Page 18 of Claimed By the Orc

Vaher said nothing, which wasn’t like him. I folded my arms and met silence with silence, sure that I could out-stubborn him. It didn’t take long.

“Fine,” he said, throwing his hands up in disgust. “This isn’t about money, it’s about us all not being murdered by Guild assassins. And by all, I include your precious Abigail and your kin. The fucking local Guildfather wants his pet fighter to win, so that’s how it’s got to be.”

It wasn’t funny, but I laughed anyway. My only other choice was to tear the hypocrite’s head off, and that wouldn’t help. “You’re mad because someone else is rigging the matches, and you don’t like to lose. Fuck that, we are not on the same side here. And if you’re claiming you won’t profit from this, you’re insulting my intelligence.”

“Yes, fine. I’m going to bet against you through a cutout, so I’ll make a lot off this if you lose. Win and you’d ruin me, but the price would be everyone aboardDarha’s Blessing.”

I shrugged. “They’d move from being your slaves to being someone else’s. I don’t like that idea, but it’s not that big a change, and I’d be alive to see them.”

Vaher ground his teeth, then stopped as he realized what he was doing. “This a problem for both of us, and we can only faceit together. I know this is a lot to ask, but I’ll make sacrifices too. Your kin—I’ll free them, give them each enough money to get by, and let them off at any nearby world they want.”

My eyes narrowed, trying to judge the crimson-skinned slaver. There wasn’t much point. I didn’t trust him, and there wasn’t anything he could do or say to change that. His fear seemed genuine, though, and that was the lynchpin of this proposal. Maybe he was being honest.

If not, there wasn’t much I could do about it. Glaring at my captor, I nodded reluctantly. Even a chance of freeing Abigail and the rest of my family was worth sacrificing for.

She would disagree.I sighed. Saying goodbye would not be easy, and I expected to get punched again. “How can I trust you to keep your word?”

The captain relaxed visibly at my agreement. “I have a contract ready for our signatures and enforceable under Guild rules. Thank you for being reasonable, Gragash.”

At his gesture, one of the hologram documents reappeared, and he turned it for me to see. It seemed to say what I needed it to, without specifying what services I provided in exchange. Would it bind him? I had no idea. It wasn’t as though I had a lawyer to consult.

“Send my copy to Abigail,” I said, pressing my thumb into the page to mark my agreement. “She’s the one who’ll need it.”

16

ABIGAIL

Ty’anii didn’t tell me where she was taking me. As soon as we’d left the Guildfather and his goons behind, she grabbed me by the scruff of the neck as though I was an unruly kitten, and dragged me away.

It didn’t take me long to realize we were heading back to theBlessing,though, and I understood. I’d heard the entire deal, and if I told Gragash what they planned to do with his family there was no chance he’d go along with it. They had to keep us apart.

So when she threw me into the hold and a dozen pairs of orcish eyes stared at me, it didn’t come as a shock. Of course they’d keep all their hostages together. Easier that way. That didn’t make it any less intimidating to look up at them. Even the kids looked like they could take me in a fight, and the adults…

“Who the fuck are you, urd’ash?”

The female who spoke loomed over me, anger flaring in her dark eyes, muscles taut under green skin. The family resemblance was undeniable, I saw Gragash in her face and her shoulders and her anger.

“Jarchess, right?” I tried to get up. A firm hand gripped my neck and pushed me back down. She looked less angry butmore suspicious, and no less dangerous to me. “You’re Gragash’s sister?”

“I know who I am,” she snarled. “I asked who you are, urd’ash.”

Sharp claws pricked my skin, and I swallowed nervously. In Gragash’s hands, I’d always felt safe. His sister was a different story.

“I’m Abigail,” I started, then paused.Crap, how did he say it?“Abigail ko’Gragash. Your brother needs our help.”

Apparently I said it right, because Jarchess let go of my throat and stepped back, giving me space to rise. Her eyes raked me up and down, and I wasn’t sure if her expression was a smile or a sneer. “Yes, I can see Gragash picking you. Welcome to the clan. By tradition, I should offer to share wine with you, but all our captors leave us with is funny-tasting water. Want some?”

Not about to reject an orc custom, I nodded eagerly and took the offered flask. The water was warm, had a metallic tang, and at the same time it tasted likehope.

“We don’t have long,” I said, wiping mouth and passing the flask back. “Gragash is in trouble, and so are we.”

17

GRAGASH

My requests to see Abigail before the fight went unacknowledged. When I escalated them to demands, Vaher sighed and told me he’d see what he could do. There were, he said, bigger issues at play.

And now a motorized platform lifted me into the sunlight again, without me having a chance to say goodbye to my mate. It was enough to make me consider not cooperating with the slaver’s plan, but that would just be a disaster for Abigail and the others.

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