Erik shoots me a pleading look, silently begging for an out, but I give him a firm nod. He needs to feed, and he needs to do it now if he's going to be any use to us in the shitstorm that's brewing on the horizon.
With a resigned sigh, Erik turns and follows Izabelle below deck, looking like a man walking to his own execution. I almost feel sorry for the guy, but desperate times call for desperate measures, and right now, we need every able-bodied vampire we've got if we're going to take down Bloodbane and get Seraphina back.
"That scurvy bilge rat Bloodbane caught us with our breeches down. Stormed the ship like a bleedin' hurricane and made off with the lass. We're hot on his trail, but there be no tellin' what foul deeds he's got planned for the poor girl."
I feel my rage simmering beneath the surface, a volcano ready to erupt. I know all too well the fear and desperation Lucian's feeling—I've been there, and it's not a place I ever want to revisit. But we can't afford to lose our heads, not when Seraphina's life hangs in the balance.
"Oh, when I get my hands on this cock-juggling pirate cunt, I'm gonna go so medieval on his ass; it'll make the Spanish Inquisition look like a tea party," Luciansnarls. "This shit-ticket's about to star in his own snuff film, and spoiler alert: it's gonna be more gruesome than a Tarantino-Cronenberg collab. I'm gonna rearrange his organs so creatively; med students will need a fucking treasure map to pass their exams."
Well, holy fucking shit. I don't think I've ever seen Lucian this goddamn pissed off before, and it's starting to make me sweat a little. The bastard looks like he's about to go nuclear, his eyes blazing with a rage that could melt fucking steel.
It's not just anger—something more profound, more primal—the kind of fury that makes even a hardass like me take a step back and reassess the situation.
Dani and Mirella come rushing towards us, and I can't help but double-take at the sight of Mirella. It's like someone went to town on her with a can of turquoise glitter spray paint, covering all her naughty bits while leaving the rest of her bare as a baby's ass. I never clocked her look until now.
Gideon nearly chokes on his tongue beside me, his eyes bugging out of his head. "Well, shit. Is that a real-life mermaid on my ship?"
Dani rolls her eyes, her sass level cranked up to eleven. "Gideon, Mirella. Mirella, Gideon. There, introductions made. Now, can we skip the pleasantries and get to the part where we figure out how far we are from Bloodbane's ship?"
"Yeah, can we focus on the task instead of ogling the fish chick? My mate's out there with some psycho pirate, and I'm about two seconds away from going full-on berserker mode."
I shoot him a look, my eyes narrowing. "Cool your jets, Lucian. We're all on the same page here. Gideon, how long until we catch up to Bloodbane?"
Gideon tears his gaze away from Mirella, his expression sobering. "Aye, we be gainin' on 'em, but it'll still be a few hours 'fore we be within spittin' distance. The Seraph is a fast ship, but The Crimson Fury is still faster."
"Oh, hell no. Not on my fucking watch," Dani snarls, her eyes flashing with fierce determination. She closes her eyes, her brow furrowing in concentration as she focuses inward. "Never tried this before, but screw it, it's worth a shot."
I turn to face the vast expanse of the sea, my heart pounding in my chest as I watch a ripple in reality begin to form before my very eyes. It's like watching the fabric of the universe tear itself apart, and I realize with a start that Dani is actually opening a goddamn portal to Bloodbane's ship.
"Holy shit, baby. That's it." my voice thick with pride and awe. "Think of his ship—the red sails, the galleon…"
As Dani concentrates harder, the portal grows wider, and suddenly, there he is—Bloodbane himself, standing on the deck of his ship, sailing fast, like a king surveying his kingdom. It's the most surreal thing I've ever seen— like two different realities have collided and merged into one.
Beads of sweat begin to form on Dani's brow as she focuses even harder, her eyes pinched shut with the effort. I can feel the raw power emanating from her, and it's enough to make the hair on the back of my neck stand on end.
"Holy mother fucking fuck of multiverses!" Lucian hollers over the waves crashing.
I watch her in awe, marveling at her strength and determination. This woman—my mate—never ceases to amaze me. Even in the face of impossible odds, she's pushing herself to the limit, drawing on reserves of power I didn't even know she had.
"That's it, Angel," I murmur, my voice rough with pride and concern. "You've got this."
"Whooo, sweet cheeks! Tear that interdimensional asshole wider!" Lucian yells.
And then, before I can even blink, we're ripping through the portal like a bat out of hell, hot on Bloodbane's tail. The portal snaps shut behind us with a loud crack, and Dani exhales, her body sagging against mine.
"Damn, baby, you did good," holding her close and pressing a fierce kiss to her temple. "I'm so fucking proud of you."
Holy shit, I can't believe what I just witnessed. Dani, my beautiful, brilliant, badass mate, did the impossible. She created a portal and pushed an entire fucking ship through it like it was nothing.
I can see the bastard himself, standing on the deck with a look of utter shock and disbelief. Heclearlywasn't expecting us to show up out of fucking nowhere like this, and I can't help but feel a surge of vicious satisfaction.
His eyes narrow into slits, and I can practically see the gears turning in his head as he tries to figure out how the fuck we managed to get the drop on him like this.
Well, tough shit, asshole. You're fucked.
"All hands on deck, ye scurvy bilge rats!" Gideon roars, his voice booming across the ship like a thunderclap. "Drop the sails and prepare the cannons! We've got a scoreto settle with that black-hearted bastard Bloodbane, and by the gods, we'll send him to the depths of Davy Jones' locker before the sun sets on this day!"
Lucian
