Blood in the Water (12 page)
Read Blood in the Water Online
Authors: Tami Veldura
Tags: #M/M romance, Love’s Landscapes, gay romance, historical fantasy, paranormal, treasure hunt, slow burn/ust, sea battles, pirates, demons/spirits, spirit possession, tattoos, HFN
He grunted. Sven took the small knife out of his back and made him roll down onto a net of rope. “Kyros…” But they were hauling him away already, tearing off the last of his tunic and putting pressure on the holes in his body.
Eric had not felt pain like this for so long. Ghalil always healed him up after every slaughter. Then he realized he hadn’t vomited someone else’s blood, either, and the pain became easier to manage.
He rolled his head back in the netting and saw Kyros curled on the deck with the jar. Then they hauled him over the plank to his own ship and the pirate was out of sight.
****
Chapter IX
December
Several Weeks Later
Kyros arched under Eric’s hands as the Hawk rolled through black seas. The motion just added to their fervor, driving them closer into each other. Kyros reached his peak and clenched, knotting his fingers in the netting overhead. Eric followed him down into the depths.
They surfaced for breath, both gasping. Sweaty. Eric lay on the bed and Kyros curled up next to him. He played with a dreadlock.
The ship heaved, and they both braced against a corner post of the bed. Something rattled on a shelf.
Kyros stilled. Except for a shaft of moonlight cutting into the room, it soaked in inky black. No fire to light the space. The ray fell across a puzzle jar on one of the shelves, wrapped in cloth and weighted down with chains of iron. It shook, testing the restraints.
Eric startled him with a thumb against his cheek, stroking. Kyros squeezed his eyes shut. He heard Araceli scream and kissed Eric to drown it out.
He found the sunstone in Eric’s hair. Yet another trinket from his adventures. One year. Maybe two. Kyros watched Orthos hop up the shelves and pick his way between the heavy chain. He curled around the jar and began to purr. The shaking settled.
They needed to find an expert dealing in spirits. A man who could trap one without grabbing Araceli as collateral. He refused to leave her tortured in that chamber. He refused to take “no” for an answer.
The End
Author Bio
Tami Veldura is a writer, reader, lover and artist. She currently resides in San Marcos, CA. She writes science fiction, fantasy, steampunk, and GLBTQ fiction.
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