We make our way back up to the main deck. The sun's just starting to set, painting the sky in a whole fucking rainbow of colors. It's like Bob Ross got drunk and went apeshit on the horizon. Seraphina leans against the ship's side, taking a deep breath of that salty sea air.
"So, tell me again about your life before you were, you know..." she trails off, looking at me with those big, golden, curious eyes.
"Turned?" I finish for her, raising an eyebrow. "Before I became the devastatingly handsome creature of the night, you see before you?"
She rolls her eyes, but I can see the smile tugging at the corners of her mouth. "Yes, that. What did you do? What were you like?"
I lean against the railing beside her, staring at the ocean as the memories flood in. "I lived in this quaint little village in England, where everyone knew everyone else's business."
I pause, letting the nostalgia wash over me. "I was a blacksmith's apprentice if you can believe it. I spent my days pounding at metal, making horseshoes, tools, and whatever the village needed. It was hard work, but I loved it. There was something satisfying about taking a raw piece of metal and shaping it into something useful."
Seraphina listens intently, her gold eyes never leaving my face. "What about your family? Your friends?"
I shrug, a wistful smile playing on my lips. "I had a family, sure. A mother and father, and a couple of siblings. We weren't rich by any means, but we had each other.As for friends, well... let's just say I was a bit of a troublemaker back then. Always getting into scrapes, pulling pranks, chasing after pretty girls."
I give her a wink, and she blushes, shaking her head. "Some things never change, I guess."
"You got that right, angel face," I grin, bumping my shoulder against hers. "But you know, even though I was a bit of a handful, I was always there for the people I cared about. If someone needed help, I was the first one to volunteer. If there was a problem that needed solving, I was the one who came up with the plan."
I sigh heavily, looking down at my hands like they hold the secrets to the universe. "I guess you could say I was a bit of a hero, even back then. Always trying to save the day, always putting others before myself. It's what got me into trouble with Lilith in the first place."
Seraphina's brow furrows, her lips pursing in confusion. "What do you mean?"
I run a hand through my hair, really not wanting to take this trip down memory lane. But I know she deserves the truth, even if it's not pretty.
"So, remember how I told you Lilith came to my village? All of us young guys were practically tripping over ourselves to get her attention. She was gorgeous and mysterious, making you feel like you were the only man in the world when she looked at you."
I shake my head, a rueful smile on my lips. "She worked as a seamstress for a while, but none of us knew what shereallywas. A vampire, a seductress, a manipulative bitch who played us all like fiddles."
Seraphina listens intently, her hand resting on mine, anchoring me to the present.
"Anyway, there was this one night when a bunch of us were at the local tavern, drinking and carrying on like the young idiots we were. Lilith was there, too, flirting and teasing, making us all think we had a shot with her."
I take a deep breath, steeling myself for the next part of the story.
"I noticed she was paying extra attention to my friend, Thomas. He was a good guy, kind of naive and easily swayed. I saw something in her eyes that night—something unnatural. I could see Lilith was reeling him in, and I didn't like it. Call it intuition, but something about her just didn't sit right with me."
I pause, the memories playing out like a twisted nightmare.
"I tried to warn Thomas and get him to see that Lilith was bad news. But he was too far gone, too caught up in her spell. He brushed me off, told me I was just jealous that she wanted him and not me."
I let out a humorless laugh, shaking my head. "If only he knew how wrong he was. I couldn't have cared less about Lilith's affections. I just wanted to keep my friend safe."
Seraphina squeezes my hand, her eyes full of sympathy and understanding.
"Later that night, I saw Thomas leave the tavern with Lilith. I had a bad feeling, so I followed them. They headed into the woods, and I kept my distance, not wanting to intrude. But then I heard Thomas scream."
I close my eyes, the sound still echoing in my mind after all these years.
"I ran towards the noise, my heart pounding in my chest. And that's when I saw her, Lilith, with her fangs buried in Thomas's neck. She was draining him dry, and he was lying there, helpless and afraid."
Seraphina gasps, her free hand coming up to cover her mouth.
"I don't know what came over me, but I charged at her, tackling her to the ground. We struggled, and she was so strong, so fast. But I managed to get in a few good hits, enough to make her let go of Thomas."
I take a shaky breath, the weight of the memory pressing down on me like a physical force.
"I told Thomas to run, to get help. But it was too late—he was dead. Lilith, she was pissed. She came at me with a fury I'd never seen before, her eyes glowing red and her fangs bared."
