Chapter 53 Lucian
Lucian
Rhyland and Dani fucked off to find that damn key.
And yeah, I know they're fine. I mean, I've got this whole blood bond thing with Dani, which is excellent for keeping tabs on her emotional state.
But let me tell you, when I felt her arousal, I noped the fuck out of that connection faster than a virgin on prom night.
I do not need to be privy to whatever freaky shit they're getting up to, thank you very much.
But you know what really tickles my funny bone? Pissing off my dear, sweet, stick-up-the-ass brother, Rhyland. I mean, the guy's got a perpetual case of resting bitch face, and it just brings me so much joy to ruffle his feathers.
Especially when it comes to Dani, I swear, the mere mention of her name from my lips makes him go all twitchy and broody. So, naturally, I make it my mission to piss him off at every opportunity I can to watch him squirm—and this one will definitely get a rise out of the fuckface.
I'm sure they'll come strutting back any moment now, regaling us with tales of their daring exploits and narrow escapes.
But in the meantime, my little cupcake, Seraphina, has been keeping herself busy all day by soaking up knowledge like a fucking sponge.
She's already got Erik, Mr. Stoic McBroodyson himself, eating out of her hand.
He's been teaching her how to wield a sword and hot damn; she's a natural.
It must be an angelic or Atherian thing, having the skills of a goddamn ninja assassin. She knocked me on my ass during a sparring session, and all I could do was laugh and try not to jizz in my pants at the same time. It was a delicate balance, let me tell you.
But Erik, the stoic, serious type, takes pride in training my little hostess cake.
He even crafted her a custom Bo staff when she said the sword felt too heavy and awkward.
And holy fuck, watching her twirl that thing around like a deadly ballerina is enough to make a grown man weep.
She had the entire crew on their asses in a matter of seconds, each one eager to test their skills against the angelic warrior princess.
From what I've learned about my little celestial snack pack, Seraphina is missing a few key ingredients from the standard angel recipe.
No angel fire? Check.
No fancy-schmancy time warp tricks? Double check.
But light grenades? Oh, hell yeah. And those things pack a serious punch—just remembering when she smacked me upside the head with one has me grinning like an idiot.
According to my angelic amuse-bouche, the angel fire thing is reserved for the warrior bloodline in Atheria. Seraphina fits into "guardian angel" territory. Meanwhile, Dani goes all Human Torch at the slightest provocation.
What Seraphina lacks in pyrotechnics, she more than makes up for in ass-kicking abilities. She could probably take on a whole Martial Arts league with one hand tied behind her back. It's like watching a ballet of violence, and it's fucking beautiful.
It's been a real treat watching her come into her own and discover new strengths. She may be a sweet, innocent angel, but she's got the soul of a fighter. And I gotta say, it's pretty fucking hot.
There's just something about watching your mate kick ass and take names that gets the engine revving.
"That was a blast!" Seraphina practically skips over to me, her Bo staff casually propped against her shoulder like a goddamn action hero.
Erik, however, is sprawled out on the deck, staring up at the sky like he's contemplating his entire existence.
"I saw his leg sweep coming from a mile away, but I countered and took him down," Seraphina explains, grinning.
"I know, baby girl, I saw the whole thing," unable to keep the pride out of my voice. "You were fucking magnificent."
"Could you kindly reiterate the reasons that compelled me to undertake this endeavor?" Erik groans from his prone position, seriously regretting his life choices.
Seraphina giggles, taking a swig of water from her canteen. "Because you agreed to help me hone my combat skills, which is needed and—"
"Necessary for you to learn, yeah, yeah, I know," Erik finishes for her, waving his hand in defeat. He sighs, sitting up with a grunt, "It has been a pleasure in sparring with you; it brings to mind the time I instructed our Little Huntress in the art of combat."
Fuck, that feels like a lifetime ago when Erik was teaching Dani the fine art of ass-kicking in Luminara. Seriously, so much has gone down in the blink of an eye. It's insane to think about how tight-knit we've all become after wading through the hot mess that is our collective lives.
