Chapter Seven
Cool liquid splashed over my face and I sputtered, turning over before I choked. Hands grasped at my arms, helping me to roll on my side as reality began to return. Glancing up, I saw three sets of very concerned eyes staring down at me.
“Why am I covered in water?” Peeking around, I found I was in the living room, with no recollection of how I got there. “And why am I on the floor?”
Jameson’s chest rumbled. “You were gone well past dark and I began to worry, so we went looking for you. When we found you, your heart wasn’t beating. I raced you back to the house, and Alice suggested the water.”
She shrugged as my eyes met hers. “I’d say I’m sorry, but it worked, so I’m really not.”
Shaking my head, I faced Jameson. “What happened?”
“We were hoping you could tell us that. Solomon said he left you on the beach, and you would likely be back soon. After the sun fully set, I started to get worried. I was trying to respect your space, but an hour had passed, so we decided to check on you. You don’t remember anything?”
Wracking my mind for what had transpired earlier in the day was harder than I thought. I remembered speaking with Evander and heading out on my own for some self-reflection, but it hadn’t been working and I was frustrated.
“I came to see you. Do you recall our conversation?” Solomon’s voice was strained, and I felt as if my answer was really important to him.
I couldn’t remember, but I tried harder, knowing there was something to find. Closing my eyes, I blocked out everything in the room and focused as best I could on my memories. My body seemed stronger, almost humming with energy. The darkness within me wasn’t present, and I tried not to be worried about the new sensations I was feeling, or lack thereof.
My fingers rubbed the sides of my temples as glimpses of my conversation with Solomon returned. It took longer than I would have liked, but within a few minutes, the memory played in my mind with clarity.
Jerking my head, my eyes widened at Solomon, and he smiled at me in approval.
“I’m glad you were able to work it out,” he offered gently.
“Work what out? What the hell happened?” Jameson snapped.
Grasping his hand in mine, I pulled him closer. “Try to calm down. Everything is all right now.”
“It wasn’t before?” he asked, confused.
“Well, it was, but now it’s better. Evander was right, and so were you. Though, it was Solomon’s words that finally pieced everything together for me.”
“Pieced what together?” Jameson’s gaze bounced between Solomon and me, frustration growing by the second.
Alice leaned in closer. “Do you need me to step out?” There was a sliver of hurt in her eyes.
“Of course not.” I hurriedly dashed away her worries. “Sorry, I’m not doing well at explaining. Solomon?” I hoped he had the words I couldn’t seem to be able to find.
“I believe Lavinia has fully transformed to her vampire self and accepted the darkness as a part of her, instead of fighting against it or fearing it would get out of control.”
“How did you do that?” Jameson asked me.
I glanced to Solomon, and my lips curved into a thankful smile.
“I remembered all of the light I had in my life, and realized there was no reason why the two couldn’t work together inside me—both my humanity and my vampire side. Initially, I fought against the change because I was afraid of losing who I was, but Solomon helped me realize I didn’t have to. Really, it’s been all of you and your support these last couple of months that finally brought me full circle. I couldn’t have done it without each of you.”
Henry called Alice from downstairs in that moment, and she seemed torn between going to him and staying with me.
“Go. We can catch up later. I promise everything is fine.”
She moved in front of Jameson, pushing him out of the way, and bent down to wrap her arms around me. “You have no idea how happy it makes me to hear that.”
Once she was gone, Solomon excused himself as well, stating it was late and tomorrow would be an equally lengthy day. He was right, as long as I could bond with Jameson’s dagger to find the Sea Witch. If not, we were right back where we started, with no fresh ideas.
“Come on. Let’s go back to our room, so you can get out of your wet clothes.” Jameson pulled me up, and I gladly let him take on most of my weight. Even though my insides hummed with new energy, my physical body was exhausted.
When we were back in our room, Jameson guided me onto the bed and motioned for me to stay put. He strode to the wardrobe, found my sleepwear, and brought it to me. Though, instead of handing me the clothes, he set them just out of reach at the edge of the bed. Then, his eyes met mine seeming to ask permission as his hands went for my top.
My nod was slight, as more emotions rolled through me. Jameson had always been good at taking care of me, but never this intimately, and I was certain I would explode if he didn’t move faster. It only took that one gesture and gone was the exhaustion I was feeling just moments before.
As my shirt came off, Jameson reached for my nightgown, but I grasped his hand. “Don’t.”
Both of his hands cupped my cheeks. “Lavinia, I love you and I want what you want more than you possibly know, but I won’t be the one to break you. It’s been a long day and I think your body needs rest more than it does passion. When it’s time, I want it to be perfect, so we won’t have to worry about a single thing else.”
His chivalry was going to be the death of me.
“Jameson, I love you, too, but I’m begging you to understand that I need this. My entire being needs this. I won’t be complete until we are.”
His brows knitted together. “If I hurt you, I wouldn’t be able to live with myself. What if—”
Pressing my lips to his, I didn’t give him the chance to voice his “what ifs”. Life was too short to worry about those. I needed to know that if we left tomorrow and something happened to either of us, I would have no regrets, and nothing would be left unsaid or undone. We had no idea if we could fully trust the Sea Witch, or if we would be attacked in the open seas.
