Page 11 of The Lost Child

The others flinched, sending a look to Gerrick as though they thought him crazy and suicidal, which wasn’t too far off the mark.

He leaned back and held his tankard out for a refill. I snapped my fingers at Seth, who moped but did as I said. I’d be damned if I’d fill Gerrick’s belly simply because I was the woman. My father would never be caught dead serving, so neither would I.

“What do you know about Canavar?” I asked smoothly, taking a small sip of my own beer simply to have something to do. The others listened closely as Seth refilled Gerrick’s cup.

“Is it true the pirate lord has a monster in a cave under the island? Is that who you’re talking about?” Seth asked excitedly, eyes dancing with wonder.

We stared him down and he backed away with the ale, shrugging morosely but getting the hint. He clutched the ale tightly even though he refused to drink it, claiming a vile taste. I wondered how old he really was.

“Do not speak his name, and the devil will not appear,” Hai offered wisely, never taking his eyes from his cards.

Groth grunted. “I have only seen Cana—the beast fight a few times. None of them will I ever forget,” he offered, eyes going far away.

“Sissies, all of you,” Gerrick countered, eyes lingering on Hai and Groth. “They’re calleddrakens,you ingrates, and there used to be a ton of them. Legendary fighters. Got involved in those Demon Wars over the mountains and the whole lot of them are extinct.”

Hai and Kai narrowed their eyes at Gerrick. Suddenly, I knew what their tattoos were of; the large black images that ran the entire length of their forearms.

Drakens.

He took another deep draw from his cup.

My eyebrows furrowed. “That would make Canavar valuable then, wouldn’t it?”

Gerrick laughed. “Probably worth more than our whole island and everything on it.”

I fumed, thinking of his living conditions and the dirt that matted his hair and body. “Then why isn’t he treated better?” I demanded.

“Can you breed them?” Seth piped in again, and I whirled around ready to punch him in the face.

“The pirate lord has his reasons,” Gerrick continued, saving Seth’s teeth from meeting my knuckles. “Has something to do with the creature’s mind. Apparently violence is the only thing it responds to. Can’t get anyone near him to bathe him or anything else like that.”

I didn’t want to believe that. And even if it was true, it was because of something my father did. That frightened, helpless boy brought in almost a decade ago had been a child. He hadn’t been born a vicious killer.

My father had done that.

I swiped at some blood streaked on my leather armor, attempting to hold my anger in check. “What else do you know about drakens?” I asked Gerrick.

Seth leaned forward, a smug smirk on his mouth. “My father once saw a draken in his kingdom’s court. He helped guard it and told me all about it. I’ll tell you of course … for a price.”

My eyes narrowed, and behind me Gerrick sighed. Hai and Kai disbanded their game, picking up the cards and moving out of the way. Their long mustaches made their faces look like they were perpetually frowning, and their menacing air was only compounded by the dragon tattoos all over their bodies Well, at least I thought they dragons.

Drakens.

Plus, you didn’t just ask a pirate about their tattoos.

I smiled dangerously at Seth, but the subtlety of the gesture went completely over his head. Not my crewmates, however.

“And what might that price be?” I purred sweetly, circling around Seth and getting closer. The little idiot didn’t even notice everyone else had backed away. He only had eyes for me. Or more correctly, my chest. My left hand rested on the hilt of my dagger, but I could have been singing opera and he wouldn’t have noticed. Hai and Kai discreetly sent Toby back up to the crow’s nest.

“You know … somestuff.”Seth leered, suddenly all male bravado as his dick led his words and actions instead of his brain. He leaned in closer, eyes half-closed in anticipation.

Then I struck.

An elbow to his solar plexus, a knee to his groin, and a shove had him flat on his back with me straddling him, one knife point at his neck, the other between his legs and right over his private parts.

“Is this what you had in mind?” I asked sweetly, my braids dangling over my head and tickling his nose.

His face flushed so fast I thought he might explode. “Y-you can’t, You’re just a bloody woman! I’ll tell your father!”

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