Talon: The S.S.Trinity (Talon Series Book 0) Read online

  Talon:

  The S.S. Trinity

  Jay Michael Wright II

  © 2016 Jay Michael Wright II

  All characters and events in this novel are fictitious. Any resemblance to persons, living or dead, is purely coincidental.

  Dedicated to the loving memories of Chris “All-Star” DeVaney, Jessica “Shadow” Hammett, Shannon “Turtle” Sullins, and Jason “Jay” Pearson. You were all taken too soon. Love and miss you all! See you on the other side.

  Illustrations: Brendan Smith

  Editing: Christina Short-LoBianco

  San Juan, Puerto Rico

  1810

  I grabbed the pimp by his throat and dared him to fucking mouth off to me again. "Look here, bitch! I know what you did and I know why you did it. So tell me, what's it like to have killed your own mother, you sick bastard!"

  Behind me, Molly cackled as she twirled about the room, moving like a woman possessed. With her fangs fully exposed, she mockingly did a little Irish jig, her long brown hair swaying to and fro as she danced around the corpses that littered the floor. She knelt down and stared into the man's eyes, licking her lips in anticipation of what was to come.

  The man cowered as she lingered a mere inch from his throat, swaying like a cobra ready to strike. She hissed and lunged at the thin man's face over and over. She stopped just inches from his nose before pulling back and giggling like a lunatic. "Oh, I don't know, my love. I did help kill my own father. Killing a parent isn't necessarily the worst thing in the world. It depends on the parent."

  She turned and kissed me wildly. It was a manic, animalistic kiss. We had just killed eight bodyguards together and Molly was horny off of being blood-drunk. This was my favorite version of Molly, and how could it not be? The situation was just perfect. We were drenched in blood and about to teach this murdering asshole a lesson. After that, who knows what we were going to do.

  Carlos Garza was a lowly man, a scoundrel of a man; a man with no principles. Quite simply, he was the lowest form of scum I had crossed in nearly five decades. It's so much fun to watch people like Carlos suffer because they truly deserve it. My favorite kills were always the ones that sent a dark soul into the fiery pits of Hell. I would fill that bottomless cavern of sulfur and flame with a million souls if I could. Carlos was just one of many, but he was my favorite to come along in a very long time.

  I tightened my grip around Carlos's throat and dropped my own fangs. I started to let my razor-sharp talons dig into his soft flesh. Blood trickled down his neck and the smell of it was fucking intoxicating. Something about smelling the blood of the damned always did something for me. It turned a simple kill into a game; a mockery of the pathetic mortal's sins. Throwing it in the face of the Father that one of his favorite little creations had failed so miserably in their life.

  "What did you do, Carlos?" I snarled as the desire to rip him into tiny little shreds danced in my head. "I fucking want to hear you say it."

  "Please! Please! Let me go, Vampiro! I'll pay you anything!" Carlos begged.

  Money. They always offered money first. Like I give a flying fuck about money anymore. I had lived just over two hundred years. I had enough wealth–looted from rich nobles and spoiled aristocrats–to last me a damned lifetime. I wasn't after money. I was after the blood, the suffering, for the very misery which would make his soul suffer the most, before I finally granted him his sweet release to death.

  "Fuck your money, Carlos! I want to hear you fucking admit it. Say it aloud for the world to hear. You'll either do what I say or I'll leave you five minutes alone with her." I nodded my head toward Molly, who was still in the process of playing cat and mouse with him, looking more than ready to pounce on him.

  Molly had actually just ripped a man's head off moments ago, right before Carlos's eyes. As funny as it feels to say this, he was much more terrified of Molly, even though I was the one who had him by the throat. Remember, kids! Decapitation: It always gets your point across.

  I smirked and whispered in Carlos's ear, "Time's a tickin', my boy. She's lookin' mighty thirsty, amigo. I'm 'bout to let her do her worst."

  "No, no..." Carlos said, hands shaking in front of him wildly and a look of sheer horror upon his face.

  "Five..." I said, looking over at Molly. She leaned over to me and we both laughed before kissing, the tips of our tongues dancing upon one another. Some would call what we were doing "murder." We liked to call it "foreplay."