"Hey, there's no shame in learning from the best," I quip, giving Seraphina a wink. "And right now, the best just happens to be a gorgeous, ass-kicking celestial snack cake with a heart of gold."
Seraphina blushes at the compliment, ducking her head shyly. But I can see the glint of pride in her eyes, how she stands slightly taller and holds her head slightly higher. It's a beautiful thing to witness, watching her come into her own and realize just how fucking incredible she truly is.
"Well, I couldn't have done it without your guidance," turning to Erik with a grateful smile. "You're an amazing teacher, and I'm lucky to have you as a mentor."
To his credit, Erik looks genuinely touched by her words. "It's been my pleasure, Seraphina," looking at her like she just hung the fucking moon. "You're a natural, and it's an honor to help you cultivate your skills."
I mean, seriously, the guy's practically swooning. If he had a tail, it'd be wagging so hard it'd create a goddamn breeze. But hey, I can't blame him. My girl's got that effect on people. She's like a walking, talking ray of sunshine, and even a stoic hardass like Erik can't resist her charms.
I can't help but feel a swell of affection for my brother at this moment.
I mean, sure, we give each other shit all the time, but at the end of the day, we've got each other's backs.
And seeing him take Seraphina under his wing, helping her become the best version of herself?
It's enough to make even my heart grow three sizes.
"Alright, alright, enough with the sappy shit," I interject, clapping my hands together. "What do you say we take a break and grab some grub? All this ass-kicking has me working up an appetite."
Seraphina laughs, eyes sparkling. "You're always hungry, Lucian."
"What can I say, baby girl? I'm a growing boy," waggling my eyebrows suggestively. "I'm always hungry for a certain cosmic cupcake."
She rolls her eyes, but I can see the fondness in her expression. "Let's go raid the galley before you start gnawing on the mast or, worse, me."
And with that, we make our way below deck, Erik trailing behind us with a bemused shake of his head. It's moments like these, the simple, everyday moments of camaraderie and laughter, that make all the bullshit we've been through worth it.
It all happened so fucking fast. One minute, we're walking down to the galley, laughing and joking, Seraphina's hand warm in mine.
The next, I am waking up on the floor in the dank, dark bowels of the ship, my neck screaming in agony.
I slowly get to my feet, rubbing the tender flesh where my spine meets my skull—the sensation of my neck being snapped is always a dead giveaway.
The pain and disorientation of waking up from that particular brand of death is something I'll never get used to.
Some fucker snapped my neck like a twig from behind, and now I am all kinds of confused.
I look around frantically, my heart pounding against my ribs like a caged animal. "Seraphina!?" my voice raw and desperate, echoing off the damp, wooden walls.
I race up to the main deck, my heart pounding in my chest, only to find Gideon and the entire fucking crew bleeding out and barely clinging to life. Erik is sprawled on the deck, his face ashen and shirt soaked with crimson.
What the actual fuck happened here?
I grab Gideon by the lapels of his coat, hauling him to eye level, my hands shaking with fear and rage. "Where's Seraphina?" I demand, my voice barely recognizable, even to my own ears.
He coughs a spray of blood splattering across my face, then looks at me with a grim expression, his teeth stained red. "They took her, lad."
They? Who the fuck is they? Someone took my girl, my fucking mate?
I see red, my vision tunneling, the icy rage that threatens to consume me. "Who? Who the fuck took her?"
Gideon shoves my hands away, collapsing back onto the deck as Izabelle frantically tries to stem the flow of blood from his wounds.
"Bloodbane, the scurvy dog. He ambushed us when we least expected it, mate.
Boarded the ship quiet as a church mouse an' took us out 'fore we even knew what hit us. The bastard lookin' for Dani, he was."
I feel like I've been sucker-punched, the air rushing out of my lungs in a painful whoosh.
Who the fuck is this Bloodbane asshole? And more importantly, why take Seraphina? What could he possibly want with her?
