Page 53 of The Widow and the Orcs

Hisglance atLouisawas sharp, purposeful, and far too late, she drew in breath, dragged a smile to her mouth. “Soperfect, sweetheart,” she said, with only a faint hitch in her voice. “I’venever had such a kind, generous lover in all my life.Gods, you even helped me so sweetly through that bludgeoningIjust bore fromKillik!Thoughwhy you think he’s a good lover is still entirely beyond fathoming!”

Therewas an instant’s stillness, in whichUlfarrblinked at her, his heavy brow furrowing — but beside him,Killik’seyes shifted, softened, into something almost… relieved. “Ungratefulharpy,” he sneered atLouisa, though there was no real heat in his voice. “Ishould have liked to see you try to swallow my wolf’s prick without my ploughing first!Iwas only readying you for him, as any goodSkaishould, when he knows his clanmate bears such a prick as his!Whatkind of bedmate shouldIbe, to offer him only half a dry, tight womb to fuck?Ratherthan one that is soft and ready and open, and eager to suck him whole?”

Somethingcaught inLouisa’sbelly at even the thought — had that really beenKillik’sintent with all that? — and she had to fight for air, for conscious thought. “Well, you could have been a little gentler about it!” she shot back. “Ora little slower!Whydid you need to resort to — toimmediate stabbing!”

Killik’ssnort was incredulous, his glimmering eyes darting down toUlfarr, as if seeking confirmation ofLouisa’sutter folly. “Youwould ken this woman has nevermetme,Wolf,” he groused. “WhenhaveIever shown the least wish for aught butimmediate stabbing?Skai-kesh above, did she thinkIshould cuddle her, or call her pretty names?Mayhapwrite her a fancyKa-esh letter whilstIwait?”

Thederision on his voice was so sharp, so absolute, thatLouisa’scursed mouth barked a short, helpless laugh — and oh,Ulfarr’smouth was quivering, too.Hiseyes a little clearer, a little calmer, andLouisadidn’t even care whenKillikpoked her in the shoulder, his sharp claw digging into her skin. “Andalso, woman,” he went on, as if warming to his theme, “what kind of bedmate shouldIbe, to dawdle and fritter about with you, whilst my hungry wolf was watching, and waiting!Iwished you for a gift forhim, and notoncedidIdream you would be fool enough to bindmeinto this, also!”

Andcurse it,Louisawas still smiling at him, warm and damnably genuine, because he’d gone and brought thatbindingup again — and in truth, he didn’t even look that angry about it.Especiallywhen he glanced back down atUlfarr, at whereUlfarr’sface looked clearer, more focused than before, his eyes glimmering with something almost like… hope.

“Butyou are — sure you do not — mind,Killik,”Ulfarrsaid, between his heaving breaths. “Youshall not — miss your other — bedmates — too much.”

ButKillikonly scoffed, and waved it away. “Ach,Ishall endure,” he replied, with a too-casual shrug. “Andit is only for five more nights, is it not?”

Right.Fivemore nights, now.Alreadyhalfway.AndLouisahad to fight to hide her disappointment, to swallow down the sudden rising lump in her throat, the prickling behind her eyes.Gods, she was already going to missUlfarrso much, and maybe evenKillik, too.Especiallyafter what they’d just done, even if it hadn’t meant anything, especially onKillik’spart — right?Andthere was the sudden, sinking realization that of courseKillikhadn’t wanted to be kind about it, or intimate about it, because this had only ever been forUlfarrin the first place…

Butdamn it, nowUlfarrwas slightly wilting beneath her too, that darkness weighing down his eyes, thinning his mouth.AndKillikcaught it too, his body lurching closer, his hand again pattingUlfarr’scheek. “Andnow,Wolf,” he added, “for these next five nights,Ishall take great joy in further stabbing this woman, and watching her squirm and squawk and squeal upon me.Youshall need to offer her much comfort,Iken.Andmuch sweet relief with your fatSkaiprick.”

Andyes, that seemed to ease away the darkness,Ulfarr’smouth softening again, his eyes shining onLouisa’sface.Andshe twitched a smile back, and even reached her hand up to mimicKillik’s, patting againstUlfarr’sother cheek.Almostas if cradling his face between them, both of them coming together to care for him, to comfort him.

