16. An Entire Damn Pirate Ship

SIXTEEN

an entire damn pirate ship

Unlike the last time Kragen carried me away, this time I'm fully conscious. We're flying high in the sky in plain sight to anyone below. His arms are wrapped around me, and his body above mine, holding me tightly to his chest.

"Where are you taking me?" I scream.

"Home," he answers. "Where you belong."

"My home isn't with you."

His chest vibrates as he laughs at my words. "Your naivety is amusing." Kragen lands minutes later in front of a black SUV. A man I recognize from the Outer Banks exits with a smile plastered across his face.

"Hello, again," Jimmy says. He reeks of alcohol, blood, and insanity.

Mustering the largest amount of spit I can, I fling it in his face, hitting him directly in the mouth. Jimmy wipes the spit before backhanding me with the same hand. "Bitch," he mumbles.

Before I can respond, Kragen has the large man backed against the door of the SUV, with the hand that slapped me broken nearly in half. "Who gave you permission to do that?"

"She spit on me, man. Who knows where that whore's mouth has been."

Kragen turns into the monster that's haunted me for centuries. His face contorts into something from a horror movie. Sharp teeth become more pronounced as he transforms from the man he was earlier into the vampire I remember from years ago.

"Don't touch her again," he snarls. "Do I make myself clear?" Jimmy struggles against Kragen's strength. "I'm not asking twice."

"Yes," Jimmy answers.

"Good," Kragen backs away, straightening his wrinkled shirt. "Now, apologize."

Jimmy makes eye contact with both Kragen and me. "I'm…sorry." He stumbles through the words.

"Fuck you, Jimmy," I answer.

"That's my girl," Kragen says, patting my shoulder. He turns back to the injured vampire. "Take us home."

"Yes, sir," Jimmy responds, opening the driver's door. Kragen opens the back door, shoving me inside.

We sit in silence as Jimmy drives along the familiar roads of the Banks. The sun is beginning to rise, casting an eerie glow over the water .

Not too far from the Minnow Bucket, Jimmy turns down a secluded road. To the unsuspecting eye, it wouldn't even appear to be a road. The SUV bounces along potholes as he carefully maneuvers through the maze of trees.

"Where are we going?" I break the overwhelming silence of the drive.

"I already told you. Home."

The denseness of the trees clears, giving way to a large inlet, surrounded by old live oak trees. Sitting in the middle of the inlet is something I never thought I'd see again. Kragen's ship is anchored, looking every bit the same as I remember from two hundred years ago. Holy shit. There's a pirate ship in North Carolina.

"Is that your ship…the same ship?"

"It is," he answers. Pride shows through his voice. "She's beautiful, isn't she?"

"How?"

"Just takes a little upkeep."

Jimmy pulls the SUV to a stop, parking next to a small dinghy. Along the inlet, several men are walking around, performing their daily duties as if a pirate ship and a small horde of vampires is normal.

"Do these men realize they're not in the 1700s?"

Kragen laughs. "They're vampires. It doesn't matter what century they think they're in." He turns toward me. "Don't try anything stupid. I will not hesitate to kill you."

He pulls me from the back seat, making sure to keep my hands bound behind my back. I can't take my eyes off the ship in front of me. How has he kept it hidden all this time? The sight sends chills down my spine.

Kragen shoves me toward the dinghy. "Get in." I follow directions as Jimmy grabs the oars. We work our way across the crystal blue water of the inlet to the side of the ship. I can't imagine how he managed to get it in here. The ship looks exactly like it did the day I escaped.

"Get up the ladder," Kragen demands. I ignore his demand and leap from the dinghy to the deck of the ship. He follows behind, landing beside me with a smile. "I see you've gained a little rebellion since you left."

He grabs my arms, pulling me toward the back of the ship and toward the room where I spent one hundred years locked inside. "Get in."

"No," I refuse. "I will not return to the bottom of the ship. You'll have to kill me first."

Kragen smiles, revealing the sharp teeth I remember. "Very well. Where would you like to go?"

"Home," I retort.

"Since that option is off the table, let's try again. Where would you like to go?"

I move to the edge of the deck, overlooking the water below, and sit. "Here's fine for now."

