly passed out.
When Rainier woke hours later, his full strength still had not returned. He rubbed his head and sat up slowly. Swayed a bit. He almost felt…hungover. A sensation he had not experienced since he was human. He looked over in the corner and saw Catheryn sitting on her straw, her blanket pulled tight around her.
“What are you?” he asked.
Her eyes widened. “What do you mean?”
“Your blood,” he said. “There is…something wrong with it. Why am I not rejuvenated?”
She shrugged. “I don’t know. I am just a worthless slave. Would the Hoodoo Queen have let you take me so easily if I was anything special?”
She had a point. Of course there were all manner of strange things in the world. Vampires and witches were known to exist; could there be other supernatural beings that even a century after the Rift still had not been discovered? Or what if…
What if were humans evolving?
Many species adapted to change over time, and the world had certainly changed.
He would have to keep his eye on her, see if she exhibited any other strange signs or behaviors. He was glad he had been the one to select her, as opposed to another crewmember. He was strong. Even in a weakened state, he was stronger than anyone else. But his crew, he needed them to be in top fighting form.
After standing and removing his clothes, he used a basin of warm water to wash himself. It did not bother him to be in a state of undress in front of his slave. What was she to him? It was nothing more than a cat or dog being in the room. Someone he would give attention to her when he wished. He did steal a glance at her in a mirror, though, and he thought he caught her staring at him. He stood a little taller at that.
After he dressed and donned his hat, his sword belt, and his holster for his flintlock pistols, he turned to Catheryn.
“Do not attempt to escape,” he ordered. “Do you understand?”
She nodded, but did not speak.
“If you do, I will clap you in those irons.”
She still did not reply, but turned to stare at the wall. He was about to leave when he heard a low rumbling sound. Catheryn rubbed her stomach.
“Are you hungry?” he asked.
She shook her head.
“Come now, girl. Don’t be foolish. I can’t have you starving to death. I need you to retain your strength. Both of our lives depend on it.”
She looked up at him, and he tried to give her a reassuring smile.
“You mean to prolong my suffering?” she asked.
“Certainly not,” he said. “The bite was not wholly unpleasant, was it? Some humans say it is actually pleasurable. The vampire’s embrace, they call it. As long as I feed responsibly and you take care of your health, you can still live a long life.”
“As a food source,” she said. “What kind of life is that? One where I sit on this pile of straw and service you when you call?”
“This isn’t new to you. You were a slave long before you came to me, were you not?” he asked. “Does it really matter if you serve the Hoodoo Queen or me? This is your fate. You should accept that and learn to find your place in this new world you have found yourself in.”
He nearly found himself reciting the serenity prayer: God, give me the serenity to accept the things I cannot change, the courage to change the things I can, and the wisdom to know the difference.
He’d been raised Catholic, and his grandmother had shared that prayer with him many times. He’d recited it enough times to have it ingrained in his mind yet still, despite him having learned as an adult that prayer was not actually in the bible.
That was lifetimes ago now. He’d left his religion behind over a century ago…along with his humanity.
The woman opened her mouth as if to speak again, but then closed her mouth and turned away again. Her stomach grumbled once more.
Rainier couldn’t help but smile. She was strong, but she was only human. She would have to learn to depend on him to survive. Eventually, they would form a symbiotic relationship, each of them relying on the other. Of course, she didn’t realize the power she held over him. After all, she held his life in her hands, too. But he wouldn’t tell her that. He had to maintain the illusion of control.
Besides, the girl wasn’t a completely unpleasant companion. She was feisty and easy on the eyes. He would make sure she was well taken care of.
“I’ll have some food brought for you anyway,” he said. “Take care of yourself. You have free reign of my quarters, but don’t venture out. I wouldn’t trust the other men.”
He left and locked the door behind him.
It was a foggy morning. The sun could barely be seen through the thick of it. The barrelman in the crow’s nest couldn’t see more with a spyglass than his own eyes. But the men on deck certainly seemed more refreshed and in higher spirits. He approached just as a small group were tossing one of the humans overboard. His body was so desiccated he hardly looked human at all.
“What happened?” Rainier asked.
Mathis approached. “Sorry, captain,” he said. “One of the men lost control. Sucked the poor bastard dry.”
