Page 101 of The Orc Outcast's Miracle

“Govek! Get back!”

Miranda couldn’t tell which of the orc males had yelled. She couldn’t see anything but Govek as the beast was on its feet again. It swung its deadly tusks, ready to skewer him.

Govek dodged again but slipped on the rocks. He couldn’t get traction. Oh god, oh god!

“Govek!” Miranda wailed helplessly. Govek’s eyes snapped to hers for a split second. Long enough that the pig caught him with the end of his tusk.

She heard the crack. Felt it in her own chest.

She’d killed him! Oh god, she was so?—

If Govek felt pain, he didn’t acknowledge it. He dove into the waist deep water, scrambling back as the beast swung his head. It charged. Sliced its deadly tusks through the air again. She could barely see past the waves, could barely make out Govek’s green blur.

“Help him!” she screamed at the other males. Karthoc sprinted in. The others had already gathered up their children, and were dragging them deeper into the safety of the woods.

Miranda started into the icy water, eyes back on Govek. She couldn’t look away again, but she was so terrified of what she might find.

“Here!” Karthoc raged at the beast. His voice ricocheted off the trees and coiled in Miranda’s gut. “Come for me!”

It was like the pig didn’t even hear him. It was so blind in its pursuit of Govek. Its eyes bulged and its screaming squeals raged, and Miranda slipped on the rocks, fell to her knees in the icy water. But she got back up and kept trying.

She could not let him die.

The cold barely registered as she went deeper. Her lungs burned, her muscles quaked as she tried to keep her balance. She slipped on the rocks again. Almost there.

Miranda lunged forward and snagged the beast’s tail. She fell, splashing into the spring as she went under. The pig’s back leg whizzed through the water right next to her head.

She burst back to the surface and scrambled away from the deadly hooves. Blood pounded in her ears. Her hold on its tail tightened like a vice, and she yanked hard.

The beast screamed.

It turned toward her.

“Miranda!” It was a woman’s scream, but she didn’t know who. She couldn’t bring herself to look. She let go of the pig’s tail and struggled away, slipped again, unable to get traction. Her knees gave out.

“Miranda!”

Govek’s roar punctuated through her soul, and she turned.

The pig was right behind her, its red eyes fixed. Drool and pus and rot sprayed from its screaming mouth.

Govek slammed into its side and it fell.

Water exploded in front of her. Govek and Karthoc both straddled it. Their claws dug into its hide. The pig wailed and the unholy sound caused Miranda’s ears to ring.

Govek unhinged his jaw, stretched his mouth impossibly wide, and dug his massive fangs deep into the creature’s neck.

Blood sprayed from the artery, flooding the air with its metallic odor, turning the water red. Govek slashed again with his hands, slicing deeper through the vein in its neck.

Fuck, he was covered in blood. From head to toe. What of it was his? She couldn’t tell.

He and Karthoc held the creature down as it fought to its last. Iytier and Estoc rushed in to help even as the pig’s twitches stilled. Its eyes clouded. Its nose bled.

Govek slid down from the creature’s back, shaken and wobbly. He loped toward Miranda with murder in his eyes and yanked her arm, dragging her through the icy water and back to the bank. She followed blindly, trying to catch up so she could get her hands on him. See his side where the tusk got him.

He stopped only when they reached the center of the bank. He rounded on her, ran his hands over her arms. Her sides. Through her hair. Eyes searching.

“I’m okay.” Her voice came out choked. She gripped his shirt and tried to pull it up. To check where he’d been hit. “A-are you? Govek, are you?—”

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