He hesitated at first, not responding to my touch, but soon enough I heard the familiar rumbling in his chest as he fought for control over his actions. Our heightened emotions as vampires made everything amplified, and I knew our moment was going to be explosive. I had no doubt in my mind.
My hands tugged his shirt from his trousers before pulling at the buttons and yanking them apart. I had no desire to remove my lips from his when I was perfectly capable of ripping off his shirt. He did the same to my undershirt and once all of our clothes were removed, hands roamed everywhere in a hungry frenzy. Whether he knew it or not, Jameson had needed this just as much as I had.
He lifted me from the edge of the bed, then placed me in the center of it. My hair fanned out around me as I struggled to take in a solid breath.
Jameson shifted, so he straddled me but kept his weight on his knees. His fingers traced my sides, then down to the dip in my hips. Wiggling beneath him, I begged him with my eyes for more. We had been toeing the line of this moment for weeks now, and I was done waiting.
“Tell me what you want,” he whispered huskily.
“You. All of you,” I answered without hesitation, and he responded just as quickly, without using a single word.
Hard lips crashed down on mine as he repositioned himself above me. Feeling him attempt to break our kiss, I grasped his hair and kept him in place. He needed to stop thinking.
His fingers grazed my center, and I bucked against him. No man had ever touched me that way, and my heart filled with elation that Jameson would be the first, and the only one. Gently, he eased into me, and my body tensed, but I focused on his kisses rather than the pain. I knew it would subside, and I couldn’t let him know it hurt in fear he would stop.
Painstakingly slow, I was finally able to wrap my legs around his waist, and we fo
und our own rhythm. It was still uncomfortable, but the pleasure overrode the lingering ache, and my healing abilities kicked in to take the worst of it away.
We lost ourselves in each other for what seemed like an infinite amount of time, and when we were done, the light I had found within myself earlier that day, burst to life once more. Holding tightly onto Jameson, I focused on his presence, and managed to keep myself from losing consciousness like all the times before when I became overwhelmed.
We spent the rest of the night wrapped in each other’s arms, in sated bliss.
The following morning, Jameson and I struggled to get out of bed. The previous night had been life-changing, making it increasingly hard to leave our room and deal with reality. We ended up with a compromise, deciding to check my bond with his dagger and stay in the room just a bit longer.
“Are you ready?” Jameson asked.
Nodding, I reached for the dagger. I wasn’t afraid. I was ready… eager even.
My fingers wrapped around the hilt, but nothing happened. My mouth downturned in disappointment. Focusing on the blade, I reached for my new combined energy and brought it forward. I had no intention of letting go until something happened.
The dagger glowed, but that wasn’t abnormal. Though, typically it only happened in battle. Jameson stayed close, his hands out and ready to act at a moment’s notice.
I continued to push my power into the blade, but still, nothing changed. Huffing in exasperation, my eyes met Jameson’s. “Any ideas?”
“Try thinking about what you want it to do. Ruth taught me a lot about intention and communicating with the dagger. It’s more than just a blade; it’s a life force filled with a magic unknown to any man. I know it feels weird, but speak to it and see what happens.”
It didn’t seem all that out there. I remembered having previous conversations with my vampire side. There was no surprise that the dagger would be the same.
We need to find the Sea Witch, and I need your help. Please, guide me to the Obsidian Caves. Take me to the Sea Witch.
Waiting with bated breath, I kept my eyes closed and repeated the words several times over in my head, until my hand began to heat. Opening my eyes, I met Jameson’s surprised face. Glancing down, I quickly learned why. The entire blade was lit in a deep purple, encasing my hand as well.
Please find the Obsidian Caves, I asked once more. That time, the same tugging sensation I had felt when we tracked Evander pulled at me.
“I got it.” My lips stretched from ear to ear in a beaming smile. I couldn’t help it. Finally, things were going our way. I had no idea how long that would last, but I would take the wins whenever we had them.
“I knew you could do it. Solomon was supposed to be getting the ship prepared this morning with a crew, so we could leave right away. Are you ready, or do you feel like we need anything else?”
“Let’s grab some clothes and head out. The sooner we find the Sea Witch, the faster we can figure out how to stop Prime.”
As Jameson moved about the room, packing a bag for us, I kept my eyes on the dagger. I wasn’t sure if I should let it go, but the amethyst color was beginning to fade, while the connection remained strong. Taking a chance, I set the blade on the table next to me.
The pull coming from it didn’t let up, and I breathed a sigh of relief. I was appreciative I didn’t have to carry around a sharp object in my hand for however long it took to find the caves.
Without delay, we headed downstairs to find Alice, Henry, and Nathan.
“Where are the kids?” I asked, more curious about how Maggie was doing. I hadn’t been able to check in on her since the compulsion, and I felt badly.
“They’re playing outside with some of the others,” Alice informed us with a smile. “Maggie is adjusting well, thanks to you.”
