Vampirates 3: Blood Captain Read Free Page B

“And here come the final members of our expedition party.”
    He nodded as Lorcan made his way out onto the deck. He was dressed in a heavy army greatcoat he had borrowed from another member of the crew. A medal still hung over the front of the chest. It looked rather good, thought Grace, wondering which conflict it commemorated and what noble and violent deeds had secured the honor. With his military boots, Lorcan cut a dashing figure. On his back was a small knapsack, filled with a few articles to make his stay at Sanctuary more comfortable. Across his eyes was the fresh bandage Grace had helped to apply earlier. It obscured the livid burns, with which she was now all too familiar, and shone dove white in the moonlight.
    Lorcan was not alone, however. Beside him strode Shanti, his beautiful but vicious donor. Her high-heeled boots drummed on the wooden deck and she gripped a vanity case in a small, suede-gloved hand. So she was coming along with them, too, thought Grace. It made sense. If Lorcan was to fully recover then he’d have to start taking blood again. Shanti was his given donor and he’d need her close at hand when the time came. Shanti, Grace now noticed, was wearing a matching fur coat and hat. She didn’t need to think very hard to realize where that outfit had been procured.
    Darcy’s face flushed red at Grace’s stare. Grace shook her head. Darcy was such a generous soul — but how typical it was of Shanti not to give a thought to what dead creature she might be wearing. The most annoying thing of all, though, thought Grace, was that Shanti looked so pretty in the outfit.
    As the new arrivals reached the group, Grace and Shanti exchanged strained smiles. There was no love lost between the two and clearly neither could quite hide the displeasure they felt in traveling together. Close up, Grace noticed how much older Shanti looked, even from the last time she had seen her. She was still beautiful, there was no question about that. In some ways, she was more beautiful, as lines wove their way about her eyes and lips. This made her beauty seem more fragile and therefore more precious. To Shanti, however, the lines were abhorrent. The donors were only immortal while their given vampire was sharing their blood. As soon as this stopped, mortality wasted no time in reclaiming the donor’s body. Since Lorcan had ceased sharing with her, Shanti had begun to age at an alarming rate. If he did not start taking her blood again soon, she would be in severe danger. She too might be growing weak. Grace shook her head. What an unlikely expedition party they were, she thought, looking from one face to another.
    “Come on,” said the captain. “Let’s not waste any more time. Sanctuary and Mosh Zu await us. Come, my friends.”
    “Goodbye, dear Lieutenant Furey,” Darcy said, hugging Lorcan tightly. “I wish you the most speedy recovery.”
    “Thanks, Darcy,” said Lorcan warmly. “You be a good girl while I’m away, you hear me?”
    Grace was pleased that he had managed to muster some of his old cheek. That had been missing for too long. Shanti looked displeased, her lips pursed tightly. She was, Grace had noticed, remarkably possessive of Lorcan. Now she looped a fur-wrapped arm through the sleeve of his greatcoat. Grace lifted her own small pack onto her back, then took Lorcan’s other arm. They followed the captain gingerly down the gangplank and onto land.
    Behind them, mist rose from the dark waters, stealing its way gently but firmly up the sides of the ship. Darcy stood on the deck, waving to the departing travelers until the very last. Then the mist drew a curtain between them and The Nocturne disappeared from sight.
    “And now a new journey begins,” announced the captain.
    Grace nodded. She wanted to say something enthusiastic, to generate some positive energy among the group, but catching sight of Lorcan’s downturned mouth and Shanti’s cold, sharp eyes, she could see exactly what they were