“
I just can’t fathom what kind of accident could do something like that,” she said, unworried. “I-I mean, they are not seared or scarred by any means, just odd in color.” She laughed. “I
do
like them, really I do.”
“
Well,” he said with a chuckle, “I must say, that is a first.”
His gaze left her and concentrated on Romanoff, who was now dancing directly next to him. The Frenchman made a cough of a laugh at him, and he smiled with sarcasm in return. Then he looked at her, and the softness in his face filtered through to his touch.
“
I know I have not told you much about myself,” he said suddenly. “I can’t give explanation for my mystery. I am sorry to say that, but it’s true. But I want you to know something.” He paused and looked past her. He looked like he didn’t want her to see any emotion in him—not happiness or sadness. He focused his eyes on something other than her. Perhaps he felt that he had let his guard down. “I have never rendered friendliness to anyone because I prefer hiding myself. Only Carden—and
you
—have deeper knowledge, have seen everything about me most bizarre, so you can imagine why I avoid the public.” It looked as though he was pushing himself terribly hard to speak to her. “Rein, because you’ve seen all my features—features nearly inhuman—”
“
No!
Inhuman
? That isn’t true, though!”
“
Because you don’t mind them, you’ve become something to me.” He stopped. “I do trust you.”
Her eyes were wide, but she felt happiness glowing within them as she smiled. Her heart was beating in quick, pounding strokes. She knew she was flushed. The burning in her heart became a fire fast. Nothing mattered in that moment but him.
“
I’m glad I’m something to you,” she murmured, moving closer to him. “But I don’t think that your features are what make you the rebel of the ship.”
“
Who told you that?”
She backed up from his neck and stared at him. “The stewardess.” She paused, but continued as he didn’t answer. “You do consider us friends, don’t you?” she asked.
He blinked a couple times and stared at her. “I would say at least so.”
She could hardly breathe. “Then—and I swear to you I would never repeat it if you desired it to be secret—but how exactly do you see differently? How do things look to you right now?”
He stiffened, but laughed quietly. “I see a mix between haze and extreme clarity, divided unequally and constantly fluctuating and modifying itself. I can’t focus on anything and truly be concentrated upon it.” That gentleness in his eyes lit again. “But do not think that I can’t see you clearly.” His voice dimmed to a whisper. “You give my strange, frightening eyes something incredible to view, Miss Pierson.”
Rein felt herself turning red. She looked like “something incredible”? She was delighted to see how comfortable he was with her. She had never seen him speak to anyone else but Carden Romanoff, and even with him he was defensive. She realized that her own spark was beginning to start a small fire in
him
.
“
Your eyes are not in the least frightening to me,” she said. “I very much enjoy your gaze.” They bowed apart from each other a moment, then he took her hand and began to dance again.
Traith’s gaze shifted from her to the far back wall of the ballroom. She turned to see what he was looking at only to realize the captain was standing alone there, isolated against a secluded wall, and watching.
There were still deep, horrible secrets. She recalled Romanoff’s voice: “
It involved a great deal of pain. The poor fellow, his tolerance to pain is unnaturally high, too. But all that he recalls—finding it even hard to articulate to me—was that there was so much pain that he still nearly feels
…” And that’s where the man had to stop.
She felt ill as she wondered about what had happened to Traith. But she caught the captain waving at them from the corner of her eye, and that creepy motion cleared her mind of everything but anxiety. That man always seemed to renew her fears and anger about the letter she received and the secrecy the
Olde
Mary
held. The secrets made her dwell on the letter, forcing her to try to figure out something that was impossible to know. And if she trusted Traith as he asked her to, as she wanted so badly to, all she
could
do was wait.
Traith puffed in disgust and ignored the Captain’s gesture. With the next turn in the dance, Rein found herself facing the captain. He repeated his gesture with a volatile grin draped on his sagging face.
A volatile grin was draped on his sagging face. She noticed him pull something out of his vest. A vial of red liquid.
A vial of red liquid?
The captain dropped the vial to the floor, and she watched it shatter and the liquid spill. The man laughed and walked away into the shadows.
“
What is it?” Traith asked her when he noticed her distress.
“
The—the captain,” Rein said, shaking her head. “I’m sorry, I need a second.” With that, she pulled from him and started to leave the dance floor.
“
No, don’t leave, what happened?” he asked, following her.
He was doing exactly what she wished he would: he followed her out into the ship corridor outside the ballroom. She paused in the dark deserted hall. Traith quietly closed the large door and turned to stare at her, a solemn expression on his face.
Rein knew that he hadn’t seen the shattered vial that the white-eyed man had purposely dropped, but she hadn’t wanted to tell him in the midst of everyone. The act scared her—why was the captain tormenting her with those little displays of his?
“
What is it?” Traith asked, nearing her. “What did he do?”
“
He looked at me,” she murmured, dazed as if reliving and trying to figure out the meaning of it. “He does scare me—he looked at me, waved, then dropped some sort of glass vial of red—
blood
perhaps, I don’t know, but that’s what it looked like.” She was panting and she felt her heart pounding. “Traith, I know all this connects together. You, the Captain, my letter—but I’m so confused, and I’m becoming more and more restless because I know nothing!” She took a breath and became quiet. “Traith.” She didn’t want to say it. “What actually is a vampire? Is that what all this is?”
He looked like he’d just been smacked. “
What
?”
