Vampirates 5: Empire of Night Read Free Page A

possible to the torn veins and arteries, the broken bone and muscles of her neck. As he did so, Lola closed her eyes once more. She frowned, as if in excruciating pain. Sidorio was struck with fear that this wouldn't work, but soon the fibers of her neck began to knit themselves back together.
    Sidorio watched, fascinated, as Lola's bruised and bloodied skin rapidly began to repair itself. The flaking skin fell from her face, and the wrinkles ebbed away like the outgoing tide. Her face quickly regained its customary sheen and suppleness. If anything, she looked younger than before. Her eyes remained closed, and she looked peaceful now, as if she were taking a restorative nap.
    Sidorio laid the palms of his thick hands on either side of his wife's beautiful face, tendrils of her raven-black hair spilling over his grubby fingers. He could scarcely believe she was actually here; that he was not imagining this miraculous reunion. But the mere touch of her flesh felt different now. He could sense a new energy fizzing beneath the surface of her skin. He knew little of vampire
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    biology but imagined dark cells multiplying, oscillating within her veins.
    Lola opened her eyes, and an extraordinary light beamed from inside them--a light that seemed to illuminate both the life within her and the journey ahead. Now that Lola was back at his side, they could embark on their voyage together at last. Who knew where it would take them?
    Sidorio felt himself coming back to life again, along with his wife. Once more, he thought of Connor. If this miraculous reunion with Lola had been possible, why shouldn't he be able to reunite with his son, too, however unlikely it seemed? And with his daughter, Grace, of course. It was time to unite his whole family.
    Suddenly, he became aware of his wife staring up at him, her head pillowed on the soft grass. Sidorio leaned down, carefully stroking a stray wisp of hair away from her eyes, so that her distinctive tattoo was clear to see once more. "What's next for us, I wonder, my black heart?"
    Lola's eyelids fluttered as delicately as the velvet wings of a moth. "After a wedding," she said, huskily, "isn't it customary for the groom to take his new bride on a honeymoon?"
    "A honeymoon?" Sidorio found himself racing to catch up. "A honeymoon. Yes, of course. Where would you like to go?"
    "Somewhere cold," Lola answered. "I'm tired of this incessant heat. Take me somewhere bitterly cold."
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    Sidorio beamed at her, his twin gold incisors glinting in the moonlight. "Whatever your beautiful black heart desires, my love. You know I'd do anything for you."
    Lola smiled at that and lifted her hand to Sidorio's. "And I for you," she said. "For all eternity."
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    2 BEACH PIRATES
    Connor Tempest stood poised on the ship's deck, waiting for "Cutlass" Cate Morgan to give the sign. He glanced to his right side, where his friend Bart Pearce gave him a reassuring wink. As usual, he drew strength from Bart's proximity. There was no one you could depend on more in the chaos of conflict--or, for that matter, outside of it--than Bart.
    Turning to his other side, Connor saw Cheng Li up ahead. The Pirate Federation's newest captain had her intense, almond-shaped eyes trained on Cate, too. In so many ways, it was just like old times. Cate, Bart, and Cheng Li were the first pirates Connor had met and befriended when he had been taken aboard Molucco Wrathe's ship, The Diablo .
    But Connor was no longer on board The Diablo , no
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    longer shackled to Wrathe's erratic command. He and his young comrades had all traveled a long way in a short time; none more so than Connor himself. In many ways, living through these past few months had felt like riding the most extreme roller coaster ever built. But Connor didn't want to dwell on the twists and turns of his journey. Now wasn't the time for thought, but for action. His body was poised like a hawk, waiting to pounce on its prey, and his mind was psyched up for the fight. Bring it