I could tell my body was doing its best to heal and with each drop I took in, it began to mend me, and not just surface-level wounds—no, it was fixing my sore muscles, the pain that would echo through my body randomly, and the exhaustion that had saturated my existence until now. With that benefit, though, came a level of hunger I’d never have expected. Each time I woke it hit again, the raw need for blood. After I’d satisfied it, I would fall asleep, feeling safe and comfortable enough to do so without fear.
I couldn’t tell you how many times this cycle occurred—maybe four or five times within a day?—but eventually I felt my body slow its attempts at healing me. Which was good, because there was absolutely no way to fight my body when it was so demanding like this.
When I woke up the last time, I immediately knew something was different. I felt…alive.
I knew that sounded ridiculous, but I had been existing in a haze of mental anguish and hopelessness for so long, continuously fighting a battle I could never win… But against all odds, I had. I’d won. I was on a ship heading somewhere far away, and I felt amazing. I felt like I finally had a chance to live.
I knew in part this feeling came from the blood Kolvar continued to give me. I didn’t fully understand why it was affecting me so much, but it was clear I was going through a transition of some kind.
That wasn’t even including the odd fact that if I was a vampyre, then why was I able to consume Kolvar’s blood?
The comforting blanket of sleep was ripped away as I began to experienceeverythinggoing on around me. I didn’t know how else to explain it, and as I sat up in Kolvar’s bed, looking around, I felt a surge of overwhelming energy as a ton of different visual, audio, and tactile stimulants hit me at once. Everything became so sharp and clear in that moment, and I froze on the bed, not knowing how to react to such a drastic change.
It was like I had been in this stuffy, hazy cocoon and now I was breaking out of it, leaving everything from the past behind.
Something caught my gaze in the far corner of the room near the ceiling. The room was cast in shadows, a small oil lantern on the bedside table the only source of light, yet I could see the spiderweb in perfect clarity. Not just the web, but the specks of dust resting on the silk strings and the tiny spider in the far right of it, rhythmically twitching its legs against its piece of work.
I could even see the tiny little hairs on its legs and every single one of its eyes.
I ripped my gaze away, quickly realizing that my sight wasn’t the only thing enhanced; my senses of smell and hearing were also. I could scent the coppery stench of blood somewhere nearby, and even further into the ship was the scent of human food being made, paired with the voices from the galley.
What the hell was going on with me right now?Was this because of the blood? It had to be. Even the sheets underneath my fingers felt different. I could feel each individual thread and the difference between the textures in the woven fabric.
After a moment of shaking off the sensation, I stared at the door, wondering if Kolvar would arrive. He seemed to have a sense for when I was awake, but after a moment or two alone, I decided to go search him out, grabbing my cloak and wrapping it around my shoulders. I was using the guise of needing blood to go find him, but in truth I just wanted to see him. Kolvar had been my anchor while I was healing, and I had found myself looking forward to when my eyes opened because it meant seeing him.
I also wanted to talk with Dakath more, and to watch Elijah to learn more about them.
Reaching the door, I swallowed, feeling a dryness in my throat that told me I was hungry. I was happy to find it wasn’t nearly as bad as before, almost ignorable.
Stepping out into a long hallway, I found a series of closed doors, most likely cabins like the one I’d just left. Did that mean the others were around here as well? What about Tristan and his family?
Pulling my cloak further around me, a damp chill filling the space, I decided to head to the right towards a set of stairs. I was suddenly regretting not having left the room before now—not that my body would’ve let me do anything but sleep and eat—but now I was lost on where to go on this ship.
Shaking my head and setting my shoulders back, I decided to find the others. I didn’t want to live like a mouse, constantly hiding. Luckily, I didn’t have to look very far. When I reached the bottom of the stairs that I now realized went out onto the deck, I heard a deep masculine voice from above.
“No, Dakath. Leave her to rest.” Elijah’s voice was firm, and while not loud, it filled the space and made me feel like he was in the room with me. Or maybe it was my sensitive hearing.
“Two days,” Dakath argued, his voice low and harsh. “It has been two days since we’ve seen her. We have no idea what state she’s in.”
“Kolvar would tell us if there was a problem,” Elijah said, sounding more tense.
“And you don’t want to make sure? You don’t care enough to see her yourself?” Dakath questioned, his voice nearly a snarl that had chills breaking out on my arms. I didn’t know the man well but the intensity he showed towards my situation was…appealing. He spoke with such ferocity that perhaps should have made me intimidated, but it didn’t. Instead, he made me feel protected.
“It’s not about caring,” Elijah snapped.
“I think that’s exactly what you’re trying to do,” Dakath hissed.
What did that mean? Also, did it mean Dakath cared about my well-being? Warmth infused my chest at the thought.
“She wants Kolvar in there,” Elijah growled, sounding distant. “She’s been through a lot. It’s better to leave her be and focus on what will happen when we arrive on shore.”
“Bullshit,” Dakath scoffed.
Deciding to put an end to their arguing, I walked up the stairs and pushed out through an older wooden door that led onto the top deck of the ship. I was taken off guard by the gorgeous gold and black sails that billowed in the wind, the sound of the rippling fabric running over my ears. I had never been on a ship before, and the feeling of the wind soaring across the deck, sprinkled with water from the ocean, made me feel invigorated. I could hear every crashing wave around us, and I inhaled the scent of the sea, feeling an overwhelming sense of…freedom.
“Thank fuck you’re okay.” Dakath appeared in front of me, tugging me into his arms. I let out a squeak, completely taken by surprised at the movement, but I melted into him, loving the orange-y citrus scent that seemed to wrap around me protectively.
My head was pressed against his chest, turned to the side, and my comfort was quickly replaced with a bit of sadness as Elijah held my gaze, regret flashing in his emerald eyes before he looked back out at the sea, as if giving us a moment of privacy. His active effort to avoid eye contact and distance himself from me hurt. It was ridiculous; I should just be thankful he helped me escape and not get caught up on his reaction to me.
