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  Eve met us at the front door, and Pierce shoved me toward her. “Clean her up, but this time, don’t let her out of your sight. If she gets away again, it will be your head I rip off.”

  Eve nodded as her face blanched, and her grip tightened around my arm as she dragged me to the washroom once more. After shoving me through the doorway, she hastily closed the door behind her and turned to me. “You picked a bad time to piss him off, missy.”

  I didn’t respond even though I was curious why it had been a bad time.

  Eve stalked over to the tub that I noticed was filled with steaming water. I gazed at it longingly. It felt like an eternity since I’d had a proper wash, but the memory of our small group of survivors and how dirty they all were made me balk at my yearning thoughts.

  Eve gestured me forward, but I remained where I was, glaring at her and getting angry all over again at the whole situation.

  “Lord Pierce wants you cleaned up. You can either do it yourself or I’ll do it for you,” she snapped, her brown eyes flashing red for a moment.

  I had forgotten that she was a vampire, too. I didn’t want her close enough to touch me, let alone bathe me, so I undressed. I paid Eve little attention as I stepped into the warm water, trying not to revel in it. I refused to enjoy any part of being here with Pierce while my friends were likely still fighting for their lives.

  There was a knock at the door that had my body tensing. My startled gaze shifted to Eve as she picked up my soiled clothes and brought them to the door. I couldn’t see who was on the other side, but they exchanged items and Eve turned back to me, revealing yet another red dress and more undergarments.

  Is that the only color they have?

  Eve settled everything onto the stool before leaning against the small wash table to glower at me. I glared back, reached for the lavender scented soap, and began lathering my hair and skin. Our eyes remained locked in a silent battle that I refused to lose.

  Once clean, I stood up from the water. Gooseflesh covered my body as the cooler room air hit my wet skin, making me shiver involuntarily. I grabbed a towel from the shelf and quickly dried off. I was feeling extra vulnerable being in a room with a vampire I knew detested me, so I wanted to get into some clothes as soon as possible.

  With stiff movements, Eve helped me into the crisp undergarments, then into the blood red dress that caused bile to rise in my throat. As Eve laced up the corset tighter than necessary, my thoughts turned to Jameson and the others. I wondered what they were doing now. Had they moved to a different location like we discussed, or had Craig returned to finish them off regardless of my cooperation? The mere thought of anything happening to them had fury raging through my veins, heating my skin until I was flushed.

  “I wouldn’t get too comfortable,” Eve hissed. She pulled the last of the laces tight and pinched my skin, but I refused to give her the satisfaction of seeing me flinch. “You’ll be one of us soon. That’ll wipe away your high and mighty attitude.”

  I ignored her as she continued to insult me and my intelligence. My anger rose, but I just had to think of Jameson’s warm embrace, and his azure-colored eyes watching me to keep my ire in check.

  “You’re nothing but a harlot,” Eve spat in disgust, shoving me away from her.

  She sent me crashing into the table, causing me to knock over a vase and fall on top of the shattered pieces. A scream escaped my throat as shards dug into my wrist and forearm. Before I could right myself to inspect the damage, her fingers wrapped painfully around my arm and lifted me off the floor.

  Eve’s eyes were red again when she licked the blood from my arm, ignoring the jagged pieces of the vase still lodged in my skin. Without warning, her fangs pierced my skin, and I cried out at the initial shock of being bitten, but then my cry turned into a scream as fire raced up my arm.

  I jerked away, but Eve just dug her fangs in deeper. I thrashed and bucked, trying to dislodge her, but her hold was strong and unyielding. My continued movements caused her fangs to rip my skin open, and blood ran down my arm into a crimson puddle on the floor.

  The door crashed open behind me, and faster than I could blink, Pierce bashed Eve away from me. My skin gave way as she was forcefully ripped from my arm. He held her up with one hand, then back-handed her with the other so hard that it sounded like a gunshot.

  “You dare taste what is mine,” he roared in her face. “You have defied me for the last time.”

