Page 7 of Blood Sea

He stumbles back, and I immediately lean forward, grabbing the sword from his belt. The rounded blade of a cutlass is not my chosen sword, but it's a lot damn better than nothing. I point it at his throat and stare into his black eyes. He looks back at me unblinking, and then suddenly he’s a blur of movement. In less than a second, the sword is knocked from my hand, and I'm held up by my throat against the side of the ship.Damn it to the fucking depths!

“Such a fierce little warrior, perhaps I should keep you?” he drawls, and I thrash harder in his grip. Being kept by him does not sound like a better option to me, not one little bit.

“Wrath, put her down and step away,” a stern voice says, coming from someone out of my sight.

“Must I?” Wrath questions, as he grips my throat even tighter. I struggle for breath as he lifts me higher, my feet no longer touching the ground.

“You must,” the voice answers simply, and just like that, I'm dropped. Hitting the floor, I feel a small wave of pain wave through my body at the rough impact. Scrambling back against the wall, I stay crouched low as I look around and spot a tall, broad-shouldered pirate striding towards us. He has four pistols strapped to his chest and a sword at either hip. His long, dirty-blond hair is worn down, and it messily frames his angular face. His eyes aren't all black like Wrath’s, and I wonder if he is a vampire, with eyes so different from that other monster. His eyes are an ocean blue, a shade reminding me of my cove back home. A sharp pang of regret stabs me as it makes me think of James.

“Of course, Captain. Finally find someone you fancy taking a sip from?” Wrath asks, making me reconsider my thoughts of him not being a monster.

“No one will be taking a sip from... What is your name, girl?” he demands, turning his full attention to me. I keep my mouth shut, not wanting to tell him anything. He smirks and leans down meeting my eyes with his. “I said, tell me your name,” he orders again. The words feel different, almost like they reach right into my mind and down into my soul. I have no control over what comes from my mouth next.

“My name is Azula,” I answer him. My eyes widen in shock, and I bite my lip harshly, furious that my own body betrayed me like that. He chuckles, the rich sound of it only serving to infuriate me more. I'm not sure if I am angrier at him for using whatever power he did over me, or at myself for being susceptible to it. For being weak enough to control.

“Nobody will be biting Azula,” the vampirate captain states firmly.

“And the rest?” Wrath asks, gesturing at the men who have remained quiet the entire time. Just leaving me and Cora to our fates, hoping that they would be overlooked and survive.

“We lost one crew member, Mr. Clancy. He must be replaced, but remember to choose wisely. Do what you please with the others,” the captain answers, turning and heading towards the exit. A man drops down the stairs, followed quickly by two more. They pass by their captain, joining Wrath, and the vampirates begin stalking towards the men at the back of the hold. With renewed vigour, the men try desperately to break their chains, panic causing them to cry out. “Are you coming, Azula?” the captain calls from the bottom of the stairs. I look between the terrified men and the vampirates closing in on them, and the captain, standing with his hand outstretched.

I stand, walking past the captain and up the steep steps, ignoring his hand. I don't want to touch that monster. As I step onto the ship’s deck, I almost gag from the gore surrounding me. Nearly every inch of the wood is drenched in red, blood splattered and pooling across the entire surface of the ship. The moonlight shining down on us casts it all in an eerie glow. I step past a young-looking man's body, his throat roughly torn out. The jagged edges of his flesh stick out from his neck and chin, a sliver of bone showing through the gap. The bile rises in my own throat, and I rush to the side of the ship, throwing up over the edge and into the sea.

“My ship is this way, Azula,” the vampirate captain calls from across the deck. I turn and notice the other ship alongside this one, slightly bigger, but not by much. “Come on now, unless you'd like to go back into the hold?”

At that, I quickly make my way across the ship, stepping over bodies and trying not to dwell on the fact that fresh blood is soaking my leather boots. I keep my eyes on the captain, ignoring the feeling of being eyes on me. The rest of the vampire crew seem to be staring at me.Is this not a normal thing for their captain to do?

As I reach him, I realise what he intends to have me do. Looking at the wooden beam that stretches out between the two ships, I shake my head.He cannot be serious.

“You can either cross the runner yourself, or I can throw you across onto my ship. Which would you prefer?” he asks plainly. I turn to look at him, meeting his sea-blue gaze and seeing the seriousness of his words in them.

“I'll walk across,” I answer through my teeth.Anything to keep his hands off me.Nervously, with my entire body trembling, I climb up onto the beam. I make my way across slowly, keeping my gaze ahead as I concentrate on keeping my balance against the motion of the sea. About halfway, I can't help but look down. Seeing the rough waters churning below, I freeze. I hear a deep sigh from behind me, and then hands grasp my waist. They push me forward at a brisk pace until I reach the other side. The hands lift me, as he effortlessly jumps down onto the deck of his ship with me in tow.

“Now, was that so bad?” he whispers in my ear from behind me, his hands still at my waist.

“Get your hands off me!” I snap, wriggling away. He lets me go without hesitation.

“Calm your hysterics, I have no time for it. Now, come with me.” He walks away, not even waiting for a reply. I look around, seeing a burly man sitting on the other side of the deck sharpening a large broad sword. He notices me watching and smiles, flashing his bloody fangs. I gulp, and then quickly scamper after the captain.

Chapter Seven - Azula

He slams the door of the cabin behind us, and I look around curiously at what I assume to be his quarters on the ship. I make the assumption purely based on its location and size, not that I can see a bed anywhere in sight, thankfully. There's a large wooden table with a large, plush chair on the far side that could easily fit two of me in it. There are four simple wooden chairs lined up against the right side of the cabin, and a large red curtain covering the entire left side of the cabin. I step further into the room, glancing down curiously at the navigational charts on the table. I turn around, leaning my back against the table so I can face the captain who still stands by the door. He watches me curiously, but I have questions of my own.

“Why am I here and not having my blood sucked out?” I ask, breaking the silence.

“I couldn't let them drink from you; you should know what kind of difficulty that would cause,” he answers plainly. I frown, not understanding his meaning at all. “I can't have my crew craving a fix they will never find again. It's unbelievable enough to have come across you, let alone chance of finding others,” he adds, clearly reading my confusion, not that it clarifies anything for me. “I mean, I could just throw you into the sea, but I don’t want to risk them asking questions about why we can kill you, but not drink from you. I’ll need to come up with an excuse for why you must live, one that will be believable.”

“I don't understand. What are you talking about?” I wipe my hands on my dress, the sweat building on my palms getting to be too much.

He steps closer, and I regret putting the table at my back as I cannot get away with it trapping me in place. His blue eyes bore down into mine, and I know he is seeing more than just my eyes in return.

“You don't know what you are, do you?” he asks.

“What do you mean?”

“Gods, you really have no clue,” he whispers, disbelief lacing his voice.

“What don't I know?” I question him.

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