“See to it the man is punished,” Rainier ordered. “We need this supply to last a while.”
“He’s already been locked down below, sir,” the mate replied.
“Bring him to the deck and have him whipped. Make a public example of him.”
“Aye-aye, sir,” Mathis said and headed off to carry out the order.
The rest of the ship seemed much calmer and in order. The men went about their business, securing riggings, swabbing the deck, and keeping an eye out through the fog for anything of note.
Indeed, a well-fed crew was a well-behaved crew.
He headed up to check on the helmsman.
“How goes it?” Rainier asked.
The helmsman grunted. “An ill morning, sir,” he said. “Can’t see nothing. Traveling at a snail’s pace. I keep saying we should only allow male bloodbags on board. It’s always bad luck to have a woman aboard, even ones that just serve as food.”
He patted the old vampire on the shoulder with a chuckle. If the old man ever found out that several of the ship’s crewmen were actually crewwomen in disguise, he’d probably have an ulcer. There were even some vampire pirate ships that were crewed only by women, and they seemed to have no more problems than any other pirate crew. While human women had a reputation for being weaker than men, vampire and witch women were on a much more even keel with their male counterparts, having access to the same supernatural elements.
Rainier stepped up to the railing and breathed in the morning sea air. He let the saltiness fill his lungs and the wind lightly caress his face. There was no other feeling like it in the world. He’d been a seaman for as long as he could remember, even when he was human.
There were no human pirates anymore, though. They simply couldn’t survive against the vampires once they took to the seas.
A pirate’s life for me, Rainier thought to himself.
A whistling sound brought him out of his reverie. At first, he thought it was one of men on deck whistling while he worked, but he quickly realized that the sound meant danger.
“Hit the deck!” he yelled just as a cannon ball slammed into the water next to the ship, sending a small wave over the edge.
“Stations!” Rainier yelled, and like a well-oiled machine, the men got to work. They immediately set to their assigned tasks, each one knowing exactly what was required of him.
The helmsman steered the ship away from the direction the cannonball had come, but it was too late. The attacking ship suddenly cut its way through the fog and pulled up alongside. The ship’s men were ready to attack. They were already dressed and armed, their muskets loaded. They were holding up planks, ready to drop them so they could cross over, and men up above in the rigging gripped ropes, preparing to swing across from one ship to the other.
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“Arm yourselves! Ready the cannons!” Rainier shouted.
To their credit, his men did not dawdle. They knew what was expected of them and what was necessary if they wanted to survive this fight.
“Rainier!”
Rainier’s blood stopped cold in his veins as the familiar female voice rent the air. Maybe the helmsman wasn’t so wrong about women being bad luck. Rainier slowly raised his head just above the railing so he could see the owner of the voice.
The other ship’s captain leaned over the railing of her ship, her cutlass raised high. Her auburn hair whipped around her like a wild banshee, and even from this distance, he could see the wildness in her blazing green eyes.
“Rainier!” she shouted again as caught him in her sights. “Prepare to be boarded.”
Chapter 5
After the pirate left Catheryn alone, she felt like she could breathe for the first time since the pirates entered the Hoodoo House. She rubbed her neck where the vampire had bitten her. It felt as though the wound had already healed. Surprisingly, she felt fine physically. She thought she would feel groggy and exhausted after a feeding, but she felt alert instead. She was hungry, though, even if she wouldn’t admit it to…what did he call himself? Rainier.
What an obnoxious, self-righteous boor! He acted as though he was doing her some sort of kindness by allowing her to sleep on his floor and then ordering her food.
Maybe he was.
It could certainly be worse. She could be one of her poor fellow slaves who were locked up below and had to feed the whole crew.
A knock rattled the door, and a small hole in the wood opened as a tray was pushed through. She walked over and took the meal. The food, simple as it was, smelled divine. It was just a bowl of grits drizzled with honey and a cup of juice, but since she hadn’t eaten since the day before, it tasted like food fit for a queen. She slowly savored each bite and then licked the bowl clean.
After she ate, she explored the room a bit to see what she could find out about her present situation. She walked over to a desk and rifled through the papers a bit. There were several maps. They looked to be of varying ages, as if tracking the changes in the world over time.
Pirate's Curse: Division 1: The Berkano Vampire Collection Page 3