  Pierce barked something toward the door, and several men suddenly appeared, entering the room one at a time. Their eyes flashed red as they smelled my blood but averted their gazes at Pierce’s snarl. They grabbed Eve and dragged her from the room.

  I stared in horror as my mangled and bloody arm laid across my lap, looking more like ground meat than an appendage. At first, I didn’t notice Pierce’s approach; all of my attention was on my arm that bled but didn’t stain the dress beneath it.

  With tender movements, he lifted my arm and began to remove the shards one by one. The flow of blood began to slow as my newly-accelerated healing took over at that moment. I prayed Pierce didn’t notice or question it if he did. Thankfully, his attention was focused on the blood that had dripped down my arm. I watched helplessly as he lapped it up before wrapping my arm in bandages.

  Before I could question his sudden gentle treatment and demeanor, the effects of blood loss made their presence known. My eyes fluttered closed as all the strength left my body and I escaped into my vampire-free subconscious.

  Awareness came slowly as my body began to wake and the memory of Eve sinking her teeth into my arm resurfaced. I rolled over, feeling the softness of a bed beneath me. Jameson’s face appeared in my mind’s eye, and I wished he was here with me and this wasn’t Pierce’s home. I took a deep breath, and, for a moment, I could almost smell the scent that was Jameson: rain, trees, and something else I couldn’t identify.

  My eyes fluttered open, and I stared at an unfamiliar wall decorated with gold and cream patterns. Tentatively, I pushed myself up until I was sitting. I glanced down at myself and groaned at the red dress I had on, while more memories bombarded my mind in a jumble, causing me to flinch. I raised my arm but hesitated before reaching for the bandage-covered area.

  Swallowing hoarsely, I wrapped my other hand around my dressed wrist, and after taking a deep breath, I squeezed. Pressure was present but no pain. I had healed again.

  Frustrated tears gathered in my eyes while I wracked my brain, trying to come up with a solution for why my skin was miraculously healed of all injuries.

  What does it mean? Why am I like this?

  Questions circled in my mind for a long time as I sat on the bed, holding my arm and periodically squeezing it as I prayed for the pain to return. It never did.

  Tears ran down my cheeks, and I rocked on the bed, watching night fall from the bedroom window. I hugged my arms to my chest, my breathing becoming labored and shallow. Panic blossomed within me when a fog settled over my mind.

  The door across from me suddenly flew open, and Pierce prowled through, his cold blue eyes roving over me hungrily. Scrambling off the bed, I backed away, still hugging my uninjured arm to my chest. My mind cleared of the fog and my heartbeat sped up to a gallop when he drew nearer.

  “You can’t run from me anymore, Lavinia,” he purred, his hand reaching toward my face.

  My back hit the wall as he pressed his body against mine. His sinister eyes stared down into my own, and I whimpered when he reached for my face again. Cold fingers grasped my chin, and with increasing pressure, he moved my head to the side and swept my hair away from my neck. His face pressed into the curve there, and he took a deep breath, letting his fangs scrape against my skin.

  Every part of my being balked at his closeness, revulsion swept through me, and I feared I would vomit. My body and mind screamed at me to run away from the creature pressing himself against me, but Pierce had me caged.

  I tried to move and fight, but nothing worked. The more I fought, t
he harder he pressed into me, until I was gasping for air.

  “Finally, you’re mine. No more mistakes. Sending Dom and Craig to turn you is my only regret in all of this. We’ve lost days together, and I won’t lose anymore,” he confessed before sinking his fangs deep into my neck.

  Before I could gag at his words, fire raged through me and I screamed, fighting to tear myself away from him, but I couldn’t. Pierce drank my blood and I could feel the life being sucked from my veins. I was burning from the inside out, as if the fire from my home was suddenly lighting me up. Flames scorched my insides, and I feared I would burst from the heat. I remembered being bitten before by Craig, but it hadn’t hurt like this.

  After several torturous minutes, the fire started to dissipate while Pierce continued to drain me of my blood and push his venom into me. The flames flickered and then died. My body slumped limply as my eyes closed.

