Page 24 of Bound to the Orc Warlord

I lower my hand to my thigh, Ashley’s body sliding down my front. She reaches for me, her hands fluttering over my injured shoulder before grabbing onto my good one.

“I’ve got you.” I give her ankle a little squeeze. “Tie your tether to the saddle.”

She takes the rope from Midnight’s mouth and does as I say, then tucks the excess length under a saddle strap to keep herself close. Smart. It leaves both her hands free. She dives into the saddlebag, pulling out the cleaning cloth, waterskin, and healing salve.

When she turns to me, I shake my head and tug her toward Midnight’s front, spooling out some of the tucked tether. “We need to get under cover. We’re too exposed here. Fix Midnight, and as soon as we find a good place to stop in the forest, you can look after me.”

“But—”

“No buts,” I growl, glancing at the sky. “The ogres could be working with the sluagh.”

Mention of the soul stealer removes her objections. While I use my good arm to hold her in place, Ashley wets the cloth and cleans Midnight’s cuts, which have already stopped bleeding.

When my moon bound finishes, she plucks the pot of healing salve from her pocket.

Midnight cocks her head and looks at Ashley with a golden eye. “Thanks, but I don’t need that. I’ll heal faster on my own.”

“You will?”

“It’s their magic,” I say. “Unicorns have healing powers.” And never have I envied that ability more, though my own affinity for metal allowed me to cleave the ogre’s mace at its weakest point, preventing him from landing a second strike.

“Then you can heal Dravarr!”

“Fortunately, I can’t.” Midnight sounds positively gleeful.

“Fortunately?” Ashley’s forehead creases. “Don’t you mean unfortunately?”

“No.” Midnight laughs again, a neighing wicker.

“Midnight’s teasing you,” I say. “Unicorns can heal themselves of anything, but their powers only work on others if that person is at death’s door.”

“And you, my friend, are nowhere near that.” She touches my injured shoulder with her horn, the tiniest of pressures like the brush of a floating petal. “Fortunately.”

“My body heals quickly, too!” Drakonisrevener stands on the ground a few feet away. As soon as he sees us looking, he raises his crest and bobs his head. “But it’s not a power. It’s because dragons are superior beings.”

Midnight rolls her eyes

“So flight is your magical power?” Ashley asks.

“Dragons have two.” He opens his mouth, his jaw unhinging to show off an impressive number of teeth. A foot-long burst of orange flame shoots forth, heating the air with the scent of scorched metal. Having fire means Drakonisrevener truly is old enough for his wander years. Dragons don’t let their younglings leave until they can manifest this power.

“Use that on our enemies next time,” I say, a growl of irritation marking my voice. Why have a power and not use it?

“You were all too close.” His crest droops. “I’m still working on my aim.”

I grunt. He has a point.

“Well, I think you were great.” My bride’s gaze turns upon me, admiration shining in her eyes. “You all were.”

“I knowIwas amazing,” Midnight says, tossing her mane in the rather dramatic fashion that makes all the gold highlights gleam. Then she nuzzles the side of Ashley’s head. “Thank you for cleaning my wounds.”

My bride throws an arm over my friend’s neck and floats up to press a kiss to her forehead. Then Ashley turns back to me, her eyes arrowing in on my injury. She waves the pot of healing salve. “Are you sure…?”

“I am.” I scan the sky. Is that black dot winging overhead a real bird or part of a sluagh? The possibility of a soul eater finding us when I’m already weakened makes my lips curl back from my tusks. “We need to get going.”

While she replaces the items in the saddlebag, I retrieve my sword, grunting as I pull it free. After wiping it clean on my foe’s loincloth, I sheath it and return to the others.

My injury blares in agony when I grip the pommel with my good hand and mount. A strangled grunt escapes my lips, and my bride makes a soft noise of concern. “It’s nothing,” I say. “I’ve had worse.”

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