Page 34 of Across the Sapphire Sea
“Thank you,” said Ash. “Lead the way.”
Elias and Valeri trailed behind the others back to their dock, then climbed the ramp to board the cog ship. Though Elias was torn about tampering with the crew’s memory, he couldn’t help but to be excited to see magic right in front of his eyes.
Aella chanted quietly, her words lost to the coastal breeze, while Remy and Laurence walked hand in hand behind her, their free hands raised in front of them. Ash strolled along, unworried. Meanwhile, Valeri remained stiff, his arm clenched around Elias’s elbow.
Elias gave Valeri’s linked arm a squeeze and caught his gaze. “Everything all right?”
“Splendid.” Valeri pursed his lips.
Elias nearly laughed at him then but held back. At times like these, when Valeri was overruled, nothing could appease him. Rather than be annoyed, Elias took a page from Ash’s book and chose to be amused.
As they approached the stairwell, a sailor emerged from below deck. Elias froze. It was one thing for magic to work on sleeping crewman, and another to confront a man wide-awake.
“Just what are you lot doing, eh?” asked the sailor, his tone skeptical.
Aella turned her attention on him. “Nothing to see. Nothing out of the ordinary.”
His head cocked sideways like a dog struggling to understand his owner’s commands. He opened his mouth to say something, but no words followed.
Remy’s hand aimed at the man’s chest, and though Elias could see nothing coming from his palm, he got the sense magic was flowing.
The sailor took a step toward them. Remy’s fingers flexed. The man stopped.
“Go on about your business,” said Aella, voice low and almost musical, as if she were singing. “Don’t mind us. Nothing to fear.”
The fight drained from his eyes. In a daze, the sailor walked past them and set to work organizing the lines.
Elias let out a breath, relieved. Whatever Aella was doing, it was working.
They marched the length of the ship and back, casting the spell. The lone sailor continued to ignore them. Aella stopped her chanting, and Remy’s countenance changed from focused to sleepy. His lids drooped. Laurence slid a hand to his waist and pulled him close.
“It’s done,” said Aella. “I’ll keep watch during the day. Rest easy.”
Valeri huffed; Elias ignored him.
“Thank you,” said Ash with a nod.
Overhead the sky had just begun to lighten. Sunrise would follow shortly. The winds were gentle and the few clouds scattered and light. The weather would allow for the ship’s departure, and Elias would sleep through all of it. A melancholy longing for sunshine came and went like the tide. He’d traded his days for nights, and his freedom for Valeri.
“Come,” said Valeri, his tone dry. “If we’re to be murdered in our sleep we best get on with it.”
Elias sent an apologetic glance to the others as he was hauled away.
* * *
Four Years Ago
Thump…thump…thump.
Elias’s heartbeat dwindled as Valeri drained the last of his blood. He’d struck with a feral fury Elias hadn’t expected, biting deeper than the times before this. Not with just the incisors either, but using his entire two rows of teeth, jaws clamped tight, as if he was trying to tear off a chunk of Elias’s flesh.
Despite the ferocity of the attack, the pain only lasted a span of heartbeats before it was overwhelmed by the inevitable pleasure of the bite.
Clutching Valeri tight, fingers digging into the flesh of his flanks, Elias sighed and gave into sensation. Squeezed between the trunk of a mighty pine at his back and the steel of his lover’s chest at his front, there was nothing to do but feel.
Valeri growled against his skin. Hot blood oozed a sticky trail to Elias’s collar bone. The scent of copper hung heavy in the chilled air.
Elias moaned and pressed his hips forward. His cock demanded attention. It always did when Valeri fed, greedy just like his lover.
