Ilio had to focus everything he had on keeping his heartbeat somewhat calm. It was still a bit flustered from the interaction with the other vampires, but a sudden jump in beats wouldn't slip past Inkani.
You can't skin me if I refuse to shift...
Of course, he knew that there were several different kinds of ways to get a werewolf to shift forms. Normally, threatening or outright attacking one was the easiest way. There were also several herbs, the strongest being wolfsbane, that could force a shift.
He probably has plenty of that. No wonder he thought it was funny when I said that I wouldn't shift.
Heaving an internal sigh, Ilio turned his attention away from the little snippets of conversation he was still catching from Inkani and let his focus change to something much more interesting.
I wanna lick.
If the man intended to skin him soon, surely he wouldn't mind at least a little attention from the wolf he understood had bonded with him. So, since he was already in the best position for the attention he wanted to give, Ilio simply leaned a little closer to the crook of Inkani's neck, then let his tongue slip from between his lips.
The only response he got from the man holding him was the faintest fidget from the fingers he had settled against his waist. He was very good at keeping himself under control, it seemed.
Disgusting dog.
The thought was expected, so Ilio just shrugged it off as he went about gently cleaning his love's neck. After every couple licks he'd nuzzle his forehead against his cool skin, smiling even though he understood his predicament well.
Shut up, there's nothing cute about it.
Even though he was clearly thinking those words to his friend, Inkani was already settling a hand in Ilio's soft hair, rustling it gently as if to show affection. The man was completely two-faced in his actions, but not in his words. At least what he said internally matched his dark heart.
Since the man was trying to act a little, Ilio didn't hesitate to continue his ministrations.
Are you done yet, Bin...? I need to go wash this slobber off.
Okay, now he was trying hard to hide his smile, because it had morphed into a giddy smirk!
"I forgot how good Ms. Laura's food is, I might just need seconds," Bin said, making Ilio nearly burst out into a fit of laughter.
The man was using him to tease his captain. It probably wasn't the best idea, but it sure was entertaining.
"Fine, stay here and eat. I'm leaving and so is the ship," Inkani finally grumbled as he got up from his seat with only a tiny bit of adjusting so that Ilio would stay in his arms.
With the man's temper souring, Ilio finally leaned away and returned his tongue to his mouth.
His neck is all red...
He was pleased with his work.
"Bye Ms. Laura, thank you for the meal," Inkani called to the woman who had gone into the back.
He got a thankful shout in return, but the old lady was clearly busy so she didn't return to the front to see them off.
A faint drizzle had evidently started up while they'd been eating, drawing Ilio's attention up to the sky for a few moments as the little droplets tapped against his skin.
For a wolf who couldn't swim well, he really loved water in all of its other forms.
"Happy, Ilio?" Inkani asked, a smile in his words as he began to make his way down the street.
Ilio noticed that they weren't too far from the docks as he lowered his gaze until it fell upon the man still carrying him.
"I have to go now," he replied instead of answering a simple yes or no.
He was happy to be around his mate. His body practically hummed with excitement, but his mind had cleared enough to know that it didn't matter how he felt. Inkani only saw him as a fur coat.
"Time to go, hmm?"
The man's arms tightened around him expectantly as his voice took on a slightly bitter tone.
Ilio steeled himself and nodded at the man, their noses barely two inches apart from each other.
He could just-barely see one of Inkani's fangs beginning to elongate past his upper lip when a strange sound met their ears, drawing both their attention, simultaneously, a little ways farther down the road.
Ah, more vampires.
Ilio was already growling as the group inched forward, making Inkani slow to a stop about five meters away.
There were nearly twenty vampires this time, and even as Bin suddenly appeared at Inkani's side, two against twenty weren't good odds... even with him helping in his other form.
"Lord Inkani, what a pleasant surprise," the man said, making Ilio glance at Inkani with an are you serious expression on his face.
His vampire caught it out of the corner of his eye and smirked before refocusing his full attention on the men before them.
