19. Wedding of a Lifetime

NINETEEN

wedding of a lifetime

Staring at my younger brother, I'm in awe of how much he reminds me of our father. He shares the same dark hair and bright blue eyes. The angles of his jawline form into a sharp point at his chin, bringing flashes of the last time I saw our father alive.

"Have you been on this ship the entire time?" I ask, hoping to clear the thoughts from my mind.

"No. After I was turned, Kragen left me alone on an island in the Atlantic."

"He left you? How did you eat?"

"Animal blood, mostly. Rats, mice…anything warm." He looks off at a distant memory. "I don't know how long I was there before he returned. When he found me still alive, he said I'd earned a place with his crew."

"I'm so sorry, Bert. "

He shrugs. "Yeah, me, too. It wasn't all bad. It taught me how to survive."

The air between us becomes awkward. "Do you want to get away from Kragen?"

He slides back into his chair. "For the longest time, I did. Now, I don't know." He looks up. "Until I saw you, I didn't have a reason to leave."

I slide my hand on top of his. "We have each other."

"Aye, we do." Large fingers squeeze into mine.

"We have to stop Kragen and the games. As long as he's alive, he will continue finding ways to destroy lives."

Bertram stares at me in silence. His eyes close, and he takes a deep breath. "I know where the treasure is."

"The humans? Where?"

"A small warehouse not far from here."

I stand, pulling him with me. "Let's go. We have to save them."

"Slow down, Elsie. They're being guarded and bled by vampires around the clock. We can't just walk in there and free them. We're not prepared for that."

"There's no time to waste." The sun peeks over the horizon with my words. "Today is the day they're being sold."

"Elsie, sit down." Bert pulls me back to the chair. "The men who are purchasing the treasure aren't taking them for food." He closes his eyes and sighs. "Kragen calls it a game for a reason."

"What aren't you telling me? "

"The humans will be brought here to the inlet and set free."

Oh, my God. The realization of what Kragen's games are hits me. "The vampires hunt them for sport?" I fill in the blanks.

"Aye."

"Shit."

"Aye," he agrees. "It's nostalgic for the older vampires, and they pay quite well for the experience."

"How do we stop them?"

Bert runs a hand through his messy hair. "There are others who believe like I do."

"Will they help?"

"Truthfully, I don't know."

"They have to." I stand, moving toward a window. "How many?"

"It's not like we hold weekly meetings." He scratches his head again. "Three maybe."

"Are they strong?"

"Aye."

"We have to get to that warehouse and save the kids before they bring them here."

"No," Bert interrupts. "We don't stand a chance at the warehouse. We have to wait until they come here."

"If the humans come here, they'll die."

"Kragen is an arse, but he's an egotistical arse. He starts the games with a showcase of his strength. It's how he makes himself feel powerful."

"How many games have there been?" Horror fills me, thinking of how many humans have died for his enjoyment and money.

"More than I'd care to remember." Bert closes his eyes at the memory. "He will sacrifice one of the humans as a show of strength before the games begin. It's his way of showing the hunters that he's the one in charge. During that time, the rest of the humans will be freed for the hunt."

"Can we gather the rest and get them to safety?"

"A few maybe, but not all."

"Dammit, Bert. I refuse to accept that answer." Anger fills me.

"Aye, I agree, but it's all I can give you at the moment. If I can convince the others to fight, between the five of us, we might be able to save half of them."

My sigh fills the wooden room. "Half is better than none. It's our only option."

Bert's face tells me he feels Kragen's energy the same time I do. "He's coming," I whisper.

"Aye." He stands. "The games are at sunset. I'll talk to the others but can't guarantee they're going to be willing to help." He wraps long arms around me, pulling me close. "I love you, Elsie."

"I love you, too." I watch as Bert silently leaves Kragen's quarters. As screwed up as it is to know that Bertram's a vampire, the fact that he's still on Earth gives me hope.

I hear what sounds like a car, followed by a familiar voice. "Elsbeth!" a woman yells .

Shit. I know without looking that Brittney is the voice I hear. How the hell did she find me?

"Elsbeth," she repeats. "Is that a damn pirate ship? Elsbeth!"

Opening the door, I run into the source of the sulfur smell. Kragen is standing on the other side with an amused look plastered across his face. "Hello, darling. It seems you have company."

"Leave her alone," I warn. "She has young children and has no idea what we are."

"I wouldn't dare harm a mother." The smile that covers his face doesn't mirror his words. "Let's go talk to her, shall we?"

We move to the edge of the deck, facing the minivan I remember from our tour. "Elsbeth, is that you? Are you okay, honey?"

"Brittney. I'm fine. You need to leave. Now."

"Who is that with you?"

I turn toward my captor. "Kragen is an old friend. You need to leave," I repeat.

The sound of a cracking branch draws her attention behind her. "Call them off," I warn Kragen.

"I don't see anyone." His voice sounds bored. "I cannot guarantee her safety."

"Are you sure you're okay?" Brittney continues. She's looking at the woods surrounding her as she speaks. I can smell her fear from here.

"Yes, I'm great. Better than ever. "

I catch a glimpse of movement behind her, and my heart stops.

"Call them off," I warn for the second time.

Kragen clasps his hands together. "It's out of my control."

Leaping from the deck of the ship, I land in front of Brittney's dirt-covered minivan.

"Elsbeth, how…how did you do that? Did you just jump from the ship?"

"Brittney, you have to leave, now!" I demand. "Don't stop for any reason. Do you understand?"

One of Kragen's men moves behind her at vampire speed, teeth bared. I slam into him before he reaches her, pushing him into the trunk of a heavy oak tree. Her scream pierces the air. "What is that?" she starts.

"Go, now!" The vampire in my arms is fighting against me. He's transformed into a monster, losing all aspects of his humanness.