  This was the moment when I would cease to exist and a monster would take over my body. An errant tear leaked from my eye as Pierce finally pulled away, lifting me before I could fall to the floor. He carried me to the bed, laid me down, and then almost lovingly, wiped the tear from my cheek before running his fingers through my hair.

  “Sir,” a voice said, and I recognized it as Craig’s.

  “What?” Pierce growled, his fingers still tangled in my hair.

  “We just received word that Prime will be arriving sooner than expected,” Craig answered carefully.

  “You interrupted me just to tell me that?” Pierce snarled, pressing his body into my side.

  “Well, I –”

  “I’ll deal with you later. Now, get out of here,” Pierce interjected before Craig could answer.

  Boots scuffed the floor before footsteps could be heard echoing down the hall.

  “Soon, we’ll be together for all of eternity,” Pierce cooed into my ear.

  I lost track of time while he continued to lay beside me, playing with my hair and talking of the future we would have together. Every so often, he would place gentle kisses to my lips that caused a wave of revulsion to roll through me, but there was nothing I could do to stop him in my current state.

  “You know, I’ve watched you for some time now. People often take notice of you, but you’ve always been unaware of the attention you garner. I did everything to get you to notice me on the rare occasions that you came to town. Nothing worked until I became the most powerful man on this small island. You had to notice me after I made a deal with your uncle. All men are greedy; I grew up around them. I know how they think, and I knew I would finally get what I craved.”

  He paused, leaned in to press his nose to my hair, and inhaled.

  “When I struck my deal with Prime—the vampire who made all of this possible—and I told him all I wanted was you in exchange for my island, he was skeptical, but he agreed in the end. The island for one girl. But you aren’t just any girl, are you, Lavinia? You are so much more, and everyone can see that. Once you’ve turned, we’ll be together, and I’ll be the envy of every man, pirate, and vampire.”

  Silently, I listened, unable to move or even breathe as I waited for the change to begin. Waited for the bloodlust, and for the monster to come.

  But the change never came.

  It had been hours since Pierce left, frustrated at my lack of responsiveness. I remained unmoving, my eyes closed but aware of everything that was happening around me. I felt the same as I had before the bite, but I hadn’t wanted Pierce to figure that out yet.

  Finally, heat started to return to my body, and my first breath of air jump-started my heart. It beat furiously before slowing to a normal rate as my eyes fluttered open. The room was the same; the curtains had been drawn, and I suspected it was to keep the light of day out while I was supposed to be transitioning from human to vampire.

  I sat up and swung my legs off the bed, ignoring my stiff body while I made my way toward the window. Pulling back the curtain, I let the morning sunlight warm my skin as I stared out at the rolling landscape. Sunlight didn’t make me uncomfortable or weaker, which meant that my change into a vampire was unsuccessful, just like before.

  The sound of footsteps approaching down the hall reached me. Before I could come up with a plan, the door swung open and Pierce stalked in, his eyes searching. He spotted me quickly, an evil grin spreading across his face.

  “Finally done, Lavinia,” he cooed and moved toward me, but I took a step back, bumping into the window. “I didn’t think you would ever finish changing. It took longer than usual.”

  I blinked at him, confused. The change hadn’t worked. I wasn’t a vampire. I still drew breath like a human, and my heart was beating in my chest, but Pierce thought he had succeeded in changing me. I couldn’t let him find out that it hadn’t worked, or he’d try again.

  “You can’t rush perfection,” I replied coolly, masking my fear and removing the bandage from my arm while looking it over.

  “No, you can’t,” Pierce agreed, gazing at me with hungry eyes that wanted more than just my blood. “You smell even more intoxicating than you did before.”

  He took a couple of steps toward me, and I flinched, glancing away from him, noticing a second person in the room. A young boy stood frozen. His head was lowered, and I could see bite marks on his wrists and neck. He was a blood slave.

  “Ah,” Pierce said, noticing where my attention had turned. “This is Anthony. I brought him here for your first feeding.”