"I don't think you understand the definition of the word pleasant, but I'm afraid I don't have time to sit you down for an English lesson right now. Perhaps we can reschedule to another time? Your captain has already crossed me today, and I'm sure you are already aware of the consequences he'd suffered..." he said as he began walking forward, clearly not worried about the mass of vampires beginning to spread out, evidently intent on encircling them.
"Sweet one, do you think you can handle a few?" he asked abruptly, making Ilio frown as he looked back at him.
If he didn't shift, he probably could only manage a couple, but if he did shift...
If I don't shift, then Inka and Bin would have to take on most of the vampires here.
It would give him a decent enough chance to escape, but it would also put his vampire in danger...
If I don't try to leave, I'll be killed when I step foot on his ship...
It wasn't something he could argue to himself about. It was just a blatant fact.
"I think I can take two," he said calmly.
Inkani gave a quiet chuckle and nodded.
"Good enough. Bin and I will clean up the rest," he said as he quickly but carefully set Ilio back down on his bare feet.
Before he'd even gotten his balance the two vampires had blurred away. Inkani had lunged forward while Bin had taken on the vampires that had circled behind them.
To his surprise, the two had engaged all but two of the vampires attacking them, Leaving him the exact number he'd said he could handle.
The two he'd been left with weren't pushovers, and to his surprise, dodged quite a few of his attacks, but at the same time, he wasn't exactly used to fighting as a human. He was more than a bit clumsy now that he had to rely on gangly legs and uncoordinated arms.
He's not terrible...
Ilio immediately grinned as he slashed his claws across one of his two enemy's faces, proud of the praise he overheard. As the man stumbled backwards, he glanced over his shoulder to look at Inkani. He was quite busy with his own set of vampires, taking on eight without seeming to break a sweat.
Bin, to his surprise, had the same amount surrounding him, but...
Where is the bald man, though? Inka had said that these were his men.
He assumed that it was the captain, since he appeared to have control over the group, yet the man was nowhere to be seen still. He quickly refocused his attention on his two opponents and traded several attacks with each before the obvious sounds of bones breaking met his ears from the left side.
The entire area seemed to go deafeningly silent as all eyes turned toward the newcomer. The group of hostile pirates quickly backed off several meters, clearly becoming defensive in an instant.
"Demon lord Karalius? What is he doing here?"
"Where did he come from?"
"He's got the captain..."
Ilio didn't dare look away from the man standing a few meters away. He didn't seem focused on him, so he didn't dare try to cause problems yet. The fighting had stopped, so Ilio simply waited and watched as the man observed the situation at hand.
His attention flicked slightly downward to what the man was holding in his right hand.
The bald man? Isn't he their captain?
Either way, his neck was clearly snapped, though he didn't seem like he was dead yet. Well, as dead as a vampire could be.
Ilio jerked his gaze back up as he felt the man's eyes finally fall on him.
"A wolf in a human city..." the demon drawled as he took a step forward, letting the unconscious body of the bald vampire slip from his fingers without a care.
His black nails were sharply pointed into dangerous claws and his black clothing, and especially his weather-worn coat, seemed to shroud him in a haze of darkness and miasma. When the man stopped in front of him, Ilio fought himself not to avert his eyes. He was a good bit shorter than their new guest, but at least he wasn't being crowded... yet.
"I came into the city because my pack was attacked. Elder Vrasje helped me," he said, proud that his voice wasn't shaking.
He'd never met an actual demon and had rarely even heard of their existence. He had honestly thought that they were just lore. Something thought up to keep young pups in line... yet now one was standing in front of him, and even his alpha wolf wanted to back away.
"Elder Vrasje... the werewolf hunter?" the man said as he grinned at the thought of the vampire helping anything akin to a wolf.
Does... does he have an extra set of fangs behind his first pair?!
"Little wolf, who is it that you are fighting for? Surely not Kalju, as your claw marks on his face have made that quite clear, then..." the man's black eyes lifted until they found their next intended target.
"Pirate lord Inkani..."