  "Dios Mio!" he screamed, and I laughed. Like God was going to have jack shit to do with an asshole like him. I gave him a good shake and leaned over to give Molly another kiss, and once again, our tongues danced.

  "Four..."

  "Please, it was just an accident!" he screamed.

  "An accident?" I asked mockingly. "She was stabbed eight times in the back. How in the Hell is that an accident? Did she trip and fall multiple times on a blade?"

  Molly slashed her talons down Carlos's chest and he screamed like a banshee in agony. It was like music to my ears. When one walks in darkness, screams are the symphonies of the damned.

  "I beg you! I have a son!"

  My, my, but being an orphan is going to suck for him. Well, considering who his is father is, this actually might be an improvement.

  "Three... Oh, fuck it! Have at him, Molly!" I released him from my grip and he slid down the wall, screaming and cowering. The threat of Molly was more than enough to get him talking.

  "I-killed-my-mother-with-a-knife-and-buried-her-in-my-backyard-so-I-could-inherit-her-house!" he said in one quick, frantic breath. He began crying and Molly seemed more than entertained by this. She doubled over and held her sides as she laughed, pointing her finger at Carlos in the most condescending of ways.

  "Well, look who decided to talk?" Molly purred in my ear. She ran her fingertips up and down my chest, beneath my shirt, as she nipped at my earlobe.

  Carlos dropped to his knees and clasped his hands as if in prayer. "Please, I said it. Let me go!"

  I laughed. "Let you go?" I asked. "Do you really think we're going to let you walk out of here? Oh, no. Don't worry, we're not going to kill you... yet. We're just going to hurt you really, really bad."

  Molly and I descended upon him just as Tessa cried out, "Talon! Molly! Finish that sack of blood off! We have things to do!"

  My Sire entered the room wearing a blood red dress that matched her hair, adorned with black lace. She stepped over the bodies Molly and I had left in our wake, stopping once to dip her finger into the pool of blood on the floor, and licked her finger clean. She smiled approvingly. “I see you two have been busy.”

  My disappointment was immeasurable. "But Tessa, we were just getting started!" I moaned.

  Tessa huffed heavily and stormed over to Molly and I. She picked Carlos up and with one quick flick of her wrist, she twisted his head almost completely off.

  Molly's lips formed a pout and she stomped her left foot in protest. "We were having fun, though!"

  Tessa stared into Molly's eyes with a fire burning in her retinas. The flames slowly turned to embers and eventually, to nothing. She pulled Molly to her bosom and rocked her back and forth. "Ssh, my child. We have such more important things to do. Do you remember that hideous Catholic girl and the priest that stalked us in France?"

  "The Bird of Prey?" I asked. Birds of Prey were the Catholics' secret little society dedicated to stalking down my kind.

  "Fucking Vampire Slayers!" Molly growled.

  "Yes, my children. The Bird of Prey, who ambushed us in France, is leaving this very evening on a ship headed to the United States, and what makes it sweeter... her Catholic pri
est handler is actually with her."

  Every Bird of Prey, once she "graduates" from her training–a rigorous, grueling affair, from what I've been told– is assigned a priest. He is her guide, mentor, and adviser. It is extremely rare to catch one of the priests in a situation where you could actually have access to them. To kill one of them would be… absolutely divine.

  "Are we going to do what I think we're going to do?" I asked with a smile. The Slayer in question had set a trap in an alley for us five years earlier. She used black powder and silver shrapnel to make a bomb. After the blast, I had so much silver lodged in me that I could hardly move. We were lucky to make it out of there alive, and I'd been itching for a chance to return the favor.

  "Yes, my darling Talon. We're going Catholic hunting. I have our tickets right here."

  "Tickets?" I asked, not believing my ears.

  "You heard me. We're using these tickets to board the S.S. Trinity. It's all part of the plan, Talon. Plus, I'm not abandoning my wardrobe and leaving my chest behind. I'm very proud of my French dresses. Quite a few nobles died for me to have them."

