Read Online The Merman and the Barbarian Pirate by Kay Berrisford - Free Book Online
Authors: Kay Berrisford
Tags: Fantasy, M/M romance
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vengeance seemed diminished by his growing fear for himself. Might he die down here? Or would Kemp strand him ashore to wither away in some horrible jail?
He'd been a fool yet again, botching his plan… but oh gods, that kiss. These kluggites dizzied him, especially Kemp, who was far from cloddish and ugly. The brush of his lips and tongue and the crush of his hard body had rocked Raef's little world. Then Kemp had pushed him away and now cast him down here again. So cruel.
But it was no good. Raef battled a murmur in his soul that suggested he was as mad as this ship's crew thought him. Why doesn't the barbarian pirate want me?
Five
Raef struggled to get any sleep. He felt much worse than before he'd taken his swim to nowhere. Little pains wracked his body, and however much he wriggled on his bare arse, he couldn't get comfortable. Moisture dripped from his hair and rolled down his back under the loosely draped sacking. After he finally drifted off, his dreams transformed the trickling motion into the scraping of shark's teeth, a slithering sea slug, and then the barbed talons of a witch of the deeps. He feared she'd gouge his eyes and shred the skin from his face.
When he snatched himself awake, stricken with horror, he couldn't extract his mind from this restless fog. He shivered, though he didn't seem to be cold anymore, and his head burned as if a furnace was lit within it. He'd never been forced to stay this long in human form before. Neither had he ever felt so ill.
After what could have been hours or minutes—he was too lost to know—somebody opened the cell door. He didn't seem to be able to lift his head, but he could tell it was Kemp. He could smell him. Raef's thoughts were so befuddled he didn't recall that word, the long one beginning with “b”, which Haverford had used to describe Kemp. Still, he knew he should be angry with him. It was Kemp's fault he was in this mess, yet his presence offered a grain of comfort, and Raef snatched at it, yearning for him to draw closer.
Touch me, please.
"Raef?" Kemp cupped his face, grasping a candle in a holder, which set him squinting. After placing down the lamp, Kemp pressed the back of his hand to Raef's brow. "Sweet Jesus, lad, you must've caught a chill in the sea. You're running a fever."
"N-no. I need… the s-sea. Is it d-dawn yet?" Raef's words came out as feeble mumblings. He was so desperate he'd have confessed all, shouted to the heavens he was a merman, if he'd thought it would get him back into the ocean at the right moment. Kemp didn't seem to understand, or at least chose not to. Kemp released him from the chains, then lifted him over one shoulder and carried him back to the captain's cabin.
"Blimey," said Kemp as he ducked under the lintel. "It feels like you've lost half your body weight in just hours."
Raef could well believe it. So this is how it ends. I'm fading away. I'm evaporating. Soon, I'll be reduced to a dry husk of bones, skin… nothingness.
Kemp laid him down upon the bunk, its thin mattress a luxury after the cramped and comfortless cell. "I should never have left you there," he muttered, seemingly talking to himself as much as Raef, which Raef found frustrating. Raef wasn't mad and neither was he a child, but he'd been reduced to less than either in Kemp's eyes. How pathetic.
"I'm sorry," continued Kemp, drawing a blanket about him. "But it seemed the safest place for you."
Raef tried to speak, but ended up sighing and closing his eyes. He'd stopped shivering, and a frightening stillness drenched his body . He labored to drag air into his chest.
"It's all right," said Kemp, smoothing Raef's forehead. "I've had sick fellows in a worse state than you aboard this ship. You'll pull through."
Raef wanted to scream, You know nothing. He still couldn't help but glean succor from Kemp's caresses. He didn't want Kemp to stop. Hell, if Kemp did so, he feared he'd die there and then. When the touch was withdrawn, he moaned,
He'd been a fool yet again, botching his plan… but oh gods, that kiss. These kluggites dizzied him, especially Kemp, who was far from cloddish and ugly. The brush of his lips and tongue and the crush of his hard body had rocked Raef's little world. Then Kemp had pushed him away and now cast him down here again. So cruel.
But it was no good. Raef battled a murmur in his soul that suggested he was as mad as this ship's crew thought him. Why doesn't the barbarian pirate want me?
Five
Raef struggled to get any sleep. He felt much worse than before he'd taken his swim to nowhere. Little pains wracked his body, and however much he wriggled on his bare arse, he couldn't get comfortable. Moisture dripped from his hair and rolled down his back under the loosely draped sacking. After he finally drifted off, his dreams transformed the trickling motion into the scraping of shark's teeth, a slithering sea slug, and then the barbed talons of a witch of the deeps. He feared she'd gouge his eyes and shred the skin from his face.
When he snatched himself awake, stricken with horror, he couldn't extract his mind from this restless fog. He shivered, though he didn't seem to be cold anymore, and his head burned as if a furnace was lit within it. He'd never been forced to stay this long in human form before. Neither had he ever felt so ill.
After what could have been hours or minutes—he was too lost to know—somebody opened the cell door. He didn't seem to be able to lift his head, but he could tell it was Kemp. He could smell him. Raef's thoughts were so befuddled he didn't recall that word, the long one beginning with “b”, which Haverford had used to describe Kemp. Still, he knew he should be angry with him. It was Kemp's fault he was in this mess, yet his presence offered a grain of comfort, and Raef snatched at it, yearning for him to draw closer.
Touch me, please.
"Raef?" Kemp cupped his face, grasping a candle in a holder, which set him squinting. After placing down the lamp, Kemp pressed the back of his hand to Raef's brow. "Sweet Jesus, lad, you must've caught a chill in the sea. You're running a fever."
"N-no. I need… the s-sea. Is it d-dawn yet?" Raef's words came out as feeble mumblings. He was so desperate he'd have confessed all, shouted to the heavens he was a merman, if he'd thought it would get him back into the ocean at the right moment. Kemp didn't seem to understand, or at least chose not to. Kemp released him from the chains, then lifted him over one shoulder and carried him back to the captain's cabin.
"Blimey," said Kemp as he ducked under the lintel. "It feels like you've lost half your body weight in just hours."
Raef could well believe it. So this is how it ends. I'm fading away. I'm evaporating. Soon, I'll be reduced to a dry husk of bones, skin… nothingness.
Kemp laid him down upon the bunk, its thin mattress a luxury after the cramped and comfortless cell. "I should never have left you there," he muttered, seemingly talking to himself as much as Raef, which Raef found frustrating. Raef wasn't mad and neither was he a child, but he'd been reduced to less than either in Kemp's eyes. How pathetic.
"I'm sorry," continued Kemp, drawing a blanket about him. "But it seemed the safest place for you."
Raef tried to speak, but ended up sighing and closing his eyes. He'd stopped shivering, and a frightening stillness drenched his body . He labored to drag air into his chest.
"It's all right," said Kemp, smoothing Raef's forehead. "I've had sick fellows in a worse state than you aboard this ship. You'll pull through."
Raef wanted to scream, You know nothing. He still couldn't help but glean succor from Kemp's caresses. He didn't want Kemp to stop. Hell, if Kemp did so, he feared he'd die there and then. When the touch was withdrawn, he moaned,
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