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Human hands of late had not been kind to him; he didn’t want another set on him. She also still smelt of that masculine, possessive scent, and although it had lessened in its intensity over the past day, it was still present. The idea of her touching him when she wore it made his skin itch.

She flinched, the loudness of his voice, and the depth of it giving her pause. “I promise I won’t hurt you.”

Like she thought that was all that bothered him, she tentatively wiped down his bare chest with a soft stroke. She kept the rest of her body away, and it allowed him to view her past his beak, although not very well.

Ingram tensed with a threat bubbling in his throat.

Her next words, spoken so quietly and sincerely, silenced him. “I’m sorry.”

His red orbs finally gave in and turned dark yellow in curiosity.She is apologising?He didn’t know why a human, a Demonslayer, would want to.

Her strokes were gentle against him as she continued. “I know it probably means very little, but I am sorry this is happening to you. Had I known they would do this to you, I wouldn’t have...”

Her long orange eyelashes moistened, as the spike of salt teased his nose holes. She cleared her throat and leant forward – past his beak, where he could no longer see her.

“I’m sorry they’re dissecting you while you’re alive. I can’t even begin to imagine how it feels, but my torso burns for you, like I’m experiencing a small thread of it with you.”

I do not understand her.

She was cleaning him with care – even he could tell this. Her words sounded sincere, her voice soft. He couldn’t see her face, but the cold, wet cloth dabbing at him was oddly pleasant. Water trickled down his torso, cleansing him further.

He wished she wasn’t showing him this kindness; he found it confusing. It ached his heart, while soothing his muscles so they’d loosen. He’d rather she be like everyone else, hateful and humour-filled at his pain.

It would be easier to bear.

“Why are you doing this?”he asked quietly, his orbs morphing to blue – before the bottoms of them broke. Floating blue liquid hovered around his skull, glittering as it disappeared.

“Someone has to clean you eventually. I doubt you’d be susceptible to infection since you heal, but I always feel better when I’m clean.” Her singular snorting laugh lacked any humour. “Isn’t this nicer than someone else tossing water on you?”

A saddened breath shuddered out of him.

“No. I mean, why are you saying this?”When she leaned back to face him, he could only just see her past the edge of his beak.“You humans call me a monster, and yet your kind have been vile to me. Why would you show any kindness towards me?”

Her hair shone in the dim firelight as she wrung her cloth out over the ground – it seemed she was trying not to dirty the water she was going to wash him with – before wetting it once more.

“What’s happening here... I didn’t sign up for this. I didn’t join the Demonslayer guild to torture Duskwalkers. I came here because I wanted to kill Demons, to get back at them for taking everything I cared about away from me. But even then...” Once more, she was gone from view as she wiped the scales covering his pelvis and thighs. “I wouldn’t even wish this upon a Demon.”

Funny that. Ingram, despite everything he’d suffered, would gladly do this to a Demon if it would bring back Aleron. He just didn’t want it done to him, especially when, in his mind, he hadn’t done anything to deserve it.

What were a few human meals when he knew they killed each other? He and Aleron had been drawn to such battles between humans when their blood called them closer. How could they justify doing something like this to him for whatever vengeance they believed, when they were no better to each other?

“How...”he softly muttered, feeling his anger and hatred towards her lessening.“How do I make them stop? How do I make them free me?”

As much as he had gained a substantial amount of humanity, it was nowhere near enough. Half his mind and thoughts were still grainy and empty. Although he could understand some things, he didn’t have the intelligence to think his way out of this.

His body and instincts had always been his tool; he’d never truly needed his mind before.

“They won’t,” she answered definitively. “They won’t let you go, and they won’t stop doing this until they know everything about your kind and how to kill you. No guild sector has ever captured a Duskwalker before, so you’re currently the most valued asset we’ve ever had.”

“I willneverreveal how to kill my kind, and they will not find that answer inside me.”His tone held the deep underline of a threat.

“So, your kindcandie...” she mumbled, slowly standing so she could wipe his shoulders and neck.

His head twitched, causing a rattle to come from him. Then, his orbs flared dark crimson.“If you think your kindness will be enough for me to give you the answer of how to kill me, you are wrong.”

He’d never considered such a tactic before, but was this a new way to get information out of him? Wren had asked him many questions, of which he’d given her silence in return. Were they using this female as a way to lure his secrets out of him?

“I wasn’t asking you,” she stated firmly. “But... wouldn’t you prefer death over this?”