"You refuse to fight me and you refuse to shift?" Inkani repeated with a twitch in his left eye.
A thin smile spread across his lips as he knelt down in front of Ilio. Instead of meeting his gaze, however, he looked over his shoulder and upward.
"Bin, he's not going to fight me, or shift. Isn't that just grand?" he said, mocking, once again, in his tone.
The man standing behind him let out a deep chuckle.
"I've never seen a werewolf so easy to catch before."
Ilio tilted his head slightly as he heard the man approach him from behind. His inner wolf's hackles rose with each step closer and once he was within a foot, his upper lip lifted to reveal partial canine teeth and a warning growl slipped from between his lips.
Except, they retracted immediately and his body relaxed when Inkani settled a hand against the side of his face.
"Just a little pat to the cheek and my ferocious pup is soothed into complacency, hmm?" Inkani said as he reached up to pat Ilio's hair with his other hand.
He liked the attention, a lot, but was forced to lift his own hands and brush the man's away in order to keep his mind from being swayed again.
Inkani seemed to find his reaction entertaining, because he was soon poking at him here and there, then tapping his head and removing his hand before Ilio could swat it away, only to poke at his belly, knee, and even nose!
It got to the point where he had no other choice but to simply try and shield his head with his arms and hunch into as small a ball so he could to try and avoid the man's frustrating attention!
"Sir, it is already past two in the morning, perhaps we should begin heading back to the ship?" the other pirate, Bin, said.
Thankfully, his words finally had Inkani's hands withdrawing from a frazzled, stressed Ilio, whom refused to remove his arms from his head or straighten back up into his sitting position. He just wanted to crawl into a quiet, peaceful den and hide for the next week or five.
This man is too much.
He heard the two converse as Inkani stood up and moved about the room a bit, but he still refused to raise his head. Instead, he focused on calming his overwhelmed heartbeat and clearing his, once again, fuzzy mind.
Things quieted after about five minutes, and when he didn't hear anything else for another minute after that, Ilio slowly lifted his head and lowered his arms.
Oh?
Inkani was just finishing up chewing something with his eyes on a small map he held before himself as he sat on the edge of a mussed bed.
He was dressed now, in a pair of black pants, the high-boots Ilio had brought him, and a partially open, weather-worn faded white shirt. Add the single stud earring in his right ear and the look of concentration on his face and Ilio was, once again, completely distracted.
He wasn't able to even think straight until his nose picked up the scent of something that smelled absolutely delicious and had evidently been brought over to him.
Without even thinking he reached up and grasped the item that was being offered to him, then immediately slid it between his lips.
"And here I thought you were looking at me all this time. You just wanted the venison jerky I had in my coat pocket," Inkani said as Ilio hungrily tore into the thick slice of dried meat.
It tasted so good. Better than good!
"You... wasted our best jerky on a wolf?"
The man sounded like he was in complete disbelief, but Inkani didn't seem to mind at all. In fact, he appeared quite pleased with himself as he grinned playfully at Ilio.
"I see no issue with giving my little one something to nibble on for the walk back to the ship," he said as he gently settled his hands beneath Ilio's arms and picked him up with ease.
He wasn't exactly happy about it, but at the same time he had something in his mouth to occupy his attention and he couldn't really find the motivation within himself to fight back, even though he knew that he should.
Instead, he simply settled against Inkani's chest and continued to hold onto the large piece of jerky he was working on as the man began to walk out of the now-bustling business. He was even gently patting his back, quelling his nerves with the simplest touch.
They began their walk through the busy streets as if they owned them... and considering how fast people moved to get out of their way, they might as well have.
The two talked for quite some time about their plans while Ilio worked on his treat. He was just finishing it up after about twenty minutes and licking the remaining salt from his lips when something else pressed against them and he immediately allowed them to part and allow it inside.
Sweet.
He'd never tasted anything like it.
"It's a honey mint candy. They weren't to my liking originally, but now I fear I've grown a bit addicted to them," Inkani said as he looked the slightest bit down to meet Ilio's wide eyes.
Of course, that sort of attention at such close range had his heart, which he'd finally managed to calm down a bit, immediately rev back up. His face also quickly began to warm again, making him look away with a nervous grumble.
He heard, and felt, the man's faint chuckle in response, but thankfully Inkani didn't try to pat his head or poke at him again.
Instead, he returned his attention to his crewmate and continued their conversation, allowing Ilio to carefully get his heartrate back under control. Once he was feeling okay again, he turned his attention to his current situation. Of course, he had no intention of being kidnapped, but he also wasn't sure how he wanted to react yet, either. He wasn't exactly enjoying being carried, since they were so similar in height, but he also didn't dislike it enough to force the man to put him down.
Sucking on the candy he'd been given, he wracked his brain for different ways to go about the situation. He was thankfully getting used to Inkani's scent, too, so his mind wasn't too hazy.
He was just going over a pretty decent plan to get out of the man's arms before they got to the docks when his nose derailed everything as it lifted into the air and sniffed a few times.
