Risen (Haunted Series Book 22)

was at cross purposes.  He knew they were there for him. He knew there was going to be a negotiation before they took him back.  The question was, did he want to go?  His father looked over at him, and Murphy saw concern in Kevin’s eyes.  Mia did nothing more than glance his way.  She was dressed in a black uniform.  He thought there was the emblem of a flying horse on the front of her waistcoat.  If so, she appeared to be representing Abigor.  What happened to her in the pit?  Did she join the other side?  But if she did, why was his father supporting her?
“The Devil’s Pride is an amazing ship,” Mia commented, sipping on the sherry the captain had given her.  She was cautious to not drink until he did first.
“We’re a trading vessel.  I do a little hunting when the opportunity presents itself.”
“You don’t look like a whaler,” Mia said.
“No, I hunt flying monsters.”
“Angels?” she asked.  “Dragons?”
“No, although, I imagine they could be brought down by the same method.”
“And what is that?” she asked.
“Barbed harpoon.  The trick is to anticipate the flight path and aim in front of the fleeing birdman.”
“Have you downed many?” she asked.
“One or two a year, but recently, I brought in three.”
“That is a remarkable story,” Mia said.
“You don’t believe me?”
“I’ve seen the bastards fly.  They are strong flyers.”
“I see you have no love for them,” Daniel said.
“I do not underestimate their talents.  To do so is folly.”
Daniel liked this emissary.  He knew better than touch anything that Abigor owned.  But if she were to offer herself?  He had to get her interest.
“I could show you the birdmen.  I have them on ice in the hold.  You must keep them contained or they dissipate, and then no bounty, only a wild tale to share with the captain of The Risen.
“What is the bounty on a birdman?” Mia asked.
“A few gold pieces.  Gold buys a lot in this realm, and as you can see, I have expensive tastes.”
Mia got up.  “Daniel, may I look at your treasures?”
“As long as you keep them out of your pockets,” he teased.
Mia laughed.  “How large are these birdmen?” she asked.
“Oh, forgive me.  I thought you meant…  I’m sorry.”  He donned his coat and checked his pistol before tucking it in his pocket.
Mia waited and deliberately leaned into him as he placed his hand in the middle of her back.  She knew she was playing with fire.  This ghost probably was well equipped to take advantage of her.  Yet, she was an emissary of a demon house.  Demons were highly sexual.
He turned her to him.  “After we conduct business, maybe we could discuss things of a more intimate nature?”
Mia smiled wickedly.  “First, business. I value my head too much to ignore the task I was given.”
“That is understandable,” he said.  He advanced towards her, but a knock on the door stopped him. “Come,” he called.
The door opened and the quartermaster stood there.  “Capt’n Crocker, the farmer wishes to speak to you.”
“Tell him I’ll see him after I’ve given Emissary Cooper a tour of the hold.”
“Yes, Capt’n,” the quartermaster said, leaving the door open.
Mia followed Crocker out of his quarters, down first to the cannon deck and then down into the darkness of the hold.
“Brrrr, it’s cold in here,” she said.
“It’s necessary,” he said.  “Come over here. I’ll warm you up.”
Mia looked over at him.  “Here, you want it here?”
“No, of course not.  Forgive me, I’m not talking to a common whore.”
“Do you bring your whores down here to fondle them?” she prodded.
“No.”
Mia walked by him, stopping to put one hand on his arm while the other picked his pocket of his pistol.  Mentally, she pushed into his mind and planted the seed of an alternate reality.
Daniel was on fire.  He couldn’t think straight.  He took a step away and looked down at the woman.  “Forgive me, there isn’t any privacy here.”
“I’m sorry.  You were going to show me the dead birds?”
“Did I say they were dead?”
Mia backed under his arm as if in fright.  “You mean they are alive?  You said they were on ice.”
“Forgive me for leading you astray.  I didn’t know your motivations,” he said, sliding his hand down her side, caressing her hip.
Mia tried not to cringe.  There was too much at stake.  “Show me the birdmen.  Daniel, I may be able to make you a better offer.  Abigor likes his sport.  If you have live birdmen, then you could get more than a few gold pieces for them,” Mia said excitedly.  “Think of the things you could buy with a chain of pure gold…”
There was a gleam in his eye that could only come from gold.  Mia knew that her seduction was forgotten.  The man was gold hungry.  This relieved her.  She didn’t want to think of how far she was going to have to go in order to save Murphy.  Her mental seduction of the man was a necessary evil, but she would have to be very careful it didn’t become physical.
He walked her deeper into the hold.  She passed an open set of barred doors, and then she viewed something that broke her heart.  There, behind a barred, locked cage, nursing the wounds of gaping holes in their wings, were three birdmen.  They were very thin and pale.  She took a step back and said through her nose, “They’re sick.”
“I think you could fatten them up for Abigor’s uses,” he said.
“Mind if I inspect them?”
“I don’t know…”
Mia took off her coat and said, “Pat me down.  I carry no weapon.”
Daniel looked at the way her shirt pulled at the full breasts and pulled her to him and