Page 10 of Surging Reef
“No offense, dude, but it wasn’t exactly pleasurable.”
Ashby winced. No, he imagined not. “I could make it—”
“You want out of the chain or not?”
“Yes, I want out of the chain.”
The man nodded and left the room. Ashby almost chokedon his breath. Was he leaving? “Hey!”
No reply.
Chapter 5
Kazimir must’ve lost his mind. Who released a monster chained to a wall? But he couldn’t leave him, so he went to grab his break-and-enter backpack. He’d dropped it inside the door once he’d managed to pick the lighthouse door lock.
He put Pharos down and patted his head. “Such a good boy.” He’d tried to protect him when Ashby had attacked. His bestest bud.
With the bag slung over one shoulder, he walked back toward the room with the…where Ashby was. Were vampires real? He’d never believed he was one of those whosawthings, but he had both seen and felt those fangs. And the way his skin burned when he touched the chain wasn’t faked. How could it be? Someone could’ve smeared it with some sort of acid or something, but who would and why?
When he entered the room, Ashby looked smaller. He was huddling against the wall, his left leg stretched out away from his body. The cuff around his ankle was melting through the flesh, and Kazimir had to fight a gag as he realized it had already eaten away a good portion.
“Are you a good lockpick?”
Ashby stared at him. “No. I always rely on my strength to get through doors. Never learned to pick locks.”
“Okay. I can do it, but while I might have bragged about being a master thief mere hours ago, or maybe less than an hour ago, I’m not the fastest at picking locks.”
Ashby straightened. “You can pick the lock?” He gestured at his leg.
“Maybe. What do I get if I do it?”
Shock overtook Ashby’s face. “Eh…what do you want?”
“I’ll have to think about it.” He lowered himself to his knees, pulled out his pants, the bolt cutter, and the lockpick set.“Are you like a genie who’ll grant me three wishes?”
“Three?”
“Yeah, I think it’s a fair deal. I get the flesh-eating chain off you, and you’ll grant me three wishes.” He focused on the cuff. There was nothing special about the lock, so he inserted the wrench, followed by the pick to push open the pin inside. It took a few tries to find it, and he didn’t think Ashby was breathing the entire time. Kazimir almost forgot he was there. He was so focused.
When the lock clicked open, he let out a triumphant cheer. He didn’t want to touch Ashby, but he opened the cuff and removed it from the oozing ankle. Fuck, that was disgusting.
“You did it.” There was awe in Ashby’s voice.
“You better believe I did! You owe me three wishes.”
“Fine, I’ll take you on a date.”
Kazimir snorted. “We’re not going on a date. You’re not getting away that easily.” He didn’t have a clue what he’d ask for, and in all honesty, if he never saw Ashby again, he wouldn’t cry himself to sleep. “Come on, Pharos. We’re out of here.” He didn’t want to linger if the vampire queen was going to arrive, and he had a glass of wine waiting for him at home. Exhaustion made his motions sluggish. Weird. He’d been all keyed up about seeing Surging Reef.
Glaring, he turned to Ashby. “How much blood did you take from me?”
Ashby grimaced. “You should eat, drink, and rest.”
It might explain the lethargy. Damn, he didn’t want to row the boat back or jump in the water or carry Pharos to the car and drive all the way home. What little energy he had trickled down on the stone floor and formed a puddle there. It would take a couple of hours before he was back home.
“Okay, my first wish, genie, is for you to take me home. I’m exhausted.”
Ashby winced but got to his feet. “Your wish is my command.”
