Vampyre and Pirate Captain. Lyria Blackwood was many things but she never expected to become the salvation of the sea.
Due to the blood running through her immortal veins, she may be the only one to break the curse plaguing her seas. Forming an unl...
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"I have an idea. A marvellous idea." James chirped, barging into the Captains Quarters. Just like he used to.
"No." Lyria groaned, burying her head under her pillows. This was the only part of James being Second that she had not missed. His plans and his annoying habit of bursting in when Lyria was catching up on sleep.
Vampyre's could last a week without sleep as long as they fed regularly but they did need at least three hours after that to ensure that they had maximum energy. And whenever Lyria decided to catch up on those few hours, James felt the need to spend 'quality time' with her. Translation; he liked to find any moment to annoy her.
"Just hear me out. Caleb and I-"
"No."
"But-."
"No, James. Every time you or Caleb come to me with a 'great idea', I give you the benefit of the doubt. Every time I give you the benefit of the doubt, it ends in trouble. So, no."
Shuffling over to one side of the bed, she heaped the blankets around her before patting the space next to her. Kicking his boots off, he jumped onto his stomach before grinning at his friend. Sky blue eyes were filled with humour and it was nice to see them bright and alive again - the last time she had stared at them, they had been dull; the window to the soul of a broken man.
"Lyria, this plan was designed for the welfare of our crew. Honestly, Caleb and I thought this one through. We just need approval from you and Lucien."
Intrigued, Lyria sat up. Staring around her room, she realised how little time she had spent in it the past couple of days. Instead, she had been spending all her time on deck trying to mend her issues with James (they had set some rules between each other to ensure their anger did not rocket again), or she had been spending time with Lucien aboard The Mermaid's Revenge. His crew were beginning to warm to her crew and whilst Jordyn loved having another strong female around to talk to, Tomas was still hell-bent on feigning distaste.
Thankfully, James had accepted the new friendship between Lyria and Lucien, which was probably due to his newfound closeness with Jordyn; something that really pissed off the muscular male Captain.
"I will hear you out but only because it may help the crew. And, if this is another ridiculous idea, I will throw you overboard." Lyria warned, climbing out of bed.
Opening her drawers, she searched for a clean white blouse before shredding her nightshirt. Knotting the ties at her breast, she pulled on her pants before asking James to help fasten her corset. Whilst he laced the back, James explained how the crew of The Crimson Rose could feed upon The Mermaid's Revenge, as long as they never took too much and always fixed their injuries. In his and Caleb's eyes, it was a win-win situation. The Vampyres get to sate their hunger when they need (a meal on the go) and the Humans remain fit and healthy at all times.
"And what if Lucien's crew start killing themselves to become one of us. In case you forgot, they have no clue about us. We are not informing them about us. I thank you and Caleb for trying to make life easier for us but, in the long haul, it will make it harder. So, no."
"What happens if there is not an inhabited island for weeks?" James points out, slightly agitated that Lyria did not take any time to really consider the idea.
"James, please, do not push this. Lucien would never agree and it may insult him. Leave it alone."
Fastening her sword to her hip, she slipped some daggers in her boot and a pistol to her other side.
"We should be arriving at an 'inhabited island' as the sun begins to set, so I suggest you inform the crew to feed because who knows how long it may be until we find more life forms."
Rolling his eyes at his Captain, he bowed deeply before placing a swift kiss upon her cheek.
"As you wish." ________________________________________________________
Sat in the crow's nest of The Crimson Rose, James watched with slight amusement as Lyria berated Caleb for encouraging the feeding idea; she even thwacked him upside the head. Rubbing the side of his head, Caleb grumbled to his Captain, which resulted in another smack.
However, the small spat didn't last long as the two started laughing at each other. Pulling the smaller woman into a headlock, they walked off towards the dining area of the deck to enjoy some breakfast.
"If it is any consolation, I thought your idea was rather good. It would have made life much easier for all of you." Jordyn bumped her shoulder against James'.
The two of them had been sat together, feet dangling off the edge, for over an hour. Jordyn wanted to escape from her over-protective brother so had ended up listening to James rant about his over-protective (practically) sister.
"Exactly. Feeding would be so much easier, and every Pirate - from both ships - would be at their maximum potential."
"On the other hand..." Jordyn started.
"No, no, no. Do not do this to me." James pleaded, joking around. "Do not pretend to support me and then rip out my heart."
"It is impractical. You cannot reveal your secret to my crew, there are people that even I do not trust. Furthermore, compelling, is it? Compelling them all to forget every time you feed is immoral and most probably, exhausting. It would cause you to need more blood." As much as he hated to admit it, both Jordyn and Lyria were, in fact, correct. Whilst his plan had been brilliant in theory, the practicalities of it were iffy. The majority of his plans were like that and despite the advice that Lyria always gave him, he refused to listen.
His greatest downfall; never listening to the most important woman in his life who constantly reminded him that she was always right.
"Shut up." James chuckled, shoving Jordyn lightly.
Watching as she giggled, James noticed how bright her green eyes were. Strands of dark brown hair fell from her hat, that was hiding the rest of her hair, and they blew gently in the light breeze. For a human, her skin was soft and smooth other than the random scar here and there. Her heart beat to a perfect rhythm and the blood rushed to her cheeks once she caught James staring, causing a sweet blush to dust her cheeks.
"Thank you for being there for me." James whispered, giving Jordyn a side hug and smirking slightly when he heard her heartbeat pick up.
"5 gold coins that whatever is going on up there will turn into something more." Caleb nudged Lyria, pointing to the dark haired couple sat in the crow's nest.
"That is not going to end well. Also, you should not be betting on James' love life." Lyria shook her head with a small chuckle. "10 gold coins."
"You want to bet that much on James' skills with a woman he likes? Do you not remember the Emmaline disaster?" Caleb smiled fondly at the memory.
"Oi, we all made a promise. We never talk about that incident. Now, 10 gold coins that something happens between them."
"Deal." Caleb said, clasping Lyria's petite hand in his large one before shaking it once.
"Deal." She smirked.
"If your Second does not remove his arm from my sister, he will lose it."
