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"I ain’t a poof!" Gandy shouted, unbuckling his belt and trying to shove himself closer to me "Let et her started for you"

With a leisurely swing of his fist, the big pirate sent Gandy into the wall and to the ground beside Casper

"This one"--he pulled lips back over teeth of glinting gold--"is mine"

With ani pirate, driving his I smelled the blood before I saw it, and the beast tookpirate’s body and pressed my face to his wrist before I noticed McHale poised over the pirate’s red-splattered neck The body danced beneath us as the big ether, we held hirowled

"Eat first," he said with just a hint of a Freesian accent "Then we’ll talk"

My eyes held hiood luck My savior was a Blud to share, which was a prize rarer than rubies

"You’re generous"

"I a pull and bowed his head tofrom the corner of his mouth "My princess"

20

It was oddly inti someone’s kill for the first ti sounds The polite slurping of blood rose gently over the rhythhed in contenter sated for the first ti pirate was fantastically full of blood

I left the last pull forto do But he sat back, too

"Please,But the princess in me won out, and I drew the last of the hot blood down my throat and wiped my mouth off on the dead pirate’s sleeve

With a nod, McHale tidily looted the big pirate’s body When he held out a handful of coins, trinkets, gems, and pearls to me, I shook my head Not because I didn’t need money but because now that he was dead and bloodless, everything about hi across from each other over the deflated body of the pirate, ere both seized by a sudden aard shyness McHale flipped the goggles on top of his head to gaze at me with ice-blue eyes and concerned curiosity I was at a loss for how to behave He kneho I was and showed proper respect Did I address him as I would address a Bludance? Or did I respect the fact that he had just protectedus on ain, he swooped in with perfect courtesy "My princess, you are weak Have they been keeping you on this filthy tub for long?" His Freesian accent was more pronounced now that ere alone, and his eyes were anxious But that didn’t mean he could be trusted He could easily be a spy or soainst my will"

"But you are notone of theMaybuck’s offerings?"

"No"

He exhaled and ran a hand down the sparse dark stubble of a beard "Then I don’t have to kill everyone That’s a relief" I chuckled, and he added, "Except these two, I suppose" He stood and curled his gloves into fists, eyes latching onto Casper

"No!"

His eyes darted to me "My princess?"

"Kill the pirate, if you wish, but leave the other"

He nudged Casper with a toe, conte the fineness of his coat and watch chain, I suppose, and the careful shine on his boots

"Are you sure? He would be the cleanest thing I’ve eaten in weeks And you need blood, e As much as possible" He shook his head sadly "So thin So wan"

"That man is my servant, and I’ll not have hioing sharp and straight at his slight insult "The other I will allow you"

He bowed briefly before kneeling over Gandy with a forer pirate Rolling down the man’s collar, he wrinkled his nose "I won’t be sorry to see this one go"

He ripped the jugular gently, as if trying to showWith a question in his eyes, he held up Gandy’s arether, we held the body down as it fought senselessly against oblivion This time, I insisted he take the last pull and went to check on Casper

I crouched beside his unconscious for up the weapon that had knocked hi it from my hand "He should be unharmed"