Page 17 of The Widow and the Orcs

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Fora breath, there was silence.Horrible, hanging, dangling silence, during whichLouisastared atKillikandUlfarr, and they stared at her.

Theywere both far better dressed than earlier that day,Louisa’sdistant thoughts pointed out, andUlfarrwas wearing a flattering, close-fitting tunic and trousers, along with a thick, polished, heavy-looking chain around his waist.Hislong dark hair was neatly braided, his face looked freshly shaven, and his shadowed eyes onLouisalooked — wary.Uncertain.Afraid.

“Isthis not now a good time?” cameKillik’svoice, cuttingly polite. “Oughtwe to come back later?”

Louisadarted a guilty glance toward him — he also looked irritatingly compelling in his slim-fitting, low-slung trousers — and flapped her hand toward the room behind her. “N-no, this is perfect, thank you so much for coming,” she said. “Won’tyou come in, and make yourselves comfortable?”

Killikrolled his eyes and stalked inside, while behind him,Ulfarrhesitated in the doorway, glancing uncertainly around the room.AndasLouisafollowed his gaze, she could admit that her garret room probably still looked relatively opulent in the lamplight, what with the impressive size of it, the old built-in furnishings, the gigantic bed with its tall corner posts and hanging heavy curtains.

“It’snot nearly as grand as it looks,”Louisasaid, too quickly. “Therugs are almost bare, the drapes are a bit moth-eaten, and we’ve sold everything that isn’t bolted down.Andthe bed is ancient, and liable to break under the slightest weight or duress.”

Ithad been a bad attempt at a joke, but wait, had she just told a gigantic heavy orc that her bed was likely to break under weight or duress?Anorc who she’d invited here for the sole purpose ofsharingsaid bed?!

Herface flooded with heat, her fingers rubbing painfully at her eyes, and she twitched at the sound ofKillik’sheavy sigh, and then the scrape of chair legs on the floor. “Iam sure we care naught for this,” he said flatly, and whenLouisaglanced up, he was already sprawled onto the chair by the writing desk, his dagger already in hand. “Nowcome in,Wolf, and sit.”

Heimperiously jabbed the dagger toward the bedLouisahad just warned them against, and she was vaguely surprised whenUlfarrjerked a nod, and… obeyed.Shuttingthe door quietly behind him before lumbering over to the bed, and sinking down heavily upon it.

Itdid creak under his weight, but otherwise held, andLouisaagain found herself staring at him, at his set face, at the strange hunted wariness in his eyes.Itseemed fully at odds with his demeanour earlier that day, when he’d seemed so… confident.Capable.Hungry.

Louisa’straitorous, searching eyes had even darted down to his trousers — but if there was anything happening there, it was fully concealed by how he was sitting, his huge shoulders hunched, his big hands tightly folded in his lap.Asif he was waiting, bracing himself, for some sort of — blow.Oreven a punishment.

“Uh, thank you for coming,”Louisasaid, and then winced, because she’d said that already, hadn’t she? “So,Ulfarr, hasKillik…Ipresume he’s told you we wanted to meet with you?To… discuss something?”

Shewas already forcing the words out, too rushed and flat.Andshe was disconcerted to seeUlfarr’sanswering flinch, his brief glance towardKillikthat looked almost wounded.

“Ach, butKillikwould not say what,” he replied, his deep voice heavy, even weary. “ButIken it — it has aught to do with howI… met you today, ach?HowI… tasted you, without your leave.”