  "And what keeps the Slayer from spotting us immediately? Shouldn't we sneak on board?" I asked, scratching my head.

  "I have it under good authority that the Slayer and her handler won't be boarding the ship until midnight. We're going to board the Trinity at six. We'll scout the other passengers, the crew, and get to know the ship inside and out before they get there. We're not just going to take out the Catholics. We're going to take out the entire ship."

  "The entire ship?" Molly gasped excitedly. Her eyes bulged out as the corners of her mouth turned into a smile.

  "Yes, now grab your things. The time for revenge is upon us, children."

  The S.S. Trinity was an absolute masterpiece of a ship; a huge three-sail frigate and the finest ship I had ever seen at the time. It was a part of King George III's navy, and seeing the Union Jack waving in the breeze filled me with a bit of pride. I had come to love the Americas, but England–that would always be home.

  The Trinity was a blend of a luxury liner, catering to British nobles and assorted members of the aristocracy, and a freight ship. With a bit of walking around, I discovered that the ship was hauling a load of spices, tobacco, and rum in the lower cargo-hold. On the upper decks of the ship were sixteen passengers; all members of European upper-crust society. They were nobles–and noble blood, my friends, is delicious. Revenge and a delicacy? Why, yes, thank you. This trip was sounding better and better by the moment.

  Tessa, Molly, and I hid in our room once night fell. We weren't taking any chances on being spotted by the Bird of Prey and ruining our advantage of surprise. This trip was going to be a glorious one. If the Slayer enjoyed ambushes, she’d surely enjoy what we had planned for her.

  Around one in the morning, Tessa sat us down and laid out her plan. "My dear darlings, this ship is headed for Bermuda, so we must act fast. Tonight, we take out all the sailors on deck. We destroy the sails, release the lifeboats, and set the ship adrift. Then we'll have all the time we need to have our way with the people on this ship. But most importantly, we save the Slayer and the priest for the last two kills. I want them to watch themselves fail at protecting the people on this ship. Tonight, we remove the crew, but we do it silently. Do you understand, my loving pets?"

  Molly and I smiled and agreed happily. We knew this game all too well. We were Vampires. Stealth was one of our strongest skills. I could stand in a shadow no more than three inches from your face and you’d never know I was there until I reached out and snatched you by your throat.

  We moved towards the deck of the ship, darting in and out of the shadows. We were moving so fast that we were only visible to someone with superhuman senses, like a Bird of Prey, but she was nowhere to be found. This night, we ruled the Trinity.

  There were two sailors, right at the top of the stairs, discussing the girls they had bedded in the last port. Typical sailor talk, I thought as Molly held herself tight against my chest and clutched at my hand. "Oh, this trip is going to be a wonderful vacation!" She turned her head to me and licked my lips. "Shall we, my love?”

  "Oh yes, my darling. Let's!"

  Molly rushed out of the shadows and sliced her talons from right to left, slashing the throat of the blond sailor on the right. As blood spewed from his neck, Molly stuck out her tongue to taste his blood and pushed him overboard as I grabbed the sailor to the left by his throat, crushing his larynx before he could scream. Molly and I both dove in, sinking our fangs into opposite sides of his neck as we held hands. When his heart ran dry, we threw him off the ship and stepped back into the shadows without anyone being any the wiser to what we had just done.

  Though I couldn't see her, I could feel Tessa's eyes upon us. Sometimes, she liked to just sit back and watch her children play. She said it made her feel like a "proud parent."

  We crept to the wheelhouse, moving as silently as the wind as we encircled the door. With a quick peek, I saw two men inside. Molly gave me a nod and we rushed inside simultaneously. She jumped on the wheelman and I pounced on the ship's first mate. We pinned them down and covered their mouths, draining them dry in no time at all.

  We should have moved on immediately, but Molly pounced on me and rammed her tongue down my throat. We kissed as our hands explored each other's bodies. Before I realized what I was doing, I had my hand up Molly's dress and was rubbing it over her crotch.

  I heard Tessa's, "Ahem." From where, I do not know, but I knew that meant it was time to move on. I gave Molly one last kiss, a tiny peck on the lips that time, and moved onto the next set of victims.

