Read Online Vampirates 5: Empire of Night by Justin Somper - Free Book Online Page B
Authors: Justin Somper
Tags: Fiction, General, Action & Adventure, Horror, Juvenile Fiction, Fantasy & Magic, Brothers and sisters, Twins, Vampires, Horror & Ghost Stories, Pirates, Seafaring life
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found her gaze turning to the tanned skin on Oskar's neck. Suddenly, it was as if his skin was transparent and she could see the blood flowing within the veins beneath it. She could see it. Smell it. Taste it...
85
They climbed the stairs to the next deck--the donors' deck. Along the corridor, doors opened and quickly closed, like the beating wings of moths, as the Vampirates and donors disappeared inside. Grace felt her heart racing. Her head was pounding with the strange, driving music of the Feast, now intercut with Oskar's words. You should join us.... Share me. Share me. Share me. Share me.
Oskar reached for the door. He opened it, and Lorcan walked purposefully inside. Oskar followed. The door began to close.
Grace faltered. Share me , he had said. What was she supposed to do? She should talk to Mosh Zu about this but, as she turned, she saw that he had continued on along the corridor. Now she was separated from him by other vampire and donor pairs making their way to their cabins.
Oskar's door was still ajar. Grace felt a powerful heat coursing through her, followed by as sudden and penetrating a chill right along her spine.
Share me . Inside her skull, Oskar's voice grew stronger. Her head would surely explode if the music didn't end; if this feeling didn't subside. This feeling that she now understood to be her hunger. There was only one way for such a hunger to be quelled, wasn't there? Grace saw the sliver of candlelight spilling out into the corridor. She stretched out her hand and pushed the door. Taking a deep breath, she entered the room.
86
The cabin was covered with a red glow. Grace couldn't be sure if this was the lighting within or if it was a further effect of her hunger. Each of her senses seemed heightened. Time seemed to lurch from running at increased speed to suddenly spooling very slowly. Through all of this, she felt the alternating heat and chill, and the relentless throbbing in her head. Share me.
It took all Grace's strength to gather her focus. At last, she began to make sense of what was happening around her. There was Oskar, leaning against the wall, Lorcan to his side. So this was how it happened. This was how they shared. Grace had glimpsed Lorcan sharing with Shanti from outside in the corridor once before, but then she had been quick to turn away. Now, she opened her hungry eyes to the scene before her, fascinated to see how it worked. Once again, it seemed to her that Oskar's skin had become completely transparent, and she could see the blood coursing from his heart and through his veins toward the punctured skin of his thorax. Looking up, she was surprised to find him smiling at her and beckoning her closer.
"Come," he was saying. "Share me."
Grace stepped closer. She moved forward until she was standing only a breath away from Oskar. He smiled at her again as she looked into his eyes. There was fire there, as in Lorcan's eyes, but more distant somehow. It confused her, distracting her from her hunger for a moment. She stared deeper into the black slicks of Oskar's pupils, seek
87
ing out the fire. Then she recoiled, understanding. There was no fire in Oskar's eyes; they were simply a mirror, reflecting back to her her own deep hunger.
The realization made her gasp and step backward, stumbling toward the door. The room suddenly felt utterly airless. She needed to escape. "I'm sorry," she said, unsure whether there was any volume to her words. Oskar was turning toward Lorcan now, as the Vampirate prepared to take his blood.
She had to get out. Now. She wasn't ready for this.
Grace wasn't sure of the sequence of events that followed. Somehow, she managed to locate the doorknob and twist it open. She made it into the corridor and found herself pushing open another door--though she had no recollection of having climbed up any flights of stairs--onto the main deck. It was only as she stepped out into the air that she began to breathe with any semblance of normality and to
85
They climbed the stairs to the next deck--the donors' deck. Along the corridor, doors opened and quickly closed, like the beating wings of moths, as the Vampirates and donors disappeared inside. Grace felt her heart racing. Her head was pounding with the strange, driving music of the Feast, now intercut with Oskar's words. You should join us.... Share me. Share me. Share me. Share me.
Oskar reached for the door. He opened it, and Lorcan walked purposefully inside. Oskar followed. The door began to close.
Grace faltered. Share me , he had said. What was she supposed to do? She should talk to Mosh Zu about this but, as she turned, she saw that he had continued on along the corridor. Now she was separated from him by other vampire and donor pairs making their way to their cabins.
Oskar's door was still ajar. Grace felt a powerful heat coursing through her, followed by as sudden and penetrating a chill right along her spine.
Share me . Inside her skull, Oskar's voice grew stronger. Her head would surely explode if the music didn't end; if this feeling didn't subside. This feeling that she now understood to be her hunger. There was only one way for such a hunger to be quelled, wasn't there? Grace saw the sliver of candlelight spilling out into the corridor. She stretched out her hand and pushed the door. Taking a deep breath, she entered the room.
86
The cabin was covered with a red glow. Grace couldn't be sure if this was the lighting within or if it was a further effect of her hunger. Each of her senses seemed heightened. Time seemed to lurch from running at increased speed to suddenly spooling very slowly. Through all of this, she felt the alternating heat and chill, and the relentless throbbing in her head. Share me.
It took all Grace's strength to gather her focus. At last, she began to make sense of what was happening around her. There was Oskar, leaning against the wall, Lorcan to his side. So this was how it happened. This was how they shared. Grace had glimpsed Lorcan sharing with Shanti from outside in the corridor once before, but then she had been quick to turn away. Now, she opened her hungry eyes to the scene before her, fascinated to see how it worked. Once again, it seemed to her that Oskar's skin had become completely transparent, and she could see the blood coursing from his heart and through his veins toward the punctured skin of his thorax. Looking up, she was surprised to find him smiling at her and beckoning her closer.
"Come," he was saying. "Share me."
Grace stepped closer. She moved forward until she was standing only a breath away from Oskar. He smiled at her again as she looked into his eyes. There was fire there, as in Lorcan's eyes, but more distant somehow. It confused her, distracting her from her hunger for a moment. She stared deeper into the black slicks of Oskar's pupils, seek
87
ing out the fire. Then she recoiled, understanding. There was no fire in Oskar's eyes; they were simply a mirror, reflecting back to her her own deep hunger.
The realization made her gasp and step backward, stumbling toward the door. The room suddenly felt utterly airless. She needed to escape. "I'm sorry," she said, unsure whether there was any volume to her words. Oskar was turning toward Lorcan now, as the Vampirate prepared to take his blood.
She had to get out. Now. She wasn't ready for this.
Grace wasn't sure of the sequence of events that followed. Somehow, she managed to locate the doorknob and twist it open. She made it into the corridor and found herself pushing open another door--though she had no recollection of having climbed up any flights of stairs--onto the main deck. It was only as she stepped out into the air that she began to breathe with any semblance of normality and to
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