baby? Nell.”
“Done? Nothing.”
Michael ‟ s eyes narrowed to glittering slits. “Then where are they? I haven ‟ t seen
Bitsy in over a week, or Nell. Neither has anyone else. I asked around.”
Dax raised his chin. “What ‟ s Bitsy to you?”
“None of your godsbedamned business.” The blade flashed an evil silver. “Last I
heard, she was at Fledge ‟ s school.” A pause. “She trusted her, as much as Bitsy trusts
anyone.”
Dax ‟ s gut clenched. He was a Second Pinion warrior. He shouldn ‟ t feel so
vulnerable, so…exposed. “You ‟ re not going to like it.”
“Go on.”
“Let me loose.”
“No. Talk, birdy.”
Dax sucked in a breath, acutely conscious of the muscled thighs clamped against his
sides. He met the dark hazel gaze full on and held it. “Nell is fine. I ‟ ve seen her myself.
She ‟ s with a respectable woman. Fledge pays her well for her trouble.”
Michael frowned. “Bitsy would never— Where the fuck is she?”
“She ‟ s disappeared, along with five of the others.”
The flat of the blade pressed into his chest, a fraction of an inch from a bronze
nipple. “Disappeared?” said Michael, almost without inflection.
“Fledge wasn ‟ t worried, not at first. The children come and go. But today—” He
took a deep, calming breath. “She found a note pinned to the door of the school.”
“A note?”
“More like a list.”
Michael ‟ s pupils had shrunk until they were no bigger than pinpricks.
“Each child described—gender, age, physical characteristics.” Dax had to stop to
clear an obstruction in his throat. “Experience, if any. Mirry says it ‟ s a catalog.”
“A slave catalog.”
“Yes.”
On the dresser, the lamp spluttered. Somewhere farther down the street a loose
shutter banged forlornly.
57
“Tell me the rest,” the thief said.
“The rest?”
Michael ‟ s lips quirked. “You ‟ re not so hard to read, Aetherii.” He reached down to
grip Dax ‟ s jaw, hard fingers digging into the soft flesh of his throat. “Something ‟ s got
you scared half to death. I don ‟ t flatter myself that it ‟ s me.”
“The list was pinned to the door with—” Dax moistened his lips, his guts a painful,
writhing knot. “One of those cleavers the Hssrda use. A rusty one.”
“Shit!”
They stared at each other, both breathing hard.
At last, Dax said, “Take off the chains.”
“Not yet. You think it ‟ s Hssrda?”
“We searched. Everywhere.” Dax moved his head against the pillow. “There are no
Hssrda in the city. The Prince won ‟ t allow them access.”
“True. And the scaly bastards are too big to hide. So it ‟ s a human, working with
them, a middleman.”
“Yes.”
“Who?”
“Don ‟ t know yet, but when I do—” Dax bared his teeth.
“Not if I get to him first. You know what happens to children in the Hssrda slave
camps, birdy?”
“I ‟ ve heard.”
“They ‟ ll sell Bitsy to the miners, out in the Mountains of Morn. She won ‟ t last more
than a month, not with that cough and the way they ‟ ll use her. If the boys are pretty
they ‟ ll go as pleasure slaves. If they ‟ re strong, they ‟ ll be gelded and sold as laborers. As
for the rest—” He shrugged, his handsome face as hard as winter iron.
Dax squeezed his eyes shut. The reptilian Hssrda were slavers first and foremost,
but they also had a taste for human flesh. In fact, they ‟ d eat anything, including each
other. He swallowed hard.
They were silent a moment, each thinking his own thoughts. At last, Michael
stirred. “I ‟ d intended to play with you a little, but I find I ‟ ve lost my appetite.”
“ Play? ” Dax glared. “Fuck you, Grounded.”
The thief gave him a smile full of teeth and wicked speculation. “In time perhaps,”
he said. “But only if you ask nicely.” He settled himself with the air of one sure of his
welcome, his buttocks warm against Dax ‟ s genitals.
