Page 129 of The Widow and the Orcs

Killik’sgasp was hoarse and disbelieving, his eyes fluttering, whileUlfarronly kept smiling at him, and then kissed his way down to the fresh red teeth-marks he’d left onKillik’sneck. “Ishall need to rut you, you ken,”Ulfarrbreathed, hot, and oh, he was grinding intoKillikagain, shifting him purposefully againstLouisa. “Beforeall our clan.”

Killikgroaned and shuddered all over, his head tilting away to welcome more ofUlfarr’skiss, his seeking mouth.Asif — as if he didn’t mind the prospect of this rut whatsoever.Asif he would… welcome it.

Buteven the thought of it choked inLouisa’sbreath, and flashed sudden and cold all down her form. “But— doesn’t the rut mean you’d stillsharehim?” she demanded atUlfarr. “With—other partners?Afterall this?”

Andcurse her, that was distinct disapproval in her voice, or even jealousy.EnoughthatKillikandUlfarrexchanged another brief, speaking glance,Ulfarr’seyes narrowing, while distinct redness crept upKillik’scheeks.

“No,Ishall not share him in this,”Ulfarrsaid, flat and decisive, as his eyes metLouisa’sagain. “Butwe spoke of howSimonaltered this rut, ach?Apartfrom the hunt, it is yet how we claim a mate — but now all parties must freely choose who else is part of this.Andshould you wish,Louisa, in claimingKillik,Ishould welcome only… you.”

Oh.Onlyher.Therelief shuddered throughLouisa’sbreath, and she quivered a small, grateful smile back toward him. “ThenI’dbe honoured, sweetheart,” she murmured. “Ofcourse.Wecan put on a good show together, don’t you think?Makeyour adorable puppy spurt and scream for us.”

Killikloudly snorted, butLouisaandUlfarrignored it, and grinned at each other.AndalreadyUlfarrwas grinding againstKillikagain, his face seeking hungry against his throat, whileKillikgasped and shuddered, and swelled fuller insideLouisa.Sparkingand stoking her own hunger, and she clutched back against him, sank her hands into his beautiful silken hair.Andthen drew his head down for a deep, dragging kiss, because she could do that now, she could — and oh, he even moaned into it, his tongue plunging deep, his teeth scraping against her lips.

Itwas perfect, perfect, their bodies all locked together, rocking together with such sweet, staggering bliss.Wringingthem higher, closer, tighter,Ulfarr’sslow, heavy thrusts judderingKillikintoLouisa, all overLouisa, his claws skittering at her face, tilting it to the side.Sohe could scrape those sharp teeth over her bare, exposed neck, in a silent, tantalizing threat — butLouisadidn’t care, she didn’t, and she might have even drawn him down harder, please…

Shearched and gasped as the pain flashed deep — and oh, oh, atKillik’svery first gulp, his cock inside her shuddered, and sprayed.Streamingher full of slick molten heat, even as his hard, rhythmic swallows rang through her ears.Drinkingher, even as she drank him, clutched to him, gasping beneath his strength and his seed and his teeth — and fuck, her own pleasure seized, surged, crashed.MilkingatKillikagain and again, swallowing more and more and more, firing her full of fizzing, flaring ecstasy.WhilebehindKillik,Ulfarrwas shouting too, his weight pinning them both to the earth, as his own hard swallows gulped againstKillik’sarched throat.

Theworld seemed to blink away beneath the strength of it, leaving only the pleasure, the warmth, the relief.Thetruth ofLouisaheld so certain, so sheltered, beneath her fierce powerful orcs.Shewas safe.Shewas whole.Shewas…Skai.

Butno, no, perhaps not entirely, not officially, not yet.Andfor an instant, there was the reckless, overwhelming urge to just say,Yes, yes, make me your mate, please —

ButthenKillikdrew himself up, away from her throat.AndwhenLouisa’shazy eyes found his face, it was streaked with red, his long black tongue licking slow and decadent against his stained lips.Whilebehind him,Ulfarrlicked at his own red lips, and then frowned down at the broken, throbbing skin ofLouisa’sneck.

