The royal city of Port Cressida has a new King.
Casper Ashe.
After spending years chained to the floor of a dungeon, haunted by visions of a beautiful woman, Casper is finally free. As Port Cressida's new King, he has two priorities: restore peace t...
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The Spit - Port Cressida
Sophie Reese
Jacques knew about the Old Mermaid Tavern. It was the oldest silver tavern on the Spit, dating back to the 1800s. Unlike the run-down taverns that lined the back alleys, the Old Mermaid Tavern stood proudly on the main street, with a giant flashing neon mermaid hanging over its front door.
The Old Mermaid Tavern was the place where the court came to misbehave. The landlord was rumoured to be richer than the King and claimed to have only the freshest girls working at his tavern.
How he came to get these girls was something I didn't want to imagine. I doubted any girls went to this place of their own free will. I could see behind their flirtatious smiles were dead, vacant eyes.
During my short time as a vampire, I learned how hard it was to survive alone. Even though I was strong enough to kill a demon, I needed Casper, Jacques and Nico to survive. Without them, I would have no money, no shelter, and, more importantly, no blood.
"This is awful," I muttered under my breath.
Jacques didn't catch what I'd said. Instead, he was busy eyeing the two large bouncers outside the front door.
"I hope you have a plan," he murmured.
"Sure," I lied.
There was no plan, but there was a half-formed idea. When I spoke to the three women in the back alleys, they had warned me about handsome men who lured young women to the Spit to sell to the taverns.
Maybe the landlord is interested in purchasing a new girl tonight.
"So, what's the plan," Jacques asked.
"You are going to try and sell me to the landlord," I said.
He stared at me like I had lost my mind and snapped, "Are you serious?"
"It's okay. I promise to protect you," I replied.
He responded with a humourless laugh as if I had just told a bad joke. I felt like reminding him that I was the only vampire strong enough to kill a demon.
"Look, it's the only way we can get an audience with the landlord," I explained.
Jacques glanced back at the tavern and the bouncers. I could see he was worried about the dangers inside and how he would keep me safe.
"We don't have a choice," I said. "This landlord is the only link we have to the dead bodies in the forest. If we give up now, then what chance does Mia stand?"
Mia was the magic word that broke him.
Minutes later, he was dragging me up the tavern steps. I played along, pretending to fight every step. Finally, he yanked me in front of the two bouncers and said, "I'd like to speak to the landlord about selling this girl."
