Page 123 of Ocean of Sin and Starlight

I had forgotten I was immortal. I’ve only been immortal for so long, it’s natural to think death is coming for you when it’s staring you in the face.

And his monster had been staring at me in the face.

But unlike the time in the church, I saw Priest in that creature’s eyes.

I saw a man still in control, a man with a soul.

A Vampyre with wings.

He flew off toward the Dutch vessel, leaving the Nightwind and its crew in awe.

And I already know what Priest is going to do.

He’s going to hunt down every man on that ship.

He’s going to make them bleed.

As scared as I am of that creature, I don’t want to miss the massacre either.

“So, that’s the monster,” Maren remarks as she stands next to me.

I nod. “Yes. That’s the one.”

She lets out a dry laugh. “He’s a lot more terrifying than I imagined.” Then, she reaches out and puts her hand on my shoulder, as if remembering what happened to me. “Are you alright?”

I give her a reassuring smile. “I think so. I certainly didn’t expect to see the beast again or so soon. But I feel better about it than I thought I would. Perhaps because he didn’t come straight for me, trying to kill me.”

“Or perhaps because you know deep inside, you are nearly impossible to kill,” she points out softly. “I don’t know about you, but being immortal really does have you looking at life differently.”

She’s right about that. Ever since Priest cut my throat and let me bleed out before bringing me back to life as a Vampyre, life has looked different. It’s not just that I see more; colors are more vibrant, I can see things in more detail, I can see things that are very far away. It’s not just that my sense of smell, hearing, taste, and even touch have been heightened—having sex with Priest is almost too intense at times with all these new sensations.

No, it’s something deeper than that, more than just my newfound strength and powers. It’s knowing that you have eternity on your side. It changes you, makes you braver, less afraid of whatever life may throw at you.

Although, I must admit, I’m not fearless when it comes to matters of the heart. Being an immortal doesn’t shield you from all the usual human worries. Vampyre hearts still break as easily as any other.

And while I may carry the fear of heartbreak with me, that doesn’t stop me. I’m going to love Priest with all that I have, until the end of time.

And that means learning to love the monster too.

“Maren, luv,” Ramsay says, coming over to her. “In the event that this battle gets out of hand, would you be able to call the Kraken to take down their ship? Might be good also to leave no evidence of what we’re about to do.”

She nods. “I will, but let me get my fill first. I can’t let you boys always have all the fun.”

He grins at her and then runs off, grabbing a rope from the mast and climbing up it.

“Lads!” Thane yells, his broadsword in the air. He glances at me and Maren and gives us a curt nod. “And ladies. Here we be! This is it! Are we ready to board and show these bastards no quarter?”

“Aye!” the crew yells, grabbing their weapons and getting into their battle positions. A few of them are down below on the gun deck, arming the cannons.

Maren and I look over the bow as the other ship gets closer and closer, the Nightwind coming in at full speed.

“You might want to stay out of the way for now,” Cruz says to us, brandishing a sword before climbing up on the railing of the bow, holding on to a rope for balance. “Cannon fire can decapitate you.”

“This isn’t my first battle, Cruz,” Maren says frostily. “And besides, they’d already have fired on us if they could. I dare say Aragon has already taken care of them.”

We all look back to the vessel as we start closing in on it, see the blood splatters on the wood that Priest left behind. The occasional man runs down the deck and then seems to hide. One looks at our ship, screams, and then jumps overboard.

White-hot, simmering rage starts to build inside me.

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