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Excerpt:Again, as if the pirate knew
what he was thinking, the arm around Kyrus' shoulders pulled him closer. He also
slowed his pace, allowing Kyrus’ shorter strides to slow as well. There was a
low chuckle coming from the tall man and suddenly all Kyrus wanted to do was
cuddle into the man’s chest and let the world do what it would do without him.
He wanted to forget what he was, where he was, and all that was going on. But
just as quickly, he mentally shook himself. This pirate was no different. In
fact, for all he knew, Tilbarr was probably worse than all of the bastards he
had to deal with in the past combined.
But for a moment in time, he
allowed himself to melt into the embrace. What harm would it be to accept this
warmth for a second? Maybe even two. It had been so long since he felt anything
even close to safe.
And a moment was all he
received. He was swung around through another doorway and stopped in what felt
like a small room. Tilbarr barked what were orders of some sort, and several of
the breathing bodies pushed past him and seemed to vacate the immediate space.
The air became decidedly cooler. Kyrus shivered, standing alone away from the
warmth of the pirate beside him. Tilbarr’s gentle hands then pushed him down
and he sat once again and he stood close behind him, as well. Did he dare to
lean back into that solidness?
No. He could not keep thinking
like this. How many times had he believed he found a sanctuary, some savior
along his weary way? How often had he been betrayed? Sentient beings were all
alike, no matter where they were in the universe. Astral Mages were a
possession to be used or sold like the ConFed sheplas they traded him for.
He sat still and silent and
waited.
“Captain Falland,” I trust
you recognize your former prisoner.” Tilbarr’s low voice vibrated right through
Kyrus’ chest.
Fuck. Falland was here? Where
the hell were they, the captain’s quarters?
“I see him.” Yes, it was
Falland’s voice. Shit. But he shouldn’t worry. Falland himself had told him to
be quiet about what he was. He wouldn’t give him up now, would he? Maybe to
save his hide, he would though.
“So, tell me, Captain, why
is it that you were trying to escape with him in tow?” Kyrus couldn’t help it,
he cringed with the question—a movement that would
not be missed by either man. Tilbarr pressed closer.
“I was with the prisoner at
the time and simply brought him with me. There was no master plan behind it, I
assure you.”
Kyrus only just stopped
himself from huffing at the captain’s explanation, an obvious lie. Falland had
been nowhere near him “at the time.”
“Really?” Tilbarr’s tone
made it clear he didn’t believe the captain’s rubbish. But then his voice
seemed to change, become angry for some reason. “What were you doing being—with him?” Firm hands came down on Kyrus’
shoulders, kneading into his tight muscles. Crap. More manipulation by
kindness. He wanted to shake off the hands but in the next instant wanted to
escape into the arms they were attached to. Fuck but he was being needy today.
“I-I was interrogating him,”
Falland stammered. Kyrus could almost imagine the captain’s sharp nose go up.
“Concerning what?” Tilbarr
shot back.
The captain did sniff and
ignored the question. Kyrus felt sorry for the man. For some reason he believed
Tilbarr was not someone to mess with even though he had done the same thing—ignore
Tilbarr’s inquiries. Except, in this
case, the heat and snap in the air was now nearly explosive. Of course, Kyrus
had no reason to believe it was coming from the tall pirate. Maybe it was because
he was blinded that he could discern more from voice inflection and atmosphere.
And maybe he was lying to
himself too—one of the few things he was really good at.
The hands lifted from his
shoulders and he instantly felt abandoned. He turned sharply as if trying to
see where Tilbarr had gone, but immediately Tilbarr shushed him, gently telling
him he was still there. He wasn’t leaving Kyrus alone.
Fuck.
As if that’s what Kyrus
wanted. It wasn’t.
Kyrus’ cheeks burned as
suddenly Tilbarr was in front of him. He must have knelt down because his voice
was right there, level with Kyrus’ face. His hands rested casually on Kyrus’
knees. “So, little one, can we make a deal? Is there any reason I shouldn’t remove
this visor?”
“No.” Falland’s angry
voice rang out from somewhere in the room. “Don’t do that.”
“Why, Falland? Will he be
able to escape somehow if he can see?” Tilbarr’s tone didn’t change at all. It
stayed low and rumbly, once again stiffening Kyrus’ cock by its closeness. “If
you give me your name, pet, I will take this visor off. What do you say?”
Oh yes. It would be
wonderful to see again. There was nothing the pirates could learn from his name.
Nothing. Besides, he wanted to see Tilbarr’s face. “Kyrus, sir. My name is
Kyrus.”
“Mmmmm, Kyrus. I like that
name.” He leaned closer. “Thank you, pet.” Those warm hands reached up to the
visor, pressing the deactivation button and gently removed the heavy piece of
metal.
“You’ll regret this,
Tilbarr.” Again, Falland’s voice growled.
“Why…” Tilbarr sucked in his
breath, his eyes going wide when Kyrus gazed up at him. Shit, Kyrus
thought. That’s right. His eyes were an iridescent purple. A color few beings
ever had. He had honestly forgotten all about that. It had been a while since
he had seen himself. He tried hard to avoid his reflection. He had seen enough
of the freak. And whether or not the color was associated with Astral Mages, he
had no idea. But it would raise more questions, that was for sure.
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