Louisablinked atUlfarr, not following, and she could hear his swallow, spasming hard in his throat. “Ihad no wish to cause you distress, or alarm,” he said thickly. “I—IkenIlost my bearings, upon the sight and scent of you, andIcan only ask your — your pardon, and your mercy.Ivow beforeSkai-kesh thatIshall not again touch you without your leave, andIhope —Ipray —Ibeg —”

Hisvoice broke as he dragged in breath, and his eyes onLouisa’sface were far too bright, too pleading. “Ibeg you, please do not punish my kin for this,” he whispered. “Pleasedo not send them from these lands, or take them from this hope of a new home.Thefault in this was fully mine, andIshall seek — to atone —”

Hisbreaths kept shuddering through his chest, as if every word was agony.Anditwasagony, plummeting deep inLouisa’sbelly, constricting painfully around her chest.Ulfarrtruly thought she’d called him here to gain a personal apology?Toearn his atonement, and his misery, for his grave sin of kissing her hand?Whenhim kissing her hand might have been the loveliest thing a male had ever done in herlife?

“Oh, no, please — please don’t,”Louisastammered, and without even catching it, she lurched toward him, and snatched up his hot, heavy hand in hers. “Pleasedon’t apologize, that wasn’t at all whatImeant.I’dhave told you ifIwanted you to stop, and in truth,Iwanted you to come here soIcould —”

Shedragged for air, for rational thought, and curse her, she was drawing his hand up to her mouth, and — kissing it.Kissingit, just like he’d kissed her own hand that morning.Herlips brushing against warm skin, her tongue even darting out, tasting the salty sweetness of him…

“Iwanted to ask if you’d like — more,” she whispered, hot, shameful, into his skin. “Ifyou might like to — to stay.Thenight.”

Stay, the night.Gods, she hadn’t just said that, had she?Butyes, yes, she had.Andthis wasn’t the plan, they were supposed to explain everything first, what the hell was shedoing—

Butshe couldn’t seem to take it back, either.Noteven withUlfarrgaping at her like that, his eyes wide and shocked, his mouth slack, his big body utterly unmoving.Except, perhaps, for the faint tremor in his hand, now frozen inLouisa’sgrip.

Andwait, no, he’d apologized for kissing her own hand earlier, perhaps he still disapproved of such behaviour — and with a jolt,Louisadropped his hand, and stumbled backwards, away. “Butof course there’s no — no obligation whatsoever,” she stammered. “AndifI’vebeen too forward,I—Ioffer my apologies in return.Ijust thought perhaps —Killiksaid you might — we should —”

Shedarted a desperate glance over her shoulder, toward whereKillikwas still sitting there, watching.Hiseyes now blank, unreadable, though he’d apparently gone and gouged his dagger intoLouisa’sdesk, his hand gripped tight to its hilt.

“Ach,Ithought you two would well suit,” his clipped voice said, into the heavy silence. “Andthis woman has shown herself brave, hearty, and wise, with good lands, and great power to help us, and our kin.Thus” — he smiled, brittle and cold, as he yanked the dagger out of the desk, and jabbed it towardUlfarr— “Ioffered heryou,Wolf, for her pleasure.Alongwith our payment of her debts, if she shall come alongside us, and help care for our kin.”

Wait.Wait, that wasn’t right.Killikwas making it sound as though him offering upUlfarrtoLouisa— offering her those ten nights — had been him sweetening the pot for her, rather than him paying her to tolerate an orc in her bed.Butthat hadn’t at all been how it had gone, damn him, andLouisacould see the uncertainty glimmering inUlfarr’ssuspicious eyes.Inhow he glanced between her andKillik, as one of his hands absently caressed the other — the one she’d kissed, oh gods.

“Ach,Ifollow now,Killik,” he said, his voice resigned. “Iken you more likely offered her this coin so she would agree to bed me, ach?”

Louisatwitched, her gaze darting back to whereKillikshrugged, and flipped his dagger in his fingers. “Icannot foretell how fickle humans shall hear my words,” he said flatly. “ButIcan scent how eager they are, whenImake this offer.Andbeyond this,Ican scent” — he fluidly rose out of his chair, and strode toward the wardrobe — “how deeply they long for a good, strongSkaiprick.”

Wait.Wait, he was opening the wardrobe, and reaching inside — and thoughLouisajerked toward him, it was too late, too late.BecausegodsfuckKillik, he’d already plucked out that huge incriminating stone — thatreplica— and tossed it towardUlfarr.

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