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The blood flows into my mouth, and I feel everything inside me come alive, like being reborn all over again. Priest’s blood was lovely, but I was in such a strange, ravenous state after I turned that I wasn’t able to take my time and appreciate it.

There was also a part of me that didn’t want to hurt Priest or take too much blood from him.

But now, I have permission to be my fully wild, feral, violent self.

So I feast and I feast on the captain’s blood.

Then, as he starts to die, I make Ramsay hold his eyes open so he can see me tear out his heart and eat it in front of him.

And then I leave the captain as a dried husk, and the rest of us go through the remainder of the ship, searching for any survivors that the beast may have left behind.

By the time we’re done and back on the Nightwind, twilight has fallen, and every crew member has blood and a look of satisfaction on their face. We have six humans still alive to put into the hold, and Ullan has been transferred to the jail cell, along with the glass box, to be kept for as long as he’ll stay alive.

I’m standing at the railing as the Nightwind has started pulling away from the other ship, while Maren is swimming in the moonlit waters below, waiting for the Kraken. And I’ve been waiting for my own beast to make an appearance. After he flew with Ullan onto our ship, he disappeared somewhere. Abe assured me that he probably wanted to be alone to transform back into Priest.

But I’m starting to fear he won’t transform back into human form at all.

What if he decides to stay the monster forever?

“Little fish.”

I smile to myself in relief and then turn around to see Priest walking down the ship toward me. He looks as beautiful as ever and every bit the pirate priest, with his white open shirt showcasing the rosary around his neck.

“I was afraid I wouldn’t see you like this again,” I say to him.

He grins at me and takes my hands in his. “Would you still love me if I stayed as the beast?”

Even though he says this lightly, I don’t take it so.

I squeeze his hands, staring deep into his familiar blue eyes.

“I would still love you in any shape or form.”

The gravity of my words hangs in the air between us. His face softens for a moment and then, “But would you love me if I stayed the beast?”

I bite back a smile. “Are you saying would I fuck you in beast form?”

I don’t need to point out that I already did once, though that wasn’t really on the best terms and doesn’t really count.

“That’s exactly what I’m saying,” he says.

I shrug, acting coy. “Perhaps. We have eternity, after all. Plenty of time to try something new.”

He laughs at that, a rare but joyous sound that makes my heart skip several beats, and then he grabs my face in his hand, puts his arm around my waist, and pulls me to him, kissing me hard.

Kissing me like I’m his.

And I kiss him back like he’s mine.

Because he is.

Forever now.

“There it is!” I hear Abe shout from the crow’s nest.

Priest and I break apart and look over to see Maren swimming back to the Nightwind, Nill by her side, and the great tentacles of the Kraken reaching up out of the water. They wrap around the sides of the Dutch vessel and start to pull the ship right in two.

I lean my head against Priest’s shoulder, my hunger sated, my heart happy, and we watch as the ship disappears beneath the waves, leaving only sparkling starlight behind.

THE END