Brittney doesn't hesitate. She's inside the van with tires spinning within seconds. The moment the van is out of sight, I grab the vampire's head, ripping it from his torso. He collapses in a thud.

"Bravo, my dear," Kragen says from the deck after watching the spectacle I put on. "It seems I underestimated you through the years. Think of all the entertainment I've missed."

"Tell your men to back off," I warn, ignoring his attempt at humor.

"What would be the fun in that? "

"Tell them," I repeat. "I will kill them all."

"Oh, very well. Leave the woman alone." His words are no louder than normal speech, but I know without asking, they will follow orders. "Come back to the ship, my dear. I have something for you."

I could run. I could be back in Charleston in a matter of hours, but I know from experience, Kragen will not leave me alone. Especially now that he finds me…interesting. I jump back to the ship and to the side of my captor. A vampire I don't recognize comes from below deck. He stands in front of me, holding a large white box.

"This is for you," Kragen says as the young vampire pushes the box toward me. Sliding the top off, I'm not surprised to find a wedding dress neatly folded inside.

The young man sets the box on the floor and lifts the dress in front of me. "This will look perfect on you. The color will be perfect with your chestnut hair." The style of the dress reminds me of my youth. Ivory silk taffeta, covered in ruffles and lace, would've been perfect three hundred years ago for the wedding I was never allowed to have.

"It's lovely. Thank you."

"I'm pleased you like it. The wedding will take place before the games begin." Kragen turns to the young man. "See that she's ready by then."

"Today? You said the wedding was Friday."

"Did I? Seems I had my days wrong." He turns, leaving the two of us alone on the deck .

The young vampire throws the dress over his shoulder, looking me up and down. "Seems we have some work to do. Your hair is beautiful, but that style will never do." He claps loudly. "Let's go."

I subconsciously run a hand through what's left of my braid. "What time will the games begin?"

"Oh, I don't know. Whenever Kragen decides for them to begin but usually around sunset. The setting sun gives a certain ambiance to the hunt." He grabs my hand, pulling me into the captain's quarters. "Have a seat. I have my work cut out for me."

"Who are you?"

"My name is Gordon, and I am your personal stylist for the day. Think of me as your vampire bestie." He smiles, filling me with dread.

Is this guy for real? "Nothing personal, Gordon, but I'm not interested in having a vampire bestie."

"Then I hope you're prepared to deal with the wrath of Kragen because I'm not. Now, sit down, and let's do something to keep him happy. Shall we?"

I'm older and stronger than Gordon and could easily overpower him. Instead of fighting, I choose to follow directions. Maybe he'll have information that will help free the humans.

He pulls out my braid, setting my dark curls free. They hang halfway down my back. "Damn, girl. Your hair is beautiful. Why did you keep it hidden in that braid?" He pulls a bag of goodies out of nowhere and begins brushing through the curls, finding every tangle along the way.

"Have you been to one of these before?" I ask.

"A wedding?"

"Kragen's games?"

He laughs. "Oh. Of course. They're something he hosts regularly around here."

"How long do they last?"

Gordon pulls a curling wand from the same bag the brush was in and begins working his magic. "That depends on the quality of product he's acquired."

"You mean how fast the humans run," I correct.

He laughs, making my stomach turn. "That's the best part. Watching them run for their lives. Begging for us to let them live one more minute," he mocks their words, using a baby's voice. I close my eyes to prevent the anger from showing.

Gordon keeps curling, oblivious to my energy shift. "How many vampires will be hunting?"

He shrugs. "Depends on the package they purchased." He stops curling and looks me in the eyes. "Once, there was an entire clan from South America that purchased Kragen's services." He sighs at the memory. "There were some hot Latinos in that mix. Oh, the memories." He continues working on my hair. "Why so many questions?"

"I'm just curious." I wait a few minutes before continuing. "Does Kragen always hold a wedding as part of the games? "

"No, girl. You're the first. To be honest, I thought he was gay and was a little put out that he didn't want me. I mean, look at him, and look at me. Kragen is pretty hot, but then again, so am I. You must be something special."

Shit. "I'm nothing special."

"There. Look at that hair, won't you? Kragen is going to want to consummate your marriage on the main deck in front of everyone."

He'll have to kill me first. "How many vampires are here on the ship? I counted eight the other day, but wasn't sure I saw everyone."

"Well," he pulls a box of makeup out of the bag and moves in front of me. "You're right. You didn't see everyone. Last count, there were twenty."

"Twenty," I repeat. There's no way Bert and I can take on twenty vampires, even with the help of the three he knows about.

With no more questions to ask, I sit quietly, while Gordon drones on about his life in New Orleans before Kragen found him. My mind plays over every possible outcome of today, all ending in death.

"Voila!" Gordon interrupts my thoughts, shoving a handheld mirror in front of me. "Perfection, if I do say so myself."

The woman staring back at me is pretending to be something she's not. Although her makeup and hair are flawless, the sadness behind her eyes says more than the outside image ever could .

"Our guests should be arriving soon," Gordon says, helping me into the different layers of the dress. The corset he insisted I wear is so tight that it would cut off circulation if I were still human.

He steps back from his creation, clapping his hands. "Perfection. You have to tell me everything that happens after the games. I mean blow by blow…if you know what I mean." He winks, making me want to punch him.

The sound of heavy machinery echoes through the room. "It sounds like our treasure is here." Gordon gathers all of the tools he used. "That means our guests of honor will be arriving soon and the games will begin."

"What time is it?" I ask.

"Does it matter?" He shrugs and leaves without another word. There's no way Bert and I can take on twenty vampires. I will save as many humans as possible, but I have no qualms about the fact that tonight will be my last. No matter what happens, I will go down fighting.