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  Jameson stepped next to me. “Even one is more than most would have been able to kill on their own.”

  “You’re right. I didn’t mean to show doubt. It’s more curiosity and surprise that there is something besides magic from the Sea Witch that can kill a vampire,” Evander said.

  “Technically, my venom is from the Sea Witch.” My shoulders eased at his admission. I didn’t like feeling as if someone we trusted doubted me, but his explanation made perfect sense. Evander often seemed to look deeper, beyond the surface, and it shouldn’t have alarmed me that he was curious about my venom.

  When everyone in our group was off the ship, we moved as one toward the dock, and I was thankful to Ruth’s seamstress who had made me custom trousers. They were made from thick linen, with two lined pockets on each side, along with a tight loop that held Jameson’s dagger. He had insisted I use it during the fight while he stayed armed with two venom-laced blades.

  When our two groups merged together, Solomon was rigid. My first instinct was to reach out to him, but I hesitated. Then, I realized I had no idea if I would see him again once we parted, and there was no point in holding back any longer. He needed to be certain that I had forgiven him since our shared moment on the beach, even if I hadn’t said the words out loud.

  My arms wrapped around him, uncaring as to the others who stood mere feet from us. It took him a second, but he followed my movements, and I felt his shoulders relax against my touch.

  “It’s going to be all right, Dad.”

  He pulled back with a shimmer in his eye and rested his forehead against mine. “Thank you.”

  Our moment lasted several seconds longer before we both moved away. I hadn’t called him “Dad” since seeing him again, and doing so then felt right. Even though we weren’t alone, it had been just what we needed to finally put the past behind us.

  When I stepped next to Jameson, he wrapped his arm around me and placed a soft kiss to the side of my head. I knew he was just as happy as I was to see me fully forgive the only father that really mattered to me.

  Commotion from behind us broke the silence. Turning around, I saw the kraken dive under the water, leaving behind a trail of blood.

  “It’s up to Catherine and her crew now,” Solomon stated, and I heard Evander hiss behind me.

  I imagined it was hurting him to know he wasn’t there for her during the biggest battle of their lives, but I appreciated that he had stuck to the plan to assist with Prime. Evander knew him best out of all of us, and we needed him if we wanted the best chance at success.

  Solomon went over the plan one last time. His group was going to go up and around the buildings in an attempt to block Prime in, as long as he was where we hoped. Evander seemed certain he would be somewhere he could see what was happening all around him. The lookout post he’d been under was the perfect spot, but didn’t give him much cover. We’d start searching the buildings nearest to it, beginning with the tallest ones, and spread out from there if we didn’t find him.

  Jameson and Evander took the lead alongside me, while the rest of our crew followed closely to watch our backs. We could only hope Prime didn’t keep disappearing on us, but one way or another, this would all be over soon.

  Before we separated, Jameson pulled away from the group. “If something happens to me, I need you to promise me that you’ll leave with Evander. Find a way to the mainland and hide. Don’t let Prime get his hands on you. He’ll be unstoppable if he can force your power out.”

  My hands cupped his cheeks. “Leaving you will never be an option for me, and I would sooner die than let Prime use me, so we either both leave together, or we don’t make it out of here. Those are the only two options I see for us.”

  His head shook. “I don’t like it.”

  “Neither do I, but it’s the life we’ve been given, and we have to hope that fate is on our side today.”

  His arms wrapped around me in a tight embrace and I savored the moment, but I wasn’t afraid. I knew what was meant to be would happen. If our lives were forfeited today, it would be for a greater purpose, and I was fine with that as long as where Jameson went, so did I.

  When the groups were finally separated and began moving with purpose, I pulled our dagger free from its place on my trousers and readied myself. My eyes never stopped moving as we stalked across the sand. Vampires skittered up ahead of us, but they were being smarter than I anticipated.

