Chapter Thirty-Four

Aweek goes by in a blink, like no time has passed at all. Life at sea has become both comforting and monotonous, the same day in and day out, the weather holding steady, aside from the occasional heavy swells that roll through.

In that week, I have tried to further convince Priest to turn me into a Vampyre.

He flat out refuses to even have the conversation.

I can't blame him at all.

And yet, I keep trying—partially because every time I do, he uses sex to shut me up. I'm not sure he realizes how he's trained me, but neither of us are complaining in the end.

Tonight, however, I have decided to seek out Abe. Priest doesn't know my plan, and I waited for the right time so that I had the privacy to do so. At the moment, Priest is playing a card game with Ramsay and Thane, and I'm waiting for the chance to leave and say I'm going to talk with Maren.

But Maren told me she is taking a nap during their game, as she often does, stealing a bit of quiet. I do plan on talking to her about my plan, because it could involve her as well—if it's at all possible, would she want to become a Vampyre too? Join Ramsay for eternity? I would assume so, because the two of them are awfully in love, but she has changed a lot over the years. Her quest for adventure has quieted a little, perhaps because she's living it every day.

Yet, I could see her as a Vampyre, sucking the blood out of humans like a creature of the night. It would suit her. I think it would suit all Syrens.

I wait until the drinks are flowing and Priest starts to win a few rounds of the game, which assures me he won't suddenly quit, before I excuse myself and disappear down the ship. I find Abe exactly where I thought he would be: on deck, up in the crow's nest. He's taken quite a liking to observing the sea from that height, probably studying us all scurrying below him like ants.

"Abe!" I yell up the mast. "Do you have a moment?"

I see his red mop peer over the side. "Want me to come down?"

"I'll come up!"

I've never climbed the mast before, but I figure it can't be hard. One hand over the over.

But halfway up, I have to pause, my muscles shaking. I'm still gaining strength again, this body is still new, and I've actually never climbed anything before. I have to take a few deep breaths before I continue up, calming my shaking nerves and muscles.

Finally, I reach Abe on the tiny wooden platform, my heart hammering in my chest. I bet the Vampyres don't expend this much effort. Everything they do is effortless.

"Afraid of heights?" Abe asks me as I lean back against the mast, away from the railing.

"No different than staring down into the abyss of the ocean," I say.

"Even though swimming and falling to your death are completely different?"

I give him a dirty look. "I'll try not to think about the difference."

He stares at me with amusement. "What can I do for you, Larimar? I assume this is about Aragon?"

"Can you turn me into a Vampyre?" I ask, not caring if I'm blunt.

He doesn't look surprised at the question. "You're asking if I can?"

"Priest. You. Anyone on this ship."

"You want to become one of us? Because I think you're already an honorary member of the Brethren."

"I want to live forever," I tell him. "I don't want to lose Priest. I want to be by his side for all eternity."

He scratches at the dark auburn hair on his chin and looks off into the sunset. "Yes, I suppose love does that to people."

"Can you do it?"

"You've discussed it with Priest?"

I pinch my lips shut and nod.

"And I assume he's against the idea."

"He says I would become a monster. Would I become one?"

"Well, you can see why he might think that. That's what happened to him."

"And in your experience, is that what always happens?"

He stares at me for a moment, seemingly deep in thought.

"You know, Larimar, you surprise me." He pauses for a moment. "Your constitution is quite astounding," he says, putting his hands in his pockets. "Your willingness to embrace everything. Your devotion to your sister, to the ones you love. You live life to experience it, and you don't let anything hold you back. You are a ferocious, brave little soul, and I can see why Aragon has fallen in love with you so."

I have to admit, I get a little choked up hearing him say such things. "I don't think anyone has ever observed me like that."

"That's my job," he says with a chuckle. "It's what I do. It's what I'm good at. But don't discount Aragon. He sees you too, all of you. That's why he loves you, and the last thing he wants is to jeopardize that. He's not worried about you running amok on the ship and hurting anyone—he's worried you'll lose all that makes you beautiful. Your soul."

Heat creeps up on my cheeks. "It would be nice for him to tell me that."

He laughs. "It's easy for me to tell you because I'm a casual observer. I don't have anything at stake. My heart isn't on the line. It's hard for Aragon because of the way he is, the ways he has broken and put himself back together. It makes everything that much…harder. But you know he feels that way, you can see it. We all can. And actions speak louder than any of the words I have just spoken."

