Page 47 of Secret Twins for the Orc

“No,” I growl, and duck between the ropes.

He raises his brows and follows. “Well alrighty, then.”

The gym is dimly lit at this time, the late afternoon sun slanting in through the high windows, cutting through the air thick with the tang of sweat. I let the rhythmic thud of weights hitting the floor ground me, as I begin to circle my friend.

His brows rise even further. “Straight into it. Right—oof.”

I tackle him in his side and we both go flying to the ground. Before I can pin him, he rolls me off with a well-placed knee and we both spring back to our feet. The familiar dance of grappling, wrestling, and punching soothes my muscles, the physical exertion helping to clear my thoughts, if only momentarily. I throw myself into it, willing my emotions to switch off along with the chatter in my brain.

“Well, something’s on your mind,” Olistaire says placidly, as he jerks back to avoid my punch.

I growl and grit my teeth, pushing away his words as if I could pretend he didn’t speak them. I swing at him again, and again, running him back until he’s almost flush with the ropes. When he tries to dance sideways, I lunge at him once more, grabbing him around the middle and slamming him heavily to the ground, knowing his body can take it.

But again, the slippery minotaur manages to buck me off, this time flipping me up over his shoulder and landing with a knee to my chest, pinning me down.

“Tell me, you sad bastard,” he says, panting, and when I maneuver to buck him off me, he zips down quickly and presses his forearm to my throat in warning. “You’ll feel better if you get it off your chest. Probably.”

I could crack a tooth with how hard my jaw is clenched, and I make an effort to release it. “I’m a father of two.”

Olistaire’s mouth falls open, and he stares. “Ella’s pregnant?” Then he grins, and his forearm slackens against me. “I knew you’d get her soon enough, but she’s already pregnant? That’s quick work, even by my standards.”

“No.” I take advantage of his lax hold and twist him off, feeling brief satisfaction at the thunk of his body as I roll to my feet. “She got pregnant two years ago.”

“Oh.” Olistaire stands slowly, his face pinching as he works through the implications. “Oh.”

“Her kids came to join her in her new home yesterday. I met them. By accident.”

We stare at each other for a long second, and I feel the tension in my shoulders doubling, bursting with an energy I’m not sure I can release.

“She hid them from me. Tried to get them away before I could see them. She doesn’t want me in their lives.”

Olistaire’s brown eyes dance over me consideringly, as if he’s trying to read some hidden information I can’t see myself.

“Are you sure,” he says slowly, “that she doesn’t want you involved?”

“She’s had all this time to tell me about them, and didn’t. That’s a pretty clear message.”

His eyes squint, and he begins to circle me. I roll my shoulders and warily track his movements.

“She isn’t an orc,” he says in a matter-of-fact tone.

I huff, and twist my feet to keep him in my sight. “Obviously.”

“Mm-hmm.”

I growl and lunge towards him, but he darts away and keeps circling. “What in hells do you mean by mm-hmm?”

“I just mean that she’s not Morgatha, and you should stop reacting as if she is.” I lunge towards him again, and this time he doesn’t evade me, facing my grapple head on. “She’s a human, and her decision not to tell you might be fueled by a whole slew of reasons and motivations that have nothing to do with you at all, to be frank.”

I feel my jaw ticking with irritation, and I push against his hold, forcing him back with brute strength. “And that’s supposed to be better?” I grit.

“Yes.” He digs his heels down, and we pause at an impasse in the middle of the ring. “She might just be afraid, you great fuck.”

My fingers twitch against him, and he leans into me with a grunt.

“I’m assuming you blew up at her,” he says, before managing to push me back a step. “I’m assuming you got angry, said things you shouldn’t have said, before any real discussion could happen.”

I’m shoved back once more, and a new sort of pain begins to slice across my chest, one I’ve been trying desperately to ignore.

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