  The few I spotted seemed to be prepared for our arrival instead of acting without thought. I didn’t expect them to have a plan. Most of Prime’s crew had seemed to act erratically when I last encountered them, and the fact that they were now moving with determination threw doubt into my head.

  Taking a moment to myself, I called on the darkness once more. It was ready and waiting to lash out when requested. Waves of nearly overwhelming power pulsed through me as I channeled it into my hands and my blade. My muscles clenched with the need to attack, but we had a plan and needed to stick to it, especially if Prime was one step ahead of us.

  “We need to split up,” Evander whispered. “They’re going to try and separate us anyway if we don’t move in quickly with our attack.”

  “How do you know?” Jameson countered.

  Evander pointed. “Two heads keep popping out from behind that wall, and three more are hiding in the entryway of the building directly in front of us. If we continue together on the path we’re on, they’ll have the advantage.”

  Glancing around, I realized he was right. I couldn’t see the ones in the building, but I saw the two on the side and knew I had seen a few more head in the opposite direction. Evander suggested our next course of action and nobody disagreed.

  Jameson and I continued down the path alone while Evander and the others behind us split into two groups of three. As long as there weren’t more vampires hiding within the building, we wouldn’t run into any problems.

  Just as we arrived at the end of the path, claws sank into my wrist while my arm was wrenched back at an awkward angle. The two from the side of the building attacked Jameson while I dealt with a third one we hadn’t seen hiding so close.

  “Are you ready to come home?” The vampire’s breath moved across my neck.

  “Not a chance in hell.” Slamming my head into his, I knocked my attacker off balance and kicked his feet out, watching in satisfaction as he fell to the dirt. “Where is Prime hiding?” My boot pressed against his neck as my claws extended, ready for a fight.

  His response was gargled, so I loosened my hold ever so slightly, thinking he might be helpful, but I should have known better.

  The vampire was on his feet within half a second, and his fist slammed into my face. “You’ll only find Prime when we take you to him in chains.” His snarl was aggressive as spittle landed on my face, but it didn’t stop me.

  “Fine, have it your way.” My vampire abilities surged forward as strength and speed consumed me. With one swift movement, I raked my claws across his face and plunged my dagger into the vampire’s chest.

  His eyes widened, making me assume Prime hadn’t warned any of his new recruits that I could kill them. When the body began to turn to ash, I pulled the blade back out and turned, ready to continue the fight, but the rest of our crew was simply standing there, waiting for me.

  “Nobody wanted to step in and help out?” I asked with a slight smile, considering they stood there as if they didn’t have a care in the world.

  “We just didn’t want to interrupt when you were almost done. This group might have been prepared with where to hide and how to attack, but they were merely a distraction. None of them had been properly trained, and they were easily taken down. We figured we’d let you have your fun with that one. Though, I didn’t expect you to let him get a hit in.” Jameson’s mouth downturned.

  “Well, that hadn’t been planned.” I rubbed my cheek, and then checked my wrist where the vampire had sunk his claws into my skin. The blood had already crusted over the wound and was only
mildly tender to the touch. Thank you, vampire healing abilities.

  “We need to keep going if you’re all right, Lavinia,” Evander urged, while his eyes continued to scan the area. “I don’t think Prime will waste too many more of his men, but we can’t be certain. Though, he likely would have thought his ships would have been able to stop us from even getting to land so fast. Nobody could have predicted the kraken showing up.”

  Glancing back toward the sea, there were less cannons going off, but more smoke plumes in the sky. We were too far inland and not high enough to tell whose ships were on fire, though.

  Shaking off the dark thoughts that it could be some of ours, we pushed forward. When we arrived at the first section of buildings, we paused, hoping to pick up any sounds, but there was nothing to tell us what we would be walking into once we entered the structures.

  Staying within eyesight of each other, we moved, but we were soon broken into groups once again. Jameson refused to leave my side, so Evander led another team into the house while Neil and William joined the two of us.