Watching the men move around on land and deck, my mind reels over possible outcomes from this scenario. Once Thorne realizes I'm not going to meet him at Connor's office, will he come looking for me? Did he get there in time to save Francis and the lycan? Questions fly through my mind in rapid succession.

Kragen sits at a makeshift desk, not far from my chosen spot. The man working in front of me is different. Not only is he dressed in modern clothing, he's sitting behind a laptop, working. If I didn't know better, I'd think he was normal.

Other vampires are walking around the deck, working on different projects of their own. I recognize a few of them, but most are new faces. Some are dressed in modern clothes, while others are dressed the same as they were three hundred years ago. A young woman wearing a dress very similar to the one I wore all those years ago approaches me, standing several feet away. Her cheeks are sunken in, and her once vibrant eyes hold no light.

"Are you hungry?" she asks, rolling up her sleeve. Her arm is covered in scars. Anger fills me at the thought of these vampires using her as their donor. Our saliva heals wounds. The fact that her skin is covered in scars means that none of these assholes even bothers to heal their wounds for her.

"No. Thank you." I stare at the young human girl. "Do you need help?" I whisper.

Her eyes close, no doubt holding back tears. "No." She bows slightly. "Please let me know if you're hungry."

"What's your name?" I ask before she walks away.

"Maddie. "

"How old are you, Maddie?"

"Twenty." Her voice shakes as she speaks.

"Are there others like you here?"

"Yes."

"Get away from her, wench," Kragen yells from the other side of the deck. Maddie bows slightly before scurrying below.

"You've resorted to kidnapping young girls for food?"

"Kidnapping is a strong word," he retorts. "She's more of a volunteer ."

"How many volunteers do you have?"

He huffs a laugh. "Enough to feed my crew. I've turned over a new leaf. They're here because they want to be."

"I see you're still full of shit."

He sits back in his seat, staring at me. "You've grown quite brave in your time away, haven't you?"

"I didn't have a choice," I retort.

Kragen stands, moving in front of me. "You'll find a change of clothes in my quarters. Go wash that vampire's scent off. It repels me."

"Good. We're even."

"Don't confuse who you're talking to, my dear. I may have conformed to society on the outside, but I'm still the same man I was all those years ago." He steps backward, giving me space. "Clean his stench off of you—now."

I stand. The voice inside is screaming at the vampire in front of me. Elsbeth from three hundred years ago would've cowered in his presence. Elsbeth of today wants to kill him. Rebelling at this stage is pointless. I don't stand a chance alone. Maybe Luna was right. With the help of the lycan, we could destroy him.

Looking around the ship at the few men on board along with the few wandering around the inlet, I make a decision—one that will free me from Kragen forever, or one that will end in my death. Either way, I don't have a choice. Thorne will find me. He's proven that already. I have to stay alive long enough for them to get here. In the meantime, I will learn everything I can. No matter how well-prepared Kragen is, there has to be a weakness—a way to defeat the undefeatable.

I make eye contact with Kragen. "I apologize." I smile slightly as I speak. "I'll go clean up now."

He turns, giving me room to move around him. He doesn't respond, but I feel his eyes on my back as I move toward the captain's quarters.

When I was on the ship before, I was never allowed on deck or anywhere near his quarters. The opulence of the room is definitely not what I expected. The walls and floor are covered in deep mahogany. A large table takes up space in the middle of the room with enough chairs to seat his entire crew. A desk is in the far corner, along with a bookshelf beaming with leather-bound books of all colors and sizes. If I didn't know this belonged to Kragen, I would never believe it.

Hanging on a large wardrobe is a silk dress that would've been the rage in fashion in 1700. Young Elsbeth would've been in heaven to wear such luxury. Vampire Elsbeth is trying to figure out how to move in such an atrocity.

Behind a large dressing screen is a modern bathtub, complete with running water. I turn the water on, filling the tub with steaming water. His ship may look the same, but he's added a few upgrades over the years.

I take my time, washing my hair several times and scrubbing my body until my skin turns pink. If I'm going to play the role of a submissive girl, I need to fully commit. I take a deep breath, willing the thoughts of Thorne and our time together away from my mind. In the years I've been a vampire, I never had anyone I could depend on. No one was coming to rescue me. My survival was purely because of me. I close my eyes with the realization that Thorne will come, and with him, a small army of lycan. I have to dare to hope there will be an end to this nightmare I've lived for three hundred years.

