“Gabriel!” Serapha greeted the captain warmly, her eyes lighting up as he strode down the ramp onto the dock. It had been almost four months now since she’d first met Captain Young, and with each visit he made to Snowcap they grew closer.

“I have a surprise for you, my dear,” said Gabriel.

Serapha cocked her head to one side and smiled. “Oh?”

“Yes. I’m leaving tomorrow on a new voyage, and this time I’ve been hired to deliver several shipments down in the tropics, in the south isles.”

Serapha’s face fell. “What’s so good about that? I’ll only have one day to see you!”

Gabriel grinned in response. “Because my dear, I intend for you to be aboard the ship when it leaves. I’m inviting you to go with me, to get away from all this cold and snow.” He gestured at the village beyond where the first of the year’s snow already dusted the ground.

Serapha’s eyes went wide in surprise. “I don’t know if I should…” she hesitated. “I don’t think Mom and Dad would approve.”

“You’re old enough to make your own decisions, Serapha. And,” he added, “I would be most disappointed to be deprived of your company for so long. I have come to be very… fond of you, you know.”

Serapha hesitated a moment longer and then smiled. “I’d miss you too. And I’ve never seen the south isles.”

Gabriel grinned. “Wonderful! We set sail on the afternoon tide tomorrow.”

Serapha sent a note to her parents so they wouldn’t worry when she didn’t come home. She felt a bit guilty, knowing that they would worry at least a little about her going on such a voyage. They let her travel to Snowcap on her own now, but that was only a day’s flight from home. The south isles were weeks, perhaps months away, even on swift aerian wings. Still… the chance to see more of the world, and to see more of Gabriel, wasn’t something she could pass up. Her, decision made, she stayed at the inn that evening, avoiding Michael and the additional weight of guilt that roiled in her stomach whenever she saw him. I never promised him anything, she rationalized to herself. I like him, he’s a nice guy, but I don’t belong to him. I can see someone else any time I want. And that was true, but some part of her still cringed whenever she looked at Michael and saw the hurt look in his eyes. Better to think about the upcoming voyage with Gabriel. A tropical cruise might not be something most vampires would enjoy, but with her sun medallion firmly around her neck, Serapha was certain she’d love every minute of it.

And so when Captain Young’s ship set sail, Serapha was aboard, standing in the bow and looking forward over the deep intense blue of the ocean, and ignoring the snowy shore that swiftly vanished behind her.

At first the weather was cold and blustery, the sky above hung with scuttling clouds that threatened snow. But soon they reached more southern waters and the weather turned milder. Almost a month later the ship crossed the unmarked line into the tropics. The following days were warm and cloudless, and the nights were crystal clear perfection.

And spending those nights in the company of Gabriel Young was, as far as Serapha was concerned, even more perfect. The whole voyage seemed to be a pleasantly giddy blur. Captain Young treated her like nobody before ever had. He complimented her constantly, went out of his way to do little things for her, and simply did everything he could to help her enjoy the voyage.

One star-studded night he rowed her ashore, just the two of them on a tiny jewel of an island. They lay back on silver sand still holding the heat of the day and looked up at the stars. Gabriel propped himself on one elbow and smiled at Serapha. “I think I like the view in this direction much better,” he said. Serapha blushed. She was still unused to the captain’s compliments. Then he leaned over her, his face only inches from hers. Serapha found herself breathing rapidly, even though she didn’t need to. She felt that her heart ought to be going a mile a minute, and then he kissed her.

It wasn’t the kind of brief kiss he’d given her before, this kiss lingered. It was more intense, more… passionate. And then his hands began to caress her, gently stroking her body. They wandered across the soft feathers of her wings, along the line of her neck, down her side, and then slipped under the edge of her shirt to touch the warm skin beneath.

Serapha was caught between fear of where this was going and desire for it to go there. She hesitated, then broke away from Gabriel’s touch.

“Serapha, love, what’s wrong?”

She shook her head, her emotions in complete turmoil. “I just can’t, Gabriel. I can’t do this. I mean we’re not… I’m… it’s not right.”

“Why?” said the handsome captain softly. “Because we’re not married? Why should two people who love each other need a ceremony, a church, and a cleric, before they can express their love? I love you, Serapha. I want to share this with you.”

“I… I don’t know…”

Gabriel reached out to her and ran one finger gently along the line of her jaw, raising her chin until she looked up at him. “Serapha, my love, I don’t want to make you uncomfortable. But I do want to show you how much I love you, and I promise, I’ll be gentle.” He didn’t wait for her answer, but slid his arms around her and kissed her again.

Part of her still wanted to resist, but somehow that one little voice was utterly lost in the whirl of her emotions. She stopped fighting it and drank in the sensations, the amazing feelings of what Gabriel was doing to her. He knew exactly what to do, how to touch her, how to send tingles of almost electrical pleasure through her. The tiny voice of doubt asked, how does he know this? Serapha, you can’t possibly be the first love he’s had, but she was too caught up in pleasure to pay the tiny doubt any heed.