  I hated that Neil was here with us; he was too young for war, but Prime had made sure he’d never have a normal life the day he turned all the people on the ship Solomon had sent from the island, including Maggie. Neil had kept a good attitude and remained pure with genuine intention.

  William was still a hunter and a damn good one. He was currently standing crouched at my side, two venom-laced blades in his hands. His eyes met mine as he scanned the hallway we were entering, and I gave him a nod to continue. If he wanted to take the lead, I wouldn’t hold him back.

  Floors creaked up ahead, but there was no commotion as I saw the last member of Evander’s group turn the corner. We sped up, trusting the area in front of us was clear, but when we came around the corner, neither Evander nor any of the others with him could be seen.

  “Where did they go?” I hissed in frustration.

  “Listen.” Jameson held up his hand.

  It took a moment, but I finally heard the grunts and beginnings of a brawl. We moved with cautious haste, as to not leave William behind, but when the fighting got louder, Neil suggested Jameson and I race ahead while the two of them followed right behind us. I didn’t like it, but we had no idea what kind of trouble Evander was in and couldn’t afford to waste a moment.

  Jameson took my hand in his and we practically flew down the hallway toward a large open room. Six vampires were attacking, and these ones had a lot more training than the previous group we encountered.

  Without thought, we jumped into action. Jameson went left, and I turned right with my dagger in hand as my primary weapon—I also had a venom blade. There would be no hoping these vampires would talk.

  One caught me advancing and charged. I lifted my dagger, but he side-stepped me, landing a jab to my ribs before twisting out of the way. I dropped the venom blade and readjusted my hold on my hunter’s dagger. The lewd bloodsucker was going to pay for my bruised rib.

  My head snapped up as my body spun to ready for another attack. When I met the vampire’s eyes, I recognized my assailant. He had been in the galley the day I was attacked and almost dragged away while on Prime’s ship. He had done nothing when his friend tried to hurt me. Forget my bruised rib. He would pay for his lack of respect.

  Darkness consumed me and I blurred forward, slamming my dagger into the side of his neck. Gargling noises came from his throat, but they didn’t faze me. He deserved to die.

  Snatching my weapon, I turned back to grab the one I had dropped, but it wasn’t on the floor where I knew it had been a moment ago. My eyes quickly searched for it, hoping one of our people had grabbed it, but I wasn’t that lucky. The glint of metal caught my eyes, moving across the room toward Neil and William, who had just entered the fight. My heart sank.

  “Stop!” I sent out my compulsion, but it was too late. While the vampire froze on the spot, the blade had already hit its mark.

  Neil’s eyes widened in shock, fear, and then acceptance, all within a split second. Time seemed to slow down as I raced to his side.

  “I’m so sorry.” I held his hand as his body began to turn to ash. My eyes stayed locked on his until they were no more. By that time, the fight had ended, and more of Prime’s vampires were dead, but so was one of ours, and that wasn’t fine with me.

  “Lavinia,” Jameson called hesitantly.

  When I turned to him, I knew what he would see. Pure wrath and crimson eyes.

  “Let’s go.” My voice was hard. I didn’t want to talk about it. I wanted to find Prime and rip out his heart.

  Neil didn’t deserve to die. He never asked for this life. He had been fleeing to safety, and Prime stole that from him. He would pay for that and so much more. I was done using caution. All of my humanity and practical thought was overshadowed by the loss of one of our own.

  I could feel Jameson behind me, offering his silent support. He didn’t try to convince me to slow down. He understood, and I was more than grateful I wouldn’t have to hold it against him for trying to stop me.

  The remainder of the building was empty, and we quickly moved on to the next one. Three structures later and ten more of Prime’s vampires dead, we arrived at the last one in the section we were covering.

  Pausing outside the door, we listened for Solomon and his group, but we couldn’t decipher his voice or scent through all of the destruction. We were closer to the beach now, and that gave us the ability to check on Catherine and the other ships. Each of them was accounted for, which made me breathe a little easier, but we still had no idea how many of the hunters and vampires had survived the attacks.

