Page 50 of Lost to the Orcs

My turn to hum but I don’t really have a response. What he implies is interesting to say the least, but only in an ‘I want to understand this’ kind of way. Not an ‘I’m attracted’ kind of way. I shrug. “You’re probably right. I’ll just leave it.” I shrug. There isn’t really any point. “I’m just more surprised in your reaction. Men on earth would be fighting over the fact another male might even be slightly interested. Let alone family. Hell, if a woman came to the mountain demanding you, I’d throw a fit.” I snort laugh as I lay my head on Jae’s chest, his heart th-thumping beneath my ear. It’s so soothing, I start to fall asleep.

“JAE!” Shouts U’snar. I jerk up at the panic in his voice. He skids to a halt just outside the door, his face pinched and contrite. I look up at Jae and see that he is glaring at his brother. “Sorry.” He apologizes, his gaze pained. But I see no scratch on him. Just winded.

“What is it?” Jaedason hisses.

“Ach, we speak in private brother?” My brows pinch now. Excuse me? Exclude me? Honestly, I don’t even have to say anything. My incredulity can be felt down the bond. Annoyance pierces the bond. Not directed at me but whatever it is he wanted to speak with Jae about alone.

“Just say it.” I grumble.

U’snar closes his eyes as he takes in a deep breath slowly counting to ten. Something he’s learned from me when I’m too pissed off at something stupid to think right. “She’s here.” Beneath my fingers, I feel Jaedason’s muscles tensing and something like the feeling of a fist tightens around my stomach.

I jump out of the nest and lunge for the pot we use for emergencies like this. I heave and expel anything and everything I’d consumed for the day. One of my mates, or both, are at my back soothing pets along my spine. Holding my hair back for me. Placing a cup of cool water on a small table. Small things. Sweet things.

CHAPTER TWENTY FIVE: SHE'S HERE

“She’s here.”His words echo in my mind. She. There is only one she that is alive that would give my mates any kind of feelings and the thought of her presence makes my blood boil. It makes me want to hiss and rage and spit and growl. I want to bite her and rip her flesh to ribbons. Like some kind of feral beast.

But I can’t. I am not that kind of person. Creature. Whatever it is that I am.

“Oak, no’ so roughly. You will toughen the dough too much.”

My lips moue with self depreciating irritation. “Sorry Burgrol.” My cheeks flush. “I’m just–

“Oak, I heard.” He interrupts. “You fear she will interfere?” I roll my eyes. Why else would she be here? To ‘see my son’. As she claims? When she hasn’t been insniffingdistance of a thousand yards of the trail that leads to the mountains from her home town?

Yeah. Right.

“You fear she will take your mates?”

I pause. Now that’s something I hadn’t contemplated. It’s not something I honestlywantto contemplate. Because it implies that I am afraid of losing them. That there is a possibility that Imightlose them.And I don’t want to admit that.

I shake my head to rid myself of that thought and Burgrol seems to take that as my answer. “Good. They would never leave you. You are their light in darkness.”

I snort. “I’m pretty sure I’ve read that in a cheesy love novel before.”

“It is a good line.” He winks. I roll my eyes.

After some time, my kneading lightening so I’m not punching the ever loving shit out of it any more, I ask, “Burgrol?” He hums in question. “Were you around when she was here? What is she like? I haven’t–I don’t want to– We haven’t met yet.”

A low grumbling noise reverberates outside of his chest. It’s a weird noise but my mates have made it too and I’m wondering if it’s a cultural thing. “Oak. I was. She is not nice. Not like you. Would never help in the kitchens to save herself.” I nod. That’s kind of the gist of the person I feel like I’m dealing with. He shakes his head, tucking plates covered with cloth into a basket. “Here. You look tired.” It’s his way of saying, ‘you’re murdering my bread again. Please leave my kitchen’. So, I graciously smile, and take my leave.

~~~~~

I follow the bond, thinking about the wonderful smells in my basket when I pass our rooms. A soft snicking sound jerks me to a stop. Turning towards the room, I see that no one is inside. But then again, the lamp is out. I swore I left it on. Just in case Narod needed to put Arawn down for a nap in his own bed. “Hello?” I call.

Out stumblesher.

I bite my lip to stop it from curling in disgust. She was touching my things. MINE. I swallow a hiss. She is supposed to be here just for the winter. The snow was falling when she arrived. And unless we wanted one of our scouts to be essentially locked out of the mountain without food for the next few months, she has to stay. I don’t need any added animosity on top of Arawn’s hope and fear of the woman.

“So sorry.” She smiles. A strange light in her eyes. “I got lost and the light was out. You must have left it off.”

I didn’t.

My nose twitches. I’m unable to suppress my angry growl. She smells like my mates. Like my nest. But mostly, like Jaedason. My eyeszero on the tunic she’s wearing over her blouse. My nostrils flare and my peripheral gaze catches her smirk. A challenge.

“Take it off.”

She laughs. “It’s mine. Jaegaveit to me.” My whole body seizes and her smirk turns into a broad grin of victory. And then I hear the clatter of plates, her screams as I drag her. I don’t know what gives me strength after my last ordeal but whatever it is, I don’t even care. My mind is feral as I drag her to the baths on autopilot. Not the hot spring baths. No. Nothing so nice. I throw her into the ice cold waters we clean freshly skinned game in.

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