The man's words drifted off into thought as he seemed to glance around a bit, evidently reminded of something, perhaps. When his attention fell onto the person he was looking for Ilio noticed a flash of his double fangs again as his mouth opened with another slight grin.
"Binan..."
Ilio wasn't sure if it was fondness he heard in the man's word, or simply pleasant toxicity. Either way, the two knew each other.
The demon looked like he was about to walk around him and go towards his new quarry when he seemed to reconsider and stopped right beside Ilio, having taken only one single step.
Ilio turned his own body in order to see the situation better.
Ah, that's why he hesitated.
Inkani had moved to his crewmate's side and while he wasn't baring his own fangs, he was clearly ready to fight if it came down to it.
The demon was weighing his options when one of the vampires from the bald man's crew spoke up.
"Why are you hear? Did you not learn your lesson the last time you crossed us?!"
Ilio felt his face drain of color. Did that man have a death wish? Or really, a second one?
Even without crossing claws with the man standing mere inches from him, he knew that he would be a formidable match, even for his alpha wolf. Hell, he might even manage to take him down easily, if the legends about demons were true.
Karalius smirked and, finally seeming to dismiss Ilio and Bin, began heading toward the person who had called out to him.
"I do apologize for my poor performance during the last time we met, I am feeling much better after eating my fill of souls," he said, making the pirates suddenly appear a lot more nervous than they had been moments earlier.
Did demons really eat souls?
He had no idea, and he wasn't given much time to ponder the thought, either. In a blur he was back in Inkani's arms and speeding away from the area faster than his confused eyes could register.
"Lord Inka?" he questioned as he hunkered down and wrapped his arms around the man's neck, not wanting to be a hinderance.
He knew that he should be trying to get away from him, but it was also obvious that they both needed to get away from the demon before things got bloody.
They didn't stop until Ilio heard the clacking of planks beneath Inkani's boots.
We're already at the docks...
He looked over his shoulder as a strong gust of wind rustled his hair.
Wow.
"Not bad, hmm?"
I've never seen such a big ship before.
He grunted in surprise when Inkani suddenly leaped upward, his form easily cutting through the whipping wind until he came to land on the upper deck of his vessel.
The ship rocked from side to side in the rough surf as its owner looked at him with a knowing smirk.
He should have run away much sooner. He'd had plenty of opportunities, too.
"Captain! Ready to set sail again?" someone asked as they hurried forward, only to stop a few feet away and nod their head respectfully.
Inkani returned his nod with one of his own as his arms tightened around Ilio.
"Yes, let's go. Bin has already returned, right?"
The other man made a signal to several others Ilio was just now noticing before responding.
"Yes sir! He went below deck to take care of what you had requested."
The skinning table...
Ilio blinked away his blurring vision again, a bit surprised that it had returned when they weren't moving at all.
Uh...
His stomach gurgled quietly, at first, but then began to grow in volume as he felt a strange sensation in the back of his throat.
"Good, I'll head down there now. Let's get out to sea," Inkani said as he began heading across the long deck.
I don't... feel so good.
The ship dipped as it was freed from its mooring, making Ilio hiccup suddenly as his stomach twisted into an uncomfortable knot.
Inkani simply patted his back in response as he spoke to several vampires that were working around them. The man was quite content to chat for a while.
I need to get down...
He wiggled a bit in the man's arms, but he refused to give him any leeway.
"Inka... I don't..."
Another pat, followed by a tighter hold.
Ilio pressed his hands against the man's chest and pushed himself as far back as he could manage, trying to put some distance between them.
"Behave, you'll be able to rest very soon," the man said as ringing started up in Ilio's ears.
I don't feel good. I really don't.
He hiccupped again. Then almost immediately afterward two more slipped from between his lips.
On the fourth hiccup he felt a burning sensation suddenly shoot up his throat, but before he could stop it, everything he'd eaten and drank in the past few hours left his body in an abrupt stream of vomit... and since Inkani refused to release him or give him much room at all, the man took the brunt of the explosion right to his shoulders and chest.