For some reason Night stood behind me again and squeezed my shoulders. I growled at him. It was low, deep, and made some of the others shrink back, unsure.

“You best be calm. You’re scaring the others,” Night whispered in my ear, his breath tickling the tip of my pointed ear.

I thought about shifting forms to eat him, but that wouldn’t make anyone think better of me. So, I reframed from doing that, at least for now.

I looked over to my father. “Dare, you knew my name?”

He nodded. “That’s what I heard. The Kingdom of Annwin was always a closed and powerful kingdom, but they always announced when a new member of their Royal Family was born. It was their greatest joy, for not many are born.” I felt tears well in my eyes and I batted them away, annoyed.

 “Why does water fall from my eyes?” I asked, wiping away more.

“I think you just need time to rest,” Night whispered in my ear and gave me a hug.

I stiffened, but he didn’t let go. I looked to my father again.

He nodded at me. “I think it best you get some rest. When you are well enough, you’ll meet everyone. We'll be at the Isle on the morrow,” he said. He gave me a smile before stiffly nodding to Night with a look of resigned acceptance.

 As they did that I tried to sneak away, but with a gasp of surprise I was lifted off my feet and into the arms of Night. I tried to push my way free, but I gave up because it was like trying to push away a mountain for, he was solid. With a resigned sigh I sank into his arms.

“Good girl,” he said smiling down at me.

I glared.

He gulped then laughed.

“Keep your eyes to where you’re walking, servant,” I muttered. I felt his shoulders shake so bad he would have dropped me if I hadn’t latched onto his neck.

He smelled of fresh, clean mint oddly enough. We went below deck to where the quarters were. I yawned and was asleep before I knew it.

I woke to the swaying lullaby of the ship in the wee hours of the night and found that someone had changed my clothes. Rin was asleep next to me again. I slipped out from under the covers of the bed and looked at what I was wearing.

It was a pair of noticeably short blue shorts and a thin shirt with skinny shoulder straps.

These people have strange clothes, I thought, walking out of the room and closing the door quietly behind me. I walked down the small hallway to the stairs and went out the hatchway. The stars of the night sky shined like millions of diamonds and lit up the air in their brilliance.

My breath caught at their beauty. Dazzled I gazed openly up at them.

 Clouds swirled around the moon and as I looked out to the black ocean in the distance, there was a large lush green island with a small range of large mountains.

That must be the Isle. It’s beautiful. I leaned against the railing, looking out over the sea and the Isle. This will be my new home for now, until I have a plan of what to do next.

It’s beautiful and I don’t want to destroy it. I must do my hardest to keep a rein on my insanity. I must try to be normal. I sighed and looked out into the sky. The moon was full and stunning, a perfect silver disk of translucent light. I was stunned to see something of such beauty in the world. I guess there are things in this world that are still good and pure.

I wish I grew up in that world, I told the moon. It stared back silently, as if it didn’t know what to say. I stayed there for a while just watching the sea, then I felt a hand touch my side. I turned around and saw Night standing there. The look on his face gave me chills, but not in fright.

His eyes were an even darker red than before and they looked eerily into my own.

“What do you want?” I asked, remembering that I was still a little pissed at him for earlier. And here he was still touching me again.

I stepped away, but he stepped with me.

“You have something I need. Something I want you to give me,” he said brushing, his fingertips across my cheek, barely even touching. His touch floated across my skin, sending chills down my spine and making me feel tingly in my toes.

“What is it you need?” I sounded breathless, but the feelings that flooded through me at him being so close nearly brought me to my knees, begging for more.

I hated it, what he made me feel, but it was also so inviting.

“I need your blood,” he whispered in my ear, as he brushed my hair away from my neck to place a kiss to where my blood flowed strongest under my skin. I wanted to fight back, but as he took me in his arms, I couldn’t.

“Night, you can’t,” I said protested weakly, “my blood…its Dragon’s blood.”

But he was just too far gone. He kissed my neck again and then his eyes looked into mine, glazed over with want. He smiled and two long fangs gleamed in the silver moonlight like needles.

He kissed my lips furiously then he moved down my neck once more. I felt the prick of his fangs as he bit into my neck. Then all I felt was a burning pleasure that scorched me from the inside.

I could feel him swallow after swallow, growing lightheaded the more he drank.

When he was done, he licked my neck of the blood droplets that formed and looked into my dazed eyes. “Thank you, my little one,” he whispered and kissed me one last time.

I felt dizzy as I looked into his eyes and then my world tilted. The stars winked at me and my last though was: Just my luck, to attract to a vampire mage.

When I awoke, I was furious, but I kept my insanity under a tight hold as best I could. Any strong emotion can set it off.

 I sat up and felt my neck, sure as the sun was in the sky, there were bite marks, I scowled. Dressing in the cloths laid out for me I readied before walking out to the deck. I knew that Dare sensed my fury because he turned to me with a look of understanding.

He looked me over and saw the side of my neck. His eyes flashed fiercely.

“Where is he?” I grated.

“Up on the port mass,” he said evenly. He knew what I was going to do, but he wouldn’t stop me.

“I’ll be back later, Dare,” I said, starting to climb the ropes to the top mass.

“We’ll be at the island in a few hours, but take your time,” he said with a low chuckle. I just nodded and headed up the ropes.