-I would have told you if you'd asked me. – Kassuim looked offended.
-Told the hell, girl! – he complained.
- Does it make that much difference?
-Does it? But of course, it makes a difference, woman! She had never been kissed before!
He could scream. She made all the difference in the world to him right then and there. He sighed, kissing her again, tasting her tears as he realized the girl's attempt to pull away from her.
He had imagined that when he reached that point he would finally be able to give vent to his desire. It was torture to stay still when she wanted to move. But he wouldn't hurt her any more than she had. He would make her sigh in his arms again.
He was pulling her out of the water, feeling the woman tense, contracting her body. It could make him delirious. He knew he was too big for her too. Most women avoided fulfilling their obligations in bed. Just wait for her to relax with the sensation of having him inside her.
-Relax, honey.- Philp's voice was husky.
It was a maddening sensation, her twitching pressure on his manhood. This was paradise. He had never wanted a woman so much. He wanted so many things from her right now. He wanted her to be his, she needed him. He wanted to possess her body and soul. Gradually the woman began to relax. He was kissing her again slowly, slowly and teasingly on the soft sand as she began to move. Calmly. Very slowly. Her fingers sought a specific spot on her body to stoke his desire again. He moved the centre of her femininity in circular motions as he pulled away. Then, excited, his mouth roamed over her skin, up her toned legs. He noticed the girl twitch awkwardly and a smile came to her face.
- Oh, Cassie. Between us, everything is allowed, sweetheart. Just close your eyes and feel.- he teased satisfied. -I want to kiss you, honey. Try its flavour. I will kiss you all over. I don't want you to be ashamed of me.
His mouth slid over her skin slowly, sucking and biting and kissing. He was kneeling between her legs and suddenly Kassuim understood what he was going to do. She was embarrassed wanting to push him away. The man wasn't going to kiss her there. Her entire body seemed to have concentrated the blood there, making her oversensitive. Her lips were moving up her inner thigh. Slowly, as calmly as possible.
She was shaking. Expecting as much as all the senses told a decent woman shouldn't appreciate.
Philip woke up possessed. Damn girl. Everything he'd done... The work of years... All wasted.
The cabin was empty. And, Cassie, where the hell was he?
Where would a woman have gotten on a ship?
Her gaze swept the space, suddenly very attentive to the clothes lying on the bed. The plate of food was untouched. The dirty sheets... That was blood. It hadn't just been a scratch. That irresponsible with modesty had hidden the wound that probably should have been cauterized. It was going to be another amazing night.
They were onboard a ship. What did she mean? Leave Coral? There was no way, at least not without drowning. Why hadn't she asked for help? It couldn't be that difficult.
"She didn't ask for help because you were an animal to her. And arrogant."
Muttering all sorts of curses, Richard returned to the deck and walked around the quarterdeck, holding an oil lantern.
Suddenly, the sudden, dense fog from before returned to envelop the air of the electrically charged ship. The silence was total and unnatural. He didn't hear the lapping of the waves. The sky was dark with no stars or moon, bringing a biting cold.
The girl was pretending to be a boy, she was injured. She couldn't be that far away. Did she think he hadn't recognized her? Did she think he was that foolish? The Coral had a crew of one hundred and twenty men. It was dark and no one had turned on the lanterns on deck. He stumbled angrily.
The unexpected and tense cold made him shiver Rick felt the hairs on the back of his neck stand on end as his mind refused to work.
That was impossible and they were onboard a ship. And those things...
The stench of fetid sea air hit him in his bewilderment. He remembered the only time he'd smelled that. It was only once that he had encountered one of those things.
There was something on the ship's deck that was not at all human. He could also hear the breath which was a dry gasp, experiencing terrible dread. Where was she?
The cold around him was paralyzing. The blood froze in his veins as he raised the flashlight above his head. And a woman's scream seemed to answer his worst fears. In complete disbelief, he advanced.
Only light fought those things. Neither weapons nor swords could kill them. Lilandra carried the child in her arms, running desperately into the intense glare of the flames that consumed what was left of Glenhouse Castle. The screams echoed through the darkness.
There was a name for those things. They were ruthless sorcerer hunters under the command of the captain of the Duke's Revenge. They were neither alive nor dead. They had no emotion or knew the meaning of compassion. Its nature was just destruction. They were naturally attracted to sorcerers. They absorbed the light that the magic radiated until it caused death. Lilandra had died, protecting her youngest son with her life. Cassie. For some reason, that child had survived their attack. inexplicably.
Stumbling backwards, Richard strained his eyes into the darkness. He would certainly rather face one of those things in his animal form. Where would she be? In fact, where was everyone? Usually part of the sailors would still be sleeping in the open without complaining about the weather or the temperature that starts to change. He needed help.
Another scream cut through the unreal silence. It was impossible, but no one seemed to have heard. The woman's scream revealed genuine terror.
