Abram fumed, trapped in a body that wouldn’t defy its maker. Enoch told him that the sea was comforting. That a swim to his ship would help calm the anger in his soul. I wasn’t sure anything could do that. Abram was filled to the brim and spilling over with hatred. But he obeyed Enoch. He swam to the ship, sinking beneath the waves more than a few times. He came up sputtering and vowing to end us all.
Asa enjoyed his torment the most. Instead of climbing into the wherry with Titus, Enoch and I, he swam alongside Abram. He never sputtered. Never floundered. Never tired. Unlike Abram, Asa swam like he was part of the sea, like it was the place he truly belonged. I wondered if this was how they survived the flood that was sent to wipe out their race; if this was why they were spared. The three siblings were the strongest of all the Nephilim. The irony of their parallel to me, Titus, and Abram didn’t escape me.
Climbing the ladder onto the ship’s top deck one by one, we all eventually stood aboard and stared up at the crow’s nest.
“What’s her name?” I asked Enoch, who furrowed his brows at my question. “Your ship,” I clarified. “What’s her name?”
He swallowed, then answered, “Eve’s Curse.”
My brows ticked up as Titus snickered beside me. “That’s a name that would strike fear in the hearts of most men,” he chuckled, earning an elbow from me.
“Ouch,” he grumped, rubbing his rib.
“You deserved it.”
“Climb to the crow’s nest and stay there, Abram,” Enoch ordered. Abram, a distraught puppet who loathed the man working his strings, cursed but followed his command.
Titus ticked his head toward Enoch. “You have one minute.” He started to climb a few feet below Abram.
Terah joined Asa and bounced on the balls of her heels as she watched her hunter climb, while Asa was fixated on Abram. Asa would kill Abram if he could catch him alone. Without Enoch to stop him, he would kill us all.
Enoch pulled me close. “In America… I will find you. When you land, find Kael Frost and do whatever it takes to persuade him to help you.”
I nodded, unable to speak.
“I will find you,” he repeated. “Even if I have to send an army to save you.”
He would. He’d already sent a messenger. I just didn’t understand it at the time. The vamp in the loading dock was sent to tell me he was coming for me. And I’d killed him, even though Enoch had told him I wouldn’t hurt him. Guilt settled heavy on my chest. “I know you will.”
Abram and Titus waited above in the crow’s nest, their tech suits flaring brightly. Titus examined his hand tech and waved me up. “Time to go!” he shouted.
Enoch’s teeth ground together.
“I’ll wait for you,” I told Enoch, pulling away from him.
As I climbed the rope netting that lined the mast, the wind whipped back and forth. Titus gave me his hand near the top as my muscles weakened. I just hoped I could survive the jump home.
“You ready?” he asked, excitement gleaming in his eyes.
I looked at Enoch below. “No, but we have to do this.”
Titus nodded and shouted down to Enoch, “Tell him to climb onto the edge and lock arms with me.”
Enoch gave the order and Abram, Titus, and I climbed onto the thick edge lining the crow’s nest together, the wood cutting into the middle of our feet as we tried to keep our knees soft and our weight balanced. The ship bobbed beneath us as the three Nephilim watched expectantly.
“Tell him to jump!” Titus yelled.
Enoch hesitated.
“Enoch—tell him to—”
“Abram… Jump!” Enoch finally shouted.
Titus and I jumped with him, our arms locked at the elbows in a human chain. I kept my eyes on Enoch as we fell faster and faster. A scream tore from my throat as our suits flared with the force of our momentum, and just before we slammed into the deck, everything went black.
Chapter Eighteen
Enoch
Asa rubbed his hands together excitedly. “So, where are we going?”
“Going?” I asked.
“Yes. There’s clearly not enough food on the island, and I wish to see more of the world.”
That wasn’t what he wanted. He wanted to sire vampires and make them mind his every whim; an army that would war against him in their minds, but be unable to physically fight his will.
Terah spoke up. “Well I, for one, am glad they’re gone.” She turned and went below deck, leaving me and Asa to ready the ship. He was chipper as he went about his tasks, whistling sailor songs and climbing into the rigging to unfurl the sails once again.
I didn’t want him to come with me, but it was best I keep the enemy who was my brother close. Only then could I try and stop his plan before he brought it to life.
Maru
I left the Atrium, taking the unread letter and the sleek communicator device with me. I had no way to make fire, but I planned to hide in a nearby alley where Yarrow informed me there were no cameras, and examine what I’d been given, both the letter and the device. Then, I would wait for nightfall when the sun slipped away to return to the Compound. I didn’t want to bring an explosive inside its walls, and wouldn’t put such a stunt past Enoch.
But when I reached the mouth of the alley, I heard screaming. People were distraught, closing in on something in the yard.
Did Enoch attack while I was gone?
I rushed forward, pushing people out of my way until I came to a small wall of guards huddled over something lying on the ground. “Where’d she come from?” one muttered, his voice hushed. Through their legs, I saw a pair of shoes that looked to be from an ancient era. They were scuffed and worn, the toes old-fashioned and pointed. On the ankle peeked the edge of a tech suit, partially covered by a frill of lacy, white ruffles.
“She fell from the sky,” a girl said.
“Jumped from the building you mean,” another corrected.
“No, I mean, I don’t think so. She’s too far away from the building’s edge,” she pointed out.
“Eve?” I screamed, pushing through the throng of military police. I pulled out my clearance and flashed it at them quickly before two attempted to arrest me. “I’m her trainer.”
Eve’s sable hair was splayed around her head like a dark halo. I crouched beside her and put my ear to her chest, barely discerning her shallow breathing. “Eve?” I said sternly, gently raising her head to check for skull fractures or even a knot. “Eve? It’s Maru. Talk to me.” The inside of her lips were coated with blood. I turned to look at a woman over my shoulder. “What the hell happened?”
She was pale as she answered, “She just fell out of the sky and landed here.”
Within seconds, an alarm sounded. Victor and Kael rushed from the building, flanked by a small army of soldiers. The military police parted for them and the two men knelt in front of me. Kael checked Eve over briskly. “Her vitals are good. She’ll survive.” He tilted her arm so that he could see her inner wrist. I saw the flash of a dark tattoo before he turned it over. Then he gave Victor a strange look, accompanied by a slight shake of his head.