“As much as I wish I could see it for myself, we have to go,” I admitted. “I was able to connect to Jameson’s dagger, and it’s leading us to the caves.”
Henry clasped his hand on Jameson’s shoulder. “If we could go with you, we would, but we can’t leave the kids.”
“We know, brother. They need you more than we do.”
With no time to waste, we said our goodbyes and continued our search for Solomon, hoping we would find him at the port with the ship.
Sure enough, he was walking down the makeshift bridge onto the deck, moving quickly toward us when he noticed our approach. “Did it work?”
“It did. Is everything ready?” Jameson asked.
“I just finished bringing in the last supplies and was going to come check on you two. Go ahead and board the ship. I’ll gather the rest of the crew.”
Part of me cringed; everything was going too well. Over the last few months nothing had gone as planned, filling me with nervous energy. I wasn’t normally one to look for the worst in things, but it hit me hard in that moment, and I struggled to breathe as we made our way onto the ship.
Three days later, the uneasy feeling I had experienced when we boarded the ship returned. My connection to the dagger and the supposed location to the caves was making my head ache as if it had been hit with a rock several times.
The tracking sensation I experienced was telling me that the caves should have been right in front of where our ship drifted in the water, but there was nothing visible for miles and miles. I was beyond frustrated, and I could tell the others were, too, but they did their best to be supportive.
“What else do you know about the blood of the sea and its connection to the Sea Witch?” I asked Evander, who had been a last-minute addition to our crew and was present in the galley with Jameson and me.
“Not a lot. I honestly thought this would work. Maybe she has the caves concealed with her magic. They’re probably here, we just can’t see them.”
I glanced at Jameson. “What do you think?”
“Seems like a plausible explanation, but why would she call you here and then stay hidden? That doesn’t make sense.”
He had a point. They both did and I was aggravated.
“Maybe we should just go home. We’re wasting precious time. What if Prime attacks while we’re gone?” I hated leaving the island vulnerable for as long as we had.
Just as I said the words out loud, shouts sounded from the deck.
“What was that?” I asked in a panicked voice.
“No idea, but we need to find out.” Jameson stood from the table and disappeared in a blur. I quickly followed, with Evander right behind me.
When we arrived on the deck, chaos had descended, and terror seeped deep into my bones like never before. Massive tentacles wrapped around the edge of the ship and up both masts. Wood creaked as the beast increased its pressure, and I felt the ship being forced down.
This was it. The awful feeling that had assaulted me proved to be right. The reason why I hadn’t left anything to chance before we left. There was no way we could beat the monster taking down our ship. It was another beast from the scary tales I had been told as a young girl, to keep children out of the ocean and close to home.
A kraken.
Chapter Eight
Jameson grabbed my face with both hands, making sure he had my full attention. “As soon as the water engulfs the boat, that’s when we swim for the surface. If we jump now, we risk being hit by one of the tentacles. Whatever you do, don’t let go of me.”
Attempting to swallow the lump that was lodged in my throat, I nodded. I wasn’t the best swimmer on any given day, and being attacked by a monstrous water creature now, my faith in my swimming abilities was lacking. I clung to Jameson’s arm and watched as a massive tentacle stretched across the deck like the creature was wrapping as much of itself around the ship as possible.
Crew members yelled to each other, but with so many orders being barked at the same time, no one knew what to do, causing pure chaos. A loud crack rang through the air as the main mast was split in half.
Solomon wasn’t far from us, and he took in the vast creature with a look o
f horror and fascination clearly written on his face. I glanced around Jameson but couldn’t spot Evander anywhere. My chest constricted when I thought of him being crushed by a tentacle. I didn’t think even a vampire could survive that. Though Evander and I had our differences in the past, I had come to care for him as he continued to help us.
Another tentacle made its way across the deck, the suction cups clinging to whatever surface they could find. The sucking sound grated on my sensitive ears, making me cringe and fight to keep what was in my stomach there.
Suddenly, everything became still, as if the creature had paused so the terror of its victims would heighten, but I could see the tentacles quivering. It was preparing, gathering strength to pull our ship under the salty waves.
I managed to suck in a deep breath before the creature gave a mighty tug and then water rushed over the sides of the vessel. Jameson covered me with his body, and I bit back a scream as the ship continued to be pulled downward and we prepared to swim.
I expected to feel the water rush over us, but after several moments, I realized I was still dry. Jameson must have come to the same conclusion, because he drew away from me slightly to look around, though he kept me close.
Water surrounded the ship where there used to be sky and air. Peering around Jameson, I noticed the tentacles of the kraken were still wrapped around the boat as we moved deeper into the ocean. The sea water seemed to part around the ship, like we were in some sort of air bubble.
“What’s happening?” Jameson called quietly to Solomon, who was the closest person to us.
“I… I think we are being taken somewhere,” he admitted, gazing at everything in wonder. “Lavinia, do you still sense we’re near the Sea Witch?”
I shook my head, the connection had been broken during the chaos, but once I focused on it, it didn’t take long before the tracking sensation returned. I gasped, my hands gripping Jameson’s shoulder’s. “I feel it again. I didn’t realize it before, but it was pointing downward.”
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