Morgan advanced blindly, nostrils flaring and sniffing. He stopped near the bowsprit, annoyed by the fetid smell that prevented him from locating the woman. The air was cold and heavy. Where was everyone? To hell with the damn caution!
- Kassuim! – He yelled, disoriented. - Cassie!
The whale oil lantern in his hand lit up with unnatural intensity and flickered over the unreal scenery. Next to the longboats tied by thick rope cables.
She was lying on the floor. That thing was on top of her, holding her hands with long, scrawny fingers covered in urchins and seaweed. Her appearance in life had only left a glimmer of humanity in her grotesque face.
It was leaning over the girl, he saw that thing that threw its hands like tentacles on her head, savouring the pleasure of the helpless prey in its claws...
"What a hell!"
Was that an ICHICHO? There? A groan of pain woke her sudden reverie.
- The magic... The magic is in your blood. I can feel it. The cavernous voice rippled through the silence.
- Get away from her! Morgan roared angrily as he grabbed the oar and hit him with all his might.
The thing didn't seem to notice him. Kassuim was motionless. And the cold around her grew so much that Morgan could feel the breath of her breath condense in the air.
- Almost ready... You're changing. Stored magic won't stop the change. Your father will be pleased. We were waiting for the change. The Four Pieces...
Rick noticed the intense glow that now seemed to emanate from the woman curled up on the floor and unconscious. It was an ICHICHO and aboard his ship. They hunted descendants of the Crescent Moon Clan. And that was impossible. They were all dead.
- I told you to move away - he tried to get closer.
-The birth... birth of a child with the teardrop mark of surrender...
He drew his pistol and fired reflexively. The creature's reactions were slow Good God, the point-blank shot hadn't made any difference.
-I told you to stay away from her. - Richard growled again.
-Someone with the blessing and the curse... You're almost ready...
Morgan didn't like what he was hearing at all. Even more so when a painful, difficult gasp reached his ears. Light. Those things fed on light, sucking energy and magic. What killed those things? Fire?
-Nothing like that, horrible thing. Today there are no sorcerers on the menu.
He grabbed the oil lantern and threw it at the creature as he kicked what looked like an arm holding the woman. In the next instant, he put himself between ICHICHO and the girl. The oil burst into raging flames in immediate combustion. And silent. He stopped in astonishment and disgust as the creature writhed in the fire until it simply disappeared as if it had never been in a terrifying cry of wailing.
-No... no... Zagorra...
Rick turned to her, noticing the disconnected murmurs. Was the girl delusional?
-Cassie ...-he said forcing calm.
He gritted his teeth as he was hit hard by pure energy, gasping.
"Cassie…" he panted low. - Honey, look at me...
-They're... They're all dead... Fire...
Rick screwed up his face. She was simply defending herself without knowing what she was doing. She took in the intense paleness of his fevered features. And then frowning as he noticed the extensive bloodstain covering her shirt.
He closed his eyes for a moment before opening them and two gems as black as night gleamed. Transformation this far from Garrone was impossible, but he summoned all the wolf strength he could muster. The frightened girl continued to emanate energy to push him away.
- Honey, look at me. - asked tensely. He needed to block any further attacks from her.
- No, don't come any closer...
- Cassie, listen to my voice...
He pleaded, forcing himself to breathe. It felt like electric current coursing through her muscles as he finally pulled her very cold body against his carefully.
The stars now lit up the sky again, allowing him to survey her face with intense concern. The keen ears noticed the faint beats, the irregular breathing. She had lost a lot of blood.
-Dead...
Richard held her delicate face flat against her cheeks. If he had taken a little longer...
-Small...
-The fire...
-Come on, Cassie. There is no fire. Need to react. – He complained, startled.
The strong, natural impulse enveloped him as he tenderly kissed her trembling mouth. She was delirious and trembling, lost in hallucinations of delirium. She could be dead.
- The pieces...
The words came out disconnected between the moans and stumbles. Morgan looked around lost. What if there were more of them there? Where the hell was everyone? Had they just disappeared? He took the knife from the sheath of his boot and forced the blade against the fabric. It was a lot of blood. She was going to end up passing out. She had to stop the bleeding.
Emerald eyes looked at him confused and glistening with tears. Her groan as he forced the knife through the fabric made him sigh in dismay. He touched her face hesitantly.
-They killed Zagorra...
- Look at me, sweetie...
- The fire...
- Honey, it wasn't just a scratch...
-F - cold… - she muttered softly, closing her eyes.
This situation was unreal and unexpected. ICHICHOS aboard the Black Coral trying to kill a sorceress! Why hadn't Will warned him? Her sudden frailty made him curse his lack of patience. This was his fault. She was going to go into shock.
- The chroi...
-S-so cold... Sleep... - The words were slurred.
Richard shook her lightly.
-Was it shot? Sword? I need to stop this blood.