When I arrived, crowds of vampires and werewolves had gathered in the rain, most of them standing at the stern, looking out at the ocean. I spotted Saira crouching down on the floor near the helm. She looked up at me as I approached.
“What happened?” I asked.
“We had to, uh, change course.”
“Why?”
“To avoid The Black Bell.” She spoke as though I should understand what on earth she was talking about. When she saw me looking at her blankly, she continued, “It’s a ship of pirates the likes of which you don’t ever want to find yourself colliding with. We didn’t notice them coming in this weather. The dolphins had to swerve quickly.”
“What kind of pirates?”
“They’re vampires. But everything is under control now. You can go back down to your room with everyone else.”
Her words sent curiosity burning through me. I wanted to ask her more about these vampires. I wondered if I had ever met them during my time with the Elders. But she didn’t give me a chance. As soon as she’d spoken the last sentence she hurried away. I scanned the deck for anyone else I could approach about the incident, but the crowds were now dispersing, everyone returning back to their rooms for the night.
I walked over to the edge of the deck and, holding onto the railing, gazed out at the dark ocean. Still failing to see signs of any distant ship, I prowled around on the deck for a while longer before descending again to the lower levels. I’d return to my cabin and attempt to gain more information the next day.
However, once I’d reached my level, I caught sight of Mona walking barefoot toward me. She wore a thin nightdress that fell just above her knees. As soon as she caught sight of me, she did a one-eighty and began walking full speed in the opposite direction.
“Wait,” I called.
Mona started to run. I hurried forward until I’d caught up with her. I stood in front of her, blocking her way so she had no choice but to stop.
“What?” She kept her eyes on the wooden floorboards.
“What do you know about The Black Bell?”
“Why?” she muttered.
“I just want to know.” We were only a few doors away from my cabin. I caught hold of her hand and pulled her toward my door.
“Don’t touch me!”
Ignoring her, I pushed her down into a chair, closed the door and then took a seat on my bed. I guessed that if she was sitting down rather than standing in the corridor outside she’d give me a fuller answer. I looked at her expectantly.
“So, tell me.”
“Why should I?” she spat.
“Because I asked you to,” I growled. Her refusal to obey me was beginning to make me question her safety around me again.
“I owe you nothing, vampire.” Sitting forward in her chair, she looked at me defiantly. “You’ve picked the wrong girl to try to intimidate.”
She stood up and slapped me across the face. Then she exited my cabin, slamming the door behind her with such force that the floor shook.
I felt stunned that she would have dared even attempt such a thing, much less do it. My entire body trembled to chase her down. I wanted to punish her, maim her for her insolence. I wanted to see her suffer. But somehow, I found within me the strength to remain still as her footsteps disappeared down the corridor.
It felt like another blackout might take hold of me and I would have no choice but to run after her. If that happened, I would end her life. I tried to take deep breaths. I lay back on the bed and gripped the sheets, closing my eyes.
I opened them again only after a few hours, once my rage had subsided and my mind was cool enough to have coherent thoughts. I played the scene that had just passed over in my head. In the heat of her presence, I’d only been capable of seeing faults in her behavior. I’d only been able to see her disobedience to my will.
But now that she was gone, the sickness of my own actions hit me full force.
Her slap had shaken something in me.
Why did I feel so much rage?
What right do I have to demand anything of her?
Is this really the man I want to be?
Chapter 19: Mona
We arrived back at our island the following evening. Since we’d returned earlier than expected and the sun was still setting, the vampires used the straw umbrellas we kept on the ship at all times to avoid getting struck by the sun.
Once I’d scanned the beach for Kiev, I let the crowd walk up ahead of me, trailing behind. We walked along the outskirts of the wall we’d built around the island for about a quarter of a mile until we reached the large iron gate that served as our entrance.
Matteo knocked. It creaked open after several minutes. I was the last to enter and was greeted by Brett, our resident ogre. Brett and I were the only residents of the island who weren’t vampires or werewolves.
“All right, Mona?” He smiled warmly, wrinkles forming in his dark leathery skin around his eyes. “Good to see you all back safely.”
He locked the gate behind me. “Has there been a lot of trouble since we left?” I asked.
“Just the usual. We had some more attempted break-ins. But we managed to head them off.”
I sighed, though at least things hadn’t gotten worse since we’d been away.
Apparently, before us, the island had never been occupied before. We’d been told it was because it was too dangerous, being right at the juncture of the islands that made up Triquetra—an area renowned for the most notorious of pirates. But we’d taken the chance because even this seemed better than the fate we’d been heading for with all of us crammed together on the ship.
I walked away from the gate and entered the circular clearing just before the entrance to the woods. Still careful to stray behind the others, I made my way along the dirt path. After about a mile, the vampires parted from the werewolves. They all descended into the entrance of an underground tunnel.
Although the island was thick with broad-leaved trees, the shade they provided wasn’t sufficient for the vampires to live comfortably above ground. They needed somewhere cooler and darker to live. We’d had to carve out caves underground for them to stay in during the day, while the werewolves kept watch. At night, the vampires could move easily around the island, and it was their turn to guard.
Soon after the vampires had strayed away from the path, the werewolves up ahead were greeted by another group of werewolves who’d stayed back from our trip to The Cove to take care of the island. They emerged from the shade of the trees, some calling out the names of loved ones and embracing. We walked through the forest until we reached another clearing at the center of the island. Just a few meters away was a lake. It was surrounding this lake that the werewolves had made their homes. When we’d first arrived they’d decided it was best for their homes to be built up in the trees. Having wild animals on the island was both a blessing and a curse; without them, we wouldn’t have had as much choice of food, yet they also proved to be a great annoyance.