Chapter Seven

The Captain's cabin was luxurious. Almost as nice as Captain Teng's. All right, it was nicer. This guy was wealthy. He hadn't just stolen all this shit. I looked around at the crystal decanters that matched the chandelier—a fucking chandelier on a ship!—and the fine fabric covering his seat cushions. There was a massive desk covered in knickknacks that each cost more than I'd made on our last take and an even bigger bed with four posters. Who the fuck had room for a four-poster bed on a ship? Well, he did.

The Hulfrin who had caught me bound me to a chair by wrapping ropes around my waist, but he didn't bother to restrain my arms or legs. I didn't take that as a good sign. When he finished with the rope, he untied my mask. We all wore masks when we targeted a ship. To maintain our cover as merchants, we either had to hide our faces and any identifying marks on the Lu-Ken or we had to kill everyone. And we didn't like the second option. Plus, our half-masks were Neraky demon masks with big tusks and jutting chins made of metal. They were intimidating on top of protecting our identities and our faces from injury.

The Hulfrin wasn't intimidated by my mask. He chuckled as he looked it over. "I think I'll hang this on my . . ." he trailed off as he stared at my face.

"What?" I asked warily.

He just grunted and lifted a broad, clawed hand. I jerked back when it went to my cheek, but then his claws retracted and he traced my cheekbone with the pad of his finger. My breath caught.

Oh, fuck. Oh, please, no.

The door swung open, and the Hulfrin straightened, yanking his hand away from me.

"Well done, Baellius," the Captain said. "I'll take it from here."

"Yes, Captain." Baellius cast me one last grin and walked out, shutting the door behind him.

The Captain went to the sideboard first, without looking at me. He poured himself a drink, then unbuckled his swordbelt and set it aside. Turning toward me, he lifted his glass in a mocking salute. Then paused. Lowered it. He strode forward, head cocking. As he stared at me, I stared back. He was even more beautiful up close. Hulfrins resembled tigers, but they weren't animals. Their faces didn't have the same protrusion as a beast and their bodies were all man. Well, his was all man. The women would be all female. You get what I mean.

Those eyes weren't bestial either, even with that icy shade of blue. The cerulean ring around them kept him from looking blind, and the dark lashes kept the color from looking too cold. Or maybe that was the way he was looking at me, his stare traveling over my face as if I were something to be treasured instead of tortured. What was with these men lately? First, the Sea King, then the land King, and now these Hulfrin. Had Jingtin hit me with some lust magic? I did mention that the Neraky God has a perverse sense of humor, right?

The Captain licked his lips, reminding me that although Hulfrin weren't animals, parts of them were closer to beasts than others. Like his lips. Hulfrin didn't have the protruding jaw, but they did have thin, tiger lips and the teeth to go with it. His tongue looked kind of rough too. I didn't know for sure; I'd never kissed a Hulfrin.

Maybe I should try it. If I could seduce the Captain, I might last long enough to make it off his ship. With that in mind, I let my stare wander over him appreciatively, traveling over his bare chest, caressing those dark nipples, and working my way down to the waist of his pants. When I looked back at his face, those tiger lips were parted and the tip of his tongue was visible.

"What's your name?" I asked.

"I ask the questions," he growled.

"My name is Zixin. But you can call me Zix."

The Captain chuckled. "I'm Captain Aras."

"Aras," I murmured and looked him over again. "Suits you."

The Captain growled and grabbed my throat. He did not retract his claws. "Be careful, pirate. Or I'll be questioning you in my bed. As I pound my cock into your ass."

"Maybe I'm hoping for that," I whispered.

But even as I said it, a pair of eyes swam over his. Purple eyes. My cock whimpered and my asshole clenched. Not in a good way, either. It tightened up as if to say, "No one but Vaxarion may pass."

The Captain's thumb lifted to direct the tip of his claw beneath my chin. It punctured my skin, but I didn't make a sound. I just held his stare.

"Giving me your body won't save you from my claws," he said. "I'll fuck you and then fuck you up. Unless you tell me the name of your ship and captain."

I swallowed, pushing his claw deeper into my skin, and blood dripped down my throat. "That's not going to happen. No matter what kind of fucking you do to me."

"Your crew stole from me," Aras snarled. "No one steals from me and gets away with it. I will take back what's mine and claim the life of your captain as well."

"You're going to have to satisfy yourself with me, big guy," I drawled. "Because I'm not giving him up."

He leaned closer. "Is he your lover?"

I snorted. "No, but I'm loyal."

Captain Aras made a pensive sound and straightened. He strode slowly around me, drawing his claw over me as he went. It sliced through my clothes but only grazed my skin. As he came to the front, my shirt and vest gaped, and then flopped over the rope. My sleeves parted similarly. I hadn't moved my arms, not an inch. I knew the skill it took to cut like that. A little shift from me would have resulted in a terrible wound.

Suddenly, Aras tore the fabric away from my shoulders and arms. Bare from the nipples up, I shivered. His stare moved over my chest. He set a single claw over my left nipple. "This is your last chance to save yourself. Tell me the names I seek and where the ship is headed, and I will let you live."

Oh, this was gonna hurt.

"I can't do that." I lifted my chin and set my stare on the far wall. "Bad news for us both, I'm afraid."

"Us both?"

"Yeah. You shouldn't have done this here. My blood will stain your rugs."

The Captain blinked. His lips twitched. "Oh, what a shame it will be to slice up such an amusing and pretty boy. I'll have to focus my attention below the neck. Then maybe you'll still be pretty enough for me to enjoy later."

"Do what you have to do, Captain Aras," I said. "But I won't talk."

That claw sliced down.

I wouldn't talk, but I certainly screamed.