Staying in the tub until the water turns cold, I find a fluffy towel in the wardrobe, along with the items needed to keep my hair from looking like a frizzy mess. I take my time, putting extra care into my appearance. Pulling my dark hair into a thick braid, I stare at the woman in the mirror. Bright green eyes stare back, offering their support. I'm not the shell of a woman that Kragen once held. I will take him down or die trying .

The dress is difficult to get into without help, but I manage. It's a perfect fit, hugging my curves in all the right places. Did he have it made for me?

A soft knock sounds on the door. "Who is it?"

"Your captain," Kragen's voice sounds through the wood. "I was being polite to knock. Open the door."

I follow orders, stepping away from the door and giving him space to enter. Kragen stops in the doorframe, staring at me.

"That's better." He nods approvingly at my appearance. He sniffs the air in front of me. "You smell better, as well."

"Thank you for the dress." Trying to be charming to the man that I've held nothing but hatred for is proving more difficult than I expected. Every fiber of my being is fighting against me.

"You look lovely. Dinner will be delivered any minute." He motions to the table in the middle of the room. "Please, have a seat."

My stomach drops at his words. Without arguing, I move to a seat at the opposite end of the large table. Kragen chooses the seat next to mine. The door opens as Jimmy enters, dragging the young woman I met earlier behind him. "This one is ready," he says with a smile.

"Lovely," Kragen answers.

"Maddie?" I say her name without thinking.

"Hi," she whispers, wiping tears from her cheeks .

Jimmy brings her to the table, slamming her head into the wooden surface. I stand, moving toward her.

"Sit down," Kragen demands.

"She's hurt," I argue.

"So? Sit down." I close my eyes and lower back to the seat. Following his orders takes everything I have. "Drink from her."

"I'm not hungry."

"Drink from her," he repeats.

"No."

Kragen stands, grabs Maddie by the wrist, and drags her closer to my seat. "Drink, or I will."

I know without asking, that he will take every drop of blood left in her weak body. I make eye contact with the young girl, offering apologies through my gaze. Licking her arm to numb her skin, I bite into her arm and drink. Her blood is weak and tastes of other substances. Maddie's eyes close as I pull away, making sure to leave her more than enough for another day.

"Good girl," Kragen whispers in my ear. "Now, kill her." Maddie's eyes open as new tears form.

Jimmy's laugh fills the room as the blood I took, bubbles in my stomach. Without planning or thinking, I move behind Jimmy, biting into his neck and ripping his head from his body before he has time to recognize my movement.

Kragen stares at the spectacle in front of him with a sickening smile covering his face. I move protectively in front of the young girl who's crying uncontrollably .

"Well done, my dear," Kragen says with a soft clap. "Well done."

Pulling Maddie with me, I back out of the door onto the deck of the ship. My dress is covered with blood, which strangely makes me sad.

"Go," I tell the scared woman. "Get out of here."

"There's nowhere to go," she cries. "I don't even know where I am."

"Hide in the trees." I nod toward the mass of greenery surrounding us. "Go, now." She nods before running off the deck and jumping into the water below. I turn, expecting Kragen to be behind, and find the deck empty. What the hell?

For a moment, I consider following her. I could swim faster than he could follow and get both of us out of here, but escaping would only prolong the chase. Kragen's proven that. Instead, I sigh and attempt to wipe the blood from the front of my skirt before moving back toward his quarters.

Opening the door, I find him in the same spot as before. He's leaning back in his chair, nursing a glass of red liquid, with his legs crossed at the knees. "Back so soon?" he asks.

"I hope that one wasn't your favorite." I nod toward the body on the floor.

Kragen crinkles his nose. "I only have one favorite." He toasts the air in front of him in my direction. "Besides, I haven't had a show like that in quite a while. You have proven to be very entertaining. Well worth my investment."

I move back to my earlier seat, sitting across from my captor. "Why me, Kragen? During my time on this ship, you brought many captives on board and disposed of them quickly. Why keep me? Why turn me? Why torture me? Why not kill me and put me out of my misery?"

"You intrigue me," he answers, taking a sip of his liquid. He nods toward Jimmy's body. "Clearly, the entertainment aspect alone is worth the time spent."

"I'm not your captive any longer."

"No, you're to be my wife."