  There was a young blond man–no more than nineteen, if that–unfortunate enough to be out on patrol that evening. Molly ran out of the shadows, blurring into the light, and snapped the boy's neck. He collapsed into her arms and she quickly disposed of the body.

  We snuck along, silent as the night. We moved down the starboard side of the ship and took out everyone we came across. We murdered ten men that night, right under their noses, without anyone being aware until the next morning.

  Tessa appeared out of a shadow, smiling from ear to ear, slowly applauding with a look of pleasure on her face. "My children, you make this Sire proud."

  Molly ran to Tessa and wrapped her arms around her neck, kissing her cheek as she bounced excitedly. "Thank you, Tessa!" Molly squealed.

  Tessa ran her tongue up Molly's bloody face and then sealed her approval with a tongue-filled kiss. I smiled, watching my Sire and Progeny embrace. They were my entire world–albeit a very dark world. We had been together so long as a trio that I could hardly remember what it was like to be mortal anymore.

  "Alright, my loves," Tessa purred as she crossed the deck and approached me. "It's time to rip these sails to shreds." She lifted her arms into the air and let out a cry. "Go! Use your talons and leave nothing intact!"

  Molly and I were like children again. We climbed up the masts, leaped over to the sails, and let our talons and gravity do the rest. Over and over, we climbed up and shredded the sails of the S.S. Trinity until there was nothing left but individual strands of cloth blowing in the wind.

  I grabbed a piece of the shredded sail and started swinging back and forth. I looked down at Molly. “Do you remember the old swimming hole in Roanoke?”

  Molly’s face lit up. When we were still mortals, we had gone swimming in a creek not far from the Roanoke Colony, where we had lived. Someone had tied a rope to a nearby tree and we would take turns swinging out over the water, letting go, and taking a plunge into its depths. It was one of the few good times we ever had in that God-forsaken place.

  In no time at all, Molly had grabbed a piece of sail beside me and was swinging at my side, laughing and giggling like she did when we were mortal. It was one of the few blissful moments that we shared as Vampires that didn’t involve murder or destruction.

  As she swung by me, Molly reached out and grabbed my hand. She pulled me near her a
nd wrapped her arm around me to hold herself against my chest. “You know,” she whispered, “I was in love with you already when we went swimming.”

  I smiled. I had never known that, and it was the first time Molly had told me.

  Her voice had a softness to it; a stripped-away naked honesty that showed signs of vulnerability. Her eyes twinkled, even more than usual, as she blushed ever so slightly and put her head on my shoulder. “No matter what happens, Nicky,” she said, snuggling against me, “I’ll always be yours.”

  I kissed her lips sweetly and whispered, “And eternity will not be time enough to love you.”

  “Come now, children. The sun is soon to rise. Grab the lifeboats and set them adrift! There will be no escape for those left alive. Then we should gather a few things and take refuge in the bowels of the ship. It won’t take the priest or the Bird of Prey long to figure out there are Vampires on this ship. If she is bold enough to search for us, she’ll have to do it in our realm–complete darkness.”

  Molly quickly planted her lips to mine. The kiss seemed to last an eternity. We dropped to the deck of the ship hand in hand, and for the first time in a long time, I remembered what made me fall in love with her in the first place.

  After spending the day hiding amongst the ship’s cargo, listening to the waves of panic wash over the surviving crew members and other passengers, it was finally time to get back to business. The night would be dangerous. The Bird of Prey would surely be on the prowl looking for us, and between the magick the Catholics used to make them superhuman and their arsenal of silver weaponry–one of a Vampire’s few weaknesses–she wasn’t to be taken lightly, even though we outnumbered her three to one.

  Tessa took Molly and I by the hands and had us all sit in a corner of the dark cargo hold we were temporarily calling home. “The Slayer will be walking the ship tonight. You know I want her saved for the end, so this is what I want you to do. Molly and I will hit the passenger deck. We’ll be sure to make enough noise that the Slayer will come to us. While we dip into the shadows and escape, Talon, I want you to visit the captain of this ship and teach him a lesson in suffering. Do you understand?”