Page 79 of Bound to the Orc Warlord

The sounds of fighting fill the air, along with the metallic scent of blood. I hate the ogres for bringing this violence to my village. But what our foes don’t realize is this is the heart of my clan. We will fight more fiercely here than any other battlefield.

Mother gives a victorious cry, her long years of skill and experience driving her sword into her opponent’s eye.

I take a bruising punch to the ribs, opening a gash on my foe’s thigh at the same time.

The ogre bellows, his foul breath almost making me gag, and snaps a kick toward my knee.

I sidestep and pivot my hips to drive my blade into his black heart. Then I plant a foot on his chest and heave to slide him from my sword.

He tumbles backward to thump on the ground, like a tree toppling, his arms flung wide.

The opening gives me a quick view of Midnight spearing a kelpie. I grin. My friend’s a formidable fighter.

Another ogre steps over the body of my downed foe, battleaxe held diagonally across her wide chest. This one’s smarter. Her beady eyes watch me carefully, looking for an opening instead of charging in.

I drop my sword, feigning weakness. As soon as she takes the bait, I snap it right back up into position, blocking her first strike.

The fight continues, bloody and loud and chaotic.

And amazing. My blood sings in my veins, my muscles pumping as I strike and whirl. I’m an orc, made for battle, and the desire to protect my home makes each triumph all the sweeter.

A voice lashes through the air like a whip, slicing my elation to shreds. “Sluagh! The sluagh are here!”

Fuck! It’s as I feared. We’re being attacked on two fronts.

And if the sluagh are here, that means they’ve also reached Ashley.

I know I shouldn’t, but I can’t help myself. I step back and spin away from the fight to search overhead.

She floats in the sky, a swarm of sluagh surrounding her. Ash fills my mouth, my heart giving a heavy thud as the vicious birds dive straight toward her.

“No! My bride!”

CHAPTER FORTY-FIVE

Ashley

I refuse to be freaking helpless again!

Dravarr might not love me, but he’s taught me a lot about being strong, about the necessity to fight for those you love.

I love Moon Blade Village, with its loud, happy people and its cozy tree cottages. It’s the first place to truly feel like a home.

And I love Dravarr. No matter how much his betrayal hurts, I’ll still fight to protect him.

I use that feeling now, letting it fill me until it twines with the power humming in my blood, shaping it into what I want.

Down, I command, and down I go, swooping toward the village green until the tiny dots on the ground resolve into people moving around quickly.

When I get closer, I gasp, my heart leaping into my throat. Those are people fighting! Gray hairless ogres are attacking the village!

Everyone’s still small with distance, but it doesn’t matter. I know exactly which of the orcs is Dravarr. He fights off a huge opponent, blocking and striking with power and grace, his sword a flashing silver death.

A sharp pain jabs into my back, zinging my entire body with adrenaline. I jerk upright, waving my arms frantically as a flock of sluagh catches up to me. The air becomes a maelstrom of black feathers and red eyes and claws.

Their nasty beaks peck into my arms, the fine linen of my shirt doing nothing to stop them. I begin to feel a little woozy, and fear sends another jolt of adrenaline spiking through me. Shit! I’m really susceptible to them now. Much more of this, and I’ll be done for. I have to do something! If only I had one of the sluagh nets I designed…

Oh wait! I can tie the arms of my shirt together around the neck hole and turn the whole thing into a bag!

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