Page 19 of Tryggred By the Orc

Ebenshrugged and waved it away, though he couldn’t quite suppress his small, grateful smile toward her.TowhichAlmasmiled back, a flush spreading across her pretty face — even as a dark, bitter scent filtered fromTryggrat the washbasin.

“Sohow’re things going withBossthese days, woman?”Tryggrcut in, his voice sharp. “Hestill treating you properly,training you up, showing you off?Givingyou lots of joy with his mate?”

Alma’sface flushed even redder, and she mumbled something unintelligible toward the sink.Butthere was no mistaking the sudden surge of hunger and longing and pleasure in her scent, so strong it nearly swayedEbenon his feet, and flared a stab of envy deep into his belly.Whatmust it be like, to have such a fearsomeSkaitreating you properly, training you up, showing you off?Givingyou joy?

He’llcome around,Tryggrhad said.Ifshe can keep it up, show she’s worth his time…

Ebencouldn’t help a furtive look towardTryggrat the basin, and found him frowning down at the water, his brow deeply furrowed.Lookingso strangely troubled thatEbenfelt his own happiness — his own hopefulness — slightly faltering, skittering into his fingers.Intowhere he foolishly fumbled at a bar of the drying rack, and knocked half of it out of the damned wall entirely.

“Ach,Ka-esh!”Tryggrsnapped, as he lurched over, and caught the bars before they tumbled to the floor. “Watchyourself!”

Oh.Acold shudder rippled upEben’sspine, his head instantly ducking, his eyes squeezing shut. “Sorry, sir,” he croaked, thick in his throat. “Itwas a — a —”

Anaccident, he’d meant to say, but oh, he couldn’t even speak, the sudden misery churning in his belly, flooding hot into his chest.Foolish.Foolish.AndTryggrwas still frowning at him like that, like he was foolish, weak — and curse it,Ebenwasn’t about to start weeping, not here, not now, not where they all could see —

Hemumbled a choked, halting excuse, and then spun around, and dodged for the door.Rushingout through the kitchen, into the corridor, as the vision of the distantKa-eshwing bloomed behind his eyes.Thevision of thedýflissa, yes, with its sweet promises of relief, of pain, of forgetting.Ithad been so long, the longestEbencould remember going without being touched in his entire adult life, and he just needed — he needed —

Hecrashed.Smashingstraight into something warm and solid, sending him reeling backwards, staggering on his feet.Blinking, focusing, as more miserable panic shot through his chest, through his trembling, gulping mouth…

ItwasDrafli.

15

Drafli.Themost terrifying orc in the mountain,here, looming overEbenin the dark empty corridor, and glowering at him with narrow, furious-looking eyes.

Fuck, how the hell didEbenkeep doing this.Foolish,foolish, and visions ofDrafli’sdagger were already whirling into his thoughts, screaming behind his eyes.Neverlet aSkaiget you alone, run, run, run —

ButthenDrafli— signed at him.Spoketo him, with theSkaisign language, slow and distinct enough thatEbencould easily follow what it meant.

Wait, he signed.Peace.Tryggrwill come.

What?No.No, he wouldn’t, he wasn’t, foolish, andEben’sdarting glance up the corridor found only blackness, and more desperate panic in his chest.Hewas alone withDrafli.Drafliwho had almost murderedAlma, and who now… scented ofAlma.ScentedofAlma, on his hands, his groin, his mouth, his… breath.Andsuddenly there was the jolting, utterly incongruous vision ofDrafliwith his face buried betweenAlma’slegs, his cruel tongue licking her from the inside out, and he — he hadn’t.Hadhe?

Butit was still there onDrafli’sscent, bright and clear, just as vivid as ifEbenhad seen it with his own eyes.Andnow thatEbenwas studyingDrafli, breathing him in this close, he still scented only ofAlmaandBaldr, too.Shoutingthat he’d still kept those vows.Keptto the terms of that offer he’d made.Nevertrust aSkai…

Andwait, nowDrafliwas glancing purposefully up the corridor — and yes, oh, he’d somehow spoken truth in that, too.BecauseTryggrwas indeed jogging down the corridor toward them, his mouth grim, his eyes darting rapid and unreadable betweenDrafliandEben.

Good,Draflisigned sharply atTryggr, while running his piercing gaze up and downEben’sstill-shivering body.Nowtend to him.Youcannot allow your——to scent thus.

Eben’sblinking eyes hadn’t at all caught whatDraflihad called him, butTryggrclearly understood, giving a shaky exhale, and a jerky nod.TowhichDraflinodded too, and made to turn away — but then he stopped, and spun back toTryggragain.Heis ——, he signed.Hehelped me in a time of ——, and spared me from a —— wrong.

Oh.Eben’sracing heart skipped a beat, his eyes now darting betweenDrafli’shands and his face.BecauseDraflihadn’t just said that — whatever the full extent of it was — about him?Butyes, yes,Draflihad given a curt nod between him andTryggr, and then strode off up the corridor, not sparing a single look back.

ItleftEbenstanding there blinking uneasily atTryggr, who still looked distinctly uneasy, too.Hisface pale, his shoulders heaving, his swallow convulsing in his corded throat.

“Ach,Ka-esh,” he said thickly. “You’reall right, ach?Noneed to scent thus.Naughtto fear.”

Right.Ebencouldn’t hide his grimace, his eyes dropping, because of courseTryggrwould only think he was afraid, and in need of comforting.Foolish, weak…

“An’ —I’msorry,”Tryggrcontinued, faster. “Didn’tmean to snap at you, or run you off like that, just now.Iwasn’t vexed with you, or tryna mock or shame you, ach?Couldnever be vexed with you, you ken.Wasjust” — he drew in a deep breath — “fussing over you, is all.Justmeans —Icare.”

Oh.Oh.Somethingwarm and trembly shivered upEben’sspine, and his eyes snapped up, searchingTryggr’spale, watching face.He… meant that?He… cared?

“Oh,”Ebenwhispered, without at all meaning to. “I— thank you, sir.”

Tryggr’seyes briefly closed, his head tilting back in a way that looked almost despairing. “Ach,Ka-esh,” he said, hoarse. “Don’tneed to thank me, either.”

ButEbenwas searching him now, drinking in that undeniable truth of his own scent, and only his scent, onTryggr’stwitching, too-close body.JustlikeDraflihad only borneBaldrandAlma’sscents… the sameDrafliwho had kept his word, and even praisedEben’sefforts.Hishelp.

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