“Killik,” he said, his husky voice almost, almost disapproving. “Thatis a mating-bite.”

Killik’sbrows rose, his eyes leisurely sliding down to hold onLouisa’sneck. “No, is it?” he drawled. “Ithought it was a bee-sting.Ora newKa-esh tattoo, mayhap.”

Ulfarr’sexpression wavered, clearly caught between amusement and rebuke — and somehow, curse her,Louisasmiled up toward them both, too fond, too grateful.Herhands even drawingKillik’sface down again, so she could find his mouth, taste herself on his lips.

“Tyrant,” she murmured, and then kissed him again. “Youand your damned show.”

ButKillikwas smiling against her lips, huffing a laugh into her mouth. “Readyyourself, harpy,” he whispered back. “Forit has only just begun.”

61

WhenLouisafinally stood to her feet again, she found herself covered in mud and twigs and blood, and sore and sticky all over.

KillikandUlfarrdidn’t look much better — gods,Killiklooked like he’d just crawled through a battlefield — but neither of them seemed concerned.Ifanything,Killiklooked decidedly pleased with himself, and even shot a satisfied grin toward —Rurik?

Louisahad fully forgotten aboutRurik, but yes, he was still here, leaning impatiently against a tree, with his arms crossed over his chest. “Finally,” he snapped, as he strode toward them, and then knelt to touch a hand atLouisa’sbloody ankle. “Isthis wound yet pain, woman?”

Louisablinked downwards — gods, she’d nearly forgotten about her wounds, too. “Itdoes seem much better,” she replied, with genuine relief. “Itjust stings a bit, maybe.”

Ruriknodded, and his hand carefully shifted against it, as something prickled beneathLouisa’sskin.Draggingup another question, one that had been vaguely nagging at the back of her thoughts. “Soyour healing really is… magic?” she asked him, careful. “LikeEfterar’s, at the mountain?Isthat — somethingSkaican usually do?”

Rurikshrugged, and shifted his hand again on her ankle. “No,” he said, without looking up. “Butone of my fathers wasAsh-Kai, and his seed granted me some of his skill, beforeIwas birthed.Iam not near as gifted asEfterar, but” — he rose to his feet, gave a smug smile — “Ihave my eye on anAsh-Kaiin the north who may rival him, with time.”

Itseemed like such aSkaithing to say, suddenly, andLouisacouldn’t help smiling back at him, even as she gave an experimental roll of her ankle. “Well,Iwish you luck,” she replied. “Andthank you.”

Ruriknodded, and then glanced towardRikard’sunconscious, still-sprawled body.Whichnow showed no signs of actual wounds, beyond his torn, bloody clothes — butLouisacould still make out his breath, faintly rising and falling in his chest. “Ihave also healed this man’s wounds, as bestIcould,”Ruriksaid. “Eventhe eye, as long as no one looks too closely at this.AndIhave thickened the veins around his heart, to match those of a long-held illness.Heought to live yet three or four more days, but no more than a week.”

Itseemed like such a cold, calculated death, suddenly, andLouisawinced as she glanced atRikard’spale, familiar face. “Andhe won’t wake up again?” she asked, tentative. “Orbe in pain?”

Besideher,Killikscoffed, and muttered something aboutRikardplanning to mutilate her with her own knife — butRurikshook his head. “Hisbrain shall not again awaken,” he said firmly. “ButIshall help carry him off to his bed, to make sure of this.Ishall need four of your packmates as bearers,Iken.”

Ulfarrreadily nodded, and signed towardIgull,Elgr,Halthorr, andRagni, all of whom had re-emerged through the trees.Andafter a brief discussion of how they would cover the deception — cleaning offRikard’sblood, dressing him in nightclothes, placing him in bed — they quickly built a makeshift stretcher from nearby deadwood, and heavedRikard’sunconscious bulk onto it.

“Weagain thank you, brother,”Ulfarrsaid towardRurik, once the four orcs had lifted the stretcher between them. “Yourhelp has been a great gift fromSkai-kesh toward us.”

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