Kit sat hunched against a curved, concave wall, staring into his own shadowed hands. A lantern tied to the wall rocked from side to side, intermittently illuminating Kit’s lashing tail.
Nick’s stomach roiled.
Kit’s head snapped up at the first choke. He leapt into action, pulling Nick to his knees so that he could throw up without choking to death on his own vomit. Stomach acid burned Nick’s throat.
“You fucker,” he spat hoarsely. “What the hell do you want?”
Kit propped him upright against a barrel, away from the sick. The ground dipped heavily to one side, and Nick squeezed his eyes shut.
“Seasickness is only made worse by closing your eyes,” Kit cautioned.
Nick opened them just to glare. Kit was resettling into his spot beneath the swaying lantern. “What. Is. Going.On?”
Kit looked everywhere but at Nick in the cramped hold. “There is a job that needs to be done,” he said. “And you are going to do it.”
“Fuck yourself.”
Kit said nothing.
Nick gritted his teeth, adjusting his position to find a more comfortable position, but, unsurprisingly, comfort remained out of reach. “Is this how kits get jobs done? Theykidnappeople?” Nick demanded. His heart raced, his mind catching up with the situation. And—Laurence. He’d been one door down. Did he hear the scuffle? Did he come out?
“We –”
“Did you take anyone else?” Nick cut him off, urgent. “Did you hurt anyone?”
Kit continued to avoid Nick’s gaze. Feeling awkward, repentant or guilty, Nick didn’t know. “I took only you,” Kit answered. “I knocked out the guard. I did not kill him,” he added, as if that was very important. As if Nick should congratulate him for his mercy.
It took several minutes to relax his clenched jaw muscles enough to speak. “Anyone else?”
Kit met his eyes when he said, “No.” And despite the fact that Nick had just been kidnapped by the man, so clearly there was nothing about him to be trusted, the word had a ring of truth to it. He relaxed a minuscule amount, leaning away from Kit. Laurence was safe. He could deal with everything else.
“What job?” Nick asked.
Kit looked away again quickly. “One you are suitable for.”
Nick cursed. “Why in God’s name do you thinkI’llbe suitable for it? We had one conversation! And fucking hell, if you think I’ll do a job for you after this shit, you’ve got another thing coming!”
“You will do it,” Kit said. His shoulders were slumped, as if he’d been defeated. “I advise that you do it willingly. You’ll be made to perform it regardless, and it will be less painful for you to comply from the start.”
“Unlock these.”
“No.”
“Unlock these and I’ll do your job.”
Kit’s tail lashed. “You are obviously lying.”
“Unlock these or I’ll get out of them myself, and I swear to God the first thing I’ll do is cut off your disgusting fucking rat’s tail,” Nick growled the threat, rage overcoming the part of his brain capable of thought. Kit’s tail quivered. His back hunched up, and he flashed his teeth at Nick in a silent snarl.
Nick didn’t care that he was pissing off his captor; he wasn’t going to sit there and try to be friends with the asshole.
“If you don’t let me go, angry mermen will catch up to this ship and drown you and your entire crew.”
Kit’s snarl faded. “We will be clear of their territory by the time your absence is noticed. It was a late party with much wine. None will be up before noon. And I know that there are no lessons while Vi is hosting so many guests. You might not even be missed for days.”
Nick processed his words slowly, and the glimmer of a misunderstanding shone between them clearer than anything else in the dark room. “I’m not one of her students.”
“You will achieve nothing with such an obvious lie.”
