Title: Love's Blood
Author: Kali T'hara
Genre: Action/Adventure/Romance
Rating: R
Summary: Set after the movie…Jack finds a woman…but she not what she seems…and her friendship with Will jeopardizes his relationship with Elizabeth (boo-hoo)…how will things turn out? J/OC, W/E (beginning) maybe some of W/OC too. Vampire fic! (yeah!)
Disclaimer: Disney owns 'em…damn that mouse…I own Kira, but I wouldn't mind owning Johnny Depp and Orlando Bloom…grrrrr…
AN: Sooooooooooooooooooo sorry! I know I told you all I was gonna write over winter break…but I kinda got engaged, so that took up a bit of time. And then return of the king came out and I went all Legolas happy and thought I was an elvin princess again. (lol). And then started to write my lord of the rings fic again (it's posted here). So now I'm back in college…and hopefully will be writing you much much more. I have some good ideas to play with thanks to a friend…so we'll see what'll happen. Ooh…I'm kinda going to the Bahamas this weekend, so I'll try to have another chapter in before I leave Friday!
CH 18…
The Black Pearl came up steadily on the unsuspecting ship. It was only moments before that Jack had given the order to his crew to take the approaching vessel. His men cheered with excitement for what they do best – being pirates. They were prepared and awaiting the final orders within minutes of the initial ones.
"No canon fire, unless completely necessary!" Jack yelled to his crew, "I want that ship!"
Kira gripped her sword; this time she would show no weaknesses…this time she would not falter. All she needed to dwell upon was the thought of fresh blood steadily coming into view.
Jack noted the solid grip her hand had on her sword's hilt, "You alright, luv?"
"I'm fine," she answered through gritted teeth. She could feel her stomach tighten as her thirst consumed her mind.
Will stood on her other side, also holding his sword. He tried not to make it noticeable, but he found his gaze straying to her clenched hand as well.
"A few more minutes, Kira," he said to her in a soothing voice.
Jack glanced at Will, who was relieved to see his captain give him a nod and friendly smile.
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The Pearl was closing in. The crew awaited anxiously to board as the ship came closer and closer to them. Hopefully, this time they would take the ship in one piece…not like that last time.
"Run up the flag!" Jack yelled, arms flailing, above the commotion of the crew's preparation.
The pirates could see the other crew across the sea. They had not seen the Pearl until now, and the time needed to ready their guns was running out. A look of pure fear came to their faces after the flag had been raised.
Kira never heard a word of Jack's order though; her eyes were locked on the ship before her. She watched the other members frantically run about and prepare to defend their ship from the pirate threat. She let a small grin escape from her lips. They were nothing but bodies to her – they weren't people. She didn't care that they had wives, children, or lives of their own. All she cared about was their blood and how sweet it would taste upon her tongue. She could feel herself breathing heavily—the anticipation was driving her mad. She silently thanked the weather for being overcast, allowing her vision to go unimpaired.
"Jack," she muttered under her breath.
The captain turned to her, "Aye?"
"Whatever you see occur within these next few minutes," she whispered, "I want you to know it's not me,"
"I understand, luv," he nodded.
Kira jumped up on the Pearl's railing and hung onto an adjacent rope leading to a sail, "Give them the order, captain," she called from above him.
Jack raised his sword, "Take the ship, men!" he yelled.
Before the words were completely out of his mouth, Kira had already swung over onto the merchant ship, followed by half of her fellow crew. Will took the rope Kira had used and swung himself over after her.
"Anamaria!" Jack called, "You're in charge of the Pearl. I'm going over!"
"Aye, captain!" came the woman's voice from behind.
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The sound of clanging swords, and the mixed commotion of various screams of pain and yells of victory, echoed throughout the two ships. Jack tried desperately to keep an eye on Kira, but all he caught was a blur of her hair as she passed from victim to victim.
Kira moved through the mob effortlessly, acting on pure scent. Her senses had improved greatly after her transformation – she knew every crewmember by their smell and was even quicker with her eyes. Her sword slashed through innocent sailors, spilling their blood graciously upon their own ship's deck. But her sword was not the only deadly weapon she possessed. Those who were most unfortunate received the worst. Kira sunk her teeth into more necks than she could care to keep track of. The blood flowed freely into her mouth and over her tongue. She savored every sweet droplet that she tasted. Her stomach had been aching for this blood fest for a long time now.
Kira moved so quickly, it took the merchants time to apprehend what was happening. Once they realized their fellow crewmembers were falling victim to an unknown monster, they all began to retreat in horror. But the thought of being on a ship suddenly came back to their minds, understanding that there was no place to run.
Jack lowered his sword when his eyes came to Kira. He watched her rip through her prey, spilling blood down her chin and onto every deck plank. She was right – this wasn't the Kira he knew and loved. But he had to remember that there was another side to her. He had to remember her green eyes and loving personality, not the monster he witnessed tearing people apart with ease.
Will had also stopped to watch her. He allowed himself to see past the vampire and gaze upon her real self – the one he knew he was beginning to develop stronger, more affectionate feelings for. And the satisfying part was he could tell Kira was beginning to feel the same way towards him. He saw it in her eyes the night she came to him on the deck. That was the night they shared an embrace. Her eyes betrayed her very soul. He saw much doubt in herself. She was a very paranoid person, he knew that much. She wanted very much to be able to fully trust people, but a certain night stripped her of that right. But Will knew that she did trust him…and obviously Jack. But he also wanted to be more than just a trustworthy friend – much more.
Will mentally shook his head. Now was not the time to be thinking about such matters such as these. He should be focusing on fighting and not getting himself run through, rather than the fantasy world he was currently mustering in his mind.
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Kira had roughly a dozen sailors caught between her and the ship's corner railing. She held her sword proudly, blood dripping slowly off of it, down at her side. These were all the men left.
"Jack!" she called through clenched teeth, "These are our prisoners. Take them to the Pearl,"
Jack gave a fast glance towards Will, who shrugged.
"Quickly!" she ordered.
Jack jumped into action, "Let's move you mangy dogs!" he called, sword pointed at them. Will brought up the rear, keeping an eyes on them as Jack lead them aboard and below deck. Once they were at the brig, Will caught up Jack, "Looks like someone's taken over with giving the orders,"
Jack shrugged, "Mate, when I see that hungry look in her white irises, I know it's not her,"
Will nodded in understanding.
"It's better to back off and let her go 'til it's over,"
"Is there anything we can do?" Will asked, "Seeing her rip apart bodies is a little less than comforting,"
Jack sighed, "I wish there were, mate,"
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Kira remained on the other ship's deck…actually their ship's deck. They had successfully taken the merchant vessel all in one piece. She surveyed her surroundings: every motionless man and remaining crew. Fortunately, they had only lost two pirates. The merchants, on the other hand, were not as lucky. Kira counted thirty-eight bodies on the deck alone. Who knew how many had jumped or were forced overboard. And then there were the prisoners. A smile came to Kira's blood stained lips; she was still thirsty.