I think that over for a moment, staring at the horizon as the sun begins to dip down, the blues of the sky deepening, reminding me of Priest's eyes, the way they darken with lust.

"One time, a monster at the monastery escaped," Abe recalls. "We were all so worried. It had happened before, with disastrous consequences, and we thought it would be the same, a trail of blood and body parts left in their wake. But while there was blood…we found something surprising."

"What?"

"We found the monster. He had bitten a human, turned them into a monster. The beast inside said he had wanted the company. The strange thing was that he didn't create another monster. He just created a Vampyre. Sure, the man was a little feral, I suppose. Had a voracious appetite, but he didn't physically transform, and he was in control of himself. He knew who he had been and who he still was. We never did find out if he turned out to be immortal, as one day he left with the monster who turned him in tow, off to live happily together."

I stare at him. "Why didn't you tell me this earlier? Why didn't you tell Priest?"

"Because neither of you mentioned wanting to turn you into a Vampyre."

"What about Maren?"

"She doesn't know."

I reach out and grab him by the collar, my claws coming out and digging into his skin. "You need to tell him," I growl. "You need to tell Priest what he can do. You need to get him to turn me into a Vampyre, turn Maren into one too so she can live forever with Ramsay."

His chin jerks inward as he tries to stare down at my claws holding him. "Do keep in mind that I only have this anecdotal evidence to support my theory. It happened once. I never saw another monster turn a human after that. Monsters usually killed them. It's never a wise decision to base things on one previous outcome."

"But now this is a risk worth taking," I tell him. "Priest has to see that."

"Then you will have to tell him," he says calmly. "And I will be the one to back up your claim."

"Well, we're doing it tonight then," I tell him as I start to climb down the mast.

"Just realize what immortality means, Larimar," Abe calls after me. "It means you still live after the world has burned to the ground."

"I'll live on a scorched Earth if it means having Priest by my side."

I hear him sigh, and then follow down the mast.

I march straight down to the galley where Priest and the pirates have gathered, grabbing a knife from Sedge's counter as I go.

I have to think fast, act fast. Vampyres move like a blur; they'll stop me if they have any idea what I'm about to do.

And if I give it any more thought, I'll lose my nerve.

I have to take the chance.

I have to be the one to do this.

I have to force Priest's hand.

Above all, I must have faith. Faith in an unknown god, faith in fate, faith that my own strength will save me and see me through, that I'll come out of this no more of a monster than I already was.

I march through the room, Priest, Ramsay and Thane all turning to see me approach.

Priest notices the knife in my hand, and his eyes widen, mouth dropping open.

He probably thinks I'm here to kill him.

I take a deep breath, lift the knife, and bring it to my chest, down toward my heart in a sharp, stabbing motion.

Just as Abe yells from behind me to stop.

But he didn't need to.

Because Priest is faster than I thought he would be.

In the time the knife tip presses into the skin of my chest, Priest has gone from sitting at the table holding a bunch of cards to holding the blade of the knife itself, the cards still falling in the air, a delayed reaction to his speed.

"Don't," he growls at me, gripping the blade so it's cutting into his own palm, its blood trickling down onto my chest. "Don't."

"Larimar," Abe chides me from behind. "I didn't say for you to kill yourself. Good heavens."

"I wasn't trying to kill myself," I practically whine. I let go of the knife's handle, and Priest brings it away from me. "I was just trying to make Priest choose me."

"Choose you?" Priest asks as Ramsay takes the knife from his bloody hand.

"To be yours forever. To become a Vampyre."

"Larimar," he snaps at me. "We've been over this."

"And Abe knows something you don't."

"For my part, I don't know what the devil is going on," Ramsay says. "Larimar wants to become a Vampyre? Surely, you jest. You know what would happen to you."

"Explain, Abe," I say.

I expect Abe to let out a despondent sigh, but instead, he tells the others what he told me in the crow's nest. All the while, Priest is silent, his expression guarded as he takes all the information in. Finally, at the end, he quietly says to Abe, "Why didn't you tell me this before?"

"You never asked," he says. "I didn't think this would come up."

"So…" Ramsay begins, "that means Aragon could turn Maren into a Vampyre too."

