Page 35 of High Seas

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Titus

Enoch wasted no time leaving to round up his motley crew. I made my way to Eve’s side, plopping down beside her. “How much of that did you hear?” I winced.

“Enough,” she answered quietly. “It would be bold and completely out of character for Kael to oppose Victor.”

I cursed both of the assholes in my mind. They’d wedged us into the heart of a hornet’s nest. Whatever their roles, both Victor and Kael were to blame for the situation we found ourselves in.

“Titus, I think you should unlink us.” Her eyes locked onto mine.

“No.”

Eve argued, “You were meant to go home. Abram probably was, too. But I’m not. I’m only holding you back.”

“Then we’ll have to take the scenic route to get there, but we’re going together, Eve. End of story. We’re teammates. We don’t leave each other behind.”

“You’re so pigheaded,” she complained.

But if I was reading her right, she was relieved that I didn’t plan to bail on her. While it would be the best option for me, it would be tantamount to a death sentence for her. She might last weeks or even months here, but she probably wouldn’t survive the next year. Whatever was happening, was happening fast. Too fast.

“That’s one thing we have in common, Eve.” I stood up and stretched my arms over my head, the sleeves of Enoch’s too-tight shirt squeezing my arms uncomfortably. “Besides, your fangtastic, immortal boyfriend would kill me if I did.”

She didn’t laugh at the jab.

“We’re going to get you home.”

She nodded, looking away from me and at the wall beside her. As a tear slipped down her cheek, a knot the size of the Compound formed in my throat.

* * *

Enoch found his crew and they were quickly sobering up and making ready to set sail. They’d carried supplies from town and had already stocked the food stores below deck. I heard him explain that there were twin women on board – that one was in the hold and the other in his quarters. He instructed them to bother neither and told them that if any man was uncomfortable sailing with women on board, to gather their things and leave now. None took them up on his offer, all electing to sail under his command.

If the vampire clone bothered Enoch’s men, they didn’t show it. They ignored her altogether, but were careful not to step too close to the cage. I needed to ask Enoch how he kept her inside. Eve could certainly tear her way out of it, which meant her vampy clone could, too.

Speaking of Eve, I left her to rest and went to help the men. For the most part, they were wizened sailors, grizzly and rough around the edges, but when Enoch gave orders, they followed obediently.

I thought at first it was because they were afraid of him, but once again, Enoch ruled with respect rather than using his fangs, power, or threats that would reduce most men to their knees. His presence on deck was commanding, but he worked alongside his crew; everything from climbing into the rigging, to unraveling sails.

“Titus!” he yelled from the railing, pointing to one of his crew. “Go with Remmy. He’ll show you what to do.”

A middle-aged man with a kind smile waved me over. I walked to him, but told Enoch over my shoulder. “If you think I’m calling you Captain, you’ve got another thing coming, Enoch.”

The crew let out a collective, playful, “Oooooh,” and stopped what they’d been doing, waiting to see how their captain would respond.

“We’ll see about that…” he promised with an ornery grin. The men relaxed and resumed their work.

It felt good to do something useful, even if I didn’t understand half of what Remmy was slurring. He was still drunk, but was obviously used to working like that. His words might have been sloppy, but his muscle memory was precise. And he obviously knew his way around a ship. He’d been sailing since he was old enough to walk.

When the ship was ready, the sails let down and the anchor raised, the boat took to the open sea.

Enoch hovered at the door of his quarters. “Eve, come outside and get some fresh air. It’s stopped raining.”

I didn’t hear her response because Remmy called out for Enoch right as she spoke. Seconds later, the double doors of Enoch’s quarters burst open as Eve bolted to the steps that led below.

“What’s wrong?” I called after her, noticing a stake clenched in her hand. “What’s happening?” I yelled, running after her.

A man’s scream echoed through the shadows that cloaked the belly of the ship as I reached the bottom step, followed by the sound of a struggle. The crew followed behind to see what was wrong, but hung back to let Enoch handle the situation.

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