  The only saving grace was that they appeared to be headed inland, so the fight at sea must be mostly over. Prime was becoming vastly outnumbered, and I wondered if he knew his end was near.

  As I turned back toward the last building we were going to check, my eyes focused on my target. Prime stood in the entryway, eyes glaring at me.

  “I’m disappointed it took you so long to arrive. Maybe you’re not as strong as I thought you to be.”

  He was trying to taunt me, but I wouldn’t let him affect me.

  “Maybe you shouldn’t have been a coward, and faced us when we arrived instead,” I countered.

  “I can see that you’re angry, Lavinia, but there’s no need. This is your journey, and it’s time for you to accept who you were born to be. We need to bring your mother home. Don’t disappoint her.”

  “You are the only disappointment here.” I snarled and acted on instinct.

  I could hear Jameson and Evander calling for me, but I was past the ability to listen to reason. The plan we had in place went out the door the moment he brought my mother into the conversation. He had no right to speak of her after he took her away from me, and I would make sure he knew it.

  Grabbing one of my extra blades, I blurred over the sand and slashed his thigh with my venom-laced dagger as I moved low to avoid his grasp. Turning back around, I tossed Jameson’s dagger back toward where he last stood and pulled another venom one from my pocket.

  Moving in again while Prime was still hissing over the first cut, I aimed for his side and chest. When I was within striking distance, his head snapped up at me, and a wicked smile graced his face.

  “You’re lucky I need you.”

  “No, I’m lucky I’m stronger than you,” I retorted.

  Other vampires descended on our group, and everyone began battling at least one of them. Resuming my focus on Prime, I threw my blades out, but only one of them made contact. Prime’s hand caught my forearm, breaking it from the sound and pain that radiated from it.

  A roar ripped from my chest as his other hand clasped my throat. “Did you really think you could beat me? You might be able to turn my people against me, but nobody can ever stop me from getting what I want.”

  Struggling to breathe, I glanced toward the others and wondered if I had made a mistake letting Prime’s taunting get to me. If I hadn’t, then there was a ch
ance Jameson and Evander would have been right by my side. Instead, Jameson was battling two vampires, unable to come for me as Prime choked the air out of me, and Evander was nowhere in sight.

  “Why? Why couldn’t you have been happy with the life you weren’t meant to have?” I asked through the pain.

  “My only happiness was with Susanna, and I won’t stop until I have her back. Isn’t that what you want? Or are you a selfish daughter who only cares about herself?”

  With every word he spoke, his anger increased and his hold tightened around my neck. Spots began to prick at my eyes, and I knew if I passed out before biting him, we would never get another chance to stop him.

  Something hard slammed into my back, and I crumbled to the ground. My vision blurred as I struggled to breathe again. When I did, I saw Evander fighting Prime and, just like before, I was mere seconds too late.

  Prime had overpowered Evander, taking one of his venom-laced blades. Prime’s eyes glanced down at mine as the dagger slid into Evander’s chest.

  He sneered at me. “How many more people are you willing to lose before you give up?”

  Chapter Eighteen

  There was no time to answer Prime’s question. Solomon joined the fight at the same time Catherine’s ship finally arrived at the port, but the most surprising of all was the reappearance of the kraken.

  Its tentacles slid onto the beach, and I thought the Sea Witch had changed her mind about interfering, but instead of taking Prime, it took Evander—who I was expecting would turn to ash at any moment. Except that didn’t happen. Evander disappeared in the blink of an eye, along with the kraken. Before grief could consume me, I let my swirling darkness block out the pain, knowing the Sea Witch would give him a proper sendoff while we defeated his killer.

  My attention focused back on Prime, who wore a look of shock at seeing the kraken. Jameson was at my side, and I read his intentions. It was time to finish Prime. I couldn’t risk the lives of any more of my loved ones.