"You're not seriously considering this," Priest says to him, his eyes flashing.

Ramsay shrugs. "I love my wife. I want her for all of my days. Why wouldn't I want her to become a Vampyre? Why wouldn't I bring her immortality if I could?"

"Ramsay," Priest says, warning him.

"What? I never considered it because, as we all know, she would be destroyed in the process. But if what the doctor says is true…"

"And it is true," Abe points out. "But I must reiterate that it was hardly a controlled study. It happened once. It might not happen again."

"Is that a risk you want to take?" Priest asks the captain.

"Everything is a risk," Thane mumbles, speaking up. "Even immortality isn't a guarantee. We have to take chances, or we die anyway."

Silence falls over us. We all know he's talking about Sam.

"You can do what you wish with Larimar," Ramsay says to Priest. "But my wish, my request, is that you grant us a lifetime together. I want you to turn Maren into a Vampyre."

Priest shakes his head. "The responsibility if something goes wrong…"

"Is mine to bare," Ramsay says determinedly. "And Maren's too. This will be her choice in the end."

"What's my choice?"

We swivel around to see Maren standing at the entrance of the galley. She slowly walks down the aisle, taking note of our expressions. "What's going on?"

Ramsay walks over to her with an impassioned look, gripping her face in his hands. "If you could live forever, just like me, as a Vampyre, would you do it?"

"But of course," she says quickly. "We've talked about that. But that's never been an option." She glances over at Priest. "Because of what I'd become."

"What if it didn't have to be that way?" I say to her. Ramsay drops his hands from her face as she squares off toward me. "What if Priest had the ability to turn you into a Vampyre and only a Vampyre?"

"Because he's a witch?"

"That might help," Abe notes.

"Because I'm already a beast," Priest says bitterly. "Because I was turned. According to the doctor, it's a gift of sorts."

"And I still think the fact that we're already monsters, Syrens, means we're used to staying in control," I tell her. "We were never human to begin with."

Maren walks over to Priest, and I can see the hope building in her eyes with every step. "You could turn me into an immortal? A blood-drinker? You would do that for me?"

Now Priest seems to be pushed into a corner. "I never said I would."

Her eyes spark with determination. "But would you? I'm asking you, Aragon."

He doesn't say anything for a moment, and I don't know what he's thinking.

"It's a risk."

"I like risks," she says with a slow grin. "Taking risks has gotten me the life I wanted."

"Do I have to beg you?" Ramsay says. "Get down on my knees and take your wee cock from your pants?"

At that, Priest bristles, giving him the most offended look while Abe and I burst out laughing.

"I'd do anything for my lady," Ramsay adds, putting his arm around Maren's waist and holding her to him.

Priest looks around the room. So far, he's the odd man out.

There's a battle inside him, a need to stay pious, a need to avoid guilt.

Then, he closes his eyes and runs his hands over his face.

"Fine," he concedes.

Maren and Ramsay let out happy sighs.

"But you won't be happy when she becomes a monster," he grumbles.

"I'll take her in any way, shape, or form," Ramsay says with a smile.

"Alright, so," Abe says, clapping his hands together, "I reckon we should get started." He pauses. "How should we get started?"

"Well, I have to kill her," Priest says.

"This is macabre," Thane mutters under his breath.

"And then bring her back to life," Priest adds.

"Hmmm," Abe says. "Kill her or bring her to the brink of death? That's a fine distinction to make."

Priest looks at me. "And you're just okay with me doing this to your sister?"

I nod. "If it's what she wants, yes."

"And then you can turn Larimar," Ramsay says to him.

If it's a success, is what Ramsay doesn't add, but he doesn't need to. We all know what hangs in the balance.

"Where's that knife?" Abe asks. "We need it again."

Everything after that happens rather fast.

Maren is made to sit down in a chair. There's a quick discussion of how she should die. At first, Ramsay insists that he'll stab her in the heart, but then he changes his mind, and Priest says he'll do it. Then, Abe suggests that a stabbing in the heart might result in instant death, let alone trauma to Maren, so the best way is to sever an artery so that she bleeds out fast. That gives enough time for her to slowly die but not quite pass over.

