Page 28 of Loved to Death

Thomas shook his head and opened the box of money for the watch leader to see. “I’d like to speak with him now, if possible.”

The older man’s eyebrows raised momentarily before he slowly nodded. He looked up at the night sky and then said, “Stay here while I talk to the first mate.”

Thomas had to bite the inside of his cheek to stop himself from demanding to be let on board immediately. He spent the next ten minutes nervously waiting. He expected Polly to show up and drag him away, but to his surprise she didn’t. Was she nearby watching him and waiting to make her move? Fifteen stressful minutes later, Thomas was on board and bartering a price for passage, which doubled when he listed his unusual requirements.

Chapter Eleven

Thomas woke from a fitful sleep, sitting halfway up before he was fully conscious. His eyes darted around the unfamiliar surroundings as his memory came back. He was in the belly of the ship. He’d slept behind wooden bars in a small alcove under the stairs in the hold. The spot was reserved for prisoners, but since Thomas had paid for passage, the barred door wasn’t locked. He could see barrels of food and water beyond the bars of the cell door, and over thirty large wooden crates that he assumed were empty and waiting to be filled with cargo. He could hear the noises of the crew above him but he was alone in the hold.

The gentle rocking of the waves had kept him up half the day. The constant motion unsettled him. He was groggy from not sleeping well, so when an odd sensation emanated in the front of his skull, he thought perhaps he was getting a headache. But that hadn’t happened since becoming undead.

He rubbed his hand down his face, shook his head gently, and tossed the blanket off his body before sitting up. The sensation behind his forehead grew unbearably painful for a couple of seconds. He cradled his head in both hands, gasping and wincing. Then the pain tapered off and turned into something else. Something he’d never experienced before. He became aware of another presence. Someone else’s consciousness seemed to be inside his own head. He couldn’t discern their exact thoughts, but he knew they were awake. Thomas instinctively turned his head to the right and the sensation became more pronounced. He purposely turned his head to the left and the presence became less prominent but still noticeable.

His eyebrows furrowed as he wrestled to come up with a cause.Shen.It had to be. And after turning his head in all directions, Thomas finally understood on a visceral level how Polly always knew where he was. He couldn’t see, hear, touch, taste, or smell Shen, but with this newfound sense he’d acquired, heknewwhere Shen was.

Thomas closed his eyes, stopped breathing, turned toward Shen, and concentrated on his new ability. A moment later, heknewthat the other consciousness was experiencing fear. Shen was afraid. Thomas turned his head away as guilt washed over him, but after becoming aware of the other consciousness in his head, he couldn’t un-know it. It was simply there.

This new ability left him with more questions than answers. Was Shen alone? Was he with Polly? If he was with her, would she help him or hurt him? Would he survive the night without someone there to help guide and comfort him?

As question after question ran through his mind, heavy regret settled in Thomas’ chest. With his panic gone, Thomas knew leaving Shen with Polly was wrong on every possible level.

Thomas scowled at the irony. He’d talked Shen into going with him by professing his dominant nature, but the instant Polly had shown up, he’d turned tail and run like a frightened rabbit instead of standing his ground and protecting what was his. He was a coward. But going back without a plan would be a mistake.

He wanted to find out if he could feed without killing. Then, once the ship reached its destination, he’d hire some men to help him rescue Shen and kill Polly. He shook his head. Killing Polly seemed a lot more like murder than feeding on a random stranger, but there was no way she’d let him live peacefully if she was alive.

Footsteps on the stairs above him pulled Thomas out of his thoughts. The first mate stepped into Thomas’ line of sight.

“Captain wants to see you on deck,” the first mate said in a British accent.

“The captain?” Thomas asked.

“Aye,” the first mate confirmed before pulling open the unlocked cell door.

Thomas had slept in his clothes, so he quickly pulled on his boots and followed the first mate up the stairs.

Once he stepped onto the deck, his feet froze in place while his eyes darted around. The entire crew of roughly one hundred and forty men appeared to be standing in a big circle waiting for him. Several of them were holding lanterns and the moon was nearly full, so Thomas was certain they could see him almost as well as he could see them.

Captain Martinez stepped forward. He was a burly six-and-a-half-foot tall man with long black hair and a beard to match. His red jacket only accentuated his muscles from years at sea. In the prime of life in his late thirties, he had a friendly air of confidence about him that commanded respect. The imposing figure waved for Thomas to come closer, with a jovial smile.

Thomas’ body tensed as he stepped into place. He was stronger than one human, but there was no way he could best over a hundred at once. He could jump overboard but he had no idea how far out they were and he wasn’t a strong swimmer, so it was doubtful he could reach land before the sun came up.

“Mr. Clarke,” Captain Martinez said with a faint Hispanic accent. “Glad you could join us.”

Thomas held his tongue.

The captain gestured to the crew and announced, “Someof my men aren’t happy you’re aboard.”

This drew a few grunts and nods from the men.

“You requested to sleep below deck instead of taking the passenger cabin.” Captain Martinez held his hand up for everyone to see and put one finger up. He put another finger up for each of his following points. “You refuse to be on deck while the sun is up. You require daily access to our pigs and goats in solitude. You have blood on your shirt. And you have no traveling papers.” Once all five of his fingers were up, the captain put his hand down and shrugged. “That all adds up to one thing, Mr. Clarke.”

Several of the men were muttering under their breath. Thomas caught the words,evil,demon, andwitchcirculating. He gauged the distance to the railing and tried to calculate how many men he’d have to get past to jump.

The captain held a hand up to silence his crew. “I’ve been traveling the seas for over twenty years. I’ve seen and heard things that most people simply wouldn’t believe possible. I don’t believe you’re a witch or a demon. I’d bet my ship that you’re a vampire.”

Captain Martinez’s bold statement drew gasps and mumbles of discontent from the crew.

Thomas remained completely still. Was his mind playing tricks on him, or did the captain actually know what he was?

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