Read Vampirates 5: Empire of Night for Free Online

pearl studs, and, knotted around his neck, a blue silk cravat--an exact match for his twinkling azure eyes. "You look very handsome yourself," she said.
    "Blah, blah, blah," Oskar said, with a grin. " You're so beautiful, Grace! No, you're so handsome, Lorcan! And what, pray, am I? Chopped liver?!"
    Lorcan smiled winningly. "My, my, Oskar. How well you look tonight."
    " Thank you! " Oskar said, with some emphasis, as if he had waited years for this sole compliment.
    Lorcan shook his head from side to side, in mock dismay, as he sat down. "Of all the donors aboard this ship, how come I ended up with the most high-maintenance one?"
    "Just lucky, I guess," said Oskar, always intent upon having the last word.
    Grace and Lorcan laughed at Oskar's sharp tongue and shameless vanity, then adopted a more serious demeanor as Mosh Zu arrived at the table and stood in the place opposite Grace. Although theirs was not a comparable Vampirate/donor relationship, they still bowed to one
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    another--a mark of respect from both sides. Mosh Zu gestured to Grace that she should sit down. He remained standing.
    The doors to the banquet hall were closed. The musicians in the corner of the room stilled their instruments. The men and women standing along both sides of the table fell silent, their faces bowed over the candles that flickered along its center. Mosh Zu began to speak. His fellow Vampirates joined in with his stirring words:
    "I am a proud voyager of the night.
    No lesser, nor greater, than a being of the light.
    I will not hide in the shadows,
    For why should I hide?
    Nor shall I stalk the dark places,
    With the intention of striking fear into passing strangers.
    I will be moderate in my taking of blood,
    For blood is a gift above all worldly treasure.
    I give thanks for this gift.
    I embrace my immortality.
    I relish this journey through all eternity.
    No lesser, nor greater, than a being of the light.
    I am a proud voyager of the night."
    As he finished speaking, Mosh Zu paused for a moment, glancing left and right to survey his crew. Then he sat down. The music resumed, and the doors to the banquet
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    hall were thrown open again as the servers brought in vast platters loaded with food.
    Feast Night had begun.
    "Tut, tut! You haven't touched a thing!" Oskar chided Grace as the servers began clearing away the main course plates.
    Grace glanced down guiltily. Oskar was right. She had cut up her fish and pushed it around her plate, but very little had actually reached her mouth. "I'm not very hungry tonight," she said. "And there's such a lot of food!"
    "That's why it's called a feast," Oskar said, with feigned patience.
    Lorcan and Mosh Zu were deep in conversation. Grace leaned in toward Oskar. "I think it's because of the changes I'm going through. My hunger is very erratic. Sometimes it's really intense and urgent. Sometimes, like now, I have zero appetite." She paused, locking eyes with Oskar. "But my other hunger seems to be rising."
    Oskar nodded, unfazed. "Have you thought about getting your own donor? Or--how about this--why don't you share with me as well?" He smiled at her, invitingly. "I don't know why we didn't think of it before. Of course, you should share me!"
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    Grace surveyed Oskar's handsome, smiling face but shook her head. "It's very good of you to offer, Oskar, but I'm not ready. Besides, Mosh Zu tells me that I don't need to take blood. As a dhampir, I should be able to master my appetite, just as he and the captain have done."
    Oskar's face was etched with concern. "Are you sure you're not expecting too much of yourself, Grace? Setting yourself the same standards of discipline as the captain and Mosh Zu?"
    Grace shrugged. "I don't know," she answered honestly. "Sometimes, I don't have a clue who--or what--I am anymore."
    "Now, now," Oskar said. "No sad face! You look far too beautiful tonight to be sad." He glanced over as the servers reentered the room with platters of dessert. "Oh, goodie! Chocolate mousse.