The men were so deep in their cups they didn't immediately register the loud bang that shook their boat.
Their raucous laughter died away, replaced by an eerie silence as they turned toward the source of the noise.
Rexan stood before them, her piercing gaze sweeping over the crowd. Her lips curled in disgust. "Eww. Men."
The stench of blood, sweat, and something far worse assaulted her senses. She resisted the urge to gag, her expression twisting in revulsion.
"I thought we stored the rest of the stock under the boat?" one of the men muttered, exhaling a cloud of smoke.
Her keen ears picked up the muffled cries and whimpers of women below deck. Her skin crawled, and her fists clenched as revulsion gave way to simmering fury.
Another man growled, his bloodshot eyes narrowing. "I don't like this bitch."
"Me neither," sneered another, pulling out a gun with a flick of his wrist.
They numbered in the hundreds, a sea of filthy, drunken bodies, reeking of arrogance and violence.
Before anyone could act, an earsplitting explosion shook the vessel. One of the ships nearby was engulfed in flames, screams of women and children tearing through the air.
Rexan's head whipped toward the chaos. Her senses prickled with unease. Something was wrong. The undead loved flesh, but they didn't set ships ablaze.
Her attention snapped back to the men as one, braver than the rest, charged at her with a knife.
Big mistake.
With a flick of her wrist, she caught him by the face, her iron grip crushing bone and sinew.
His screams were guttural, agonized, as his flesh caved in. His eyes bulged, then burst in a sickening splash of red. His body spasmed before going limp.
She dropped him unceremoniously to the deck and licked the blood off her fingers with a slow, deliberate grin.
Her sharp canines gleamed, and the men froze, terror rippling through their ranks. One of them couldn't hold it and wet himself, the pungent smell of urine joining the vile concoction of odors.
She tilted her head back and laughed, the sound cold and predatory.
"This," she said, her voice a deadly purr, "is going to be delicious."