Something smells really good.
Inkani stopped walking a moment later and turned his head in the direction Ilio was staring.
"That nose of yours is pretty sharp, hmm?" Inkani mused as he turned and began walking down a small street.
His crewmate hurried after them, reminding Inkani that they had to get going. Unfortunately for Bin, the captain simply shrugged him off until they were ducking inside what appeared to be a tiny tavern.
"Oh, my word! Lord Inkani, I haven't seen you in quite some months!" a little old lady said as she hurried toward him and gave him a half-hug. Inkani used his free arm to return the gesture while Ilio hunched closer against his chest and grumbled quietly.
The only reason he didn't outright growl was because the place they'd walked into smelled amazing. He didn't want to cause trouble because he wanted to eat whatever food they were making.
"I'd like to order something, if you happen to have anything ready, ma'am?" he asked as he walked with her over to a long counter.
"Of course, of course! We are just finishing up cooking our beef tip stew for the day. It's fresh and piping hot!" she said as she hurried to the back, only to reappear a few moments later with a little steaming bowl.
"Give it a try, just in case he isn't sure," she chimed as she offered him the little bowl with a knowing smile on her face.
"You don't think I'm asking for myself, hmm?" he said even as he lifted the little bowl up to press against Ilio's lips.
Ilio eagerly grabbed the man's arm gently as he turned as much as he could toward it. The moment the little bowl was tilted upward and a bit of its contents were poured into his mouth, Ilio couldn't help but grin. It tasted absolutely fantastic!
He'd been surprised by the cooked food elder Vrasje had offered him previously, but while good, it was sorely far behind whatever this woman had made! He even licked most of the bowl clean before Inkani could return it to the woman with a chuckle.
"I think we'll definitely be having that. Two portions, please, as well as some honey cornbread if it's ready," Inkani said as he used his free hand to pull out some money from his back pocket and set it on the counter.
The woman took the money with a smile, then pointed behind them.
"It should be ready in just a few minutes. Go ahead and have a seat and I'll bring you some drinks. Is there anything specific your friend wants?" she asked, making Ilio tilt his head.
"Let's try a lemonade for him and I'll just take a glass of spiced blood," Inkani said before turning and carrying him over to one of the two well-worn booths in the tiny restaurant.
Ilio quickly moved off of the man's lap once he got seated and got up on his knees to look around the dimly-lit place, curious, since it was his first time inside of a human restaurant.
It wasn't exactly what he'd thought it would be, but he wasn't disappointed, either. He hadn't really had many expectations and honestly, the food was amazing so far, so he was content.
"Our food is coming, sweet one," Inkani said as Ilio noticed the old lady heading for their table with a large platter of food that smelled like heaven.
It had only been a few minutes since they'd sat down.
He quickly dropped back down and was immediately rewarded with a large bowl of stew set in front of him!
In less than a second he was tipping the bowl toward himself, ready to make quite a mess. Except, a cold hand settling over his own made him pause and look up, confused and a little sad.
"Here little one, use this so that you don't make a mess for granny Laura, okay?" Inkani said as his shipmate finally sat down across from them with just a simple red drink.
Ilio spared him a brief warning glare to steer clear of his meal, then returned his focus to the item that was being offered to him.
He knew what it was. A human spoon, but he'd never needed to use one before. It seemed like such a waste of time if you could just drink your meal instead.
I guess I'll do it.
He reluctantly grabbed the spoon and began eating, though keeping things from sliding off of the darn utensil was surprisingly hard!
"You'll get the hang of it, here," Inkani said, immediately drawing Ilio's attention to something that was being brought up to his lips.
It was yellow and smelled quite sweet, like the honey he sometimes managed to steal from low-hanging beehives. His own food momentarily forgotten, Ilio happily opened his mouth to allow the new delicacy inside.
Oh my gosh!
He'd never tasted something so delicious! Unfortunately, werewolves didn't exactly understand how savoring food worked, so he chewed it up immediately, then swallowed it down.
"There is plenty more, Ilio. Eat your fill," Inkani said as he reached forward and moved the yellow honey dish closer to them both.
He was a bit surprised to see Inkani eating, since he knew that vampires didn't process food all that well, but as their meal went on, he noticed that the man's bites were much smaller than his own and he was mainly focusing on the broth of the stew.
Maybe he doesn't want it all?
He would absolutely help him finish it if that were the case!
"My Ilio, where did you get this?" Inkani asked, snapping Ilio out of his thoughts as he realized what the man's fingers were gently touching within his hair. It was an old scar that was only visible when his hair was really messy, since it prevented a bit of it from growing do to the damage that had been inflicted there.
With only a light blush he licked his lips and lifted his legs up onto the seat so that he could be a bit more comfortable.
"In a fight," he said simply.
It wasn't rare for werewolves to fight, and since he was an alpha, he'd gotten into plenty of heated matches.
"Oh? My little one can fight?"