Sweat popped
“Done? Nothing.”
Michael ‟ s eyes narrowed to glittering slits. “Then where are they? I haven ‟ t seen
Bitsy in over a week, or Nell. Neither has anyone else. I asked around.”
Dax raised his chin. “What ‟ s Bitsy to you?”
“None of your godsbedamned business.” The blade flashed an evil silver. “Last I
heard, she was at Fledge ‟ s school.” A pause. “She trusted her, as much as Bitsy trusts
anyone.”
Dax ‟ s gut clenched. He was a Second Pinion warrior. He shouldn ‟ t feel so
vulnerable, so…exposed. “You ‟ re not going to like it.”
“Go on.”
“Let me loose.”
“No. Talk, birdy.”
Dax sucked in a breath, acutely conscious of the muscled thighs clamped against his
sides. He met the dark hazel gaze full on and held it. “Nell is fine. I ‟ ve seen her myself.
She ‟ s with a respectable woman. Fledge pays her well for her trouble.”
Michael frowned. “Bitsy would never— Where the fuck is she?”
“She ‟ s disappeared, along with five of the others.”
The flat of the blade pressed into his chest, a fraction of an inch from a bronze
nipple. “Disappeared?” said Michael, almost without inflection.
“Fledge wasn ‟ t worried, not at first. The children come and go. But today—” He
took a deep, calming breath. “She found a note pinned to the door of the school.”
“A note?”
“More like a list.”
Michael ‟ s pupils had shrunk until they were no bigger than pinpricks.
“Each child described—gender, age, physical characteristics.” Dax had to stop to
clear an obstruction in his throat. “Experience, if any. Mirry says it ‟ s a catalog.”
“A slave catalog.”
“Yes.”
On the dresser, the lamp spluttered. Somewhere farther down the street a loose
shutter banged forlornly.
57
“Tell me the rest,” the thief said.
“The rest?”
Michael ‟ s lips quirked. “You ‟ re not so hard to read, Aetherii.” He reached down to
grip Dax ‟ s jaw, hard fingers digging into the soft flesh of his throat. “Something ‟ s got
you scared half to death. I don ‟ t flatter myself that it ‟ s me.”
“The list was pinned to the door with—” Dax moistened his lips, his guts a painful,
writhing knot. “One of those cleavers the Hssrda use. A rusty one.”
“Shit!”
They stared at each other, both breathing hard.
At last, Dax said, “Take off the chains.”
“Not yet. You think it ‟ s Hssrda?”
“We searched. Everywhere.” Dax moved his head against the pillow. “There are no
Hssrda in the city. The Prince won ‟ t allow them access.”
“True. And the scaly bastards are too big to hide. So it ‟ s a human, working with
them, a middleman.”
“Yes.”
“Who?”
“Don ‟ t know yet, but when I do—” Dax bared his teeth.
“Not if I get to him first. You know what happens to children in the Hssrda slave
camps, birdy?”
“I ‟ ve heard.”
“They ‟ ll sell Bitsy to the miners, out in the Mountains of Morn. She won ‟ t last more
than a month, not with that cough and the way they ‟ ll use her. If the boys are pretty
they ‟ ll go as pleasure slaves. If they ‟ re strong, they ‟ ll be gelded and sold as laborers. As
for the rest—” He shrugged, his handsome face as hard as winter iron.
Dax squeezed his eyes shut. The reptilian Hssrda were slavers first and foremost,
but they also had a taste for human flesh. In fact, they ‟ d eat anything, including each
other. He swallowed hard.
They were silent a moment, each thinking his own thoughts. At last, Michael
stirred. “I ‟ d intended to play with you a little, but I find I ‟ ve lost my appetite.”
“ Play? ” Dax glared. “Fuck you, Grounded.”
The thief gave him a smile full of teeth and wicked speculation. “In time perhaps,”
he said. “But only if you ask nicely.” He settled himself with the air of one sure of his
welcome, his buttocks warm against Dax ‟ s genitals.
Sweat popped
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