Oh my fucking god.
I grip my hair, my fingers tangling in the strands, tugging so hard I swear I will rip it out by the roots. The sheer panic that's coursing through my veins right now is enough to make me want to scream, to rage, to tear the whole fucking world apart. I just found her, and now she's taken!
I haven't sealed the bond with her.
I can't find her, can't mentally connect with her.
I'm flying blind, and it's the most terrifying thing I've ever experienced. I'm going to lose my fucking mind.
I can only imagine she didn't go easy. My girl's a fighter through and through. She would have kicked, screamed, and fought with every ounce of strength. But what if...oh god...what if they hurt her? What if they...
I collapse on the deck, my knees slamming into the blood-soaked wood as I hurl, the coppery taste of blood filling my mouth. The sickening thought of them laying a hand on her, of causing her harm, is enough to make me want to tear my own heart out and use it as a fucking pinata.
I can feel the rage building inside me, a white-hot fury threatening to consume me entirely. If they've hurt her, if they've so much as touched a single hair on her head...there will be no force in heaven or hell that can save them from the ass-kicking of a lifetime.
I get up, my legs still a little shaky from the whole "puking my guts out" thing, and stumble over to Erik. "We need to go after them, like, yesterday, dude. Time's a-wastin'!"
Erik nods, his face as stoic as ever, but then he points to the sails. "While I share your urgency, Lucian, repairs come first on the sails, lest we find ourselves stranded here indefinitely."
I look up and see the tattered shreds of the sails, our only fucking way off this floating deathtrap, and with the crew doing their best impression of corpses on the deck, it looks like it's up to me and Erik to play seamstress.
It's like the pirate version of a dick move. Slash the sails and leave 'em high and dry while you sail into the sunset with their precious cargo. I gotta hand it to this Bloodbane guy, he may be a raging asshole, but he knows how to fuck with a ship.
"You good, bro?" I ask as he stands next to me, trying to gauge just how much of a beating he took.
"I endeavored to defend the ship and crew to the best of my abilities," Erik says, his voice all formal and shit, even though he looks like he's about to keel over. "But alas, their numbers were great, and they employed wooden swords, exploiting our inherent weakness."
Well, fuck me sideways with a wooden stake. So now they know what we are and how to take us down. This is so not good. Like, on a scale of one to "we're totally fucked," this is a solid eleven.
I wish Dani and Rhyland would've given me a heads-up about this Bloodbane douche canoe. Hell, even Gideon or Erik could've dropped a hint or two. But fuck no, everyone's gotta be all mysterious and shit, keeping secrets like it's going out of style.
I let out a frustrated growl, running my hands through my hair. "Okay, so we're dealing with a bunch of vampire-savvy pirates who have a hard-on for kidnapping my mate. Fan-fucking-tastic. Any other good news you want to share with the class, Erik?"
Sometimes I wish my stick-up-the-ass brother would just unleash his inner beast and go all Mortal Kombat on douchebags. You know, rip out a spine here, tear off a head there—really embrace that whole "vampire" thing we've got going on.
But nooooo. Erik's gotta be all noble and shit. He is like the Batman of vampires, if Batman had a perpetual case of constipation and a hard-on for honor. I swear, the guy probably irons his cape and alphabetizes his bat-gadgets.
It's like he missed the memo that being a vampire means you get to be a badass. Instead, he's over here trying to win the "Most Honorable Bloodsucker" award.
News flash, bro: that's not a thing!
Erik gives me one of his patented stoic looks that makes you feel like he's staring into your soul and finding it lacking.
"I believe our time would be better spent focusing on the task at hand, Lucian.
The sails will not mend themselves, and every moment we tarry is a moment Seraphina remains in peril. "
I sigh, knowing he's right. As much as I want to charge off half-cocked and rain down unholy vengeance on these fuckers, we need to be smart about this. We need a plan.
And step one of that plan is getting this fucking ship seaworthy again.