He really could. His wolf stood on even ground with almost any other alpha and he'd even managed to force Marquise to retreat a few times when they'd had territorial disputes.
His skill, unlike most alphas, though, was speed instead of strength. Sure, he was pretty strong, too, but his agility was what really made him stand out.
Hearing the front door open, Ilio got back up on his knees to look over the back of their shared seat. At the same time he felt Inkani's hand lower from his hair, but instead of returning to his side, it settled against Ilio's, instead, and gently guided him until he was pressed up against him.
Only then did Inkani turn his head to look at the approaching small group of men.
Vampires?
Ilio unthinkingly moved a little closer to Inkani, too, and even settled one hand on the top of his right shoulder as he felt his inner wolf bristle.
"What have we here? Pirate lord Inkani, his useless second in command, and... his next fur coat?" one of the men said as he stepped forward from the small group of three.
He's bald, greasy, and smells like cat pee. I'll kill him if he tries to touch my Inka.
"Good morning, gentlemen. I didn't realize you were coming to town so soon. Had another raid foiled by an angry grandma with a frying pan?" Inkani asked calmly with a slight tilt of his head.
The bald man's face quickly turned red with rage, but Inkani simply smiled pleasantly before speaking again.
"Let's not make trouble for sweet Laura, hmm? You came here to eat good food, and so did we."
Yeah, go away!
The man's hands slammed down on their table, nearly making their drinks tip over.
I haven't even gotten to try my lemonade water yet...
He was getting mad.
"Your new fur coat has quite an attitude for something that's going to be dead soon," the man said, clearly trying to get a rise out of any of them.
Ilio growled loudly, feeling his wolf begin to come to the surface as whiskers slipped free from the skin around his nose. He could sense Inkani watching him and he knew that he should restrain himself better, but he also liked the idea of the man being impressed with his ability to protect him.... not that he needed it, but still.
He might also just be wanting to get his wolf out so that he could finally kill him, but either way, he knew better than to fully shift.
"I think I'll wait to wear him until he chews your face off. Besides, I couldn't just kill my mate like that. He deserves at least a little love first."
Ilio had heard everything he'd said, but he'd only comprehended the words my mate before his mind froze. Halting his body, too.
My...
"You seem surprised, my pup? Don't wolves generally understand when they find a mate? I know that it doesn't happen very often, but I've been able to use it enough with my wolf hunts. Catch one wolf from a bonded pair and the other will definitely try to rescue it."
But... alphas almost never sense their mates.
He'd never met a single one that had felt a mate bond before.
The bald man snickered, then outright laughed as he hunched forward on the table a little.
"A fucking wolf wants you as a mate?! And here I thought you actually had to work for a living! You're just a whore for dogs, aren't y—" A loud squeal of shock and pain broke up the man's remaining words as he fumbled backwards, holding his hands over his now-bleeding left eye.
The man's two acquaintances immediately unsheathed the blades hanging at their waists, but neither dared step closer.
Ilio wanted them to, though. He'd teach them a lesson, too!
As it were, he'd managed to catch the bald man by surprise with his speed. Whether or not he'd cut the man's eyeball was yet to be seen, but he'd definitely done a lot of damage with his claws considering the amount of blood steadily dribbling down onto the floor.
He felt Inkani's hand gently grasp his wrist where his hand was now gripping the man's leg for balance, but he disregarded the attention since no words came with it. In fact, Ilio inched closer to the other two, leaning a little ways out of the booth as he flashed his wolfish fangs at them.
He hadn't shifted yet. But it was getting pretty damn close to happening.
"I believe you gentleman might be happier eating elsewhere. It seems like my fur coat isn't feeling very friendly today. I do apologize for the inconvenience, but we were here first," Inkani said nonchalantly, not seeming to mind at all that Ilio had partially climbed into his lap to posture at the other vampires.
The only thing he was really missing in order to fully shift would be a bit more muscle and a soft, thick brown coat.
Wisely, the other group of men decided to retreat, with the two uninjured vampires helping their bleeding friend out the door. Of course, they didn't leave without cursing them to hell and back, but Ilio had already turned his attention elsewhere.
Food also momentarily forgotten, he settled in Inkani's lap, straddling his rough pants with a look of nervous wonder on his face as he looked the slightest bit down at the vampire.
He couldn't find any words to say, neither could he deny what the man had said, now that the words had been spoken.
Inkani offered him a content smile and reached forward to pull him into a hug. He gladly snuggled in, overjoyed with the attention.
It's unfortunate...
Iliio blinked against the man's worn shirt.
Had he... just heard Inkani's voice in his head?
Sneaking a tiny glance up at the man's face as he looked across the table at Bin, Ilio felt his breath catch in his throat before quickly averting his gaze. Inkani's eyes had changed from calm and cool to cruel and hostile within half a second!
Set up the skinning table below deck when we return. I want this one taken care of quickly.
(You're gonna get some claws to your face, too, if you don't start behaving Inka XD Good luck trying to skin your baby.)