“Ican’t wait, sweetheart,” she told him, as she kept stroking his cheek, matchingKillik’smovements on the other side. “Andmaybe you can keep me from stealingKillik’sdaggers, and stabbing him straight back.Becauseit would be so damned satisfying to watchhimsquirm and squeal too, don’t you think?Maybeeven” — she raised her brows atKillik— “upon a perfectSkaiprick?”

Killikinstantly balked, sputtering, whileUlfarr’seyes warmed even more as they flicked towardKillik’sface.Asif he wouldn’t at all mind the idea, oh gods — butKillikcertainly did, and in a flash of motion, he whipped his dagger out from his hair, and waved it dangerously close toUlfarrandLouisa’snoses. “No, you spiteful harpy,” he hissed atLouisa. “Thisismyshow.Youdance forme!”

ButUlfarrwas still almost smiling, andLouisawas grinning too.Andmaybe — maybe that was even a dimple, quivering inKillik’scheek, undermining his thunderous glare between them. “Out, meddlesome woman,” he snapped, pointing his dagger toward the curtain. “Offwith you.Beforeyou provoke me to stab you again!”

Louisamade a face at him, but that shimmering warmth was still there, because he — he was again suggesting he might do that again.Hewould.Andsomehow it smoothed over that quiet, aching awareness that he was sending her away again, getting rid of her again, even after all that…

ButthenUlfarr’sbig hand snapped up, circled tight aroundKillik’swrist. “Butyou shall yet walkLouisaback to her home,” he said, “and be sure she is safe.Ach?”

Thecommand glinted in his eyes, rumbled deep in his voice, and for an instant,Killikagain seemed caught in it, disconcerted. “Ach, ach,” he replied, with a roll of his eyes, a too-dismissive wave of his hand. “Butonly if you rest, andstay.”

He’dagain flipped the dagger in his fingers, pointing it imperiously down towardUlfarr’snose.ButUlfarr’ssmile back was slow, grateful, his heavy gaze flicking toLouisa’sface. “Ithank you for such a great gift,Louisa,” he murmured. “Youhave brought us both much joy, this night.”

Louisa’sthroat convulsed, and she gave a short, shaky nod, and a small, true smile. “Youtoo, sweetheart,” she said. “It’sbeen such a pleasure.”

Ulfarrnodded back, again with such reverent gratefulness in his eyes — until he flinched, and hissed through his teeth.Because— becauseKillikhad produced a large, clean-looking rag, and had lightly settled it overUlfarr’sexposed groin.Andwait, the rag was already spreading with red, oh gods, andUlfarrwas —

WasUlfarr…injured?From… from that?Fromwhat they’d just done?

Butcurse it,Ulfarrwas studiously looking away now, his jaw tight, andKillik’sclaws clamped atLouisa’sarm, as his other hand shoved another clean rag toward her.Andhis glittering eyes on hers seemed to say,No.Don’tyou dare.

“Nowcome, woman, and clean up your own mess,”Killiksnapped. “BeforeIlose my patience, and lock you out in the dark alone.”

Itwas probably more empty threats, or even more teasing, but suddenlyLouisacouldn’t seem to hold his eyes, couldn’t even begin to find a reply.Couldonly nod, and try to obey, blocking off the seeping liquid as surreptitiously as she could.Whilefighting to ignoreUlfarr’songoing stilted silence, his turned-away face, the ever-spreading redness pooling across that rag…

“Bye, then,” she whispered at him, foolish, foolish. “Feelbetter soon, sweetheart.”

Andwithout waiting for an answer, she spun toward the door, and fled.

26

Escapingthat underground room, it turned out, wasn’t as easy asLouisamight have hoped.

Itfirst required walking past a still-watchingPollyandIgull, whileIgullgrinned and waved.Andnext had been the large, open room beyond the curtain, where a half-dozen heads instantly swivelled towardLouisaandKillik, as if they all knew exactly what had just gone on — but of course they would know, wouldn’t they?Ifnothing else, they would have heard it, right?Wouldhave heardLouisawhimpering and shouting as two orcs had taken turns with her?Inpublic?

Louisakept her head down as she walked past, her face furiously burning — and making matters even worse was the situation between her legs, which was rapidly overwhelmingKillik’suseless rag.Andonce they finally stepped out into the moonlit night, she had to run for the nearest bush, clawing up her skirts, as hot streams of thick, sweet-scented fluid gushed out onto the ground at her feet.

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