Of course, while all of this is going on, I'm wrestling with the fact that this was all my idea, and if anything goes wrong, it will be my fault. I wanted to become a Vampyre, but I didn't want to bring Maren into it this way. I wanted to discuss it with her privately first, to see if it would work on me. I wanted to be the sacrifice, not her.

But that's not the way it turned out.

And now, I'm so damn scared that maybe this isn't the best idea. Maybe there needs to be another instance of this working other than the one that Abe provided. Maybe all these hopes about Syren blood taming the monster are just reaching for something.

"I should go first," I blurt out as Abe holds the knife, set to make a cut along her neck with surgical precision.

Maren gives her head the barest shake, mindful of the blade below it. "If it wasn't for me, you wouldn't have fallen for an immortal anyway. And if it wasn't for you bringing Aragon into our lives, I wouldn't have the chance to be with my love forever."

She turns her gaze to Ramsay and gives him the most adoring look.

He returns it back, ten-fold.

And then Abe slices open her neck.

She cries out, her hands automatically going to her neck to stop the bleeding.

I rush forward on pure instinct, trying to save her, but Thane has his arms around me, holding me back. "Let your lover do his work," he says in my ear. "Let him save her."

And so, I watch.

I watch as the blood flows from Maren's neck and she grows paler, Ramsay holding onto her hand and coaxing her, as if in a reverse birth.

Then, Abe nods at Priest to step forward, just as the light in my sister's eyes begins to dim, and a dark, shadowy fear enters my heart.

Priest takes the knife from Abe and slices open his wrist.

More blood pours.

He holds his wrist up to Maren's mouth while Ramsay pries her lips open.

"Drink," her husband whispers in her ear. "Drink, luv, please."

And Maren has just enough life in her to swallow.

Thane lets go of me, but I'm holding onto him now for comfort, and we both stand there, watching and waiting and…

Maren's eyes close.

She stops swallowing.

Crimson trickles from the corner of her mouth.

And then…

She gasps, a god awful, death rattle of a gasp.

Her eyes fly open, and for a second, they're red, a glowing crimson, and then they return to blue as she sits straight up.

Her hand flies out to grab Ramsay, and then she leaps up straight out of the chair and jumps on him, knocking him to the floor.

She goes for his jugular, and I catch a glimpse of fangs as I laugh.

They did it.

It worked.

"Jumping Joseph!" Abe yells. "She's a Vampyre!"

"May I be damned, it worked," Thane says in quiet awe. "I'm going to have a sister-in-law for the rest of my life."

"She'll be busy trying to get her fill from him," Abe says. "I reckon that she'll need human blood after awhile, but Ramsay's will be enough to sustain her for now." He looks at me. "But you, Larimar, you'll be able to feed off Priest, just as he's able to feed off you. He was human once, and he will always carry that part with him."

"I never said I would do the same to Larimar," Priest says gruffly, stubborn as ever.

But when I walk over to him and put my hand over the blood that flows from his wrist, now down to a trickle, the expression on his stoic face softens.

And he gives in.

"Don't make me beg to be part of your life," I tell him.

He manages the faintest smile. "But you know I like it when you beg."

Abe brings the knife over, holding it out like an offering. "I am ready to do the honors again."

"The honors are all mine," Priest says, taking the knife from him. "She is mine to hurt and mine alone. She is mine to turn. She is mine. Forever."

He sits me down on the chair. I keep looking at Maren, at what a feral creature she's become as she sucks at Ramsay's neck, but he does seem to be enjoying it, and every now and then she unhooks her fangs to give him a passionate, bloody kiss, grinning at him like a young girl in love. Suffice it to say, she's no more of a monster than she was before.

"Are you sure you want me to do this?" Priest asks, but he no longer looks unsure of himself. Instead, he seems eager.

Excited.

Eternity waits at the edge of his knife.

"Yes," I tell him.

He presses the blade against my neck.

"Wait, wait!" I cry out, carefully. "Kiss me first."

He grins at me and leans in for a long, deep passionate kiss, the kind that makes my toes curl.

"I love you," he whispers against my mouth. "Always and to the end, whatever end that may be."

"I love you," I say back, giving him another quick kiss on his lips, the side of his mouth, his chin. "Always and to the end, whatever end that may be."

We stare into the other's eyes for a moment, lost to each other, hearts tangled, murmuring everything we need to know.

And then he swipes the blade across my neck.