“
I don’t know,” she declared desperately, her hands fisted. “Nothing would surprise me anymore, and—”
He held her shoulders, an action that calmed her. “You did the right thing, coming out here,” he murmured. “I wish I could…God, I’m sorry about him, and this entire situation. Don’t be frightened, please. You’ll be safe, all right? Please trust me; now more than ever you should.”
As hard as it was for her to suppress the rage and frustration, she did it. She cooled off and said nothing. Her eyes spoke everything, as did his in that moment. She placed her hands on top of his. Her heart felt as though it would burst in her chest.
She slowly drew her face close to him, and he did not pull away; he surrendered to her advance, and their lips met. Rein closed her eyes and instinctively embraced him. She felt his fingers grasp her waist passionately. She tasted him. The scent of him filled her with fervor. It was her first kiss—a feeling she had never experienced.
Then there was a sharp pain.
The taste of blood filled her mouth.
She pulled back, grabbing her bottom lip. She looked down at her fingers and saw blood. Traith’s eyes dilated and he turned away, feeling his own mouth.
“
My lip, what—?” She stopped, recognizing his chill.
His eyes were iced and his expression cold. His face was like stone after the moment of weakness that had overwhelmed them. She was bleeding. Her blood was in his mouth. He was gaping at her face. Her lip. Her bloodstained hand.
“
I’m sorry.” His voice was immediately hoarse. “I’m sorry, I don’t…”
He looked sorrowfully into her eyes for only a moment, turned fast, and nearly ran away with his hand by his mouth.
“
No, Traith!” she yelled. “Don’t—”
She closed her mouth when she realized he was already gone.
She began trembling and her back hit the wall.
The next thing she knew, she heard quiet talking and laughing, and a bright light momentarily lit the hall. It was Saria and Romanoff leaving the ballroom as well, obviously looking for them. The door closed and darkness returned.
“
Rein, what—where is Harker?” Saria asked.
They walked relaxed to her. It took them a minute to see what was happening. Rein could feel the blood running down her chin, all from her lip.
“
Oh my God!” Saria gasped. “What
happened
to
you
?”
“
Here,” Romanoff said, rushing to her with Saria just beside. “Use this.”
He pulled out a handkerchief from his shirt pocket and held it onto her mouth. She grasped it, and his hands let go, his eyes staring at her mouth.
Romanoff was staring, his eyes opened broadly. “May I see it, mademoiselle?” he asked politely.
Rein removed the handkerchief. “Is the cut bad?” she asked with a quiver.
“
Where is he?” Romanoff demanded, not answering her.
“
He left,” she said, holding the stained white linen to her lip. “Again.”
He looked momentarily at her. Then he turned, kissed Saria’s hand, and without another word left the hall and vanished into the darkness.
“
What happened, Rein?” Saria asked again, pleadingly.
“
His teeth,” Rein whispered in a voice almost inaudible. “It had to be his teeth.” She lost her breath then, and after a moment, continued. “He kissed me and then…oh God, Saria, I was so happy.”
Saria took her hand and threw her arms around her. “The cut is deep,” Saria said. “Oh, please don’t be sad, Rein. Just think of the mortification he must feel since
he
did it! Carden went to find him, I think. He’ll fix things, Rein.”
When Saria let go and helped her up, she felt faint and heavy. She was tired, despite her long sleep, and she wanted to cry wildly.
She had not been at the ball any longer than an hour, and already the night was ruined.
Already
. That kiss had been so enchanting that it would always be fresh in her head. No matter what happened, or what was wrong, it would always be fresh in her head.
Carden rushed down the West hall. The evening was dark and the few candles still balancing themselves on the tables throughout the corridor cast only a dim glow. He quickly paced through the shadows and rapped on door 1271, the room two doors down from Rein Pierson’s chamber. There was no answer, so he again lifted his fist to beat.
“
Harker, open the door!” he yelled, getting agitated. “Traith, I said—”
The door wrenched inward and Traith stood with flaming eyes staring frigidly into Carden’s. His face was tight and paler than usual. His stance was tense, and he had stripped himself from his coat and vest, wearing nothing more than a frilled, white, open blouse and his dark pants and boots. When he noticed his friend’s look, however, his expression grew more grieved and tired.
“
You left her? You couldn’t be gentleman enough to stay with her?” He asked as he watched Traith already lamenting.
“
Carden, not now. Go back to the ball and leave me be.” His head fell when he noticed that Carden was not going to move a muscle. “
Please
, just leave me be.”
“
No, Traith. You look ill. Your eyes have dark rings around them as if you were in a fever.”
“
Don’t they always?”
“
And you’re trembling! What do you want me to tell the poor dame? That her engagement with you tonight was nothing but a disappointment and that you won’t see her?”
“
Carden.” Traith paused and left the doorway, indicating for him to enter. He paced slower with his head in his hands. “She said it.”
“
Said what?”
“
Vampire
.”
“
She did?”
“
She’s—Carden, I kissed her—something that’s supposed to be
romantic
. She was bleeding such a great deal, and I can’t be around blood, Carden. I can’t! I go mad! It was in my mouth, I swallowed it!” His throat seemed to jam. “I just—I can’t do this. I know what will happen. I
can’t
be close to anyone, Carden! He won’t let me, you must know that. He brought her here just to—”
“
He is fighting a higher power, you know that. Mistress is—”
“
Stop saying her name!” Traith yelled with frustration. “After all these years, she hasn’t found a way to get us off this damned ship!”
“
It isn’t her fault, just like it isn’t yours.”
“
How can you say that to me?” Traith said with a rasp. “I’ve had to wait so long, and if she can get in touch with a girl she’s never even
met
, why could she
never get in touch with
me
?”