  “Thank you,” I managed to stammer out, trying not to let my revulsion show.

  “Come closer, Lavinia, darling.” He beckoned me forward, but I remained where I was.

  “Pierce, my sweet,” I choked out, swallowing the bile that rose back down. “Would you excuse us? I’d like to feed for the first time alone.”

  “Why?” he snarled, drawing closer to me, and I knew I couldn’t let him touch me. I couldn’t let him feel the warmth emanating from my skin as my heart pumped life through my veins once more.

  “Because I don’t want you to see me lose control. I need to figure this out alone. Then, I will be strong enough to stand by your side,” I explained, looking up into his eyes.

  “You’re trying to make me happy,” Pierce remarked, a gleeful smile spreading across his face. “Very well. I will leave you. But I’ll be back, Lavinia.”

  My skin crawled when he turned and walked out of the room, closing the door behind him. I held my breath as I listened to his footsteps fade away before turning to Anthony. He was so young; probably not even a teenager, and he reminded me so much of Nettie that tears gathered unbidden in my eyes. I drew closer, wanting to wrap him in my arms, but I froze when he flinched away.

  “I’m not going to hurt you,” I whispered to him.

  “You can’t help but hurt me,” he replied, and my heart broke anew when I saw the bite marks that marred his skin.

  “Yes, I can. I won’t feed from you, or anyone, for that matter,” I informed him, my mind working fast as I searched the room, looking for any way of escape.

  “I don’t understand,” he replied, finally lifting his head to look at me.

  “I’m not a vampire, Anthony. The change didn’t work on me.” I pulled the duvet off the bed and stripped off the sheets. “I’m not going to feed from you. Now, help me tie these sheets together, so we can get out of here.”

  I hadn’t wanted to send Pierce after me again until Jameson and the others were safely on the ship, but they would understand once they saw Anthony. He was only a child, and I planned to protect him, just like I promised to protect Nettie.

  I wouldn’t let Pierce hurt either of them.

  Chapter 7

  Anthony worked on the bed sheets, while I pulled some of the drapery down. We were three floors up and needed to make a rope of sorts out of the bedding and drapes, long enough to safely get us to the ground. I planned on sending Anthony over first, so I could guide him before I propelled myself down the rope.

  Being able to somehow heal my
self without being a vampire was puzzling me. I wasn’t going to question it when I needed it most, though. If I broke a bone or two getting to the ground on my own, then so be it. As long as both of us got away from Pierce, that was all that mattered.

  “How old are you, Anthony?” He didn’t appear to be older than ten, but he was acting much older than that as he swiftly tied the sheets together.

  “I’m eleven.” He kept his gaze down.

  “How did you end up here?” I asked, but noticed his body tensed and his breathing became labored. “You don’t have to answer. Let’s just get you out of here, okay?”

  He nodded and remained silent. The poor boy was going to have a lot of healing ahead of him. We’d have to find him a home as soon as possible on one of the safer islands, and maybe even leave Nettie with him. Children shouldn’t have to see atrocities like pirates and vampires, or worse, vampire pirates.

  Once we were done, I secured one end of the bedding to the bedpost and triple-knotted it, hoping it would be enough to hold. I wrapped the other end around Anthony’s legs and waist, so that he’d be in a sitting position while he went out the window.

  He had both legs out the window and looked back to tell me something, but the door slammed open. Anthony yelped and scrambled back into the room. He fell to his knees, mumbling apologies to his master over and over again.

  Pierce paid him no attention; his rage was directed only at me, which was fine. The boy didn’t deserve any more hurt.

  “You thought you could fool me?” Spit flew out of his mouth as he yelled. “I’m not sure why you haven’t turned yet, but I will figure it out when Prime gets here, and I will make you mine. Do I make myself clear?”

  I nodded, holding tightly to the sheets still in my hand.

  “Did you think you could take my blood slave?” His voice lowered as he took several steps in Anthony’s direction. “What is it with you and children? Do you need me to go find you one? Is that what would make you happy? Or shall I punish you for lying and disrespecting me?”