Page 57 of Voyage of Death and Desire

“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 avolunteer.”

“How manyvolunteersdo 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 vampirein 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 thatwould’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?”

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