Page 8 of Sea and Sky
She lifted her head. “Yes, well, little precious, you want for nothing.”
Kyler barked out a laugh. “Precious?” No one had ever thought of him as precious. He wouldn’t play this game of manipulation. “You know nothing. Have you been whipped? Waterboarded? Used so hard you bleed?” After waving away the spell that hid his mutilated digits, he held up his left hand where parts of his pinky and ring finger were missing. “Have you had your fingers cut off because you—”
Jessi’s eyes grew wide. She scuttled backward until she pressed against the wall. “I had no idea.”
Kyler crouched to her eye level. “I’m a fucking fighter. Do not forget that.” He wiggled his fingers, bringing back the illusion he was whole. Standing, he turned on his heel. “If you want the stone, take it from me. Or learn how to suck cocks. It’s not so bad, really. As long as—”
Jessi let out a humorless laugh. Kyler faced her again.
Eyes closed, Jessi leaned her head against the wall. “Vex isn’t going to be happy to find out you’re sucking cock other than whose cock he wants you to suck.”
“It gives me my own money.”
“But whoring yourself out won’t get you the amount of coin you need, no matter how pretty you are. You’re a fool if you really think he’ll let you go.”
“I’m well aware.” Kyler couldn’t hide the bitterness in his voice. “And I’m not ashamed of what I’ve done.” The coin he’d earned had helped him pay for research to get away from the captain. Of course, everything had come up empty, for the most part. But he still hadn’t regretted his decisions. Money meant choices he hadn’t had before.
Kyler held out his hand to help Jessi up. “You could do worse than being sold to a brothel.”
Rolling her eyes, she asked, “Like what?”
But he couldn’t answer. Jessi yanked him close with the hand he’d helped her up with, then elbowed him in the diaphragm. He folded and dropped to his knees, heaving out what little food he’d eaten that day while Jessi pulled off the boot he’d hidden the prize in and retrieved the stone. There was a spark in her eyes now. One that said she’d gotten what she wanted, and it wasn’t just the stone.
“You’re so tenderhearted. You should have just left me. I learned a lot of lessons in my time on the ship. Information is power, Kyler. Maybe the captainwillsell you to a brothel, since you’re already a whore.”
Kyler continued to choke and wheeze as he watched her walk away. He couldn’t help the laugh. He’d trusted her. Silly him, he should have known better. They were all pirates, after all. But whydidthe captain keep him?
He spit and pushed to his feet, then pressed his forehead to the hot stone of the wall to regain his composure. A few deep breaths did him good. But he needed to find his boot. Surely she hadn’t taken it with her. Then he needed to—
“Thought I’d heard a commotion around here.” It was a scratching voice. Slightly familiar, but Kyler couldn’t place it until he looked up to see the owner of said voice.
“Fucking sea stars,” Kyler mumbled.
“Ah, you remember us.” The runty wolf shifter from the tavern days before beat a hand into his fist. His two friends stood behind him. Kyler’s mouth always got him in trouble.
The only way out for Kyler was up, and right now, he felt too weak to even contemplate it. But when the pack ran towards him, adrenaline flooded his system, and he found the strength. His fingers gripped the lip of a roof, and he pulled up just as the wolves snatched at his feet. He stumbled forward. With his one foot bare, he had to figure out his footing quickly because the wolves were climbing too.
“We’re gonna get you. And then we’re gonna have some fun, boy.”
Kyler ran. He couldn’t take the time to concentrate on taking lighter steps. His heart pounded as the wolves taunted him.
He jumped from roof to roof, trying to remember to land on his booted foot. He followed the cry of seagulls, watched the ship sails in the distance and dragons soar. But when he made it to the end of the line of houses, he wasn’t at the docks like he’d planned. Somewhere he’d gotten turned around and the wolves were only a few houses behind him.
Dropping to the ground, he landed hard, sure he twisted his ankle, but pushed through the pain.
Fuck. Fuck. Fuck.
He ducked into the first tavern he could find, hoping all the food smells covered his scent.
Kyler slowed his pace as soon as he entered to hopefully not look suspicious. His stomach growled. It was midday, and the summer heat beat him down just as much as his bad luck. Sweat had his shirt and trousers sticking to his body, making him miserable.
Even with the windows wide open and the fireplace dead, it was blazing hot inside. A good mix of the village people crowded the tables.
The amber glow of wolf shifters’ eyes watched him from one corner table. Their tufted wolf ears flicked his way. When they weren’t gulping down water, they panted. Tongues hung from their mouths as if they were in their wolf forms.
Humans, at least those assumed humans, fanned themselves at a table in the opposite corner, watching the wolves. Their hair and thin clothes drenched in sweat, like his own.
Dragon shifters’ muscular bodies crowded the benches and chairs down the center of the room, causing the wood to creak and groan. Kyler bet himself five silver coins that at least one chair would break under their weight that afternoon. Then he took the bet back because he couldn’t afford to bet even himself.
