“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.
Chapter Eight
I don't know how long Captain Aras sliced me up, pausing only to lick my wounds. Yeah, that's right. He licked the wounds he made. I can now confirm that a Hulfin's tongue is rough. And that roughness caused even more pain as it ironically helped to heal me. There's something in a Hulfrin's saliva that stops bleeding and speeds up healing. Plus, I think he liked the taste of blood.
There he went again, purring happily as he lapped at my wound. This one was on my thigh. The Captain had run out of space on my shoulders and arms. So now, I was bare from the waist down too, only a few bits of fabric caught under the ropes. And the ropes weren't there to restrain me but to hold me up. Without them, I would have fallen to the floor.
I looked down at that big head between my thighs. Aras had a black mane, thick and glossy. When he rolled his stare up to mine, it looked erotic. But my cock didn't so much as twitch. Wasn't possible with the rest of me in so much pain.
Aras gripped my thighs, claws digging in as he pushed himself up. With a half-lidded stare, I watched him lick his lips. I swallowed past the dryness in my throat. I'd lost a lot of blood. I'd survive thanks to my immortality, but the more blood I lost, the more I needed to get into the water. Neraky needed to submerge themselves every few weeks under normal conditions.But with blood loss like this, I'd start to wither in a few hours. Then my body would start to draw in the moisture to my torso to protect my organs. I wouldn't be so pretty after that.
“I commend you, pirate,” Captain Aras said. “You've lasted longer than anyone I've tortured. Well done.”
He stood up, and I was a little surprised to see that he wasn't sporting an erection. With all the moaning he'd been doing, I thought he was getting off on the torture. I guess he was just enjoying the taste of my blood.
The Captain went to the door and opened it. “Baellius!” He watched me as he waited.
A few minutes later, Baellius appeared. He glanced at me, eyes widening, then focused on the Captain. “Yes, Captain?”
“He's a tough one,” the Captain said. “But he's still a Neraky. I don't have to touch him to torture him. He's already drained. Take him to a cell. He'll be talking by the end of the week.”
“Yes, Captain! Uh, we make land tomorrow.”
“I know. If he lasts that long, which I suspect he will, we'll take him with us.”
“Yes, Captain!” Baellius grabbed the back of my chair, picked me up with it, and carried me out of the cabin.
Captain Aras grinned as he stood in the doorway and watched me get dragged away. “I'll check on you later tonight, Zix.” Then he shut the door.
Baellius chuckled. “That was impressive, Neraky. Most don't last an hour with my captain.”
My head lolled and my breath came in ragged pants. Spots appeared in my vision. Still, I saw the worn wood pass beneath me. Things grew darker. We went lower. The clang of metal came.
“You hear me, pirate?” Baellius said as he set my chair down.
