Of course, I had agreed. It was not like I had a choice. But I know the League is a farce. They claim to keep Aranthium’s waters safe, but what they do is make sure to pad their pockets without doing any of the hard work of actual pirating.
Realizing I’ve drifted off into a sea of memories, I shake my head and take another sip of my coffee. The Vampire didn’t seem to notice that I had zoned out. He is muttering to himself, his fingers running down the ledgers carefully. Every once in a while, he pauses to tap some numbers into his FaePhone before continuing his perusal.
It’s been eight months since Thorn last showed up on my ship. Eight glorious months.
I should have known the League would decide to visit while I had the Ice Mer Princess on board. Why not? My life is a shit-show, and Fortuna seems to enjoy throwing one thing after another at me.
The Vampire continues his perusal of my pristine ledgers for another ten minutes before he finally puts them down. When he looks at me, his violet eyes seem to stare right into my soul. I’ll never get used to the unnerving glare of Vampires.
“Take me above deck,” he says in a silky, smooth voice meant to make me feel at ease. Thorn pushes himself to his feet, baring his fangs at me in something that looks like a smile and a sneer had a baby. His entire body is a weapon, and an involuntary shudder rips through me at the sight of his fangs.
Vampires are the only beings in Aranthium that are made, not born, and as such, they have always made me feel uneasy. The Enforcer looks like he is in his mid-twenties, but I know he is at least six centuries old. Pirates have been talking about this particular Vampire for a very long time.
“Are you coming, Captain?” Thorn’s voice is smooth as he runs a finger over my desk, but there is an unmistakable edge.
“Of course,” I reply, pushing myself to my feet as I make a show of looking around. “Where else would I go?”
The Vampire stares at me for a moment before bursting out into raucous laughter. He slaps me on the back so hard that I stumble momentarily.
“You’re funny, Erik,” he says, choking on his laughter. “I don’t remember you having a sense of humor.”
Forcing a smile, I open my office door and poke my head out. The hallway is empty. Thank the gods, Helena has listened to me for once and is staying in her room.
I don’t want to consider what the Enforcer might do to her.
* * *
The sun has decidedto grace us with its presence after a week of constant clouds and rainstorms. The waters are calm, which is probably why the League decided to visit today, of all days.
They’ve never shown up during a storm. That would mean they actually would have to work.
Averting my gaze from the Vampire’s glittering skin, I keep an eye on him as he inspects crate after crate. Even above deck, the crew is giving us a wide berth. They are going about their duties mechanically, keeping their distance as the League’s enforcer inspects everything.
He turns to me, his brows furrowed as he counts the crates. “You’re missing some cargo,” he says carefully. “What happened?”
“We had a storm about a week ago. Lost some cargo. Better that than lose the ship,” I reply. My hands are behind my back, and I’m leaning against the railing as I study him.
He harrumphs, his fingers tapping on his leg. “Did you lose any people?”
“Conrad. My first mate,” I say after a moment. “He fell over the edge.”
It’s a slight alteration of the truth, but only the crew and I know what really happened to Conrad. I know I can trust them to keep their mouths shut about Conrad and our other... extra-curricular activities.
“Shame.” Thorn’s tone is dry and uncaring. I can tell by his emotionless expression that he doesn’t give a damn about our loss. The life of one human means absolutely nothing to him.
Typical Vampire.
Finally, we get to the last crate. He pries open the lid, his eyes lighting up as he takes in the contents.
“Where did you get these?” He asks without turning. Reaching into the crate, he pulls out a handful of enormous white pearls. Sifting through them, he pulls out an especially large pearl the size of both his hands put together.
It takes everything inside of me not to yell at him to be careful. That pearl is worth more than this entire ship. Which means something because this ship cost me millions.
“The Ice Mer,” I say icily. “We picked them up less than a month ago.”
He raises a brow. “From the Finfolk? Interesting. I’ve never known them to enjoy dealing with humans in all my years.”
I force myself to shrug. “I guess being the Pirate of Death has its benefits.”